Chapter 76: Siblings bonds

What was true bliss?

Was it the way Izaya's body lacked any sign of coughs? The way his new dress clung to his body like the sweetest curtain of spring? The absence of hunger as their meal before had been satisfying in every way?

Was it the warmth spreading through his body as the sun glowered past their chamber's curtain? Or was it the sensation flooding his mind every second that he spent looking at Shizuo?

Izaya couldn't tell.

All he saw was Shizuo's gaze, a water droplet clinging to the tips of his hair from the shower before, and a loving expression matching his own as he tightened his belt around his hip.

The breast plates, having rested in the corner of the room with the rest of Shizuo's armor, were put aside as he opted for a lighter version of protection by grasping the smaller parts instead.

After their bath they had returned to their chamber. A new dress of the deepest red was clinging to Izaya's body and only enhanced his beauty in Shizuo's eyes.

It was a sight he couldn't tear himself from and yet he had to.

Letting his hair rest upon the soft surface of their bed, Izaya hummed as he watched Shizuo put on the heavy metal.

"Where are you going?" he whispered, and for a second Shizuo contemplated ditching his destination altogether.

Quickly clearing his throat he chased away the images of impurity and tried to focus on his task at hand.

He was a king. A king that had not done a lot except for patrolling some lands and caring for his wife. It was high time to present himself in front of the people living in his lands.

With Izaya looking like this, leaving the castle proved harder than defeating any fake dragons he had met in his life.

But he had to and so he sighed deeply.

"A village nearby. The farmers living there requested an audience with me, but I'm not about to make them come all the way here with what little savings they have." Traveling was expensive after all. And if they already had an issue worse enough for them to have to ask the king for a solution, then he would much rather have them not waste their money on the trip needed to inform him of it.

And yet, binding the cord at his chest Shizuo couldn't help but breathe a short sigh.

"But I really don't want to," he admitted and moved over with a quick stride. It took just a moment for the bed to shift as it supported the knight's weight and another to reach for Izaya's face.

Gently, as if touching the first petal of a blossom's bud his palm cupped Izaya's face.

Smiles met each other in the brief touch of a kiss and Izaya chuckled before letting his body meet the cushions again.

"Really? I wonder why?" he whispered, and he damn sure knew what he was doing when he pulled his legs closer and the fabric on his thighs shifted.

A devil had to be possessing Shizuo if a sight like that was enough to make him rock hard.

Or was it the bliss he deserved after this long period of worries and fear?

He didn't know.

All he knew was Izaya's smile.

Even while teasing him like this the expression he showed was much more alluring than any action he could take. Izaya was happy. Shizuo could see that much with every fiber of his being and it caused his own chest to lighten with joy.

"I will be back before nightfall," he whispered and Izaya's expression only lit up even more at that.

"You better be."

Silence.

Peaceful- glorious- and comfortable silence.

That was what Shizuo left behind and Izaya closed his eyes for a moment of true peace.

His head was quiet for the first time in weeks if not months. After his sisters had celebrated their latest birthday the gifts had started to arrive. Their father had started to take his banquets up a notch and not only their mansion but also their lands were suffering from his lavish lifestyle. Not to mention the maids- the horrors unfolding in their basement and after the king died-

Too much had been on Izaya's mind at all times.

But right now, with Kururi and Mairu being this close to being found and Shizuo being closer than he could have ever imagined in his sweetest dreams he suddenly found himself free of worry.

Free of fear.

Because Shizuo was there. Because Izaya was there. Alive. Healthy-

Smiling brightly, Izaya turned onto his stomach before burying his face inside one of the pillows.

Pure bliss. That's what the future held for him and he couldn't wait to enjoy every single second of life he had ahead of him.

It was a sensation he never felt before and it made his body feel like and caused his feet to move quickly and swiftly.

Their chamber was abandoned in a quick burst of action and Izaya headed down the hallway and stairs.

He couldn't just do nothing. While Shizuo was gone negotiating with the farmers he had to prove useful too.

But what was it that he could do inside this castle?

Statues and various pictures of former rulers were passed as Izaya took an effort to explore the rest of the castle.

He hadn't quite had much time to move around on his own curiosity, and so he did.

The top floor was the one known best to him, with their chamber and the adjacent bath, and of course the room opposite to them, being the study of the late king.

Izaya still remembered the way he had tried to dig up useful information the first day he arrived at the castle.

He had expected a lot, but getting kidnapped mere hours after arriving was definitely not on his agenda.

Just as he hadn't expected anyone to come save him. Recalling the noble that had tried to lay his hands on his body didn't serve to elevate Izaya's mood, but Shizuo did. Izaya still remembered it. The way he cut those men down- or rather, the way he saved him.

Even back then he had already cared so much more for him than Izaya deserved, but he had failed to understand those actions as the truth.

Too many rumors had clouded his judgement and too many fears had bound him to his convictions.

Smiling to himself Izaya stopped in the small library that he had first met Lord Hebaron in.

So much had changed since then.

But not only their surroundings had. Shizuo had too. In terms of competence. In terms of speech. his communication skills with other nobles had vastly improved. Whether or not Izaya was to attribute this success to himself or not was something he couldn't quite pinpoint.

But fact was that they had improved.

All of them.

It was when Izaya's fingers brushed across a chess board prepared on the table in front of him that he heard the faint sound of shattering glass.

"Mallory!"

Voices and quick rustling followed right after and with his curiosity piqued he moved out of the library.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

He heard the now familiar voice of their newest maid before he saw her. The kitchen was a large one, three times the size of Shinra's chamber to be precise and Izaya approached it with quiet steps.

Shards of white probably belonging to a plate decorated the cold floor in a messy fashion and Mika's sister was kneeling in the middle of them with an expression of regret.

"Things like this happen, but this is the reason I told you not to rush," Mika groaned and the girl's expression only doubled in misery.

"I'm so sorry-"

Shard after shard was quickly grasped from the ground by Mallory and Mika quickly crouched down and snatched her wrist.

"Take your time," she warned, albeit gently, with a smile on her lips, "No one is going to scold you for a few moments of delay. It's much more important that you don't hurt yourself." An expression mixed with gratitude and worry displayed on Mallory's face as she glanced towards the mess she had created.

"But I want to be useful," she whispered and for a second Izaya almost thought Mika was going to scold her again- but she didn't.

Gentleness and an expression of care displayed on her face as she chuckled softly.

"And you will be. Just helping me do a single task is already a weight off my shoulders," she explained and her sister's expression relaxed, at least a little. "So don't rush, okay?"

"Alright," Mallory agreed softly and a bit of hope swayed in her voice. "Can you show me again?"

A soft chuckle was all that followed from Mika, "Of course."

It was a nostalgic sight.

At least to Izaya.

It caused Izaya to smile and take a quiet step backwards as he didn't intend to interrupt the two. He already liked Mika to begin with, but watching her interact with her younger siblings only intensified that feeling.

She had scolded her because she had been worried, but still exerted utmost patience when teaching her. The way Mika interacted with her sister seemed just so awfully similar to his own. Kururi had always easily learned any new skill or practice without much effort. But Mairu had been different.

Especially when it came to sophisticated practices like dancing or conversing with nobility she had needed Izaya's guidance. And just like Mallory she had been in a hurry to learn what she thought she had to do correctly from the get go, ending up with so many more mistakes.

"Can I help you, lady Kururi?"

Mildly startled by the voice coming from behind Izaya whipped around-

Clairence.

He had not heard her approach at all.

Standing in the hallway leading to the kitchen she briefly adjusted her glasses as she waited for an answer.

"Ah, don't mind me," Izaya spoke quickly, only instigating her curiosity further it seemed as she looked towards the kitchen, then back at Izaya.

"I heard you brought a new maid to the castle. Are we lacking in any regard?"

Ah. She was talking about Mallory.

"Of course not," Izaya quickly corrected. He hadn't quite considered what bringing a new maid to the castle might imply and it seemed Clairence wasn't too convinced by his answer either.

"Then what brought you to our kitchen?" she asked and nodded towards the said room.

The soft voices from both sisters softly resounded from its direction and Izaya smiled.

"I just heard some noise and was just curious about these two," he explained quickly. After all he had no business putting Clairence into unease. It had been mere curiosity that led him here. Or maybe it was just a desire for nostalgia.

Hearing soft laughter from the kitchen, Izaya couldn't help but feel his lips curl into a smile.

"They act similar don't they?"

Turning her head, Clairance peeked into the kitchen. Mika and Mallory had yet to notice that they were being watched and her own face showed hints of a smile as she agreed.

"I think most siblings do."

She was probably right. They grew up together. Shared their life. Shared their parents. Their fears, their joys. They way Izaya and his sisters interacted and the way Mika did with Mallory was probably not as unique as he thought.

And also-

…

Didn't Shizuo have a brother?

"The king's brother," Izaya started, "Kasuka. What was he like?"

He had seen it. The family picture hung up inside the study. The way Shizuo and his brother seemed equally sullen in both their expressions and stance.

He had heard rumors of Shizuo's brother. Or rather of the late king. Of what he did to Kasuka's wife and how the brother fled the lands. But rumors were just rumors as Shizuo proved with an entirely different personality than it was whispered to be in the dark corners of the villages spread throughout the land.

But it seemed those revolving around Shizuo's brother stemmed from truth as Clarence's expression soured just slightly.

"I only served for a short while in his presence as I was brought in by the king at a later point, but-" she whispered and her voice faded out towards the end. She seemed upset. Considering her usually calm and collected demeanor that fact alone was enough to tell Izaya how bad it had to have been. "The prince was a gentle soul. Much like his brother. Only in skills they differed greatly." A soft smile spread across her lips as her gaze wandered far away to memories that had long passed. "While our king is a triumphant warrior of many battles, his brother's duties consisted of arithmetic nature," she informed curtly. "He was the one managing the castle's affairs. Dealing with servants, merchants and the common folk were his responsibilities."

Shizuo's brother sounded awfully capable. Dependable too. And somehow the complete opposite of Shizuo.

Izaya found himself envisioning the young boy he had seen in the picture as a grown man with a personality fitting to Shizuo's like a lid on a pot.

There was only one aspect that irked him slightly.

"... if he did all that then what did Shizuo's father do?" Izaya asked with the slightest frown and even Clairence's expression darkened.

"Force himself onto the servants." Cold like ice, those words dripped from her lips. "Onto prince Kasuka's wife."

Izaya swallowed hard at that. He had heard the rumors. It were exactly those that had forced him to act.

And Izaya's guts churned as he thought about what it must have been like for Shizuo to grow up under a man like this.

"Eat. Sleep. Live out his urges no matter what nature they were, that's all he could do," Clairence spoke between tight lips filled with hatred. "He was a resentful man. Held grudges against many nobles and even more people. Even his own sons weren't safe from that-" it was mid sentence that she stopped speaking and an expression of regret quickly decorated her eyes as they searched for Izaya.

A deep bow was executed before Izaya even knew what was going on and she whispered, "I apologize. I am in no place to talk about the late king like this."

Right.

She was a maid of this castle.

No matter how gentle of a king Shizuo was, she was still bad mouthing royalty. A deed that was punished by death in most instances.

But not here.

"No. I asked. I'm grateful for the honesty you offered," Izaya quickly assured her. but his eyes narrowed and hands clenched next to his body.

"The maids that he forced to-" he faded out, not willing to speak of the gruesome deeds the late king had committed. Only a glance was cast towards Clairence as he whispered. "Were you part of them?"

to be continued~

Haha this chapter got a little longer than expected xD But I kinda enjoyed myself writing these two haha

See you next friday~ C: