Disclaimer: I do not own Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic
Thank you all so much for the great reviews! It seriously blew me away. I would like to address some things you guys have pointed out.
1. Gyokumei will be a powerful magician but she's not as strong as a Magi nor will she ever be.
2. She was born with the black rukh, however she was only able to start seeing rukh after she killed someone.
3. Romance will not be a main focus in this story, but there'll be a mention of it. (Next chapter actually haha)
Blessed Child of Mine
Hakuyuu Ren
.
He remembers trailing after his father's long strides as they both briskly follow the maids.
He remembers seeing two bundles of cloth wrapped around little pink limbs, poking out of the fold's constraints.
He remembers how his mother coos at the baby in her arms and pays no attention to the one in her lap, nor any other occupant in the room.
It's as if she does not hear the way one infant cries desperately for attention, and the other remains deadly silent.
It's as if she does not see any of the uneasy looks the handmaidens and midwife share between themselves.
It's as if she does not feel father lift up the ignored baby, only for the child to wail louder at being jostled.
That was the first and last time he sees mother fawn over Gyokumei with pure unadulterated adoration.
III.
Hakuyuu stirs as he feels the warm spot next to his side, suddenly disappear. As he rubs the sleep from his eyes he blearily catches a man, with a black and yellow checkered mask, leaving with his dreaming sister cradled softly between his arms.
Soon after the rice paper door slides shut, the boy leaves his makeshift bed and grabs a nearby scroll to join his father across the room. They work in a comfortable silence, as he reads the foreign words of the torran language and his father reviews requests from his citizens.
The cerulean haired boy pauses as he learns the word for mother. In the story he reads, the mother is someone who leaves hugs and kisses as she bids her children good night. Hakuyuu thinks back to the last time he was kissed good night and realizes it was certainly not from his mother.
The one who elicited soft giggles from his sister and boyish laughter from his brother, who left them kisses through the mesh of her mask, and who used to tuck them into bed every night was no longer with them.
Hakuyuu slowly peers up from the scroll, only to see an older version of himself looking back at him patiently. His blue eyes stare into the emperor's own blue hues as he asks, "Father where is Miss Falan?"
"Parthevia." The word leaves Hakutoku's mouth monotonously. Young Hakuyuu does not notice the way his father's brows knit together in frustration.
Instead he blinks back at his father's gaze. Parthevia was one of the strengthening empires in the west, much like Kou in the east, both empires were conquering nearby countries and expanding their reign. Curiously the young boy asks, "Why?"
"She went home to see her family."
The six year old nods as he falls silent. There was a time when he used to ask his caretaker why she never went home to see her family. He was always met with distant eyes filled with melancholy as she briskly swept him up in her arms and said she simply couldn't see her family anymore. As the boy absorbed the new information, he supposed what she used to say made sense. She couldn't see her family because they were so far away.
He misses her, but at the same time he hopes that the sad look in her eyes will now disappear when she rejoins her family in Parthevia.
From now on he will fill in the role of Miss Falan for Gyokumei, because he knows the empress would only be willing to act as a mother for Hakuren.
IV
At a young age Hakuyuu understands the meaning of war. As the crown prince of the developing nation of Kou, he sees things most children should not.
Through the small opening of his tent, his perceptive blue hues pick up the tell tale signs of remorse and guilt in the down turned eyes of his father's soldiers. The way their shoulders sag as they drag their feet through the mud, how they occasionally look back at the battlefield with fingers clenched, and the layer of dried blood splattered across their uniforms remind Hakuyuu that he is never in the Kannan plains to simply play.
However he finds that those moments out in the field, protected by the barrier of cloth the war tent he resides in with his father, is not the most devastating part of war. It is coming home to see wives and children cry over news of a loved one's loss in battle. To watch as hopeful gazes sink into drowning despair in the eyes of his country's people, as the emperor pays his condolences to every lost soldier's family.
The boy understands the meaning of war and what should be treasured and protected against its travesties.
Which is why he vows to destroy anything that will threaten the bonds he decides to treasure.
He wants to keep the threads, connecting his sister and father on one side and his mother and brother on the other, safe. He wants to keep them clutched tightly in his hands and will sever anything that will break them apart.
He will protect them, even from themselves, he decides as he places himself between the constantly fighting twins.
VII.
As the heir to the throne, Hakuyuu knows he has to grow up fast. He emulates the charismatic way his father speaks to his soldiers, a voice tranquil like a pond but with an underlying edge of steel. The first imperial prince learns to school his face to look impassive, to relax his jaw and look at others collectedly. He must think before he acts, must calculate the intentions of others and read between hidden lines.
He takes those lessons with him into every ambushed political meeting with his uncle's faction of lords.
He walks out of the room successfully ignoring the avaricious stares he receives, from the middle aged men with portly bellies in elegant robes, instead of throttling them. He exhales deeply as Kouen again apologizes for the actions of his father while Koumei's hands disappear behind his head to scratch at his scarlet head in embarrassment. After another unsuccessful attempt at dissuading the boy, the blue haired male brings up the only thing that instantaneously makes his scarlet haired cousin quiet. All he has to do is mention Gyokumei's name and the other boy's cheeks flushes a red a few shades lighter than his hair.
With the two boys in tow the prince sets off to locate his siblings, his mask slowly slipping as the tips of his lips turn upwards into a small smile at the thought of them.
However his composure of calm and his mask of indifference cracks completely as he spots Gyokumei on the floor. Her clothes are rumpled and her hair is in disarray with a hair ornament hanging lopsidedly at the side of her head, only held up in place with a few strands. But the thing that causes him to instantaneously launch himself at Hakuren is the black eye forming on her face and the fear etched across her features.
He towers over his younger brother and yanks firmly on the folds of his silk robes as he brings their faces close, their foreheads touching.
"We are siblings, we do not and will not fight each other."
He sees the scratch marks on his brother's face and the conflicted way the other boy's eyes morph from hatred to guilt. Hakuyuu lets out a long sigh as he turns to his sister. Koumei is leading a frantic servant to them and Kouen helps in supporting her as she gets up.
Hakuyuu appreciates his cousins' help, but this is a matter between siblings and he will mend it on his own.
The eldest sibling grabs both twin's hands in his own and walks steadily ignoring the others around him. He leads them to a secluded area, where prying eyes and ears won't reach.
"I want the both of you to reflect on your actions." The two seven year-olds glare at each other and only stop when Hakuyuu clenches his jaw tightly, "Now."
He stares at them the same way father does, with unwavering eyes with no room for disobedience, and watches as they simultaneously shrink under his gaze.
IX.
When he hears of his sister's injury his feet slam into the ground as he approaches the medical tent in a hurry.
He finds her sitting at their cousin's bedside, words never leaving her mouth as she quietly stares at the red haired boy's sleeping form. She is simply staring and refuses to budge, even when he comes to sit beside her. After living together with her for some years Hakuyuu can tell what she's thinking. The way she refuses to raise her head as if she has done something wrong, how she is blaming herself for their cousin's injury.
But he sits there patiently and waits. Finally he feels her fingers intertwine with his own as she presses a cheek against his shoulder. He squeezes her hands softly as she finally lets slumber take her.
Hakuyuu almost doesn't notice Hakuren standing across from him, an unreadable expression on his face as he stares at their sister. Blue orbs meet his own before his younger brother turns around and walks out of the medical tent like nothing happened.
Hakuyuu does not know the exact events that transpired that night but he leaves the base camp, with Gyokumei hand in hand, knowing one thing. He will never let his sister approach the battlefield again.
XI.
As his sister curls into his side, with soft hands clutching his own, he stares at her in rapture. She is a delicate little thing, with long inky hair that swirls around her back in tendrils contrasting highly with her pale skin. When he comes back from father's year and a half long expedition he almost does not recognize the girl who practically flies into his arms.
But he supposes they have all changed, they have all gotten taller and their features sharper. They have all seen things children their age should never witness.
However he is home now, and everyone he loves is safe from the dangers outside the walls. He lets himself smile as his other little sister toddles towards them with a reluctant Hakuren in tow. It was surprising how Hakuei had taken such a liking to them so quickly. The two brothers had assumed she had forgotten them, as she was too young to really remember who they were before they left. But after listening to the little girl babble about how her big sister said her two brothers were heroes fighting the bad guys, the two of them understood why she remembered them.
It was amusing to observe Hakuren's facial expression flicker between disbelief and happiness as he stared at Gyokumei and Hakuei respectively.
He wonders why there is such a big difference between his sister and brother. They are twins and contrary to their similar appearances, they are not alike in the slightest. Hakuren is a chatter box with a booming voice, Gyokumei says few words and is quiet. Hakuren is to the point and honest whereas Gyokumei uses pretty words with underlying meanings. Hakuren's face always betrays his emotions while Gyokumei hides under a mask.
Hakuyuu will always find it strange how Hakuren holds such a sweet and loving gaze for their mother but a dark one for their sister, who has the same personality.
XIII.
"Young prince Hakuryuu also has blue hair."
Not breaking his pace he walks past the gossiping servants, cerulean orbs glance darkly and silence falls among the room.
The birth of the youngest Ren brought both celebration and skepticism throughout the nation. Hakuryuu was like any other child born from Gyokuen and Hakutoku, with swirls of dark blue hair and eyes to match. Every child of theirs had those features except one, Gyokumei.
In the eyes of the less educated citizens of Kou it could only mean one thing: Gyokumei was Gyokuen's lovechild with another man.
The ridiculous rumors surrounding his sister spread like wildfire among the ignorant, as they completely ignore the fact that she is twins with Hakuren.
They are simply rumors.
But when he mentions the gossip to his sister, he cannot help but notice the strange way her fingers twitch.
XV.
Hakuyuu the Dungeon conqueror, he decides, has a nice ring to it.
He had finally done it, he had conquered Corcell the 42nd dungeon. He was the first dungeon conqueror from the Kou empire.
It was a strange experience, fighting creatures he had never seen before. The challengers pressed him to the limit, no amount of battles with normal soldiers could compare to how it felt exchanging blows with creatures fortified with magoi.
They were strong, stronger than the Hakuren, stronger than Kouen, maybe even stronger than his father and his two generals.
But he had beat them all and entered the room filled with treasure in amazement. The teenager looked up in wonder at the enormous being in front of him, the creator of the massive obstacles he had faced.
He will never forget the odd look the blue tinged djinn threw him. The way he was interrogated through narrow and calculating eyes on his thoughts on destiny and fate. He sat there in the djinn's final room for hours debating about unification and protecting bonds. After the lengthy discussion the djinn finally lost the calculating look and grinned from ear to ear. With a final wave he had disappeared into his sword, leaving the insignia of a dungeon conqueror burned into the steel of his blade.
When he comes back to the palace he expects a proud embrace from his two younger sisters, but who ends up in his arms is entirely unexpected.
The empress slides up to him and snakes her arms around his body in a hug. "Hakuyuu, my handsome and strong son. You surely take after your father and would become a great ruler."
He does not let his surprise show as he accepts her compliments and returns the embrace, "Thank you, Empress Gyokuen."
It was the first time his mother has paid attention to him in years and he honestly did not know what to do with all the touching and attention he was receiving from her. It was strange and it was out of character for the woman to be anywhere close to him for that matter. Yet here she was showering him with her affection.
Everyone comes close to him and bids him compliments to his achievement, his siblings crowd around him and hug him with vigor. However the first imperial princess keeps her distance.
"Congratulations brother." Gyokumei is smiling softly, but she refuses to step closer to him. As he takes a step forward in her direction, she turns on her heel and disappears down the corridor.
XVI.
The crown prince once again breathes in deeply, only to let it out in a tired breathy sigh.
Hakuren's face is contorted again with brows drawn tight and lips pressed together. The face he always has when speaking about Gyokumei. Hakuyuu wishes he could make a mad dash for the library only a few meters away, but it is too late. His brother is already ranting as his hands gesture wildly in the air, "She is so ungrateful, rudely talking to mother like that. So what if mother rejects her choice in suitor? The nerve, giving mother that look!"
Hakuyuu tries his best to listen to Hakuren, but he finds it difficult to focus as he spots the swish of scarlet hair disappearing into the library with new scrolls in hand. Distractedly he replies, "That may be so, but this matter is not something we have a say in."
Sometimes, he wonders if he has a say in anything regarding his younger sister anymore. She has been distant since he had conquered the dungeon, more flighty and cuts their time together short. However he supposed her recent mood had less to do with him, and more with her impending marriage prospects.
"Well, her suggestion was idiotic. Why couldn't she choose someone more respectable?"
The nineteen year old could only nod absentmindedly. Sometimes there was no point in trying to argue with Hakuren when he was on a tirade.
Hakuren sneers, nose scrunched up and lips pulled back, "So what if he's the first dungeon conqueror? He's just some guy who started a shipping company. Him engaged to the Kou imperial princess? Ha!"
Hakuyuu didn't want to mention that the infamous Sinbad was more than simply the first dungeon conqueror, he was someone who had conquered several. He had the admire the young man, as his own dungeon hadn't been easy to conqueror. He had been surprised Gyokumei had even known about the man. But Hakuyuu wasn't too opposed to the idea of Sinbad joining Kou, neither was the emperor. He would be a strong ally.
He was about to retort but he spotted his two little saviors.
Hakuryuu's small feet patter the ground as he squealed at the sight of the two of them, "Big brothers, play with us!"
Hakuei trailed after the bouncing three year old with a shy smile of her own.
Hakuyuu exhales deeply again, however this time it is with a sense of relief as he watches Hakuren's frown split into a giant grin. His negative mood and furrowed brows disappearing at the sight of the children. With one swift movement, the second imperial prince, is flying through the halls with Hakuei and Hakuryuu in each arm, leaving peals of laughter to echo across the walls.
Perhaps, Hakuyuu thinks, the only similarity between the twins is the way their mood brightens at the sight of their younger siblings.
He can only shake his head at the complicated relationships between his siblings as he enters the library.
AN: Because I realize the way I'm formatting my story may get confusing i'll be writing a timeline next chapter. (The roman numerals indicate what age Gyokumei is at the time). Also I'll be putting up ages for anyone who is curious.
Hakuyuu is 3 years older than the twins
Hakuren and Gyokumei are the same age, Gyokumei is older by five minutes.
Kouen is 1 year younger than the twins & Koumei is 3 years younger than the twins
Hakuei is 7 years younger than the twins & Hakuryuu is 13 years younger than the twins