16. The Broken Communicate In The Language Of Pain

                                    

                                          
TW: Major mentions/implications of child abus3/abus3 in general
The king and his advisor walked out of the headmaster's office in silence, both too caught up in their own thoughts. The sound of children's laughter grew louder as they approached the end of the hall. Outside, the children were playing some of sort game where they hit a small rubber ball between each other with wooden paddles. Yara, the girl with the ash-colored hair, was competing with another girl. The rest were cheering them on eagerly, with a few caretakers standing in the back, keeping a close eye on the crowd.
Ayato halted once he reached the open doors. He crossed his arms in a relaxed manner, a wide grin consuming his face. His expression was like that of the children's, if a little more caring. He watched the children intently, glee sparkling in his eyes. 
Suddenly, the ball bounced astray off one of their paddles and came speeding towards the king. Kanari's knightly reflexes activated and she reached out to catch it, but Ayato was faster. His hand enclosed around the small ball just as her fingers arrived there, gently brushing against the back of his gloved hand. They both stayed very still for a moment, neither of them breathing. Kanari glanced at the king, only to find that he was already staring at her, eyes wide. His lips were parted slightly, but he wasn't grinning anymore. Feeling everyone's gazes on them, she retreated as quickly as possible, releasing the breath she didn't realize she was holding earlier. 
Ayato blinked slowly, before turning back to the children, who had all turned silent. His smile returned and he walked towards them. 
"My my, I haven't played a game of Akitsu Hazura since I was a child," he remarked, mischief in his voice. "Would you mind if I joined you?" He tossed the ball in the air and caught it gracefully as he awaited a response.
A group of children, including the ones holding the wooden paddles, huddled together, whispering in hushed voices. After a few minutes, they disbanded and turned to look at the king. 
"You can play, Your Majesty," said one of them, almost reluctantly. 
"Send out your greatest warrior then!" Exclaimed the king as a green-eyed boy handed him a paddle. Ayato regarded the object in his hands with great curiosity. 
"Your hagoitas are very well decorated," he remarked, looking up at the crowd. "Whoever painted them?"
Ah, so they're called hagoitas, thought Kanari as she watched the scene unfold before her. A tall boy with freckles standing in the crowd raised his hand slowly, his gaze on the ground. 
"You are very talented," the king said, looking at the boy kindly. He turned his gaze back to the playing field, where a small girl with blonde braids was standing, hagoita in hand. 
"Whoever wins gets the princess's hand in marriage!" Ayato declared, looking at Kanari, the teasing in his voice obvious. 
"Pardon?!" Replied Kanari, leaning on the edge of the door, her arms crossed. "When did I become a princess, Your Majesty?"
The wily king only chuckled as the children around him cheered enthusiastically.
"Woah," said the girl with braids. "I've always wanted to marry a princess!"
They all cheered even more as Ayato served the ball. Kanari watched his nimble figure as the game continued on, his movements swift. She recognized the sword art behind his stance. It was the thing making him surprisingly good at the game, though, it still could not help him beat a child who played this game every day. His height was his undoing, really. The ball flew from a strange angle, far too low for Ayato to hit back quickly, and it fell to the ground by his feet, rolling to a stop pathetically.