Inko sighed softly. It seemed that her life was in turmoil. Sure, it wasn't that her life was terrible anymore, in fact it was nice for a change. Though, it was rather confusing really. First, there was the king, he would just seem to appear and disappear and that confused her. Along with the fact that only she can read his eyes while no one else could. That was something that seemed to confuse her a little, so that had to mean something.
Captain All Might was no different.
He hid what he felt through a big smile on his face. Never allowing anyone to see what he really felt and that was what confused her about him. Though, if she was thinking about this clearly, and properly, then it was possible that he still felt guilt over losing his master.
Then of course there was that guard. What was with it and her seeming to be able to read people lately? Sure she knew how a person could act but, if they had no eyes for her to read how could she still be able to read them? Was it through body language? Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman adjusted her grip on the wicker basket of clothes as she walked down the hall toward the king's room. She knew that she had to get these back to his room as soon as possible
Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman turned the corner only to yelp as she bumped into someone and dropped all of the clothes on the floor. "Oh no." Inko said with a frown on her face.
"Sorry, I didn't see you." The voice, said, causing Inko to look up and blink as she saw the guard standing above her. "I struggle a little to see where I'm going." He said with a chuckle.
He stood there wearing what could best be described as a cloth mask as it seemed to cover his head and his eyes from view. Yet, the cloth that wrapped around his eyes seemed to be made from a different fabric to allow him sight though it must still be hindered a little.
Looking down, she saw that he had one a white long sleeved shirt and a green vest. Thick brown gloves, most likely to keep his fists safe from the source of his quirk's power. Then she saw that he wore dark pants with brown steel toed boots. Interesting way to dress while not out training but still strange that he'd go so far out of his way to dress up like this.
"It's okay, I'm rather clumsy. You're not the first person to bump into me." Inko said before she started to pick up the clothes from the floor. Only to frown as she saw the guard helping her as well. "You don't have to help me with this, I've got it." Inko said with a frown.
"No, I was raised to help people. My dad would be rather disappointed in me if he learned that I wasn't helping a lady." The man said with a chuckle. "I'm Zuko by the way, and you're Inko right? The captain said your name the other day."
"Yes."
"Um… may I ask, what is the connection between you two right now? Or even the king right now?" Why did he want to know something like that? It wasn't that it was anyone's business but still, to be asked up front about the whole thing? That was something that she couldn't allow herself to fully answer. At least not like that…
"All Might is a friend, the king? I'm not really sure. I don't really see him all that often. He just seems to disappear a lot so I almost never know where the man could be." Inko said softly as she started to pick up the clothes on the floor, folding them and placing them back in the basket.
"Friends huh?" The man said, sounding a little disappointed.
"What about you? Why did you come here? You've been here a year right?" asked Inko with a frown.
"Oh, I came here to train under the great Captain All Might, he has been my hero since I was a child. Plus, I want to make a difference in the world. I want to keep people safe, keep my loved ones safe no matter what I have to do in order to do so." Zuko said with a smile on his face. Inko couldn't help but blink a little in confusion at that. He wanted to do so much and thought that he could do such a thing by being trained under All Might? Interesting.
As she went to pick up one of the king's cloaks, Zuko's hand touched hers causing both to pull their hand back in shock. "Sorry, I wasn't looking." Zuko said with a weak chuckle before turning away from Inko and picked up the clothes that had fallen away from her reach. Inko found the man to be rather awkward, than again so was she. So, who was she to judge about this anyway?
Shaking her head, the young woman started to get to work on grabbing all of the clothes as she folded back into the basket. Yet, her green eyes made their way over to the man. Finding him rather confusing. His body language told her that he was angry at himself, but at the same time trying to keep himself a secret. It had to be hard on someone to carry so many secrets in them.
Not being allowed to tell a soul about well, anything. Even the small things that he said couldn't tell her who he really was. Or that he was a bad guy, so what could he be hiding from everyone? It just didn't make sense to her but again, she couldn't just figure it out.
"What is going on here?" came a third voice, causing Inko and Zuko to look up and blinked. Towering over them was the king himself. What bothered her was the sparks in his eyes, he almost looked angry for some reason.
Inko yelped out in shock as she said "King Toshinori! I was just bringing your clothes to you and I got bumped into and they… um… went flying around so I was picking them up with Zuko." Toshinori's eyes went from her to Zuko, only seeming to look angry yet his facial expression didn't change in the least. It seemed as if he was trying his hardest to keep himself from showing any emotions other than his eyes revealing them to her.
"I see." Toshinori said as he glared at the masked man before his eyes returned to Inko. "Return these to my room at once and then clean up the grand hall." With that, the king walked off.
"It's so weird seeing him not showing any kind of emotions."
"No, he was a little upset."
"How can you tell?"
"It's hard explain but I can read the king, and All Might. I don't know what it is, or why for that matter. I think it's because I can read people." Inko shook her head as she pushed herself up with the basket. "Well, I should get going. Thank you for helping me Zuko." Inko gave him a small smile before walking off. She just hoped that it would be easier to clean up the grand hall. At least, she hoped it would be.
Oh how wrong she was. The place was covered in dirt, dust and mud. It was as if whoever used this place before her wanted to make sure that it was a barn. Shaking her head, the young woman made her way over to broom and started to sweep the floors. At least this was something that would distract her from everything that had happened.
So far, she spent most of her time with All Might, the king still kept up his disappearing act but at the same time it made her wonder where he went. What did he do that would make him disappear so much? It was rather confusing, and it made her very curious.
What also confused her was why the king looked so angry in that moment. Okay, maybe not that angry, but close enough. She could still make out a spark of anger in his blue eyes, his voice also kind of gave it away but not enough for many people to notice it. It had her so curious about the man. Why did he hide what he felt and why was it that it happened in the first place?
Looking around the room, she noticed the many paintings in the room. Why would they have any paintings here of all places, wouldn't they have a special hall for that or something? Tilting her head, the made her way over to the paintings and saw that all of them were indeed people.
Squinting her eyes a little, she noticed that the first painting was of a man with raven black hair, yet it was what was on his hand that surprised her the most. On his hand was a lion, its maws opened in a mighty roar much like the lion's mark on Toshinori's hand. It made her think that this man had to be one of his ancestors. Walking over to the next one, it was another man, this time around with his wife and children. Only one of the children had the same mark as Toshinori and his father.
It was true, only one child, a son, the first born son, would have the royal mark. It had her curious as to when that started. Though maybe she wouldn't have a true answer to that.
Shaking her head, the young woman looked over and blinked as she saw a painting that seemed to really stick out more than anything. In the painting was a man with raven black hair that was slicked back. He wore a simple pair of glasses and wore royal blue robes. On the back of his hand he had the lion mark much like Toshinori. His brown eyes seemed to be full of love, kindness and compassion.
The woman next to him was taller than he was. Long blonde hair pulled back in a rope. In a way her hair made her think of sun shine really. Her eyes, blue as the ocean that held their own electric storm within them. It reminded her of the king's eyes. She wore a simple red gown that showed off her figure but keeping modesty to her.
Yet, it was the image of two children that drew her attention. In the painting, was a boy, hair and eyes like his mother. He wore blue and red robes, his hands folded in front of him yet she could still make out the lion mark on his hand. The boy though, had the biggest and brightest smile that she had ever seen on a boy in her life.
Next to him, was a girl, just a little shorter than her brother with wide brown eyes so pure and innocent that Inko wondered what a girl such as her would do? She had to have such a pure soul for eyes such as that. Her hair, long like her mother's but was held back in a ponytail instead of a robe with two short locks framing her face. She wore a blue dress.
If these were who she thought they were, then where were they? They had to be around somewhere, so what could have happened to them in the first place?
Tilting her head a little to the side, she made her way up to the painting to get a better look at this. "How can such a boy, filled with so much joy turn out the way he did?" Inko whispered, she knew that this was indeed the king. There was no mistaken those eyes more than anything. Even though the painter couldn't capture it, she could still see it. His smile, his joy, his happiness… all of it was real. It was all true, and now he was nothing but a shell of a man.
"That's the king and his family." Inko jumped, causing herself to turn around and stared at Hizashi with wide eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm surprised the king sent you to clean this by yourself." The blonde said with a small smile on his face. "Normally he only sends one person to clean is if he's upset about something."
"Such as?"
"It's hard to say what will set him off. Could be any number of things but even then he doesn't really punish you if you don't finish a task or anything like that." Hizashi said with a shake of his head before looking back up at the painting with a frown on his face. He let out a soft yet sad sigh before running a hand through his long locks and went to turn away from Inko.
"What happened to his family?" asked Inko, causing Hizashi to stop as he stared at her in confusion. "There are paintings here of family, of his ancestors and his sister looked younger than him so she has to be somewhere. Right?"
"His family died years ago, so it's just him. As the only child and heir to the throne, Toshinori had to be king at a young age. Normally you aren't a true king until you've married but, with everything happening in his life around then, they decided to let the 'marrying a princess' slide but, pressure has been on lately for him to wed." Hizashi said with a soft sigh before shaking his head a little at Inko.
"Is that why he's angry? Because of all the pressure?" Inko asked.
"It's one reason yes. But, it is also around the anniversary of his family's death so he tends to keep to himself." Hizashi said with a soft sigh. "Anyway, I'm going to go see the captain, we need to go over drills for tomorrow since it's supposed to rain tonight from what one of the slaves pointed out."
"Huh?"
"We have a slave that can sense when it'll rain." Hizashi said with a chuckle before walking off. That made Inko a little confused, but it also made her wonder if, Toshinori was this way because of his family. Unless, it was something more than that. Maybe she'll find out someday.
Inko sighed softly as she got to work in the grand hall. The work itself was rather hard, and took a lot out of her. Though, she couldn't help but wonder when the king would even use this room. During the whole time she had been here, she had never seen the man use it once. Unless he was going to get ready to use it soon.
Shaking her head, the young woman looked out the large glass windows as she gazed outside. The clouds had already gathered during her long hours in this room. The moon, having faded long ago behind the clouds and thunder and lightning flashed in the sky. A boom was heard, causing her to frown a little. Her grip tightened on the mop as she tried to get herself to calm down.
She didn't like storms that much was for sure. But when it came to the king's eyes, she found no fear within them. Or at the very least, she felt no fear of them. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman made her way over to the window and couldn't help but gaze outside. The rain was pouring, so roughly that she couldn't see very well outside.
Frowning a little, the young woman was about to turn her gaze until she saw someone walking outside on the castle grounds. "Huh?" She whispered softly before squinting her eyes a little hoping to see who it was. She could make out blonde locks. Blue and red robes… "King Toshinori?" She whispered before shaking her head and dropping her mop before she ran out of the grand hall. Holding her dress so she wouldn't trip over the gown as she ran.
Why was he outside? Why would he even be walking around in this weather? Was he just walking about to clear his thoughts or was it something more to it than that?
Shaking her head, Inko ran faster, pushing herself hoping that she could reach the man. "Inko?!" shouted Mitsuki though Inko just ran past her friend. She had no time for this, she had to hurry out and reach the man. Something had to be bothering him… no, she knew that something was bothering him. He must be thinking about his family, he was alone because he had no family left. Now she knew that much, but she just hoped that he would let her help him inside.
Rushing out of the castle door, Inko looked around as she saw the king wandering around ahead of her. His shoulders slumped forward as if he was defeated. Inko couldn't help but feel her heart clench at the sight. Rushing forward, the young woman ran toward him as she called out to him. The king stopped walking as he lifted his head and looked toward her. Inko made her way to him and looked up at the man. His eyes, overwhelmed in his loneliness. Why though? Before he was angry but now… he just seemed very overwhelmed.
"Inko?" He whispered so softly that she almost didn't hear him over the sound of the rain hitting the grass. "Why are you out here?" He asked softly.
"Why I'm out here? I should be asking you that." Inko said with a frown.
"Just… trying to clear my thoughts is all." He whispered, avoiding her gaze. Though she already knew what it was that he was feeling. He was lonely, and sad still. Both emotions had been overwhelming for him and now he was outside, not caring if it rained or not. His clothes from what she could see were soaked right on through, his body trembled a little from a chill that was surging through him.
"Come on, let's go inside." Inko said gently, her eyes showing him concern and worry about his health. He just stared at her as if she was being silly. That he didn't deserve her kindness or concern in the least. He looked away from her, as if he was just going to keep going for his walk but Inko wouldn't let him do such a thing. She knew that he had to come inside and get dried off before he got himself sick. "King Toshinori, please come inside with me. If you don't you'll get sick." Inko said with a frown.
"I don't get sick." He whispered softly.
"Everyone does. You're only human, you don't need to be out here alone in the rain." Inko said with a frown.
"Then… stay out here with me." Whispered the king, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. "It is… rather lonely to be out in the rain alone." Inko frowned a little, thinking that maybe he was only out in the rain, in the hopes to wash away his pain. That the rain would wash away any pain that his heart would seep out to his very soul. She couldn't help but stare at him with pity but it only lasted for a brief moment.
"I'll stay, but… you'll need to come inside in a bit. You may say you don't get sick but I don't want to take any chances with you." Inko gave him a small smile.
Toshinori stared at her, and for a brief moment she thought his eyes lit up with a moment of happiness. As if his own pain had for the moment faded from him. Though it was only brief as his happiness disappeared. Though not by much as she could see just a sliver of joy within their depths.
"So, what would you like to do in the rain?" asked Inko with a smile, the rain causing her hair to stick to her face. She reached up to move her hair to the side before she felt a strong hand touching her skin. Looking up, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks as she found the king gently moving her hair aside. How could it be, that a man his side, with hands large enough to choke her or even slam her into the ground… could be so gentle with her?
"Maybe just… walk and talk." He whispered softly. Inko smiled faintly at him, she wrapped her arms around him which caused him to stare at her in confusion.
"It's hard to see in this rain so… this way I don't lose you." Inko said with a soft laugh.
"Alright." The king said, his eyes shining with amusement.
As they walked in the rain though, no one noticed a man watching them from afar. He just smiled softly as he whispered "It is as it should be."
