"哥哥, what is that?"
"It's a comb made of jade."
"Not bone?"
"No, not bone. It's a special comb," Yao replied, picking up the finely carved tool to his younger brother, who took it gently into his own hands. The boy observed it carefully. A beautiful image of a phoenix was carved into the side, its wings blending into the carved clouds. His heart sank. He looked back up at his elder brother.
"It's for the princess, right?"
Yao blinked. How did Kiku guess so quickly? As if reading his mind, Kiku continued.
"There's a phoenix carved into it. It's for the girl you're going to marry next month, right?"
Well, Kiku was much more perceptive than Yao gave him credit for.
"Yes, Kiku, it's for Lihua."
Kiku went silent, placing the comb back onto the counter and left to his room to sit on his bed, facing his window. Yao came in quietly and sat beside his brother, coming his fingers through the boy's hair.
"I don't want you to marry her…" Kiku mumbled quietly.
"Is it because we will have to move to the Imperial Palace?
"– No…"
"Then why?" Yao asked, pulling the jade comb form his sleeve and combing Kiku's hair with it. Kiku gripped his bedsheets, upset, and pulled away from his brother, only to see the special comb in his hand.
"哥哥 – why are you using that comb with me? Isn't that supposed to be for Lihua when you get married?"
"Yes, but why can't I use it for you?"
"B-because I'm not marrying you!"
Yao laughed, "No, you are not, but you have been alive much longer than she has, and you will be alive for much longer than she will be. We will always be family even when her memory has faded away. This comb will not gain anything from being given to a princess, but the princess should be honoured that it has touched the head of the Land of the Rising Sun before being given to her."
Kiku furrowed his brow.
"I… I don't quite understand."
Yao sighed and placed the comb to the side.
"Let's eat something before you continue your lessons for today, alright? I'll cancel my plans – I really need a break from the imperial family anyway."
And that misunderstanding would lead to years of misplaced pride, confusion and lack of communication. But Yao's promise that he would always love his brother never died. Oh, it never did.
Kiku was just listening. Innocently listening. Oh, perhaps nodding off a bit, but it was a bit hard not to when he had stayed up late to catch up on paperwork while jetlagged. He blinked a few times during Ludwig's address to the European nations before giving up and surrendering to a short nap. A few tasks and recent memories floated in his mind, as well as laughter. Rather familiar laughter.
He jerked up when he felt something strange on the scalp – it felt like a giant spider with a hundred legs. He turned around quickly to see a flash of green disappear around the corner. That was his brother's uniform, wasn't it? He reached up hesitantly and pulled a piece of plastic out of this hair – one with long metal strands and rounded ends. It was a head scratcher. He blinked. What?
Leon plopped down in the seat beside him, leaning the chair back on two legs while resting his legs on the table, staring at the head scratcher as well.
"Why does 老师 act so weird around you?"
Kiku sighed.
"If only I knew."
[ AN: Lihua is one of the princesses that Yao marries in the Tang Dynasty, I totally made her up. And you'll notice that this drabble is really weird. I'm sorry. ]