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FUKIAGE ŌMIYA PALACE • The Nippon Teikoku

The Imperial Gardens were a literal island, separated from the rest of Tokyo by wide moats, though the insular atmosphere of the complex was caused by more than just the canals physically isolating the gardens. The 115 hectares of nature acted as a bit of an exclave of wilderness lost in the forest of buildings of Chiyoda and the bustling Tokyoite metropolis, such that their natural serenity presented a stark but refreshing contrast to the busy streets teeming with people and automobiles that lay just outside the Palace grounds. Even the symphony of horns, sirens, people, and trains seemed to observe some respect for the seat of the Empire, failing to cross over the moats into the gardens whence a whole other song was playing, its tune varying through the seasons from the wintry carols of crows, buntings, thrushes, and finches to the balmy fanfare of cicadas.

The Fukiage gardens were one of the many gardens of this microcosm, whose free usage was a privilege of the custodian of the Chrysanthemum Throne, Empress Momo Kawashima, who was seated by one of the lakes within the gardens, observing the ripples of the wind on waters disturbed only by the tribulations of a few ducks. The morning sun was igniting the lake's surface into thousands of luminous sparkles, as if it were morphed into a sea of diamonds. "Yukari should have arrived by now" Momo thought to herself as she finished the last drops of a cup of bittersweet green tea. Just as the thought left her mind, the quietude of the garden was disturbed by the arrival of a running and panting Yukari.
"I am so sorry for being late, Momo-Heika, but I was..."
"How often will I have to tell you you do not need to use the honorifics in private, Yukari?" Momo asked in a voice that was seemingly stern, but with a slight grin on her face that betrayed her good mood. "And worry not, I know how busy you are what with current international affairs - which is why I have summoned you. It has been some time since we have last been able to spend time together and I have longed for it."

Momo walked towards a small wooden rowing boat that peacefully rose up and down as it was docked on the lake. Grabbing an oar, she playfully tossed it in Yukari's direction "If you really want to make up for being late you ought to row - come on, it's not nearly as hard as loading ammunition in a Panzer IV now, is it?" Not waiting for Yukari's response, Momo leapt into the boat, that started rocking but remained firmly afloat and attached to the mooring post. Yukari followed her and, undoing the knot that kept the boat bound to the bank of the lake, she plunged the oar deep into the lakes tranquil waters and thrust the boat forwards, the skiff seamlessly gliding on the lake's surface. Soon they reached the farthest point from any land and Yukari stopped rowing, taking a seat next to Momo as both could now contemplate the lake.

Momo lied down, the size of her body being nearly as long as the small boat itself, and closed her eyes to let the sunlight caress her skin.
"What is the news abroad?" Momo asked "I heard it was starting to get messy"
"Yes" Yukari answered "Ventus Prime has publicly accused the Nationalist German Empire and the Sun Wu dynasty to have plotted an invasion, and skirmishes have already started according to our sources"
"So we're headed for another war?"
"I am afraid we might just be, yes."
Remembering her Oarai days, Momo added "It seems like some things never change in this world, do they?"
Yukari suddenly realised Momo's feet were right next to her, covered by her black flats. Though Yukari had already managed to get shoes, flats, and flip-flops from other members of the Imperial Family, the Empress' own would be quite the key to her collection. Momo had seemingly fallen asleep, this was the perfect time to try something. Yukari breathed heavily, this was not like infiltrating some enemy base, but she still was not too keen on being discovered. Slightly cupping one of the flats' soles, she gently slid it off Momo's foot, hoping not to wake her up as more and more of her ivory-coloured left foot was exposed, like an oblong finely chiseled piece of jewelry. Just as she finally managed to remove the flat, it became apparent Momo was not asleep. Not moving from her position nor sounding anything but slightly amused, she asked.

"Might I inquire, Yukari, as to why you have taken my left flat off?"
"Ah...uh...hmmm" Yukari fumbled. She had prepared the perfect excuse for days, but now she was unable to remember what to say. She could now feel her face burn as she was blushing heavily in the process of attempting to fill the silence with pretty much anything, not even noticing that, in her embarrassment, she had been fidgeting with Momo's left flat.
"It's alright" Momo reassured her after a few seconds. "You can have them if you like. Besides I was about to take them off anyway".

Momo kicked her second flat off and, spinning around, plunged her now bare feet in the lake's water.
"You should really try, Yukari. The coldness of the lake will energise your entire body. Besides, for all the mockery I make of Kei-dono, she does have a point - there is something refreshing with having nothing between your feet and the earth. It's like you suddenly feel part of it all."
Yukari still hesitated, prompting Momo to single-handedly hook Yukari's two flip-flops by the straps and swiftly yank them off, confiscating them to the other side of the skiff. The rowboat rocked significantly at this sudden move, but did not capsize.

"Hey!" Yukari objected, though she was actually enjoying every second of this rare interaction.
"I know your craze for owning as many shoes as possible, Yukari, but do you really need two pairs right now?" Momo mused "I meant it when I said you could have my flats, you've been a loyal Minister, Princess, and Friend after all...
In fact, I'll give you your flip-flops back too, but not before you put those feet of yours in the water too. I promise you won't regret it!".

Yukari hesitantly approached her feet to the surface, gasping as they made contact with the brisk water. As tempting as it was to pull out, Yukari could see how rested Momo appeared, and, taking on herself, she let her feet sink deeper into the lake's waters. Slowly sliding them in, she started to feel the same serenity, as everything disagreeable from sweat to imperceptible pains that one barely even considers during the day were all suddenly shed off by the frigid water around them.
The two remained like this for what could have been a few minutes or a few hours. On that boat there was no Empress or Minister, merely two friends and a boat that could have reminded them of their early days serving together on school-ships. Alas, such treasured moments were bound to be rare for Heads of State and Top Diplomats alike, and it was already time to head back to the shore.
As they docked again and left the boat, Momo handed Yukari her flip-flops back - as promised.
"What will you wear, though?" Yukari asked, concerned.
"Oh, don't worry about me" Momo grinned, as she re-adjusted her monocle "you should be the one asking this question to yourself now though, since you have two pairs of shoes. Anyway, it was good spending time with you Yukari, I hope the rest of your day can be as peaceful, despite the anthill that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be right now!"

With those words Momo turned around and walked barefoot to the Imperial Palace. Yukari, meanwhile, contemplated which shoes to wear. Going for Momo's flats, she could still feel some heat as she slid her freezing feet in them. There was something about those flats that gave her courage - perhaps the fact those were Imperial or that they were Momo's only a few minutes ago. Now she was truly in her shoes, a feeling that overwhelmed her so much that she nearly forgot about her duties.
Suddenly realising she was going to be late to her next Ministerial meeting, she left the banks of the lake running, holding her own flip-flops in her hand.