Author's Note: Did anyone miss me? No? Okay... (Cries in a corner)

I was really busy over the past two months so I wasn't able to update. I'll try to be more consistent with the update schedule but no guarantees.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 14: INTERLUDE

–

There was no stopping the exploding tension between Yuta and Tezuka as soon as Syusuke ran away from the scene. Yuta angrily grabbed the captain by his collar while the captain simply remained motionless and did not bother to lift a hand to defend himself.

"Tezuka! Why the hell did you just say that?" Yuta growled at Tezuka. "How dare you make my brother cry like that!"

The captain was completely unfazed.

"Please excuse my harsh words, Prince Yuta, but I will not apologize for what I said. His Highness needed to hear the truth, and you know it," Tezuka countered calmly.

"Why you…!"

Ryoma could see Yuta's hands shaking as the younger prince struggled to maintain his composure. Yuta was obviously angered, but he was also tongue-tied, not being able to find any words to yell back at the captain. Maybe a part of Yuta also agreed with Tezuka's logic, and it was crippling his ability to fight back.

This is not good, Ryoma thought to himself.

Deep down, Ryoma knew this was coming eventually when he sensed the lack of understanding between Syusuke and Tezuka some time ago. While Ryoma understood where Tezuka was coming from, he naturally sided with Syusuke inside his mind after knowing how the crown prince felt about the whole situation.

It was, in a way, a story that was eerily similar to his own. That is, if Ryoma were to become the crown prince.

Or if he stayed in Rikkai.

Unfortunately for Syusuke, no one was truly on his side. Either Tezuka was too convincing in his arguments, or he held too much power over everyone involved in Syusuke's life. Probably both, plus a combination of other reasons, Ryoma concluded after working under Tezuka for a while. Regardless, this could not be good for Syusuke's mentality.

It was time for Ryoma to intervene. But how?

Ryoma's gaze fell towards the ground.

A shadow of a figure crossed his mind in a flash.

Ryoma's mood soured immediately at the method that arrived in his mind, but it was something that could potentially convince Tezuka to be more open to what Syusuke had to say.

An aura began forming around his body as he activated one of the doors of Muga no Kyochi.

He took a deep breath.

"Captain," Ryoma voiced. "Don't you think you were going too far?"

His mouth moved before his mind reacted to it. That was the power of the Pinnacle of Hard Work; his body was no longer under the control of his mind.

Tezuka's attention was still focused on Yuta. Barely moving an inch, the captain replied, "I have already answered that question, Echizen. His Highness needed to-"

"I wasn't talking about Prince Syusuke. I was talking about me, Captain," Ryoma coldly interjected.

Tezuka froze abruptly with widened and confused eyes.

"Run away like a criminal, just like Echizen Nanjiroh, you said," the young bodyguard quoted with a fierce glare. "You have implied that you view Echizen Nanjiroh as a criminal within Seishun's borders. And how dare you?"

The young bodyguard could see Yuta's grip on Tezuka loosening over the shock of seeing Ryoma in an entranced state. On the other hand, Tezuka was finally paying full attention to the younger bodyguard and stared at Ryoma, completely stunned.

Ryoma continued, "Divisive figure as he is, Echizen Nanjiroh was never convicted of any crimes, and thus, he is still supposed to be treated as part of the royal lineage. Insulting him within the palace walls, in front of the crown prince I might add, is quite a bold move, don't you think?"

With his left hand, Ryoma drew his sword and swung. The blade stopped right before it reached Tezuka's neck.

The captain did not budge. Ryoma applauded the captain's calmness inside his head.

"I suppose insulting Echizen Nanjiroh in front of either of the Fuji princes would not land you in any trouble under normal circumstances," the young bodyguard scoffed. "But surely you haven't forgotten about my position within the royal family?"

It was an overblown bluff that was just short of being a lie.

Because Echizen Nanjiroh was never convicted of any crimes, he remained as a member of the royal family by the legal definition of Seishun's laws. By extension, Ryoma, the son of Echizen Nanjiroh, would also be classified as part of the royal family. A prince, in fact. However, with Nanjiroh's long absence within the country, even if the previous emperor were to return to the country, he would have no power or command over the Fuji family's reign.

In short, Ryoma was a member of the royal family with no political power whatsoever. At least, not without involving outside countries.

But Ryoma had always been a gambler.

Ryoma knew that Tezuka understood the relationship between him and Echizen Nanjiroh a long time ago even as Ryoma lied through his teeth, and Tezuka simply never said anything. He was willing to bet that Tezuka would respect where he was coming from, especially with how much the captain cared about traditions and formalities.

The young bodyguard stilled and waited for the captain's next move.

Yuta's grip on Tezuka had completely loosened. After a few seconds of tension, Tezuka slowly backed away from the both of them and kneeled down.

Slowly, Tezuka answered, "I apologize. It seems I had crossed the line with my words."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed.

"Captain, did you know that if the previous emperor had never brought me with him as he left, I would have been next in line for the throne?"

The reply was immediate. "Yes."

"I was, in other words, almost in the same position which His Highness is currently in. Even back when I lived here, there was a sense of unhappiness and sadness I could sense from Father as I watched his reign on Seishun's throne. Do you know why?"

Tezuka's eyes were tinged in confusion. "Unhappiness?"

"Yes. Uncharacteristic of him, isn't it? I'm sure you know of Echizen Nanjiroh's character from Ryuzaki-sensei's ramblings."

For a split second, Tezuka's eyes met with Ryoma's. Then he looked down once more as he continued to kneel.

"No, I could not fathom why," answered the captain.

"Neither do I. But looking at His Highness today, I think I am beginning to understand," Ryoma said, returning his sword back into the sheath. "Captain, think hard about His Highness's words. Understand that the world he lives in may not be as simple as you think it is."

Without batting another eye at Tezuka, Ryoma grabbed Yuta's hand and dragged the dumbfounded younger prince away from the scene.

Tezuka stayed in the same spot and kneeled for another ten minutes.

–

"W-w-what was that?" Yuta exclaimed after he had recovered from his shock. "That was the most words I've ever hear you say in a single sitting! My legs are so numb just from staring at you for some reason! Holy crap!"

Ryoma looked at Yuta's face, then at his legs. "Oh. I used a skill to mimic someone's talking style. I might have accidentally yipped you. Oops."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Ryoma whacked Yuta's legs a few times, almost causing Yuta to jump up into the air. "Don't worry too much. The stiffness will be gone in a bit," Ryoma explained nonchalantly.

"That doesn't explain anything!"

I might have gone a little overboard, if someone could get yipped from this. Ryoma thought to himself. The captain should be fine after a while. Right now, there's someone else I need to see.

"Stop ignoring me, Echizen!" Yuta yelled into Ryoma's ear.

The younger bodyguard frowned unhappily. "Geez, fine, I'll explain," Ryoma rubbed his ringing ears. "I learned from someone that you can make someone listen to you if you win some kind of argument against them, okay? But I'm not very good at talking to people, so I had to pretend to be someone else. Happy now?"

Yuta wanted to continue to ask for more explanations. Conveniently for Ryoma, Oishi happened to pass by the same corridor they were walking in, and Ryoma quickly directed his attention towards the vice-captain.

"Oishi-senpai!" Ryoma waved his hand at the vice-captain.

Oishi smiled casually and approached Ryoma. "Hey, Echizen. What's up-"

"Senpai, can you takeover my shift for a bit? I just remembered I have something important to do!" Ryoma exclaimed and began to run away.

Yuta and Oishi stared at each other, taking a few moments to comprehend the situation before realizing that the young bodyguard had basically just ditched them for no apparent reason.

"Hey, Echizen! We're not done here!" Yuta yelled frustratedly.

"Echizen! Remember to come back later, okay?" Oishi shouted in mild concern.

–

Ryoma had always known that communication was not one of his strong suits, but he had never considered it much of a problem until now.

He stood quietly in front of Fuji Syusuke's door, unsure of what to say or do.

Usually, Syusuke would have either opened the door to greet him as soon as the prince realized someone was standing at his door. If he did not do that, the prince (or one of his bodyguards) would be the first one to ask who was at the door.

Neither of those happened.

It was to be expected. Syusuke ran away from Tezuka of all people and cried. Even if the prince realized someone was at the door, he probably would not be in the mood to talk to anyone.

How do I talk to someone that's emotionally sensitive and doesn't want to talk to me? Ryoma grumbled inside his mind.

Syusuke's room was completely silent. Ryoma stared at the sliding doors and was tempted to open them.

No. That would only make it worse. But we can't talk with a sliding door between us. Not now.

Ryoma decided to go for the most direct option. Consequences be damned.

"Fuji-senpai," Ryoma voiced softly. "Can I please come in?"

Syusuke had never opened his room to Ryoma. In fact, from what Ryoma had heard from Kikumaru, Syusuke had not invited anyone into his bedroom for a long time. Originally, Ryoma thought it was some sort of rule for the bodyguard to guard the room door at all times instead of being beside the prince, but apparently it was not the case.

At some point, Syusuke stopped inviting even his closest bodyguards inside his private bedroom. The prince still allowed the bodyguards to his workroom, but no one had seen the prince's bedroom in a long time.

Syusuke did not reply.

Ryoma's stomach was getting a sickening feeling as the young bodyguard felt he was about to be rejected. But he stood still without budging, waiting patiently for any sort of response.

Soon, Ryoma heard a whisper.

"Sure."

It was a very small, airy voice that sounded terribly tired. The voice was so soft that if Ryoma had stepped back even a little, he would have missed it.

The young bodyguard could feel his heart beating harshly against his chest. He placed his hand on the door.

"Please excuse me."

For the first time, he stepped into Syusuke's bedroom.

Author's Note: Oh god this took so long. I rewrote this a bunch of times to make sure the part with Ryoma mimicking someone else is not too choppy and awkward. What do you guys think?