Having gone past the designated area, Taritsu stood around admiring the sight of his handiwork. Obviously, his grandfather would enjoy the shoots they could use for crafting, and his cousin would give him well-deserved praise. They had this little rivalry ever since Taritsu had matched him in the assessment bout. The boy who barely knew a thing about a blade outside of culinary arts, wielded it almost innately like it felt natural in his hands. His movements were fluid, and countered Sugata's advanced techniques, but no matter what they tried, their matches ended in ties.
"Oh wow, a tanuki." The child heard fables surrounding the famous creature, but as childish as his amazement was, Taritsu appreciated the raccoon dog more for its biological facts than myths. He did feel that perhaps some traits it had could explain why Boruvian culture believed in such tales. Watching as it scrambled away once hearing him speak, Taritsu gasped dejectedly.
Renewed of determination, he figured he could follow it. Placing the 14" mamorigatana sword on his back, the boy shifted forward to remove his hakama for climbing, as he preferred the green under tunic. He enjoyed the color green a lot and it was something he crafted himself for the summer; it was designed to resemble his great-great-grandfather's adventure clothing, and for an old design, it was far better than anything his mother made him wear. "Just the thought of those clothes make me want to cry."
WAAH
"Like that!" He paused. The sound was of someone nearby, and it certainly seemed like another person rather than an animal. From his position, perched on the branch, he scanned the area. With his eyes getting irritated by the shining light that was the sun, he took precautions to avoid staring directly at bright places.
From what Taritsu knew, he wasn't blind; he could see colors and determine depth, but consistent bright lights had a devastating effect on him, making it necessary to avoid looking at the source. As such, when he heard the sobs closer as it took a while to travel—branch to branch, he turned and staggered, falling off balance with the rays aiming into his pupils. Fortunately, he had a prehensile tail which automatically responded to his anxious state, so he merely slid around and hung from the swing set bar, like a monkey.
Opening his eyes, emerald met striking blue, each with remarkable surprise at the sudden appearance of the other. She seemed out of place since her outfit was similar to the Lolita trend, but that wasn't unexpected; they were technically near the outskirts of the park... but what struck him was her physical features. Raven hair was of silk with the girl's porcelain complexion, and he sort of felt as if he recognized the child, even if they both were 5 and 4, respectively. 'Her clothes are well kept; these tears are...'
"Something wrong?" It was a good start, but Taritsu was unable to get the lone girl speaking. He noticed that she was more concerned with him hanging around like that, and found him amusing. Fortunately, her laughter was good news as it meant the stranger was capable of calming down for a conversation.
When he stood up on the ground once more, he tried once more to assess her issue. "Where are your parents?"
The tears were almost wavering, but her determination won out as she wanted help. "At home," her gaze was expectant, and obviously entertained by his tail—which was now wrapping itself as a belt underneath his clothes. 'You know, I think she ran away.'
"What's your name?"
She was still quiet, and unresponsive, so Taritsu decided on calling her by a nickname. "...well, obviously you can't be referred without a name, so I'll call you," he paused while giving her a once over. "Yuki Morishita, cause you're 'bound for the bottom of the forest'." He grinned, but the results were anything that he wanted. Seeing her cry, he did his best to ease her.
"All right, all right. I'll call you by another name."
Her teeth clenched, and fists by her sides, she gathered what courage she had and told him: "My name is Euphie."
Dumbfounded, Taritsu apologized and calmly returned the favor. "That's a nice name. You can call me Kyousuke."
The girl looked up at boy in awe. From her perspective, she saw a kind boy, much to her pleasure. Unlike she had felt earlier about the unreliable friend she trusted, she perceived Taritsu as a reliable and matured person. She also found his silver-white hair and emerald eyes pretty, but refrained from saying that. "You know, if you stay out here alone, a wolf might eat you."
"I-I don't want to be eaten!" She held her hands in front of her face, adorably crying her complaints. He giddily chuckled at her expense, then explained why when she stared him down. Even though Euphie was a child, she had an icy glare like his mother, but Yanagi's was powerful enough to petrify anyone—even those who were mentally prepared.
"Well...my last name has to do with wolves. Don't worry too much about it; we're friendly wolves, and unlike what stories you've heard, they don't bother attacking people unless required." His explanation made him seem honest as the ideal friend—something which the girl ached for.
"You can join us if you like. You'll be my guest." He proudly exclaimed with a radiant smile. "Oh, and I won't forget to change your nickname later." He smiled upon seeing the girl blush.
Euphie had never really liked the plans her family had for her. When she had first heard the term 'betrothed' she thought it was some sort of promise that meant betrayal would never occur between the two 'betrothed'.
But that was disproved as she had found out.
Fortunately, she met Kyousuke—a boy that was incredibly talented, considerate, and defensive when needed. Even though she was an outsider, he insisted that she'd have the same treatment as him. She didn't realize it, but she had grown from comfortability around the boy to feelings of genuine trust, as if her best friend all along had been the boy and not the one she was betrothed to. However, she didn't feel great accepting those ideas, so she decided to confront him about it.
"Hey... can I ask you something?"
"...Sure..."
"Let's say this girl messed up."
"Uh huh."
"Then this boy who was supposed to be her best friend told her that she shouldn't blame others for her mistake even though he clearly knows that it wasn't her fault."
...
"If you're in the girl's shoes, what would you do?"
He played with his pendant before answering, "If I were in that position…"
"Euphemia... How did you know?" He austerely whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"You always wondered why I'm so dedicated to learning and mastering everything I can, wishing to understand things; I'm sure you've thought about it. Well..." He took a deep breath, calming himself as he took her hypothetical question personally. To him, the manner she asked was as if to understand his issues, to see what flaws he committed and understand what kind of person he was. Perhaps that was her reason for asking, and if it was then there was really no harm in answering how he'd solve the problem.
However, it could also be possible that she took her own experience and used it to see if there was a viable solution to it. One which she desired.
'It may or may not lead to a confirmation bias, but I know that what I'll say will seem controversial at first.' "Then I would take the boy's advice and tries to fix the mess."
She tightened her fists whilst maintaining her feelings under wraps; the patience she had for him was wavering, but she knew there had to be some reason for her friend's decision. "Why..."
"Well, I'm kind of the 'For the team' guy. If the mess that one makes affects the team then I would definitely listen to what he says."
"Even if it's not the girl's fault?"
"If it's for a better cause, I don't see why not." He began, but took in the image of her trembling body as an indicator of it being sensitive issues. He wouldn't leave it at that. Not when he himself had faced such a dilemma that had basically crushed him. He would not leave her to experience the full effects of solitude and betrayal... especially when it was entirely possible to assist the girl this early. "But... my reasons for that comes from my desire to change the world to please everyone."
"Eh?"
'This is why I struggle so much for my age.' "There are times when one must make a decision; sometimes that brings sadness; other times it's hatred. Then there are times when you can't seem to choose. This 'lack of options' is what brings misery. I used to think people who thought like this are fools." 'Until I found myself in this position myself...'
"Truth is, to be someone who can change the world into a better place means that I must do things that I at times might not want. Sometimes I might anger others to achieve those goals. Not because I want to, or because it's the easiest method to me, but because I have no other choice."
He knew it was something he'd have to deal with. It was a truth he'd have to acknowledge, for he had no weight to merit his actions noble; not when most people in the "civilized world" considered him a nuisance or worse, a threat.
"It sickens me... because I was weak and had to do what others told me. All I could do was evaluate what was the best method available, only learning what was available to me rather than looking for the truth on my own. People will obligatorily hide truths from you, just to keep things safe and optimal for their benefit, and never for the best intentions of others! I learned that the hard way, however... there are some who will care enough to pick you up when you've fallen, and because of this—I've decided to make my own path to truth."
Euphemia looked mortified, especially so as she had seen him far more worked up reminiscing of his pains than dealing with the troubles the servants made for him. He seemed ready to whip out his mamorigatana and slice his frustrations upon the first thing allowed. Yet it was merely speculation on her part, for he discovered that his actions made her fearfully clutch her pendant.
—AND HE HATED HIMSELF FOR BEING INSENSITIVE TO HER FEELINGS OVER HIS RAMBLINGS.
"But just to be clear on my answer—the decision isn't whether I naively think its for the best. It would be nice however, to have someone look after you, even though their kindness isn't anywhere present. When trapped with a forced option, know there exists the option of refusal. If an option goes against your philosophy, then refuse; nothing wrong can come from that because you—and I myself—know such truths exists."
"I understand." She agreed, teary-eyed as she regretted her earlier distrust.
"Now cheer up." He softly whispered while embracing her. "I came up with your new nickname. Consider Yukinoshita. I chose it because it means a lot of things, but the meaning I found was 'under the snow'. It fits nicely, don't you think?"
She smiled as she found it an incredibly wonderful nickname.
I'll cherish it dearly, Kyousuke-kun.
