Tokyo, 1911

For most of his childhood and adolescence, Hideo had been content to focus on studies and kendo training as a means of avoiding the three bothersome ghosts in his house. The thought of getting married hardly appealed to him either, for he much preferred his dream of someday being able to travel the rest of Japan and possibly the world while documenting any supernatural creatures he came across.

Unfortunately, Hideo's mother Momoe had a more conventional future planned for him, and she'd threatened to withhold the family inheritance if he did not comply with her wishes. Hideo realized that a life of hardship and poverty frightened him more than being shackled to a wife, so he'd agreed in misery.

The chosen bride was Tsuru, a young woman one year his junior, and the daughter of one of his father's old friends. He'd met her a few times growing up but had never made any effort to know her deeply. As such, the recital of his vows at the altar felt much like promising to be loyal to a stranger. The happiness in Tsuru's eyes contrasted with his apathy, and when they eventually left the shrine with their families in tow, Hideo's heart thumped at his predicament.

After a special photographic session and being allowed to change out of their formal attire, Tsuru joined Hideo in the privacy of his bedroom. As they sat upon the bed, she ran a hand idly through her loosened hair before turning to face him with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"You might not know it, but I've always admired you. When I saw you in that kendo competition two years ago, I was so amazed by your speed and determination. It was like you were possessed by the spirit of an old warrior."

Hideo felt a sense of pride for the first time that evening, and grinned. While there was probably some truth to Tsuru high praise, he'd had another reason for being so merciless against his opponent that day.

"You're too kind," he replied, feigning modesty. "Not many people know this, but Shizo always had a habit of playing pranks on me in the bathing area. I trained for weeks so that I could humiliate him in front of a large crowd."

Hideo left out the part where he'd approached his ghostly ancestor Hirokatsu for advice, knowing that it would make his new wife think he was mad.

Tsuru leaned closer towards him as her interest grew. "So, did it work?"

"It did for a while. Then, he found the courage to start irritating me again like nothing had ever happened."

"I see." Tsuru placed her soft hand on top of his, and he flinched. "You act so cold and stoic in public, but I think you're secretly soft inside. What do you say?"

"Eh?" Hideo lifted his eyebrows and studied her now eager face, trying to figure out what she expected from him.

The answer became clear when Tsuru suddenly grabbed his shoulders and shoved him down on to the bed with surprising force. Hideo went into a panic and responded by prying her hands off him, then sat back up with heavy breaths.

"What was that for? Can't you control yourself?" he scolded, feeling repulsed at her for demonstrating such audacity so soon. "We don't even know each other well!"

Tsuru stared back at him, clearly shaken by his outburst. Hideo averted his eyes and stood up to approach the door, right as a spectral figure in antiquated armor came through it. He stopped and frowned harder.

"What are you doing here? Get out!"

The resulting look of indignation on Hirokatsu's face coincided with Tsuru's shocked gasp, thus leading Hideo to realize that his married life had gone off to a terrible start.

******

A/N: If you've read the chapters that used to be up, then you might have noticed that I've made a retcon to Hideo's personality as a young man. He's a no-nonsense sort of guy in the main story, so I figured it would be more consistent with his character if he had trouble showing affection towards his new wife.