Edit-I removed the time-skip portion from the first chapter since a lot of people thought it was confusing. Hopefully, it's easier to follow now.
A Prison of Ice
II.
Family.
That was a loaded word for him. He had a family once, a mother and father, but the memories were blurry at best. He could hardly even recall what their faces looked like anymore, but he still remembered their existence at the very least. The accident on the bridge all those years ago had cut his time with them short, but he eventually met SEES and they helped fill the void in his heart.
By definition, SEES wasn't his family, but they had fulfilled the same purpose of one.
Minato Arisato had found a surrogate family that felt just as genuine as a real one. Makoto Yuki was born into a real family that left him feeling just as empty as he had been before he met SEES. The Yuki family were all related by blood but lacked the bonds that truly made a family, a family.
Father treated him well, he never found himself lacking, all of the luxuries in the world were at his beck and call. None of that truly mattered though, the greatest treasure of all had always been the bonds he formed with others. Makoto Yuki didn't think that he had a relationship like that with anyone in his family.
Father treated him well, but there always seemed to be this distance between them.
It almost seemed as if father never had a genuine interest in forming a real relationship with him, to begin with, but more of how he could be used for the company's benefit instead. Makoto Yuki was simply the heir to his legacy, someone that would continue to grow the Yuki corporation in the future. Rather than what a father and son should have been, it almost felt like a professional relationship instead.
Mother wasn't much different in that regard.
There was never any animosity between them, but he couldn't help but find the lack of a true family relationship disappointing. He had even tried to impress them by being a dutiful son, by pretending to be a prodigious one; it was his second life, after all, so his studies weren't too difficult. Mother and father had been proud of him and praised him a lot, but it all felt hollow in the end. They never seemed to care about who he was as a person, about what he wanted to do with his life, only how he could further the company in the future.
Makoto couldn't help but wonder if Mitsuru ever felt like that.
She had been the heir to the Kirijo Group after all.
"Young master, it's about time to start heading out." A voice called out followed by a knock on his door. "Your father is waiting for you in the living room."
Makoto closed the notebook in his hands and put it back into his drawer along with his pen. He walked over to the door and opened it to see one of the family servants, Jacob.
"I'd suggest that you wear a thicker coat, young master." Jacob politely pointed out as he eyed his outfit. "Atlas can be quite chilly this time of year."
His lips quirked into a slight smirk.
"It's always chilly in Atlas, Jacob."
"Mmm, so it is." The servant simply replied as he walked over towards his closet. "My point stands, however. You'll be needing a thicker coat."
Jacob had worked under the Yuki family for as long as he could remember. In fact, he probably spent more time around him than with his own father at this point. The chess games that they played against one another were always a good way to pass the time.
"Are you looking forward to meeting with Miss Schnee again at her birthday party?" Jacob casually asked as he dug through his closet. "I believe that this will be your second meeting with her?"
"It is." He simply replied. "And I suppose that I am."
"Oh?" Jacob mused as he held out a rather puffy jacket and inspected it. "It doesn't sound like you're very excited about it."
"Does it really matter how I feel about it?" He dryly replied. "Father insisted that I attend."
The SDC was one of the Yuki Corporation's biggest partners, so his father hadn't given him much of a choice in the matter. It wasn't that he particularly disliked Weiss or anything like that, he was just never a very big fan of large social gatherings like that. Even then, the only thing that really rubbed him the wrong way was how much his father seemed to be pushing him into forming a connection with Weiss for the company's benefit.
It just all felt so very artificial and he couldn't help but be reminded of Mitsuru.
She had voiced similar concerns over her life as the heiress to him in the past. If there was one thing that he disliked about being Makoto Yuki, it was that he had been born wealthy. It was hard to tell who around him was genuinely interested in becoming friends with him or if they just desired his wealth.
He could really sympathize with Mitsuru a lot more now that he was walking in her shoes.
The second time that he had met Weiss Schnee was at her tenth birthday party, a year after their initial meeting.
The Schnee manor was about as lavish and extravagant as the rumors had implied. It looked every bit as luxurious on the inside as it did from the outside. It was becoming apparent to him that the Schnee family had spared no expenses when it came to their home. The Yuki household was fairly large, but it still paled in comparison to the sheer size of Weiss's home.
Even walking from the front entrance to the dining room took a good five minutes.
When they finally made it there, he was greeted by a sight that reminded him of those high-class balls he would see in movies. There were dozens of people lounging about, having conversations with one another as servants deftly moved about pouring more drinks and refilling food trays. It was about what he had expected from the birthday party of a girl that belonged to the richest family in the world.
"Ah, Hiro!" Jacques Schnee greeted them with a smile as he walked over. "So good to see that you could make it."
"Jacques." His father replied as he took the other man's hand into a firm handshake. "I trust that you've been doing well."
"About as well as I can be," Jacques's smile faltered a bit. "I'm sure you've heard about what the White Fang has been up to."
"Ah, yes," Father answered with a knowing look. "They have sects in Mistral as well. They're a rather troublesome bunch."
"Indeed, but we're not here to talk about those animals," Jacques simply waved off. "And how have you been, Makoto? You've grown a bit since the last time I've seen you."
"I've been doing well, Mr. Schnee," Makoto dutifully answered with a slight bow of his head. "Thank you for asking."
"My, my. So polite. I can see that you've taught him well, Hiro."
"I didn't need to teach him much." His father said with a smile. "Makoto has always been a rather gifted child."
"Indeed." Jacques dryly replied before he looked his way. "How about you go and find Weiss in the back while I speak with your father, Makoto?"
Makoto simply nodded in response before he began to make his way towards the back where the children's room was.
Father and Jacques were business partners so it didn't come as a surprise to him that Jacques wanted to monopolize his father's time for himself. The SDC might have been one of the largest producers and exporters of Dust in the world, but the Yuki Corporation was one of the world's largest suppliers. The mines in Mistral were rich with resources and his father had taken advantage of that with cheap labor in the form of Faunus.
From the rumors he had heard, the SDC wasn't any different in that regard, so he wasn't surprised that the two CEOs got along well.
The children's room was a lot smaller than the dining room. There were a bunch of well-dressed kids of all ages playing with the various games scattered all around the room. A table with snacks and drinks was placed in the middle of the room, most of it being untouched so far. He could see Weiss talking with a few other girls at a miniature table with a matching tea set by one of the windows along the walls.
It must have been one of those dreaded tea parties that he had heard so much about.
Makoto found a dimly lit corner of the room and pulled out a nearby chair before taking a seat. He always brought a book with him for large events like these to pass the time since he never had much of an interest in participating. Parties were enjoyable with his friends, but he never did like being surrounded by a bunch of strangers.
Reading had always been a hobby of his, even in his past life.
He spent a lot more time reading as Makoto Yuki than he did as Minato Arisato, though. The main reason for that was that he simply had way too much spare time on his hands. In his old life, by the time he had picked up the hobby, he was not only busy with school but also with the various part-time jobs that he worked. Here, he was a ten-year-old that was home-schooled by private tutors and money was no longer an issue.
After his daily lessons, there wasn't much to do besides reading with the occasional chess match with Jacob.
"Why are you always reading?"
Makoto looked up from his book and found the birthday girl in question standing before him with a frown on her face.
She had a similar white dress on to the one that she wore the first time he had met her. Her hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail that was being held in place by a small little silver crown. It was a fitting hair ornament since she seemed to always act as if she were royalty.
Why she had decided to seek him out among all of the other children here though was beyond him. The Yuki Corporation might have been large, but there were the children of other companies here that were just as formidable if not more so.
Makoto could understand why his father wanted him to be on good terms with the Schnee, but why was she seeking him out herself?
"I like reading." He simply replied before he turned his attention back towards his book.
"... You know it's my birthday today, right?"
"Naturally." He dryly replied as he flipped to the next page. "I wouldn't be here otherwise."
"So why are you ignoring me again?!"
Weiss had a point about that, even if she was a bit entitled about it. It was her birthday after all and even he realized the social significance of that. He supposed that he could play along with her whims for today. It might have irked him that his father was actively pushing for that to happen, but he wasn't going to hold that against the girl. That wouldn't have been fair to her.
Makoto closed his book shut and stood up.
"Happy birthday, Weiss." He said with a small smile as he reached into his book bag and pulled out his gift. "I hope that you enjoy your birthday present."
The girl's eyes widened for a bit in surprise before she regathered herself and took his present into her hands.
"Thank you." She replied with a small smile of her own. "So, do you like the party so far?
"Not really."
"Wha‒ Hey! You're not supposed to say that!" Weiss replied with a frown. "That's rude! Weren't you taught proper etiquette?"
Makoto just shrugged in response. "I was also told to be honest."
Was he supposed to lie? Probably, but he never did like lying. He could always appreciate honesty, even if it was more painful than lying.
The girl's eyes narrowed, but she didn't have anything to say in response. They both stood there for a brief moment as neither of them said a thing.
"... Well?" Weiss eventually broke the silence.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well what?"
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with my party or not?" She asked as if it were the most obvious question in the world.
"There's nothing wrong with it. I just don't really like crowds."
Weiss had a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before she finally nodded to herself.
"Alright, come with me then." The girl simply ordered as she grabbed his hand. "We're going to rectify that."
She dragged him away towards the stairs, one hand linked with his while the other was still carrying his present. A couple of the other kids gave them strange looks for a brief moment before turning their attention back towards their games. Weiss didn't really seem to care either way as she dragged him up the stairs and down the hallway.
She eventually pulled him into a room and shut the door behind them. There was a large bed in the center of the room with a desk along with a mirror in one corner and some other furniture in the other corners.
"There, now you can't complain about the crowds." Weiss nodded to herself with a satisfied look on her face. "See what a gracious host I am? You could learn a few things from me."
Makoto simply gave her an exasperated look.
That was why she had dragged him into her room? Because he had said that he didn't like her party because of the crowds?
He didn't know what to say to that and with how smug she looked, it was probably better that he didn't say anything at all or he'd never hear the end of it. He just let out a soft sigh and took a seat on the floor instead; the expensive-looking carpet was comfortable enough at the very least. Weiss mimicked him and took a seat herself before deciding to open the present that he had given her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she tore open the wrapping like a child would during the holidays.
"A chess set?" She asked with an unreadable expression on her face.
It was a Mistral-themed set that had caught his attention when he was browsing through a store.
"It seemed like you had fun the last time we played." He explained with a shrug. "You don't like it?"
"What…? No! It's a wonderful gift." She answered with a genuine smile. "... Do you want to play?"
"... Sure." He replied with a small smile of his own.
Author's Notes- Honestly, I just wanted to try writing some fluff. Don't expect too much out of me, lol.
