17 Years Prior
Ten year old Oikawa Tooru sat bored outside the town pub, wondering what he was going to do with his day.
He'd already checked in with all the local shopkeepers and they hadn't had anything for him to do. Makki and Matsu were busy with...something, Oikawa honestly figured he was better off not knowing.
He sighed, wondering how annoyed his grandmother would be if he came home early.
This morning, the elderly woman had demanded that he get out of the house and enjoy the day. Just because she was sick was no reason for Oikawa himself to waste away while he tried to take care of her.
Oikawa scratched the bandages around his right hand and wondered idly if going to the palace and Claiming his title would get his grandmother the help she needed.
It was a nice thought but even at ten, Oikawa knew that no amount of wealth was a cure for old age. Besides his grandmother would kill him if he put himself in so much danger.
Just then, Oikawa heard a loud scoff inside the pub.
Curious and without anything better to do, Oikawa stretched up on his toes and peered through the window.
Mr. Nakayama, the local bread maker, was sitting across from Mr. Hanamaki-Makki's dad and the town butcher. Both men looked more than just a bit angry.
"I can't believe they raised the taxes again," Mr. Nakayama bit out. "Honestly, I don't know if this Queen is trying to protect us or starve us himself."
"Probably the latter," Mr. Hanamaki commented dryly. "That way he won't have to even pretend to care about us."
Mr. Nakayama scrubbed the back of his head roughly. "Not to mention the Ace. Did you hear he picked another fight with Diamonds? At this rate, I'm not even sure our allies will help us."
"They will," Mr. Hanamaki reassured, rattling off the Card Kingdom's motto. "Cards stands united."
Mr. Nakayama hummed unconvinced. "Not for long, if helping Hearts will mean jeopardizing their own Kingdoms. And with the Ace's attitude toward Nohebi, that might be sooner rather than later."
"I'm more concerned with how our village is going to survive the latest tax increase," Mr. Hanamaki sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I've got a kid to take care of and this will barely leave me with enough money to fill one plate, let alone three."
Mr. Nakayama nodded, settling into a more serious expression. "Me and my wife thought about leaving for Clubs honestly."
"Are you," Mr. Hanamaki asked.
Mr. Nakayama shook his head. "Don't have enough money. We know people here. This village is our home. It's not worth the risk to try to settle in somewhere else."
Mr. Hanamaki looked sympathetic. "We could petition the King for a decrease in taxes."
Oikawa jolted slightly at the name of his title, even though he knew they meant the current King of Hearts.
Mr. Nakayama laughed bitterly. "What so he could do nothing like always? No, face it, as soon as they get the crown on their heads, a monarch will always forget the people they serve. It's how their minds work."
"Seems only right that the people should be allowed to forget them, too. Doesn't it?" Mr. Hanamaki commented dryly.
Mr. Nakayama laughed again, this time with more sincerity.
He held up his glass. "To forgotten Kings, then?"
"To forgotten Kings," Mr. Hanamaki answered, clinking his glass.
The two men threw back the rest of their drinks before sitting silently a moment.
"As if we could," Mr. Nakayama muttered, a touch of honest grief in his eyes.
Oikawa didn't want to listen anymore.
The ten year old dropped down from the ledge and walked away from the bar. He continued walking until he got to the stream just outside of the village where he finally sat down and dipped his feet into the running water.
Oikawa felt vaguely nauseous and he wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't really anything he hadn't heard before. There was no lost love between his village and the Hearts Suit. But...no one had ever quite used that word before. Forget.
Before he had always thought of the mark as some kind of vague predictor of his future. A certainty that hasn't come yet. But, now? Oikawa looked down at his right hand and suddenly he felt like his mark was some kind of rash or a barely closed wound. Disgusting and meant to be hidden.
If becoming King meant forgetting his people, then Oikawa would much sooner forget being King.
ooooooo
"Forget?!" Iwaizumi yelled back, bewildered. "What do you mean forget?! You're the King!"
The man-his King!-scrunched up his face in an expression of clear disgust. "Yeah, that. Do you think we could like forget we ever saw each other? You go back to the castle? I go back to my village? Never see each other again. Not even send holiday cards."
Iwaizumi felt very, very confused. "No, we can't forget this ever happened. You're the King! How are we supposed to forget about that?!"
"I'm not the King," the man spat back immediately.
Iwaizumi supposed that was technically true.
"I mean no, not yet," Iwaizumi answered. "You obviously haven't Claimed your title. But, you can do that whenever. We just need to go back to the castle."
"No, you don't get it," the man glared. "I am not the King. I will not be the King. And I want this stupid mark to disappear."
Iwaizumi reared back in shock, taking in the man.
The man was...well, annoying was the first word Iwaizumi thought but he guessed that wasn't important. Even if Iwaizumi hadn't met the man earlier (and wasn't that a conversation that was going to need later thought), it would be clear he was from a small village. His clothes were practical but well worn and would obviously have been replaced years ago if he had the available funds. He was attractive, Iwaizumi admitted grudgingly, possibly incredibly so with high cheekbones, smooth skin with the hint of a tan, and brown windswept hair. He was also a decent enough fighter judging on what Iwaizumi had seen earlier.
All in all, he didn't look insane. But, apparently looks could be deceiving.
The man, the King, the...whoever he was shuffled uncomfortably in the silence.
"Why are you here anyway," the man demanded. "What are you following me?" His eyes widened, taking in Iwaizumi's sword. "Oh my gosh, did you come to kill me for yelling at you earlier?!"
"What?" Iwaizumi barked out, annoyed.
"You did, didn't you?!" the man yelled back, pointing angrily. "You're probably just mad the bandits almost beat you to it!"
"I don't want to kill you," Iwaizumi finally snapped. Yet.
The man glared. "Then, why are you here?"
Iwaizumi glared back. "I'm here to tell you that I talked to the Jack and he thought your plan about the Nohebi tariffs was good"-well, amazing was the word Yahaba used but let's not get ahead of himself- "so, I decided to stop by your inn on my usual patrol and tell you so you could give word to your village."
And maybe rub it in the annoying villager's face after he told him he was a bad leader.
Said villager continued to glare. "How did you where my inn was?"
"For the love of-How paranoid are you?" Iwaizumi shouted. "You wrote it on your application for the audience."
The man hummed. "...Fine. I've been told. You can leave now."
Is he an idiot or being deliberately obtuse.
"No," Iwaizumi retorted. "I can't just 'leave now'. Why don't you want to be King?"
"Can you stop saying that!" the man snapped frantically. "People could hear you."
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. "This street was abandoned for construction back during the war. Why do you think no one but bandits and idiotic tourists go on it? Now, stop dodging the question."
The man huffed. "Alright, fine. Why do I not want to be King? Hmm, well, first maybe because I actually care about Hearts and you're running it into the ground."
Iwaizumi breathed out and tied to rein in his temper. Hearts needed this man and based on what Spades had found, they needed him soon.
"Okay, fine," Iwaizumi finally responded. "So, you hate how I'm running it. Why don't you try to change that?"
That seemed to give the man pause.
"I...I thought about it," the man finally admitted, sounding sad. "But, I don't think I could. Not like this anyway. Not from a palace." He shook his head and the anger was back. "I'll do anything I can for my people but being King of Hearts isn't it. The only reason I still have this stupid mark is because the Fates hate me."
Iwaizumi wasn't going touch the second part of that sentence, but the first part he might be able to do something about. A person that still cared about Hearts people was a person Iwaizumi could work with. Maybe...maybe, if he got him in the palace, he could change his mind.
"Come back to the castle with me." Iwaizumi said.
"What you mean like a prisoner!?" the man squaked. "No! I'd rather die."
"What? No! Of course not as a prisoner!" Iwaizumi yelled back immediately "Ugh, why would you even think that? As a guest, moron!"
This guy is seriously the most paranoid, annoying person I've ever met.
The man looked at him considering. "Why?"
"Geeze, I don't know," Iwaizumi said sarcastically. "Because whatever you say, you are the King of Hearts and the county needs you."
"The country need me where I am, thank you," the man retorted calmly. "Why do you want me in the castle when you know I don't approve of like half of what you've done."
"Maybe because I care more about the country than my own stupid pride," Iwaizumi bit out, restraining the urge to just punch him and drag him back to the castle.
The man looked...faintly shocked actually and Iwaizumi wondered exactly how bad of a person he thought Iwaizumi was.
"If you want me to become King, I'm not going to change my mind" the man finally stated.
I'll deal with that later, Iwaizumi decided. Right now, he just needed to get him into the castle.
"Then, just come to the castle for a bit," Iwaizumi tried. "Just for….just until we leave for the Summer Festival in a month. And if you do,"-shit, this was going to be a gamble-"then I will personally make sure no one ever bothers you about being King again."
The man looked at him, obviously trying to measure how serious he was. Iwaizumi wondered if he had made a mistake.
"I don't know if I believe you," the man replied honestly. And, yeah, that was fair Iwaizumi didn't know if he believed himself. If Hearts needed the man, he didn't know if he'd be able to just let him walk away.
Crap, what did the man care about. What could Iwaizumi offer?
"If you stay for the month," Iwaizumi started. "Then, I'll decrease your villages taxes like we discussed."
The man's head shot up. "You said we were already getting the tax decrease?"
He did and they would. There was no way that Iwaizumi would punish a village, let alone multiple, just because one of their villagers was a prick. But...but the man didn't know that. The man thought he was another uncaring royal. And...maybe, this wasn't the best plan to convince the man to not that him but if it made him stay, Iwaizumi would take it.
So instead of backing down, Iwaizumi just said, "Come to the palace for the month."
The man met his eyes and Iwaizumi knew two things. First, if the man could kill him in that instant, Iwaizumi would be dead. And, second, if the man had ever had even an iota of respect for the Ace, then it was gone now.
"Fine, Ace," the man said, spitting the title like a curse. "I'll stay at the palace for one month if you decrease my village taxes."
Iwaizumi swallowed, pushing down the guilt and regret.
"You know you don't have to call me Ace or anything," Iwaizumi told him. "You can just call me 'Iwaizumi'"
The man looked at him coldly.
"Alright, Iwa-chan," the man said, adopting a false and sickly sweet tone. "Lead the way."
Iwaizumi hesitantly walked up beside him. "What's your name, by the way? The form...the form just said your village."
"Oikawa Tooru," the man-Oikawa answered blandly. "But, don't worry. I can assure you it won't matter come a month."
Iwaizumi breathed out. He had a feeling it was going to be a really long month.
ooooooo
Kageyama sat in the library, staring blankly at his book.
He muttered a curse under his breath. This was stupid. This was so stupid. Kageyama couldn't concentrate and the reason why was just...so incredibly stupid.
It was insane, too. Kageyama literally spent almost every minute of his day reading. For years. He had long since been able to work through problems in concentration by just buckling down and doing it. There was no reason he should be having trouble today.
But, the fact remained that...
He missed Hinata. He really missed Hinata.
He missed Hinata and he couldn't focus on freaking anything without thinking about it and that was just...well, stupid. It wasn't like he wanted to be at Hinata's side all the time. That would be ridiculous and frankly, all told, he generally only spent a few hours a day with him even when Hinata was here. He just...wanted Hinata to be back in the castle. To be close to him. To know he's safe. To see his smile and hear his voice. And, yeah Kageyama knew what that meant. He knew that he was probably at least a little bit in-
"Is there a particular reason you're trying to burn down the library just though the power of your glare alone," asked a voice as dry as a desert.
Kageyama glared up. "Go away. I'm reading."
"Yes," Tsukishima drawled. "I can tell by you utter concentration. Is there a reason the King deigned to join us mere mortals rather than hiding away in the tower?"
"Shut up," Kageyama muttered, turning back to the book. "I do go to the library sometimes."
"Yes," Tsukishima answered, raising an eyebrow. "Once a week, always on Tuesday afternoons when it's the least busy, and always picking up seven to nine books depending on length. Is there a reason you're here late at night on a Thursday?"
Kageyama mentally cursed Tsukishima's ever present knowledge.
"I ran out of books," Kageyama bit out shortly.
Tsukishima hummed. "Ran out of books? Or none of them interests you?" The Jack tilted his head. "Not missing a little red haired courier are you, my King?"
Kageyama's head shot up. There was no way. No way that he knew. Kageyama himself had only figured it out a week ago.
Tsukishima returned Kageyama's stare with an amused look. "If you are then I don't think," he peered at Kageyama's book, "naval warfare will be much of a distraction."
The Jack gave the King a curious look. "You do that you need to go outside for warfare. Right, my King?"
Kageyama really, really wanted to hate Tsukishima...and sometimes he even managed it for a short while. The Jack of Spades was rude, often mean spirited, arrogant, and...trying to help Kageyama in his own incredibly pushy way. Kageyama knew people thought he was broken, damaged, not fit to be King. People walked on eggshells around him, constantly trying to soften any blows he might face. Almost everyone treated him softly, even Suga did it sometimes. (Hinata didn't, but that was a separate issue). Tsukishima never did that. He goaded him, taunted him, sometimes outright bullied him but he never treated Kageyama anything less than a King.
So, yeah, maybe Kageyama couldn't hate him. But he still thought the guy was a dick.
A dick that was currently poking critically at Kageyama's uneaten dinner.
"Honestly," Tsukishima said, examining the turkey leg for any signs it had been touched. It hadn't. "You could at least pretend to eat your dinner. Move the peas around at least. Something to make the chefs not hate you."
Kageyama glared. "I wasn't hungry.
"Obviously," Tsukishima rolled his eyes before pausing, looking back at the turkey curiously.
"Actually," the Jack asked slowly. "Kageyama, what kind of turkey is this. The flavoring?"
Kageyama frowned, trying to remember what the servant had said. Kageyama had been trying (and failing) to read. "Umm...I think he said it was honey glazed. Why?"
"That's my favorite," Tsukishima responded thoughtfully. He glanced up at Kageyama. "Do you mind if I have this. I can already tell it's going to waste with you."
"Sure," Kageyama huffed. "Whatever, I already told you I wasn't hungry."
"Much obliged," Tsukishima said blandly. "Come to think of it. This is much better than the sandwich that I all but begged Yachi to bring me, even though she was already stopping by the kitchen. Which servant brought you this? It's always important to recognize good help."
Kageyama shrugged, looking back at the book.. "I don't know. I was reading."
"Really," the Jack said unimpressed. "You don't remember anything about the servant. Paying attention to those under you is a mark of a good ruler."
Kageyama glared, but blushed slightly. "I was distracted! It was some guy that I didn't remember. I can't remember every servant in the entire castle."
"Of course you can't," Tsukishima responded sarcastically. He looked around at the library. "Exactly how long are you planning on bothering the library staff. They're trying to close, you know?"
Kageyama hadn't known actually. "I just want to finish this chapter."
The Jack stared at him flatly. "I've heard that before. If I leave you right now, you'll stay past midnight finishing the book and the librarians will never get any sleep."
Kageyama opened his mouth to argue but Tsukishima stood up before he could.
"Ennoshita!' Tsukishima called to one of the guards that had just happened to walk by the entrance. "Would you mind staying with the King until he finishes one chapter and walking him back to his room to make sure he actually does get some sleep."
"Oi," Kageyama protested. "I would have done it on my own. You didn't have to bother one of the Knights."
"Of course not, my King," Tsukishima soothed while still making it sound highly skeptical.
Ennoshita covered a light laugh in the corner, smiling in apology when Kageyama glared.
"Good night, my King," Tsukishima told him, picking up the turkey. "Sleep well."
Kageyama rolled his eyes. "Thanks. You, too."
The Jack nodded, leaving the library. And Kageyama turned back to his book. Well, at least Tsukishima had made it a short visit.
Kageyama started his book on naval warfare again before musing curiously if Hinata had ever been on a boat.
The library echoed with a thud as Kageyama's head hit the table out of frustration, followed by a soft "My King?".
Ugh, Kageyama thought. Maybe I should just go to sleep.
ooooooo
Following the thieves had, unsurprisingly, led Hinata to the very center of the Hyakuzawan Empire-their capital. Unsurprising since, as they had already assumed that some kind of Hyakuzawan noble was behind this, Hinata had half-expected to be led here since the majority of nobles lived in the city.
Right after getting into the city, the thieves had exchanged their merchant wagon at a less than reputable looking dockside shop and were now traveling by foot. Hinata had taken to the rooftops of the city and was pleased to note that the city was quite beautiful actually. Obviously nothing close to Spades or the rest of the Card Kingdom, but the city was full to the brim with all manner of paper lanterns and tea lights until the night almost looked like day. This made it simultaneously easier and harder for Hinata to hide. Easier because there were a lot more shadows and no one ever looked above the lanterns to the roof; but harder in the moments were the roofs weren't close enough together and Hinata had to weave through few specks of darkness on the ground like a shadow running from the light.
Which is how the thieves had led him to what appeared to be their final destination-which was much more surprising and a lot more worrying.
Hinata stood poised in the shadows of the Hyakuzawan imperial palace.
On the bright side, this all but confirmed that whoever was behind this was a Hyakuzawan noble. On the incredibly darker side, this vastly increased the chances of someone higher up in the kingdom's royalty being behind it. Increased the chances of an all out war.
Also, unfortunate was the Hyakuzawan palace's design. Large domes covered in gold made up the architecture with few if any windows. Hinata hated designs like this.
The spy bit his lip, wishing he had time to put together a disguise. This was...this was going to be a very big risk-the kind of risk that made Tsuki really yell at him and the rest of the spies have minor heart attacks. The kind that if it failed meant Hinata's death.
He was going to have to sneak in as himself.
Well, Hinata guessed not himself exactly but there was no way he'd be able to make it in while wearing the all black Ace of Spades uniform. He'd have to go in as a palace servant. Hinata had done it before but it was a really terrible idea and always increased the chances he'd get caught and executed.
Hinata sighed. We need to know who's behind it though.
With that priority in mind, Hinata slipped down from the palace gate and back down to the market just outside. He'd have to be really quick if he wanted to catch back up to the thieves.
Luckily a few stalls in, one of the merchants was selling the flowing drape like clothing preferred by the Hyakuzawan people. Hinata darted out from the shadows, stealing the first tunic and sandals he saw that looked like his size. He dropped some coins on the stand behind him.
Far enough back into the shadows, Hinata quickly and efficiently stripped out of the black uniform and into the the new clothes-a loose cream colored fabric with gold leave embroidery that was closer to a toga than the tunics Hinata was used to. All in all, the new shirt was...kinda too loose actually. Hinata wondered if it was the Hyakuzawan style to feel like the toga could slip off your shoulders at any minute. It also felt a bit short. Did this go with leggings or something?
At least the sandals fit well enough.
Deciding he didn't really have time to worry about it, Hinata went about hiding his uniform under some bushes to grab latter. Careful in the all white drapey clothing, Hinata scaled back up the palace gate and landed lightly on the palace lawn.
If he was right, the servants entrance should be in the back where Hinata had spotted people earlier.
Hinata was right. The servants entrance was opened and mostly unguarded except for a very tired looking Knight. The spy waited by a tree until the Knight's head drooped a little too low before walking smoothly into the entrance-careful not to go fast enough to avoid suspicion but not slow enough that people would have time to make note of him.
Like most servant entrances, Hinata found himself close to the palace kitchens where servants were rushing about trying to clean everything up in the post dinner rush. Perfect time for sneaking in to the main part of the castle. Hinata grabbed an empty platter from the kitchen and made off down the hall as if going to collect more plates. Sometimes working so much with the servants back in Spades really paid off.
The last time that Hinata had seen the thieves they looked like they had gone into the west part of the castle which if Hinata remembered right from Tsuki's notes and model of the castle meant they were in the royal's private quarters. Yet, another mark for a high up noble being involved.
Being careful to avoid eye contact and to diminish his presence, Hinata quietly made his way to that section of the castle. Right after he entered the wing, Hinata heard two voices-one familiar voice but not the one that he'd been expecting.
Hinata ducked down to hide in the shadows of an ornate vase display.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the imperious man from the meeting with Mr. Watanabe walked by followed by his assistant. Hinata's eyes widened as he noticed the small black box in the former's hands.
"I still cannot believe that the crooked Spades merchant sold me a saddle bag with a hole in it," the imperious man huffed, face read and angry. "He's lucky that we don't have time to go back and make him regret it."
His assistant hummed under his breath.
"Remember," warned the imperious man, who based on location Hinata now highly suspected was a noble. "If he asks, that Watanabe fellow lied about his wares and only had the one mark, alright? And, we've already made sure Watanabe paid for his deception."
His assistant nodded.
"Good," the noble nodded. "At least, it was only the Jack's that fell out. If it was the King's….well, if it was the King's we'd be dead."
The two men continued down the hall and Hinata quickly weighed his options. On the one hand, the thieves with the Diamond's defense plan were definitely important. But...not more important than the King of Heart's mark. Especially, since Hinata had already replaced the plan.
With that decided, Hinata set down his platter and through the shadows, silently trailed his new targets. The men walked down the hall until they got to a much more deserted part of the castle. Finally, the two stopped in front of an ornate bronze door. The noble knocked.
"Enter," a voice called. "I've just finished with my previous meeting."
The door opened and two new men slipped out, allowing the noble and his assistant to enter and close the door behind them. Watching from behind a flower arrangement, Hinata looked as the two newcomers walked past him. The two were...not so new at all.
Hinata furrowed his brow. So the two thieves that stole the plans had the same boss as the imperious noble who had the King's mark. That was...well, definitely worthy of further investigation.
Hinata waited until the men left before walking out to the hall, staring at the ornate door.
Crap, Hinata bit his lip. How was he going to get in that meeting? He was pretty sure they weren't just going to let him walk in the front door and there was no way they wouldn't notice if he tried to open it.
Hinata took a breath, thinking through his options. Okay, so the door's a no. No windows on this side of the building either. Adjacent room? No based on the next door down, all of the rooms were too far apart to listen in from.
Hinata's eyes widened and the spy looked up. Oh my gosh, he was never going to take the Hyakuzawan love of drapes for granted again.
All through the Hyakuzaan palace, large sheets of gauzy fabric hung suspended horizontally in the air-billowing and covering the entire ceiling. Honestly, they kind of reminded Hinata of when the palace servants hung bed sheets out on lines to dry and some of their children would stretch a sheet between two lines and pretend it was a fort.
The important thing was for those sheets of fabric to hang right, the palace needed one thing-poles! Poles and openings large enough between the ceiling and the walls for the large sheets of fabric to drape uninterrupted. And, if Hinata was lucky, a big enough opening for a small spy to slip through and watch the meeting from between the fabric and the ceiling.
Hinata stood on the flower arrangements podium and examined the fabric. He took out a knife that he had fortunately grabbed from his uniform and made one long slash through the fabric, careful to let the drape of the cloth cover it. Opening made, the spy boosted himself up and jumped, catching a pole and heaving himself above the fabric.
Yes! Hinata thought, surveying his surroundings. There was maybe a solid two feet in between the actual ceiling and the long wall to wall poles that the fabric draped over. Hinata crouched down on the pole, balancing on both his hands and feet. He inched forward and-
Okay, wait, nevermind, I hate the Hyakuzawan drape obsession again. See, the thing about having light almost sheer drapes hanging from metal poles is that it makes those poles really hard to walk on without either slipping or disturbing the hanging fabric.
Hinata let out an inaudible groan. This was going to be worse than even the spires at Diamonds.
Gritting his teeth and reminding himself that he didn't have any other options, Hinata stepped lifted one hand, then one foot, and slowly moved forward-careful not to let the fabric crease under him. He breathed out when he didn't see the fabric giveaway his movements. Alright, he could do this.
Very carefully, the spy continued forward in the direction of the meeting room. As he had guessed, the fabric and poles ran between the two rooms, giving Hinata an entrance that was just big enough to squeeze through. He took a moment to be incredibly grateful that he was what maybe could be considered just a bit smaller than average.
Hinata crept on carefully until he could hear voices from below.
"He didn't have the Jack's?" a stern voice demanded and Hinata recognized it as the one from behind the door-presumably the one who set up the meeting.
"He paid for his lies very, very dearly," the noble replied nervously. "We assure you of that, Your-"
"So, we can't know for sure that this even his the real King of Heart's mark since we don't have the Jack's to compare it to," the leader concluded angrily.
"S-sir, I can promise you that both me and my manservant tried to replicate the King's mark and both of us failed without it in front of us. The magic is definitely Cards!"
"Hmmm," the leader replied, considering. "Then, I guess you haven't completely failed me."
"Never," the noble replied immediately. "I would never do anything but by absolute best for you. You have my complete respect and my loyalty. Why I-"
"Enough," the leader answered. "You don't need to grovel further. You will already be rewarded when the plan comes to fruition."
"I-If I may be so bold even with one such as yourself," the noble asked. "Do you suggest that a kingship might be in my future as well."
The other man laughed loudly. "Always, shooting above your station. Aren't you, Maruyama? You will be rewarded and that reward will be great. How great...will depend on your future success."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." the noble-Maruyama-answered.
"You and your manservant are free to leave now, Maruyama," the other suggested though it sounded more like a demand.
"Of course! Thank you again, Your-"
"GO!"
Crap...again. Hinata still didn't know who the other man was and the rest seemed to be leaving the meeting. Ugh, he was going to have to do something stupid again.
Carefully-very carefully-Hinata slid out the knife from earlier and, mindful of the fabric, cut a small hole just big enough to see through. Hinata didn't know that many Hyakuzawan nobles by sight but maybe this one..
Hinata leaned down and peered through the hole.
And immediately, on impulse, jerked back, barely righting himself at the last second.
"What was that?!" the stern voice of the leader-the stern kingly voice-yelled.
Hinata held his breath and did not move.
The King! The King of Hyakuzawa's the one who has the King of Heart's mark. He's the one who wanted Diamond's defense plans. This...this would mean war.
...If Hinata got out of this to tell anyone.
"What was what?" Maruyama asked.
"Someone's here." the King answered. "Someone's listening to us."
"...where, Your Highness?"
"I'm not sure," the King said slowly.
Suddenly, Hinata heard a rustle of fabric and on pure reflex, leaned to the left. A gilded knife flew through the fabric and thunked into the wood an inch from Hinata's eye.
Okay, time to go.
"Someone's in the fabric," the King yelled. "Get the guards. We'll cut the rat down."
Time to go quickly.
Much faster than he had gone getting into the room, Hinata practically flew on the railing to the other side of the room. On his way, he tried to pull sharply on as much of the adjacent poles as he could, trying to hide where he was in the room.
Finally, he got to the other side of the wall and didn't even bother getting to his previous opening, just cutting a new hole and landing in a crouch in the thankfully empty hall.
Hinata sprinted away from the room. Turning as many different corners as he could until-
A window!
Not pausing long enough to reconsider, Hinata jumped out the open window, going into a backflip, and landed on the grass one story bellow.
Hinata looked sharply around the field-apparently a palace garden-to see if anyone was around to see.
Seeing no one, he breathed out a sigh of relief. That was...that was close.
Intent on getting as far away from the palace as imaginable, Hinata stepped back to the stone walkway, turned the corner and-
Walked straight into someone's chest.
Hinata looked up...and kept looking up.
In front of him was a giant. And a giant that Hinata once again had no trouble recognizing.
At almost seven feet tall, Hyakuzawa Yudai-Crown Prince of the Hyakuzawa Empire-looked down at Hinata curiously.
"What are you doing here?" Prince Yudai asked softly. "This garden is restricted for nobles and their guests."
"Oh, I'm...I'm a guest," Hinata said quickly.
"Oh," the Prince said, looking around the garden. "Who are you with?"
"Um, I was here on business," Hinata said, searching frantically for a lie. "My client is a noble so he asked me to meet here but he decided to retire for the night so I said I'd be fine seeing myself out."
The Prince tilted his head. "The garden isn't by any of the exits though."
"I got lost," Hinata replied, forcing a sheepish look. "I'm new to the city and never been to the palace before so...I didn't quite know my way back out."
"Do you need any help," the Prince asked, seemingly sincerely.
Hinata thought of the King still searching the meeting room. Hinata thought of the King who would soon realize the spy was no longer there. Hinata thought of the King who would surely send out a palace wide search to protect his plan. Hinata thought of the Prince, a completely non-suspicious character who would have no trouble getting past the guards.
"I would love some help," Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness."
The Prince shrugged. "It's no problem. I know the palace can be confusing."
And so, Hinata-spy, assassin, and (by the looks of it) soon to be enemy of the Hyakuzawan Empire-followed their Crown Prince through the castle and straight out the palace gates. As they walked, Hinata took the time to properly examine the Prince and dredge up every scrap of old info Tsuki had on the man. The Prince was...well, tall was definitely the most prominent descriptor with short black hair and deep set eyes that looked faintly sad. After the tallness, the sadness was what struck Hinata the most. If Hinata remembered right, the Prince was next in line for the throne, though assumed to be fairly weak and easily led if rumors were to be believed. It was the general consensus of the populace that even if he became King, one of his many and ambitious uncles would end up as the real power behind the throne. Hinata wondered how the Prince himself felt about that.
The two reached the palace gate before Hinata had a chance to wander further.
"Thanks," Hinata said sincerely, looking way up to meet the Prince's eyes. "I really can't tell you how grateful I am for your help."
"Like I said, it's no problem," the Prince replied instantly, blushing slightly. "Would you like my help navigating the city. I often go on walks through it during the night so it really wouldn't be any hassle. But...if you don't need any help, I-I'll understand
Hinata hesitated. One one hand, it would really be better if Hinata could ditch the Prince as soon as possible, grab his uniform, and head back to Spades to report to Tsuki. On the other less than reasonable hand, the Prince...the Prince looked sad. The Prince was walking around alone in the palace gardens in the middle of night. Also, the Prince was apparently either lonely or desperate enough to offer to walk a complete stranger through a city, just because he might be able to help. And Hinata...Hinata was really tired of seeing lonely expressions on the faces of Princes and Kings.
"That would be great. Thank you again, Your Highness," Hinata responded politely. "If you're sure it won't be a burden."
He thought he remembered an inn he saw while trailing the thieves. He could just lead the Prince to that.
The Prince shook his head. "No burden. What brings you to the city?"
"Oh, my business," Hinata said, trying to think of some profession that was suitably vague enough not to prompt further questions. "I'm in...hospitality."
The Prince nodded. "You must be quite good if you're requested by the Hyakuzawan nobles."
Hinata rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, it, um, let's me meet a lot of interesting people."
"And travel, too," the Prince added in his soft voice. "That must be exciting."
Hinata brightened, thinking about his various spying missions. "Yeah, traveling is great! I love seeing all the new places but there's no place like my home?"
"Where are you from?" the Prince prompted.
Oh, right...This was why Tsuki says I shouldn't talk during missions.
"Clubs," Hinata answered, choosing a place that was not too off but not entirely correct.
"I've always found the Card Kingdom's really fascinating," The Prince smiled and once again, Hinata was struck by how sincere he sounded. Nothing at all like his father, the King, sounded in the meeting. The spy in Hinata wondered if there was a story there.
"The Card Kingdom's are great," Hinata said happily and honestly. "But, I always think it's the people that make up a country." He looked around to the busy street, apparently used to the sight of their Prince. "The Hyakuzawan's look like nice people."
"They are," The Prince responded, enthusiasm coloring his words. "That's why I love going out into the city. It's always so busy...even though the people are usually too nervous to talk to me."
Hinata nodded, thinking about Suga once discussing this . "People always seem skittish of their rulers at first. I think they forget to think about them like ordinary people. That's why you've got to be the one to make the first move. Once you show you're interested in them, they'll normally be happy to tell you about them."
Maybe even too interested. Hinata smiled, thinking about how many babies Tsuki always ended up holding whenever he went to market street.
"You're really good at this stuff," the Prince told him before looking at the city, slightly wistfully.
"Maybe you should be a leader instead," the Prince mused quietly under his breath with a small sad smile as if repeating an old and well spoken joke. Though, Hinata wasn't sure who was supposed to be laughing.
Hinata frowned.
Something...something bothered him about that sentence and he couldn't figure out what. Hinata was a leader. I mean yeah, he didn't do the finances like Suga or put together all the pieces like Tsuki, but Hinata helped out at every city festival, looked over tax records, talked to people. Hinata was a leader and he couldn't figure out what was bugging him about….oh.
"You said it wrong," Hinata told the Prince with certainty. "You meant 'too' not 'instead'"
The Prince frowned, confused. "What?"
"'You said 'maybe you should be a leader instead'" Hinata repeated, gesturing for the Prince to take the next street over. "But you should have said 'maybe I should be a leader, too'"
The Prince still looked confused.
"See," Hinata explained happily. "If you say 'instead' it implies that I'm a leader and you're not. But when you say 'too' then it means we both can be leaders."
"I don't-I don't think that's how it works," the Prince said, giving Hinata a strange look. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm even talking to you about this. These aren't your burdens."
"No, but it is how it works, though," Hinata said, ignoring the second part for what was actually important. "Like my friend reads all these books and is really, really good at knowing about everything. But, I still know a lot of things that he doesn't know about other stuff...So we're both smart, just in different ways. The same thing works with leaders. See! So, two people can both make good leaders. They can just go about in different ways and so when they work together, it's even better."
That's what Spades does, Hinata thought fondly. Suga, Kageyama, Tsuki, and him were all different. But, when they worked together, they made the Spades Suit. None of them could rule alone so they had to rule together.
"I'm not sure that means me, though," the Prince admitted hesitantly, shooting a furtive look at Hinata like he thought the smaller man would start yelling. "I...I don't think I'm a very good leader."
The Prince sighed. "Maybe I should just abdicate and give the thrown to one of my uncles."
"Oh," Hinata frowned again, thinking.
Finally, the Ace of Spades shrugged. "Okay."
The Price paused, looking at him surprised. Hinata grabbed his hand and pulled him around the next corner.
"You're…," the Prince frowned. "You're not going to tell me that's a bad idea and that I should try to rule anyway."
Hinata shook his head firmly. "No way, if you think you'd be bad for the kingdom, then you definitely shouldn't try to be King."
"...Oh," the Prince said softly. He nodded before looking down, not meeting Hinata's eye.
"So, what's important to you about the kingdom anyway?" Hinata asked, curious-and maybe also, because the Prince looked small and sad and tired.
The Prince looked up, scrunching up his brow. "What?"
"Well, I mean if you think you're not going to do a good job as King then obviously there's something you think you'd fail at," Hinata said logically. "What about the kingdom are you trying to protect?"
"The people," the Prince replied immediately before looking slightly shocked at himself. The Prince paused before nodding. "The people are the most important part of any kingdom."
Hinata nodded back, agreeing fully. "And you think your uncles would do a better job protecting the people."
"Yes!" the Prince cried before hesitating again. "I mean...no, they wouldn't." He frowned. "I don't think any of my uncles care much about anything outside of the palace. Definitely, not the people."
It was Hinata's turn to look confused. "Then, why do you want to give the throne to them."
"Well," the Prince started. "I mean it's just...that's what everyone says, right? Everyone thinks I'm going to make a terrible king and that any of my uncles would do better than me."
Hinata tilted his head. "But you don't think they'd do better with the thing you said was the most important."
"...No," the prince responded quietly. "They wouldn't"
Hinata thought for a second. "Then...then I think maybe you should try harder to do it yourself. Try to become the very, very best King you can so that you can actually help the people."
"But, but there's so many people who would be better than me," the Prince answered sadly.
Hinata shrugged again. "So? I mean if they're really, really better and they're doing what you think is best, then yeah...let them be King. But until then, if you're trying your best then it'll make them try their best and so at the end, the kingdom as a whole will get a better King." Hinata looked up at the Prince earnestly. "It doesn't mean anything if you're only better at something when your opponent isn't trying their hardest."
The Prince was looking at Hinata strangely. Hinata mentally waved it off. Kageyama gave him that look a lot.
Instead, Hinata smiled. "Hey, just...maybe you should do what you think would make you a good King instead of listening to people who want you to fail anyway."
The Prince didn't answer but Hinata though he looked a little less sad, so he guessed that was progress.
Finally, the two came to the street where Hinata had remembered the inn. Though, it did kind of look different now that it was night.
"This is my stop," Hinata said, pointing at the inn. "Thanks again."
"Thank you," the Prince answered, before looking up and frowning. "Wait, this is where you're staying?"
Hinata frowned, wondering if he had picked a bad inn to lie about. "Yep, this is where I'm staying for business."
"Business?" the Prince continued to frown before suddenly going beat red. "Oh, business. You're in hospitality."
"Well, yeah," Hinata said, confused. He thought back to his earlier lie and didn't see any problems with it. "That's why I said I was meeting my client at the palace."
If anything, the Prince grew an even brighter red, looking between Hinata and the inn.
Furrowing his brow, Hinata looked back to see what was so bad about the inn.
...Oh.
Well, in Hinata's defense, inns and brothels looked really similar when you were jumping off their roofs.
"Wait," Hinata said, turning back to the Prince. "It not what you-"
"No, no, it's fine," the Prince reassured, hastily. "I just didn't think...and you…" the Prince shook his head and offered Hinata a small smile.
"Thank you again for the talk," the Prince said softly. "I...I think I needed it."
Hinata still kind of wanted to explain that he wasn't a prostitute but now, he figured that would just look even weirder.
He sighed and smiled back at the Prince. "Glad I could help."
The Prince nodded and, avoiding eye contact with the establishment, bid Hinata farewell and headed back in the direction of the palace.
Once he was out of eyesight, Hinata groaned and looked around for a dark alley he could get the roof from. Quirking an eyebrow, he glanced down at his slightly too loose and too short clothes before looking back at the brothel.
Yeah, this was definitely not going in his mission report to Tsuki.
ooooooo
"Poison?" Suga demanded. "You're sure?"
Tsukishima nodded seriously. "I had Asahi examine the turkey himself. Definitely, cyanide and enough to kill a horse."
The Queen swore harshly. "And the King?"
"Didn't eat it; didn't notice," Tsukishima responded. "I had Ennoshita walk him back to his room and Shimizu's guarding him now while Noya looks into the 'servant' though Yachi's already assured me that none of our actual kitchen servants brought the King supper."
"Lucky," Suga sighed. "We got lucky. Luck's not something I like depending on."
"Me either," Tsukishima commented. "It's a good thing the King's too lovesick to bother with dinner. Otherwise, he'd be dead."
"Lovesick," Suga asked, confused.
The Jack gave the Queen a wry look. "The King has apparently been much too preoccupied missing a certain Ace."
Suga smiled, a glimpse of sun on a dark day. "So, he finally realized? Hinata's been hopeless for years."
Tsukishima rolled his eyes.
"Hinata's been hopeless forever," The Jack corrected. "It just been a few years that the hopelessness centered around our King." He gave Suga a considering look. "Speaking of Hinata, don't tell him yet. Yachi and I have a bet on which of the idiots will realize it first."
"Oh, Hinata definitely," Suga answered. "He's much more observant."
Tsukishima shrugged. "I bet on Kageyama, actually. After all, what else does he have to think about?"
Suga gave him a mild reproachful look. "You're too hard on him."
Tsukishima returned it with a flat look. "He needs it."
Suga hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He looked back to Kageyama's untouched dinner plate and sobered. "Speaking of telling, have you told the King that someone's trying to kill him?"
Tsukishima sighed, sitting heavily in his office chair. "No...I'm not sure I should."
Suga quirked an eyebrow. "He deserves to know, I believe. Plus, it would be foolish to leave him unaware of the risk."
Tsukishima nodded but frowned. "I agree and I would have told him tonight but...you know how he is about putting people in danger-after his parents?"
Suga's eyebrow stayed raised. "Surely, you don't think he'd be worried enough to turn down extra guards when he was almost poisoned. That would be idiotic to the point of suicide."
"No, I don't think he'd turn down guards," Tsukishima answered, rubbing a hand of his face. "I think he'd turn down servants because he wouldn't want them to get caught in the crossfire."
Now, it was Suga's turn to groan and fall back in the visitor chair. "And, our best bet to stop an assassin he thinks is a servant. And a helpless, clumsy servant at that."
"Who he's recently realized he has feelings for," Tsukishima nodded. "With those circumstances plus his past experiences, there's no way the King would let Hinata get within the same palace wing as him let alone the same room."
Suga rubbed his head like he had a headache. "We could always just tell him Hinata's the Ace."
"If he let us," Tsukishima grumbled. "It was his choice not to know, remember."
Suga sighed softly. "He might not get a choice anymore."
Tsukishima frowned, thinking. "Either way, we should wait until Hinata comes back. It's his secret and he's the closest to Kageyama; he might have an idea."
"Any idea when he'll be back," Suga asked.
Tsukishima pulled a note off of his desk. "He sent one of your crows last night and with this: 'Following a lead but not the one we expected. Think it's taking me to Hyakuzawa. Can't say more in letter. Be back as quick as I can.'"
"Vague," Suga commented. "But that's to be expected. At least, he said he'd be back soon."
Tsukishima nodded absently, looking back at the letter. "Hopefully very soon. I have a feeling we were all worried about Hinata out in Cards, when we should have been worried about what was happening right here."