Added Child
"Come on, Successor-sama! You're so stingy!"
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
The voices of her children are the source of her headache. It always seems to be them in recent days causing the painful pulsing of her mind. Natsuhi rubs her brow and listens to Jessica and Lion bicker in the foyer. The door slams shut behind them, and Natsuhi grimaces, her lips straining in to a grin when Lion snaps his attention to her.
"Hello, Mother. I hope you're having a good day so far," Lion says, controlled and eloquent, the true heir to the Ushiromiya family.
His expression is just too perfect. His eyes are wide and scanning the foyer, taking in the nearby servants cleaning and dusting. His smile seems etched into his skin, practiced and pleasant. With his straight shoulders and stiff posture, Lion resembles a prince.
Comparing him to Jessica almost seems unfair. Her cheeks are bright red from shouting at him, A heaving sigh shoves past her chapped lips. Jessica clenches her bookbag with white-knuckled fury and merely nods at her mother.
"Welcome home," Natsuhi says, her hands folding by her waist. "Your father is visiting Rudolf today. He'll be coming home later in the evening."
"Ah, I hope Rudolf-oji-san is doing well," Lion says. He glances over to Jessica.
She grumbles, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, try to get me in a good mood. As if you haven't been on my butt all day."
"Jessica, language," Natsuhi swiftly interjects, and Jessica groans, tossing her head back. She smooths back a few tresses of brunette locks.
Lion tuts. He shakes his head, a picture perfect example of a chastising older sibling. He even wags his finger as he lectures her on appropriate behaviors towards their mother.
Natsuhi presses her palm to her left temple, the thumping in her mind pounding like a bass drum. Jessica retorts with another shout, nearly silencing Lion, but he continues at an even, tempered pace. She isn't even sure why they're bickering. Lion is always criticizing Jessica's seemingly uncouth behavior, reminding her to not embarrass the Ushiromiya name. Naturally, Jessica refuses to take his advice and always surges to surpass him, but Lion is always one step ahead of her.
In the darkest crevices of her mind, Natsuhi could understand her daughter's plight. After all, Jessica was supposed to be the heir. She watches them argue with Lion towering over Jessica, an air of superiority surrounding him. Blessed by Kinzo, he is the one who will one day rule the family.
It will never be Jessica, but Natsuhi had already accepted the facts. She had been unable to provide an heir in a suitable amount of time and was forced to accept Lion. Even though she would eventually give birth to Jessica, Lion will always be in the forefront.
Certainly, she loves Lion. He is her darling son. Lion is always acting in a way that makes her heart swell with pride. Student council president, star of the badminton team, hero of the tennis team, and a wonderful student with top notch grades, Lion is beloved by every single student and faculty member of his school. With all of his accomplishments, ingrained with respect and manners from Natsuhi, Lion is well on his way to becoming the proper family head.
Natsuhi closes her eyes to the black thoughts that swirl in her mind. The whispers of the devils she had once begged return and hiss. They sneer at her for forsaking them, for allowing Jessica to wallow in the ever-stretching span of Lion's shadow. They could have made her daughter shine in a way that would have made Lion blind.
She shakes her head as a chill races up her spine. Those thoughts had been tormenting her lately. With Lion's twentieth birthday arriving in a couple years, he will ascend the Ushiromiya throne. Jessica will be tossed aside like a dusty, broken toy. She never stood a chance against Lion.
Natsuhi bites down on her lower lip as Lion laughs, amused by his sister's irritated yelling. They seem to be fighting about an upcoming school festival, which she finds utterly intolerable. She knows Jessica will be in charge of her class' events, but Lion is the manager. All events must go through him. It seems he is denying her the chance to perform.
"It isn't something the Ushiromiya family would enjoy," Lion says, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You're such an asshole! Why won't you let me play?" Jessica snaps, stamping her foot.
"Language," Lion teases, raising his forefinger and thumb.
Jessica flinches, paleness touching her cheeks. Natsuhi tenses. Even though she loves Lion, seeing him take absolute command over Jessica sends her blood boiling. Heat flushes throughout her body. Her headache throbs as if banging against her skull.
Natsuhi squeezes her arm, announcing, "Lion, Jessica, stop quarreling. This argument is unbecoming of you both."
Their voices die down with her command. Natsuhi's headache briefly subsides, and they search her for answers. Lion remains neutral, his mouth falling open slightly as if to protest. He glances at Jessica, who continues fuming and shaking. Jessica furrows her brow and seems ready to spit out vile insults like a dragon roaring out a fiery blast.
Natsuhi's footsteps are quiet on the carpet. She keeps her hands clasped in front of her waist. She spares her children a careful look. Taking a breath, she holds it in for a few moments and then huffs it all out, expelling the toxicity within her core.
"Lion, I don't see anything wrong with Jessica wanting to perform," Natsuhi says. "As long as Jessica picks an age-appropriate song without any...vulgar lyrics, then I am all for Jessica's idea."
Their reactions are like the opposing sides of a magnet. Despite their eyes widening, Jessica sparkles while Lion withers. He searches for words and only sputters out uncertainties. Jessica throws her arms up and cheers, bouncing in place before throwing herself to her mother. She tightens her grip around Natsuhi's waist, squealing and thanking her. Jessica rocks Natsuhi back and forth, earning a bemused, hesitant chuckle in return.
"Thanks, Mom! I got my outfit and song all planned out! You're gonna love it!" Jessica cries, clasping Natsuhi's hands, traces of her mother's bony digits pressing against Jessica's skin.
Natsuhi offers a smile. "As long as it's appropriate."
Lion clears his throat and frowns. He wraps his arms behind his back, the sting of rejection rare. He had always been the one Natsuhi adored, so her sudden rebuttal makes his skin crawl. Perhaps it is the sensation of being spoiled by Natsuhi, of being adored by the entire family that makes him feel like there is no air in the room.
"I thought you didn't want Jessica to be a musician," Lion says. "That's why I kept declining-"
"She isn't hurting anyone," Natsuhi replies, her eyes narrowing.
"But-" Lion flounders. He flexes his fingers and searches for something to say before sighing. Shaking his head, he grins at Jessica. "Well, if Mother says it's okay, then it's okay with me."
"Yeah, yeah, you just don't want me messing up the purity of the Ushiromiya family. I got it," Jessica snarls, and Lion lifts his nose to the air, scoffing.
"I simply want what is best for my little sister, but I'm also thinking about how our family is presented to the public," he says, and Natsuhi bristles.
He's using her own words against her. Lion knows how much Natsuhi adheres to public scrutiny. Jessica had found herself in trouble with her mother several times over her improper behavior from cussing at school to wearing rather short skirts at home, ones that made Natsuhi's cheeks burn hot pink. Lion always scolded her when Natsuhi's headache was too great, but now, all Natsuhi can do is leer down at her son.
She loves him, she really does, but there are times when he absolutely infuriates her. He is an outlier forced upon her by Kinzo. He is a commoner given greatness by the head of Ushiromiya family, and even though she raised him with nobility in mind at Kinzo's order, he runs all over her daughter.
Natsuhi clenches Jessica's shoulder, proclaiming, "Enough, Lion. This conversation is over. I'll review Jessica's act and see if it is suitable."
Lion nods and agrees. The way he bows his head reminds her of Kinzo and how he would seem deep in thought. She's certain ideas are brewing in his brain with retorts and subjugations against them.
"I understand, but for good measure-" Lion breaks into a grin and pinches his finger and thumb together. He jerks towards Jessica, who yelps and shoots her hands behind her to quickly shield her bottom. "I think some punishment is-!"
Natsuhi's hand moves faster than ever before. Like a trained warrior, she snatches Lion's wrist when he pivots for Jessica. She digs her fingernails into his thin skin, feeling like she could snap his hand in half. He doesn't make any sound, but the popping of his bone rings louder than any headache ever could.
She releases him. Lion withdraws and grasps his wrist. Silence echoes around them, and Jessica shoots wide-eyed glances at her mother and sibling. Natsuhi's free hand darts for her mouth. Wobbling, crooning sounds of horror tumble out all over her tongue.
"I'm...sorry, Lion. I don't know what came over me," Natsuhi whispers, and she jerks her attention to the carpet. Turning away, she adds, "Just...don't put your hands on Jessica anymore. If you must, please do it when I'm not present."
"Mother?" Lion whispers, and Jessica slackens, her body seemingly limp.
She hurries to the stairs and climbs, abandoning her children to confusion. Natsuhi's hand doesn't uncup her mouth until she's in the comfort and sanctity of her room. She collapses onto her warm linens, her mind filled with chaotic demons taunting her. They sneer at her weakness and rip their claws against her brain, tearing through the barriers she embedded.
Not once in her entire life did she ever strike her children. Natsuhi may have had some questionable parenting skills, but she never harmed them. She isn't like Rosa, she tries to tell herself as tears prick the corners of her eyes. She would never do anything to injure her children.
Her headache is louder than ever. No aspirin or medicine could quell her pain. She glances at a framed photograph on her nearby oak table, catching sight of herself, her husband, and her darling children. Sitting upright, Natsuhi, with half-lidded eyes, gazes at the photograph.
Lion is her son, she roars at herself. He will always be her son even if the demons in her heart and mind tell her otherwise. Even in her weakness, Natsuhi will accept him as her own. Blood or not, Lion is her child, one she had raised dutifully alongside Krauss. Closing her eyes, Natsuhi quietly sobs. With ragged breaths and cruel whispers towards herself, Natsuhi lets it all out in the solemn comfort of her room. It's the best she can do for her children. Without burdening them, she extinguishes her pain in the darkness of her bedroom.
Three knocks on her door signify Lion's presence. She gasps, her tears dying on her cheeks. Wiping her face with the back of her palm, Natushi hopes her eyes aren't too puffy when she approaches her door.
Lion is there as expected. He squares his shoulders and quickly sucks back in his tongue when he goes to wet his lips. He looks like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, an incident that she had actually caught him doing when he was six.
"I'm sorry," they say at the same time, and they blink, the phrase lost between them.
Lion breaks first with a demure chuckle. "I was too arrogant to Jessica. I'm sorry, Mother."
Natsuhi tilts her head, her hair falling onto her neck and face. She gently cups Lion's thin cheek and brings him closer. She presses him to her shoulder and wraps his arms around him, smoothing his straw-colored locks.
"I'm sorry, too, Lion," she whispers, and he embraces her in return. Natsuhi sighs. "I'm glad you're looking after the family, I really am, but I think...Jessica-"
Lion parts and grips her shoulders. "I know. I was too hard on her."
"We both are. We just want what we think is best for her," Natsuhi says, resting her hands on Lion's forearms.
She wants to say she will do what she thinks is best for him, too, but the words are clogged in her throat. Natsuhi can only smile at Lion, who quickly begins telling her about his day as if nothing conspired between them. She lets Lion part from her as he animatedly tells her about what happened during the student council meeting and how the treasurer and vice president bickered about finances.
Natsuhi loves Lion, but even now, despite all the affection she has for him, she still can't shake the fleeting despair of the demons in her heart all these years later.