Hiro watched everyone from the corner he stood at. The atmosphere was heavy, it nerved him. It made him feel uneasy and weak in the knees. He didn't know all of this had happened before he met up with Kimiko at that meadow. It was confusing. He didn't know what to believe: which was truth and which was lie? He tried to sort it all out in his head. But his mind was still foggy and the effort of trying to think straight strained him. For some reason, Hiro cannot clearly remember anything that happened before yesterday. Before he could even think for one more second, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Hiro turned around and walked to the open shoji doors that led outside. He stood at a rather small, wooden balcony that overlooked the front of the bathhouse. And he could see a pegasus-drawn carriage flying towards them.
"Oujo-sama," Hiro called from outside, catching Kimiko's attention. The dragon woman shifted her gaze from Haku to the outside. It was an hour before the sun would start to set so the nearing carriage was very obvious to her keen blue eyes.
"Ichirou is here," Kimiko said, causing all of her siblings to turn to the open doors. "Rather late, I must say."
Haku rose to his feet and went outside, standing alongside Hiro. He set his dull emerald eyes on the carriage, his mouth a line. Wind that smelled of sea-salt came from the direction of the carriage, softly tossing his black hair across his face. Hiro peeked up at Haku, surprised at the look of scorn on his face. The river spirit stood there for a few seconds longer before climbing on top of the railing and then allowing himself to fall forward. The human boy let out a gasp as Haku neared the ground in an alarming speed but seconds before he would get flattened, the river spirit transformed into the white dragon and flew away. Hiro jumped when he felt the presence of Yanagi right beside him, the older dragon observing the lithe dragon fly. "Kohaku was being rather reckless with his flying," Yanagi murmured to no one but himself as he carried the rather quiet Ryuu.
"I thought it was a rather cool move," Hiro said before shrinking away from Yanagi's stare as the dragon finally noticed his presence.
"Oh, the other human," Yanagi said and the boy dipped his head in a flustered bow. "What are you called?"
"H-Hiro Shun," the boy stammered, looking down at his feet. He nervously fiddled his fingers, earning himself a slap at the back of the head from Kimiko. "Ah!"
"Hiro. You're my servant so you have to have the manners of one as well, correct?" the dragon woman asked, looking down on the boy. Hiro quickly nodded his head in response. "You will refer to my younger siblings with 'sama' at the end. You will call Ichirou 'ouji-sama'."
"Y-yes, oujo-sama," Hiro said compliantly.
"You are not allowed to leave this room unaccompanied by me, Yanagi, Yachiru, or Kohaku. Do we have that clear?"
"Yes, oujo-sama."
"The same applies for Ryuu and Emiko."
"Yes, oujo-sama."
"What a good servant you are," Kimiko smirked, enjoying his latent obedience. "I see that you have learned that disobedience will only bring pain. I'm glad that the Spirit of the North has already tamed you." Hiro became silent at this, clamping his lips together and staring at his feet with intense concentration. Kimiko laughed at this before gliding back inside the room, making sure to bring Yanagi along with her. Hiro stayed outside until the dragons had left before he went back inside. Emiko was lying down on the bed in the bedroom, still drinking her milk, while Ryuu sat while leaning against the clam-shaped seat in the front room. The little boy had stopped crying already but he still remained quiet.
"Ryuu," Hiro said in a quiet voice as he approached the boy but he received no reaction from him. Hiro hesitated before sitting on the floor beside the boy. Hiro pulled his knees up to his chin, hugging them with his scrawny arms. He blew out a puff of air, trying to move his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. When he realized that it wouldn't work, he finally sighed and left it alone before turning his head to look at the boy next to him. "Ryuu, are you okay?" The little boy shook his head. "You must be very sad." Ryuu nodded his head. "...Was your sister nice?" Hiro asked hesitantly and the boy nodded his head again. "What was she like?"
Wait, what am I doing? Why am I interrogating Ryuu? I should probably leave him alone, Hiro thought frantically just as Ryuu opened his mouth slightly before saying, "Chihiro-nee was the best." Surprised that he got a reply, Hiro returned his gaze back at the boy. "Nee-chan always played with me when she got home from school. She would always buy me a popsicle on the way home."
"What kind?"
"Mango. It's my favorite."
"That's nice," Hiro smiled.
"Hiro-nii, what's yours?" Ryuu asked, looking up at him with wide brown eyes. Hiro thought for a bit, trying to recall his favorite before realizing he couldn't.
"I don't know," Hiro finally said. Ryuu began to grow quiet again so the older boy quickly said, "but if I ever get a favorite, it might be mango just like yours. And we can split it, wouldn't that be nice?"
Ryuu nodded his head. "Very nice." He became silent for a few more moments before speaking up again. "Hiro-nii looks like nee-chan."
"Oh really?" Hiro said, not sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult.
"But Hiro-nii is wimpy. Nee-chan was cool, like a superhero," Ryuu said with a smug look and Hiro made a weak smile. Definitely an insult, the older boy thought as the two boys continued to talk to each other.
Ichirou sighed when he felt the carriage land and set the worn book he was reading aside before looking out the small window. The sun was setting behind distant mountains, giving off an orange cast to the spirit world. The roofs of the bathhouse reflected the sunset, giving the place a warm look to it. Ichirou didn't find it pleasing at all; the bathhouse should bear elegance and grace, not coziness. It really was for commoners and peasants. He still couldn't believe that the lord Ryoujin had agreed to come to this worn-down hovel. He could see old pipelines that needed to be replaced, the bricks showed signs of wear from the harsh rain the area experienced daily, and the smoke coming out of that tall metal chimney was an unpleasant sight. And they refer to this as a high-class bathhouse, Ichirou thought to himself as the shark-man, Samebito, opened the door to the carriage for him.
"Ichirou ouji-sama, we have arrived at Aburaya," Samebito announced, bowing his shark-head.
"I can see that," Ichirou said sarcastically as he stepped off the carriage. He crossed his arms over his chest as a wind swept his silver hair behind his ear and made his blue kimono seem to ripple at his feet. Ichirou directed his gaze up to the sky to see a white dragon quickly approach him.
Ichirou raised his eyebrows as the dragon melted into the form of Haku. "And here's the welcoming committee."
"Ichirou, I'm pleased to find that you have arrived safely," Haku said, bowing deeply. He glanced at Samebito who stood silently behind Ichirou and the two nodded at each other in silent greeting.
"How was the meeting with the Suzaku? It must have been over a troublesome matter for her to personally come to the Dragon Palace." Ichirou gave him a look of contempt before starting his way over the bridge. Haku suppressed a sigh as he followed behind his oldest brother while Samebito took care of the trunks. The two dragons walked side by side in silence as Ichirou kept his gaze fixated to some point in the distance. Haku kept a passive face when he saw Kimiko and the rest of his siblings waiting for them in the lobby of the bathhouse.
"Ichirou, it's about time you have arrived," Kimiko said with a smiled as they all walked together to the elevator. "What delayed you during the journey, I wonder?"
Ichirou glanced at her with his cold blue eyes. "The Suzaku wanted me to stop by an acquaintance of hers. That's why I sent you ahead to pacify our mother from fussing too much."
Kimiko chuckled as she produced a red fan out of her kimono. She started fanning herself as she gave him an amused look. "I see you're taking my advice from the other day, going so far as to let your hair down."
"I am not doing this for Mother," Ichirou said with a glare. "This is a vacation, is it not? So I am forgoing my usual formal appearance." Yachiru couldn't help but giggle at his response and immediately covered her mouth when Ichirou turned his glare at her. "Is there anything funny about this, Yachiru?"
The green-haired dragon bit her lip and looked away as she shook her head quickly. "No, Onii-sama. Yanagi just told me a joke so I…" Yachiru gave Yanagi a pleading look and he returned it with a peeved expression as Ichirou turned his attention on the male twin.
"Enlighten me on that joke, Yanagi. Maybe it will be able to uplift my mood from seeing such a run down bathhouse," Ichirou said while Haku kept his passive face.
Yanagi sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "I was just telling Yachiru to imagine you wearing a crown of goldenbells instead of a crown of coral as you lead your army of flower-wearing soldiers into battle," he lied smoothly. "Your plan was to make the opposing army die of laughter. Isn't it amusing? Since she was feeling down, I reckoned that using that wild imagination of hers would surely improve her mood."
Yachiru blushed and punched his shoulder. "Don't call it a wild imagination, Yanagi. At least say, creative or amazing," she pouted.
"No, it's befitting for someone as unpredictable as you," her twin smirked as he dodged another punch.
"Well, one of us has to be the more amusing twin. I apologize if you are a downright bore," Yachiru said and she stuck her tongue out at him childishly.
Before Yanagi could make his rebuttal, Ichirou raised his hand to silence the two. The silver-haired dragon looked Yachiru in the eye and the girl started to get anxious under his stare. After a few more seconds, Ichirou turned around and continued walking. "I suppose if you aren't down, then your bantering is alright. But please keep it to a minimum. After all, we represent our lord Ryujin and our kingdom. We don't need spirits looking down on us with your stupidity," Ichirou said in a condescending voice.
Yachiru glanced at Yanagi in exasperation and her twin only shrugged. "That's just his stiff-necked way of telling you to cheer up," Yanagi quietly told her as the two walked farther behind the rest of their siblings. "Though the one who needs their mood to be uplifted would be Kohaku."
Yachiru pursed her lips as she snaked her arm around Yanagi's. "Yes...I wish there were something we could do for him." They became quiet for a bit before she spoke up again. "And just so you don't worry about it, you're quite the amusing person, Yanagi."
"And you're utterly pleasant," her twin returned with a smile.
Haku silently walked next to Kimiko and Ichirou, trying to keep his mind blank. He couldn't afford to think about Chihiro right now. Not with Ichirou right next to him. It would be better for him to not think at all for now, for fear of his mind going into turmoil. They reached the second floor where the long hallway was rather empty, save for some of the servants from the Dragon Palace who were about to start eating their breakfasts. When the servants noticed the elevator open, they quickly rose to their feet and bowed respectfully. "Good morning, Ichirou ouji-sama and Kimiko oujo-sama. We are delighted that you have arrived safely."
Ichirou raised his hand to dismiss them before turning to Haku. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
"This is the dining level where you may eat. I had supposed that you would be hungry after that long journey," Haku said when he was interrupted by Ichirou.
"I need to go see our lord Ryoujin at once," the older dragon said.
Kimiko raised her brows at Ichirou. "Business can wait, let's eat together Ichirou," she said but his glare silenced her immediately.
"Bring me to lord Ryoujin at once, Kohaku," Ichirou ordered.
Before Haku could comply to his request, he felt slender arms wrap around his waist from behind. He turned his head to find himself being embraced by Toyotama-hime. "Mother? Why are you crying?" Kimiko asked as Toyotama held her youngest child.
"Kohaku, I'm so relieved that you're no longer unwell," Toyotama-hime smiled, wiping away a tear. She made Haku turn around as she held him an arm's length away so she could observe his face. "You're still rather pale but otherwise, you're healed. You had me worried, collapsing like that, Kohaku."
Haku looked away from her gaze, feeling uncomfortable at how affectionate she was acting. "I was only tired, Mother. Please don't fret over small things. Kimiko and Ichirou have arrived so please smile," he said.
Toyotama-hime looked up and her green eyes immediately brightened up as she went to embrace Kimiko and Ichirou. "I see you have arrived safely. How was the journey?" she asked.
Kimiko made a small smile. "It was a pleasant trip. The land above water is beautiful, especially the flowers that cover the fields and meadows. But, Mother," Kimiko said, looking at Toyotama's wan face, "are you feeling unwell? The purpose of this trip was also so you can recuperate from the stress at the Palace."
Their mother flashed them a white smile and straightened her back. "I'm fine. The hot baths here are rejuvenating. Kohaku is running a splendid service here."
"I'm pleased to hear that, Mother," Haku said politely, bowing his head. He straightened up and glanced at Ichirou, who was wearing an impatient look, before saying, "well, I must escort Ichirou to lord Ryujin now. If you will excuse us, Mother."
Toyotama-hime narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ichirou, we are here on vacation. Please don't place business as your first priority. Before giving your report to our lord, come and eat breakfast with us."
Ichirou let out an exasperated sigh before turning his cold blue eyes at his mother. "This is an urgent matter, Mother. Do not force your ideals of family on my work. After all, I've a kingdom to run, I do not have the luxury to spend my time unwisely as you and my siblings do." With a whirl of his long, blue kimono, he walked away. Kimono pinched the bridge of her nose as Yachiru bit her lip, glancing at Toyotama with worry.
Yanagi watched as Haku followed Ichirou to the elevator before looking at his mother from over his shoulder. "Well, Mother, shall we eat breakfast?"
Toyotama-hime raised her chin in a regal manner, brushing away the sting from Ichirou's words. "Breakfast sounds lovely."
Haku stood in front of Ichirou in the small, wooden elevator and stared blankly at the closed doors. The way Ichirou had acted with Toyotama was to be expected; for some reason, his oldest brother had a tendency of inflicting pain to their mother about family relations. Haku wondered if that was Ichirou's way of dealing with their Father's betrayal but then he concluded that Ichirou's way of dealing with things doesn't matter to him. Haku let out a sigh as he snuck a glance at Ichirou who had his eyes closed. The river spirit felt uncomfortable being so close to him. After all, he was Ichirou's least favorite. Everyone in the Dragon Palace knew he favored Yachiru the most, though the way he showed his favoritism couldn't really be called affection. We're all messed up in the head in some way, I suppose, Haku muttered to himself mentally as he willed for the elevator to reach the fifth floor faster.
"I see that you are not as irritating today, Kohaku. You're being oddly compliant," Ichirou suddenly said as he kept his eyes closed. Haku shrugged even though he knew that the other couldn't see his response. Ichirou opened one of his blue eyes to look at Haku with irritation. "However, your silence is just as irritating. I expect an answer when I speak to you, Kohaku."
Haku rolled his green eyes as he continued to stare at the elevator doors. "I don't recall you ever speaking to me so how would you know that my behavior is different when we haven't talked to each other for decades?" When Haku had returned to the Dragon Palace, he was entirely ignored by Ichirou during his stay. The two didn't exchange a single word then, and not even before Haku seemingly disappeared with his river.
Ichirou closed his eye again with a satisfied expression. "Your first instinct is to resist a bit before following an order. And no matter how much your appearance have changed, you will always be that irritating, little dragon boy that got into trouble. It's only natural that you would still be irritating."
Haku let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're unusually talkative to me as well, Ichirou. I never thought you would realize that I'm nearly your height now, much less, notice my existence."
"I have to keep myself up to date with everything that revolves in our kingdom so of course I would also keep an eye on you," Ichirou said. Haku stiffened at his words and Ichirou chuckled. "Although our lord Ryujin did not know about your whereabouts, it was only natural that I fulfill what he lacked. I knew that you were working here at Aburaya during your disappearance."
Haku turned around and glared at him but it was wasted for his brother's eyes were still closed. "If you had known, why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I thought it better that you weren't involved in our kingdom any longer. With your name and memories locked away, you wouldn't be able to cause me much trouble while I ruled, Kohaku. Although," Ichirou paused for a moment, pursing his lips before continuing, "the fact that that human girl helped you remember your name threw a wrench in my plans. It took a lot of effort and manipulating for me to keep that fact from spreading outside of this town, you know? And that greedy witch demanded quite a sum before she agreed to allowed me to seal the tunnel and control the gossip." Ichirou opened his eyes to find Haku silently shaking, fists clenched, glaring at the floor as the river spirit tried to maintain his composure. "Are you upset?" he asked with raised brows.
Haku inhaled slowly in an attempt of trying to calm himself down. After all, he couldn't afford to pummel the Crown Prince of the Dragon Palace, family or not. "I wouldn't necessarily use the word 'upset' to describe what I'm feeling right now," Haku finally said once he calmed down a bit, though his voice was still rather shaky. He lifted his face up to look at Ichirou, a pained expression engraved in his now dull green eyes. "You sealed the tunnel?"
"Yes, is that a problem?" Ichirou said and he narrowed his thin brows. "You must understand that I did it for the sake of the kingdom, the spirit world, and for you. If you had continued interacting with the human girl, then you might be targeted."
"I do understand but…" Haku's voice trailed away as he shut his eyes tight, remembering the way Chihiro had painfully left the word by mysterious light. "Was it...really necessary to curse the tunnel?" he choked out.
"Curse the tunnel?" Ichirou repeated just as the elevator opened. The silver-haired dragon sighed and crossed his arms. "I've no clue what you mean by curse. I only sealed the tunnel from the other side so that no human can come through by accident. Anything else will have been done by Yubaba." Haku opened his eyes at this as his brother brushed past him to exit the elevator. "Although I despise humans, I have no intention of placing harm on the innocent. You, of all spirits, should know that Kohaku," Ichirou said as he pressed the button to close the elevator, leaving Haku alone inside the contraption.
Author's Note:
As usual, thank you for continuing on supporting my story, it means a lot to me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep looking forward for more
