Dear readers, if you were worried I disappeared- don't worry, I'm okay! The news probably has already told you guys, but please stay in and take care of your health. This virus isn't fun, and I want you all to be okay. Get tested if possible, and if not, just stay home and keep yourself clean, as well as your environment clean.

Also sorry for taking so long to update! My birthday passed last month, and I've been working and such! My apologies but since I'm now in quarantine, I've decided to pick this back up again properly for (hopefully) more timely updates.

EIGHTY - A Road Bump

It was one thing that Obi introduced Mukaze to Ryu. It was another when Shirayuki wasn't expecting to see Ryu looking into Mukaze's mouth, treating him as a patient.

"I can explain!" Obi quickly spews after several seconds completely shocked at being found out. Shirayuki could only stare at him, an eyebrow up in high suspicion and anger. He was in serious trouble. "...Okay, maybe I can't explain." Obi's anxiety took over after he swallowed heavily and looked over at Mukaze with pleading eyes.

Mukaze sighs before looking over at his daughter, "it's not his fault, Shirayuki."

"I wasn't blaming him for anything yet," Shirayuki begins. "But since you're saying that… someones to blame for me not knowing whatever's going on here."

Zen could feel the tension in the room. It took a lot to upset Shirayuki, and whenever she is, it's with good reason. She's always been rational and calm, but it's the first time anyone's seen her legitimately upset about something. Her face had this unwavering anger and impatience, clearly yearning to know something that she clearly didn't. Her eyes weren't warm and full, and she wasn't readily rushing to Obi's side.

"Come in you two," Mukaze says quietly, gesturing them in as though it were his office. Through all this tension, Ryu kept doing what he was doing. Checking Mukaze's skin and face while brewing the tea mixture he's made just for him. The door gets shut behind them and Ryu simply listens as Shirayuki places her hand on her hips and stares down seriously at her father. "Shirayuki, please don't be upset with Obi for any reason. It's my fault."

"You still haven't explained what's going on her," Shirayuki repeats, jerking away from Obi's touch or his attempt to seat her in her own stool. "Father, what's all this?" Her hand gestures to all the medical tools and herbs scattered on Ryu's desk.

Mukaze sighs, emitting a small cough before properly explaining himself, "see, I've been quite… sick for a little while now. At first, I thought it was simply because of aging and physical exertion. Being the leader of the Lions isn't easy." He clears his throat before continuing, "however, I noticed these symptoms were worsening. I was coughing up blood for a bit, and there would be some days that I'd sleep for more than 12 hours a day."

As Mukaze explained the tiers of his condition, Shirayuki's face softened. She grabbed the stool herself and sat down, gradually calming herself down while listening to her father's words. It didn't keep from Obi's stomach twisting though, and Zen could tell that he wasn't too excited for her to find out this way.

"...So Obi insisted that Ryu could help, as I learned he was your supervisor and superior," Mukaze neared the end of the explanation. "So in attempts to keep my request of keeping this between us, Obi tried making sure you wouldn't find out so I can get better as though it all never happened."

Shirayuki turned over to Obi, her expression not as merciful, "how long did you know?"

Obi looked away, scratching nervously at the back of his neck before replying, "when we went to visit your father a bit ago."

"You're not serious," Shirayuki begins, her eyes dulling. She was not happy with Obi, and it wasn't hard to tell that she wasn't. Zen looked over at Obi, giving him his sincerest sympathies while Obi's eyes begged for help. Taking his hand, she begins to walk towards the door while dragging Obi behind her. "We're going to have a chat- Zen, you can say what you want to say to my father."

And with that, the door is slammed and silence ensued. But Mukaze was quick to move on as he smiled up at Zen and gestured to the stool Shirayuki was just sitting on, "take a seat, my boy. My daughter tells me you have a few words to say to me?"

Amused by Mukaze's switch in situation, Zen sits down and nods. "I actually wanted to apologize for everything. For the letter I wasn't honest with, and for not only hurting Shirayuki's feelings, but yours as well."

Mukaze chuckled as he placed his hand on Zen's shoulder, "last enough was already enough to prove to me that you regret the things you've done. You don't have to be so hard on yourself anymore, especially over my sake." Zen looks up at Mukaze and smiles, feeling the warmth that the older man radiated.

"But I still feel a bit awful about it," Zen admits, looking down distantly at the ground. "That letter was meant to be honest about everything, but I just couldn't even be honest with myself about everything." He felt tears threatening to come out, but he stood his ground against his emotions. "I swore I was going to be the perfect man for your daughter, and I let you both down."

Ryu hands Mukaze a cup of tea, and offers one to Zen, too. Zen accepts it, pleasantly surprised by Ryu's random consideration. Mukaze takes a small sip. "Zen, many things will never work out the way you planned them out to be. Life has a strange way of teaching us lessons." He gives Zen a sad smile. "The Mountain Lions filled the void of my love's passing that I swore could never be filled or replaced."

Zen pays close attention as Mukaze continues, "unfortunately, things couldn't work out between you and my daughter, for reasons that are beyond unfair to the both of you. But just like her, you have also reflected and learn from the sadness and pain that's been brought about by your mother's misguided way of showing her love for you."

"Extremely misguided," Zen murmurs under his breath.

Mukaze taps at Zen's forehead and glares at him, "don't be too hard on her, either. It seems your mother tried doing what was best for you, and messed up. I'm not exempt from it either- I abandoned Shirayuki and left her with her grandparents because I couldn't bring myself to be a good father for her."

Zen nodded, "she's told me about that vaguely."

Mukaze shrugs, "us parents can only try to be great parents- try not to be too harsh on us when we make mistakes in trying our best." Mukaze proceeds to bring his finger down to poke at Zen's chest where his heart resided. "Just like you can only try to be a great man- a great person- while acknowledging and understanding that you may mess up at times."

"Thank you," Zen says quietly, holding his teacup shakily, "for forgiving me, and gifting me with such wise words." He lowers his head as though to bow at Mukaze, but Mukaze can only be amused and chuckle at Zen's installed expression of respect.

"You royals are sometimes too formal to be taken seriously," Mukaze jokes while Ryu was behind him, messing with vials filled with medicine. "What kind of old man would I be if I weren't helping future generations?"

Zen nods as the two take a sip of the tea. "Ryu, this tea is actually really nice."

Suddenly being acknowledged, Ryu took a second take and nodded, "thanks… I made a separate mint one for you because the one Mister Mukaze is drinking is actual treatment."

"It tastes awful," Mukaze states, finally reacting to the bitterness of the tea. "Why isn't this one sweet like the one you gave me yesterday?"

"Because I figured out the perfect combination of herbs early this morning for your condition," Ryu admitted. "Yesterday's brew was a surface-level study, but when I thought about it overnight, I realized that there are herbs much more suitable for you." Ryu then glances at the small bottle of honey and blinks, "but the herbs perform much better without a sweetner."

Zen grins as Mukaze forces down the hot liquid. Zen, too, finishes his tea and hands the empty cup back to Ryu. The young man goes back to his herbs, likely creating another remedy for Mukaze. "You've got a wonderful staff in this kingdom, I must say Zen."

Zen accepts the compliment, "My family and I are very fortunate and lucky to have them. Ryu and Garak are amazing herbalists who took on the role of hiring and training Shirayuki and the rest of our court herbalists." He then smiles at the thought of his aides, "Kiki and Mitsuhide have always protected me and advised me whenever I got stuck on my path. And the maids, butlers, guards, and chefs are truly the spine of this castle- my family name would be nothing without them."

Mukaze nods, "I feel the same way in regards to the Mountain Lions. I would have absolutely nothing without them." He looks out the door, remembering Shirayuki and Obi had stepped outside and chuckles, "but like you, I still have a lot to learn."

Zen looks at the man wistfully, clearly feeling bad for keeping a secret so serious from his only daughter. "You were only doing what you thought was right," Zen begins warmly, receiving a kind smile from Mukaze.

"I'm just worried for Obi," Mukaze expresses. "My daughter is exactly like her mother so Obi has no idea what he's up against."


"Obi, are you kidding me?" Shirayuki immediately questions after walking him down the hall. "Are you serious?"

"Shirayuki, please!" Obi tries, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I really couldn't tell you! Your father didn't want me to say anything to you, so I figured it'd be wrong to admit a secret that isn't mine."

"Obi, that's my father," Shirayuki starts, clearly forcing herself to remain calm with her voice unable to control the emotion. Her green eyes were dim and misty eyed, with her bottom lip quivering in shock and anger. She stood a bit far from Obi, wanting not to be too close to him at this very moment. "He is the last blood relative I have left!"

"And I understand that, I do!" Obi offers his arms, as though to hold her and contain her emotions, attempting to suppress them. But Shirayuki jerks away immediately.

"Don't touch me." Ouch. That's one shot to the heart for Obi. He drops his arms and stays his distance from her, not wanting to cause more damage than he already has. He understood that she was not happy right now, and she had reason to be unhappy. He didn't blame her in any way, but he did wish that she'd listen to what he and Mukaze had to say.

"Shirayuki, you know I don't keep things from you," Obi hums. "If it was my choice, I would have told you as soon as I got to the cabin." Shirayuki folds her arms in front of her chest, still very much agitated. But she was listening. "Your father didn't want you worrying about him so much, so he figured it would be best kept a secret until he either got better or… you know."

Shirayuki stands there for a moment, allowing silence to ensure post-explanation. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she wasn't scowling or really angry. She was just sad. She stood there somberly, upset for being out of loop. "S-so…" she begins, her tone much quieter and gentler, "you brought him to Ryu so Ryu could see if he could be treated?"

Obi nodded, "I think your father was hoping little Ryu could treat him as though he never had any health problems in the first place." Shirayuki looks distantly at the floor, thinking a bit. She sniffles, and dabs at her cheeks to dry her tears. She still wasn't content, but she resigned her anger.

"Okay." Shirayuki nods and walks past Obi, going back to the office. Obi tails behind her, feeling stupid for expecting a hug or some sort of contact. "I'm gonna sit on this for a little bit while I help Ryu fix my father. I want space."

Obi couldn't necessarily understand what Shirayuki wanted. Not that he didn't hear her, but he didn't really fathom the idea of giving her space. He always figured that they'd be stuck together like glue, even through arguments. But Shirayuki's eyes wouldn't dare meet his own, and she wasn't inclined to get close to him as usual. Humans fear things they don't yet understand, but Obi wasn't going to sit around and wait for a rational solution.

"Yes, Mistress."

Shirayuki paused, silently gasping at his words before going back to the office. Obi follows a second later and leans against the window, as far away from her as she could get. The tension was clearly high as Zen looked over at his messenger worriedly. Obi looked distantly out the window, his posture much better than usual. He did not say a word nor join the conversation as Shirayuki checked Mukaze's pulse and face.

Ryu and Mukaze couldn't help but glance over at Obi, also worried at what may have gone down outside the office. He looked of a statue, frozen and supposedly unbothered. He resembled the man before assimilating to the castle and his newfound family. Obi knew how to respect boundaries and space, but when it was a situation where a new barrier had been formed away from his lover, he wasn't necessarily sure how to behave.

So in turn, his insecurities came back in spear jolts to the chest. He felt like a monster, a disgrace who hurt a heart so pure and too good for the world. He felt subhuman, and disgusting. The way Shirayuki's face looked. She had so much hurt and anger in her eyes that the usual emerald green on them looked more mossy and rustic. She still carried on a somber expression as she helped Ryu create medicine for her dad.

Shirayuki needed her space, and that's understandable. But she could have never accounted for the damage that proceeded.