Staying with the hucker, human, and three half breeds started out rocky for Takashi. The first three days after his father left, he still did not believe that the three month punishment by exile would stand. Especially not when his mother heard about it.
It rocked his world when his things were delivered and his mother had turned around and made it a four month exile. His lordship, Hiei, was not happy with him when he heard about his 'juvenile' reaction of shouting and raging. Hiei even threatened to write his parents about it and make it a permanent exile. Hiei had been exiled in his life before, so he should have at least commiserated rather than judged Takashi for his shouting and throwing things in his assigned bedroom.
The human though, her ladyship's mother, Nanashi, had been patience and kindness personified. She had calmed him down on that third day, talked him down. Somehow. She had held him and mostly convinced him that the best way to get through this was to keep his chin up through this abominable trial.
In spite of her humanness, it was easy to trust her and like her. Especially given the option of either her or her mate. Takashi hated how Hiei always watched him, as if waiting without blinking to catch him make a mistake that he could write to tell his parents about. Those crimson red eyes seem to follow him ever where he went.
Their three children were a mixed bag of tricks. Their youngest son, the toddler Kaze, was open and trusting. He did not seem to mind Takashi's presence once he got used to him. A few times he would even try to get Takashi to play with him. It was hard to believe this goodly child had been spawned by Hiei.
Their oldest son, Izo, was like all the good from both his parents. His mother's gentleness and intelligence mixed with his father's honor and determination. A shallow friendship was easy to form with him once Takashi realized that if he wanted it, he would have to pursue it.
Their daughter though, a completely different story. A nightmare in half breed form. Loud, obnoxious, and ever taunting. She got the worst of her parents. Stubborn and begrudging from her mother and vicious and arrogant from her mother. At first, when she knew no one else was in ear shot, she would tease Takashi mercilessly for 'losing' the fight between them at the last Demon King Tournament and then 'losing' his inheritances to Shura and Izo. He tried to take in stride the way Nanashi would have wanted him to, but he eventually snapped at her and entered a shouting match with her that alerted the whole castle to fighting. It was all he could do not to slap that smug look off her flat, ugly face.
Hiei had reached them first in the midst of the fight. Apparently with him, the insult 'pauper prince' was nothing, but 'monstrous halfling' drew the line. Takashi was not sure what would have happened had Nanashi not also arrived on the scene and calmed her raging mate and daughter down.
Takashi and Hikari were punished for their fight, even though Takashi thought it was only fair to punish Hikari since she started it. Both had to help the cleaning staff clean the castle for a week, but were not allowed to clean in the same area. They were both also warned not to be alone together for the remainder of Takashi's stay.
While he clean with his part of the cleaning crew, Takashi's mind wondered just what his mother saw in Hikari that made her a potential mate for him one day. She had a claim to a large holding in the Demon World and was kin, sure, but that did not balance out to her short comings. She was short in stature, face looked like it was smushed in, hair barely passed her neck and singed at the ends because of her fire dragon, and voice that grated and racked over his last nerve. The best moments around her was when she was not talking to anyone or looking at him.
When the cleaning punishment was over, Nanashi coaxed Takashi into training with her and the exiled/representative from the Hayato clan, Hotaka. Hotaka was tedious though. Takashi found he only stand the story of when he was a toddler who fell asleep at his mother's birthday celebration and how Hotaka carried him to a couch for him to sleep on only so long before he felt able to recite the story himself. His presence was at least preferably to Hikari's.
Takashi spent most of his time in the company of Nanashi, her company the most preferable to anyone else in the castle. Especially compared to Hikari's. He worked with on tracking an outlaw wolf demon pack on Hikari's lands. The outlaws had attacked and some villagers in the village near the castle and were not above harassing the farmers who lived in the countryside. Hiei often reminded her that if they found the outlaws, he needed to be there with her in the case of a fight. The elusive outlaws were hard to track, even for Hiei, which frustrated him. When frustrated, he was even more uncomfortable to be around. Takashi could not begin to comprehend what Nanashi saw in him. Hikari had more charm than he did.
Takashi was pretty sure Hikari was told to keep her distance from him as much as he was told to keep his distance from her. Yet when the day came that Nanashi had to take Kaze to the Human World for a doctor's visit, Takashi felt the temptation to watch Hikari and Izo spar. It was an irresistible itch that he could not help but scratch.
The twins were sparring in the woods just outside of the castle bounds. Far enough away from both the castle and nearby village that they could fully release their dragons without risking others.
Takashi watched them from atop a tree, Hikari egging Izo on to keep fighting. He sensed Hikari burn herself out and run clean out of spirit energy while Izo had enough sense in him to keep some in reserves. Hikari pushed him still, to train until she could barely stand. When she had sunk to her knees and panted deeply, Izo called it a day between the both of them. He glanced up at the tree Takashi had been sure he was hiding in secret in, before telling Hikari it was time to go back. He had kept his energy suppressed to just above zero. No one should have been able to just sense him.
"Whose in the tree?" she asked from her roost on the ground. "I can't sense anyone. Is it Father?"
"Let's go back," Izo told her, walking over to her and offering her his hand. "Rest up and shower before Mother gets back."
Hikari smacked his hand away irritably. "I'm not tired yet," she grumbled out the lie. Izo crossed his arms over his chest and sighed tiredly. "Whose in the damn tree?" Takashi did not breathe or blink, waiting to see if his friendship between himself and Izo was strong enough for him not be betrayed to irritable halfling. "It's the pauper prince, isn't it?"
Takashi felt a growl brewing deep within his chest at her insult.
"You're not allowed to call him that," Izo told her in a sharp and cutting tone. "Mother forbade it." He reached his hand down to her one more time. "Now, let's go. We've been at it for hours and I'm exhausted." He raised his voice. "Beside, no one is allowed to be out of the castle grounds alone until the wolf outlaws are found. It's not safe and that's Father's orders."
Hikari ignored him and slipped herself down to sit on her backside. "Fine then, leave me here with the pauper prince. See what Father thinks of that."
"I'm tired," Izo seethed impatiently down at her. He was exhausted, but wanted to both protect his sister and obey his parents. "Fine then, I will go get Father. See how he feels about you staying in the woods." He raised his voice higher. "All alone. By yourself. With no one else nearby."
"You wouldn't," she challenged.
Izo whipped his pale and sweaty brow. "The both of you better back in the castle by the time Father and I return to this spot."
Izo left them at slow, meandering jog. He was worn out without a doubt. Takashi looked down at Hikari sitting on the ground, her flat face scrunched up in the most hideous scowl.
Much as Takashi would have liked to fight with her, verbally or physically, he did not want to risk the wrath of her father, especially with Lady Nanashi in the Human World.
He jumped out of the tree, knowing it was a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. If he left her there, Hiei would be angry that he left her alone. Yet if he stayed with her and got into a fight or argument with her, Hiei would be angry.
"Let's go," he told her authoritatively. He would be in more trouble if he left her on her own than if he stayed with her. He could give her the slip once they were in sight of the castle.
"Don't tell me what to do, pauper prince," she said as she rose up to a standing position. She looked more tired than her brother did, but too stubborn to know she should call it quit. Too thick in the skull.
"Don't call me that," he said, trying to keep his tone even. It was so tempting to ditch her before she could cause another fight between the two of them. The wolf outlaws though...
"I call them as I see them, and I said don't tell me what to do," she walked over to him.
He turned away from her and walked back towards the castle, trying to keep his temper in check as she shouted insults at him. He silently hoped her father was hearing every single word she was saying, and also noticed that Takashi had yet to hurl a word at her. That was until the noxious little bitch started throwing rocks at his back.
He halted in his tracks, reminding himself not to touch her at the very least. "Would you stop!" he shouted down at her. "Let's just get back to the castle and then I don't have to deal with you anymore!"
"You can't tell me what to do!" she retorted back, red faced and stubborn. She hurled another hefty rock right at his face.
He caught and threw it away, rather than throwing it right back at her. He remembered Lady Nanashi telling him when others go low, he needed to go high. Hikari was going low, but he could not stoop down to her level, no matter how tempting it was.
"Just come back to the castle," he told her. "Or don't. Run along and see what your father would have to say."
"He hates you," she blurted out, trying still to get a rise out of him. "He secretly hopes you're disowned. So that you can never have anything to inherit."
"Get to the castle," he said, digging deep in the well of his self control. He turned back to the castle, walking briskly.
"Or better yet, you never find a mate so even if, big if, you do inherit, there's no one to follow after you," she flustered out. She was certainly rooting around for insults to irritate him. "No one wants a pauper prince for a mate." A rock hit him in the back of his head, cracking his resolve.
He turned his back, and spoke in a soft and vicious voice, "no one would want you either. Claim or no claim. Too short and too ugly. One look at those atrocious red eyes, and suitors would run for the hills."
He gave in, he knew he should not have, but he gave in and insulted. He enjoyed it, but it was a bitter pill because he knew he should never have said anything. He heard her gasp, but could not bring himself to look at her.
Yet then the absence of silence around him sent the hairs on the back of his neck stand up right. He turned to look to see where Hikari had gone, but she was missing. He was all alone, so close yet so far to the castle. He swore under his breathe, trying to sense where she could have gone, but she had run herself out of spirit energy, so he could not find her that way. He was tempted to just go back to the castle and tell her father she ran off. Yet if he did that, he would have to tell Hiei what he said that made her run away. Hiei would probably blame him, even though Hikari bullied him and threw rocks at him.
"Hikari," he hissed aloud. He turned around, running dead ahead in the direction Hikari had been standing. That had to be the best way to track her down. He decided to track her down and then drag her back to the castle, willingly or unwillingly.