Fujiwara Mansion – Late Evening
The sleek black car rolled into the long private driveway of the Fujiwara estate, its tires humming low on the stone path. A quiet drizzle had started falling, dotting the windshield with silver specks. The mansion loomed in the darkness—its elegant façade calm, unaware of the storm brewing inside one of its sons.
With a sharp screech, the car halted.
Ren didn't wait.
He threw the door open with a force that made the driver flinch.
Driver (timidly):
"Sir—should I bring your—"
Ren (without looking back):
"No."
The door slammed shut behind him—CRACK!
Ren's long strides thundered through the stone-floored entry hall. His coat still hung off one shoulder, the rain dampening his collar, but he didn't care. His mind was burning. Burning with her face. With that man. With the unknown... and the painfully familiar.
He reached the downstairs wing where his private quarters lay. With another violent motion, he shoved open his door and then slammed it shut behind him—BOOM!
Upstairs, Reo, curled up in the lounge with a book and snacks, jerked upright.
Reo (muttering to himself):
"Whoa... what storm just walked in?"
Still chewing his last bite of senbei, Reo hopped off the couch and padded down barefoot, knocking once—then opening the door without waiting.
Reo (playfully):
"Ren-nii~ Did you lose your fight with gravity again, or did your hair finally reject all that overpriced gel—"
His sentence stopped.
Ren stood by the window, his silhouette dark against the soft yellow lights, one hand clutched tightly in a fist, pressed against the glass.
Reo blinked, then grinned—unaware of the full mood yet.
Reo:
"C'mon, you look like you got dumped—wait, no one can dump you. Unless... it was the cafeteria omelet? Brutal, man."
Ren turned slowly.
His golden eyes didn't shine with amusement.
They burned.
Ren (quiet, sharp):
"Not now, Reo."
Reo blinked.
Reo (lightly):
"Whoa, chill. I was just jok—"
Ren (voice rising):
"I said not now!"
The room froze.
Reo's smile disappeared.
Ren's chest rose and fell—he hadn't meant to shout. But the vision of Yume standing beside that man, smiling like she had known him forever, like she was his, wouldn't leave his head.
Reo looked at his older brother for a long moment.
He stepped back—just a little.
Reo (softly, more serious):
"Okay... Got it. I'll leave you alone."
Ren's jaw clenched.
He turned away again, one hand brushing his hair back. Guilt stung the corners of his mind. But the fire in his chest wouldn't die.
Reo slowly stepped back into the hallway, but before closing the door, he glanced over his shoulder.
Reo (soft, barely audible):
"...You only act like this when someone matters."
And with that, he left.
Ren stood in silence, the storm outside matching the one inside him. He pressed his palm harder against the cold glass.
He didn't know the man's name.
He didn't know why it hurt.
But in his chest, one truth burned louder than reason:
> "That smile wasn't meant for him."
And for the first time in a long while, Ren Fujiwara—the golden boy, the calm strategist, the heir—felt utterly unsure of what he was fighting for.
Ren's Dream — Divine Memory
The soft rustle of silk. A flicker of white feathers drifting through moonlight.
Ren tossed restlessly in bed, the moonlight falling across his sheets. His body finally gave in to exhaustion, but his mind remained lit by shadows and confusion. A name on his tongue—Shirayume. A woman he had never met. A feeling he couldn't explain.
And then—
The dream opened like a scroll.
---
🍃 Heavens – Celestial Plains of Irani, long ago
The skies above were vast, painted in shades of silver, plum, and blue fire. Cloud islands drifted beneath starlit auroras, and ancient spirits walked with silent grace.
At the center of this sacred realm stood a woman of dreamlike beauty—her hair long and cascading like ink spun from stardust, her kimono adorned with feathers and mist. Her eyes—gentle, sorrowful, ageless.
Shirayume.
Ren knew her. Somehow.
She stood upon a glowing platform suspended in the air, whispering something to a fox-eared man, regal and burning with quiet fire—Arashi, the Nine-Tailed Kitsune.
The man's gaze toward Shirayume was filled with reverence. Adoration. Devotion as deep as lifetimes.
But then—
A storm broke through the quiet.
A second figure appeared on the opposite side of the divine realm's dais. Sai, now in his true form: Tengoku, the celestial messenger of the Dragon God. His aura was golden, sharp, and burdened with obsession. His eyes were not gentle—they were hungry.
He looked at Shirayume not like a man in love... but like a soul that believed it deserved her.
---
Tengoku (coldly):
"You gave your heart to a servant of a lesser goddess. You turned your gaze away from heaven's order—for him."
Arashi (growling, stepping forward):
"She chose no one, Tengoku. But she is not yours to possess."
Tengoku (snapping):
"She was mine long before you came with your illusions and tails. The Dragon God saw her light and marked it—so did I."
Shirayume (softly, pain in her voice):
"I never asked to be claimed. I belong to no one."
The wind turned sharp. The skies cracked.
And in a blinding blaze of divine light—the two celestial beings clashed.
Tails of searing flame collided with spear-like golden light. Clouds burned away as Arashi fought Tengoku midair, their silhouettes framed against a star-shattered sky.
Ren, in his dream, watched. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak.
But with every strike Arashi threw—every snarl of pain, every protective motion toward Shirayume—he felt it in his bones.
His fists clenched under the covers. Sweat beaded at his brow.
> "I know that rage... I know that fear. That's not just him. That's... me."
---
Arashi (furious):
"You never loved her. You only wanted what you couldn't control!"
Tengoku (screaming):
"She was mine in every lifetime!"
Arashi's ninth tail flared, a spectral burst of foxfire enveloping them both. Tengoku fell back, scorched and snarling. But before Arashi could reach Shirayume—
Chains of divine judgment fell from the sky.
Gods. Dozens of them.
Including Goddess Irani herself.
Their voices cold. Unforgiving.
Voice of the Celestials:
"Kitsune Arashi—You have broken celestial balance through forbidden emotion. For this, you are to be exiled from the heavens. Reincarnated into the mortal world—stripped of memory and form."
Shirayume (crying out):
"No—! It was me, I—!"
But her cry was silenced. The punishment could not be reversed.
Tengoku, bleeding and furious, said nothing.
But he smiled.
Just barely.
> He wanted this.
> He made this happen.
---
🌘 Back in Present — Fujiwara Mansion, Ren's Room
Ren sat up in bed with a gasp, eyes wild, heart thundering in his chest. His sheets were twisted around his legs, his pillow damp with sweat.
It was still night. The moon was higher now.
But inside him—everything had changed.
He clutched at his chest, as if trying to still the storm within.
Ren (to himself, voice shaking):
"Arashi… That name... it's not just a dream."
He remembered the fire.
He remembered her.
He remembered what it felt like to lose her.
But the worst part?
He didn't even know why it mattered so much.
Or maybe… deep down… he did.
On the other side
Journey Home – Sai, Sakura, and Yumeha
The rain had thinned to a drizzle by the time Sai's sleek black car pulled up in front of the luxurious café. The evening air was heavy with the scent of wet asphalt and sakura trees in bloom.
Inside the car, Yumeha sat on the right side of the back seat, her posture composed, but her fingers twitched nervously where Sai couldn't see. Sakura, elegant as always, reclined beside her, scrolling through messages on her phone.
Sai sat in the driver's seat—not because he had to, but because he always insisted on driving them home himself when Sakura was in town.
The engine purred to life.
> But inside the cabin, silence hummed louder than the car.
---
Sakura (light, teasing):
"Well, tonight's café was a success. I do wonder what someone was thinking about so intently during dessert, though. Hmm?"
She glanced toward Yumeha with a sly smile.
Yumeha (trying to deflect):
"I was thinking about the flavor of the raspberry tart."
Sakura (grinning):
"Sure you were. You always fidget with your ring finger when you're lying, Yume."
Yumeha smiled faintly but didn't respond.
From the driver's seat, Sai's sharp gaze flicked to the rearview mirror—just briefly. He said nothing, but his hands gripped the wheel tighter.
---
As the car turned into the main road, the city lights bled into soft golds across the windows.
Sai (calm, but with an edge):
"That boy from your office. The one with the sharp eyes."
Yumeha looked up.
Sai:
"You didn't mention he makes you smile like that."
Yumeha (caught off guard):
"I smile at everyone."
Sai (quietly):
"Not like that."
There was something old in his voice. Tired. Heavy.
Sakura, sensing the shift, changed the subject with her usual grace.
---
Sakura (casually):
"Yume, I need to borrow you this weekend. Mother wants us to go through the spring donation records before the gala. Be prepared to suffer."
Yumeha (relieved):
"Understood. Do I get snacks?"
Sakura:
"If you behave."
They laughed softly.
But Sai… he didn't.
When the car finally pulled through the gilded gates of the Mitsui Mansion, Yumeha was the first to open the door. She murmured a soft "thank you" and stepped into the rain-washed stone path under Sakura's umbrella.
As Sakura followed her into the house, Sai remained behind the wheel, unmoving.
His knuckles were white around the steering wheel.
> She always smiles like that before she forgets me all over again.
---
🌙 Scene: Yumeha's Dream — Memory of Shirayume
That night, after changing into her soft silk sleepwear, Yumeha sat in bed with her journal open but untouched. Her thoughts were scattered. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw golden eyes in the rain—and a memory she didn't own.
Eventually, she drifted to sleep.
And then—
> The dream began.
---
✨ Heavens — Dreamscape of Shirayume
The clouds were soft beneath her feet. The wind was perfumed with ancient lavender and heavenly silence. Shirayume, robed in moon-feathered silk, stood beneath the Spirit Tree of Irani, its branches glowing with memories of the divine.
She was waiting.
She always waited for him here.
And he came.
Arashi. His nine tails trailed behind him like a fire made of soul and sorrow. His footsteps didn't echo, but her heart did every time he neared.
They stood together beneath the tree, her hand pressed lightly against his chest, his forehead resting against hers.
---
Shirayume (softly):
"They will come for you, Arashi. They are watching."
Arashi (quiet but sure):
"Let them. I would walk into a hundred lifetimes of punishment, if it meant standing here with you… again and again."
She trembled. Not out of fear—but because she believed him.
And she was afraid of believing.
---
Suddenly, the winds shifted.
A presence arrived—Tengoku, draped in regal armor, his wings folded with tension. He looked at Shirayume, not with warmth, but longing that had turned to resentment.
Tengoku (to her):
"You see only him. Why?"
Shirayume (firmly):
"Because his soul listens to mine."
Tengoku's jaw clenched.
He stepped forward. Arashi stepped in front of her.
A spark ignited.
---
Tengoku (coldly):
"This foolish love will destroy both of you. You will be punished. You will forget."
Arashi:
"Then let it destroy me."
And then they fought—again.
Only this time… Shirayume didn't try to stop them.
She only wept.
And in her arms, the world began to blur.
> A thousand feathers scattered through time.
> A punishment written in silence.
> And a promise—unfulfilled.
---
🌘 Present — Yumeha Wakes Up
Yumeha gasped awake, hands gripping the sheets. Her eyes wide, chest heaving.
The name fell from her lips before she could stop it.
Yumeha (whispering):
"...Arashi."
She touched her cheek—wet with tears she didn't remember crying.
And then she remembered the man with golden eyes, standing under the Fujiwara Multimedia lights.
Her heartbeat grew louder.
> Was that just a dream? Or was it… something else returning?