Disclaimer: I do not own Ai Yori Aoshi and Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi. This is the property of Kou Fumizuki, Pioneer/Geneon, and JC Staff.
Blue Monarch
Act 2, Scene 3
Since Aoi's confession, her relief had given way to moodiness since she had brought up such events again. It was some melancholy that was lighter in comparison to the anguish she felt when she was alone. She probably had to thank Seiji for that. He was a welcome distraction, and was surprisingly attentive. He had noticed the slight drop in her mood, and sought to remedy it with more of his stories abroad. He had an excellent memory to remember so many things that happened to him. Aoi felt that though they were exciting, they were not anything she could relate to.
It was today that they sat there in their usual place, she regally still and prim, worry easing her pain over a little, and him leaning casually and slouching, paying no regard that he might wrinkle his shirt or suit jacket. She kept quiet, and he didn't push her. Maybe some more time alone to contemplate would be helpful.
In one of those awkward pauses that hung between each memory, they had reverted to looking away again.
Not to be outdone, Aoi observed him from the corner of her eye.
Seiji always looked at that post, the one that always sat at his left. This time, she spied his fingers brushing against the same whorl in the wood, located at a lower portion of the pole; the motion was followed by a quiet chuckle.
"Ano..."
"Mm?"
"You laughed. What is so funny?"
He pointed at a spot on the post.
"See that dent? With the dark spot?"
Aoi leaned across his lap and squinted a little.
"Hai."
"I remember I hit my head on this thing."
"When?"
"Oh... It was the around the time that the Hanabishi delegation came to Sakuraba."
Her eyes widened in astonishment. "You were here for that?"
"Only briefly. It was just a day, and I had a chance to play with you and your Kaoru-sama. In fact, he gave me this." Seiji lifted up his bangs to show a faint scar that ran along the edge of his hairline. He took his hand away, letting the hair fall over and cover it again.
"No, I do not think Kaoru-sama would do something that..."
He made some sort of face at her uncertainty. "Of all your memories of your Kaoru-sama, you don't remember that, huh?"
She looked away, embarrassed. "Gomen."
"No, that's okay. I keep forgetting that it's been so long since we last saw each other, and you have other things on your mind. This is hardly the time to sit around and reminisce."
"But it is. Please, Seiji-kun, tell me. I would like to remember. Anything to keep myself occupied."
"Well, you do know that this was when Hanabishi came here to arrange the marriage."
"Hai."
He extended his arm, sweeping over the grassy area in front of them. "I came here because Sakuraba-sama needed 'Kaasan's counsel for the match. I believe he wanted some confirmation that he was doing the right thing." He shrugged. "Well, I was sitting here, reading, and then I saw you and your Kaoru-sama coming from the woods. You saw me, I waved, and then you came running over..."
"Seiji-kun! This is Kaoru-sama..." The little girl blushed at the name. "Someday, we'll get married! Wouldn't that be great?"
Seiji smiled. "Hai, Aoi-hime." The older boy turned to her playmate and bowed a little. "Hello, Kaoru-san."
The boy shrugged. "Hi." He then crossed his arms. "I'm bored. Isn't there something we can do? Know any good games?"
At this, Aoi jumped up and tugged at Seiji's sleeve. "Seiji-kun! Seiji-kun! I want to play too!"
Seiji looked at his cousin and her betrothed. "Well, I learned something from this book. I like it a lot." He looked down at the book in his lap. The lettering was unfamiliar to them, and Seiji told them that the book was in English.
"What is it, Seiji-kun?"
He opened the book to reveal brightly coloured pictures of stone castles and people in strange attire. "This book is about knights and kings and queens." He flipped a page, revealing a page with metal covered men on horses, brandishing large swords. "These are knights. They're kinda like the samurai who protect the emperor and fight for honour. But knights are different. They're also supposed to protect the princess until she finds her prince and they become king and queen."
"I think that's pretty stupid," the other boy huffed.
"Well, I like it."
The green haired boy saw a discarded stick in the grass, the only evidence of Aoi-hime and her Kaoru-sama's trek into the family woods. He set the book aside and picked it up.
Seiji picked it up and nudged Aoi to stand behind his back; he brandished his imaginary sword. "Eh, Aoi-hime? I could be your knight and protect you!"
"Ano..." She side-stepped him. "Kaoru-sama should do it."
"Knights and princes can protect princesses. We can do both." He waved the play sword around a bit.
"Hey, I said I didn't want to play."
"Kaoru-sama..."
"Well fine, we can play something else." And with that, Seiji off-handedly tossed the stick in Kaoru's direction.
The thin, broken off branch grazed along his side. He wasn't hurt, and he looked shocked at the small contact. Then angry.
Aoi tugged at his sleeve. "Seiji-kun... you hurt Kaoru-sama..."
He turned to address his cousin, but as soon as his back was exposed, the Hanabishi boy jumped onto it with a yell. The force propelled them forward.
They didn't realize how fast or where they were going, and Aoi was too surprised to do anything. She watched as her cousin drove headfirst into a wooden post, one of many that lined the walkways around the building.
A loud wet smacking sound filled the air, then two dull thuds to accompany two boys falling over.
"Kaoru-sama!"
Aoi ran to her betrothed and looked him up and down.
Seiji groggily sat up and touched his forehead. His fingers came away with red.
At the sight, he started to sniffle.
The little girl and the little boy didn't even look when they heard the green child's retreating footsteps and distant crying.
Aoi smiled, still hovering by his side, as Kaoru got onto his feet and dusted himself off.
"You're okay Kaoru-sama."
"...oh, how I ran around crying for 'Kaasan, but she was busy with Sakuraba-sama, so I was bleeding and crying until one of the servants took me to 'Tousan. It was a nasty gash, so he took me to the doctor and stitched me up. I remember I got nine of them, then 'Tousan scolded me for bothering you and the Hanabishi boy, so I stayed away until my family left."
Aoi shook her head at that. "Gomen, Seiji-kun. I am sorry about that."
"It was a long time ago, we were too young to know any better." He smiled again. "It wasn't your fault I got hurt."
"I meant to apologize for what Kaoru-sama did to you."
"We were just kids. Kids fight, get a few scraps and scars, but they don't mean anything by it. Why apologize for him?"
With pursed lips and hands clenched around the fabric on her lap, she told him why.
"Mmm... Then I can at least understand now why he reacted the way he did, why he attacked me way back then." He tapped his temple. "But betraying you, hurting you like that, after all these years... I can't understand that at all."
"Mm. I do not think I can, either."
"But you can't help it. You try and try to understand this entire..." he searched for the word, "...thing no matter how painful it is for you. You shouldn't feel like you have to bear this entire thing yourself. Aoi-hime, the least you can do is talk about it. Maybe it will help you feel better."
She shook her head. "No, no, no. I could not. I cannot. Kaoru-sama is a very private person and-"
"And you?"
She stopped.
"Aoi-hime, there must be a lot of things that you had to keep quiet for years. A lot of things you wanted to shout to the entire world, but weren't allowed to." He looked straight at her. "I think you want to talk to about it, to tell all the stories about your time with him, even if it did end, even if it is too late, just to prove that you had your Kaoru-sama."
He was right. It stung a little that he was right.
"But you don't have to say anything now. It's never sensible to just blurt things out without thinking them through."
She mutely nodded.
They sat there again, the silence no longer awkward, but heavy with thought.