I hope this means your email has stopped acting up.
Suggested changes: {before : after}
On 04/21/2004 09:32 AM, DB Sommer said:
While the older of the pair, fourteen year old Hiroki, was growing
into a beauty like her mother, and would be prime material for
marrying into a prominent family, nine year old Minato was another
matter. The Sanzenin good looks had passed her by, opting instead to
give her the plain features of her father and a chin that was too big
for her face. Worse, she refused to learn proper behavior for a
woman of the nobility. She acted more like a boy, constantly getting
into fights with her peers and showing up at the dinner table with
bruises and scratches as often as not. The girl had no sense of
propriety either, treating Mikado rudely on a number of occasions
when he gave her advice on walking the path of a true noblewoman. She
loudly proclaimed she would never consent to being some
'bubble-headed babymaker' and would be treated for the woman she was,
even if it meant joining the military or Security Directorate. The
hopes that the rebellion was a phase she would grow out of were
quickly growing dim as she became worse with each passing month. In
truth, she reminded Mikado of a younger version of that thuggish
Akane girl Tatewaki seemed to have his sights set on.
Or Nodoka Saotome nee Himura, Kimiko Tendo nee Nakakami, Achiko Masaki,
and Kenseiko Kunou nee Idomo. There is a substantial, if tacitly
ignored, culture of samurai-ko that Minato would be quite at home in.
Now there was a thought. Perhaps they could unload Minato on Tatewaki
once she was of marrying age, if worse came to worse. Also, it would
help increase the prominence of the Sanzenin name. They were of the
'New Nobility', a name derisively given to those whose success was
{economical : economic : financial}, rather than having a true noble
bloodline. The Sanzenins had only risen to prominence in the last
four generations --due to their profitable reaping of resources along
the Empire's outer regions-- and had yet to merge a distinguished
noble family to their own. That was already being worked on to some
degree, and the addition of the Kunous, who possessed a storied
samurai background, would only speed the matter of reputation
forward. Doing it twice over would further cement the issue.
A fleeting look of sadness crossed her features. Accepting the
dismissal, she bowed demurely and walked off without another word.
Sounds like she's not quite so bubble headed as the men in the family
would like to believe.
Mikado nodded in approval of his mother's reaction, which was that of
any true noblewoman. That was another reason he favored Kodachi. She
knew her properly submissive role as well. Such characteristics
confirmed the knowledge that she would make an excellent wife and
mother of his children, unlike that bitch, Asuka Saginomiya. All she
was useful for was a bedwarmer, though she did fulfill the role quite
well.
How does he relate that to the fact that Kodachi beat Asuka their last
few times out?
Tragedy struck several years later as she fell victim to a disease
while traveling abroad and died. Even to this day, his uncle mourned
her death, and had refused any other women in his life. He {didn't
even take : hadn't even taken} a mistress in all that time. Though
that fact had served Mikado, for that meant there were no direct
heirs to get in the way of his ascension through the family. Only
Keitaro and his younger brother Yoshihiro, who was but two years
older than Mikado, were male heirs in front of him. That made Mikado
the third most powerful member of his family, once his uncle passed
on.
I doubt which ever of them succeeds will permit anyone even a fraction
of their control.
Even quicker, Mikado brought his nearest jo stick up to deflect the
blow. As metal met metal, Keitaro lashed out with the other jo stick.
Mikado was faster this time, meeting the weapon in mid-swing. With
contact occurring earlier than Keitaro {predicted : expected}, his
weapon was sent out to the side, leaving an opening Mikado took
advantage of as he drove the end of the weapon into Keitaro's flank.
Just a little look into Mikado and the way the Sanzenins operate.
Hope you enjoyed.
There seems to be more to Yoshihiro that he normally displays.