Chapter Text
The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the sky was the bluest she had ever seen it.
But her heart raced in her chest, and her hands were playing with the hem of her formal dress. It was one of the nicer ones that she owned—shimmering white with lace sleeves and a skirt trimmed with blue ribbon. It stopped just above her knees, showing off her ornate thigh-high socks and black doll shoes. As instructed, she made sure to keep her feet (and horrible ankles) hidden under the tablecloth.
Her hair was done up in a way that only the highest noblewomen donned. It was curled and braided around her head, like a makeshift crown, decorated with silver flowery pins.
She sat up straight in her chair, hoping not to break into an outpour of nervous sweat. Her Father was depending on her to be satisfactory enough for this arrangement. The very least she could do was not mess this up. Maybe she could even enjoy herself.
The sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. She perked up, turning her head to the source.
And when she saw him, a blush covered her cheeks.
He was dressed in very fine garments, well-suited to his lithe figure. A combination of black and white with highlights of bold blue, all together in a way that reminded her of Ichiku's prominent fashion style.
Her eyes went to his face; it wasn't as sharp as Teru's, but it was handsome, nonetheless.
When her gaze met his, however, her blossoming ecstasy was quickly stomped down into dread.
It was their first meeting, but her fiancé seemed to already loathe her.
Nonetheless, she remembered her manners, and attempted at a civil greeting.
"Good morning," she smiled pleasantly, "I'm—"
"I don't care."
She choked on her words.
"We both know why we're here. Let's make this tolerable, and not speak to each other."
He sat down in the chair across from her, then threw his searing glare somewhere else. Despite his obvious distaste, he didn't make any moves to leave. If she had to guess, he was probably here against his will, and someone nearby was making sure that he stayed.
A tense silence permeated the area. She looked down at her untouched tea, feeling the tears brim her eyes.
It wasn't fair.
She didn't ask for this, either. But they had no choice, so why not make the best of it? Why couldn't they at least try to get along?
Once more, her hopes for a love to whisk her away from her problems wilted. Would it always be like this? Would she always exist to be surrounded by unhappiness?
She couldn't help it. "Do you hate me?"
He arched an eyebrow at her, as though wondering why she had broken their quietude. Then he sighed, seeing her withered expression.
"I just met you. I don't hate you."
For some reason, she breathed a little lighter at that.
"Then why so sour?"
"I don't want you getting the wrong idea." He crossed one leg over the other, far from the rigid posture she was in, "I'm here out of necessity."
She relaxed slightly. "So am I."
"Great, so why don't we just—"
"But this mood doesn't have to be so horrid… if we can just attempt to be amiable."
He grimaced, "Drop the formality, then we can talk."
She exhaled and completely slackened. Even though he was very attractive, his venomous personality helped keep her head straight. She spoke softly, "I hope I don't get in trouble for slouching."
"I was told to be here on my best behavior." He waved his hand, "I'm here, and I haven't lashed out, so I think I'm doing okay."
She laughed at that. "I wonder how Lord Sixth convinced you to come."
"I appreciate that you think I was civil enough to be convinced to come."
"Oh? What happened then?"
"He knocked me out and threw me in a carriage."
"He didn't!"
"Our relationship is tumultuous." He lifted the little teacup in the air, before downing it in one go. Then, he slammed it down on the small plate; it was a wonder that the plate didn't shatter. "He is one of the Lords, and I have yet to succeed mine, so I barely get a word in, even when it comes to my own marriage."
There was melancholy in her smile, "I can relate. I don't have any favor or fortune, either."
"Really?" he raised a brow, "So who am I marrying, then?"
"Well, while it is true that I'm the eldest daughter of the Akane family, I've barely reaped any benefits from my status."
While she stared down at her tea, he twirled his cup around on his finger.
She uttered after a moment, "I just wanna know."
"What?"
"Why exactly are you so against this marriage?"
He rolled his eyes. "Why wouldn't I? I just don't want it. It's for politics, familial responsibilities, whatever—but I'm not marrying the girl I love."
She looked up at him with surprise written in her features.
"You're... in love?"
"To the most beautiful girl ever."
"...What does it feel like?"
"What does what feel like?"
"To be in love?"
He scoffed, "I don't know. I just feel it."
She looked disappointed by his answer. It was a question she always wanted to answer herself. She wanted to be in love one day, and finally think to herself, "this is love. I am in love."
"If I had to choose between cutting off my own head and having to stop loving her, then you'd have a headless fiancé."
She laughed again. It was concerning, but his dramatics were quite entertaining.
"That's why," he looked at her dead in the eyes with an intensity that held her still, "I actually feel sorta bad about this whole ordeal… because I will never, ever love you, Akane-san."
Nene's eyes opened slowly. The light streaming inside from her small window blinded her. She rubbed her eyes, rolling over as the prison wagon continued on its journey. The dream—her memories—faded from her mind.
Then her brain showed her someone else, someone she missed every minute she was away from him. Amane creeped into her brain, transforming her nostalgia into joy and yearning. She remembered their nights of stargazing, their casual and deep conversations, their exchange of gifts.
And she remembers his warmth. How he held her close to his chest so she could bury her face in it, taking in his scent. How his hands wrapped themselves around her waist, or entangled themselves in her hair, pulling her closely and securely. How each tender touch was filled with what she could only label as love.
Her eyes stung as tears began to drip onto the back of her hand.
I miss him so, so much.
She thinks, with this agony in her chest, that this is what love is. She understands, to some extent, that it came with this excruciating pain when you are far from the person you loved. When you can't have them when they are all you want.
She knows why her fiancé would have never loved her. If she felt the same way back then as she did now, she wouldn't have, either.
The blond jabbed his chest with his thumb. The sun was no match for his blinding smile. How his teeth were so pearly white, they’d never know.
"I'm Minamoto Kou, second son of the great Minamoto family!"
Ah, maybe that’s why. Amane looked between them, noting the differences in the clothes he and his brother and ex-teacher wore and the clothes the blond donned. Money.
"Eh? Great for what?" Tsukasa jested, "Baking?"
Kou shouted, indignant, "No!! But I'm great at that, too!"
"Kou…" Tsuchigomori whispered. As he put away his golden staff, the younger teenager looked at him questioningly, "Huh? What is it?"
The taller man said nothing, making Kou scratch his head. He cocked his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, peering closely up at him. "Say, have we met before?"
"Minamoto… Kou." Amane interjected as he took a few steps forward. This caused Kou to turn to him, even more confused. He chuckled nervously, "You guys are saying my name a lot. Are you from the border?"
"I know you." Amane looked at him like he was the key to fixing everything. "You're Yashiro's friend."
Kou was completely lost now. "Yashiro? What is that? A vegetable?"
"He means Nene-chan!" Tsukasa interjected. Tsuchigomiri was at a loss for words; the twins didn't even hesitate to ask about her, even with someone they never met…
Talk about careless.
Oh, well, at least it's Kou. Tsuchigomori watched the three of them interact. It was interesting how much Amane was out of his shell even in the presence of the blond, I don't blame him. That kid is a literal ray of sunshine.
The blond's pupils shrunk as he took a step back, "Y-You guys know Senpai?"
"Yes!" Amane completely disregarded the concept of personal space as he went up and grabbed Kou by his sleeve. "Do you know that she's here?! We have to go help her!!"
"She might get executed!" Tsukasa grabbed Kou's other sleeve. "We can't miss that!!"
"Tsukasa!"
"What??" he stuck his tongue out, "I'm just kidding!"
"I… I don't like you." Kou told the younger twin straightforwardly, a blank look on his face. The joyful expression on Tsukasa's face froze, and Amane was a bit irritated by his statement, but he couldn’t blame him. His twin was quite hard to deal with, especially with his morbid jokes; he had no filter even when he was meeting someone for the first time. The blond whirled around to Amane, "But you! Yes, if she's in trouble, we have to rescue her!"
"Exactly!"
"Who took her?!"
"It was—well, actually, I don't know. But I know she's heading to Artivi!"
Tsuchigomori corrected, "Artifi."
"Artifi!"
"The capital?" Kou frowned, the gears in his head turning. He had a slight suspicion who captured her, but he hoped he was wrong. "So you mean… she was arrested?"
"Uh, yes, but she doesn't deserve to die!" Amane defended, "She just wanted to live her own life."
Kou nodded in full agreement—no one should be executed for not wanting to be forced into a loveless marriage. Every time he argued her case while she was gone, his older brother would prevent him from getting too riled up. Barely anyone seemed to share the slightest sympathy for Nene, claiming how lucky she was or how honorable it was to carry out the engagement. When Kou tried to gauge Aoi’s reaction, she only smiled at him blankly.
“We need your help to rescue her, Minamoto.” Amane tugged on his sleeve, looking at him earnestly, “Can you help us?”
Kou grinned, swiping his nose with his thumb. “Of course, you can count on me! When it comes to Senpai, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her!”
He grabbed Amane’s hands, surprising him, as his blue eyes sparkled brightly. “With you guys here on the same mission as me, we’ll definitely be able to save her!”
Kou slid a glare over at Tsukasa. “Even with you.”
“W-What did I do?!”
Amane grinned. “Let’s go get her!”
He looped his arms around the blond’s and his twin’s, then began to march down to their supposedly intended path. After a bit of correction from the youngest of them, the three of them shifted in direction.
Tsuchigomori dragged his hand down his face.
Kids are annoyingly optimistic. Where do they get all their hope from, anyway?
He ignored the fear crawling in his heart and followed after them.
Soon, they found their way back to their dirt road, walking somewhat speedily. As it turns out, Kou didn’t have a mount with him. He was very used to strolling around on his own by now, not needing to use a horse to get him around since he could just take the time to explore the lands and take in everything. He camped often in random parts of the woods, fetching his own food and meeting all sorts of people. He only brought a mount with him when he was heading into alternative territories.
Amane wasn’t really used to talking that much. When they began their journey together, Kou was expecting him to converse more with all the energy he expressed with saving Nene, but the older twin was generally silent. The taller man trailed behind them, as though keeping an eye on them, and so Kou assumed that this man was just the brothers’ doting father. With the both of them quiet, he was basically forced to speak to the third member of their party, the boy he disliked.
Tsukasa played many pranks on him, from tripping him to pointing to the bushes and yelling about a monster that wasn’t there. He constantly touched his staff strapped to his back, asked a ton of questions (usually personal ones), and smiled at him creepily with wide, round eyes. The blond wondered how the two were even remotely related.
“What is this?”
His nosy fingers pinched his earring. Kou swatted his hand away. “That’s my family’s insignia.”
He gripped his cape. “And this?”
“An expensive fabric that can withstand heat.”
“What about this?”
“Don’t touch that!”
Kou swatted his hand away again before Tsukasa could even poke it.
“That’s a gift from a friend.”
Amane took a glimpse. Disbelief scrunched his features.
“...A potato?”
“A potato? Is that what commoners call it?” Kou fixed the straps of his pack on his shoulders, “It’s a sort of vegetable my friend grows all the time on his farm. Whenever I visit, he always gives me some before I leave.”
Tsuchigomori voiced, abruptly, “It's called a ‘potahto.’”
Amane took a deep breath. He clapped his hands together, sincerely curious how some of the words were that similar between their two worlds. Kou tilted his head, “Eh? Something wrong?”
“Nope, not at all.”
Tsukasa inquired of the blond and Tsuchigomori, “So, does everyone on this land speak the same language?”
The taller man answered first. “The people of Yongo mainly speak Eigon, which is what we’re speaking right now. Ichiku people mostly speak Kurosha, and Sanni citizens generally speak Aniese.”
“I’m lucky because my friend lives on the border of Sanni.” Kou smiled as he looked up at the sky. “It makes it easier for me to visit him. He knows a lot of Eigon because of the nearby trading posts, but when he talks to his mother, it’s in Aniese. You should hear him when he yells at her.”
Amane’s eyes dimmed as he watched the ground move below them, his voice low. “He yells at his mother?”
“Oh yeah, mostly about her appearance when they’re out in the market.” He chuckled, as if remembering something peculiar. “He looks so innocent, but when he shouts, he’s like a rabid animal. His mother takes it with a grain of salt, though.”
Amane often wondered what would happen if he did something like that. With the thoughts passing through his mind, something tingled underneath his skin, and he swallowed painfully. The sun seemed much hotter now, so he broke out his canister and gulped down water. He shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of the thoughts.
Tsukasa noticed this, and said nothing.
When the sun finally set beyond the horizon, night fell suddenly.
In the darkness, there was silence.
Belly full, Tsukasa passed out in his spot, snoring softly despite sleeping on the coarse dirt. Tsuchigomori was leaning against a tree, head bent over as he surrendered to repose from their day of walking. They took a few stops, but for the most part, they had journeyed on foot for hours. When they passed through small villages, they briskly restocked on necessities before continuing on their way. It would still take about fourteen days to reach Artifi.
Amane felt his arms tighten around his knees. His golden orbs glinted in the light of the fire; he watched the embers drift into the air, only to dissipate shortly after.
Time was running out. He could feel it.
They were travelling on foot. What if Nene and her captives had mounts? They’d reach Artifi way before them.
What if they were too late?
Tsuchigomori told him to trust in their pace, but how could he?
Amane pondered how the taller man seemed so casual about things they didn’t know. His eyes switched over to his ex-teacher, who appeared to be fast asleep.
He didn’t really get to contemplate the taller man’s actions thus far. Here he was, helping them through another world, like an interdimensional guide. Amane guessed he was just being nice, with providing them warmth and food and safety, but something told him it was more than that. It was almost dutiful in the way he cared about them, like he was responsible for it. But that didn’t make much sense—why would his ex-teacher feel like he had to concern himself with him and his brother?
He narrowed his eyes.
If he learned anything, it was that some people gave favors expecting something bigger in return.
Bullies in his school spared him injuries so he would do their homework. Creatures like the Mokke liked him for his candy. His own Mother loved him to receive his unconditional, unwavering devotion… almost like worship.
Then he remembered—
Nene taking his offering, before she smiles cutely, prettily—wonderfully. She hands him a fresh, plain donut, brushing her fingers against his.
Her ruby eyes sparkling when she sees him. She blushes often.
Her hand laying gently atop his, soothing him in his worst moments. She understands that she doesn’t understand.
Amane felt his eyes sting.
Her love was like a balm on his aching heart. He wanted her back—for that love to return.
Amane sighed quietly, his eyelids sliding shut.
He wanted to be defensive. He wanted to be distrustful.
But when he remembers Nene, he remembers that so many things he used to think were true don’t seem so true anymore. He didn’t have to hide behind a curtain, nor defend himself from the slightest motion toward his body. He could trust others, he could believe that others liked him for him, he was allowed a love that wasn’t killing him slowly.
So, maybe, he could simply trust Tsuchigomori.
“Psst.”
He’s known him for nearly two years, and he’s never actually done anything to cause him harm…
“Pssst!”
Amane blinked, realizing that Kou was trying to snag his attention. The blond appeared shocked at the golden eyes staring directly at him.
“O-Oh, so you are awake.”
Amane hummed in confirmation.
“This has been bugging me for a while. I hope you don’t mind if I ask…” Kou’s gaze shot upward as he considered his phrasing, “I just wanted to know… how do you know Senpai?”
The older twin straightened his back, feeling his muscles stretch and his bones crack. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Various lies entangled in his mind, and he struggled to sort through them.
“...She lived in our house for a while.”
“Wow, really?” Kou grinned, “So she was here all along? Aaah, that’s good to know. My mind was going crazy with theories! I thought she ran to the Mermaid, or even jumped into the fabled alternate dimension!”
“Oh… well, nope…” Amane nodded awkwardly, “She was at our house.”
“Did you guys take care of her?”
Amane scoffed. “Of course we did. We gave her new clothes and her own room, uh, even though she had to help out around the house, still.”
“That’s great!” Kou looked down at his lap, asking hesitantly, “Did she use her magic at all?”
“Eh, um, yeah. She practiced a lot, but,” Amane couldn’t help but laugh, “she was pretty bad sometimes.”
Kou laughed too, visualizing her struggles in his mind. He let out a soft exhale, his smile somewhat faded.
“Was…Was she happy?”
Amane glanced at him.
“...She was very happy, I think.” He threw a few sticks into the fire, “And so was I… with her.”
Kou jerked his head up in astonishment. Amane faintly blushed, but his gaze hardened at the fire. The glow from the flames smothered the coloring of his face.
“That’s why I want to save her.”
Kou possessed a look of understanding. “Because she makes you happy?”
Amane felt the tears return with a vengeance. He smirked instead, succumbing to his longing as he threw his head back and watched the countless stars twinkle in the dark.
“Yeah.”
Because she makes me happy.
"Oh?"
There were many things that he was expecting this morning. One of his servants may have messed up in delivering his orders, or maybe his fellow ruler tried to poison his tea again. As it happened, some of his expectations were met: the clouds were constantly rolling in the sky to blanket the region in a dim light, there was always a saccharine scent in the air, and his clothes were immaculate.
This letter was not one of his expectations.
His dark orbs roamed over the words, absorbing its contents. That Artifi captain always had such ornate handwriting, but there was no space in his mind to appreciate it.
He stood from his desk, gracefully stepping over the threshold of his study. His feet led him through the complex layout of halls, past various rooms of closed doors. The monochrome colors of their shared residence was skillfully complemented by the bold reds and blues speckling the walls, usually in the form of flowers. He allowed his free hand to graze over the cleaned skulls perched atop pillars, the grand clocks residing along the walls, the precious flowers resting in the vases.
Eventually, he halted in front of a pair of grand doors of dark oak. His venture to the other wing would have taken anyone a vexing amount of time, but it was impossible now for him to be lost in his own home.
Lifting his knuckles, he rapped curtly.
"Kid, are you in?"
A tired groan came before a resigned demand, "What do you want?"
The corner of his lips twitched upward slightly. He examined the darkness of his own skin on the back of his hand, taking time to admire each black-painted nail.
"I've got some exciting news."
"Huh?"
He uttered bluntly—there was no point in keeping it a secret.
"Your bride has returned."
There was pause, before a dull thud resounded from the room. It seems that he had dropped a book he was reading.
Then there were some sounds of movement, the shuffle of feet moving toward the door.
The young man yanked the door open. His hair was disheveled, and his handsome face contorted with incredulity.
“You’re kidding.”
The older man nearly laughed. He merely grinned with mirth. “When have I ever?”
Aoi Akane ran his hands through his hair and let out the only word he could say at the moment.
“Fuck.”