Hikari hated Izo. Hated that without her knowledge he convinced the demons to have him stay up in the far North, even if it was in Father's place. He could have at least had the decency to warn her before abandoning her like this... When she said good bye to him a few minutes prior, it felt like he felt nothing.
She watched him stand there all stoically and emotionless at the outskirts of the camp surrounded by the others, like he did not even care he was staying behind. Mother was the last to say goodbye to him, trying and failing not to cry. Hikari was too angry with him to cry, staring up at his cocky face dry eyed. Father looked like he just wanted to get the moment over with.
Mother had her arms wrapped around Izo, who stood there, barely hugging her back. The sight was unbelievable. "You write..." Mother choked out. She cleared her throat forcefully. "You write, weekly," she insisted.
Izo stole a side glance at Maeshu, who was watching the two of them without blinking. "I will do my best. If that's as you wish," he promised calmly. Mother was crying before him, and he did not even care. Hikari wondered what was wrong with him.
Mother shivered, letting him go. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her gloves. "You let him," she insisted over at Maeshu. "You let him, that way we'll know if anything else happens right away."
"That will be his decision to make," Maeshu responded. "Sometimes paper is a difficult thing to come by up here, especially when we break camp and begin to roam next month."
Mother turned back to Izo, wrapping her arms around him once more. "I love you," she said so gently. She reached up, brushing his bangs away from his eyes with an equally gentle hand. Her hand rest by his right. "Be careful of..." she hummed. "Fight it... think of something that brings you joy. Cling to that," she advised vaguely. Hikari puzzled at what Mother meant. She made a mental note to ask her later.
"Won't be thinking of Mother," Hikari murmured crossly under her breath. She pursed her lips when she saw Father give her a silencing look.
"What was that, my love?" Takashi asked next to her.
"Nothing," she sighed.
Mother hugged him one more time, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the forehead the way she used to when the two of them were children; the way she would with Kaze as well. She grimaced at the thought of Kaze, being abandoned in turn.
King Hayate behind her cleared his throat. "We really need to get moving, my angel," he called over to Mother gently, yet authoritatively.
Mother pulled herself away from Izo, who just stood there. She walked over to Father, trembling, from more than just the cold. One hand hovered in front of her face, and she seemed to be holding her breath.
Father lead Mother towards their hippogriffs, not looking back nor allowing to let her do so. He did not seem to care that the king, queen, and prince should have mounted up first as he helped Mother on her stead.
Takashi next to her shifted on his feet, taking Hikari by the hand and pulling her towards her stead like Father had with Mother. The king with the queen cut in front of them to help the queen up on her stead second. Had Takashi not taken her away from Izo and helped her mount up, she was certain she would have run over to Izo and punched him with all the fury her boiling blood demanded.
Once everyone was ready, she stole a glance back over at Izo. He stood there stoic and still, arms crossed over his chest. It was not like him to not care. She saw him turn back, quickly striding back in the direction of his tent.