Chapter Text
The demon liked quiet nights the best.
She liked curling up in the corner of her bed with a sketchbook, the gentle sound of the witch’s lyre coming from across the room and the sound of the archer’s quill as it scratched out poems and lyrics onto the pages of her overflowing journal. The three had sought comfort in each other and the knight who would sneak away from work just to visit them.
The demon glanced down at the currently blank page in front of her. For the past few days, any and all inspiration would be leached out of her the moment she picked up her pencil, and the longer she couldn’t draw the greater that ache in her heart grew. It was dangerous for that ache to grow.
At the very least, she could try to distract herself.
“Are you taking song requests?” She asked, the witch glancing up at her. A smile grew on the witch’s chapped lips as she pushed a few stray strands of ice coloured hair behind her ear.
“Go ahead.”
“My song, if you don’t mind.”
Not long after the two of them met, the witch had written her a song. It was during a time like this, where the demon would freeze whenever her pencil touched paper. When the archer first heard it, he immediately began jotting down lyrics.
Now, when the witch played the song, all three quietly sang along.
“Thank you, Kanade,” the demon smiled. “I think it helped.”
“I’ll always be here to play it, Ena. Do you know what you’re going to draw?”
“Yeah, I think so.” And she started to sketch a face she hadn’t seen in years.
When the clock struck one, Kanade rose to her feet and left the room. A door opened, then shut, and quiet footsteps tiptoed their way back to the bedroom. Behind her stood the knight, the one who would come to them at a time no one was watching, the one who seemed to find more comfort in them than any of the people in the kingdom they had sworn to protect.
“I brought cake,” they smirked.
Gathered in a little circle on the floor, they each dug in.
“So- how’s it this time Mafuyu?” Kanade asked, glancing over at the archer. “Does it taste like anything?”
Mafuyu paused, considering the slice of cake before taking another bite, as if to be sure. “No- I guess not, but thank you regardless, Mizuki.”
This happened every time Mizuki decided to get food on her way to visit. Mafuyu had been struggling with a lot of things, long before Ena had even found her barely conscious in the forest, but a persistent problem was her inability to taste anything she ate.
It was like that for a lot of things in Mafuyu’s life, his lyrics seemed to be the only way where he could express himself in ways other than blunt words and actions. At first, it wore Ena out and led to a handful of outbursts on her end, but things had since mellowed out between them.
In fact, Ena was pretty sure Mafuyu had at least one thing she liked. That thing was finding subtle ways to tease Ena.
“Anything for you, Mafuyu,” Mizuki smirked with a wink. Either Mafuyu failed to notice this or simply didn’t care as he immediately looked back down at the cake and took another bite. “Well- it seems this charm doesn’t work on everyone after all.”
“Charm’s a strong word to use.”
“Eh? I’m plenty charming, I’ll have you know. I bet you’re just jealous of my charm.”
“Hah? As if,” Ena rolled her eyes. “Well- whatever, how’s your work been? It’s been a while since you last had the chance to visit.”
“I’ve since changed posts, hence why I’ve been more busy. It’s a shame, Princess Saki’s so nice and I loved being her bodyguard. She would let me try on her dresses when we had free time,” they sighed. “They’ve instead assigned me to protect a detective who’s investigating a supposed rebellion. The detective’s nice and all, but man I miss Saki!”
“It’s odd to think that we share a mutual friend with the princess,” Kanade said. “It’s a shame you’re not working with her anymore, you were a lot happier with her than you have been when it comes to other jobs.”
“Yeah, you’re right there. It’s nice, just being able to protect someone. Most of my other work actively involves hurting people…”
“I understand that.”
They all glanced at Mafuyu, who’s plate was now as empty as her expression. It was rare for him to talk about his own experience as a knight, it was something he had long forsaken and not a life he ever intended on returning to.
“It’s why I like it here,” she continued. “I can help people who are hurt and when it comes down to it, I can prevent people from getting hurt at all. It’s warm here...”
That got them all smiling.
Even the corners of Mafuyu’s lips seemed to twitch upwards when he finally looked up to see the other’s beaming expressions.
When Mafuyu said something made her feel warm, it was the highest possible compliment she could give.
With their cake all eaten, Kanade reached over to her bed to pick up her lyre once more and began plucking at its strings. She could always fill the room with such beautiful music. Maybe, in another life, she would’ve been a bard. Ena always wanted to see what would happen if you put Kanade and her lyre in front of a crowd.
And as always, they all began to sing along.
They knew to keep their voices low as only a few rooms over, their mentor slept. She has found Ena when those horns first grew on her head, when she was nothing more than a shaking and sobbing child, and she had cared for her ever since, eventually taking in Mafuyu and Kanade upon Ena’s insistence. Even with her aloof nature, Ena couldn’t help but notice that the demon Meiko was a better parent to her than her father ever was.
Though she wasn’t sure if Meiko would ever want to be called a parent, after all she was always first to adamantly correct anyone who assumed the two were at all related. Granted, Ena could never entirely blame the people who made that mistake. Both had brown hair and eyes and both had those horns that most seemed to take several steps back upon seeing.
They were in all other ways very different people.
Ena had always been short tempered and emotional meanwhile Meiko was as expressive as Mafuyu. So- not at all. Despite that, they got along well. Perhaps it was because they balanced each other out.
“Mizuki- your voice sounds a little strained. Are you well?” Mafuyu asked in between songs.
“Ah- there he goes, always picking up on things like this. I just have a slight cold. If it gets worse, I’ll be sure to let you all know.”
“You better. Kanade passes out enough for all four of us, we don’t need to read about you fainting during some deadly battle or whatever,” Ena sighed. “Actually- I read about the knights that graduated from their training the other day. Have you met any of them?”
“One of them’s been paired up with me for this investigation, actually. He’s a bit grumpy - a bit like you, Ena - and it seems he and the detective are already acquainted so I do feel a little like a…”
“Third wheel?” Mafuyu offered.
“Yeah- I guess. Though I usually associate that term with romance and as far as I’m aware there’s nothing going on between them. In fact, the detective’s interests seem to lie elsewhere, she won’t stop gushing about a girl called Kohane. Part of me wants to track her down to find out what all the hype’s about.”
Mizuki recited every compliment the detective had given this Kohane girl and every time Ena thought she was done, she added yet another compliment to the list. She was beginning to think she had to be either some perfect fairytale princess or a literal goddess, Ena couldn’t imagine being able to compliment someone even half as much as the detective seemed to. Especially considering Mizuki had only been assigned to the detective for a few days at this point.
Granted, Ena was never considered a particularly friendly person. Not to say she was outright rude, but some may argue that the diary entry of Mafuyu’s Ena once found that called her ‘stubborn and irritable’ wasn’t far from accurate.
The respect and love she felt for her friends wasn’t to be understated, sometimes it felt too big to even fit in her chest, but she fought to keep those feelings locked down inside her. She couldn’t afford to let herself get overwhelmed by them.
However, she couldn’t ignore them entirely. Every time Mizuki would rise from their place on the floor - a solemn smile on their face - and announce that it was time for them to leave, Ena’s chest would ache. Mizuki had sworn her allegiance to the Tenma kingdom, she would not be able to leave their duty behind until officially excused and would be punished greatly otherwise, but all that made Ena want to do was confront King Tenma head on and give him a piece of her mind.
Of course, she’d never actually do that. That would require entering the walls of the capital city, that would require being in close proximity to a life she hadn’t lived since the age of ten.
Mizuki must’ve noticed her frown as they said, “I’ll bring you some of those paints I was telling you about next time. The new rookie said they were high quality, and given his father’s the royal painter I think I believe him.”
The royal painter?
Before Ena could think to ask any questions, Mizuki had turned to Mafuyu and Kanade to say their goodbyes.
Perhaps she was lucky she didn’t catch the shocked expression she wore. As curious as Ena had now become about this rookie knight, the last thing she wanted was to have any unnecessary ties to her past.
Her home was here, everything she ever wanted was right here.
So why did it feel like there was a gaping hole in her chest?
Maybe it was because Mizuki couldn’t yet call this place home. Or maybe it was because Mafuyu had yet to fully discover who Mafuyu really was. Or maybe it’s because Kanade - as much as she tried to hide it - was so clearly haunted by the ghosts of her past.
Or maybe, just maybe…
Her sketchbook lay wide open on her bed.
The face she hadn’t seen in years wouldn’t look like that anymore. How old would he be now? Eighteen? Nineteen? Meanwhile, her sketch was of a boy many years younger, the faint recollection of the eight-year-old boy who’d follow her around like a lost puppy.
Maybe that was an unfair comparison. After all, he was afraid of dogs, wasn’t he? Was he still afraid of dogs?
“Ena…” She visibly flinched at Mafuyu’s voice, so completely lost in her own world she forgot the other two were still in the room with her. “You look tired, you should get some rest.”
Normally, Ena would be quick to retort, to tell Mafuyu to mind her business. But she was tired, and tiredness mixed with whatever strange emotions she was feeling looking at that sketch was a combo destined for disaster.
“Yeah, I think I’m gonna retire for the night. I don’t mind if you two stay awake, as long as you keep it down.”
It was a somewhat unfortunate predicament that the three were crammed into the same room. Long ago, it belonged solely to Ena. However, since she convinced Meiko to let Kanade and Mafuyu stay with them, she was forced to deal with the consequences. Meiko’s home only had two bedrooms after all.
Kanade and Mafuyu shared a somewhat rickety bunk bed at one side of the room, whilst on the opposite side Ena slept in the same bed Meiko had built for her when she first arrived here.
They had a curtain down the middle of the room, plus an extra one around the bottom bunk so that they wouldn’t be a nuisance to one another when choosing to stay up late.
“I was going to read for a bit,” Kanade said, settling down on the bottom bunk. “Rest up, okay Ena?”
Well, she couldn’t say no to Kanade.
She pulled the curtain around her bunk, obscuring her from sight.
“And you?”
Mafuyu stood in between the two beds, arms crossed clearly considering the question. Ena thought it would be a pretty cut-and-dry question, but Mafuyu had a habit of overthinking things.
After a moment, he leaned in towards Ena, eyeing the bottom bunk where Kanade sat hidden from sight. “I had a nightmare last night, I think,” she whispered, her eyebrows subtly furrowing.
Kanade was the definition of a worry wart, and the last thing Mafuyu wanted to do was cause her more stress, so she had a habit of attempting to hide things like this from her.
The first time Mafuyu told Ena about his nightmares, she shrugged and asked what she was meant to do about it. That was - as Ena would later reluctantly admit - mean and dismissive of her, so when Mafuyu next confronted her about them she wracked her brain on what she’d do about nightmares when she was younger.
It was around then that Ena first sarcastically suggested Mafuyu sleeping with Ena in her bed. And as a result, Mafuyu (who would rotate between not picking up on sarcasm and refusing to acknowledge it) had dropped into her bed without a second thought.
Since then, it had become something of a routine when Mafuyu would have a nightmare. Ena would even start asking for her when she was faced with her own bad dreams.
“Come on then,” Ena sighed, shuffling to the edge of her bed. The bed wasn’t huge so when they did share not only was it a bit of a squeeze, but Ena would have to place the many old stuffed animals she had collected onto the floor to make more room.
Once her and Mafuyu had settled into place, Ena clicked her fingers and the candles lighting the room all blew out. The faintest light seeped through the cracks around Kanade’s curtain, but not enough to impact Ena’s sleep at all.
“Goodnight, Ena,” Mafuyu muttered, bundling up beside her.
“Goodnight, Mafuyu.”
Chapter Text
It had been almost a year since Mizuki started visiting Ena and the others at night, and yet their heart still raced each time they returned to the palace grounds to sneak back in. Long ago, she had forged a secret little passage that made it easy to reach the knights’ quarters without being seen. Even though it had lasted so long without anyone blocking it off, Mizuki still feared someone would find it whilst they were out and they’d have to find some kind of excuse as to why they were sneaking out of the palace at night.
At best, she’d get a slap on the wrist and her visits would become a lot more difficult and likely less frequent. At worst, they’d possibly be assumed to be aiding in the rebellion and that could be enough for them to lose their head, or so the rumours say.
Lots of seemingly average people had been under close watch or even arrested for being suspected rebels. Mizuki hoped this detective would finish their investigation as soon as possible if only to stop innocent people from being wrongfully accused. Because Mizuki knew some of the accusations just had to be wrong.
After all, humans loved to point fingers at anything that was even the slightest bit inhuman.
The knights’ quarters were perfectly silent - thank gods - and Mizuki was quite easily able to tiptoe in and change into her nightgown. Luckily, their little trips outside the capital were always effective in draining their energy and helping to battle their likely insomnia.
She clambered up to her bunk, bundling up in her quilt to fight off the midwinter cold. They just hoped Kanade, Mafuyu and Ena were all warm enough. Maybe next time she visited, she’d bring some cocoa powder to make them some hot chocolate with.
The moment they closed their eyes, Mizuki could picture the way Ena frowned as they left. Ena never liked being particularly genuine about her emotions, but that’s not to say she never slipped up and dropped the act.
Truthfully, Mizuki wanted nothing more than to run back to the little cottage in the woods. She wanted to beg Miss Meiko to let her stay there for good and promise that she’ll use her strength to protect their community in return. Yet at the same time, the thought of doing just that made their heart pound in their chest, and they were pretty sure it wasn’t excitement they were feeling.
Even if abandoning their position wasn’t considered some form of treason, Mizuki had to admit she was terrified by the idea of making that part of her life so permanent.
The last thing Mizuki wanted was to dwell on all those feelings at half two in the morning, so they squeezed their eyes tightly shut and shoved all those messy thoughts into the back of their mind.
She dreamed of Yuuki, safe and living peacefully a few towns over. Even that didn’t feel like a life they deserved, but knowing their sister was away from harm made their chest warm.
“Ah- um- Akiyama-”
Her eyes flashed open, long strands of soft pink hair plastered across her cheeks. They didn’t even have to look in a mirror to know they had a seriously bad case of bedhead.
Rubbing her eyes, Mizuki glanced down at the knight stood beside her bed. Hoshino Ichika: a promising new knight who had already proven herself to be terrible at hiding her admiration for the infamous travelling bard, Hatsune Miku.
“Sorry to wake you early, but Shinonome said he wanted to talk to you.”
Mizuki blinked long and hard.
“Who?” Maybe they were just tired still.
“Uh- the one assigned to the detective with you. Shinonome Akito, ginger hair, about this tall-”
“Oh, right, lil bro!” She started referring to him as such the moment they were assigned to the same job. Despite them being around the same age, Shinonome was a recently graduated knight which made Mizuki feel like they were being made to babysit him. The boy was inexperienced at best, gaining him the nickname of ‘lil bro’.
Then she glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned.
“What does he want this early in the morning?” It was five o’clock, and Mizuki was supposed to have at least another hour until they needed to get up. In fact, most of the other knights in their quarters were still fast asleep, even Hoshino was still in her nightgown.
“He said something about someone called An, that she wanted to meet with the two of you as soon as possible.”
Shiraishi An was the detective the two were assigned to protect and assist. She and Shinonome already appeared to be acquainted, which certainly didn't help Mizuki who so frequently felt like an outsider. That’s not to say they were intentionally excluding them, simply that by nature Mizuki would miss certain inside jokes or not know who they were talking about sometimes.
“Can you tell him I’ll be just a moment?”
The last thing she wanted to do was face Shinonome on two and a half hours of sleep, but the idea of souring their relationship with the person she’d be stuck working with for at least the next few weeks sounded even worse.
They had planned to shower that morning and whilst showering now would give them the perfect opportunity to do so with complete privacy, they predicted that Shinonome would already get pissy with them just for spending too long brushing their hair. If she was going to have to face someone so grumpy this early in the morning, she should probably avoid getting on his nerves as much as possible.
“Hoshino said you wanted me.” As they walked out the sleeping quarters, they tied their hair up with the ribbon Yuuki gave them all those years ago. Shinonome Akito stood leaning against one of the walls, arms crossed and an obviously bored expression on his face.
He was a relatively tall boy with fiery ginger hair and eyes that seemed to shift from green to grey to gold depending on the lighting. The son of the royal painter, Shinonome Shinei, it surprised many people that he chose to pursue the path of knighthood. However, everyone had their own reasons for becoming a knight, and Mizuki was never one to judge.
“An said she found something interesting, wanted to show it to us before the streets got too busy.” He paused, looking Mizuki up and down. “You look like shit.”
“Aha- yeah, stayed up late reading last night. I hadn’t realised how late it had gotten and then boom, it was like two o’clock. It’s safe to say I haven’t gotten much sleep,” they laughed, attempting to play it off as casual as possible. Luckily, Mizuki had gotten decently good at lying over the years, and this was one they started to tell often. Even if she had her usual wake up time of six, the hours of sleep she’d have gotten would’ve still been abysmal.
They shuddered thinking how Yuuki would react to such a thing.
“We’ll find somewhere to get some coffee after An shows us whatever she found. C’mon, let’s go.”
He seemed surprisingly less irritable than usual, especially considering they were both up so early. Maybe it was that Mizuki herself was being less irritating.
“Woah, Akiyama, you look exhausted!” Shiraishi gasped when they arrived at their meeting point. “I feel bad now, but I was so worried that I’d struggle to find it again with how busy it gets around here. I know- I’ll treat you to a coffee at my dad’s later, on the house.”
Mizuki had no clue how she was so energetic in the morning. Even with a full night’s sleep, Mizuki used to skip the morning of her knight’s training so often she was almost kicked out of the training program.
“Thanks, Shiraishi, I appreciate it.”
“Oi- enough blabbering, what’s this thing you found?” Shinonome huffed, his breath fogging up in the cold air. “It better be worth waking up so early.”
“Right- yes, this way!”
Mizuki quite liked the city when it was this quiet, the streets so empty and the sky still dark. They would often dawdle and detour on the way back from visiting the others. Well- until the fear set in that she’d get caught, which would send her rushing straight back to the palace.
Now, they wouldn’t have to worry about that fear. Not only did they not need to rush back, but they were quite literally out on duty. She was serving this kingdom, just as she promised King Tenma she would.
“Over here!” Shiraishi called, rushing ahead into an alleyway. She squatted down by one of the walls, asking Akito for the lantern which he carried. “Look- there are some sort of magic symbols. It’s clearly some kind of spell, likely one that can be activated from a distance, and that’s worrying to say the least.”
Mizuki perched down beside her, examining the symbols closely. Their eyes widened when they realised they weren’t drawn in chalk or ink, but instead: “Blood?”
There was a distinct red tint to it.
“You think?” Shinonome asked, peering over from above them.
“They’re right! I’ll have to get a sample of this, but first…” She grabbed a notebook and pencil from her bag, shoving it in Shinonome’s hands and ordering him to copy the symbols into it.
“Why me?” He grumbled, crouching between Shiraishi and Mizuki to get a closer look.
“Because you’ve got that artist blood in you, duh,” she grinned. Her smirk grew wider when Shinonome scribbled out what he’d drawn so far and flipped to a new page.
“You’ve got bard blood in you yet I don’t go around getting you to sing out of nowhere.” After a few more attempts, he was seemingly satisfied with what he sketched out. “We’ll have to find out what this symbol does. The palace library has lots of spell books, but it’s still gonna be a pain in the ass to identify.”
“Well if it was drawn in blood, it’s probably some kind of dark magic,” Mizuki said as Shiraishi began to collect a sample. “That should narrow down our search significantly.”
“Ooh, I didn’t know you knew anything about magic. That should help us a lot though, means we won’t waste our time searching in the wrong place. Now…” Shiraishi stared down at the symbol once more. “The placement of this feels fishy, especially considering the location. I say we destroy the symbol and station some undercover knights nearby to keep an eye out for anyone who might try to replace it. As for this blood sample, if we find any more than we can compare to see if they’re done by the same person.”
For someone so young, only nineteen years old like both Mizuki and Shinonome, Shiraishi was surprisingly rational when it came to her work. Mizuki would’ve just destroyed it and called it a day. Whilst Shiraishi left to request some knights they could assign to the area for the day, Mizuki and Shinonome remained crouched by the symbol.
The silence between them was heavy and so painfully awkward, it made Mizuki want to scream just so something interesting would happen.
“So-” Shinonome said, cracking his knuckles. “We’re the same age, yet you’ve been a knight for a while. What made you want to become one so young?”
Mizuki immediately wished he had stayed silent.
“It’s uh, complicated. There’s lots of factors, really.” Most of the time, if you knew why a knight joined it’s because they chose to tell you themself, not because you asked. Maybe Shinonome was unaware of that etiquette, given he was such a newbie, but that didn’t make the question any more comfortable to try to answer. “I suppose the main one would be that my older sister did a lot for me when I was younger, and working here means I can financially support her to live a safe and comfortable life. She runs a lovely boutique a few towns over. She’s the most talented seamstress I think I’ve ever met.”
It was a grossly oversimplified version of the story, but certainly enough that it seemed to satisfy Shinonome.
“What about you, lil bro?” She winked, figuring it only fair they asked in return. “I mean- your father’s the royal painter, it seems bizarre you’d choose a job like this.”
He pouted slightly, clearly realising just how Mizuki felt when asked the same question. “My older sister went missing ten years ago, it was during the war against the Hinomoris. My parents did everything they could to try and find her, even if that meant finding her corpse, but there was never any sign of her. Part of me thinks that…” He paused, clasping his hands together in front of him. “If she’s still alive, then I’ll find her. And no matter what, I’ll make sure nothing like that happens to anyone ever again.”
Seemed they both cared a lot for their sisters.
“I’m sure, regardless of where she is, she’d be proud of you.”
He let out a gentle laugh. “Maybe… maybe she’d just be happy to see that I followed my own dream, rather than whatever my old man figured was best for me.”
The silence returned, simultaneously more awkward yet more comfortable. Opening up to each other about anything would likely prove beneficial, given they were stuck working together, but the topic they stumbled into was certainly a sore one.
Mizuki pushed themself to their feet, pacing back and forth in order to do anything other than sit in awkward silence. She’d walk the width and length of the alleyway, hoping that some mild exercise might wake her up a little more.
As they reached the end that went out onto the street, someone collided straight into them.
“Oh- gods- my bad,” she immediately said, taking a step back from the stranger. “I should’ve been looking where I was going, are you-?”
They cut themself off when the stranger’s golden eyes met theirs.
She couldn’t get a word in before the purple haired figure turned around and left.
“What happened there?” Shinonome asked, appearing behind them.
“I- I just bumped into someone, that’s all. I don’t think either of us were looking where we were going,” they forced out, voice shaking slightly.
It was an obvious lie, but as Shinonome went to question her, a voice called their names from down the road.
“They’ll have some knights here any minute now, so once they arrive we can head over to the café and get you two something to eat and drink,” Shiraishi beamed as she approached. “Oh? Is everything alright here?”
“Well-”
“All good, nothing to worry about here,” Mizuki grinned. If they could just match Shiraishi’s energy, then maybe Shinonome would eventually give up on trying to figure out what’s wrong. “Now- what kind of food does your dad sell at his café?”
Shinonome didn’t need to know that Mizuki recognised the one who bumped into her. He didn’t need to know that - more likely than not - said person was likely coming to check on the very thing they just destroyed.
After all these years, this wasn’t the way they expected to reunite with him.
Notes:
Fun fact: although there’s pretty clear card inspirations for each of the characters in this AU, I have been working on my own designs for them.
Niigo are designed and you can find them here on my Twitter:
https://x.com/beanie_baby0218/status/1838648611573280896?s=46&t=9kl-UpH4XdBfUQt_jy49rg(I have also since updated Mizuki’s pronouns to be she/they. Apologies for any confusion)
I’ll design An, Akito, Meiko and others at some point and I’ll probably continue to post art and doodles related to the AU on my Twitter if you are interested :)
Also as stated in the tags, the characters are all slightly aged up. The 3rd years are all 19/20 and the 2nd years are all 18/19, just to clarify
Chapter Text
Mafuyu was always the first to wake up. She was quite certain it was as a result of the routine drilled into her back when she was still a knight, but she was also quite fond of quiet mornings.
As was common when they shared a bed, Ena had fallen asleep with her arms draped around Mafuyu, gently snoring as she held him like he was a giant teddy bear. Getting out of bed like this was easily the most challenging part of Mafuyu’s day. Not because Ena was particularly strong, but she was just so warm.
When she did finally escape, she stepped out into the hallway where there was a faint chatter that could be heard from downstairs. Meiko must’ve been awake, and she must’ve had some kind of visitor.
Mafuyu wasn’t sure how socially acceptable it would be to confront Meiko’s visitor in his pyjamas. Ena and Kanade seemed to do it with no problem, but more often than not Mafuyu was already fully dressed for the day by the time anyone came by the cottage. Plus, her mother would’ve certainly disapproved of such a thing.
Ena would argue that it just gave Mafuyu all the more reason to do it, but Ena liked to disagree with anything and everything his mother used to say.
She shook her head, pacing down the hall to the bathroom where she splashed her face and brushed her teeth. At least now, since he cut his hair several months ago, Mafuyu didn’t feel violently ill when he looked in the mirror.
“You know, Mafuyu, you’re looking more and more like your mother each day.”
Of course her father meant no harm when he said that, of course he meant it as a compliment, comparing one person he loved to another. That didn’t stop it from feeling like a punch in the gut. Even back then, when Mafuyu was so certain he was happy with his life, it felt like the worst thing anyone could ever tell him.
Returning to the bedroom, Mafuyu rummaged through the set of drawers that had since been claimed as hers to find a change of clothes. Kanade described Mafuyu’s taste in fashion as androgynous, Ena said it was boy-ish and Mizuki called it handsome, though he was yet to figure out why exactly these clothes spoke to him the way they did.
“Good morning, Meiko.” Mafuyu buttoned up her waistcoat as she emerged into the kitchen, where Meiko sat at the dining table seemingly talking to the table itself. Upon taking a seat beside her, he realised she’d been talking to the little pixie - Rin.
Little was perhaps an understatement. She was about the size of Mafuyu’s hand, with little moth-like wings that twitched and fluttered even as she sat down on the table, looking up at Meiko. Ena was good friends with the pixie, or so Mafuyu assumed as neither of them seemed to ever refer to each other as such.
On the other hand, Mafuyu was better acquainted with the pixie’s twin brother, a similarly blonde haired and blue eyed little creature who would frequently turn to Mafuyu for assistance. Len would often find himself in trouble, or otherwise get startled by things much bigger than him, and Mafuyu seemed to be the one he trusted the most in those moments. He even seemed to be startled by Rin sometimes.
“He normally finds his way back with no problem, but I’ve heard rumours about hunters in the area and he’s not exactly the most aware of his surroundings,” Rin sighed, crossing her arms. “I didn’t think I’d be particularly good at searching for him alone, though.”
“I can help,” Mafuyu said, the pixie finally glancing over at him. “If you show me the general direction you think he’s gone, then-”
As Mafuyu began to rise to her feet, Meiko’s hand landed on her back and gently pushed her back into the chair. “You’ve just woken up, no need to push yourself this early in the morning,” she said, her voice flat and smooth. “I’ll go with Rin. There’s some tea left if you want any.”
Meiko was someone Mafuyu could never fully understand. She was standoffish and liked to keep her distance, yet she also took three wayward kids under her wing and worked to support the monsters and magical creatures in their little community.
She’d never refer to herself as such, but she was the closest thing they had to a chief or a mayor.
If he understood correctly, it all started with Ena. Meiko seemingly had been living in this house longer than Mafuyu had been alive, but the houses and nooks and nests and all the little places the creatures of this forest called home appeared to have popped up after Meiko took her in. Ena said it had been ten years they’d been living together, and Mafuyu couldn’t help but wonder how much those ten years changed Meiko as a person.
After all, it had been four years since Mafuyu had found herself living this life. How much had he changed? In some ways, she didn’t feel anything like the good girl she once was. In others, he felt stagnant, trapped in one place like a statue.
“Ah- Mafuyu- good morning,” Kanade yawned, dragging herself to the table. “Where’s Meiko?”
“Helping out Rin. Len’s gotten lost again and Rin’s worried about hunters,” she explained, hands clasped together in front of her.
Monster hunters had been a thorn in their little community’s side even before its conception. Humans who looked at any magical creature like they were inherently dangerous, humans who would kill or capture them just for the sake of reward.
Very few of the kingdoms were ever kind to magical beings. The Hinomori Kingdom certainly wasn’t, not generally at least. Of course there were exceptions, but there’s always exceptions. Mafuyu never thought of himself as an exception until the first time he ever laid eyes upon one.
It was harmless, it was hurting, and the world wanted Mafuyu to hurt it even more.
Even those that look almost entirely human were at risk. Kanade with her slightly pointed ears were all that was needed to mark her as a witch, a being seemingly human par for the magic running through their veins.
Humans didn’t have magic, they drew it from the world around them and used their blood to do it. Typically, that just meant they’d lose blood when casting spells - usually in the form of a nosebleed - but apparently dark magic required spells to be drawn out with blood.
Magic was directly harmful to humans, Mafuyu knew that well, so why were they as a species so set on monopolising it? Why did they attempt to wipe out all magical beings just to have their magic be the most superior?
“I hope she’s careful, her horns are so distinct that she might be spotted easily. It’s early though, so hopefully there aren’t any hunters in the area,” Kanade said, her voice soft and whispery.
“I should’ve gone too, I would’ve been able to protect her.”
Kanade raised her eyebrows, then let out a gentle laugh. Giving Mafuyu’s hand a gentle squeeze, she said, “Meiko’s magic is strong enough to keep her safe. Plus- she went alone for a reason, didn’t she?” When Mafuyu remained silent, perhaps out of slight embarrassment - she was never sure - Kanade rose to her feet and headed for the kitchen counters. “Let’s make some tea, shall we?”
Yoisaki Kanade was a girl with an almost scraggly figure. Thin, somewhat bony limbs and pale skin had her looking like some sort of ghoul half the time. And in a way, Kanade was a ghost of her old self. She was soft spoken, gentle handed, with a heart so big Mafuyu thought it must’ve hurt.
“I’m heading out into the city later.” Mafuyu remained silent, eyeing Kanade as she poured the tea into a pair of mugs. “I know you’re worried, but I owe my dad a visit.”
“Be sure to wear your hat.”
Everyone - even Mizuki, who lived there - felt uneasy when Kanade went on her monthly visit to the capital city. Whilst she wasn’t obviously inhuman, there were enough aspects of her that if examined too closely might raise suspicions in some. She’d never been caught in the several years since she started living here, but that didn’t make it feel any less dangerous.
Kanade’s hat was a gift from Mizuki, apparently created by their sister on their request. It kept Kanade’s pointed ears hidden, and she’d only remove it upon entering her father’s hospital room.
The nurses and doctors all knew her family well, according to Kanade, so they never batted an eye when it came to her ears. Whilst her father was human, Kanade’s witch lineage came from her mother who passed away when she was a child. Apparently, those same doctors and nurses cared for her when she was ill and helped her go as painlessly as possible.
Kanade never really talked about her mother, the same went for Ena. Perhaps Mafuyu was glad for that. She always dreaded questions about her own mother, so the fact that conversation would never seem to go in that direction worked in her favour.
“I’d never forget my hat.”
“Except for the one time you did.” They heard her voice before they even saw her face. Ena entered the kitchen, bed head and all, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “You should’ve seen the way Len panicked when he saw it still there, he thought you were going to get yourself killed. Huh- where’s Meiko?”
“Len’s gotten lost again. Rin was worried and asked for help.”
“Ah- shouldn’t be surprised.” Ena sat down beside Mafuyu - where Meiko was sat before - stretching out and yawning once again. Usually, she’d be the kind to sleep in until much later, so it was strange having her beside him and Kanade for breakfast. Maybe it was because Mafuyu urged her to go to sleep earlier the night before. “Is there enough of that tea for one more?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Ena, this is the last of it. I can brew another pot if you want-”
“No, no, don’t bother, Kanade. I’ll just steal some of Mafuyu’s.”
Mafuyu’s brows furrowed. “What makes you think I’d let you do that?”
Ena grinned. “Well I’m not going to steal Kanade’s tea, am I? And I can’t just make her brew a whole new pot for me, that wouldn’t be fair.”
“You’re perfectly capable of brewing one yourself.”
“That would be a waste,” Ena argued.
The two could’ve easily continued going back and forth for a good while longer, but Kanade - the angel that she was - quite quickly found a compromise of pouring some of both of the mugs’ content into a new one for Ena. That way she’d be ‘stealing’ from both of them.
As they all sat down with their tea, the front door swung open, Meiko pacing inside with Rin fluttering behind her. In Meiko’s hands, Len sat curled up in a ball, he wings drooped downwards as his entire body shook with fear.
“Is he okay?” Kanade asked, eyes wide as Meiko placed him on a little cushion on the table. “Did the hunters-?”
“No, he managed to hurt himself whilst trying to hide from some, which sent him into a bit of a panic,” Rin said, landing beside the cushion. “Len- if you let me see your arm I might be able to help.”
He shook his little blonde head.
Mafuyu took the final sip of her tea before gently pulling the cushion towards her. “Len, are you okay?”
He sniffled slightly before raising his head, his turquoise eyes brimming with tears. “Mafuyu…?”
She nodded. “You hurt yourself, didn’t you? Can I have a look?”
There was a gash across his arm- not deep but long enough that Mafuyu could see why it startled him. He knew he’d be able to clean up the wound, even despite their size difference, but he had to hope Len would calm down enough for Rin to bandage it.
Mafuyu’s parents always assumed she was naturally gifted in healing magic. But humans aren’t naturally gifted in magic at all, rather Mafuyu would slowly eat away at herself to heal other’s wounds. It was killing him.
But here, no one expected one of the few humans around to use magic. They simply appreciate his calm demeanour and ability to gently tend to wounds and nurse people back to health. It made them feel warm, apparently. It made Mafuyu feel warm. So much so that she’d walk around with a first aid kit at her hip and would read the books on herbal remedies that Mizuki would find for her.
Mafuyu’s mother wanted him to eradicate the pain others felt.
Mafuyu wanted to help those who couldn’t just escape the pain, to be a steady hand to hold when things hurt and maybe wouldn’t stop hurting for a while. Of course she never wanted anyone to have to hurt, but it’s an inevitable part of life. The least Mafuyu could do was make the pain less cold.
“Here, let me clean that up for you.”
Chapter Text
Something about Akiyama Mizuki rubbed him the wrong way.
They were friendly, sure, and An seemed to like them just fine but Akito was stuck dwelling on the incident by the alleyway. Maybe it was nothing, it probably was, but Akiyama seemed shaken up by her wordless encounter with the stranger who bumped into her.
Even now, as they added way too much sugar to their coffee and blew on it incessantly in order to cool it down, they seemed almost on edge.
“Do you really need it to cool it down that much?” A laughed when she considered taking a sip only to blow on it again. “It can’t be that hot, mine’s just fine.”
“I don’t cope well with hot food and drink, I used to burn my tongue like once a week if I wasn’t careful,” they replied with an awkward chuckle. “These pancakes are delicious, though. I see why they’re your favourite, lil bro.”
He really had no clue why she called him that. Sure, they were his senior, but none of his other seniors gave him stupid nicknames. It wasn’t even a clever nickname.
“Are you sure we can have these for free, Shiraishi? I’m more than willing to pay.”
“Don’t sweat it, think of it as our reward for finding a clue. And… you can call me An, y’know? Akito and I already refer to each other by first names and I feel like I’m excluding you in a way if I don’t let you do the same.”
“H-huh? Are you sure? I mean- we’ve only known each other for a few days.” She was easily flustered, a surprise given her otherwise cocky and self assured attitude. When An insisted, Akito could’ve sworn he watched his fellow knight blush bright red. “Alright then… An. You can call me Mizuki, then.”
“Okay Mizuki~!”
He couldn’t help but feel they were getting quite off topic. Sure, they were taking a break, but it felt wrong to - at the very least - not discuss their next moves.
“Ahem-” He coughed, the other two glancing his way. “Where do we search next? Given the spell we found, there’s a good chance there are more scattered around the area. I suppose we ought to figure out what they do as well, but we can always get a researcher at the library to look into it for us.”
“We could split up and search the area,” An suggested. “It’s busy enough now that it’s unlikely any rebels would try to target us as we investigate, so we don’t have to worry about safety in numbers.”
Akito raised his eyebrows. “And risk you ending up getting in some sort of trouble? And don’t say you wouldn’t, because you’re notorious for sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Then why don’t I go with An?” Mizuki shrugged. Should he be referring to them as Mizuki? She never gave him explicit permission, only An. “Unless you two want to go together, that is.”
“Ew- as if. I’ll gladly stick with you, Mizuki.” Annoyingly, An didn’t even give him a second to respond. He was hoping for some alone time with her to explain what happened just before she arrived back at the alleyway. By the way Mizuki looked at him, he was certain they knew what he was planning, pairing themself up with An to avoid just that.
Maybe he’d just have to confront Mizuki directly when given the chance. They’d likely end up walking back to the palace together once they were done with work, so perhaps that would be the best time to ask.
An and Mizuki decided they’d investigate North of the spell they found that morning, leaving Akito to investigate South of it. He was quick to find himself getting bored, and despite his uniform he still got strange looks from passersby as he circled buildings and crouched down beside walls. He felt like an idiot, aimlessly searching for something he wasn’t even sure existed. It wasn’t impossible to consider that the spell they found might’ve been the only one.
They’d agreed to meet at noon to update each other on what they found, and when noon arrived both parties had turned up empty handed.
“You’d think we’d find at least a hint or two,” An groaned, crossing her arms as she leant against the wall. “We didn’t even see anyone acting suspicious.”
“It’s possible they spotted us this morning and have decided to play it safe for the rest of the day,” Akito offered, keeping a close eye on Mizuki to see if they’d react. Nothing, not even a flinch. They must’ve composed themself in the time he was gone. “An- have you handed in the blood sample yet?”
“Oh- no! I meant to do that when asking for some knights to watch the area, and we still need to figure out what the spell is. Would you two be able to hand it in as evidence for me? I’ll head to the library and start looking straight away- you said it was dark magic, right Mizuki?”
Neither of them could even get a word in before An handed them the sample and raced off down the road. Akito didn’t even get a chance to say they could’ve gotten one of the researchers at the palace library to do that for them.
This did - however - give him the perfect chance to get some answers out of Mizuki.
“Ah~ even with all my effort I still ended up stuck with just you, huh?” They sighed, immediately walking ahead.
“Oi- don’t walk off without me.”
She didn’t listen, forcing Akito to rush to catch up with her. “What was all that earlier? You’ve been acting weird ever since you bumped into that person.” Well, weirder than usual. Akito always found Mizuki a little odd, ever since they were first assigned to the same job.
“You’re not getting answers out of me that easily, lil bro. I don’t have to tell you anything I don’t want to.”
He crossed his arms.
“What if I did a favour for you? Could I get some answers then?”
They stopped dead in their tracks, hands on their hips as they tapped their foot on the gravel floor. “Hmm… those paints you were talking about the other day.”
“What about them?”
“Where can I get them for cheap?”
She was asking about high quality paints yet assuming she could get them for cheap? If they were an artist, then they’d know that wouldn’t be possible. But why would she be asking for paints if she wasn’t an artist?
They were quick to notice his confusion, adding, “I have a friend who’s an artist and I think she’d really appreciate them. She’s a little down in the dumps at the moment, I want to cheer her up.”
“Well you can’t get them for cheap,” he shrugged.
“Huh?! Doesn’t your dad have any connections I could get them through?”
Even if he did, Akito didn’t want to face the questions that would arise if he suddenly asked his father where he could buy expensive paints. His sister used to love art, she wanted desperately to follow in their father’s footsteps, yet that seemed to be the last thing he wanted her to do.
But the thought of his father gave him an idea.
“He’s got quite a lot of them, he’s a bit of a hoarder when it comes to supplies,” Akito said. Mizuki raised their eyebrows, then gestured for him to continue. “I’m sure he wouldn’t notice if I took a pack of them. But what would I get in return?”
“I’ll truthfully answer one question.”
“Bullshit, make it three.”
“What? No way!”
“I’m giving you expensive paints for free.”
“Fine, two questions. Deal?”
He rolled his eyes as Mizuki held her hand out. “Deal, I suppose.”
That would have to wait until later though, as An would definitely start complaining if they went off on their own detour when she asked them to do something for her. Granted, she’d probably take a while searching for the spell and it would probably take even longer to get permission to even look at the dark magic books. Of course the average citizen wasn’t allowed to read them, they contained detailed diagrams and descriptions of spells inherently considered dangerous.
Akito was surprised Mizuki even knew it was dark magic. Akito himself certainly didn’t know that being drawn with blood was the defining characteristic of dark magic, yet Mizuki knew it in an instant. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to waste one of his two questions on asking how she knew that. After all, there’s a high likelihood they just read about it in a book or learnt it during their time as a knight.
The list of strange things about Akiyama Mizuki just kept growing.
Their supposed “multitude of reasons” for becoming a knight; the way they were so startled after seemingly just bumping into someone; their knowledge of dark magic; their obvious complete lack of sleep. Even the artist friend she spoke about somehow added to her elusiveness. As far as he was aware, Mizuki’s life seemed quite centred around their knighthood, and frankly they didn’t seem to have many friends outside of their ranks.
Maybe that was harsh though. Mizuki was odd but kind and cheery, she seemed like the kind of person who should be able to make friends easily. It’s possible they weren’t too interested in making friends.
Regardless, her artist friend clearly existed - since Mizuki’s lack of knowledge of the arts was blatant - and Akito was going to get those paints for her. Even if it meant only receiving two answers, two was better than none.
“Well, we’ve dropped off the blood sample. Should we head back to An?”
“Honestly, I think she’d rather research it alone. Too many people looking over too many different books is bound to get confusing,” he said. “She’ll be at it for a while and my father’s probably busy, now’s the best chance to go.”
“You’re taking me with you?!”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I dunno- I just- I’m basically a commoner, should I really be entering your family’s fancy home?”
Akiyama Mizuki was ‘basically a commoner’, another thing to add to the list about them forming in Akito’s mind. He considered writing it all down once work was done for the day.
“Weren’t you assigned to the literal princess before this? It’s no big deal anyways, we’re new money in comparison to most other noble families. My dad’s status as royal painter is the only reason we have the money we do.”
It didn’t seem to ease her nerves in the slightest, but at least it convinced Mizuki to come along with him. The whole journey back home, Mizuki would follow a few steps behind and grumble to themself about all the fancy houses they walked past. He couldn’t entirely blame her, seeing as he never felt entirely at ease in high society even after growing up in it.
His home was certainly more humble than those that surrounded it, but he understood that the average person wouldn’t even consider calling it humble. He remembered An’s reaction to first seeing it, Kohane’s too.
Mizuki remained tense as they approached the front entrance, even going so far as having their hand hovering over the handle of their sword. Akito somewhat wanted to snatch it from her, afraid she’d panic and pull it out on some poor servant.
“His storage room’s on the ground floor, so don’t worry about having to go too far through the house. He should be out at the moment, though my mother might be home.”
“And what’s she like?” They squeaked out, one of the first things they said to him since they began their journey home.
“She’s fine, a perfectly normal mother, I promise.”
She pressed her lips together into a thin line, as if she was trying to hold back what she wanted to say, and followed him inside.
Their eyes immediately landed on the family painting that hung in the entrance hall. Normally, it would’ve been replaced with a new one following Akito’s eighteenth birthday. But this painting was ten years old.
It was one of the few paintings in the house not painted by his father, instead a close friend of his.
“That’s your sister, isn’t it?” Mizuki said.
He nodded wordlessly.
A slight smile crept onto their face, one that immediately faded when a voice called Akito’s name.
“Akito, what a surprise this is.” His mother beamed, beckoning the two of them into the sitting room. Mizuki very stiffly made her way inside, glancing nervously at the woman. “And I thought you weren’t going to visit us for a while. It’s a shame your father isn’t here.”
He had to stop himself from sighing in relief.
“Oh? Is this a friend?”
He nodded. Friend probably wasn’t the best word to describe their relationship, given Mizuki was making him do a favour for them just so he could get some answers. But it worked for these purposes. “Mum, this is Akiyama Mizuki, a fellow knight. They're my senior, having worked as one for a few years now.”
“Mizuki, eh? What a pleasure it is to meet you, Akito doesn’t bring many friends to visit. Granted, poor An and Kohane got all startled when you dragged them here. I can’t blame them, I was all uneasy when we first got this house.”
“I must admit, I can’t help but feel a little uneasy too. Apart from the palace - which I view as my workplace - I’ve never been in a house so big,” Mizuki chuckled. “It is lovely, though. The paintings are all incredible, though I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Akito knew she’d settle down after getting to talk to his mother. She was a soothing enough presence that you’d quickly forget just how daunting your surroundings were.
“Yes, Shinei gets all embarrassed about me putting them up, but I wouldn’t be able to look at them so easily otherwise.”
“May I ask who painted the one in the entryway? I assume it wasn’t him, given he’s in it.”
“Ah- the family portrait: that was painted by his friend Yukihira. He offered to repaint it for us now that Akito’s all grown up, but…” She paused, hands clasped together in her lap. “We lost our daughter long ago. That painting was done only a few months before her death, so Shinei’s insistent on not replacing it. He doesn’t even want another family portrait elsewhere.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that…”
“Don’t be silly, dear. It was a long time ago, I just hope Ena’s at peace now.”
Akito could’ve sworn he watched Mizuki’s eyes widen, but their expression returned to normalcy so quickly he couldn’t be sure.
“Oh- you must’ve invited Mizuki here for a reason and here I am bothering you both. My apologies for interrupting, I’ll be in my study if you need me.”
He was glad she didn’t ask any questions about why exactly Mizuki was here. He assumed she wouldn’t make a huge deal about him taking some of his father’s many supplies, but he still didn’t want to risk it.
“Here, this is the storage closet,” he said, lightly shoving Mizuki inside.
“Closet? This is bigger than any bedroom I’ve ever had!”
The paints were an easy find, thank gods, and just as he predicted there were enough spares that no one would notice a pack disappearing. As Mizuki placed the box in their bag, Akito leant against the wall and asked his first question.
“Did you know the man you bumped into?”
Mizuki froze.
“Yes.”
Only one more question. He knew he had to make it count.
“Do you think he was involved with the rebels’ plans?”
She nodded this time.
“Then who-?”
“Ah-ah- I told you two questions and that’s all you’re getting. We had a deal and we’ve both fulfilled our halves of it.”
As Mizuki began to head for the door, Akito instinctively grabbed them by the wrist. “You’re hiding the identity of a rebel, I could easily get you arrested for treason if you don’t tell me.”
Silence.
Now - when her hand was no longer nervously hovering by it - was when Mizuki drew her sword.
It landed just inches from Akito’s throat.
“I wouldn’t give you the chance.”
Their expression was fierce, something he never would’ve anticipated from the bubbly and irritating knight they typically appear to be.
A few more seconds of silence passed before she returned her sword to its sheath. “Sorry- but I need you to realise that I’m not going to let that happen.”
Neither of them said a word as they headed back towards the entrance. Mizuki spared the family portrait one last glance, staring intently at Ena’s slightly bored expression. He was always amused by the fact Yukihira chose to paint it when he easily could’ve painted her smiling instead.
“Mizuki?”
“Let’s get back to An.”
Chapter Text
None of Kanade’s friends were particularly fond of her monthly ventures into the capital city. Despite living on the outskirts, none of the others - barring Mizuki - had any reason or desire to enter the city’s walls. Kanade, on the other hand, had made a promise to visit her sickly father once a month.
The hospital he stayed at was small but in the depths of the city. It felt more adjacent to a regular doctor’s office, but it had a handful of patients that stayed there long term. Kanade’s father was one of them.
She was fourteen when he overworked himself to the point of collapsing. She was nearly twenty now.
His condition had improved over the years, going from rarely being conscious during her visits to becoming somewhat talkative. But he still couldn’t remember her, he still thought her mother was alive.
Ever since he first asked her who she was when she was seventeen, Kanade had been keeping up the facade that she was a relative of one of the doctors and she was visiting because she enjoyed his company. For someone who was happy to encourage Mafuyu as he pushed himself out of his comfort zone, Kanade was surprisingly stagnant. She couldn’t even do so much as to remind her father that she was his daughter.
It was windy, unsurprising for late January, so Kanade was forced to use the ribbon Mizuki attached to her hat in order to tie it in place. Normally, if it did fall off it wouldn’t matter too much as her hair would help to hide her ears. But with how extreme the wind was, Kanade couldn’t trust her hair to remain in place.
She wondered what Mizuki was doing right now. She talked about how they were helping a detective investigate a rebellion, so it was possible she was patrolling the streets at that very moment. As happy as she’d be to see them, Kanade wasn’t sure how much she’d actually want to encounter them. If she was with others, it would mean having to talk to strangers who were more than likely to become weary around her if they spotted her ears.
Eventually, the little hospital came into view. It truly was cosy. In a way, it reminded her of the cottage in which she lived. She thought about how Mafuyu would probably quite like it there, especially with how welcoming many of the nurses were. Maybe, in another life, she could’ve trained to become one here.
“Kanade, good afternoon,” Miss Nakayama - the receptionist - grinned. “Your father’s resting right now, but you’re of course still welcome to go visit him.”
“Thank you. Oh- I brought some apples my friends and I picked from the forest, please share them amongst everyone,” she replied, placing the basket Mafuyu had forced on her onto her desk. The only reason Kanade didn’t want to take the apples with her was because she knew carrying them would make her arms ache, but Miss Nakayama’s smile upon receiving them may have made it worth it after all.
Her father lay asleep on his bed, the duvet pulled all the way up to his chin to keep out the cold. The flames in the fireplace in the corner of the room appeared to be dying out, so Kanade threw a few extra logs of wood onto it before sitting down beside the bed.
“Not much has changed since I last visited,” she whispered, leaning back in her chair. “Mafuyu turned twenty the other week, we had a nice little birthday party with some of the other magical creatures. Rin and Len asked if they could sing one of my songs for him, it was very sweet of them.”
He didn’t stir. But that was okay, Kanade wouldn’t want to disturb his sleep.
“I’m turning twenty, soon. To think, I’m getting older but neither of you are really here to see it.” She looked down at her hands, gently removing her gloves.
Kanade’s father was ill, yes, but it was more complicated than just that. He had overworked himself, he had failed to recognise his limits, but he also began experimenting with magic.
Mafuyu once said it best: humans aren’t built for magic. Whilst she never spoke much of her life back in the Hinomori kingdom, she seemed to know that fact better than most.
He thought magic could help him with his music, the same type of magic that bards are known for. Kanade was still not sure what exactly he got wrong, she didn’t really understand human magic, but one of his spells backfired just as she had entered the room.
Yoisaki Kanade had been cursed.
But even after all these years, she couldn’t discover what exactly it did.
Her hands were covered in dark, vein-like lines. They’d become numb sometimes or otherwise lock up, only seeming to be soothed by the strings of her lyre.
“The veins have gotten more prominent, I think they’ve been worrying Ena a lot,” she sighed, holding her hand up in front of her. “They hurt sometimes, but not often. It’s really not all that bad, it just looks a little scary sometimes.” She glanced back at her father, her chest feeling strangely heavy.
She just barely got her gloves back on in time before she began to lose feeling in her hands again.
Kanade found herself once again regretting taking the apples with her. The extra weight meant she was reluctant to take her lyre with her, so she was without her little remedy until she could get home.
“I guess this is a good sign for me to leave, huh? I’ll stay for longer next time, I promise.” The door was already slightly open, so she used her foot to nudge it the rest of the way.
None of the passing by doctors or nurses questioned the fact she was leaving so soon. Kanade’s visiting times were never consistent, not remotely, so no one ever batted an eye if she stayed for hours or mere minutes.
“See you next month, Kanade. We’ll let him know you visited.”
“Thank you Miss Nakayama,” she nodded as she left.
Ena would be certain to tell her off when she got home. She was always the most anxious about Kanade entering the city (likely because it had been over a decade since she last entered its walls herself) so whenever Kanade would return home and there was any sort of problem, she’d get a little over protective.
It was about three o’clock now, and it would take at least an hour to get back home, maybe a little more. Perhaps it was a good thing she was forced to leave so early, it meant it wouldn’t be so dark when she got back.
Or maybe she’d take a detour.
Kanade came to the city to visit her father, that was always her priority, which meant she often neglected any opportunity to visit her mother. She was buried in the graveyard surrounding the cathedral. Kanade used to visit often with her father, and then often by herself when he started to become obsessed with his work, only to almost entirely stop following his collapse.
She remembered being little, watching her father bicker with her mother’s relatives over where she should be buried. Her mother’s side of the family wished for her to be buried in their village, surrounded by fellow witches rather than humans. But Kanade’s father wanted her close, if only so Kanade could still continue to visit her. After all, the witches lived quite far away.
She’d often wonder which her mother would’ve chosen.
The graveyard was quiet, which she supposed wasn’t that unusual for that time of day. Many people were likely still at work or school. Kanade couldn’t help but be relieved, she was always put on edge when other people were around.
“Hi mum, it’s been a while,” she whispered, perching down in front of her grave. “I’ve been keeping an eye on dad still, I think he’s slowly getting better… I wonder if he never would’ve reached this point if you were still around. Or maybe if I just did more to help him, then…”
She felt silly voicing such thoughts out loud.
But at least no one was around to hear her.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little Kanade.”
She immediately startled to her feet, rapidly turning around to see an old woman approaching. “Oh- grandma, you startled me,” she replied, shoving her hands into her pockets. Kanade’s paternal grandmother was more than willing to take her in after what happened to her father. When Kanade refused and continued to stay at home, she offered financial support to the young girl.
Even now, on their rare encounters, she’d press a couple coins into her hand and call it her pocket money.
“I saw you on the way out from the hospital, so I decided to see where you were heading. I don’t remember the last time I saw you come here,” she smiled, walking up beside her. “I always liked your mother, I thought she was a perfect match for my son.”
“Even though she was a witch?”
“I think that just made them an even better match. The two of them were always so curious about each other, they loved to learn about what made them who they were.”
Kanade was young enough when her mother died that she didn’t have vivid memories of her parents' interactions. She could recall the warmth they shared, the love they held, but the details were always quick to muddy.
“So, what have you been up to these days? I know you moved outside the city, so how has that life been?”
“Oh- well, I’ve made some good friends, I think. I have somewhere comfortable to live, somewhere I can keep pursuing my music,” she breathed, her hands still numb in her pockets. “One of my friends writes lyrics to my songs, another sometimes draws stuff inspired by them. They said my music makes them feel warm.”
A hand rested on her shoulder. “You should play one of them for her one day,” her grandmother nodded her head towards the grave. “I’m sure she’d love to hear it. He would too, y’know?”
“Yeah, maybe one day.”
Kanade still thought she had a long way to go before she would ever dare do such a thing. If she could just write one song that could save someone, just one, maybe she’d muster up the courage.
“I’ve got to get going now, grandma. It was nice to see you again.”
“Take care, Kanade. Maybe next time we’ll find a café to sit and chat in, then you can tell me all about those friends of yours.”
Next time.
Somehow, it made Kanade feel warm to know there would be a next time. It was rare she’d ever see her grandmother and even then their conversations were often brief, but she forgot how comforting they could be. Her grandmother would often babysit her when her parents were both out, and talking to her like this brought memories of those times flooding through her mind.
“Ah- before you run off, let’s get you your pocket money,” she grinned, rummaging through her pockets. Without thought, Kanade held out her hand to accept the coins, fingers closing around them. It was only once her grandmother had said her goodbyes and began to walk off that Kanade looked down at her hand and realised.
It was no longer numb.
And yet she didn’t go anywhere near an instrument.
Silently, she pocketed the coins, spared one last glance at her mother’s grave, and began to head back towards the graveyard’s main gate.
It was still mostly empty, save for a boy around her age with ginger hair knelt in front of a grave. He wore a sword at his hip and his clothes were embellished with the kingdom’s symbol.
That means he must’ve been a knight. Maybe he was visiting a comrade lost in battle, or maybe he was just visiting a lost friend or relative. When the boy got up and left, she found herself curiously detouring to take a look at the grave.
Shinonome Ena
Left in front of it was a single daffodil.
Notes:
Made a Twitter thread compiling anything I make for this fic whether that be art or edits or stupid memes. Please enjoy, I will update it whenever I make anything new
https://x.com/beanie_baby0218/status/1840540154609426677?s=46&t=9kl-UpH4XdBfUQt_jy49rg
Chapter Text
Kanade was tired when she got back from the city, so she was quick to go rest, Mafuyu had gone off to help one of the mermaids in the nearby lake and of course Mizuki was still in the city, likely busy with work. This left Ena alone with Meiko as the two prepared dinner, a comfortable silence lingering over them as they chopped and peeled vegetables for the stew they were making.
Ena often found herself making dinner with Meiko. It started off as a way to make sure Meiko didn’t put any carrots in her food without her noticing - Ena had always despised carrots - but eventually evolved into a way for her to wind down. Even on days where she didn’t feel noticeably high strung, it was simply comforting to quietly cook in each other’s company.
Ena never cooked back home. She was too young to but even if she wasn’t, her family was just about wealthy enough to have a few servants. However, she recalled the way her mother always spoke fondly of it despite no longer cooking often. In many ways, Ena was like her father, but when it came to her enjoyment of cooking she wondered if she was like her mother.
She shook her head, returning her attention to the chopping board in front of her. Thinking about her parents made her insides feel like jelly, it was one of those things that could so quickly throw her off balance.
When Meiko took Ena in all those years ago, she sat her down and told her the horns that had grown out of her head were a curse. In the following years, Ena would realise Meiko’s knowledge of the curse stemmed solely from her own experience with it, and that neither of them knew all the details of its effects.
Though they both were well aware of the impact it had on their magic.
Ena didn’t practise magic growing up, she had no use for it and it would inevitably just be an inconvenience to her as a human. But she wasn’t human anymore and magic ran through her in the same way it ran through Kanade or Rin or Len. On the surface, it seemed like a perk more than a curse, but she soon realised it was volatile.
Magical creatures were known to have outbursts of magic when experiencing extreme emotions. Meanwhile, Ena’s magic was incredibly sensitive to even mildly strong emotions, and the outbursts she’d experience were noticeably more destructive.
She always wondered if that’s why Meiko was so deadpan. Perhaps she locked away all her emotions so her magic wouldn’t react to them at all.
Ena knew she’d never be able to do that - that she’d never want to do that - so she had to find ways of calming herself down. Cooking, singing, drawing (sometimes) and talking with her friends were all things she learnt would help her relax. And when she knew there was nothing she could do to stop the feelings bubbling up inside her, she’d find a quiet spot in the woods and let her magic run wild. It wasn’t the perfect solution, but at least no one would get hurt.
And although she couldn’t lock away her emotions, she was more than willing to lock away the memories of her past. Looking back on those memories always hurt the most.
“Can you pass me the salt?” Ena flinched at Meiko’s voice, so lost in her own world she completely forgot her mentor was stood beside her. Nodding, she handed over the salt shaker before returning to the potato she was meant to be chopping up. “Are you worried about something?”
She flinched again.
Meiko somehow always knew.
“It’s nothing- I’m fine.”
She raised her eyebrows.
Ena hated when she did that. Even Mafuyu would make a similar face when he knew something was wrong and Ena also hated it when he did.
“It’s not a big deal- Mizuki just mentioned someone they were working with who I’m pretty sure I was acquainted with before coming here,” she forced out, cheeks going hot. She knew Meiko would be able to tell she wasn’t being entirely honest. “It’s just gotten me thinking about home, which is stressing me out I guess. I don’t know- it doesn’t matter.”
Ena’s problems were long left in the past. She could be who she wanted to be here and that’s all that mattered, right? Her friends had bigger concerns, things she was going to help them through. Mafuyu still wasn’t sure who her true self really was and whilst Kanade insisted it was nothing to worry about, Ena couldn’t help but be concerned by the fact her curse seemed to be affecting her more frequently.
“Does Mizuki know?”
Ena shook her head. “I don’t think I want her to know. It’s not like I was super close to that person or anything-” a complete and utter lie, given Mizuki’s colleague was quite literally her brother “-and Mizuki can sometimes blow things out of proportion. They’d get all excited to ‘finally know something about my elusive past’, knowing them.”
In truth, only Meiko knew anything of significance about Ena’s childhood. Only she knew her family name, her father’s position and how she even ended up in this forest in the first place. Maybe one day she could muster up the courage to finally tell the others, but she couldn’t help but fear it would do more harm than good.
“Speaking of Mizuki, I was just wondering… If she ever asked to, would you let her move in here?” Ena asked.
“If you can find them a bed.” She paused, examining Ena up and down. “Why?”
“I was just thinking about how miserable they seem with their job.” She was glad to see she successfully diverted the conversation away from her own messy thoughts and feelings. “She really doesn’t seem to enjoy being a knight, the happiest she was was when she was guarding the princess but even that’s been taken from her. I don’t know how easy it would be to quit, so I just wanted to be sure they have somewhere safe to turn to if they perhaps need to run away.”
Mizuki never talked much about how she became a knight, but she did mention personally swearing allegiance to King Tenma. It seemed their life was in his hands until the day he decided to excuse them from their duty.
Conversation faded off from there. Meiko wasn’t the kind to push for answers more than she deemed necessary, so she’d evidently gathered all she felt she needed to know about Ena’s mood.
Mafuyu soon returned, her clothes and hair dripping wet. “One of the mermaids accidentally knocked me in the water,” he had explained. Ena was forced to rush upstairs to grab a towel to dry him off enough that he wouldn’t leave a trail or water behind him in the house. By the time she had changed into a dry set of clothes, Kanade had emerged from the bedroom following her nap and Meiko had finished cooking dinner.
“Thanks for the food,” they all said as Meiko served the stew.
Ena liked hot meals best. She liked the way they made her chest feel warm, how they could fight off the chill of a cold day. Mafuyu seemed to benefit from it most of all, given the fact he seemed to shiver slightly as he ate. It was midwinter, so it was really no surprise that she was so cold after being shoved into the water. And she knew Mafuyu had been intentionally pushed in, even if he didn’t acknowledge it. The mermaids had always been mischief makers, ever since Ena was little, and they liked to get reactions out of people. Ena imagined they’d been sorely disappointed by Mafuyu’s lack of a reaction to being dunked into the ice cold water of the lake.
“How was your dad, Kanade?” Mafuyu asked when she finished her bowl.
“He was asleep when I arrived, so I didn’t stay too long. I did stop by the cemetery my mother was buried in on the way home and ended up encountering my grandmother. It was nice, I hadn’t seen her in a while.”
“I don’t think I ever really liked any of my grandparents,” Mafuyu muttered, mostly to himself.
“How come?” Ena found herself asking. The only family Mafuyu ever really spoke about were her parents, and even then she didn’t seem to like talking about them. But the fact he was able to so easily identify the fact he didn’t like his grandparents interested Ena.
“Well I didn’t see my paternal grandparents often, but when I did they were very… distant, I think. They didn’t talk much, they’d mainly just linger and watch at any family gathering. My maternal grandparents always treated my mum strangely, I don’t know how to describe it.”
For someone who struggled so much to accept the fact the way her mother treated her wasn’t exactly normal, it was surprising to see Mafuyu call out the way her grandparents treated her mother as strange. They must’ve been particularly bad if Mafuyu managed to notice given her circumstances.
She wanted to press for more details, but worried it would dampen the mood if Mafuyu lingered on thoughts of home for too long. Ena knew the feeling, of course, even if their reasons were different.
Dinner was peaceful, with thankfully no interruptions from any of the nearby inhabitants of the area. Ena was always willing to help them out when they were in need, but she was always bothered by the idea of having to leave her perfectly good meal to get cold.
Mafuyu and Kanade offered to clean up afterwards - given they didn’t help cook - leaving Meiko and Ena to sit by the fireplace. Meiko had her head stuck in some book Mizuki got for her, meanwhile Ena chose to return to her sketchbook.
She hadn’t looked at it since the night before.
She still wasn’t exactly sure what possessed her to draw her little brother, and looking at it a day later she could already begin to pick out all the mistakes and inaccuracies. His nose looked too pointy, hair a little too long. But regardless, Ena knew that whatever she drew wouldn’t be accurate to what he looked like now. He would be the same age as Mizuki now, an adult, and she could only hope that he’d been able to move on from her disappearance.
“Who’s that, Ena?” She jumped when Mafuyu appeared behind her. He had a bad habit of walking very quietly and startling people who hadn’t realised he was there.
“I- I dunno. I just felt like sketching something new, I guess,” she shrugged as Mafuyu dropped down beside her. “I was planning to scrap it anyways.”
“Why?”
“It’s just not very good, that’s all. Why do you care?”
Mafuyu shrugged. Typical, really.
The rest of the night was very quiet, peaceful. By the time the clock struck midnight, Mafuyu and Kanade had already long gone to sleep. Ena and Meiko remained downstairs, reading and drawing respectively.
Mizuki didn’t show up, but that was to be expected, she usually had at least a few days - sometimes a week or more - between visits. Ena would scold them if they did come frequently as she knew they got very little sleep on the nights of their visits.
She couldn’t help but wonder what she thought of Akito. One of her best friends and her little brother, did they get along well? If Akito was anything like he used to be, it was more than likely their personalities clashed. But she supposed you could say the same about Mizuki and Ena herself.
“Ena.” She glanced up at Meiko, who was now looming over and holding a book out towards her. “You should give this a read.”
It was the book Mizuki had gifted her. It wasn’t rare for Mizuki to buy them all gifts from the capital, so Ena never thought twice when she had arrived earlier than usual to ensure Meiko was awake so she could give it to her. But now, with it held out in front of her, Ena finally noticed the book’s title.
“I asked them to find a book that contained information about our curse. There’s a lot we already knew, of course, but there are some details you would likely want to know. Read it at your own pace, but make sure it gets read,” she explained as Ena took the book from her hands.
It was a thin book, so think that at a glance you’d think it was someone’s notebook or journal. She wasn’t surprised there wasn’t much intel on the curse, but it startled her just how little was evidently known.
Meiko left after that, leaving Ena alone in the dark room, her surroundings only illuminated by the last remaining embers of the fireplace.
The book’s cover was mostly blank, with its title referring to the curse in big bold letters. Near the bottom was some worn out text with the author’s name. ‘Kamishiro.’ Ena couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person would even go through the effort of publishing such a book. Was it even published? Honestly, the more she looked at it the more she felt as though it was someone’s journal.
She had no intention to read it at that moment, but she skipped a few pages in to surprisingly have all her suspicions confirmed. This was hand written, in somewhat messy handwriting at that.
Maybe it was a published journal, Ena was certain she’d heard of things like that before, but regardless the person’s notes seemed unfiltered, almost frantic.
“I wonder where Mizuki got this from.”
Notes:
Sorry for the gap between this chapter and the last, I a) have been busy with inktober and b) have been emotionally recovering from Mizu5
Tangentially related to that I suppose, you’ve likely noticed but I’ve changed Mizuki’s pronouns to she/they. I was considering it when I first started writing this but initially decided against it only to inevitably change my mind lol.
What else.. ah yes! Thank you all for your lovely comments!! I’m really bad at finding the right words to reply to comments (would you believe I’d been posting my art online for 5+ years) so I wanted to express my gratitude here. I honestly just chose to publish this on a whim, so it makes me really happy to see people enjoying it!
Chapter Text
Meiko would sometimes send them all out on jobs to survey the area. Mafuyu would take his bow and arrows, Kanade would take her wand and Ena would grab whatever weapon took her fancy at that moment. Mafuyu noticed that she never used magic in fights, always resorting to a dagger or knife of some kind.
It was rare that the three of them actually encountered any threats, but it was always good to keep an eye out for troublesome hunters and the like. Plus, their patrols clearly had some value given Ena seemed to have developed a skill for finding outcasts to drag back to Meiko’s whilst on them.
Apparently, Kanade had been having a bad episode related to her curse when Ena stumbled across her for the first time. And of course, she found Mafuyu at his most confused on a different patrol. They even all met Mizuki the same way, initially assuming she was a threat to their home.
Mafuyu didn’t care if nothing eventful happened on them because there was something about going on a walk with her friends that made her feel calm, warm. Ena and Kanade didn’t seem to enjoy them as much - neither of them had ever been particularly athletic - but they always seemed to warm up to it after they’d been walking for a while.
“Hey- let’s take a left here,” Ena said, linking her arm with Mafuyu’s. “There were some berries growing here last time and I want to see if they’re ready to pick. And maybe you’ll find some more medicinal herbs whilst we’re at it.”
“I’ve got a decent supply at home already.”
Ena rolled her eyes. “It wouldn’t hurt to get some more, that’s all I’m saying. Oh- or maybe we could find some for brewing tea. What would be good…?”
“I think I remember seeing some catnip- that makes nice tea when brewed,” Kanade suggested, a few steps behind the other two. “Rosemary might be a good choice too, it generally grows year round.”
Kanade always seemed to know a strange amount about tea, or at the very least Ena insisted it was a strange amount. Mafuyu had never really thought about it until Ena pointed it out one day and was surprised to see Mizuki agree, given Mizuki always loved to tease Ena and disagree with her just for the sake of it.
Mafuyu often wondered what it would be like to have Mizuki live with them permanently. She’d certainly liven up their patrols and would probably make good friends with all the local magical creatures. Mizuki’s late night visits meant they only really encountered any of the nocturnal creatures and - of course - Mafuyu and the others. Though Mizuki liked to joke that the three of them, Kanade especially, were nocturnal creatures themselves.
He stood back as Kanade picked herbs and Ena picked berries. Ena had thankfully come prepared with a little basket to pack them in, something quite surprising for her. She had a habit of being somewhat forgetful. As the two continued to forage, Mafuyu found herself examining the little nook they found themselves in.
It seemed familiar, more so than other parts of the woods. It wasn’t a path they usually went down, so he was certain there must be another reason he knew it.
“Hey- Mafuyu- isn’t this where we first met?” Ena asked, glancing up from where she was perched on the ground. “Gods, I remember having to drag you back home after you fell unconscious. You are not easy to carry.”
“Maybe you should start getting more exercise.”
Ena immediately huffed and turned back to the bush.
But she was right, this was where the two of them had met. In all honesty, Mafuyu remembered very little of what happened after bumping into Ena, but she had made sure to fill in the gaps for her. However, everything before that moment was still painfully vivid in Mafuyu’s mind.
Mafuyu was born and raised in the Hinomori Kingdom. His family was small, just him and his mother and father. Her father - Lord Asahina - was an advisor to the Hinomori royal family and as a result Mafuyu found herself forming an unlikely friendship with the kingdom’s eldest princess. On the other hand, his mother was a housewife, staying home to care for Mafuyu.
Her mother always wanted what she thought was best for her, and leapt at the opportunity to develop Mafuyu’s abilities in healing magic. When Mafuyu had first learnt healing spells as a child, it was out of a desire to help his friends if they tripped or injured themselves when they were playing. Within only a few years, it became something Mafuyu would have to study. She’d have tutors, she’d practise deep into the night, she even ended up anaemic from all the blood she was losing.
And yet none of that was enough to make him realise that his mother’s dream for Mafuyu to become a renowned healer was literally killing him. Both physically and mentally.
It was only when the princess herself pleaded with Mafuyu to just listen to her, that she finally saw things from a perspective other than her mother’s. Princess Shizuku offered Mafuyu the only way out she could come up with at fifteen years old. She offered him a position as a knight.
And for whatever reason, Mafuyu took it.
She assumed training would be miserable, but she had to admit all those years of learning magic might’ve been worse. As a knight, Mafuyu at least had the ability to defend himself from harm. Meanwhile as a healer, there was no escaping harm.
It was a respectable job as well, meaning there wasn’t much room for her parents to criticise the decision.
He recalled how odd it felt. Mafuyu had grown numb to the world by that point and it’s not like she particularly enjoyed being a knight, but having her mother’s eyes off her was like a weight lifted off her shoulders. So he continued to train, to fight, all until the moment he was sent on a job to hunt down and kill a fae spotted in the forest between the Tenma and Hinomori Kingdoms.
The orders she was given were strict. The fae was his priority of course, but they ordered him to kill any other magical creature that crossed his path. The first creature was a young orc, already injured, already terrified.
She thought it would be easy.
But the little orc had frozen completely, so utterly frightened by Mafuyu who was still only a child himself.
It was as if something possessed her when she tossed her sword away, when she threw her bag off her back and started rummaging for the first aid kit she packed in case she got injured. The orc wasn’t so tense now, though that’s not to say he trusted Mafuyu. He watched Mafuyu’s every move closely, neither of the two saying a word to each other.
The orc had an arrow wedged into his arm, Mafuyu wasn’t sure what he could do to heal it but he had to do something, right?
Mafuyu finally spoke. “I can remove the arrow then clean and bandage up your wound. I do know some healing magic, but…”
The orc’s expression shifted. “You’re a human?” Mafuyu nodded. He certainly sounded young, though Mafuyu had no idea how young. He wasn’t even sure if orcs and humans had similar life spans. “Mama said not to trust humans. You were going to hurt me.”
Mafuyu nodded again. There was no point in lying. “It was what I was ordered to do. But I can’t, I just can’t.” He then shuffled over, keeping his distance as much as he could but holding out his arm towards Mafuyu. “Okay- please bite down on this. It’s going to hurt a bit, but I’ll be sure to make it quick.”
Mafuyu flinched at the orc’s squeal. Even though she’d heard so many cries of pain in her time as a healer, she always found herself flinching. “That’s it, well done. You did great-” Mafuyu said, voice level and steady. She cleaned the wound and bandaged it up tightly as the orc heaved and sobbed.
Then Mafuyu did something he never thought he’d do again.
She felt the blood trickle out her nose and down her chin as the orc’s tears began to fade. He didn’t heal the wound fully, just enough to ease the pain.
“You- you made it better,” he gasped. “Thank you! Thank you human!”
The corners of Mafuyu’s lips twitched upwards in a way they hadn’t done in years.
“It’s not fully healed, so make sure your mama keeps an eye on it, okay?”
He nodded, a big wide grin on his face. “Human- can you come with me back to my home? It’s just… there’s bad humans around but you seem like a good human, so-”
Mafuyu was pretty sure the boy’s family would kill her on sight if they saw her with him. They’d immediately assume him to be a threat - perfectly understandable of course given that’s what Mafuyu should’ve been - and he’d likely not get a chance to explain himself.
Yet he walked the orc back home regardless.
“Mama- Mama!” He cheered, letting go of Mafuyu’s hand and running up ahead. She watched from a distance as the family reunited, only intending to linger until she was certain the boy was safe. But then, he pointed Mafuyu’s way and suddenly all eyes were on him.
“That nice human saved me. Look- it healed my arm!”
One of the orcs - presumably the boy’s mother - then approached, her son trailing behind her. “Ghorak here says you saved him, is that true?”
So the boy’s name was Ghorak.
“He had been shot with an arrow. I removed it and bandaged the wound, but he was crying so much that I used a little healing magic to help heal the pain,” she said, so stiff and forced that her words sounded scripted.
The woman smiled. “Well- our people are in your debt. What is your name, child?”
He froze. Somehow, that wasn’t a question he was anticipating.
“Mafuyu.”
She nodded. “If you are ever in need of assistance around these parts and you bump into an orc, let them know that Shin owes you a favour. They’ll help you out with whatever you need. Or you can come here, to our village, and I’ll meet with you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. I must be off now. Please keep an eye on his wound and make sure to keep it clean, it’s still possible it might get infected.”
Shin grinned a toothy grin, as did Ghorak who excitedly waved as Mafuyu walked away.
He was able to pretend otherwise for the duration of his conversation with the orcs, but Mafuyu’s head was throbbing now. It had been a while since she’d last used healing magic and as a result she overestimated how much she’d be able to accomplish without more severe repercussions.
For his safety, it would be best to return home, but what would he say when he came home empty handed? The only reason Mafuyu felt the need to return home was because she used her magic to heal someone she was indirectly ordered to kill. So Mafuyu couldn’t return, not really.
He was without his sword, with a pounding headache and dried blood on his chin. She considered asking the orcs to let her rest for a little, but figured that little Ghorak would get excited all over again and not give her the chance to rest effectively.
He found himself in a little nook, with bushes covered in fresh berries and all sorts of plants and herbs growing at the side of the dirt path. Mafuyu dropped to the floor, trying to reorganise her thoughts and regain some energy.
She had abandoned her mission, betrayed her people. Would his father’s influence even be enough to ensure he wouldn’t be executed for such a thing? For a moment, she considered going back for her sword once she’d recovered and tracking down that fae just as she’d promised.
But then he thought about the way Ghorak smiled at him. When was the last time anyone smiled at her in such a way?
“Oi- what are you doing here?” She looked up to see a girl, probably about her age, with brown hair that sat at her chin and a pair of horns. A demon. “You’re human, aren’t you?” The girl had come armed with a knife and a glare just as sharp.
“I…” The moment Mafuyu tried to push himself to his feet, he went stumbling back down.
Her vision was blurring, blacking out in spots.
“Ah-! Uh- gods what do I do?” The girl’s voice was muffled, yet her frustration was clear as day. Mafuyu heard her groan before he was awkwardly lifted onto the girl’s back, who was once again very quick to complain. It was after that when Mafuyu blacked out entirely.
Now, Mafuyu couldn’t recall the rest of that day in any particular detail, although Ena had let her know the details. And of course, every time Ena told the story she had to complain at least three times about how difficult it was to carry Mafuyu all the way home.
Sometimes Mafuyu would think about the Hinomori Kingdom, about his parents, about Shizuku. It was likely that in the years since, she had been declared dead. In some ways, it made Mafuyu miserable, yet in others he had never felt more free.
“I’m done,” Ena said, rising to her feet. “What about you Kanade?”
“Yeah- I’m ready to keep going. Shall we head back home now?”
“You two can if you want to. I’m going to go visit the orcs,” Mafuyu replied, pushing away from the tree she had been leaning against. “Ghorak injured himself the other day, I wanted to make sure his recovery is going smoothly.”
“That boy’s always hurting himself, isn’t he?” Ena sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if he does it so you’ll visit. No clue why someone would be so eager to see you, but oh well. I suppose I can come with, I picked so many berries that maybe they’ll want some too.”
By nature of not wanting to walk back home alone, Kanade ended up tagging along too. The orc’s village wasn’t a long walk away, Mafuyu had gotten it down to just under five minutes with the right route. Ever since Meiko had properly introduced him to the orcs, Mafuyu had made a habit of visiting often. They always seemed to appreciate her help.
Getting to visit them and help them made Mafuyu feel warm. It was a consistent reminder that Mafuyu no longer regretted leaving his old life behind, no matter how messy his feelings about it still were.
“Mafuyu’s back!” She hadn’t even spotted him before Ghorak came running over. In the years since they met, the boy had grown a lot, to the point Mafuyu realised he was going to outgrow her soon. He was pretty sure orc’s reach adulthood at a much younger age than humans, so it wouldn’t be too much longer.
“Have you been replacing the bandages around your arm?” She asked, squatting slightly so they were closer to eye level. Unlike when he first met the orcs, he no longer felt obligated to don what Ena described as his “goody-two-shoes voice”. Ghorak had never so much as bat an eye at Mafuyu’s monotone voice or deadpan expressions. It was surprisingly refreshing as even Ena, Kanade and Mizuki were initially a little startled by it.
The boy grinned, holding out his arm towards her. “I did it myself this time. Mama said I’ve gotta start getting good at tending to my wounds myself sometimes.”
She nodded. “She is right, it’s useful to know how to look after your own body. But if you ever do need help, you know where to find me, don’t you?”
“Mhmm. I’ve gotten good at finding Miss Meiko’s house all by myself now.”
Mafuyu felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards. “And you don’t have to be injured to visit, you know? You’re welcome to visit whenever you please, so long as your family knows where you are.”
It seemed the idea had never crossed Ghorak’s mind before as he beamed at Mafuyu’s words. “Oh! You’ve got friends with you. Ena and Miss Kanade!”
Mafuyu was certain he overheard Ena grumble, “Why am I just Ena but she’s ‘Miss Kanade’?” before she donned a smile and perched down beside Mafuyu.
“It’s nice to see you again. Hey- Ghorak, do you like berries?” She held out the basket towards him. “I picked way too many, so I figured maybe you’d want some.”
He gladly took a small handful of them, popping one in his mouth before saying, “You should leave some as an offering for the fae. It might make her happy and she’ll be more likely to leave us alone this month.”
One thing that surprised Mafuyu upon settling into this little community was that the magical creatures seemed to also have a distaste towards the fae that lived in the forest. Granted, they never seemed to have the same interest in killing her as the humans did. It was more so that they were just somewhat sick of her. Though sometimes Ena would joke that she wished Mafuyu had gotten rid of her in some way.
Mafuyu had never met her, but she heard all sorts of stories about the fae’s mischief. Ena had a few stories from when she was little, and Meiko had a surprising amount of stories about her, even if she was always vague when telling them.
“I’ll be sure to do that. Can’t have her stealing my sketchbook again.”
“I might have to leave an offering too then,” Kanade muttered, glancing at the herbs she picked. “She hid some of my sheet music the other month and replaced it with drawings of herself.”
As they bid farewell to Ghorak, Mafuyu wondered if she too should leave some sort of offering to the fae. He’d never been targeted by her mischief so far and wasn’t even sure if the offerings would actually do them any good, but maybe it would be worth it just in case.
She decided to pick an apple from a nearby tree just in case.
Notes:
i may have had dunmeshi on the brain when thinking about the orcs instead of like,, what generic fantasy orcs looks like. not a big deal or anything, just kinda funny.
But yeah, Mafuyu backstory time !! I’ve had this chapter almost entirely written for like a week now, I just hadn’t gotten round to writing that final part.
I did however finish some more character designs, specifically for An, Akito, Meiko and Rui. You can find them here on my Twitter
https://x.com/beanie_baby0218/status/1853840418590347409?s=46&t=9kl-UpH4XdBfUQt_jy49rgIt’s also part of a larger thread of general art and the like I’ve been making for this. I recently did a card edit based on my Ena design which was lots of fun
Plan to do some proper, fully rendered art for this at some point. Not sure when that’ll be but it will happen i swear :) I love making art of the things i write about, it’s why i have such an insane amount of OCs
Chapter Text
Mizuki had fucked up.
She’d been mentally kicking herself ever since the moment she parted ways with Akito the day prior. Agreeing to answer some of his questions was already a big enough mistake, but threatening him was something else entirely. They’d been actively trying to maintain a neutral at worst relationship with him, and now they were certain they’d screwed everything up.
On top of all that, she couldn’t stop thinking about the Shinonome family portrait, about Akito’s older sister.
“Don’t be silly, dear. It was a long time ago, I just hope Ena’s at peace now.”
Ena.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it wasn’t. Mizuki had no plans to pester her about it either way, they knew how it felt to have someone expose a secret you held close.
Plus, she had much more important priorities; she had to at least attempt to make up with Akito. They considered buying him a gift but knew so little about his likes that they were certain they’d end up buying something he hated by mistake. No- it seemed her best bet was to try to talk things out.
Mizuki had no plans of telling him anymore than they originally agreed to, no matter how much they wanted to smooth over relations, so they just had to hope that Akito would take the hint in that regard.
Part of her wanted to keep putting it off, save it for later, but likewise she knew that today would be the best chance for the two to talk alone. An was busy, meaning they were essentially off duty for the day. Mizuki had planned to catch Akito in the morning, but by the time they’d woken up and approached his dorm, Akito had already left to train.
The training grounds were practically empty, thank gods, so at the very least she wouldn’t have to worry about too many eyes on her. Given Akito’s class had only recently graduated from their training, they were still waiting for the next round of recruits. This meant the only people using the training grounds were knights who were off duty and had a strong passion for getting stronger.
Mizuki was only one of those things, but it seemed Akito was both.
It made sense. He wanted to become a knight to protect people, to perhaps save his lost sister. Meanwhile Mizuki was forced to become a knight just so she and Yuuki could be allowed to live another day.
They took a deep breath and approached him.
“Oi- lil bro!” She called. The nickname carried a little more weight now, knowing he may very well be the little brother of one of their best friends.
Their eyes met, Akito immediately sheathing his sword. Mizuki had decided it would probably be best not to take hers for this conversation, given she really didn’t want Akito to perceive her as a threat.
“You’ve only just gotten up?” He asked, raising his eyebrows with an almost smug grin on his face. “I thought you were meant to be my senior, surely you should be setting a good example for me.”
Okay- this is good. Banter is good.
“I don’t need to get up early to train like you newbies, I’m already so incredibly skilled at my job,” she grinned, taking another step closer. “Nice to see you’re putting in the effort to keep getting better.”
“Well I’ve gotta make up for the fact my colleague is hiding things from me.”
Not good, not good.
“You’re not gonna let that go, huh? Is there anything I can do to make you think I’m not ill-intentioned?”
He crossed his arms, seemingly looking anywhere but at Mizuki.
“Fine,” he said abruptly. “Train with me for the day, and I’ll drop it entirely. I’ll act like nothing ever happened.”
“Eh?!”
She frankly couldn’t remember the last time she spent a full day training. Had she ever spent a full day training?
“Oh come on, I need a training partner.”
Mizuki now also had their arms crossed.
It was truly the last thing Mizuki wanted to do, especially considering she was still groggy from her utter lack of sleep the other night. But likewise, Mizuki was not fond of the idea of Akito snitching on them and getting them executed. Or worse, it could even end in Yuuki getting hurt.
“Oh- are you two training?”
Mizuki flinched at the familiar, bubbly voice. Meanwhile, Akito immediately spun round to bow towards the speaker.
“Y-your highness,” Mizuki forced out, quickly copying Akito’s bow. It was true that Mizuki was very fond of Princess Saki, but it was also true that they found it impossible to not be at least a little nervous around the royal family. “What brings you here?”
“Well, Ichika and I were just on a walk and then we saw you two talking. I wanted to catch up with you Akiyama, and get the chance to meet one of the new knights,” the princess beamed. Behind her stood Hoshino, the knight who took over Mizuki’s prior position.
Her understanding was that Hoshino and the princess were close childhood friends - Hoshino’s parents being high ranking nobles - which made her especially well suited to take on the role of Saki’s bodyguard.
Mizuki couldn’t help but be a little envious. They would never be in such a situation with Akito if they were never forced to change positions. She assumed King Tenma wasn’t fond of the friendship forming between Mizuki and his daughter. Which is ironic, because Mizuki was also pretty sure she only got the job in the first place so King Tenma could keep a closer eye on her.
“Well- it’s an honour to meet you, your highness,” Akito forced out. Strangely, his tone was completely different to anything Mizuki had seen from him so far. In a way, it distinctly reminded her of Mafuyu’s goody-two-shoes persona. “I’ve heard many good things, especially from my father.”
Saki’s expression twisted into a slightly confused frown before Hoshino leant over and whispered something in her ear. “Oh! You’re Shinonome Akito- that explains it.” She paused for a moment. “You and Toya were friends, weren’t you?”
He froze, then nodded.
Both the princess and Akito wore sad smiles.
“I see… We were all quite surprised when we saw your name listed with the rest of the recent graduates. I was under the impression you would follow in your father’s footsteps.”
“I understand the assumption, but I’ve never taken much interest in art. My- uh- my sister did, though. I’m sure she could’ve become the next royal painter.”
So Shinonome Ena was also passionate about art.
More and more signs pointed to the fact that yes, the hot headed demon she cared so much about was also the sister Akito hoped was still alive.
“Ah…” A heavy silence weighed over them all. Mizuki once again wished she could scream- if only to break the tension surrounding her. Why had they found themself stuck in awkward silence so often these past few days?
“Saki- didn’t you say you wanted to see the two of them train?” Hoshino forced out.
Her expression lit up at this. “Yes- yes- I forgot about that! If you two are training, I’d love to watch for a bit. I’m taking up sword fighting lessons at the moment, so Ichika suggested observing some professionals.”
For a brief moment, Mizuki saw Akito smirk their way.
She could try to say no to Akito, but alas she couldn’t say no to the princess.
“Of course you can watch, your highness. We can start with some sword fighting drills, if that’s what you’re most interested in.” Mizuki was certain their tone came out forced, but if it did then the princess certainly didn’t pick up on it.
As Saki and Hoshino both perched down on a nearby bench, Mizuki trudged over to the barrel containing the wooden practice swords. She grabbed one for herself before chucking another towards Akito, who fumbled in order to catch it.
In a way, it felt like their revenge for the situation they seemed to now be trapped in.
The practice sword felt someone unnatural in her hand, especially given it had been so long since she’d last used one. Mizuki was very different back then, it was hard to even imagine that version of them being the same person.
“I can’t believe I’ve been talked into doing this,” she grumbled, getting into position.
“You complain to me like it’s nothing, yet fold the moment the princess smiles. Maybe I overestimated how cunning you are, Mizuki.”
They were pretty sure this was the first time Akito had referred to them as Mizuki. She’d quickly grown used to An referring to her as such, but she couldn’t help but feel a little strange hearing Akito say it. Maybe it was because he seemed so much more difficult to befriend than An.
And maybe this meant Mizuki was doing something right after all.
“Cunning, eh?” She raised her eyebrows. “You really think so?” Ena would laugh at the idea of someone perceiving Mizuki as being even remotely cunning.
They pointed the wooden sword towards Akito.
Mizuki was a decent sword fighter. Or - as some of her fellow knights would claim - she was a great ‘sword defender’. Whilst they were somewhat unlikely to land a hit on someone, they could block and dodge attacks all day. Inevitability, it would usually work in her favour as eventually it would wear her opponent down enough that she could finally attack. The last person Mizuki could recall fighting that didn’t get worn out before her was Mafuyu, who had offered to help Mizuki train before utterly destroying them.
Akito was thankfully nowhere near as skilled as Mafuyu. But honestly, Mafuyu was so amazing at so many things that Mizuki wasn’t exactly surprised by this.
His weak points were relatively obvious, his footwork clumsy and uncertain at times. But she was willing to give credit where it was due: this boy was fast.
Sure, his skill didn’t compare to Mizuki, but his attacks were rapid enough that they could feel themself growing weary. She had to finish the fight quickly, or else she would have to face the embarrassment of losing to a newbie.
All they had to do was find the right time to strike.
“You’re more defensive than I was expecting,” Akito panted. “But you can’t keep this up forever.”
“Neither can you.”
She leant forward, far down enough that she was out of the range of Akito’s next attack. Then, Mizuki jammed the rounded end of the sword into the side of his stomach.
Akito went tumbling to the floor, dropping the practice sword in the process. From the sidelines, Mizuki could hear the princess gleefully cheering for them, congratulating them on their victory.
“Impressive,” Akito huffed, clearly trying to catch his breath.
She nodded, a grin forming on her face. “Never underestimate your elders, lil bro.” He immediately rolled his eyes.
Mizuki wasn’t quite sure why they were so glad they managed to beat him. Sure, it would’ve been a bit of a blow to her ego, but it felt like there was more to it than that. Would she have cared if it were anyone else?
They shook their head, there was no point overthinking something so trivial. Plus- Mizuki won. At the very least, she could rub it in Akito’s face for the next few days.
Mizuki held out their hand to Akito, who was still sat on the ground. “I’d like to properly apologise for what I did yesterday. I panicked, but that gave me no right to threaten you like that.”
For a moment, Akito’s expression seemed to shift. No longer was it his usual slight frown or sarcastic smirk, rather something Mizuki assumed was surprise or shock. “Tch-” The smirk returned in an instant. “It’s no big deal, I get it. I knew what to expect going into that conversation and I pushed it more than I should’ve. Though, I’d like to ask one thing of you.”
He took Mizuki’s hand and pulled himself to his feet.
“Go ahead.”
“If you ever think that rebel is going to hurt someone, please try to intervene. You don’t even have to tell me or anyone else about it, if you can stop him yourself then do that. But I don’t think either of us want the blood of innocent people on our hands.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay.”
If there was any more to be said between the two, they didn’t get the chance as the princess came practically skipping over. Despite everything, Mizuki was glad to see she was in such high spirits, it meant her health must’ve been doing a little better.
“That was incredible!” She gasped, Hoshino nodding slightly beside her. “I mean- Akiyama you were so good at defending yourself but Shinonome was so fast, I genuinely couldn’t tell who was going to win.”
Mizuki very much felt the same.
“I should really be heading off now, but I truly appreciate you two letting me observe. I hope I’m welcome to watch if I ever catch you training again.”
“Of course, your highness,” Akito’s tone was sickly sweet again. Mizuki assumed it was an attitude he’d don when in front of anyone he wanted to maintain the respect of. Which was intriguing - and perhaps insulting - to them, given Akito not once tried to use that tone when he first met Mizuki.
He was sarcastic and blunt when they met and he was sarcastic and blunt now.
The moment Saki and Hoshino left, Mizuki let out a sigh as she dropped down into a squat. It was now truly setting in that they had agreed to do an entire day of training with Akito. Potential excuses she could use rushed through her mind, followed by numerous complaints that she knew she probably shouldn’t voice out loud to avoid pissing him off.
Why does he get to boss me around like this anyways? I’m his senior- he should have more respect for me, he-
“Oi,” he lightly whacked the top of Mizuki’s head. “Is the idea of training really that awful for you? Why be a knight if you hate it so much?”
That wasn’t a question they could easily answer, so they instead immediately dodged it.
“In all my time being a knight I’ve never met someone who spent the whole day training!” It was probably a lie. Mizuki wasn’t particularly close to any of her fellow knights, so she wasn’t really sure what most of them did in their free time.
He rolled his eyes. “Tch- if you can keep it up until lunch, we can go get something to eat afterwards.”
This caught her attention. “Are you paying?”
“Don’t you earn a bigger salary than me?”
“Aren’t you the son of a noble?”
That was somehow enough to shut him up.
As he grumbled a response about how he guessed he would pay for them both, Mizuki found their mind drifting back to Ena once more. She could notice more and more similarities between the two, even if they didn’t look hugely alike, which to Mizuki pretty much solidified the idea that they were in fact siblings.
In that case, Ena would be the daughter of a noble. In some ways, Mizuki couldn’t believe it in the slightest, she certainly didn’t act like one. But she’d also been living with Meiko since she was ten, half of her life at that point, so maybe it made sense that she didn’t act like one. It’s not like she had any reason to maintain high etiquette and manners.
Ena could just be Ena.
The same went for Kanade and Mafuyu too. None of them needed to be what the world wanted them to be.
The envy Mizuki felt burned like a fire in her chest. It hurt.
“Come on- we’ve got a few more hours till lunch,” Akito held out his hand towards them, snapping them out of their daze.
“Fine, fine, you win. So long as I get to choose where we get lunch.”
“Only if I’m allowed to say no if you choose somewhere too pricey. Deal?”
Mizuki found herself grinning.
“Deal.”
Notes:
the way I was so ready to upload this chapter and then went to open ao3 and it was down
No worries though bc it’s back up now :)))
This chapter was fun to write. Just cute silly vibes all around. Mizuki and Akito’s friendship in this is really fun to write, they’ve got a silly dynamic
Now it’s time for me to return to tiering Ena’s world link. Wish me luck, only a few more hours to go
Also just went back and fixed my very silly mistake where for some reason I’d convinced myself Akito’s birthday was in like June or July. No clue why I thought that, especially considering his birthday was literally the other day meaning he is in fact younger than Mizuki. But no worries, it is fixed
Chapter Text
They had stopped by the faerie ring on the way home. Kanade left a few herbs, Ena left a handful of berries and Mafuyu left a single apple. Moments after they placed them in the ring of mushrooms, they vanished into thin air.
“To think- stepping in there could send you to an entirely new world,” Kanade muttered, peering down at the ring.
“It wouldn’t just send you there,” Ena grimaced, “it could very well end with you getting trapped in there. Meiko would sometimes threaten to throw me into a faerie ring when I would misbehave as a kid and it would always shut me up in an instant.”
“But you have to eat some of their food to get trapped in the land of the fae. So long as you knew not to do that, it wouldn’t be a big deal if Meiko did throw you in there,” Mafuyu argued.
“I just didn’t want any of them spotting me. Luka may be the only one to ever come and pester us, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more there that we just don’t know about!”
Kanade had never met the fae before. As far as she knew, Ena and Meiko were the only ones who had and even then, it had been a good few years since Ena had encountered her.
Meiko never said much about her, though Kanade did notice that her expression would always seem to shift ever so slightly when she came up in conversation. Ena always said Meiko appeared frustrated in those moments, Mafuyu said she looked flustered.
On the other hand, Ena had a lot to say about her. By the sounds of things, she held a bit of a grudge for how the fae would tease her when she was a child. Ena mainly complained about her nosy nature, her pranks and all the other aspects of her she found irritating, though would occasionally bring up other topics.
For example, Ena was the only reason Kanade knew her name and a general idea of her appearance.
Supposedly she was rather tall - taller than even Meiko who was a good head taller than Kanade - with a figure that Ena embarrassedly described as curvy. Her hair was long and pale pink and her eyes were a sharp shimmering blue. Ena once claimed she was “fucking gorgeous” only to turn red as a tomato and insist that fae were notorious for being beautiful.
And her name was Megurine Luka.
It surprised Kanade when she first heard her name. There was something so human about it that she was shocked it belonged to a fae. But to be fair, despite her witch heritage Kanade didn’t know much about other magical creatures. Maybe it was perfectly normal for fae to have human-sounding names, no matter how ancient of a species they were.
She knew so little about them, in fact, that it was only with Ena’s words that she considered that there could be more living inside the world of the faerie ring. Luka seemed like a solitary enough person that to Kanade it never crossed her mind to assume she might live with others.
“Fae are notorious for being troublemakers,” Mafuyu shrugged. “If there were others, surely they’d be up here causing the same mischief as Luka. But it’s clear from the evidence she leaves behind that it’s exclusively Luka doing these things.”
“Well, either way I don’t want to get involved with fae anymore than I need to be. It seems a distaste for them is one of the few things we share with humans,” Ena crossed her arms, turning away from the faerie ring. “Except humans want them all dead. And as frustrating as Luka is, I wouldn’t wish that on her.”
“You did once, actually,” Mafuyu said.
Ena spun round to face them both again. “I didn’t mean that and you know it! She was just extra pissing me off that day.”
Kanade was pretty sure the day in question was when Luka stole a sketch Ena was both halfway through and incredibly proud of. Even after over a year, Luka was yet to return it.
She supposed she could understand Ena’s anger. Kanade would certainly be annoyed if someone stole the sheet music for a song she was working on.
“Anyways-” Ena huffed- “We should really start heading back now. It looks like the sun’s setting.”
They still had another ten or so minutes of walking until they’d get back home, something made even longer by Ena squealing over the slightest noise. She often got that way the moment it got even a little dark, panicking over the idea they were being followed or watched. Mafuyu was always quick to dismiss her worries, Mizuki loved to poke fun at her for being such a scaredy cat, but Kanade couldn’t entirely blame her. Maybe Kanade wasn’t so open about her nerves, but she would still flinch at the sound of a twig snapping.
“You’ve been living here for ten years, how do you still get so nervous at night?” Mafuyu asked.
“Well- I- I don’t exactly spend much time outside at night, y’know. Plus- it’s always good to be on high alert. What if there’s hunters nearby? And-” She suddenly froze. Immediately, Ena’s hand shot for Kanade’s as she frantically glanced over at a clearing in the trees. “There’s someone there.”
“H-huh?” Kanade found herself squeezing Ena’s hand in return.
The two of them hid behind Mafuyu, who held up his lamp to try and get a better look. Ena was right. Kanade could just about make out the silhouette of two people, seemingly talking about something.
Kanade and Ena remained behind Mafuyu, peering over her shoulders as they got closer and closer to the two figures. They stopped when they could finally make out their voices.
“Oh, so you’re the one Enanan’s always grumbling about?” They all recognised Mizuki’s voice in an instant. But that was strange- it was still much earlier than Mizuki would ever usually visit. If the sun was setting, that meant it was likely no later than five. It was past midnight when Mizuki would typically arrive.
“Is she? Well I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there. She’s always been so grumpy, ever since she was little.”
“So- Luka, is it? I must say, it is quite the surprise to see you given that as far as I know only Meiko and Ena have ever talked about meeting you before,” Mizuki shrugged.
They were talking to Luka?
Without saying a word to each other, the three of them all shuffled closer.
“Well, I must admit I’d love to meet your other two friends, but Meiko’s so protective of you four,” Luka sighed. Kanade finally got a closer look at the fae, and she was truly just as Ena had described.
There was something almost inhumanly beautiful about her: a sharpness to her features, perfectly silky hair even in the slight breeze, eyes that truly seemed to glow in the darkness. She towered over Mizuki, who wasn’t exactly short herself. Mizuki was the tallest of their group and was already almost a full head taller than Kanade.
“I’m especially thrilled to see you though, you’re never here so early in the day so I always miss your visits.”
Mizuki’s expression shifted from a somewhat forced smile to a slight frown. “And why am I so thrilling to see?”
“Come now, I think we both know the answer to that.”
The fae’s grin sent chills running down Kanade’s spine, and she could tell it was equally as unnerving for Mizuki who’s frown had deepened.
Silence hung between them for a moment, and they watched as Mizuki’s eyes frantically darted around as if trying to figure out a way to escape the conversation. Then- her eyes met Kanade’s.
“Kanade? Wait- Ena and Mafuyu too?!” In just a few seconds, all of Mizuki’s anxiety seemed to fade. “What are you doing crouching in those bushes down there? You look silly.”
“We saw you two from afar and were worried you were hunters. When we finally got close enough to see you we didn’t want to interrupt the conversation,” Mafuyu answered, pushing himself to his feet. “Sorry.”
“No- no- don’t worry. I’m the one who came here unannounced,” Mizuki replied, helping the other two to their feet. It seemed she was doing everything in her power to avoid acknowledging the fae, who was peering over at Kanade and Mafuyu with curious cat-like eyes.
“We were all surprised when we saw you. You’re never here this early. Is everything alright at work?”
“Ever the worry wart, aren’t we Kanade?” They winked with a grin. “It’s fine- I had a bit of a day off today. My coworker made me train with him all morning but when I told him I was feeling high strung and stressed he let me leave earlier than we had originally agreed.”
“So let me guess,” Ena raised her eyebrows, “you aren’t at all high strung or stressed, are you?”
Mizuki let out a mock gasp. “I’ll have you know I’m plenty stressed, Enanan.”
“Oh yeah? Well don’t think I didn’t hear you two call me grumpy. I can’t believe you were talking about me behind my back with the fae of all people.”
They all turned to look back at the fae, who was patiently standing there and smiling.
“What a surprise this is,” Luka beamed. “I get to meet the other two as well! You must be… Kanade and Mafuyu, right? Kanade- you write songs don’t you? I’ve seen your sheet music- I’m sure it’s all incredible but I have no idea how to read it.”
“Oh- uh- thank you?”
She then turned to Mafuyu. “And you write poems-?”
“Lyrics.”
“Ah- I see! So you work on music together- that’s so exciting.”
Kanade took the first opportunity to shuffle back and remove herself from Luka’s attention. Part of her felt bad for leaving Mafuyu to deal with the brunt of it, but Mafuyu’s bluntness left no room for Luka’s very obvious attempts at teasing. None of it seemed to phase Mafuyu in the slightest.
And it surprised Kanade to see that Mizuki was doing the same as her.
“Is she anything like what you were expecting?” Mizuki asked. “She’s certainly more confident than I was expecting. I thought she never showed her face before because she was shy, but she said Meiko was protective of us.”
“I’m guessing something must’ve happened between the two,” she replied. “I mean- Ena met her as a child, right? Something must’ve changed if Meiko didn’t want us to meet her as adults.”
“Oooh- maybe? I was just assuming it’s because of the reputation fae have- but Meiko’s a demon so it makes sense that she’d care less about the stereotypes of fae. They’re both the kind of people humans utterly despise.”
Silence hung over the two for a moment, meanwhile Ena had found herself now dealing with Luka’s teasing.
Kanade was the one to break the silence. “Are you feeling stressed?”
“Heh- maybe a little. A few things happened with my colleague, I messed up a lot, but things are getting better now. Or I think they are. He doesn’t seem to hate me at least.”
“That’s good. I’m glad work’s not too rough on you,” she leant her head against Mizuki’s shoulder. “I know you don’t like your job, so all I can hope is that you face as little trouble in it as possible.”
“Yeah… maybe someday I’ll quit and come live here if Meiko lets me,” she snickered.
“That would be nice. I’d like that- we all would.”
After a moment, Mizuki leant her head against Kanade’s in return.
“Would you really?”
She took their hand, gave it a gentle squeeze and whispered, “Yes. Of course.”
Notes:
Sorry it’s been so long since I last updated ! I knew the main things I wanted to happen in this chapter (Luka talking with Mizuki and a that Kanamizu moment at the end) but I was struggling to find much inspiration for it.
I think the next few chapters will come to me easily enough though, I’ve got them quite thoroughly planned.
I also have a rather in depth lore dump about this AU on my tumblr. Most of it consists of details that are already in this fic, but there are character details and whatnot that might be interesting idk
https://www.tumblr.com/beanie-baby-0218/769772401222451200/my-pjsk-fantasy-au
Anyways, thank you for the continued support ! <3
Chapter 10
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was thanks to Meiko that Ena and the others managed to escape the treacherous conversation with the fae. The moment Luka noticed Meiko approaching, she bolted with such speed that Ena wasn’t entirely sure where she even ran off to.
It had been years since that argument the demon and fae had, and yet Ena still had no idea what it was about. All she could remember was being thirteen and waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, only to hear a pair of stern voices coming from downstairs. At first, she had perched down on the top step and strained her ears to try to listen, but Meiko caught her.
Ena didn’t remember much from that night, just the way Meiko looked at her before telling her to go to bed with such gentleness to her voice. The only other time Meiko had spoken to her in such a way was when she first found her in the forest.
She knew something especially bad must’ve happened for the two of them to argue in such a way. Luka went from being a rather persistent part of Ena’s life to almost entirely absent overnight. Even if she often found Luka irritating, she couldn’t help but feel like there was this hole in her life after that night.
But as curious as Ena was about it, she was just glad that their encounter with the fae was over and they were finally heading home. It had been a long day and to be frank she was utterly exhausted.
The walk home was practically silent, Meiko only spoke once and it was to greet Mizuki. Mizuki lingered a little behind with Kanade, the two holding hands. Meanwhile, Ena let out a large yawn before dropping her head onto Mafuyu’s shoulder.
“Are you feeling alright, Ena?” He asked.
“Tired- that’s all. I can move if you want.”
“No- it’s okay.”
When they arrived home, it was Kanade’s turn to help Meiko make dinner and as usual, Mafuyu likewise offered to assist. That left Ena and Mizuki sat side by side on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket and using the fireplace to warm their hands.
“It’s strange having you here so early,” Ena laughed slightly. “Strange but nice. So- how’s work been? I heard Kanade ask you about it but Luka was being so bothersome that I didn’t really hear any of the details.”
“Eh- it’s been fine I suppose. I’m on a first name basis with both my coworkers now.”
“Ooh- look at you go,” she smirked. “You’re working with a detective and another knight, right? I’m surprised it’s such a small team.”
Ena had thought a lot about Akito since Mizuki alluded to him the other day. It really hadn’t been all that long since she discovered the two were working together, yet it felt like she had a lifetime to dwell on memories of him.
She didn’t want to ask too much, didn't want to accidentally reveal herself, but she couldn’t help but want to know more about her little brother.
“Well- his majesty wants to keep the investigation small so no information leaks out. He doesn’t want the rebels knowing we’re onto him, and he’s paranoid enough to think anyone and everyone could be a rebel,” they sighed. “I suppose I can’t blame him for being a little worried, given the kingdom’s still recovering from the war in some ways.”
“Really, like what?”
“Well certain food that used to be imported from the Hinomori kingdom is still pretty expensive. Same with some food grown in these parts given some crop fields were heavily damaged in battle and not all in the right state to start growing again. And everyone’s all antsy in general, even after almost a decade. I suppose so many people lost at least one person they held dear to them, it makes sense those feelings would linger.”
Ena innately understood that feeling. After all, her entire life was flipped on its head during the war.
“I never really thought about it much myself, but then one of the people I’m working with - the son of the royal painter - was talking to me about how he lost his sister. It really seemed to leave an impact on him, apparently it’s what motivated him to become a knight.”
Akito became a knight because of her?
She couldn’t find the words to speak, so she was relieved when Mizuki continued talking without even batting an eye in Ena’s direction. Instead, she began rummaging through her bag, “Speaking of Lil Bro, he helped me find those paints I was hoping to get you. Gave them to me for free, actually.”
“Lil Bro?”
“He’s like my little knight brother,” Mizuki grinned, pulling a narrow box from their bag. “And I get to play the role of his annoying older knight sister!” That mischievous grin of theirs momentarily shifted, becoming something soft, something warm. “For you- Enanan. I hope you like them.”
She recognised them in an instant. Her father used to have a slight hoard of them - likely still did if Akito gave the paints to Mizuki for free - and Ena once snuck into his storage room to steal a pack for herself.
Those watercolours could keep her busy for hours, for days. She’d sit in her room and paint and paint and paint. It was Ena’s favourite thing in the world and for a while it made everything else in life so much easier.
Her love of art was more complicated now, not so straightforward as an unending passion, but she still cherished it dearly. The excitement that flooded through her upon seeing those paints was the perfect reminder of that.
“Mizuki- you didn’t have to-”
“Maybe I didn’t, but it was worth it to see that expression. I never see you that happy, Ena.”
“O-oi-” She muttered, cheeks getting hot. “I’m a happy enough person. You just aren’t around enough to see it.”
“Oh really~?”
Mizuki was truly a master at teasing Ena.
But she really couldn’t stay mad at her for long. Especially not this time.
“Shut up…” she grumbled as she attempted to compose herself. “But really- thank you. I haven’t gotten new paints in a while. You said your coworker gave them to you for free, right? How come?”
This time, Mizuki’s cheeks were the ones to turn red.
“Well, I guess he owed me a favour. It’s uh- it’s complicated. A lot happened yesterday, I still can’t really believe it all happened in one day,” they forced out, hands fidgeting in their lap. “It’s nothing to worry about- so stop looking at me like that! I’m just a little tired now.”
Ena assumed there was more Mizuki wasn’t telling her, but she knew it wasn’t her place to pry. Mizuki never liked talking about work much and when she did, it would always seem to wear her down a little. If they were already feeling tired, Ena didn’t want to add to that burden.
As far as she could tell, here was one of the few places Mizuki could fully relax. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin that for her.
So, Ena decided that a change in conversation topic was needed.
“Meiko let me read that book you gave her- the one about the curse. I’ve not quite finished reading it yet because of how disorganised it all feels.”
“Ah- yeah- I did notice that when I skimmed through. But I figured it would be handy even if you only learnt one or two things about it. Most of your knowledge on the curse is anecdotal, right?”
Ena nodded. “It doesn’t seem like a common curse in the slightest. Mafuyu and Kanade both know a lot more about that kind of stuff than I do and yet neither of them recognised it.” She paused, glancing over at Mizuki. “I’m curious- where did you even get it from? It definitely doesn’t look like your average published book.”
For a brief moment, it seemed as though Mizuki flinched. But if they did, they settled back into normalcy so quickly that Ena really couldn’t be sure either way. “I knew someone who had the curse.”
Silence hung over them both.
She took a deep breath and continued. “When I was little, my sister and I were on the move often. We lived in this one town for a while and I made friends with a boy my age. Most people in town didn’t talk to him because he was a demon - he was cursed like you and Meiko - but I also felt pretty isolated there so we became quick friends. Despite how young we were, he was relentlessly researching some sort of cure, even documenting each experience he had with it. There was a period of time where I didn’t see him for a bit, and then the day before we left for a new town I saw him one last time.”
Another pause.
“He was free from the curse. He didn’t tell me how, just handed me his notes and asked me to keep them safe. I know I can trust you and Meiko to look after them and… well I think he would’ve liked you to know everything you can about it. I think you two would’ve gotten along, actually.”
“Is that why you were so comfortable with magical creatures from the start? I mean- you didn’t even bat an eye at my horns when we first met.”
“Yeah… something like that.”
Silence again, although this time it was very comfortable. Ena felt no pressure to say a word and it was evident Mizuki felt the same. The two simply sat there, in mutual and warm silence, peering over at the kitchen to watch as the others cooked.
At one point Kanade nicked her finger whilst chopping vegetables, followed by Mafuyu heading straight for her first aid kit to get her some bandages.
It was always a little funny when it was Kanade’s turn to cook. She was never particularly good at it so Mafuyu always insisted on assisting. Most of that was just making sure Kanade didn’t injure herself, but sometimes he’d also have to reach for things that were on too high of a shelf for Kanade.
Ena couldn’t help but wonder if Mizuki was a good cook. She probably didn’t cook back at the palace, so it was very likely that any cooking skills she once had would’ve gone a little rusty by now. But it was also very possible that Mizuki might’ve never had said cooking skills in the first place. Maybe their older sister used to cook for them. Maybe their parents.
Mizuki had never mentioned parents though, so that likely wasn’t the case.
“We’re almost done,” Mafuyu approached, snapping Ena back to reality. “Can you help me lay the table, Ena?”
“I can help-”
“Nope- you’re our special guest today Mizuki. I’ll call you over once we’re ready,” Ena immediately argued. She followed Mafuyu to the kitchen, taking the plates he grabbed from a higher shelf, before bringing them over to the dining table. They were lucky it already had two extra seats, otherwise they likely would’ve had to get a chair for Mizuki from upstairs.
After they’d laid out the plates and cutlery, they called Mizuki over and encouraged her to choose whichever seat she wanted. “Are you sure? Don’t you have preferred places to sit whilst you eat?”
“Not really. Ena always just sits down next to whoever she feels like. It’s usually Kanade but sometimes she’ll choose to sit next to me,” Mafuyu shrugged.
Ena decided to ignore the fact she was certain she was blushing again.
“I’ll sit here then,” Mizuki perched down nervously in one of the chairs. It looked almost like she was confused, maybe even out of place.
Mizuki had never eaten a proper meal with them all before. Maybe that’s why they were so anxious.
Ena decided that today she’d sit next to Mizuki. Mafuyu then sat down opposite her, with Kanade eventually joining at her side. Meiko sat at the head of the table, which Ena supposed made sense given she was the head of the house.
“Thank you for making enough food for me to have some, Meiko. I hope it wasn’t a bother,” Mizuki forced out as Meiko served the food.
“It wasn’t a problem,” Meiko replied, as monotone as ever. Then she paused, glancing down at Mizuki. “Don’t worry about it, Mizuki. You’re welcome at any time for any meal.”
Ena was glad to see she wasn’t the only one who picked up on their nerves.
“Well- in that case,” Ena grinned, “let’s dig in.”
“Thanks for the food!”
Notes:
I told you I’d be quick when it came to getting this chapter out. Just some nice mizuena fluff :))
And also a slight hint to Meiko and Luka’s past. I now keep joking to myself that Ena in this AU is a child of divorce (me too girl, me too)
Next chapter will be a bit longer though, I think. A lot more happens in it and I’m excited it write it hehe
Chapter 11
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Akito was now certain that things had mellowed out between him and Mizuki, and he couldn’t be more glad for it. Maybe Mizuki was keeping some secrets, but he was beginning to understand that she wasn’t the threat he feared she might be. Their commitment to trying to make things up to him was proof of that.
Granted, Akito hadn’t made Mizuki train all day with him. A bit after the two had gotten lunch, he’d noticed how exhausted Mizuki looked and when he brought it up she immediately tried to excuse it by saying she was a little stressed and it was nothing to worry about. He decided it would be better to let Mizuki go rest for the remainder of the day, only to watch them leave the palace grounds no less than an hour later.
He wasn’t sure where she’d ran off to, just that she’d taken the paints with her. In the moment, part of him wanted to follow after them to get an idea of who this artist friend of theirs might be, but he knew that would be creepy and weird.
Mizuki returned to the palace around nine o’clock in the evening and immediately vanished into her sleeping quarters. By the way they’d seemed refreshed when the two prepared to meet with An the next morning, he could only assume they’d fallen asleep the moment they got the chance.
“How did training go after I left yesterday?” Mizuki asked, tying her hair up into a high ponytail as they headed to the meeting place An had requested. She wanted them to meet her in the library.
“Fine- though I didn’t get to do much more sword practice given everyone else was working. Hoshino came to spar with me at one point - it was good but it took a while for us to settle into a natural conversation,” he shrugged. It was a painfully uneventful evening once Mizuki left, and looking back on things he wondered if he should’ve just spent the evening resting as well.
But he couldn’t do that. He had to keep getting stronger.
For the kingdom. For his sister.
“She was a little shy around me at first as well,” Mizuki snickered. “All I had to do to get her to settle down was bring up this one bard: Hatsune Miku. I think Hoshino might actually be her biggest fan.”
“I think I’ve seen her perform before. An and Kohane dragged me to one of her shows- I think.”
“Really? Wow, I might just be jealous. Hoshino speaks so highly of her that I can’t help but want to see her myself.”
The two continued this perfectly casual conversation as they traversed the streets. It was a relief, being able to talk so easily with them. Even before the incident the other day, the two still had a bit of awkwardness between them. Now, that tension seemed to be fading away.
“Ah! Mizuki- Akito- over here!” An called, frantically waving her arms around. She stood just outside the library, leaning against one of the lamp posts. “Sorry we had to meet here. I wanted to show you the fruits of my research, but the librarian was super strict and said I wasn’t allowed to take out any books on dark magic without explicit permission. And it was already a big enough pain getting permission to even enter the restricted area. So I figured I’d just show it to you in here.”
An was noticeably a little tense as they entered the library. Her nerves seemed to worsen more and more as they approached the doors to the restricted area, which were guarded by two older knights.
“I- uh- I came in here two days ago. Can I enter again?” She forced out. Now Akito knew why she was nervous- she didn’t want to go through the tedious process of getting permission to enter all over again.
Lucky for her, she was accompanied by two knights this time. The guards barely glanced her way before opening the doors. It seemed all they needed to see was Mizuki and Akito’s uniforms.
The restricted area was desolate, not a soul in sight other than the three of them. Akito had never been in here before, and the look on Mizuki’s face implied the same went for her.
It was a relatively small room, but its tall shelves were absolutely packed with books. Some were decrepit and looked like they’d fade to dust with the slightest touch. Others were grand, with intricate designs on their spines. And most interestingly were the ones that were so utterly plain that even surrounded by normal books they’d appear painfully unremarkable.
To his surprise, An pulled out one of these dull looking books from its place on the shelf.
“Dark mages aren’t so fond of people easily finding their spell books,” Mizuki said when they saw the look on Akito’s face. “Sure some might have fancy looking books, but most go for something simple so they can be hidden in plain sight.”
“Exactly,” An grinned, beckoning over to the small set of desks right in the corner of the room.
They crowded around her as she skimmed through the pages, checking them against a small scrap of paper with a few notes and a number written on it. Eventually, she stopped on a page with an all too familiar spell drawn out on it.
“It’s a teleportation spell.”
That made a lot of sense.
“It requires two spells to be drawn, and then can be used to teleport between two places. It’s not the kind of spell that can be achieved with normal magic, not even by most magical creatures, so it’s no surprise our rebel used dark magic. However, that means we can’t really narrow down whether they’re human or not.”
Akito spared a quick glance at Mizuki, but she was a good actress. Their curious expression didn’t shift even the slightest bit when An mentioned the rebel. Even though he knew it wasn’t the case, it made him wonder if he’d imagined the events of the past few days.
Mizuki’s ability to act so casual could easily have been one of her greatest assets as a knight. In a way, it made sense that the king had them investigating a rebellion. She was probably very good at going undercover to talk to suspects.
“The spell can only work so far, however. And if my estimates are correct, the furthest the second spell could be drawn is a little outside the city walls. Probably somewhere in the forest. And honestly- I think that makes the most sense for our rebel.”
Mizuki nodded. “Easy way to escape from any commotion in the city. Most of the citizens of the capital are too nervous to even enter the forest, so they’d probably be good to hide out there and recuperate if needs be.”
“They might even have their base of operations set up there.”
This time, he was certain he saw something in Mizuki’s expression shift. A slight twitch at the corner of her lips perhaps. Or maybe even a gentle thurow of the eyebrows.
“We should investigate then. First check to see if they’ve redrawn the one in the city, and then go and try to track down the second one,” Akito said. “The quicker we do this, the better.”
“Agreed. They likely have this set up as part of some plan. If we can figure out their escape route then we should be able to catch them in the action.”
They first checked the alleyway they found the spell in the other day, then did a general check around the nearby area to make sure they didn’t redraw it elsewhere. When nothing turned up, they began to head to the forest.
“I don’t think I’ve ever entered the forest before,” An muttered to herself. “What about you two?”
Mizuki shrugged. “I’ve passed through it a few times. It’s really not as bad as people make it out to be.”
“All I’ve really heard about it is that it’s said to be filled with magical creatures. Have you ever encountered any in there?”
“Hmm- not really. I had a few of them watching me one time, but when they realised I didn’t plan to start trouble they left me be. Can’t blame them for being on high alert though, I’m pretty sure there are hunters patrolling the forest almost all the time.”
“Huh. And what about you, Akito? Have you ever been in there?”
He paused.
It had been years since he was last in the forest.
“During the war,” he finally said, his voice strangely quiet. “They’d evacuated our area of the city and we were hiding out in the forest for a while. Then our camp got raided and-”
And in the commotion his parents had lost sight of Ena.
“Oh- right… sorry.”
For years, he’d secretly wanted to sneak into the forest again. When he was young, he thought that maybe Ena was just scared and if he went searching for her instead of a bunch of knights then maybe she’d see him and be willing to come out of her hiding spot.
Now he just wanted a clue. He wanted something - anything - that could even imply what happened to her.
“It’s fine. We were pretty deep in the forest anyways, and the spell will likely be closer to the outskirts.”
Silence hung over them for the rest of the walk. It was miserable. Akito wished for the tension to ease, but An seemed to be worried about the fact that she might’ve brought up some bad memories for him and Mizuki’s expression had gone almost deadpan. He wasn’t really sure what could be going through their mind, but despite how blank their expression was it also seemed as though they were deep in thought.
“We’re here- huh?” He said, so relieved to at last be breaking that awful silence. “I get why the townsfolk are so freaked out by it, it does have a somewhat ominous vibe.”
“It’s really not that bad,” Mizuki grinned. “Now, I suppose our search will go down better if we split up. I stole An all to myself last time, so how about you two go together this time?”
This suggestion surprised Akito just a little. It seemed like Mizuki was still trying to prove herself to be trustworthy. After all, just the other day Mizuki was so quick to pair up with An just so Akito couldn’t voice any of his suspicions about them to her.
And in a way, this suggestion was proof that Mizuki could trust Akito enough to not drag An into all this.
“Alright then. Yell for us if you get lost, okay?”
“I feel like you’re the one more likely to get lost.” This time, her smirk felt more genuine.
The moment Mizuki walked off, they were utterly impossible to spot within the trees. This made Akito worry that she was right after all, and him and An would be the ones who would get lost.
Shaking his head, he beckoned An to follow him into the trees.
It was dark, dark enough that he should’ve thought to take a lantern. Despite it being midday, the foliage was thick enough in this part of the forest that it was difficult to see too far in any direction.
“So-” An said, pacing a few steps ahead of him, “you and Mizuki are getting along again, huh?”
He froze.
“You could tell?”
“Look- you don’t need to tell me what happened, but the two of you had been acting super weird ever since I left you to guard that alleyway. I thought I was gonna have to step in and sort things out for you two, but by the looks of things you did it yourselves,” she grinned. “Well done, I’m very proud of you.”
He immediately rolled his eyes. “Why are you talking to me like I’m five?”
An only laughed in response.
They continued the search, looking at tree trunks, large rocks, even searching the ground for any sign of the other half of the teleportation spell. It even reached a point where Akito decided he was simply searching for any sign of a rebel.
But there was nothing.
It was odd, there barely seemed to be any sign of life at all. Mizuki spoke of magical creatures keeping an eye on her one of the first times she passed through, but it didn’t even seem like they were watching him and An.
“Maybe we should go back and-” An cut herself off, immediately jumping to Akito’s side. “Did you hear that?”
He shook his head.
The two stood there, so perfectly still and so completely silent. They were like a pair of statues.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, in what felt like an instant, a figure had appeared behind them both.
A strange, cheery yet chilling voice spoke. “And you two are?”
They both flinched, turning around so rapidly that An tripped over in the process. Standing in front of them was a person, a little shorter than Akito. Their hair was short, with a slight wave, and a shade of dark purple. Their blueish eyes seemed to shimmer in the small amount of sunlight seeping through the gaps between the leaves.
“Oh- here, let me help.” The stranger reached out a hand to An, apologising to her as she hauled herself back up to her feet. “I didn’t mean to startle either of you, we just don’t get many visitors around here.”
“No- uh- don’t worry. We’re just here to investigate something,” An forced out. “We probably wouldn’t have freaked out so much if it weren’t so dark and quiet around here. We really should’ve brought a lantern…”
“You’re detectives?”
“I am. And this here is one of my assigned bodyguards. I’m Shiraishi An, and you?”
He wasn’t sure why she so willingly introduced herself to this stranger, but he also couldn’t notice anything immediately suspicious about them.
“Asahina Mafuyu,” they smiled. It was weird, how that smile made a shiver run down Akito’s spine. Something felt wrong about it, but he couldn’t place his finger on what it was.
“Shinonome Akito,” he added after a pause.
The name Asahina felt familiar. Where had he heard it from before?
“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you two out here investigating? It’s not particularly interesting around here.”
“We-” An begun, but Akito took a step forward.
“I’m afraid we can’t answer that until you tell me one thing. It’s quite odd to see a human around these parts- what exactly are you doing here?”
Maybe- just maybe- Asahina was one of the rebels they were looking for.
That smile dropped in an instant.
The glare Asahina gave him was somehow even more chilling.
“I don’t know what you’re implying, Shinonome.”
“It’s a simple question, Asahina. Why are you here?”
He found his hand hovering by his sword, ready to draw it if Asahina made even the slightest movement.
“Wait!”
A familiar voice was calling out from somewhere within the trees. Eventually Mizuki emerged, having to take a moment to pause and catch her breath.
Asahina’s expression shifted. No longer was it that uncanny smile or that glare so full of spite, it was a rather neutral expression. Perhaps it showed a hint of curiosity as well. “Mizuki?”
Akito blinked.
“I’m so- so sorry, I didn’t think to mention you to these two,” Mizuki breathed, “I didn’t expect you to bump into each other. I should’ve known something like this would happen!”
An peered over at them. “Mizuki… who is this? What’s going on?”
“This is my friend, Mafuyu. Her family lives on the outskirts of the forest, you see. He patrols the area sometimes to make sure there’s no trouble, and he likely got worried that was exactly what you two were, right?”
Asahina nodded. “So does that make these two your colleagues?” The way she spoke to Mizuki was once again noticeably different. A somewhat dull tone, but not unfriendly in any way. In fact, Asahina seemed noticeably more at ease than he did just seconds prior.
“Yep. We’re here to investigate some stuff to do with the rebellion. We’re trying to locate part of a teleportation spell, but we’ve had no luck so far.”
Akito wondered if it was safe to let this stranger know any details about the investigation, but he had to remind himself that she was obviously no stranger to Mizuki. The two spoke in a casual way, even if their tones were wildly different. To Akito, they seemed like polar opposites.
“I see. Well- I apologise for immediately being on the defensive. I was much the same with Mizuki when we first met,” Asahina seemed to be primarily addressing Akito with these words.
“Ah- yeah. Me too. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, I thought you were a rebel or something,” he forced out a laugh.
Silence lingered again.
Asahina was the one to break it. “In that case, how about I keep an eye out for you.”
“Eh?”
“For the spell, I mean. I can pass on the details to Mizuki if I ever find anything.”
“Really? That would be a life saver!” An beamed. “It’ll be a real pain if we have to keep coming here to investigate, but you must know the place well, right? You’d probably have better luck than the rest of us.”
“That’s right,” Asahina nodded. “I’d be happy to help out in any way that I can.”
Mizuki took both of Asahina’s hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Thanks Mafuyu, I owe you. What cake should I buy for you next time I visit?”
Asahina blinked.
“Surely you can just pick your favourite. You know I don’t have a preference.”
“You like apples, don’t you? Maybe I’ll get you something with apples in!”
Akito now felt like he was intruding on their conversation. He beckoned An to take a few steps back with him, watching in silence as Mizuki excitedly listed off various apple desserts.
Asahina’s expression remained blank throughout it all, right up until the moment Mizuki said: “You really are the best, Mafuyu!” And with that, the tiniest smile appeared on her face. That almost unnoticeable smile carried ten times the joy of the forced grin he wore before.
“You should head back now,” Asahina said, very gently. “If you stay out too late then it’ll get much colder outside, and then you might risk falling ill.”
“Right! Let’s head back then, you two.”
Mizuki cheerfully waved goodbye to her friend, as did An who seemed thrilled to have someone do part of her job for her.
As they prepared to leave, Akito caught a glimpse of something in the distance. At first, he assumed it was just Asahina. Then he saw the horns.
He immediately drew his sword, only for the figure to vanish in an instant.
“You okay Akito?” An asked.
“Yeah- uh- just thought I saw something.”
Notes:
Was planning to spend my evening reading persona 3 fics because I just finished replaying persona 3 portable (FeMC’s route) only for ao3 to be down lol.
Guess it worked out because it made me be productive and write this instead.
This chapter was fun. So far the story’s had a pretty clear split between the knights and the hermits, so having a bit of overlap (outside of Mizuki) was fun to write
Chapter Text
There were people. Humans.
Ena had been worried when Mafuyu hadn’t returned for a while, but the last thing she expected was to see her talking with a group of humans. She wanted to get closer, take a better look at these people, but the moment she rose past her hiding spot one of them seemed to notice her.
She ran off the moment she saw the stranger’s sword.
It didn’t take long for her to bump into Mafuyu again. Thankfully, he appeared to be completely unharmed and maybe even seemed to be smiling a little.
“Who were those people?” Ena asked immediately.
“Knights, a detective too.” In the brief pause between these words and the next, Ena’s mind raced with thoughts of why on earth a group of knights would be here. “It was Mizuki and their colleagues.”
She immediately froze.
“Say that first next time!” She groaned, lightly punching her arm. “You made me think we were in trouble or something. Though… I’m surprised Mizuki would take her colleagues around here. I thought they’d worry too much about us getting found.”
“They’re investigating something to do with the rebellion,” Mafuyu sighed, his hand intertwining with Ena’s as they began to head back to where they’d left Kanade and Meiko. “They think they’ve got a teleportation spell set up around here, which means they’re either using the forest as a hideout or an escape route. Both options are… inconvenient.”
That was one way to put it.
If the king decided to send a group of knights to catch the rebels, it wasn’t too absurd to think that they might get caught up in all the trouble as well.
“I’d personally prefer them to not drag our home into their fight,” Mafuyu continued. It was rare for her to be so openly opinionated about something, but it wasn’t like Ena disagreed.
As far as she knew, the rebels consisted of a group of humans who wanted to start a fight with more humans. Ena had dealt with enough war in her lifetime already and the idea that another one was brewing so close to her home put her on edge.
“Well, either way, I promised Mizuki I’d keep an eye out for any signs of that spell. We should probably see if we can find it during our patrol- that way we know which areas to avoid if the rebels are hiding out around here.”
Kanade was in the midst of panicking when they finally came across her and Meiko again. Ena didn’t realise quite how long they had vanished for and was quick to apologise for making Kanade worry. But as Mafuyu explained the situation to Kanade and Meiko, Ena couldn’t help but think back on the human who drew their sword upon spotting her.
If the group consisted of Mizuki and her colleagues, then that meant the other knight there must’ve been Akito, right?
It’s not like Mizuki would’ve drawn their sword upon spotting her because they likely would’ve figured out it was Ena. That meant- most likely- the person who drew their sword was none other than her little brother.
He was so close, he was right there in the place she called home, and she didn’t even get a chance to see him up close. Maybe that was for the best though. If Akito saw her silhouette and chose to draw his sword, then who knows what would’ve happened if they faced each other head on.
Would he be happy to see her after all these years? Would he sheath his sword upon seeing that it was her all along?
Or would he be ready to kill her for what she’d become?
She had no way of knowing and honestly there was part of her that didn’t want to know. It felt easier to never have to see his face again than to deal with the idea that he might be repulsed by her.
“Well, I think it would be best to keep our distance from them,” Meiko’s flat voice snapped Ena out of her messy thoughts. At a first glance, her expression was as blank as ever, but Ena couldn’t help but notice the way the corners of her lips seemed to turn downwards. “You said it yourself, they’ll only end up causing us trouble.”
“Mafuyu does have a point though,” Kanade muttered. “If we can find out where they might be hiding out, we’ll know exactly where we should avoid. We don’t have to search every inch of the forest, but I suppose keeping an eye out on our patrol wouldn’t hurt.”
Ena immediately voiced her agreement. If she knew where the rebels would be, she’d also know where the knights would eventually show up again. If there was even the slightest chance that Akito would be returning to the forest, Ena was certain she had to avoid him.
Meiko didn’t say another word but that also meant she didn’t discourage them as the three of them searched for footprints and examined bushes and trees. She didn’t even bat an eye at them, no matter how silly Ena was certain they all looked.
She felt like she was seven again, searching for her favourite paintbrush after Akito had hid it between two sofa cushions. He’d sent her on a wild goose chase to find it and she had been in a severe grump as a result.
Maybe this wasn’t exactly the same, though. After all, she wasn’t sure she wanted any sign of rebels to show up because maybe that would mean they were hiding out somewhere else. Really, that would be the best case scenario.
Past the orc’s village, past the faerie ring and the mermaids’ river, and it seemed like absolutely nothing was turning up. Mafuyu said Mizuki was looking for some sort of spell, but Ena wasn’t seeing anything which resembled such a thing. In fact, it was reaching a point where all she could focus on was her grumbling stomach.
Lunch had long since been and gone yet they never took the chance to take a break and eat. Every time her stomach growled, she’d feel her cheeks go hot as she glanced between the others. Somehow, none of them seemed bothered by their skipped meal.
“Fine,” she grumbled, mostly to herself. “I’m going to head back home to eat. If anyone wants to come with me you’re more than welcome.”
Mafuyu barely glanced her way and Kanade offered an initially confused expression. This very quickly shifted to an almost startled look, her eyes widening slightly as she said, “Oh- right- we haven’t eaten yet.”
“No, we haven’t. And I know you skipped breakfast, Kanade.”
“I did?”
“You did,” Mafuyu answered, not even looking up. “You woke up late and didn’t have time to eat before we went out. You should head back with Ena and get some food.”
Kanade glanced his way before perching down beside him and offering her hand.
“What?”
“I just think you should come too. There’s no point in pushing yourself, we’ve got plenty of time to search,” she grinned.
Ena was hoping that would work.
If you could convince Kanade to do something, you could almost always convince Mafuyu by extension. All she’d have to do is don that soft little smile of hers and Mafuyu would find herself agreeing. It’s not something Ena had picked up on herself, rather Mizuki had pointed it out when she first started taking sweet treats with her whenever she visited.
Mafuyu used to be hesitant about trying them, always seemingly worried that he’d be setting himself up for disappointment. But then Kanade would wordlessly start to eat her own portion and Mafuyu would follow.
“Okay, but I want to continue searching afterwards.”
They arrived home to find Rin and Len sat on the windowsill in the kitchen, picking berries from the fruit bowl and sharing them between each other. Upon spotting them, Len flushed bright red and began to profusely apologise for stealing their food, only for Rin to remind him that Meiko had given them permission dozens of times before.
Ena decided to catch up with the two pixies as Meiko prepared their late lunch. It had only been a few days since they last spoke, but it felt like so much had happened.
Part of her wanted to tell them about her conflicting feelings when it came to Akito. The two were siblings themselves after all and thus some of the only people Ena knew who likely had even the slightest chance of understanding how she felt. But their relationship had always been very different to hers and Akito’s, and she didn’t want to risk the others hearing about it.
Instead, she asked them about the rebels.
“Rebels?” Len asked, tilting his little head as he perched onto Ena’s finger. It was as if he were a butterfly. Meanwhile, Rin fluttered a few centimetres behind him, bobbing up and down in the air ever so slightly.
“They’re a group who don’t agree with how King Tenma rules. Mizuki thinks they’re hiding out somewhere in the forest, or - at the very least - they plan to use the forest as an escape route for one of their plans,” she explained. “We’re trying to figure out if Mizuki’s theory is correct so we know where to avoid in case they cause any trouble. I was just wondering if you’d seen anyone or anything that might be to do with the rebels.”
“I- I don’t think so. I mean, we see humans every now and then but it’s usually either people passing through or hunters. And- I-”
“Do you know what any of the rebels look like?” Rin now settled down beside Len.
“Uh- no. As far as I’m aware, Mizuki doesn’t know any details about them as individuals. How come?”
Rin crossed her arms and pondered for a moment.
“I had an encounter with someone the other day. At the time, I thought she was human, but I find myself doubting that the more I think about her,” she eventually muttered.
“How come?” Kanade asked, placing a plate in front of Ena as she sat down beside her.
“Well- she wasn’t hostile at all but obviously not all humans are,” she cocked her head over to where Mafuyu sat. “I’m not really sure how to describe it… she just didn’t feel entirely human even if she looked it.”
“Would you be able to show us where you encountered her? If she has anything to do with the rebels, it might come in handy. And if not… well there’s a chance she could use our help.”
Meiko was clearly planning on staying behind, once again voicing her desire to keep her distance from the rebels and their shenanigans. Ena didn’t see any point in trying to convince her until Len practically begged her to join them. He seemed convinced that they might need her to protect them even though Ena was pretty certain they’d be fine protecting themselves. Regardless, Len’s puppy dog eyes worked surprisingly well on the stoic demon and she ended up silently following along.
They would’ve been quick to lose sight of Rin if she flew ahead of them, so she sat in Ena’s hands and pointed them all in the right direction. It was the complete opposite direction to where they’d been before.
“It was right around here,” Rin said as Ena stepped out into a small clearing. “She seemed about my age, a bit shorter than Mafuyu. She wore her hair in twintails and-”
“There’s something on this tree,” Mafuyu interrupted.
“That’s…” Kanade trailed off, eyes widening.
On the trunk of the tree was a spell. That was enough to be of interest, of course, but it didn’t appear to be drawn in ink.
“This is blood,” he muttered. “Which means-”
“It’s dark magic.”
Kanade’s eyes remained wide as she approached. There was something about her expression that rubbed Ena the wrong way, but the fact no one else acknowledged it made her wonder if she was imagining it.
“It’s a teleportation spell, which is what Mizuki was looking for,” she continued. “She’d probably want us to get a blood sample for testing. And afterwards-”
“Afterwards, we’ll destroy it.” Meiko wasn't her usual deadpan self, rather she wore a tight frown and her arms were crossed. “The rebels are less likely to be an inconvenience to us this way.”
“They’ll probably end up redrawing it, though,” Ena replied. “Surely we should just keep our distance from this place. If we destroy it, that might give them the impression we want to start a fight.”
In a way, Ena did want to start a fight with the rebels. She wanted to give them a piece of her mind about the fact that they were using her home as part of their battleground. But that would likely cause more harm than good.
“I mean, we’re already technically aligned with the knights because of Mizuki. Do we really want to give them even more of a reason to dislike us?”
Ena didn’t really want to start an argument with Meiko. As a child, Ena would often lose her temper at her but it was rare that it was ever anything serious. When Meiko argued back, it usually ended with things being tense between them. They hadn’t argued in such a way for a while and the last thing Ena wanted was to change that.
“Listen, I-”
“Oh, arguing are we?”
Silence fell over them in an instant.
Stepping out from the trees was a girl, not much shorter than Mafuyu, with mint green hair tied into twintails. Rin immediately settled onto Ena’s shoulder, whispering in her ear, “That’s the girl. That’s her.”
“Come now, Meiko, we have no plan to inconvenience any of you.”
The girl knew Meiko?
This was news to Ena.
“It actually hurts a bit to see you all so dismissive of our efforts,” she continued, leaning against the tree with the spell drawn on it. “I get it, you don’t want to be dragged into the messy business of humans but… well, first of all this isn’t a cause just humans are fighting for. And plus, don’t you think it can benefit all of you.”
Meiko remained silent.
So Ena spoke. “What do you mean?”
She grinned. “Well- you used to live amongst humans, didn’t you? As did you, Miss Witch. Wouldn’t you kill to be able to wander through the city without a care in the world? No need for a hat to hide your ears or a hood to hide your horns, no worries that you will be killed solely for existing.”
The strange girl paused, eyes drifting back over to Ena. “Surely there’s family you must be dying to see again without fear.”
This time, Ena was at a loss for words. She stumbled back, frantically reaching for the closest hand she could find. Kanade’s hand was the one she grabbed, but it didn’t take hers in return. Kanade’s hand remained stiff and still and one glance down at it showed that those black veins had almost completely covered it.
Mafuyu stepped forward. “Promise us you’ll keep your activities away from our home, and we won’t cause any problems for you. Whether you’re fighting for a good cause or not, we have no desire to be dragged into it.”
She was glad for Mafuyu. He could always say what she struggled so much to say.
“That’s understandable,” the girl said, “though I do think it’s a bit of a shame. Never mind that, though. We have no intention of letting any bystanders get hurt.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Yes. I promise.”
As the two shook hands, Ena considered what Rin had been saying earlier. Rin was so certain that this girl wasn’t human, but Ena couldn’t pick out anything that would give that impression.
“On that note, I’ll be heading off. It was a pleasure getting to meet you all. If you ever change your mind, just return here and we can have a talk.”
As the girl faded into the shadows of the trees, Ena’s mind still lingered on her words.
“Surely there’s family you must be dying to see again without fear.”
Fear was truly one of the only things stopping her from returning home. Fear she’d hurt them, fear they’d hurt her. Fear that they’d hate her.
But even if the rebels won their battle, Ena knew things wouldn’t end so simply. After all, the brother she so desperately wished to see again was actively fighting against the rebels.
The walk home was silent.
By the time they had returned, Kanade’s hands were still numb and Ena felt as if all the energy had been drained out of her. There was this uncomfortable tension hanging between them all.
Maybe the rebels were fighting for a good cause. Would that make them bad people for not wanting to join the fight?
“Who was that girl?” Rin quietly asked Meiko.
“Her name is Hatsune Miku. Though she’s changed a lot since we last spoke.”
Chapter 13
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Ah… what a pain.”
The girl with the twintails had gone into that encounter with hope that she would gain a few more allies. Instead, she found herself wondering if she soured the slight bond she had with the demon.
“Oi-” She kept walking. The voice she heard calling to her was so quiet that she was pretty certain she was imagining it. It was beginning to get dark after all and Miku found herself hearing and seeing all sorts of things when out late. “Hey- Hatsune Miku!”
She flinched at the sound of her own name. None of the other rebels referred to her by her full name, given that it also happened to be her stage name. It was a choice she had regretted for a long while as it made it difficult to separate the rebel from the bard, but unfortunately the name was already too well known by humans.
Hatsune Miku had fans.
Which meant she had to get used to being just Miku when out of the public eye.
Finally, she turned around to see the pixie she encountered the other day. She was a cute little thing, with blonde hair and intricate moth-like wings. There was something charming about her constantly deadpan expression.
“It’s you,” she blinked, holding out her hand so she could settle down. “How do you know my name?”
“Meiko told me. But I have some questions for you.”
Miku glanced around. They were still in the middle of the forest which was a bit inconvenient, but if she returned to the hideout then she’d likely have the others all listening in on their conversation.
“Can I find a place to sit down first?” She found a tree stump to perch on and lowered the pixie onto her lap. “I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Oh. Rin. Kagamine Rin.”
Rin. It was a pretty name.
“So- Rin, what kind of things do you want to ask me?”
She knew that it was likely to be questions about her involvement in the rebellion as she recalled Rin being perched on the shoulder of one of Meiko’s kids. What was her name again? Emma? No, that definitely wasn’t right.
Miku had looked into the three that lived with Meiko as best she could, but honestly it didn’t turn up much. She knew the one that had been living with Meiko the longest, not-Emma, shared the same curse as the demon. She knew that she used to be human and presumably used to live in the capital city, so she did her best to use that in an attempt to persuade her.
The same applied to the witch - well, Miku was pretty sure she was a half-witch. There was something about the shape of her ears- they were less pointy than other witches’ that Miku had seen. She would often see the witch head into the city, a hat covering her ears.
Then there was the human. As far as she knew, he wasn’t from the Tenma kingdom. It made most sense to assume he was from the Hinomori kingdom, much like Miku herself. After all, she couldn’t quite understand what reason someone who clearly cares for magical creatures would have to leave the Ootori Kingdom. They were by far the most accepting, even if they generally still had some work to do.
She glanced back down at Rin, whose arms were crossed as she stared intensely at Miku. It made her cheeks begin to feel a little hot.
“What are you?” She finally asked.
Not the kind of question Miku was anticipating.
“I’m… a rebel?”
Not the answer she wanted to hear.
“Sometimes I’m a bard.”
She was still staring at her.
Silence lingered over them for a long, almost painful moment before Rin finally sighed and said: “You’re not human, are you?”
Miku flinched.
How did she figure it out?
Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that it really wasn’t that big of a deal for a pixie to be able to figure out she wasn’t human. It wasn’t like any humans had noticed before
“You’re right.”
“Then what are you?”
Just as Miku opened her mouth to respond, a voice called her name. Examining her surroundings, she realised she’d made it significantly closer to their hideout than she had initially realised.
“There you are. We were wondering what-” The purple haired boy emerged from the trees, cutting himself off when he noticed Rin standing on Miku’s lap. “Oh~ am I interrupting something?”
“Ah- uh- not at all,” she startled to her feet, accidentally flinging Rin off her lap in the process. “Oh- shit- sorry!”
“No- no- it’s fine,” she grumbled, rubbing her head. “I’d like to talk again some other time. If that’s okay- Miku.”
Her cheeks were blazing hot.
“Of course- Rin.”
And with that, the pixie disappeared back off into the trees.
“Falling for a pixie, are we? I suppose you of all people could make it work,” Kamishiro Rui snickered. He always enjoyed lightly teasing her.
“Whatever,” she grumbled, pushing her way past and back to the hideout. “I didn’t have much luck with Meiko and her group. And there I was, so certain that I’d be able to convince them.”
“I honestly doubted it from the start,” he shrugged. “They’re an isolated little group and I think they prefer it that way.”
“Maybe I just went about it all wrong. I thought I could charm them with this form, but maybe I should’ve matched their energy levels more. Maybe… maybe I should’ve used this form-” she ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the strands curl and lengthen. Her fringe fell into her eyes, now no longer a mint green but almost white.
Hatsune Miku was a shapeshifter and likely one of the last few of her kind.
There had been a small population of them hiding out in the Hinomori kingdom. For the most part, life was relatively peaceful there. No one would bat an eye at them so long as they took on an entirely inconspicuous form.
Miku almost exclusively used her abilities to alter the appearance she already had, rather than taking on new ones entirely. Meanwhile, there was a small group who would don the faces of others in order to enter places they weren’t meant to.
It was such a small minority of them, but the royal family soon began an effort to wipe out all shapeshifters. They viewed them as an inherent threat and even started to notice ways to tell the difference between someone and a shapeshifter who was impersonating them. They would imprison them and interrogate them about where to find the rest of them.
Miku managed to flee with an older cousin of hers, meanwhile the rest of her loved ones were left behind.
There was a brief period where the two of them lived in this very forest and they’d receive food from Meiko to help keep them going. Once they knew that things had settled down, they tried their best to blend in with the humans of the Tenma Kingdom.
Miku would often find herself frequenting a little café, one with a small stage in the corner where musicians would come to perform. One day, she found herself up on that stage.
That was when the bard Hatsune Miku was born.
Since then, she’d perform shows across the city to distract from the fact that she had been recruited into the rebellion. It even helped serve as a distraction when the other rebels would set up their schemes.
This form she donned now - with the off-white hair and heterochromia - was one she found comfort in when she had to leave her home. It was the form Meiko was familiar with and she was now certain that Meiko would have been a little more receptive in their conversation if she simply donned this form instead.
“Well that’s a look I’ve never seen on you before,” Rui raised his eyebrows. “Honestly, you would’ve been better off just looking like yourself. I think trying to put on a mask of some kind to convince them is just going to be more off putting.”
She frowned, shifting again to her ‘base form’. Miku had never been static in her appearance, she liked to change even subtle things on a whim. But she supposed it could get tiring sometimes, especially considering each shift required a little magic to do.
Hatsune Miku at her core was a somewhat scraggly girl. Her hair was long and turquoise and would get tangled if she wasn’t careful. Her eyes were technically a similar shade of cyan, but seemed to change colour if you looked at them at different angles.
They’d shift from midnight blue to bright green to vivid red to pop yellow to dark purple.
“Well- what about you, Rui?”
He raised his eyebrows again.
“You’ve got a friend working on the side of the enemy, don’t you? Have you made any progress in convincing them to join us?”
He immediately froze.
Typically, Rui would be seen donning a somewhat mischievous grin. Even when he wasn’t causing trouble, the corners of his lips seemed to twitch up like there was always something a little amusing going on.
Now his eyes seemed to darken and that grin was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m not dragging her into any of this,” was all he said before pacing ahead.
“Huh- but you said she didn’t sell you out-!”
“And it will only get them hurt if they join us. She’s risking a lot by keeping her mouth shut about me- I can’t imagine what that bastard would do if she even considered joining us.”
And that was that.
Miku made a mental note to never pester Rui about his knight friend ever again.
But just because Rui was off the table, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t ask someone else about their knight friend.
He sat in the corner of the somewhat sad cave they called a hideout, a book in hand and a lantern lit beside him. “Welcome back, you two,” he smiled slightly before turning back to his book. If he’d noticed the slight tension between Rui and Miku, he wasn’t tactless enough to comment on it.
Instead, Miku perched down beside him and peered over at his book. A few seconds were enough for her to get bored and start restlessly fiddling around and stretching.
“So, Toya, what about your knight friend?”
She was glad that she didn’t have to elaborate anymore than that.
“I can assure you, it would take a lot to convince Akito to side with us. I’m certain he has it in him somewhere, but it’s not as simple as you might think.”
Akito huh? Rui still wouldn’t tell Miku the name of his knight friend.
“But you said you two were best friends. And we managed to convince those other two-”
“Akito’s reasons for wanting to be a knight are very personal. Unless we can somehow find and revive his dead sister, he won’t have much of a reason to want to join our fight,” he replied, his voice gentle. “Plus, he thinks I’m dead. It’s been so long since we’ve last seen each other that I don’t know if we’d be best friends anymore…”
It was like Miku’s luck had entirely gone down the drain. She completely failed to convince Meiko to join the rebellion and she got a resounding no about the only other people she thought they might be able to ally themselves with.
It’s not like they had no allies, there were plenty of others across the city and the kingdom as a whole. But it often felt lonely with just the three of them, especially considering they’d been acting as a team for so long.
But she had met Rin, so maybe her luck wasn’t entirely gone.
Perhaps, when the two of them next spoke, Miku would shrink down to her size to make talking easier.
“Miku, make sure to eat up,” Rui said, handing her a bowl of soup. “We need your energy levels to be nice and high for your performance in a few days.”
Another distraction. At least she knew this one would be easy enough to handle. All Rui needed to do was redraw a spell without getting caught.
Notes:
I am not very normal about mikurin as you can probably tell by this chapter lol
More importantly Shapeshifter Miku my beloved <3 I spent a while wondering which Sekai Miku I should include and my conclusion ended up being “why not all of them” although her ‘base form’ is an original design and not based on any one Miku in particular. Obviously there’s influence from her regular design but that applies to any Miku design lol. Likewise her personality doesn’t take too strongly from any particular Miku, just what felt right for the role she has in this AU
This chapter has Rui’s first speaking lines of the fic lol and also ofc Toya’s first lines but he had only been mentioned before now.
I also think this chapter had the first mention of the Ootori Kingdom within the fic. It had been mentioned very briefly in my tumblr lore dump but I figured it would be good to mention it and some lore around it within a the fic itself sooner rather than later.
I also almost forgot my fun fact for this chapter which is that the colours used to describe Miku’s eyes are the ones used when you get a unit assigned for you when you first start pjsk. (E.g midnight blue = Leo/need etc)
That is all thanks for reading <<3
Chapter 14
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Mafuyu never regretted much. However, today he awoke to find himself regretting ever offering to look for traces of the rebels for Mizuki. Even Mafuyu, who typically wasn’t the best at reading the room, could feel the tension emanating throughout the house. It was suffocating, like the air on a hot and humid day.
Meiko didn’t say another word about Hatsune Miku, even after Rin ran off and managed to glean a little more information about her.
But what concerned Mafuyu the most - she was pretty sure what she was feeling was concern - was Kanade and Ena’s reactions to the events of the night before. Kanade’s expression upon seeing the spell drawn in blood was one Mafuyu had never seen her don before. The fact that her curse activated itself just seconds after was all the proof Mafuyu needed to know that seeing the dark magic made Kanade feel something even if Mafuyu couldn’t figure out what that something was.
And whilst Kanade and dark magic were two things Mafuyu never wanted to mix, he somehow found himself worrying more about Ena.
The rebel’s words had an obvious impact on her.
And what annoyed Mafuyu was that she had no idea why they had such an impact.
Ena had been quiet all morning, especially around Meiko but that didn’t immediately rub Mafuyu the wrong way given they were on the brink of an argument the night before. She spent the morning sat at the dining table with her sketchbook, frequently glancing out the window for extended periods of time only to look back down at what she’d been drawing and immediately scribble it out.
Usually Ena’s bad moods were expressed through frustration, but there was something almost melancholic about how she’d been acting today.
Both of his friends seemed to have a myriad of things on their mind, which made it difficult to help either one. Mafuyu had never been good with emotions - her own or others’ - and would often ask one of her friends for their input. And unless Mizuki showed up at their door out of nowhere, Mafuyu wasn’t sure who to confront for help with the other.
After lunch, Ena retreated upstairs and Kanade sat in the living room with her head buried in a book. Mafuyu had planned to start drafting up some lyrics for a song Kanade had recently written, only for Meiko to invite her out on a walk.
Silence lingered over them for a little, but it wasn’t that same suffocating kind. After the discomfort Mafuyu had been experiencing all morning, this was honestly a breath of fresh air.
“You’re worried about those two, aren’t you?” Meiko finally said as they stopped to sit by the river.
“I think so. I feel… bad whenever I look at either of them, so I think it must be worry,” she replied, staring out at the rippling water.
Meiko laughed softly. Was it a laugh? Had Mafuyu ever heard her laugh before?
Regardless, Mafuyu ignored it and kept talking. “Kanade’s been searching for a cure for her father… and I think seeing dark magic be used has given her some bad ideas. I don’t know much about dark magic, but it requires spells to be drawn in blood…”
The blood loss Mafuyu had experienced from using magic in the past was bad enough. What kind of effect would dark magic have on a person? Kanade had already been cursed by regular magic before. What kind of effect would dark magic have if it backfired?
“I don’t want her to turn to it out of desperation. I…” He trailed off, recalling just how long it took the curse to die down the night before. Even after handing Kanade her lyre, her hands remained numb for at least another hour. Usually her episodes with the curse were over quickly once she found a way to soothe herself.
“And then there’s Ena. I think she’s considering joining the rebels. Or… at the very least, she doesn’t seem as opposed to getting involved with them. But she almost lost her life to war, didn’t she? Why would she want to get herself involved in another one?”
Mafuyu’s voice seemed to tremble.
“I don’t know. I just don’t want either of them to do something foolish.”
She finally glanced back over at Meiko, who reached over and gently patted her shoulder. It made Mafuyu tense up a little. He’d grown used to physical affection from Kanade, Ena and especially Mizuki, but it was a surprise coming from Meiko.
In a way, it sent shivers through her. The last adult to offer her such affections was her mother, and that was so long ago that she shouldn’t have remembered how that felt. Yet he did. She always hugged just a little too tight. Her fingers would always dig slightly into Mafuyu’s back.
Meiko’s touch was closer to how he recalled his father’s being. Distant, in a way, though through a simple pat Meiko’s gesture somehow carried double the warmth.
“You want to protect them, don’t you?”
More than anything in the world.
Mafuyu wasn’t sure if she’d ever find the words to describe how she felt about her friends. They made him feel warm, sure, but there was so much more to say than just that.
Kanade, Ena, Mizuki… Mafuyu couldn’t not think about them nearly all the time. The slightest things would bring back the smallest of memories.
A bird’s song would remind her of the time Kanade first performed for them all and a little chorus of birds began to chirp along.
He’d walk past a patch of flowers and remember which one’s Ena said could be used to help colour homemade paints.
She’d accidentally tear a hole in one of her clothes and imagine what kind of cute embroidery Mizuki would add to it if she asked her to patch it up.
No one ever described these feelings to Mafuyu before, so no matter how hard he tried he could never figure out what exactly he felt about his friends.
But she did know that she’d do whatever it took to keep them away from harm.
“I understand the feeling. And I fear I’ve made some mistakes in my attempts to do so,” Meiko sighed, gaze focused somewhere far off in the distance.
“The fae said you were overprotective of us…”
“I suppose she’s right. We… got into an argument about Ena several years ago.” Her voice remained steady as usual, but she would pause and take deep breaths. “Luka suggested I try to help Ena return home. She said that Ena deserved to see her family again and grow up with other kids and… well she was right. But to me it wasn’t that simple.”
Their argument would explain why Ena went from seeing Luka often to seeing her so infrequently that Kanade and Mafuyu only met her for the first time just the other day.
“Ena’s afraid of returning home for many reasons, and I can’t blame her for any of them. Even if I could track down her family, what would happen if they rejected her for what she’s become? Luka almost refused to see that as a possibility. And Ena was still coming to terms with the curse, with who she was now, and I didn’t want to risk all of that progress coming undone.”
It was strange to hear Meiko speak so earnestly about Ena’s childhood. Most of what she’d said in the past were slightly snide comments about how Ena would misbehave as a child.
“I told Luka to stay away from Ena, to not plant those ideas of returning home into her mind. Maybe Ena would be okay to return home now, but I truly think that if she did return home at age thirteen and if her family did reject her… that would’ve destroyed her. I don’t think Ena would be the person she is today if that happened.”
Mafuyu was unsure about a lot of things, but she could fill in the gaps of what Meiko was implying.
Meiko loved the person Ena had grown into, she cared for her as if she were her own. The idea of Ena becoming a shell of herself was something she clearly never wanted to face.
Most people would look at Meiko and see someone cold and uncaring, but Mafuyu wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen someone emanate such warmth before.
“I think- in some ways- I made a mistake when it came to all of that. I think I should’ve talked about it with Ena, I should’ve asked what she thought and told her my concerns. And I should’ve let Luka share her opinions on the matter as well. I can’t go back and change what I did, but…”
Her eyes met Mafuyu’s for only a moment.
“I think you should tell Kanade and Ena what you told me. They’re the kind of people who wouldn’t want to see you worry, and maybe you can grow to understand them a little better.”
Meiko returned home after that, but Mafuyu decided to sit by the river for just a little longer.
Mafuyu never voiced her worries or concerns back home. The few times she did, it would worry her mother in return and she’d often start to cry. Gods- Mafuyu always hated it when she cried.
He never wanted to hurt his mother. She never wanted to see her in pain, especially not by her own hand. Would Kanade and Ena really be receptive to his fears? How did conversations like that typically go? Because Mafuyu knew, as much as it made her feel nauseous to acknowledge, that her relationship with her mother wasn’t typical.
Maybe he never voiced his feelings to anyone else after a certain point in his life, but something seemed to nag in his mind as he skipped pebbles along the river’s surface.
“Mafuyu- I don’t want to see you continue to hurt yourself like this anymore.”
The sudden memory sent her throwing the next pebble so hard that it flung into the water with a large splash.
Shizuku had practically begged Mafuyu to abandon his work as a healer. She held her hands and fought back tears as she tried with all her might to convince her.
In the end, that act probably saved Mafuyu’s life.
Because by that point he was a shell of his former self, much like how Meiko feared Ena may become. Even now, as she had started to fill that emptiness inside, Mafuyu knew that she would never be the same person she was before her mother first saw her cast a healing spell.
Mafuyu had made up his mind.
Dinner went by about as awkwardly as the rest of the day, but the mood had begun to settle down when they all retreated into their bedroom for the night. Kanade plucking at her lyre, Ena quietly sketching, it was a relief to see what felt like a return to norm.
Mafuyu was sat beside Ena on her bed. With Mafuyu sleeping in the top bunk, it was always easier to drop down on either of the others’ beds during their evening activities.
“About last night…” And Mafuyu recited every word she had told Meiko by the river.
First he started with his fears about Kanade using dark magic.
“I- you’re right,” Kanade muttered. “There was this whole avenue of magic that I’d never even considered before and the thought of it almost… excited me, I think. But you’re right, it’s probably more dangerous than it’s worth.”
“There’s still so much magic you have yet to learn anyways, even outside of dark magic,” Ena had added; it was a relief to hear her voice again. “I think you’ll be able to help your father without putting your life in danger. I don’t think he’d want you to get hurt.”
“Well, I…” Kanade trailed off, eventually giving in and offering Mafuyu an awkward but gentle smile. “Thank you, for talking some sense into me.”
She nodded, then turned to Ena.
She was almost immediately flustered. That was a little more like the Ena he knew.
“I- I didn’t realise any of you had noticed,” she forced out, cheeks a little red. “I mean- I-”
Ena struggled a lot more to form a response.
“Look… there’s a lot that I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about, but… don’t you want to return home sometimes? Not here obviously, because this is still home to me, but…”
“I know what you mean, Ena,” Kanade replied. “Every once in a while, I wonder what it would’ve been like if I could’ve stayed by my father’s side. If I felt safe there, maybe I would’ve moved in with my grandmother, maybe I would’ve had an even closer bond with her.”
“Yeah, that pretty much sums up how I feel. Our situations aren’t identical, but…” Ena trailed off once more. “What about you, Mafuyu?”
It was something she had to consider long and hard.
“I… I think I do miss home sometimes. I miss my family as well, maybe. But- I know I can’t go back. I don’t think I want to go back.”
For the sake of his survival, he could never return home.
Silence again.
“Do- do you have even one person you wish you could see again?” Ena asked, her voice so quiet, so soft.
Mafuyu didn’t think she could ever face her parents again, no matter how much she missed them. There was never anyone at school who particularly stood out to her, nor did any of the other knights.
In the end, his mind drifted back to that one same person.
“Princess Shizuku… She was my friend.”
She wouldn’t have been surprised if Shizuku was the only person from Mafuyu’s past to be happy with the life she was living now. Shizuku always wanted him to be free.
Ena nodded, reaching over and squeezing Mafuyu’s hand. “I… I wish I could see my brother just one more time.”
She didn’t let the conversation linger on this point for more than a brief moment, immediately finding something else to talk about, but Mafuyu couldn’t take her mind off it.
Since when did Ena have a brother?
Mafuyu understood why Ena never wanted to share any specific details about her past. They all understood that she was separated from her human family after being cursed, but the way she spoke always seemed to imply that her family was just Ena and her parents.
Not once was Mafuyu ever under the impression that Ena had a sibling.
He wanted to ask more, but Ena was quick to say that she was getting tired and Kanade shockingly agreed. Before Mafuyu knew it, the lights were all off and she was being ushered back up to the top bunk.
As he stared up at the ceiling, his mind wandered back to that drawing Ena was considering scrapping. It was a sketch of a boy, one that Mafuyu had never seen before. Ena claimed it was just a sketch, that it was no one in particular, but Mafuyu couldn’t get the thought of it out of her mind.
He lay there for almost an hour, eyes wide open and sleep still far out of reach. Ena’s somewhat noisy snores filled the room and a glance down at Kanade’s bunk proved that she was just as thoroughly asleep.
Mafuyu climbed out of bed and settled down on the floor, back against Ena’s bed. With a candle lit by her side, she began to skim through Ena’s sketchbook until she landed on the drawing of that boy.
A few of his features were ones that seemed to match Ena’s, but there was something else about it that seemed to resonate with Mafuyu. Somehow, he was utterly certain that he’d seen that face before, very recently in fact.
Notes:
I’ve had this chapter written for like a day but didn’t want to spam too many updates at once lol. Also I think there will be somewhat of a gap between this chapter and the next bc I’m planning on posting chapter 15 and 16 at the same time for uh.. reasons.
This chapter was fun though I love writing Mafuyu being confused about her emotions. Also more details on Luka and Meiko’s divorce arc !! Honestly I also really enjoyed writing Meiko’s part of this chapter. It wasn’t even in my plans originally but I think it’s nice hearing her so openly talk about her care for Ena
Chapter Text
Mizuki’s encounter with Mafuyu the day prior frankly scared the shit out of her.
Of course, Mizuki knew with full confidence that Mafuyu was both human and had absolutely no ties to the rebellion, but An and - more importantly - Akito didn’t know that for certain. Given Mizuki had already given Akito reason to distrust them, they deeply feared that their friendship with Mafuyu had a chance to cause further suspicion.
Thankfully, when they met up for work in the morning, he didn’t even bat an eye. He instead complained about the fact they didn’t make any significant progress on the investigation yesterday, and how he was worried this was going to get them into trouble.
After all, all three of them had been called in to a meeting with the man supervising their operation.
“I’m serious- what do we have to show other than a teleportation spell and a vague idea of where that spell might go to. We’ve got no suspects, nor any indications of plans they might have,” Akito grumbled as they approached the meeting room. An already stood waiting outside, nervously tapping her feet on the ground.
“I get what you mean, but trust me, Kaito’s not all that scary. He’ll probably give us a pat on the shoulder and tell us to keep working hard,” Mizuki replied with a shrug.
“You’re kidding. And regardless, should you really be referring to one of you seniors by his first name?”
“Lil bro- I am being so serious when I say that I don’t even know if that man has a surname. Every other knight calls him Kaito, even the king calls him Kaito!” She was playing things up a little for the joke, but it was true that Mizuki had never heard him referred to by any other name. Granted, given how friendly he typically was, it wouldn’t have surprised them if he simply preferred to be spoken to a little more informally.
“Well- he’s waiting in there. Why don’t we just go in and get this over with?” An mumbled, visibly more anxious than Akito. Mizuki couldn’t completely blame either of them for being worried, Akito was a newbie and An wasn’t even a knight, but she’d had enough encounters with Kaito that she knew he was nothing to fear.
If they had to describe him in any way, it would probably be as a big cuddly teddy bear.
And there said teddy bear sat, at the head of a table meant to seat far more people than necessary. It was the kind of room Mizuki was pretty sure the higher ups used for discussion about issues much bigger than what she would ever have to deal with.
“Ah- good morning you three,” he immediately grinned. Mizuki had to hold back laughter at the way Akito and A went from visibly tense to utterly relaxed in an instant. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting two of you before. Shinonome and Shiraishi, correct?”
They both nodded as they took their seats.
“And Akiyama, it’s good to see you doing well.”
“You too- Kaito.”
Mizuki didn’t exactly like most of their fellow knights. For the most part, her relationship with her colleagues was painfully neutral on both sides, but there was the odd knight she found herself actively disliking. Kaito was an exception to that rule, a surprise given that most of the people they actively disliked were their seniors.
When Mizuki was first taken in to be a knight, she was the runt of the litter. Training to be a knight typically took between one and two years and most would start that training no younger than sixteen years old. Meanwhile, Mizuki was a measly fourteen and not at all happy about it.
It was an incredibly isolating experience and only one person kept an eye on them throughout it all. That person just so happened to be Kaito.
“So- all we need to do today is a very quick update on your investigation progress,” he said, glancing between the papers laid out in front of him. “So far the only information I’ve got is about that blood sample you collected, but unfortunately we’ve yet to find a match.”
“I see. Well, that blood sample came from a spell we found,” An pulled a notebook out from her pocket, opening it up to the page where Akito had drawn out the teleportation spell. “Mizuki was able to deduce that it was dark magic, given the nature of how it was drawn, and from there I looked into it and discovered that it was a form of teleportation spell.”
Kaito nodded along as he jotted down what An was saying.
“From what I understand, the radius the spell functions would place the other half of it - the destination - somewhere in the forest outside the city. We went to investigate yesterday but we struggled to find any signs of it or rebels.”
“Mizuki has a friend who lives in the area, though, and we’ve asked her to keep an eye out for us. Even if we don’t find it straight away, we could probably start placing knights all around the forest so we’re prepared for when the rebels do attack,” Akito added.
The last thing Mizuki wanted was to be suspicious, so she bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to fight off the urge to argue against that suggestion. Knights stationed in the forest would only cause trouble for their friends and all the other magical creatures residing in there. Hunters were already a nuisance to their community so Mizuki couldn’t bear to imagine just how much harm the knights might cause.
What if they were to receive orders similar to the ones given to Mafuyu by the Hinomori Kingdom? What if they’re told to kill any magical creature on sight?
So many of the people she cared about would be at risk.
“Right- I see. Anything else?”
Silence.
Even though Mizuki knew Kaito wouldn’t make a huge deal about it, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of embarrassment wash over her. They really had accomplished so little. They supposed it didn’t help that they were withholding a rather vital piece of information.
Mizuki knew the identity of one of the rebels.
And she sat there, nerves eating away at her as she waited for the exact moment Akito would rat her out. What excuses could they possibly offer for not mentioning it sooner?
But Akito didn’t say a word.
“Sorry- it’s been a bit of a struggle. They don’t seem to be making any large moves at the moment,” An sighed, hands clasped tightly in front of her.
Kaito smiled that shimmering smile of his. “The fact that you’ve found anything despite that proves that you’re working hard. Please don’t stress over a lack of progress, I assure you that we’re of the belief we still have time to stop the rebels and their plans.”
“You do?” Mizuki asked.
“We’ve known about the rebellion forming for some time and we certainly wouldn’t make the mistake of starting an investigation at the very last minute. We figured starting now when the rebellion has grown just a little will give us a higher chance of actually finding some of these rebels without having to worry about them making any big moves.”
It was like a weight being lifted off her shoulders. The other two obviously felt similarly, their nervous frowns disappearing with sighs of relief.
“Well- on that note, I think that about sums up this meeting. I’ll be discussing things with the king and some of his advisors to determine whether we need to provide you three with any extra aid, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about a thing.”
Akito and An seemed to be in a rush to leave, but just as Mizuki began to follow them to the door, Kaito called their name.
“Ah, Mizuki, might I have a word. His majesty asked me to pass on a message. You two can wait outside, if that’s alright?”
She froze immediately.
What Mizuki really wanted to do was run and flee, but the doors had shut behind Akito and An before they could even move one foot. Instead, she took a deep breath and turned to face Kaito who’s smile felt a little different now. Somehow, it didn’t quite meet his eyes.
“Please, come take a seat.”
Mizuki didn’t move an inch.
They expected him to sigh or roll his eyes, but all they received in response was a gentle nod of the head as he sifted through papers. He cleared his throat with a cough. “Let’s see. Ah, here. ‘For Akiyama Mizuki. I hope you recall that I have you working this job for a particular reason. Please do not lose sight of that reason, or else it’ll only hurt both you and I.’ That is all.”
Such a short message yet such a punch to the gut.
Of course he danced around the true meaning, but Mizuki knew what he meant in an instant.
“Step out of line, and you’ll receive the same punishment as the rebels,” she whispered. “All he sees me as is some sort of ticking time bomb, like one little thing will be enough to make me betray him.”
Kaito rose from his seat and paced over to Mizuki. She flinched the moment his arm began to rise, only to be met with a gentle pat on the shoulder. It was just as Mizuki told Akito, Kaito was really nothing to fear.
“I’ll put in a good word for you, okay? You’ve already done us a huge favour, this is the least I can do for you in return.”
“Us…?”
Kaito’s gaze held hers for a moment. There was something strange about his eyes, something they’d never noticed before. Looking at them from different angles was like looking at a rainbow.
“Are you-?”
This grin was almost mischievous as he held a finger to his lips and hushed her. “You didn’t snitch on Rui, he’s very thankful for that.”
Kaito was a rebel. Just how long had he been aiding the king’s enemies right under his nose?
Yet, somehow, the thing more immediately on Mizuki’s mind was the mention of that name. It had been years since they’d last heard anyone speak Rui’s name.
She took a deep breath. “How is Rui doing?”
“He’s been well. I’ll continue to keep an eye on him for you.”
“Thank you.”
And with that, Mizuki fled.
Maybe Kaito wasn’t a threat to them, but it certainly didn’t make that conversation any easier. If the king was sending ominous threats her way, it must’ve meant he was unsatisfied with her work in one way or another. It was more than likely he’d expected the investigation to have made much more progress by now, maybe he thought he’d already have some rebels to execute, and he was taking that disappointment out on Mizuki.
If she wasn’t so scared of him, Mizuki would’ve found him pathetic.
Outside, Akito and An were talking about how Kaito was nothing like what they expected even with Mizuki’s words of reassurance earlier. They tried their best to laugh along and joke around, but found that their laughter sounded almost hollow.
Despite what Kaito had said, all three of them were desperate for some sort of development in the investigation. If not out of fear like Mizuki, it was out of a sense of complete and utter boredom.
A few days had passed since their meeting with Kaito, since Mizuki found herself constantly on high alert, and no amount of investigating rumours from townsfolk yielded anything of significance.
They’d begun to spend what felt like half their time in An’s father’s café, relentlessly going over any information they did have and eliminating any leads that appeared to be dead ends. They were in there so often that Mizuki was starting to get sick of the smell of coffee. She couldn’t complain too much though, given they were receiving food at a significant discount. An didn’t want them to pay at all, but her father didn’t want to go out of business by feeding a pair of grumpy knights for free.
“What are we even supposed to accomplish like this?” Akito grumbled, picking away at a plate of pancakes. “Maybe we should head back to the forest and see if Asahina has any updates for us. Maybe do some searching on our own again.”
“There wouldn’t be any point. If Asahina’s eyes are on the forest then we should keep our eyes on the city,” An replied, crossing her arms. “The rebels might take action here whilst our eyes are elsewhere.”
“Well, I’ll go visit Mafuyu tomorrow and talk with her. Maybe if I have time I’ll do a survey around the forest myself.” Mizuki was a little glad that the others were both a little miserable as well. To Akito and An, Mizuki’s lack of energy came from the same boredom and impatience they were feeling. In reality, Mizuki’s sleep had worsened over the past few days, filled with nightmares of the king losing his patience with her. The worst ones were always when Yuuki was involved.
Those nightmares would send Mizuki jolting up in a cold sweat. Once, they’d even woken up nearly screaming Yuuki’s name. Thankfully, the only person she managed to wake was Hoshino, who was very kind and talked to her for a little until she had calmed down enough to try going back to sleep.
The last time they slept this bad must’ve been when they first arrived in this awful city. She truly never liked the capital, but now it felt like she was burning with resentment. They couldn’t even talk to strangers without having to actively try to fight off a glare.
“If you ask me,” Kohane began, approaching their table. With all their frequent visits to the café, Mizuki had since become acquainted with the girl An seemed to constantly fawn over. In some ways, she couldn’t blame her for being so head over heels. Despite barely knowing her, they could tell Kohane was sweet and passionate. “You three are pushing yourselves too hard. You’re going to burn out if you don’t give yourselves a break.”
“So what, we take a day off? We can’t afford to waste time like that,” An groaned, placing her forehead on the table.
“Maybe you could do something to unwind after work?” She suggested.
“Oh, now that I think about it,” Mizuki muttered, “Hoshino invited me to come along to that concert tonight.”
“Yes! Ichika invited me too,” Kohane grinned. “It’s been a while since I last saw Hatsune Miku perform, I want to see how much she’s improved since then. Why don’t you two come along? That can be your way of winding down.”
“Hmm- I don’t know… how much are tickets?”
“Hoshino said it’s free, I think it’s outside at the park. I actually wasn’t really planning on going along at first, but I could be convinced if you guys come too.”
At the very least, maybe going to a concert would tire her out enough that she’d sleep through the nightmares like a baby.
“Well, it’s not like either of us have anything better to do,” Akito sighed. “Should we decide on a meeting place?”
They all agreed to meet back with each other at the café around twenty minutes before the concert was meant to begin. That gave Mizuki about an hour between finishing work and when they chose to meet up.
It had been such a long time since Mizuki had gone out somewhere with friends. After all, the people closest to them also rarely ever left the forest they called home. She didn’t really know the etiquette for outings like this, unsure of whether she should even bother changing out of her uniform or not. In the end, they figured it was worth changing into something else. She wouldn’t want her uniform to get unnecessarily dirty, and it frankly felt silly to go to a casual event still dressed for work.
Mizuki didn’t have many options when it came to clothes. Most of the nice things they owned were accessories Yuuki had made and sent along with her letters; it was always easier to store accessories than it was dresses and whatnot.
“Hmm… this blouse is quite cute,” she muttered, holding it out in front of a mirror. They were quite relieved that none of her roommates had arrived, probably eating dinner or something, as it gave them peace and quiet as they considered their options. “And it’s plain enough that it would pair nicely with most of my skirts. As for shoes…”
Their shoe situation was dire. There were the boots she wore for work and the boots she wore at all other times. The work boots were in good enough condition, but the other pair were worn down and on the brink of breaking.
“Alas- they’re all I’ve got.”
They kept their hair up in its usual ponytail for ease, pairing it with a particularly cute ribbon Yuuki had made for them. It was white and decorated with intricate lace and ruffles. Her skirt was long enough that it somewhat hid the worn down boots, but that didn’t make Mizuki feel any better about how not-cute they looked.
She stared at herself in the mirror and whilst her reflection was tired and a little rough around the edges, it was the first time she let herself dress up like this in a while.
Princess Saki used to let them try on her dresses in their free time, but this felt different to that. The clothes Mizuki wore were her own, carefully curated over time as she had to prioritise what she truly liked due to a lack of storage space. Every item of clothing Mizuki owned spoke to them in one way or another, but it felt so rare that they ever got to put an outfit together with them all.
“Looking cute Mizuki!” An had winked when she arrived outside the café. An was often dressed quite casually, even whilst working. It seemed that she had changed the waistcoat she’d been wearing and put on a light jacket, but even then it was a very typical outfit for An. Meanwhile, they’d never seen Kohane outside of her working hours. She wore a stylish beret paired with a very comfortable looking coat and scarf.
Out of the three of them, Mizuki was certainly the most dressed up. Somehow, that didn’t seem to bother her all that much. Perhaps they stood out a little, but these were the clothes that they cherished so dearly.
And whilst Mizuki stood out a little, Akito stood out a lot.
“You’re still in your uniform?” An asked, desperately trying to hold back laughter. “We’re going to a concert- not some work event. And don’t say you don’t have any nice clothes because I know you do- Mr rich kid. You didn’t even have to dress up but- your uniform? Seriously?”
She could’ve sworn his cheeks reddened a little.
“I just wanted to be well equipped in case there was any trouble,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.
“Well- I don’t think that’s a terrible idea,” Kohane said, clearly trying her best to defend him.
“How paranoid are you, lil bro? I mean- I’m sure there will be plenty of knights dotted around the place,” Mizuki sighed. “Oh well- we don’t have time for you to go back and change, so let’s head off.”
The park was utterly packed. This Hatsune Miku girl was more popular than Mizuki had expected. Even arriving a little early, they were relatively far away from the wooden stage that had been set up in the middle of the park. At some point, Hoshino and some of the other knights joined their little group, all excitedly waiting for the performance to start.
But Mizuki’s mind still wandered. Even as the air around them seemed to buzz with excitement, even as Hatsune Miku herself stepped out on stage, they could hardly focus on the event.
All she could think about was that message from the king. It plagued her every thought.
“It’ll only hurt both you and I,” he had said but Mizuki thought that was bullshit. King Tenma would feel nothing at the thought of hurting Mizuki, it would cause him no distress or worry. Maybe he’d be disappointed by the loss of such a loyal pawn, but in the end he always had other pawns he could use to get his way.
Maybe if things continued this way, Mizuki would go get Yuuki and they’d flee to the Ootori Kingdom. They’d be safe there, probably, and they wouldn’t have to worry about King Tenma constantly breathing down their necks.
But Mizuki had people she loved here.
If she left, she’d no longer be able to see Ena, Mafuyu, Kanade and Meiko. No more sneaking off at night with a dessert for them to share, no more singing quietly and desperately trying not to wake Meiko.
And they wouldn’t get to see Akito and An anymore. Mizuki didn’t know how long you had to know someone before you could call them your friend, but she was pretty sure they were her friends.
Suddenly, a hand was shaking her shoulder, immediately snapping her out of her thoughts. “I just saw- I saw that rebel- I-” Akito cut himself off and immediately started wading his way through the crowd.
A rebel?
Oh fuck. He’d seen Rui.
Mizuki immediately followed.
She was pretty sure she knew where Akito was heading and the route he was taking made her even more certain of that fact. It didn’t take long until they arrived at the alleyway, both panting and trying to catch their breath.
Mizuki’s boots weren’t suited for running, not in the state they were in, so the soles of their feet had turned raw and painful. But she persisted, stumbling her way to where Akito stood.
Down the alleyway, where everything had started to go wrong, stood Kamishiro Rui. The tip of his finger bled as he stared at the two of them, silently connecting the last part of the spell.
Mizuki expected him to use the spell and teleport away. She prayed to the gods that he’d do exactly that, but instead he gave Mizuki a single nod before bolting down the alleyway, speeding past the two of them without a second thought.
The moment Akito moved to chase after him, Mizuki’s hand reached for his wrist, squeezing tight enough for him to wince.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He yelled, trying his best to pull his hand away. Mizuki’s grip remained strong. “He was right there, we finally had something to show for all this work we’ve been doing and you went and ruined it!”
“You already know my feelings on the matter, so why are you so surprised that I don’t want him to get caught? He was a friend, he-”
“That makes you a rebel sympathiser- you know that right? That makes you as bad as them!”
“Just the other day you refused to tell Kaito about him. Why are you being like this all of a sudden?”
“I didn’t tell Kaito because I didn’t want you to get in trouble! That could’ve been our chance to turn him in without them finding you suspicious!”
“Akito-”
“No. You promised me that you’d intervene if you thought he was going to hurt anyone. You made that promise to try and make things right, didn’t you? We agreed not to have any incorrect blood on our hands.”
“You have no proof that he was going to hurt anyone!” Her throat began to feel sore, her voice coming out croaky and trembling. “All he did was redraw a spell! Kaito said we had nothing big to worry about-”
“And why should we believe him? We’ve just had proof as to why he was wrong!”
Finally, he succeeded in tearing his arm out of Mizuki’s grasp. “I’m going after him.”
They watched his hand hover by his sword.
And like a fool, they reached over to stop him.
The moment Mizuki’s hand wrapped round the iron handle of the sword, regret and pain surged through her. It burned, it burned so badly that her scream was instant and loud.
All she could think was that she wished she’d worn her uniform to the concert. At least then, they’d have been wearing their gloves when they reached for the sword.
Chapter 16
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Akiyama Mizuki stood in front of him, cradling a burnt hand with tears stuck to her cheeks. Their eyes were wide, like those of a frightened prey animal, and their legs seemed to tremble.
Akito’s knowledge on magical creatures was - all things considered - practically nonexistent. He’d listened just enough in his knight’s training to answer any questions he might get tested on, but his knowledge ended there.
But there was one thing that had been drilled into his mind since he was young. In tales of hardships and trouble, so often would the villain be a creature that could be burned by iron. He grew to learn that those weren’t just stories told to entertain young kids and that creatures like that really did roam the world they lived in.
He knew he would always be safe though, so long as he had something made of iron.
Akiyama Mizuki stood in front of him. Akiyama Mizuki was a fae.
He had befriended one of the very beings he had been told would only ever cause pain and suffering. The tricksters, the thieves, the monsters.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Akiyama Mizuki muttered, stumbling back. Was that really her name?
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t say a word.
“Akito- lil bro-!” A wave of nausea rushed over him. He watched as Mizuki’s expression shifted from nervous desperation to a type of anger he’d never seen them possess before. “Just say something! Stop staring at me and say something! Tell me I’m a monster and you want me dead, tell me I deserve to be tormented by the king until the day I die- I don’t care! Just say something- anything!”
She was sobbing now. Sobbing and shouting and screaming.
“Snap out of it and talk to me!”
He blinked.
He was frozen.
Their shouts died down, diffusing into hiccuping sobs and sniffles.
“Is this why you’re so good at dodging a sword?” Is all he could bring himself to say.
This time, it was Mizuki’s turn to freeze. Her shoulders immediately tensed up, and the heaving sobs ceased.
“I’m sorry. Akito… I’m so sorry.”
And Akiyama Mizuki fled into the night.
Notes:
:)
Chapter 17
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
At some point during the performance, An had found herself abandoned by her two colleagues. She could’ve sworn that just a moment before they were stood behind her, dancing and cheering along to the music, but now they were nowhere in sight. Initially, she assumed that maybe they just got separated a little in the crowd, but once the music stopped and the crowd began to disperse, there was still no sign of them.
“Where could they have gone?” She grumbled to Kohane as they stood waiting in the now mostly empty park. “Leaving without a word is so rude. I mean- now I’m here worrying about them!”
“I might be wrong, but I feel like I heard Akito say something a little before you noticed he’s vanished,” Kohane replied. “I could’ve sworn I heard him mention a rebel.”
“What?”
“It was obviously really loud, so I might’ve misheard what he said, but-” She cut herself off, perking up slightly as she began to wave at someone. “Look- there’s Akito!”
He looked almost dazed as he trudged his way towards them. His fists were clenched tightly at his side and it looked as though he were about to turn around and leave the moment he made eye contact with An.
“Are you okay? You really worried us both and-” Kohane began.
“Akito, where’s Mizuki?”
He looked away. “We… We got into another argument. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make up so easily this time…”
“You-”
“I’m sorry. I’m gonna go.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Akito so down in the dumps. It must’ve been when Toya died, right? But that was a few years ago. Part of her wanted to chase after him, ask him more questions, but it was clear she wasn’t going to get anymore out of him when he was in such a mood.
“C’mon An, let’s head home.”
The next day, she showed up to work anticipating having to be a mediator for the two, only for no one to show up after a whole hour of waiting. This was so incredibly unlike the two of them that it made her stomach turn. She spent the rest of the day helping out in the café, praying that one of them would stop by at some point.
Nothing.
The next day was much the same. This time, she had no plans of waiting around for them and headed straight to the palace to drag them out herself. But Mizuki’s roommates said they didn’t know where she was and Akito’s roommates said that he’d gone home for a few days to recover from an illness.
An hated going to Akito’s house. It was big and grand and everything else that An’s life wasn’t. The walk there was always especially miserable, receiving looks from the residents of the area due to how out of place she looked.
She hoped that looking like a detective might get her a few less looks, but instead people just whispered, probably trying to figure out what she was investigating. But An wasn’t investigating a rebellion or a crime, she was investigating whatever put such a large rift between her colleagues that both refused to show up to work multiple days in a row.
At the door, she was met by Akito’s mother. She was as smiley as usual, but the smile didn’t seem to reach her eyes.
“An, this is a surprise,” she said. “You so rarely come here with Akito, and I don’t think you’ve ever visited by yourself before.”
“Ah- yeah- I guess I haven’t. I’m actually looking for Akito, he’s not been showing up for work and some of his fellow knights said he’d gone home because he was unwell.”
At this, Mrs Shinonome’s smile faded.
“He is here, but he’s been locked up in his room since he got back. He doesn’t even come out for food, I have to leave it by the door for him,” she sighed. “He says he’s ill, but I think it’s something else.”
An nodded. “We went to a concert together the other night and sometime during it, he and one of our other friends vanished somewhere. When he finally returned, he said they got into an argument and didn’t think they’d be able to make up. I’ve not seen him or Mizuki since then.”
“Mizuki? You mean the girl with the pink hair? Gods- she was such a sweetheart when I met her, I wonder what could’ve happened between them.”
“You’ve met her?”
“Only very briefly, she came by with Akito to get something the other week.”
“Right. Well- please tell Akito that I stopped by. And say that I’m waiting impatiently for him to return to work… and maybe if he’s being stubborn about it- tell him I don’t know where Mizuki is and I’d appreciate his help in finding them.”
Maybe they both just needed time to recover after whatever argument they had, but An couldn’t fight off the feeling of unease bubbling inside her. However, if she wasn't going to be able to talk to Akito today, she was just going to have to wait for him to sort himself out.
The next two days went by without any sign of him - An was beginning to wonder if she should even get paid for all these days of doing nothing - but the third day after An had stopped by his house, a glimmer of hope finally appeared. He hadn’t shown up in the morning and once again neither did Mizuki, but a little past noon the café door opened and a voice quietly called her name.
“Akito!” She gasped, pushing herself out of her seat.
He didn’t look any better than he had the night of the concert, in fact she was pretty sure he looked worse, but he was there. In the end, An was just happy to see his face again
“Come on- sit down. We can talk over food, okay?”
She knew she had a habit of coming off a little too abrasive, so she tried to keep things as calm and low pressure as possible. If she wanted answers out of Akito, the worst thing she could do was scare him away. Not to say she thought he was easily scared, but if he felt antagonised in any way there was a possibility he’d not say anymore.
“My mum said you stopped by, told me to get off my ass and help,” he forced out a laugh.
“Well- I didn’t quite phrase it like that.”
“She did. I think she was thinking much the same, but was worried that she’d push me into a further grump if she told me. You showing up just gave her a reason to finally do so.”
They ordered food and drinks, convincing Kohane to take a break and sit with them in the process. She had been just as worried about Mizuki and Akito, and An decided she had a right to know what was going on as well.
“Look, it would be unfair of me to tell you what we argued about,” he mumbled as he cut into one of his pancakes. “You said you couldn’t find her, right?”
She nodded. “I went and asked some of their roommates and they haven’t seen them in days.”
“Gods, I figured she’d be avoiding me but I didn’t realise she’d just disappear like that. I’m such a jerk.” He paused for a moment, playing with his food and completely avoiding eye contact with both An and Kohane. “How thoroughly have you searched?”
“Honestly, I’ve been waiting for you because I thought you might have some kind of lead. But by the sounds of things you’re just as clueless as I am.”
“Yeah… sorry about that. Where are you thinking of searching?”
“Well- Kohane suggested we ask Hoshino and some of the others if they have any ideas of the places Mizuki likes to visit.”
“In that case… I can give you the name of a restaurant we went to for lunch the other day, Mizuki picked it out so it might be a favourite of hers. As for other ideas… they have a friend who’s an artist. I don’t know many of the details but I think she buys supplies for them sometimes, so maybe check some of the art shops in the area as well.”
An had started to make a list. First the places Akito suggested, then those Hoshino was able to come up with. A few restaurants, the bakery, the sweets shop, a fabric store and the art supplies stores. Then the next day, when Kohane had a day off, they paired up to search the city.
She wanted to drag Akito along as well, but he was pretty sure Mizuki would run away at the sight of him and figured it would be best if he kept his distance.
They asked at the restaurants if anyone had seen someone who looked like her, even deciding to eat at one of them in hopes that maybe she’d show up whilst they were there. When that turned up nothing, they stopped by the bakery where the nice old lady at the counter said it had been well over a week since she’d last seen them.
“Has something happened to young Mizuki?” She asked. “I mean- it really is so unlike her to not come by after so long. They always used to ask me for my recommendations.”
“We don’t want to worry too much yet, but it’s been a few days since we’ve seen Mizuki ourselves. We’re hoping we might find some sign of her by asking around,” An explained.
“In that case, I’ll keep an eye out for you. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to such a kind girl.”
The workers at the sweets shop also admitted to not having seen her in a while, as did the ones at the fabric store. It seemed they hadn’t been a frequent enough visitor at any of the art shops for the workers there to recognise a description of her, which meant they were at yet another dead end.
Despite all that, the horrible feeling burning inside her seemed to be dying down ever so slightly. Mizuki always gave the impression of being a somewhat lonely person, not unable to make friends but perhaps a little unwilling. At first, the way they acted made An pretty sure they just wanted to get along with her and Akito to make work as easy as possible. But things had changed since then, Mizuki was truly An’s friend, someone she held dear. And through her investigation, it was clear An wasn’t the only person who felt that way about her.
Even the shopkeepers would speak about Mizuki with a sense of fondness.
It brought An a sense of comfort to know that they were so cherished by the people around them.
“No luck, huh? Where else could we even think to search?” she sighed, resting her head on Kohane’s shoulders as they walked through the streets. It was getting late and they’d spent the whole day feeling as though they were wandering aimlessly.
“Hmm, you two both know her better than I do. Maybe we should try brainstorming with Akito again- he might’ve come up with something else whilst we’ve been searching.”
“Yeah, that might be-”
“Kohane! Shiraishi!” Hoshino Ichika was running to catch up with them, some sort of envelope in her hand. “We just had some mail delivered and this letter arrived for Akiyama. I know it isn’t much- but I thought maybe it might help you.”
“The return address on this…” An mumbled, taking it from Hoshino’s hands and examining it closely. “Akiyama Yuuki. That must be a relative of Mizuki’s!”
“That’s what I thought. Maybe they might have an idea of where Mizuki’s gone.”
“Should we open it?” Kohane asked, peering over An’s shoulder. “I mean- it feels wrong to, but maybe there might be some more information in there.”
“Hmm…” She agreed with Kohane that it felt wrong to open a letter from one of Mizuki’s relatives. In fact, it was very much illegal to open someone else’s mail, so it didn’t just feel wrong on a personal level. “Let’s think on it, okay? Thank you, though, Hoshino. Getting into contact with someone else who knows Mizuki might be exactly what we need.”
“I’m glad. I wish you luck… I really hope to see Akiyama again soon, or at least to know that she’s well.”
They continued to consider the envelope on the walk home, eventually concluding that they would avoid opening it unless they felt like they had no other choice. An was just glad that they finally had something which could point them in the right direction.
“Ah- look there,” Kohane breathed as they passed by the graveyard. “Akito’s there.”
“He must be visiting his sister. We should pay our respects too, whilst we’re here.”
Akito didn’t appear to notice their approach. He sat in front of the grave, a bouquet of flowers in hand, muttering to himself. “Ena- what would you have done? Would you have managed to say the right thing…?” He laughed bitterly. “Of course you would’ve. You were always so quick to speak your mind and… I think you’re kinder than I am.”
It didn’t feel right to speak, so she simply perched down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry- my mind’s been a mess recently. How’s your investigation been going?”
“Hoshino found a letter from a relative of Mizuki’s- someone by the name of Yuuki. I’m thinking of sending them a letter to see if Mizuki perhaps went to stay with them.”
“Yuuki… That must be the sister Mizuki told me about. I guess it wouldn’t be a surprise if she turned to her for the time being. Anything else?”
“No- not really. I’m trying to figure out what we could look into in the meantime.”
“Hm- how about Asahina? I’m not quite sure where in the forest he lives, but we could probably stop by there at some point to see if he’s heard anything.”
“That’s right! I completely forgot about Asahina. We can plan that out tomorrow, perhaps.”
It had been around a week since An had continued her investigation into the rebellion. It was almost a little funny to look back on, as just before all this kicked off she was so worried about their lack of progress, meanwhile she couldn’t care less about it now. All she cared about was her goal of finding Mizuki.
Upon arriving home, she immediately sat down at her desk and began to write a letter to Akiyama Yuuki.
Notes:
Believe it or not, I actually had planned for Mizuki to go missing before Mizu5 released. I would’ve found it to be a funny coincidence when Mizu5 released if I weren’t so devastated by that event.
At some point I might make a silly ramble-y post on tumblr or something about fae Mizuki because I have so many thoughts about her, but I might wait a little until I do that so I don’t have to worry about spoiling any upcoming chapters.
Writing an An-centred chapter was quite fun. She’s obviously been a part of the story this whole time but hadn’t really had her time in the spotlight before now. She might get another at some point, I’m still planning some things out.
Chapter Text
Ena always tried her best not to worry when Mizuki hadn’t shown up in a while. Sometimes, she simply didn’t have the energy after work to walk all that way just to stay for less than an hour. But usually they could count on them to visit once a week, or at worst once every two weeks.
It had been two weeks with no sign of her and Ena’s nerves had skyrocketed. It was bad enough that Mafuyu had gotten on her case about the rebels, that she accidentally spilled about having a brother and that someone had snuck into her sketchbook and tore out the drawing she’d done of him, and now she had to worry about why Mizuki hadn’t visited them.
“Usually, I’d tell you not to worry,” Mafuyu said as Ena watched her prepare breakfast, “but Mizuki said they’d be back soon- maybe even during the day- to see if I had any updates about the rebels. It’s clear she had an excuse she could give her fellow knights as to why she would come by here, and yet we’ve not seen any sign of her.”
Rin and Len had been flying around, trying to keep an eye out for them only to no avail. Meiko had even spread the news to other magical creatures and not a single one had reported seeing her.
“You know things are bad when you’re worrying too,” Ena grumbled, chin on the table. “Like Kanade and her interest in dark magic.”
“We promised we wouldn’t talk about that again unless we really thought she was going to pursue it. And so far- I think we’ve deterred her from it for now. Really- we should be focusing on Mizuki.” Mafuyu sat down opposite Ena with a plate of toast slathered in jam.
It really didn’t sit right to know Mafuyu was equally as concerned as her. She was so used to him saying that she was blowing things out of proportion, that it startled her to see him so understanding of her worries. Kanade had started to panic as well, but it was much easier to make Kanade worry about something than it was to make Mafuyu.
And likewise, the fact that Meiko asked everyone to keep an eye out for Mizuki meant that she was worrying too.
Kanade and Meiko soon joined them at the table with tea and some cookies. Things had definitely settled down since their encounter with the rebels, even if not entirely. The silence that would settle over them wasn’t so suffocatingly tense and much easier to break.
And so, Ena broke that comfortable silence.
“I think we should go to the capital city and track down Mizuki.”
Mafuyu simply raised her eyebrows in the way she always did when she was mildly surprised by something. Kanade glanced up with an awkward but understanding smile and Meiko’s expression didn’t appear to change in the slightest.
“I could go, maybe Kanade too, but it’s certainly not worth the risk for you to come along,” Mafuyu immediately argued. “Even with a hood, your horns are noticeable. It would only get you hurt, in the end.”
“I’m not just going to sit here and do nothing whilst we have no idea where Mizuki is. Maybe she’s just busy, but what if she’s in danger? It’s so unlike her not to show up after so long!”
Ena had always been known to be stubborn, even before being taken in by Meiko. However, she’d grown to know when she was pushing something too far and when to give in. This time was not one of those times.
“I’m serious. The last thing I want to do is sit around being unhelpful.”
She was met with silence.
On the one hand, she knew Mafuyu was right. When wearing a hood, it was always so painfully obvious that she was hiding a pair of horns underneath it. They weren’t something she could hide under a hat either.
“Ena- can I have a word with you?”
The last person she expected to speak up was Meiko. But she followed her upstairs regardless, even more surprised to see Meiko beckon her into her room.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in her room. Past a certain age, she had no need to ever come in here. And even back when she was little, she’d only ever enter when she had a particularly bad nightmare and couldn’t bear to be alone.
It was relatively plain, but that wasn’t a huge surprise given most of the colour and clutter in the house came from Ena and the others. A simple double bed with a cosy looking quilt, a neatly organised desk, a wardrobe and a mirror. The bare essentials.
The wall behind her desk was the only thing Ena could consider remotely decorated. It was covered in pieces of paper: drawings. Ranging from what she drew when she first moved in, to some of her more recent sketches and paintings, Meiko’s wall was utterly covered in Ena’s drawings.
She didn’t get long to dwell on the sense of warmth that left her feeling, as Meiko sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her.
“Luka recently gave me something for you… she said she’s wanted to give it to you for a long time,” Meiko’s voice was almost a whisper. It had been so long since Ena had heard her refer to Luka by name.
“You two are talking again?”
“We have been on and off for a while, but it’s my fault it’s been a while since you’ve properly seen her.”
Ena never expected to learn the contents of the argument that occurred between them all those years ago. She was ready to accept that it was none of her business and it would come down to them if they ever wished to make up.
But their argument was about her.
“I should’ve told you all this sooner… should’ve asked what you wanted to do, but I was concerned. I didn’t want you to make the wrong choice and get hurt, so I took away your ability to make a choice at all. So here- here’s your chance to make a choice.”
She placed a bracelet in Ena’s hand. The details on it were minimal, with the only thing that really stood out about it being the gemstone at the centre. Ena wasn’t really sure how this had anything to do with giving her a choice, but she put it on regardless.
“Now look in the mirror.”
For the first time in ten years, Ena’s horns were nowhere to be seen. She could still feel them, still wrap her hands around them, but it looked as though she were grasping air.
“It’s called a concealment stone. They’re rare, but Luka claims they’re a little easier to find in the world of the fae. If you want to go find Mizuki, that there is your best chance.”
It was almost uncanny. She wanted to look away yet couldn’t tear her eyes off her reflection.
“This is…” She couldn’t quite find the words to describe how she felt. “Thank you, Meiko. Thank you for giving me a choice.”
She was going to find Mizuki and now there was nothing to stop her.
“And tell Luka I said thank you for keeping it safe all these years.”
The corners of Meiko’s lips twitched ever so slightly upwards. “You can tell her that the next time you see her.”
Kanade almost spat out her tea when Ena emerged from upstairs, meanwhile Mafuyu just blinked at her. And with Meiko backing her up, Ena successfully convinced Kanade and Mafuyu to let her join them in searching the city for Mizuki.
Mafuyu had insisted Ena take a robe with a hood just in case something happened to the stone, which she reluctantly agreed to in order to get him off her case. At first, as they walked through the woods, Ena’s confidence levels were high. For once in the past ten years of her life, she didn’t have to worry about hiding when she thought she heard a stranger walking by. Even Kanade still had to wear her hat to be safe.
But the moment they passed the city wall, she felt sick to her stomach.
Mafuyu glanced at her for only a moment before reiterating for what must’ve been the fifth time, “This really doesn’t seem like a good idea. If your horns somehow are exposed, you could be sent to be executed. Humans are especially cautious around demons and it’ll be difficult to help Mizuki if we also had to help you.”
Ena’s cheeks had begun to heat up. “I’m more likely to get caught if you keep tapping about them,” she snapped, arms crossed. “Plus, we don’t even know if Mizuki’s even in danger. We’re just going to ask around and see if anyone knows anything. If everything seems normal, we’ll head back home with no problem.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Kanade’s voice was quiet, more so than usual. It seemed as though she didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that something could be wrong. Granted, Ena felt similarly.
“We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it. We’d be best off asking other knights about her to begin with. C’mon, we’re less likely to draw suspicion to ourselves when it’s this busy.”
They walked along hand in hand, like a group of young children clinging onto each other so as not to get lost. Ena hadn’t been in a place so busy in over a decade; it had even been a while since Mafuyu had last been in the city. Meanwhile Kanade, who would visit it once a month, was somehow the most overwhelmed of the three.
It already felt like they’d been there for hours even despite Mafuyu’s constant reassurance that they’d not even been there for thirty minutes.
“I think it might be for the best if we find somewhere to sit down,” Mafuyu said, leaning past Ena to look at Kanade. “You’re pale and appear to be out of breath. Let’s take a break.”
“It’s nothing to worry about, I’m fine to keep going,” she replied but it came out more like a wheeze than actual words. Ena dragged her by the arm to a nearby bench whilst Mafuyu went to track down a shop where she could get some snacks and drinks for cheap. They figured getting some food in Kanade might at least stop her from fainting in the middle of the streets.
Leaning back on the bench, Ena let out a long - somewhat dramatic - sigh. “We’ve not exactly achieved much on the searching front, huh? We haven’t even bumped into a knight we can talk to yet.”
“We just barely got here, there’s no need to be in such a rush quite yet,” Kanade replied, leaning her head on her shoulder.
“Yeah, I guess. Gods… I really hope Mizuki’s okay.”
There was nothing to confirm that she wasn’t okay, but there was currently equally as little to confirm that she was. Until Ena had concrete proof that there was absolutely nothing to worry about, she knew that her nerves would continue to eat away at her.
“Ena-”
“Oh- uh- excuse me!” She couldn’t help but flinch at the sound of a stranger’s voice. Looking up, she was met with a girl not much younger than her. Her eyes were a bright amber and her hair long and navy, turning a more vibrant blue at the tips. From what she wore, Ena was under the impression that she was a detective. “Sorry to eavesdrop, but I heard you were searching for someone called Mizuki. Are you looking for Akiyama Mizuki?”
Ena perked up. “Yes. Do you know them?”
The girl almost beamed. “She’s a colleague - a friend - of mine and has been helping me investigate some rebel activity. Ever since they got into a fight with another friend of ours the other day, I haven’t seen them once. I’ve been worried sick but I was running out of ideas of where to search. Oh- right- I’m Shiraishi An, but please just call me An. A friend of Mizuki’s is a friend of mine too.”
So this was the detective friend Mizuki had been talking about.
Ena rose to her feet as she shook her hand. “I’m Ena, and this here is Kanade. Another friend of ours- Mafuyu- was searching for some food for us, but-”
“If you’re looking for something to eat, you could stop by my dad’s café and we can talk there. He’s probably quite sick of me offering people free food, but I’m sure he’ll understand.”
They both practically leapt at the opportunity to find somewhere less busy to talk and quickly began trying to hunt down Mafuyu. When they found him, he was wearing his scary goody-two-shoes persona as he helped an older woman pack her bags of shopping. Of course she got distracted trying to help someone in need.
“Oh- Asahina, this is a surprise,” An blinked as Mafuyu finished helping the woman. “And there I was thinking Mizuki might have gone to stay with you, but if you’re also searching for them then that means…”
“You two know each other?” Kanade asked.
“Remember how I mentioned meeting Mizuki and two of her coworkers? Shiraishi here was one of them.” It surprised Ena to see Mafuyu not even bother with her goody-two-shoes mask around An. Mizuki must’ve told him not to worry about it in front of her.
“Please, call me An. I want to help find Mizuki and I don’t see much point in being uptight and formal.”
“I see. Then you can call me Mafuyu.”
They kept up polite and mostly casual conversation as they followed An back to her father’s café. It was a quaint little thing on a not too busy street, something Ena couldn’t be more glad for. Sure, she was coping better than Kanade but she was also beginning to develop a bit of a headache.
They sat at a table in the front corner of the café, right by the windows, and each had a quick peek at the menu.
“Cheesecake, huh? I don’t remember the last time I had any,” Ena mumbled. It used to be her favourite. Maybe, once all this settled down, she’d ask Mizuki to get some the next time they visited.
If there was a next time, that is.
She really, truly didn’t want to expect the worst, but it didn’t help to hear that An likewise had absolutely no idea where she was.
Soon, a waitress came by to serve them, immediately striking up a more than friendly conversation with An. Ena didn’t think much of it until she heard the girl’s name. “Everyone, this is the wonderful, amazing, stunning Azusawa Kohane. Kohane, these are some of Mizuki’s friends - Ena, Kanade and Mafuyu. We’re hoping that if we work together we might be able to find her.”
So that was the girl Mizuki mentioned An constantly fawning over. In a way, she couldn’t blame her for being so infatuated. She was very pretty after all.
“That means they didn’t go stay with any of you, huh…? I really was just hoping she was spending some time off work,” she sighed. “Akito’s got me worried too. He still refuses to tell us any of the details.”
Ena shouldn’t have been startled by the mention of his name. She’d known for weeks that Mizuki was working with Akito, even if they never referred to him by name. ‘The son of the royal painter’ was all Ena needed to know that Mizuki’s colleague was her own little brother. But here these people were, these complete and utter strangers, talking about him over her head and assuming she had no idea who they were discussing.
“So they got into an argument. That doesn’t really seem like the Mizuki I know,” Kanade muttered. “I wonder what started it.”
“I really don’t know,” An sighed as Kohane went off to prepare their order. “They both disappeared whilst we were watching a performance by that bard Hatsune Miku and when Akito returned he was all miserable. Mizuki’s roommates haven’t seen her since that night.”
Hatsune Miku? Didn’t Meiko say that was the name of that rebel girl?
“He has insisted he wants to make up with her though and Akito’s a crap liar so I know he’s not just saying that to look better.”
Ena had to stop herself from laughing in agreement. The Akito she remembered was also a crap liar, in a way it was nice to see he hadn’t changed in that regard.
“Do you know any places they like to frequently visit? As you know, we’re from out of town, but Mizuki usually visits every once in a while, so we don’t know the area well,” Mafuyu explained.
“Kohane and I have thoroughly searched all the places we can think of. So far our only lead is a letter a relative - probably their sister - sent. I’ve since sent a letter to the return address asking if Mizuki’s there, but it might even take a week until we get a response. I do have a different idea we could try in the meantime… I think our best bet would be to ask directly.”
“Ask who directly?”
“Well, maybe it’s a little silly, but I want to ask King Tenma. If I understand correctly, he’s the one who hired Mizuki and the way she spoke about him implied that he wouldn’t be happy if she disappeared out of nowhere. And I think our best bet to talk to him would be through Akito.”
“Why him?” Kanade asked.
“He’s the son of the royal painter and also probably the richest person I’m friends with. He’s at least acquainted with the prince and princess through an old friend and otherwise has some good connections because of his father. There’s a decent chance he’ll be against the idea if I suggest it alone though, so could I ask you three to back me up? If he sees just how many people are worried about Mizuki, he might be willing to pull some strings,” An replied. “And hopefully he’ll get his ass over here soon. It’s past noon already.”
She wanted them to talk to Akito?
Ena’s mind went blank.
Suddenly she was on her feet, and when asked what’s wrong she immediately spat out some lie about having dropped something and that she was just going to retrace her steps to find it.
But the moment she was out of view of the café, she threw her hood over her head and bolted to find somewhere quiet to hide.
Said quiet place to hide was an alleyway. It was dirty and grimy but at least no one would come and bother her. She wanted to tear off the concealment stone, to chuck it against the wall in some sort of rage, only to find it no longer present around her wrist. Her horns were very much in view now, something she found herself unable to care about as she pulled down the hood.
What would’ve happened if she stayed? Would An have dragged them all to find Akito? Would he have shown up at the café?
Would he have recognised her?
Ena had never been this close to actually encountering her brother in years. The fact that he was somewhere in this same city sent chills down her spine. Of course she cared about him, of course she never wanted to hurt him or her parents. She wanted to reunite with him but the idea of seeing him after all this time, when she was so different in all ways but especially her when it came to her own humanity, made her feel like she was going to throw up.
And Mizuki. Gods, Mizuki. She couldn’t even be sure if they were even alive anymore.
Everything was building up inside her. Fear, panic, anger, regret, all bubbling and burning through her like poison. Her head throbbed, her thoughts pressing and pushing against the containment of her skull as if trying to burst out and kill her in the process.
Instead, her magic burst out.
As she dug her fingers into the gravel beneath her, ivy and roots began to seep into the ground, spreading around her and up the walls. She couldn’t stop it.
Flowers bloomed then died. Thorns dug into her hands, blood and dirt slowly beginning to coat them.
This is why she could never go back home. The moment her emotions overcame her - and they always would eventually - someone would get hurt.
A figure appeared at the end of the alleyway, but it’s not like she really noticed. It was only when a pair of hands took her own, when it felt as though a muffler was put on her magic, that she looked up to see a pair of wide golden eyes staring down at her.
The stranger - was he a stranger? - immediately reached for her hood and pulled it back over her horns before dropping down on the floor opposite her.
“It’s you,” he breathed, tucking strands of purple hair behind his ear.
It was only then that Ena realised why she recognised him.
Ten years ago, when she was on death’s door, a boy her age approached with a blank expression and horns on his head. Then, he reached a hand out towards her. In some desperate hope, she took it - her other hand still clutched around the wound on her stomach - and the horns on his head vanished.
He left after that. But the horns, the curse, gave her the magic she needed to heal her injuries. The boy saved her life, though she never knew if that was his intention or not. Maybe he just passed on the curse in hopes it would die out with her.
“You survived.” There was something close to a grin on his face. Maybe he did know what he was doing all those years ago after all. “What are you doing here? It’s not safe- especially not with your horns exposed like that.”
“I- I had a concealment stone but it must’ve fallen off my wrist. Fuck- after Luka kept it safe for me for so long I managed to lose it! And- gods- how am I supposed to explain this to everyone?”
He didn’t question the second half of her words, instead pushing himself off the ground and pacing out of the alleyway. Within a few minutes, he had returned and placed the bracelet back round Ena’s wrist, her horns disappearing from sight.
“Why are you even helping me?” Ena muttered, her voice coming out a little coarse. “Who even are you?”
“Kamishiro Rui,” he said, offering his hand. “You could say I’m part of the rebellion against this kingdom and its bigoted ways. And you?”
She blinked. “Ena.”
That didn’t appear to be enough for him, as he continued to stare straight at her with his eyebrows slightly raised. It didn’t take long for her to crack under the pressure.
“Fine. Shinonome Ena.”
His eyes seemed to widen slightly. “And what are you doing here, Shinonome Ena?”
“I have a friend, Akiyama Mizuki, who’s a knight here in the city. She usually visits us out of town every week or so, but she hasn’t shown up in a while so we came here to investigate. Turns out, their friends in the city don’t know where they are either. She’s gone missing.”
“Mizuki is…” He immediately shot to his feet, that relaxed and almost smug expression vanishing. “Oh fuck- fuck, I should’ve- this isn’t good.”
He knew Mizuki.
Gods, of course he did. A boy named Kamishiro who passed the curse onto Ena: it was obvious that he was the author of the journal Mizuki leant her.
“You said their friends in the city were looking for them, right?” Ena nodded. “Okay- okay-” Suddenly, he reached down and hauled Ena to her feet. He kept his hand intertwined with hers as he hurried out of the alleyway and - Ena soon realised - back to the café.
He must’ve been watching her and the others. How else would he have known this was where they were?
He threw the door open, practically marching inside. All eyes were on him and Ena was glad that he finally let go of her hand so she could scurry off to where Kanade and Mafuyu were sat. The two exchanged puzzled glances with her, but neither said a word as Kamishiro paced over to a boy who wasn’t there when Ena left the café. A boy with ginger hair.
She felt her heart stop, but at least he wasn’t looking at her.
“Shinonome Akito,” Kamishiro said sternly. Ena once again flinched at the name, and it was when she flinched that Kanade’s hand gently took hers. She appeared to nod her head in understanding. Had she figured it out?
A glance at Mafuyu confirmed it in an instant, as she silently glanced between the ginger boy and Ena.
“You-” The boy startled, taking a few steps back from Kamishiro.
Then the worst thing in the world happened. His eyes drifted over to where Ena sat.
He recognised her in an instant. Of course he did.
Chapter 19
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Akito wasn’t sure which he should focus on. The girl sat in the corner, bags under her eyes and a face that looked so much like his sister’s, or the boy in front of him- the exact same one Mizuki bumped into several weeks ago. The one he wanted to chase after during the concert. The one Mizuki was willing to fight him to protect.
Alas, the boy was a much more immediate issue, so he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the girl who he was certain was his sister.
“How do you know my name?” He forced out, tensing up under the rebel’s golden eyes. They practically burned into him, leaving him feeling tense and uneasy. The rebel then looked away, glancing around at all of the café’s confused regulars, then shook his head.
“This won’t do. Is there anywhere more private we can talk?”
To Akito’s surprise, An was the one to perk up. “My family’s home is right nearby, we can head there if that makes it easier.” An was quite lucky Ken was in the kitchen and thus couldn’t hear her, given Akito was pretty sure he’d shut down that idea almost immediately. “My only condition is that I want to know if you know anything about where Mizuki might be.”
“I have some suspicions, and I think it would be best to combine the intel we all have,” the rebel replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Okay. Kohane- can you tell my dad that I got called in for work? I’ll update you on everything as soon as I can,” she said, hopping to her feet.
“And I mean all the intel,” he continued, eyes landing on the girl who looked like Akito’s sister. “I would appreciate your assistance as well, you three.”
The girl immediately rose to her feet. Akito couldn’t help but notice that her hands were bloodied. “I know.”
Akito found himself awkwardly sandwiched between the rebel and An, the remaining three walking a good few steps behind them. He was just relieved that the walk to An’s house was no more than five minutes.
“I’ll ask again,” Akito muttered, “How do you know my name?”
The rebel sighed. “We’re aware of all the knights in action, that just so happens to also include you. As for you- I’m not sure I’ve caught your name, detective.”
“Shiraishi An.” She paused, examining him up and down. “And you, rebel?”
He raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement. “Kamishiro Rui.”
And there the conversation ended.
Akito wished more than anything to escape the oppressive silence hanging between the two of them, but he knew if he were to retreat a few steps back he’d be forced to confront the girl. Their eyes had only met once so far, that moment when he first spotted her.
Her frightened expression really was all the proof he needed to know that she recognised him, that she was almost certainly his sister.
But he didn’t have the guts to turn around and look at her. So he listened to the quiet conversation behind him, figuring it was much better than being forced to acknowledge the awkward silence.
“What happened to your hands, Ena?” A soft voice.
“I had a- y’know. It just got out of control. Honestly, it drained all the energy out of me,” a harsher voice this time. Gods, it sounded so familiar it made him feel sick. “O-oi! What are you doing?”
“Cleaning up the scratches.” This one was much more deadpan, it also seemed to ring a few bells in his mind. “You don’t want to get dirt in them. And once they're clean, I can bandage them up for you.”
The harsh voice and the deadpan voice continued to bicker, but it seemed like deadpan won in the end and successfully cleaned and bandaged her hands.
It was when they finally stopped at An’s front door - something that felt like it took forever despite only being a few minutes - that Akito let himself peer over his shoulder.
The soft spoken one was a pale and scrawny girl, with icy coloured hair that flowed down her back. Deep bags sat beneath her vibrant blue eyes. Her most noticeable trait however was the hat she wore, which he also recalled her wearing inside. The deadpan one had dark purple hair, wavy and almost as short as his. He quickly realised this was Mizuki’s friend - Asahina - and that’s why his voice seemed familiar to him. She too had noticeable bags under her eyes.
And the harsh spoken one, with a face not too different from his own, somehow seemed to look the most exhausted out of all of them to the point she almost looked sickly.
“This way,” An said, beckoning them all into the dining room. Despite An’s family being so small, their dining room table seated six as they were more than willing to invite guests round for meals. An sat at the head of the table, Kamishiro sat at the opposite end. Meanwhile, by pure coincidence Akito found himself sat opposite the brown haired girl. They both seemed insistent on avoiding eye contact with the other.
“May I request introductions,” Kamishiro said. The grin on his face felt as if it were permanently smug, it was starting to piss Akito off. “I can go first. I’m Kamishiro Rui, I’m part of the rebellion you two have been investigating; Mizuki and I were childhood friends. I’ve been keeping an eye on her from a distance ever since we bumped into each other a few weeks back.”
An tensed up slightly under his gaze.
“Shiraishi An, detective. I was working alongside Mizuki and Akito to investigate the rebellion. I’ve since put that on hold as I try to figure out where Mizuki’s vanished to.” Her voice came out stilted, as if she had to script it in her head just to make sure the right words came out.
Akito took the following silence as a sign to go next. “Shinonome Akito. I’m a knight, Mizuki and I were coworkers. We may have gotten into a bit of an argument before she vanished, but I truly have no idea where she could’ve gone. And whilst I wish I could give you more details, out of respect for Mizuki’s privacy, I can’t.”
The soft spoken girl went next. “Yoisaki Kanade. We’re all friends of Mizuki’s from out of town. We’re used to getting visits from them about once a week, but it’s been a while now and we’re worried.”
“Mhm, it’s not like her to vanish without a word,” the deadpan one sat beside him added. A pause. “Oh right- Asahina Mafuyu.”
Finally, the brunette looked up, eyes meeting his. Akito found himself utterly frozen in place.
“Shinonome Ena…” she said, a slight frown on her face. He could tell she wanted to say more, but she glanced between An and Kamishiro before seemingly folding back in on herself. “Mizuki’s the priority right now, I need to know she’s safe. I’m sorry, but everything else is going to have to wait.”
Her tone seemed so sincere. He couldn’t fault that reasoning either.
“No- I don’t think our search will be effective if two of our participants can’t do so much as awkwardly glance at one another.”
Akito was really starting to get sick of this rebel. And he couldn’t ignore the fact that out of the corner of his eye he could see An frantically looking between him and Ena.
“Have you considered that it’s none of your business?” Akito snapped at him. “She’s right anyways, Mizuki should be our focus-”
“I’m sorry, but I’m actually with Kamishiro on this one, Akito,” An interrupted. “I mean- it’s objectively none of my business but… don’t you two want to talk? After all, we all thought you were dead.”
Ena’s face scrunched up with that comment. It seemed to take her a moment to realise that even if she and An had never met before, it made sense that An would know who she is.
“Fine,” Ena mumbled, rolling up one of her sleeves to reveal a bracelet around her wrist. “If that’s how it’s going to be-” Before Akito could think to wonder what the bracelet even was, she had pulled it off her wrist. For a moment, it seemed as though nothing had happened, but then Akito looked up.
He couldn’t help the way he startled to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process.
“Ten years ago, I was on the brink of death,” her determined gaze held his. He felt like he was going to be sick. “I truly thought I was a goner until… until Kamishiro approached me. He transferred a curse - this curse - onto me in order to provide me with the magic to heal my wounds. I was then found by another demon, someone just like me, and she took me in and raised me.”
She took a deep breath, finally looking away from him.
“So many times I wondered what would happen if I returned home. But even if you could all still bear to look me in the eyes, my magic is dangerous, it’s volatile, it was bound to get someone hurt. I couldn’t do that to my family… to you…”
Akito glanced down at her hands, which were gently fidgeting with the bandages wrapped around them.
“I had a- y’know. It just got out of control.”
Her own magic had hurt her.
“I-” His voice was caught in his throat. It was just like with Mizuki all over again. This felt worse though.
Because before he saw his sister’s horns, he was so ready to give her a piece of his mind. No matter how happy he was to see her alive and well after all these years, he also couldn’t stand the fact that she seemingly abandoned him without reason.
But there was a reason. A stupid, selfless reason. The fear of hurting her loved ones.
“I know,” she gulped. “I’m sorry.”
Silence.
His breathing was getting heavy and his heart pounded in his chest. All he had to do was get a few words out, say something in response, but he had fallen silent.
There were so many eyes on him.
Suddenly, Ena rose to her feet. In an instant, she was stood directly in front of him.
She was so much shorter than he was now. Ena was ten when she vanished and back then Akito would feel tiny when stood beside her. Now she was twenty and he towered over her. In a way, so much of her was the same. Her hair was still relatively short. She still had those same freckles, the ones he too shared. Even the way she had bickered with her friends earlier, it vividly reminded Akito of the sister he once knew.
But really, he knew nothing about her now. And she knew nothing about him. They were strangers.
Maybe that was the most difficult part.
“Akito-”
He couldn’t remember the last time he hugged her. Even as kids, they weren’t exactly the most amicable of siblings. They spent a lot of their childhoods bickering, fighting, teasing one another. So it seemed to surprise them both when Akito leaned down and wrapped his arms around Ena.
He held her so close, so tight, like he was terrified of letting her go.
And then, he felt something wet on his cheeks.
“Ena-”
It sounded like she winced. “I’m sorry,” her voice came out quiet and shaky. “I’m the worst. I mean- even after all these years I didn’t even come here for you. The only reason I had the courage to come anywhere near this place is because I was so scared for Mizuki and-!”
She broke down into sobs.
“I never wanted to hurt you, but I did. Maybe not with my magic but- I left you to think I was dead- I-”
Her breathing was heavy as she wiped her eyes until they were red and raw. Every time she wiped the tears away, they’d come back in full force, sticking to her cheeks and pooling at her wobbly chin.
He wasn’t used to seeing her cry this way. Ena’s tears always used to be accompanied with anger, but now she was nothing but apologetic.
“I missed you,” he finally whispered. “I became a knight because I thought… I thought you might be alive somewhere. And now you’re here.”
Akito considered asking her to pinch him. Now that he said the words out loud, now that he truly acknowledged his sister was right there in front of him, he was certain he must be dreaming.
In a way, he didn’t even need to ask as Ena wrapped her arms back round him, squeezing him so tight that for a moment it pushed all the air right out of him.
She was real. She was alive.
It was only when Akito remembered that everyone else was watching that he finally pulled away. The area around Ena’s eyes was so red now that it looked like it must’ve hurt. He probably looked the same as he sniffled and wiped tears away from his cheeks.
“I promise to make things up to you,” Ena forced out, her voice a little croaky, “but first, we need to find Mizuki.”
“I agree.”
In all honesty, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to move on from reuniting with his sister quite yet. Even after they both sat back down at the table, they were still wiping their eyes and desperately trying to compose themselves.
Thankfully, Kamishiro and An both took the hint and led the conversation.
“I’ve sent a letter to Mizuki’s sister asking if she knows where they are, but other than that I don’t have any other leads,” An said. “My plan was to attempt to talk with the king, as I believe he often oversees a lot of Mizuki’s work and would likely have to approve of her taking this much time off work.”
“Yes, I agree that it would be worth talking with him,” Kamishiro muttered in response. He appeared to begin to say something else, only to immediately decide otherwise and remain silent.
Ena raised her eyebrows. Akito could remember her making similar expressions when they were kids. “Kamishiro, if there’s something else you want to say, then I implore you to say it,” she said before rubbing her eyes again. He couldn’t help but notice how exhausted she looked. “There’s no point keeping anything secret.”
“You’re right, I apologise. To be frank, I believe King Tenma has something to do with Mizuki’s disappearance.”
A stunned silence settled over them.
But Akito could see where he was coming from. Some of the last words Mizuki had said to him were echoing in his mind.
“Tell me I deserve to be tormented by the king until the day I die- I don’t care!”
Whatever was going on between Mizuki and the king wasn’t typical for a knight, and Akito was almost certain it was to do with the fact she was a fae.
“Why do you think that?” Yoisaki asked.
“I know we’re not supposed to be keeping secrets, but this is something that I truly don’t think Mizuki would want me telling you all. I agree with Akito’s choice to respect Mizuki’s privacy in that regard.”
Akito wanted to snap back and ask when he gave him permission to refer to him by his first name, but given there were two Shinonomes in the room he realised why Kamishiro referred to him the way he did.
His words did confirm one thing, though. Kamishiro knew that Mizuki was a fae. It probably shouldn’t have been a surprise, given he said they were childhood friends.
“I see. Well in that case, I wanted to suggest using your father’s connections to the royal family,” An replied, cocking her head towards Akito. “Maybe he won’t be able to get us to have a conversation with the king, but even if we could get a word in with the prince or princess, that would be a good start.”
“Ah yes, the royal painter. His assistance would most certainly come in handy,” Kamishiro muttered. “And either the prince or princess should do the trick.”
“And what makes you think that either of them will help us?” Asahina asked bluntly. “You’re a rebel, Ena’s a demon, Kanade’s a witch, I betrayed my home kingdom- the only person I could see them being willing to assist is Akito, maybe An as well. I don’t know much about either of them, but if they’re anything like their father I don’t have much faith in them.”
“She has a point,” Akito shrugged. And even if they wanted to help Akito, their loyalty to their father could very well supersede that desire. “This group is filled with a lot of this kingdom’s enemies.”
And yet he was sitting and talking so casually with them all.
With every second he regretted the way he acted with Mizuki more and more. It was burning away at him, knowing that his first thought was that she had been an enemy of the kingdom all along.
Maybe they were an enemy to the kingdom, but Mizuki was never Akito’s enemy.
“That is true, but I am entirely certain that Prince Tsukasa and Princess Saki will be willing to aid us. I understand why that would appear to be a baseless assessment to all of you, but I ask you to trust that assessment for the time being.”
Asahina continued to attempt to probe him for further details, clearly not willing to accept a bullshit answer like that. Meanwhile, Ena sat silently, occasionally blinking long and hard like she was trying to stay awake.
She’d been like that for a little while now, zoned out and obviously not paying full attention to the conversation at hand. It was like she switched off the moment Yoisaki asked Kamishiro why he thought the king was involved with Mizuki’s disappearance.
He couldn’t blame her. From what he understood, the outburst of magic she experienced earlier already knocked most of the energy out of her. Akito had already found himself tired after all the crying he did, so he couldn’t imagine just how exhausted Ena must’ve felt with both of those events combined.
But Yoisaki let her rest her head against her shoulder and silently held her bandaged hand.
He didn’t know how Ena met Yoisaki, Asahina or even Mizuki, but it left a warm feeling in his chest to see that she’d still been well looked after and loved after all these years. Despite everything, despite the hurt and loss they both experienced, Ena seemed to have found her people.
He wondered to himself if Mizuki had figured out the connection between them. Maybe that’s why she stared at the family portrait for so long.
To think, Mizuki’s mysterious artist friend was his sister all along.
Notes:
lol I actually had most of this and most of the last chapter written for ages because I have a habit of writing the exciting scenes ahead of time.
Things will be continue to be quite exciting for the rest of what I’m calling the “find Mizuki arc” which is perfect for me.
And yes, Akito and Rui will be having a one-on-one conversation about Mizuki at some point.
Chapter 20
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Ena had been sat with her head resting on Kanade’s shoulder for at least twenty minutes by that point. She was struggling to focus much on the conversation at all, which probably wasn’t too much of a problem anyways. Ena had never been particularly tactical, she was instead impulsive and always quick to run into things head first, so she probably wouldn’t have anything of value to add to the conversation. Kanade was similarly quiet, seemingly focusing most of her attention on making sure Ena was alright.
She felt like ass, if she had to be perfectly honest, but she did her best to hold onto consciousness regardless. Magic outbursts always drained her, especially when it had been a while since she last had one. If she recalled correctly, the last time it happened was over half a year ago.
Ena couldn’t take her eyes off Akito.
He’d grown so much, which shouldn’t have been a surprise given it had been ten years yet it still shook her to her core. He wasn’t the same boy she once knew, he was so much more confident and bold.
“So- we’re going to try and use your father’s connections, right? What do we think: should we try our hands with the prince or the princess?” she heard An say.
“Either would work. Princess Saki is likely to have more time on her hands due to not being the heir, but it shouldn’t matter either way,” Kamishiro added before glancing Akito’s way. “How soon do you think you’ll be able to discuss things with your father?”
Ena found herself frozen, or perhaps somehow more frozen than she was originally. Seeing Akito after all these years was one thing, would she really be able to cope with seeing her parents again?
She found herself especially concerned about how an encounter with her father would go down.
“Tonight. He’s usually home for dinner. If we head there now mum would probably make us all a cup of tea or something,” Akito chuckled slightly. His laughter began to fade when he glanced over at Ena. “Would you be okay with that?”
She blinked.
The truth is that it was the last thing Ena wanted to do. But at the same time, if it put them even a step closer to finding Mizuki then maybe it would all be worth it.
Plus, she did miss her parents.
“Yeah- sure-” she forced out. “She might be too distracted by me to even make the tea though.”
Her eyes only met Akito’s for a moment, but he seemed to be smiling ever so slightly. She wanted to snap at him, ask him what on earth he was grinning about, but she knew a smile from him was far more than anything she deserved. She abandoned him, left him thinking she was dead. Akito had every right to be angry with his sister, every right to hate her for what she had become.
It probably explained why seeing his smile made her so tense.
“Well- if that’s settled, we can start heading off,” Mafuyu said, breaking the silence that had settled over them. Ena was glad for Mafuyu’s usual stoicisms and general deadpan nature; it seemed to be one of the few things that could keep her grounded. “Don’t forget the bracelet, Ena. It would be bad if you were arrested before we even got a hint of where Mizuki could be.”
She was surprisingly even more glad to see that some things would never change. Mafuyu still clearly loved to poke fun at Ena.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve not forgotten,” she rolled her eyes. “And why do I get a reminder and not Kanade?”
“Because Kanade’s used to being in the city, you’re not. And you’re more forgetful than her.”
She could feel the others smirking and snickering.
“You’re the worst,” was all Ena could grunt out in the end. Yet she still found herself sandwiched between Mafuyu and Kanade, arms linked with theirs, as they began the journey to the Shinonome residence.
Maybe it was her way of seeking comfort. Returning home after all these years made her insides twist themselves into a knot, made her legs wobble beneath her, so having two of her most important people beside her seemed to calm her racing heart just a little bit.
“So-” Akito forced out, lingering behind An and Kamishiro. The rebel and the detective seemed to be getting along just swell now, which Ena found amusing given they seemed to be at each other’s throats earlier. Either way, it seemed like Akito wanted no part in whatever was going on between them. “You three have known each other for a while, huh?”
“It’s been a few years, yes,” Kanade replied. “Ena found us both on separate occasions whilst we were having a… bad time in the woods before leading us home.”
“She physically dragged me there, actually,” Mafuyu added.
“That’s because you fainted on me. Did you really expect me to just leave you passed out in the woods?”
Akito laughed again. It made her chest hurt every single time.
She didn’t deserve that laughter.
For the rest of the walk, she distracted herself by answering Akito’s questions about her new home. It was all she could think to do to stop the looming sense of dread. She had begun to feel nauseous when they entered the familiar neighbourhood, and her legs felt like jelly the moment she spotted the house.
Kanade and Mafuyu both gave her hands gentle squeezes, slowing their pace to allow Ena and her shaky legs to keep up.
Seeing her home for the first time in a decade made her feel like she was dying.
And that feeling got even worse when she saw the painting hanging in the entryway. It was the same one it had been the last time she was here. The final painting to ever include Ena.
Her family had kept it up this whole time.
She didn’t even notice that Akito had ushered the others into the living room. She simply stood there, staring up at Yukihira’s handiwork. When she was little, it was one of the few paintings in the house not made by her father. The same likely applied even now.
“Hey-” Akito was now stood by her side. “You okay?”
Ena shook her head.
She looked down at the bracelet. “If I hid my horns, if I made myself appear human, then what would they say? Would they be angry at me for never returning after all these years?” A pause. “But if I didn’t hide them… would they look at me and see a monster?”
Akito glanced down at her. She still wasn’t used to the fact that he was taller than her. “Well- the Ena I knew wouldn’t care either way what our parents thought of her. She’d do whatever she wanted, whatever was most true to who she was.”
She laughed slightly. “I think the Ena you knew was a lot braver than me.”
“C’mon, we both know that’s not true.”
She remained silent, fists clenched at her side.
“You’re braver than me, at least. Both during my fight with Mizuki and when you showed me your horns… I froze. I didn’t know what to say or do and in Mizuki’s case all that did was hurt her more. But you told me the truth, even if you didn’t know how I was going to react.”
Luka and Meiko both gave her the chance to get this far, she would be forever grateful for that. The concealment stone was the only reason she was standing beside her brother in her childhood home.
But now she had to make a choice.
Taking a deep breath, she began to remove the bracelet from around her wrist.
“Oh, Akito, you’re back-” At the top of the stairs stood a woman, her eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. Ena found herself unable to tear her eyes away from her as she slid the bracelet into her pocket, her horns now on full display.
The woman, her mother, slowly made her way down the stairs. She’d glance at Ena, then at the family portrait, then back at Ena again, all the while not saying a single word.
She gave the painting one last, long look as she descended to the bottom step, before smiling Ena’s way. Her eyes were already brimming with tears and Ena quickly realised that hers were too.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. Ena couldn’t help but flinch, unable to remember the last time she’d been held in such a way. It felt different from how Kanade or Mizuki or Mafuyu would hold her, and Meiko was never big on physical contact. Despite this, she found herself settling into her mother’s grasp, burying her face into her shoulder.
She expected her to comment on the horns, or to maybe ask where she’d been all this time.
Instead, all her mother said was: “You’re home…”
And for the second time today, Ena began to cry.
These tears were comparatively much more gentle than those she’d wept with Akito. Before she was hiccuping, basically gasping for air, her sobs were almost painful. Now, as her mother stroked her hair, she found the sobs quickly dying down into sniffles.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay Ena, I’m just glad you’re here.”
She held her for a while longer, letting her get the rest of her tears out. When Ena finally pulled away, she immediately found herself wanting to apologise for how she utterly soaked part of her mother’s blouse with her tears. But something told her that would be a silly first thing to say to her after all these years.
“I’m sorry…” It was still an apology, but it carried the weight of the past ten years on its back. How much had she grieved? Akito said he refused to accept Ena’s death, but it’s clear her parents had.
“Don’t be, silly. I can see you had your reasons,” her mother smiled, cupping her cheek with her hand. “We’ll have to catch up at some point, but it seems you’re both here for a specific reason.”
Akito nodded, thankfully taking the lead for her.
Another round of tears. Gods, she felt close to passing out from exhaustion at this point.
“Yes, we wanted to ask for a favour from dad.”
“I’ll let him know the moment he gets home. For now, you two just relax, okay?”
She clearly hadn’t noticed the rest of their group entering as she seemed to jump a little when she found them all sitting in the living room. But just as Akito predicted, she immediately kindly welcomed them all and offered them some tea.
Ena nestled herself in between Kanade and Mafuyu on one of the sofas, immediately glad to be sitting back down.
“Are you alright?” Kanade asked.
“Exhausted,” she found herself laughing. “I’m going to sleep like a baby later.”
“You already do most of the time,” Mafuyu argued. “No matter how much ruckus I make getting up in the morning, it still takes you another hour at least to get up most of the time.” She didn’t have the energy to bicker with Mafuyu, so she simply huffed and crossed her arms before deciding to rest her head on his shoulder.
“Well, there’s not much we can do until our father returns and I too am exhausted, so can we lay off on the whole planning shit for like an hour,” Akito groaned, sitting down beside An.
“Yeah- you really do look rough, huh?” An snickered. “I don’t disagree, though. So… Kamishiro, how many other rebels are there?”
From across the room, Kamishiro rolled his eyes with a slight grin. “Well, I suppose we are allies now so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I told you a thing or two. And please, just call me Rui. No point in keeping up formalities.” He paused for a moment, glancing between the rest of them. “There are a lot more rebels across the kingdom than just us, but the group I work with is very small. The group of us who have been hiding out in the woods only consists of three people, then there are a few allies we have here in the capital.”
“Only three? That’s impressive.”
“You could say that. One of our members has a useful trick up her sleeves, to say the least, and helps us create distractions. I’m sure at least you two know of Hatsune Miku.”
That name again. An had said Hatsune Miku was a bard, but Meiko said the rebel they encountered in the forest was named Hatsune Miku.
Akito immediately sighed. “And suddenly the events of that night make a lot more sense. She uses her performances to create distractions for you, huh?”
“Spot on. And- now that I think about it- you three have had an encounter with her too. You all know that Meiko woman Miku kept talking about.”
“The girl with the twintails, correct?” Mafuyu asked, to which Rui nodded. “I didn’t like her much.”
“Ah, yes, she did say one of you had a particularly nasty glare. She also kept referring to you as Emma, despite being fully aware that wasn’t the right name.” Emma, huh? It was close enough to her name that she supposed she couldn’t be too angry about the mistake.
From there, the conversation settled into something surprisingly casual as they all drank their tea. Looking at them now, Ena realised what a strange group of people this really was.
And yet they were all people who cared deeply enough about Mizuki that they were prepared to go against the king in order to get her back. Even Akito and An, those who worked for King Tenma, had placed their goal of helping Mizuki over their own work for the kingdom.
In a way, they’d found themselves aiding with the rebellion after all. Maybe it wasn’t in the way Hatsune Miku was hoping for when she tried to recruit them, but Ena was now prepared to confront King Tenma and give him a piece of her mind. If Rui was right about him being involved with Mizuki’s disappearance, Ena would never so much as think of aligning herself with his kingdom ever again.
Though from what she’d heard about the man, it’s not like King Tenma would desire a demon on his side. He already indirectly saw her as an enemy, so she found herself more than willing to play the role.
Just as Ena emptied her cup, someone stepped into the room.
“Akito, your mother said that you-”
Gods, she recognised his voice in an instant. It made her entire body go still.
Yet as she stumbled to her feet, eyes meeting her father’s, she realised he was equally as tense.
Things weren’t always perfect between Ena and her father, but a strange sense of relief seemed to rush over her as she approached.
“You’re alive,” he said.
Ena gulped. “I am.”
She could feel his eyes on her horns. Her mother barely made reference to them, but her words had confirmed to Ena that she made the right choice to let her see them.
But as she waited in silence for her father to say something, anything, she began to wish she hid them from him.
“It was either this, or death,” Ena finally forced out, choosing to break that mind numbing silence herself.
His expression seemed to shift ever so slightly, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. Suddenly, a hand was on Ena’s head, gently ruffling her hair. “Then I’m glad it was this.”
Their exchange was short and simple, without a single tear shed, but somehow that felt right. Her father was often a little distant and never the most expressive, so a simple gesture and a few words were all Ena needed for now. She found herself smiling at him before turning back to sit beside Kanade and Mafuyu.
“Anyways- your mother said you had a favour to ask of me,” he turned to Akito, then glanced at the rest of their group. “And I’m guessing you all have something to do with it.”
Notes:
I’m back !! Sorry it’s been over a month lol, I’m back on the grind now. Not to sound like a stereotypical author’s note but quite a lot has happened since I last updated: I turned 20, got accepted into uni, drew 39 Hatsune Mikus and travelled abroad by myself for the first time.
But yeah, I’ve actually had the majority of this chapter written for a while, I just needed to write the part where Ena and Shinei talk. I thought I should specify here that their relationship in this AU isn’t quite the same as in canon, mainly bc in canon a lot of their conflict occurs when Ena’s in middle school and in this AU she’s 10 when she’s separated from her family.
I’m excited to get back to this again. I’ve got a lot of fun plans for this arc of the fic.
Chapter 21
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“I see,” Ena’s father nodded after Akito had finished explaining the situation with Mizuki. “Would you prefer to talk to the prince or princess?”
“Either will do,” Rui replied with a shrug.
“Well… I’ve yet to paint the two of them together now that Princess Saki is an adult. We had plans to do one a while ago, but they were all quite busy at the time. I can suggest getting one done now- that way you’ll be able to speak with them both.”
“And that would give them a reason to come out here instead of us going to meet them,” Ena muttered, despite looking half asleep.
Mr Shinonome nodded. “My studio is here and where I work best, so all of my portraits for the royal family are done here. They’ll probably have some guards with them, though. Would that be a problem?”
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
Kanade watched as the others finished discussing their plans. It was an odd feeling- Kanade had spent the last few years of her life surrounded by only a few people. Even when she visited her father, the nurses and doctors were always the same. But now there were these people she’d never met before.
And some of them were Ena’s family.
Whilst Ena and her brother weren’t immediately identifiable as siblings given their vastly different hair colours, she could see the similarities in both their faces and attitudes. Ena definitely took after her father in some regards too, most notably her hair colour but seemingly her passion for art as well. So far, Kanade had only seen a brief glimpse of Ena’s mother but she seemed kind and warm.
Was Kanade’s mother like that? She must’ve been. Even if Kanade’s memories of the past were fuzzy, that feeling of warmth was always there when she thought hard enough.
It was already quite late by the time plans were fully discussed and by that point Ena was just barely holding onto consciousness with her head on Kanade’s shoulder.
“Look at you all,” Mrs Shinonome laughed softly, “you’re all exhausted aren’t you? Please feel free to stay the night, I understand some of you are quite far from home.”
“I appreciate the offer Mrs Shinonome, but I’ll be heading back home,” An said, rising to her feet. “My parents will worry if I’m out too late. I’ll be back in the morning, you guys.”
Moments after An had left, Rui likewise rose from his seat. “On that note, I think I’ll be heading off too. I thank you for your hospitality but-”
“And where do you plan to spend the night, young man?” Mrs Shinonome grinned, standing in the doorway to block his path. There was something almost scary about the smile she wore.
“Well- uh- y’know-” It was strange to watch Rui stammer. So far, he’d been nothing but well spoken and perhaps a little cocky, but now he seemed to actually be intimidated.
“Now, now, I can’t have you spending the night out in the cold. I’m sure we can make room for you just fine.”
Akito didn’t hide his laughter over how quickly Rui caved.
In the end, Rui reluctantly took the guest room as Kanade and Mafuyu followed Ena to her childhood bedroom. At first, Kanade wondered if this meant one of them would have to sleep on the floor, but all those worries melted away in an instant when she saw how large the bed was.
“What child needs a bed this big?” Kanade breathed as Ena removed some of her more uncomfortable layers. It’s not like they were planning to be away from home for long, so none of them had any pyjamas to wear and had to resort to making their day clothes as comfortable as possible to sleep in.
“Well it’s not like I was going to get a new one when I grew up, I suppose it was just easier to get a big one the moment I was no longer sleeping in toddler beds,” Ena shrugged before rubbing her eyes.
It was certainly bigger than Ena’s bed back home which could fit two of them quite snuggly. Meanwhile, Kanade was certain that in this bed the three of them would have enough space to themselves that it would feel like they were sleeping in their own separate beds.
“On that note, I will be going straight to bed,” she continued. Once Ena had untied her plaits, she dropped into the bed and immediately closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her soft snores to fill the room, a surprise given Ena never liked sleeping with lights on.
“Busy day, I guess I can’t blame her,” Kanade chuckled, perching down on the edge of the bed. Mafuyu removed his waistcoat before folding it up and placing it beside Ena’s abandoned layers which had been tossed to the ground without care. “I never thought we’d meet Ena’s family, especially considering we only learnt about her brother just the other day.”
Mafuyu nodded as she sat down beside her, reaching into the pocket of her trousers and pulling out a folded piece of paper. Kanade quickly recognised this to be one of Ena’s drawings, a recent one that she was pretty sure she was working on the last time Mizuki visited at night. That was a few weeks ago, and it was only now that Kanade realised who Ena was sketching that night.
“When she mentioned her brother, I remembered that she’d been drawing a boy I’d never seen before. I got nosy and looked in her sketchbook and then I was certain that I’d seen this boy before. It turns out I did, the last time I saw Mizuki…”
His voice trailed off just a little upon the mention of Mizuki.
“Why did you take the drawing?”
“I think my gut must’ve known where I recognised him from, maybe I wanted to compare them if I ever saw him again. It’s surprising how much of his likeness she managed to capture after all these years.”
“Well- she is a good artist.”
Mafuyu smiled that tiny delightful smile of his before folding up the drawing and placing it beside Ena’s clothes. For a moment she stopped and stared down at the pile before dropping to the floor and folding the clothes. Mafuyu always seemed to tidy up Ena’s mess, even when Ena had no intention of asking him to do so.
Mafuyu went to bed soon after that, falling asleep quickly and ending up bundled up close beside Ena. Kanade knew that the two often shared Ena’s bed when Mafuyu had a nightmare - even if they tried to keep that a secret from her - so she wasn’t surprised to see how comfortably the two slept.
But for some reason, no matter how tired she felt, Kanade couldn’t fall asleep.
She lay there beside Mafuyu, staring up at the ceiling. It should’ve been easy: she was tired, the bed felt like sleeping on a cloud and they had enough blankets that she wouldn’t have to worry about getting cold. But nothing happened. Despite it all, Kanade was wide awake.
With a sigh she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and in that exact moment, the bedroom door creaked open ever so slightly. Kanade kept her eyes firmly shut.
“They all fell asleep quickly,” Ena’s father said, his voice at a low whisper. “She did look exhausted, so I’m not surprised.”
“She was already tired when they showed up and that was hours ago,” Mrs Shinonome replied softly. “Gods… I still can’t believe it’s really her. All that time we thought she was gone, and yet…”
“She wasn’t alone though.”
“No- she wasn’t.”
“And she’s grown so much.”
A moment of silence.
“She has, but I don’t think she’s done growing quite yet. Maybe now we can stay in her life and watch her finish growing into the wonderful person I know she is.” Despite the darkness and the fact that her eyes were still squeezed tightly shut, Kanade was certain that Mrs Shinonome was smiling.
Their conversation drifted off after that point and Kanade opened her eyes once she heard footsteps walking away. It surprised her to see that the door was still open, that Mrs Shinonome still stood there, bathed in the light from the corridor.
She gasped when her eyes met Kanade’s, immediately apologising for waking her up.
“No- it’s okay. I was awake already, it’s been a struggle to fall asleep for some reason,” Kanade whispered, hoping not to wake the other two. Granted, they both looked so thoroughly asleep that she figured it would take a lot more than that to wake them.
Mrs Shinonome laughed slightly. “I guess I’m the same. If you’re struggling so much, how about we talk for a little. Maybe that’ll help tire us both out a bit more.”
Kanade followed her down to the kitchen, where she served them a slice of cake each. She couldn’t help but be reminded of Mizuki’s visits, how she would bring a dessert with her that they’d all share in the middle of the night.
“I’m sorry, dear, I don’t know if I caught your name,” Mrs Shinonome said as they sat down at a little table in the corner of the kitchen.
“Yoisaki Kanade,” she replied. “Kanade’s fine though, I’m so rarely in a situation where I’d be referred to by my surname that it honestly feels a little odd now.”
“Well in that case, feel free to call me Kasumi. Now… if you don’t mind, could you tell me a little more about your home and how Ena ended up there.”
She couldn’t blame her for being curious. Ena didn’t have much time to talk to her mother one-on-one so it didn’t surprise Kanade that she was unable to share many of the details. So she told the story that Ena and Meiko had both told before, now with the new knowledge that Kamishiro Rui was the one to pass his curse onto Ena, the one who saved her life all those years ago.
“Gods,” she breathed. “I knew to expect that it wasn’t all good but… I guess it hurts to hear that she was so nearby when all that happened. If we just searched a little more…”
“From what I can tell, she never resented any of you for it. And she’s been surrounded by people who care for her from the start, Meiko always refused to admit it but she really did care for her like she was her own.”
A smile crept onto Kasumi’s face. “I’ll have to meet this Meiko at some point, thank her for taking such good care of my daughter. And I suppose I should thank you, too. Ena wasn’t always the best at making friends, so I’m glad she has people that she cherishes so dearly.”
Kanade returned the smile, but it was quick to fade. One of those people Ena cherished was nowhere to be seen and, if Rui was correct, might be in danger.
“I met Mizuki, y’know,” Kasumi continued, able to read Kanade like a book. “She was a lovely young girl, I was immediately happy to know she was friends with my son. I’m glad to know they were friends with my daughter as well… I wonder if they pieced it all together.”
Kanade laughed slightly. “I think it’s possible she did. Mizuki was always pretty attentive, picking up on all sorts of little details. They always knew when I was overworking myself.”
“How so?”
“Hmm?”
“What were you overworking yourself with? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
“Oh- right- of course. Well, you see, I’m half witch. My dad’s human and he was always really interested in the magic my mum would practice. But when she passed… something changed in him and he ended up-” She paused for a moment, debating on how to describe the situation. She didn’t want to make Kasumi worry. “He ended up using a spell that backfired on him. It messed with his memories and made him quite unwell, so I’m currently trying to search for a cure.”
In the end, she decided to exclude any mentions of her curse. It was something only those back home knew of, and even then Kanade sometimes wished they didn’t. Ena, Mafuyu, Mizuki and even sometimes Meiko would worry themselves about the curse, even though Kanade herself only ever saw it as a bit of a nuisance at times.
“I see, that must be very hard on you,” she replied, softly. “You’re so young still yet you can’t turn to your parents for help.”
Kanade didn't fail to notice the way she trailed off. Was it guilt that Kasumi felt? Guilt that she couldn’t be someone Ena could turn to for help?
The conversation seemed to drift off there as the two of them finished off their slices of cake. Once Kanade was finished, she politely excused herself and headed back upstairs to Ena’s room.
She tried her best to be quiet, but the door still creaked open regardless, causing a half-asleep Ena to poke her head up and squint her way. “Are you okay? Where were you?” She grumbled as Kanade lay back down beside Mafuyu.
“I couldn’t sleep so I spoke with your mother for a bit until I started to feel tired again, that’s all,” she whispered, hoping to not wake Mafuyu as well.
“Heh, she was always like that,” Ena grinned softly. “Sometimes I’d be in a bad mood and skip dinner, yet she’d always wait for me to come downstairs so she could heat up the leftovers for me. I… I really did miss her, huh.”
And to Kanade’s surprise, she found herself muttering something back in response. “I think I miss my mum too.” Then she closed her eyes and finally drifted off.
Notes:
I have no excuse for this chapter taking a whole ass month other than the fact that I felt the urge to make it longer than it realistically needed to be. So on that note, I’ll say now that next chapter will be a relatively short one lol.
Also it sucks sooo bad that Mrs Shinonome doesn’t have a name. I had to give her one here bc a) writing out Mrs Shinonome each time gets a bit annoying and b) it feels weird that Shinei has a name and she doesn’t y’know
I wanted to give her a name that I could link to Ena/Akito in some way and I settled on Kasumi as it can mean ‘mist’ which I figured fit in nicely with Ena’s whole “I am Rain” thing lol
Chapter 22
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Trying to fall asleep in the Shinonomes’ house was probably one of the strangest feelings Rui had experienced in a while. The bed was so big, so luxurious, and yet Rui also couldn’t stop thinking about how they weren’t even one of the wealthiest families in the kingdom. By all means, the Shinonomes came from more humble beginnings than the other nobles and their house was noticeably less grand.
Yet it was also the grandest house Rui had ever been in.
It left him feeling all kinds of weird. He should’ve been back with Miku and Toya, camping out in their bleak little cave and sorting out the next stages of their plans. Thinking about it, he was left with a sudden fear that the two of them would panic since he hadn’t returned.
But Rui had left them for a few days at a time before, so he had to trust that his allies wouldn’t immediately jump to the worst conclusion.
After all, it was his priority to get Mizuki to safety. Maybe it wasn’t directly related to their plans for the rebellion, but it would certainly cause problems for King Tenma which was a good enough start.
As he lay sprawled out on the massive bed, staring up at the ceiling, someone knocked on Rui’s door. After a moment, it creaked open and there stood the ginger knight. Shinonome Akito. The little brother of the girl Rui saved all those years ago, the once best friend of Toya, the one who pushed Mizuki away.
Maybe it wasn’t all Akito’s fault, maybe the king would’ve taken action regardless, but looking at his face made Rui feel a way he couldn’t quite describe.
Angry, sure, but there was more to it than just that.
And even then, he couldn’t be that angry. The boy was making an effort to get Mizuki back, even if it meant rebelling against the kingdom he’d spent the past few years training to protect.
“I think you know what I want to talk about,” Akito forced out, closing the door behind him.
Rui nodded. Akito didn’t take a step forward, leaning awkwardly against the door as the two stared intensely at one another.
“What exactly happened that night? I know you chased after me and that Mizuki tried to stop you, but what happened after?”
He took a deep breath.
“When you ran off, I wanted to chase after you. I thought… I thought we could turn you in after catching you in the act and Mizuki wouldn’t have to get into trouble for not reporting you sooner,” he mumbled. “And look where that got us.”
The laugh he let out was awkward and forced, immediately trailing off the moment his eyes met Rui’s.
“She wasn’t going to let me, of course. I don’t know all the details, but it’s clear they care a lot about you. She tried to stop me when I reached for my sword… but the handle is iron. I- I didn’t know what to say, I just stood there as Mizuki cried and shouted. Finally, they ran off. I thought she’d just avoid me, maybe try to be reassigned to a new job, but then An told me that no one knew where she had gone.”
“I see,” was all Rui could find himself saying.
Silence lingered over the two of them for a long and painful moment.
“Why didn’t you teleport away?” Akito finally asked. “It’s the one thing I can’t make sense of, no matter how many times the events of that night repeat in my mind.”
“It’s quite simple, really. I didn’t want you to see how the spell worked and follow me back to my allies, it’s why I ran instead. I do regret it, though. Maybe things would’ve gone differently if I had.”
Silence again. Gods it was awkward.
“I regret a lot of things. If I just said something or ran after her or… well, it’s not just that. When I realised she was a fae, my immediate assumption was that I’d been deceived this whole time. But Mizuki wasn’t hiding it from me out of malicious intent, but because they were afraid people - people like me - would hurt them. All this time I’ve been the exact kind of person Mizuki would have every right to be afraid of.”
He was certainly more self aware than Rui had originally assumed him to be.
“And now I don’t know if Mizuki will even look me in the eyes once we get her to safety. They have every reason to despise me but… they were a good friend. I wouldn’t want to lose a friend like that.”
If his actions so far weren’t enough to support his words, then the look on Akito’s face certainly was. It was almost bizarre to see someone so sincerely regretful, so sincerely desperate to make things right.
As Akito said, he was the exact kind of person Mizuki had the right to be scared of. He was also the exact kind of person Rui would’ve expected to be too stubborn to admit their failures.
But perhaps that was Rui’s mistake. Maybe many of his colleagues were as awful as Rui would expect, but Shinonome Akito had proved himself to be nothing of the sort.
In fact, he’d proved himself hours ago when he was willing to ally himself with the rebel he’d been hunting all for Mizuki’s sake. Maybe Rui was the stubborn one, given it took him this long to admit that maybe Akito wasn’t all that bad after all.
“If you ask me, I think your actions will do most of the talking for you,” Rui replied. “But I’d like you to promise me something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Promise me you’ll apologise to her, directly. I know what Mizuki can be like, and they probably won’t anticipate an apology from you, so prove them wrong. Let her know that you take responsibility for how you hurt her.”
He nodded immediately.
“Now, we should both get some rest given I think tomorrow’s going to be quite the busy day-” Rui began, stretching his arms out in front of him.
“One more thing.”
“Hmm?”
“How do you and Mizuki know each other? They never really told me any details.”
Honestly, it was a question he assumed someone would’ve asked him sooner.
“Mizuki and her sister used to move between different towns quite often, it was their way of making sure no one caught on to their identities. When they moved to my hometown for a bit, the two of us found ourselves drifting towards each other. The outcast child with a curse and the stranger who wouldn’t stick around long enough to be remembered by most, we got along quite nicely. It’s funny timing, really. The day she left was the day I rid myself of my curse, the day I passed it onto your sister in order to save her.”
“Do you think she’ll ever be free of the curse?”
First, he shrugged. “As far as I know, the only way to free yourself of it is to pass it onto someone else. There’s no cure, no way of breaking it.” Then he paused and shook his head. “From what I’ve seen of her, she doesn’t seem the type to pass it on. She’s familiar with it, generally knows how to handle it, and she wouldn’t want to burden anyone else with it. She’s more selfless than me in that regard.”
These seemed to be the words Akito lingered on the longest.
“Right. Try and get some rest, I know how weird it must be trying to sleep in a completely foreign setting.”
Rui grinned. “It certainly is.”
Notes:
I was not kidding when I said this chapter would be short lol
If this weren’t written in a format where each chapter follows the perspective of one specific character, I would’ve simply combined this chapter with the last one.
These two chapters were a bit of downtime (which is probably why I was lacking motivation writing them) but things will start picking up again now. A certain rather loud someone will finally make his first appearance next chapter
Chapter 23
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was an early start to the day, something Akito wasn’t at all thrilled about. Even after voicing his regrets and frustrations to the rebel - to Rui - it still took him a good hour or so more to fall asleep.
Everyone ate breakfast in silence. Not an awkward silence, thank gods, but one caused by the fact that no one wanted to be up this early and thus didn’t have the energy to engage in conversation. Akito was likely the most used to early starts out of all of them, but given how long it took him to sleep it wasn’t like he was coping any better.
An soon joined them with some spare clothes she managed to gather up between her and Kohane. They were good enough fits for Kanade and Ena - who both seemed glad to have a change of clothes - but Mafuyu was a little too tall and had to borrow some of Akito’s instead. Meanwhile Rui seemed quite happy to stay in his own clothes, or maybe he just didn’t want to borrow any from Akito.
By the time everyone had finally properly woken up, they were being ushered upstairs onto the landing so as to not immediately intimidate the prince and princess.
“Have you ever met either of them before?” Ena asked him, leaning against the railing. “I feel like I may have encountered them briefly when we were kids, but it was so long ago that I can’t really remember.”
“I’ve met them both semi-recently. If I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be Princess Saki,” he replied.
“Eh? How come?”
“You’ll see.”
It was almost comical how quickly Ena grew to understand his words. The two of them arrived with a bodyguard each, Kaito for the prince and Hoshino for the princess. Akito was ready to panic at such a sight, but those fears were the last thing on his mind when the prince spoke.
“Gods- he’s loud,” he found himself grumbling at the same time as Ena.
“Who are the other two?” Mafuyu said, trying to get a closer look.
“Bodyguards. Hoshino Ichika is the one guarding the princess, though she might be willing to help us given she’s shown interest in finding Mizuki,” An explained. “The prince’s bodyguard is Kaito. He’s certainly friendly, but he’s a higher ranked knight and might be more difficult to convince. We might have to find a way to get him away from them.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a concern,” Rui shrugged. “In fact, I think this all works quite nicely in our favour.”
Akito didn’t bother questioning what he meant by that. Rui had proven himself to be rather elusive, to the point where he clearly didn’t like explaining much directly, so Akito assumed he wouldn’t get anymore out of him for the time being.
The moment their father led them into his studio, they began to head downstairs, patiently waiting by the door for his next cue.
A few minutes later, the door opened. “I’m going to get a few extra supplies, I’ll be back shortly.”
Then, they all entered.
The prince and princess both flinched back in their chairs, their respective bodyguards reaching for their weapons in an instant. They all stood there, frozen in place, until Rui pushed to the front of their group.
Akito couldn’t help but notice the way their eyes widened at the sight of him.
“Rui? What are you doing here?” The prince immediately asked, rising to his feet. His eyes scanned over the rest of their group, his brow furrowing in confusion the more he looked at them all. He was certainly very expressive, probably to his detriment given the ability to have a good poker face would come in handy as the heir to the throne.
Hold on a minute, Akito found himself thinking, why is the heir to the throne on the first name basis with a rebel?
Behind him, Princess Saki’s eyes lit up as she likewise hopped to her feet. “Shiraishi and Shinonome are here- so does that mean-?”
“Are you here to ask about Akiyama?” Hoshino asked, stepping a little closer to her princess, her sword still drawn. “Saki- I mean- her highness has already asked the king if he knew anything, but-”
“He’s been completely dismissive of me! I even tried to get Tsukasa to ask but he ignored him too,” the princess huffed, crossing her arms.
“That seems to prove my theory then,” Rui sighed, glancing back at the rest of them. “It appears King Tenma is directly involved with Mizuki’s disappearance.”
“Hmm-”
“Hold on,” Akito finally said, stepping forward. By this point, Kaito sheathed his sword while Hoshino still held on tightly to hers. Mizuki had told him Hoshino and the princess were childhood friends, so he wasn’t surprised to see her be a little over protective. “You’re all acting surprisingly buddy-buddy with a rebel. Might I ask why?”
He had to admit, it was awfully bold to speak to royalty in such a manner, but he couldn’t think of a way to phrase the question anymore politely.
“Ah- well, I suppose I was deceiving you two a little during our last meeting,” Kaito said, nodding his head towards Akito, then An. “I apologise for that, but us rebels have been forming an alliance with the prince and princess.”
“Us rebels?” An mumbled. “So- all that talk about us having plenty of time to investigate the rebellion was just a whole lot of bullshit, huh?”
He laughed at this. Not in a mocking way, but as if he found An’s words genuinely amusing. It surprised him a little, only to remember how Mizuki once described him as a big cuddly teddy bear. Even with this change in perspective - realising that Kaito was in fact a rebel - that inherent friendliness Akito sensed in him hadn’t faded in the slightest.
“We owe you two, and Mizuki, a lot regardless,” Kaito continued. “Your investigation kept his majesty’s eyes off of us for a good long while.”
Akito wouldn’t have found that reassuring just a few days ago, and maybe he also struggled to find it reassuring now. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. His feelings towards Rui weren’t entirely positive, but he was the one to suggest that King Tenma was tied to Mizuki’s disappearance. They wouldn’t have gotten that intel if he had already been arrested or even executed.
And maybe Akito found him a little irritating, but even he could see that Rui certainly didn’t deserve to face execution.
None of the rebels seemed to, which should’ve been a tough pill to swallow for someone like him. Somehow it wasn’t.
“How have you managed to keep the king off your trails? I mean- you’ve been doing all this right under his nose,” Akito asked.
“You likely know of my little cousin, Hatsune Miku. We’re both shapeshifters so when she comes into town to perform her distractions, the two of us disguise ourselves to pass information between each other. As a result, this form I take now has absolutely no ties to any rebel.”
That was a new piece of information. It made sense though, given that it would be quite bold for a public figure such as Hatsune Miku to also be involved in the rebellion. It’s likely the form she took on stage and in public was different to how she presented herself in private.
Looking at Kaito more closely, he could see the way his eyes appeared to shift colour. It was subtle enough that it never caught his attention before.
“So,” Ena cut in, tapping her foot on the floor in the same way she used to as a kid. It was always a sign that she was getting impatient. “Can you help us find Mizuki or not? Because otherwise this is a waste of our time.”
If Akito felt bold for talking to the prince and princess the way he did earlier, then Ena was something entirely else. She didn’t even have her horns hidden, something risky enough on its own, and she was talking to them so bluntly too.
“Well, if our father has something to do with it, then I might have some ideas,” the prince said. “But first- I think we’re all in need of some introductions.”
Introductions were quicker this time, given most of them at least knew of each other by this point. The prince and princess did insist on being referred to by name - however - which was certainly uncomfortable for Akito. Most of the others didn’t seem to bat an eye, only him and An seemed to struggle with this request.
A rebel and a group of outcasts, no wonder the others didn’t care about keeping up formalities with their kingdom’s royalty.
They gathered round his father’s desk near the back of the room as the prince - Tsukasa - requested Kaito lay out a map of the castle.
“I think if Akiyama’s anywhere in the castle, it’ll be here, in the dungeon. That is if she is there,” he explained, pointing to where the dungeons were. Ena leant over with a pencil in hand and marked off the dungeons.
“We’ll function under the assumption that she is for the time being. We’ll only find out they’re not there if given some proof, and if that proof is not finding her in the dungeons then so be it,” Rui replied.
“Do we have enough time to waste if we’re wrong?” Mafuyu asked.
“Personally, I don’t think we will be wrong. But even if we are, I don’t think he has any plans to kill Mizuki- not yet at least.”
Mafuyu didn’t appear to like the sound of this answer, and to be honest neither did Akito. Rui seemed to possess a sense of confidence in his plans that Akito didn’t think he could match in the slightest.
“The dungeons are always heavily guarded. It’ll be really difficult to get in without being spotted,” Saki sighed. “Hmm… Oh!”
“Oh?”
“In a few days we’ll be hosting a massive ball. We’re approaching ten years of peace with the Hinomoris, so we’re hosting a party to celebrate. There will be lots of important guests there from both kingdoms and we’d got plans to station more of the knights up in the ballroom for safety. Here- this is where the ballroom is.”
“Right! Excellent idea Saki!” Tsukasa practically cheered. Ena leaned forward to mark off the ballroom, making that same expression as before, when they both murmured about how loud Tsukasa was. “We could quite easily sneak you all in. If you can all find a way to create a sufficient distraction then you should be able to reach the dungeons more easily.”
“What kind of distraction?” Kanade asked. It seemed she too was overwhelmed by Tsukasa and his volume. He really did speak at a level that would be considered shouting for most.
“That’s for us to try and figure out,” Rui muttered, glancing over the map. “Tsukasa, Saki, can you find us as much information on the ball as possible? The guest list, the dress code, hell even the menu. Anything and everything you can get your hands on.”
“You can leave that to us!”
“Mhmm. Ichika, would you be able to send along all the information for us once we get it? I’d offer to come with but I think father would get suspicious.”
“Of course, Saki.”
They had a plan. Or the very start of one, at least.
Just the idea of a plan had seemingly helped all of them relax ever so slightly. The idea of finding Mizuki, of saving Mizuki, didn’t feel quite so far out of reach now.
Tsukasa and Saki, along with their bodyguards, left soon after, hoping to get the information they needed to them as soon as possible. It left them all with not a huge amount to do whilst they waited, as Rui insisted that their best bet would be to wait until they had more intel before they truly started to work on a plan.
Akito found himself slouching down in the one of the chairs that was part of the portrait set up, An soon taking a seat beside him.
“To think, we got so anxious about our investigation and now here we are,” she said to him. “It is odd. Here we are siding with rebels and magical creatures and all these people we’ve been spending the past few years training to catch and fight and arrest. It’s silly though, they’re really no different to us.”
“I think you’re dealing with it better than I am,” he replied with a slight laugh. “Feels like my mind’s all jumbled up.”
An laughed too. “I feel bad more than anything else. What if we had caught Rui? What if I’d seen Ena’s horns before knowing who she was and tried to arrest her? It all just makes me feel guilty, I suppose.”
“Eh? But you didn’t do either of those things.” They both flinched when Ena appeared behind them. He hadn’t realised she’d been listening in on their conversation. She manoeuvred around, now squatting down on the floor in front of them, and sighed. “Look, I do kinda get it, I was turned into one of the very things I was taught to hate. Even Mafuyu originally came to us on a mission to kill a fae who lives in the forest.”
Akito flinched at this and was relieved to see that no one noticed. Everything that had happened so far implied that Rui was the only other person to know that Mizuki was a fae, so he had to remind himself that Ena must’ve been talking about someone else.
“But we both realised our mistakes and now here we are,” she grinned.
It was a little more reassuring to hear it from her.
Rui said that his actions would speak for him, and maybe that was true but it was hard accepting that it would be enough. He didn’t know Rui and Akito was still fighting his preconceived notions that he was an enemy. Meanwhile, no matter how long it had been, Ena was his sister. It felt more natural to receive reassurance from her.
“Most of us weren’t even eager to get involved with the rebellion either, none of us wanted our home to be affected in such a way,” she continued. “But we are involved now, all because King Tenma’s decided to hurt one of our own. He’s given me very few reasons to like him and if that makes me a rebel, then so be it I suppose.”
Selfless. That’s what Rui called Ena.
He was right. Which meant Ena would never be free of her curse.
Did she even know that the only way to be free of it was to pass it on to another? In the end, it probably wouldn’t matter either way.
Ena wouldn’t pass it on. There was so much he still didn’t know about Ena, but somehow he knew that for certain.
Notes:
I’m on a chapter grind at the moment I’m having the time of my life tbh. Next chapter is actually already written but I’ll try to pace things out a bit incase I lose motivation at any point
Chapter 24
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Hoshino Ichika returned to the Shinonome household at around five o’clock that evening. She immediately laid out all the papers Tsukasa and Saki had collected. A schedule, a dress code, a menu, plenty of detailed maps of the palace and more. They were all quick to start reading over different parts, Rui even immediately began to take notes on whatever piece of paper he’d picked up, and Mafuyu found himself with the guest list in hand.
Apparently it was a ball celebrating peace with the Hinomoris, meaning there would be people from the kingdom where he grew up.
If Mafuyu were just some commoner, this wouldn’t be a problem. But the fact was that Mafuyu’s parents were nobility, they had power and influence and there was a chance that the people Mafuyu grew up around might recognise her.
She didn’t voice this concern quite yet, instead taking after Rui and making notes on any names she found noteworthy.
Of course there was the Hinomori royal family. The king and queen and their two daughters: Princess Shizuku and Princess Shiho. Mafuyu wasn’t well acquainted with Shiho, but there were plenty of rumours that she was never particularly interested in the whole princess lifestyle and instead seemed more eager to pick up a sword.
Both of the princesses would be coming with an attendant, which was a nicer way of saying a bodyguard. Shizuku would be guarded by Momoi Airi, a name that Mafuyu thought he recognised but couldn’t recall much about. Meanwhile, Shiho would be guarded by Mochizuki Honami.
That was a name that Mafuyu recognised and it startled her. Mochizuki never struck Mafuyu as being the kind of person who’d want to be a knight given how gentle she could be. Maybe attendant was the right word for them after all, maybe Momoi and Mochizuki were simply there to accompany and keep an eye on their princesses.
Ena - who’d been looking over the dress code and discussing how they’d put together disguises with Hoshino - peered over Mafuyu’s shoulder as he made notes on the two attendants.
“Wait a sec-” she mumbled, pouting a little. “What’s Airi doing attending a Hinomori princess?”
“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t have known,” Akito replied from across the room. “Her family ended up pledging allegiance with the Hinomoris during the war and they’ve been living there ever since. I’m surprised she climbed up their ranks quick enough to be trusted to look after one of the princesses.”
When Ena noticed Mafuyu’s look of confusion, she explained how she was childhood friends with Momoi Airi. She admitted that the intel she could provide about her was limited, given she hadn’t seen her since she was ten years old, but the fact that her family would be considered traitors to the Tenma Kingdom was interesting enough.
It was almost a surprise they’d let someone from such a family not only enter the Tenma Kingdom, but the royal palace itself. But she also assumed that it had to be a way to prove their trust. Not only will they let their past enemies into their home to celebrate peace, but also the ones who turned on them for their enemies.
Granted, Momoi herself wouldn’t have had any influence on her family’s choice to switch sides, but Mafuyu was aware that grudges could stick over generations.
They each returned their attention to their respective work. Ena began taking clothing measurements so that Hoshino could find someone to make or alter some clothes for their disguises whilst Mafuyu continued to scan the list.
It was all par for the course. Lots of names of lots of nobles and maybe some of their bodyguards. As far as Mafuyu could tell, the names were strictly from the Tenma and Hinomori Kingdoms. This was a relief, as it meant they wouldn’t have to deal with any unknown variables from the Otori Kingdom.
The Otoris were relatively disliked already, given their more lenient viewpoints on magical creatures, so having any of them there would be an inconvenience to have to factor in.
Finally, Mafuyu let his eyes settle on the two names he’d been trying to avoid this entire time.
“We’ll need a distraction of some kind in order to get away from the ballroom without being spotted, right?” Mafuyu said, gaze settling on Rui. She couldn’t look at Kanade and Ena when voicing this plan, she already knew how both of them would react.
“No-” Ena began.
“Mafuyu…” Kanade mumbled.
Rui simply nodded.
“My parents are from the Hinomori Kingdom, they are attending as guests. They’ve spent the last several years under the impression that I was likely killed.” He paused, looking back down at the guest list. “I can assure you, my mother alone would be capable of making enough of a scene that you could get away without being noticed.”
“You can’t- I won’t let you!” Ena practically shouted. “What was it that you said the other day? That you couldn’t return home, that you didn’t want to return home. What if you can’t get away from them afterwards? What if they take you back to the Hinomori Kingdom and we never see you again-!” Mafuyu couldn’t look her in the eye, so she stared down at Ena’s hands, grasping tightly onto the edge of the table.
When ivy sprouted from the table and wrapped round Ena’s hand, she immediately pulled away. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself before crossing her arms tightly at her chest. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, that’s all.”
Two times in the span of only two days. It was the most the curse had acted up for Ena in a while.
But tensions were high, even Mafuyu could understand that.
“I don’t think it’s an awful idea,” Rui finally answered. “As long as you’re certain the distraction will be enough.”
“I am.”
“Alright then. That means it’ll make more sense for you to enter separately from the rest of us. We want to cause a scene from the moment you step into the ballroom.”
She nodded.
“Akito, you’re the only one of us who'll be able to enter without anyone even batting an eye,” he continued. “So you and Mafuyu will enter together a little after the ball has kicked off. To anyone who asks, you’ll claim you found him whilst on a patrol and recognised him. When you both realised her parents would be attending the ball, you decided to take her there to reunite them.”
“That works for me,” Akito nodded before turning to Mafuyu. “But only if you’re okay with it. I don’t know what’s the deal with you and your family, but you don’t have to face them if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t think I want to face them, not yet, but I will. I want to do this for Mizuki,” she replied after a long moment of silence.
Kanade reached over and squeezed her hand. Whilst much less vocal about it, she was equally as against the plan as Ena was. He could blame either of them and he was certain Mizuki would scold him if she found out what he was about to do, but it had to be done.
“As long as we can figure out a way for Mafuyu to escape them later on, then I think I’m okay with it too,” Kanade eventually said.
Ena remained silent with her arms crossed, but at least she didn’t object again.
“It would have to be another distraction- preferably one that would last long enough that we could all get out of there without as much trouble,” An added.
“I think I have an idea, then,” Kanade replied.
Hoshino soon left with a set of measurements for everyone but Akito and Mafuyu - who would be wearing their uniform and some ragged clothes respectively - and a set of fake names for Saki and Tsukasa to sneak onto the guest list.
They only had a few days to prepare, so they acted fast. Late nights were spent ironing out wrinkles in their plan and Kaito visited a few times in a disguised form to collect a few things they’d need to have set up in the palace ahead of time.
The night before the ball, he dropped off their disguises. Kanade, An and Rui were given much more formal outfits, all in line with what the rest of the guests would be wearing.
Kanade’s came with a set of hair pins which could be used to pin part of her hair back to cover her ears. It was a mostly white dress that went a little past her knees, with long sleeves and a light blue ribbon around the neck.
An and Rui’s disguises were both suits. An’s mostly black with a red shirt and red fabric lining the inside of the jacket, and Rui’s similarly dark in colour with gold accents and a maroon cravat.
Meanwhile, Ena’s outfit was a little more practical. It was still more formal than any of them had worn in years, but it was simpler and more comfortable to move around in. After all, she would be playing the role of Shinonome Shinei’s new apprentice. The dress was mostly a dark purple, with a waistcoat, neck ribbon and a beret. It was accented with a few pale coloured flowers. She also placed her concealment stone in a necklace, deciding it was more secure than having it on a bracelet that had proven itself capable of falling off in a hurry.
Mafuyu had planned to wear the outfit she wore when they first arrived in the city. It helped that it was a little worn, given he didn’t want to give off the impression that he was living a comfortable life these past few years.
When they all began to prepare on the afternoon of the ball, very few words were exchanged. Mafuyu watched from the sidelines of Ena’s room as Ena helped Kanade braid her hair into a long plait down her back, using the hair pins to keep a few strands covering the tips of her ears. Ena had likewise styled her own hair differently to usual, tying it back into a small, low ponytail.
“Are you just going to keep watching us awkwardly or what?” Ena sighed, turning Kanade around in her chair so she could start to do her makeup.
“You’re angry at me,” Mafuyu replied simply.
“I’m not- well… I’m annoyed with you,” she huffed. “Kanade is too.”
“Ena- no I’m not.”
Ena sighed before telling Kanade to close her eyes. “What I mean is that neither of us are huge fans of this plan. We don’t want to see you put yourself in danger, that’s all.”
“My parents aren’t going to hurt me.”
“Not physically, sure. But…” She paced over to Mafuyu, grabbing her hands and squeezing them tight. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Promise me we won’t lose you too.”
“I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
It seemed to comfort Ena just a little, and seeing her relax made Mafuyu relax too.
The situation was tense. If things went wrong they might lose any opportunity to find Mizuki and get her to safety again. But Mafuyu trusted her allies and she certainly trusted her friends.
Ena took a deep breath, lifting Mafuyu’s hands and gently placing her lips against them. She remained there for a moment only for her to let go as her cheeks turned red as a tomato. Mafuyu found himself speechless, glancing down at Ena with a strange warmth in his cheeks. Though she didn’t have time to linger on this feeling for long.
“Mafuyu- are you ready to go?” Akito asked, poking his head into the room.
“I am. Stay safe, you two.”
Kanade and Ena both nodded. “Next time we talk, Mizuki will be by our side.”
Notes:
Yay time to begin what I have been dubbing the “heist arc”. My many, many rereads of six of crows are finally coming in handy.
The outfits/disguises Ena, An, Rui and Kanade get are all inspired by in game ones (though if I ever draw them I might tweak them a little) so I made a post with the inspirations in case anyone is curious:
https://x.com/beanie_baby0218/status/1914798410302906630?s=46&t=9kl-UpH4XdBfUQt_jy49rg
Edit from 27th April: uh yeah I know it’s crazy to edit in a kiss (even if it is only a kiss on the hands) but like I realised I *needed* it to be there as opposed to later lol.
Chapter 25
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
With Mafuyu no longer around, Ena could feel her anxiety skyrocketing. She tried her best to busy herself with preparing, but nothing could prevent that nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her that something was going to go wrong.
It was just her, Kanade, An and Rui now, all dressed up and formal and all these things Ena wasn’t at all used to being. Yet somehow, she didn't appear to be the one most uncomfortable with their current situation.
Kanade was noticeably a little overwhelmed by her dress and they’d already had to swap out the heeled shoes Hoshino had provided with some flats instead. An kept checking her outfit, constantly asking if it looked okay or if she was wearing anything wrong. Rui didn’t voice his discomfort, simply glancing down at his clothes every now and then. None of them were used to dressing like this.
Ena was strangely relieved to know that they’d be entering at the same time as her parents. The role she’d been given to play was an apprentice to her father, meaning she had a familiar face she could awkwardly linger near at all times.
The journey there was simple enough, even after all these years away from the city. She’d been to the palace a few times as a child when her father would attend balls and parties to paint the event, so she tried to think of this as being no different. But the sight of the palace still made her stomach drop and she readjusted her necklace to ensure the concealment stone was fully secure.
“It’s okay, Ena,” her mother whispered to her, briefly placing her hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got this.”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
At the entrance alone there was already an abundance of knights on guard. As they inserted themselves into the queue to the door, Ena peered to the front of the line just as a man offered his hand to one of the knights. She watched closely as the knight pricked his finger, letting his blood drop into what appeared to be some kind of potion. When nothing seemed to happen, the man was let inside.
“What are they doing down there?” Ena whispered. “Testing people’s blood maybe? But what for?”
Rui immediately leaned forward, trying to get a better view of what was going on.
“An- you handed in a blood sample from my spell, didn’t you?”
An’s eyes widened. “They’re looking for you.”
“At the very least, they’re trying to make sure I don’t sneak in. This won’t work then, I’ll have to find another way in.”
And there it was. Something had already gone wrong.
“Are you sure-?” Kanade muttered.
“It’s fine. I’m pretty sure I know another way in, as long as it’s not too heavily guarded. The plan still hasn’t changed: meet me in the library as we agreed, Kanade.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest now. Being separated from the closest thing they had to a leader was far from ideal and knowing Kanade would have to go off by herself later was just as bad.
So much to worry about and they hadn’t even walked through the door.
When asked for her name, Ena stammered out the fake name Tsukasa had come up with, and when they pricked her finger she flinched. Fortunately, she was pretty sure her nerves didn’t strike many people as suspicious. When looking at her, all people would see was an apprentice working her first job in a place where she felt out of her depth. Being anxious was practically par for the course for someone in such a position.
The palace was, to no one’s surprise, elaborate. Ena may have even gone so far as to call it gaudy with all its gold detailing and grand portraits of the king and his family. She took a good long look at that portrait, remembering every little detail of his face. If she ever had the chance, she’d be sure to wipe that proud smirk off of his face.
Many of the guests from both kingdoms had already arrived, all making their ways around the massive ballroom and chatting with one another. From here, she had to separate from Kanade and An too, which left Ena following her mother and father around until he found a good place to set up his easel.
“If you don’t mind, Mr Shinonome,” she said, feeling incredibly bizarre addressing her father in such a way, “I’d like to take a close look round the ballroom. I want to capture as much detail as possible in my artwork.”
“Go ahead,” he nodded, barely even glancing her way.
It was one of the few ideas Ena had offered up whilst they were planning. When she was little, she’d drag Akito around with her to get an idea of a venue before sitting down beside her father and doing her best to sketch out the room. But now, instead she was trying to find the best route to leave the ballroom once Mafuyu arrived to cause a distraction.
The night before, she’d sat down with Akito to figure out the most viable route to the dungeon from each of the ballroom’s exits so now she’d just have to narrow down which exit she’d be leaving by.
They still had a while until Mafuyu and Akito were due to arrive, so she tried to make her act appear as realistic as possible. She’d stop in some areas to do a sketch or take some notes, before continuing on to see how many guards were near one of the doors.
A few people glanced her way, only to see the sketchbook and quickly go back to ignoring her.
Finally, she stopped by one of the doors near the back of the ballroom. There were no guards at all, which made her assume it must’ve been the way guests would take if they had to use the bathroom.
She leant against a pillar and eyed the door closely, occasionally looking back down and pretending to sketch when it seemed someone was glancing her way.
“May I ask what you’re up to?” She looked up to see a man, likely around her father’s age. His hair and eyes were both a dark shade of purple and he wore a pair of round glasses.
“Oh- uh- I’m mainly just sketching, trying to get a good understanding of the shape of the room,” she forced out. “I’ve recently started an apprenticeship under Shinonome Shinei - the royal painter - and he suggested I do some sketches as some exercises.”
“I see. It must be quite intimidating, being taught by someone with such renowned skills. Your mentor’s even been commissioned by the Hinomori royal family a few times; I’ve seen those paintings myself and they’re truly stunning.”
This man was from the Hinomori Kingdom, then. No wonder Ena couldn’t recognise him in the slightest.
“It definitely is a little intimidating,” she laughed slightly, “but I know I’m in good hands. I-”
“Ah- there you are, dear,” a woman began to approach the two of them. Ena was certain she’d never seen this woman before in her life, much like the man, yet there was something almost innately familiar about her. “I was wondering where you ran off to.”
Maybe there was something about the way she talked too, or maybe the way she smiled. It almost seemed a little forced.
“I was just talking with- oh, sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Aikawa. Aikawa Ayane,” she said, having drilled the false name into her mind enough that it came a little more naturally now.
“Right. Aikawa here is an apprentice of Shinonome Shinei and she was telling me a little about her work.”
“How wonderful,” the woman grinned in a way that almost felt uncanny. Why did that smile seem so familiar to her? “You’re quite the fortunate one, aren’t you? It’s quite the privilege to work under someone of his status.”
“Yes, I agree. Are you a fan of his work?”
“We’re hoping to one day save up enough to commission him ourselves.”
Ena kept up a pleasant conversation with the couple for a little longer, but couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief once they’d left. There was something weirdly tiring about talking to them, especially the woman, but it wasn’t like she’d ever see either of them again so she didn’t bother lingering on the feeling for long.
As she made her way back to her father, she kept a close eye out for An and Kanade. Ena knew she probably shouldn’t risk going out that door to investigate further, but she figured An would probably get away with it.
Out of all the people in their group, they did their best to give An the least to do. This wasn’t because any of them doubted her abilities but because they all knew this would get them on the king’s bad side. But that wouldn’t be a problem for Ena, Kanade and Mafuyu, nor would it be a problem for Rui, given they all lived outside the city and were technically already enemies of the king in one way or another.
Akito was a little more at risk, but the status and wealth of the Shinonome family would give him a fighting chance. An, on the other hand, came from a relatively poor family and wouldn’t have the power to protect her if the king decided to arrest her for her involvement. As a result, they deliberately gave her very few jobs, none of which would be incriminating.
Finally, Ena managed to spot her. The two bumped shoulders and Ena quickly whispered to her about the door. An simply nodded before walking off.
Now all she had to do was wait.
“How did the sketching go?” Her mother asked with a wink. Ena couldn’t help but laugh a little.
“Well, I think. I ended up having a chat with two of the guests, actually.”
“Really? Who was it?”
That’s when she realised she didn’t catch either of their names. “Hmm… oh- those two over there. They’re from the Hinomori Kingdom, I’m pretty sure. Both big fans of dad- I mean- Mr Shinonome.” It still felt unnatural to say.
Her mother’s gaze followed to where she was pointing. “Oh- Lord and Lady Asahina. They’re quite a powerful family, if I remember correctly, lots of connections with their royal family.”
Asahina.
No wonder the woman felt familiar. She was Mafuyu’s mother. That forced, tight smile of hers was reminiscent of Mafuyu’s good girl persona. Maybe that’s where he picked it up from.
“Well that explains a lot,” Ena mumbled, mostly to herself.
“Hmm?”
“Just thinking out loud, that’s all.”
She was glad that her mother chose to stay by her father’s side, otherwise she’d be spending the next several minutes in painfully awkward silence with her father. Or maybe it would only be awkward from her perspective given that he was so absorbed in his work he seemed to forget she was even there.
An returned briefly at one point, handing Ena a folded up piece of paper: one of the palace maps.
She opened it up and sandwiched it between two of the pages in her sketchbook, examining the notes An had made.
She’d circled the door at the back of the ballroom. The map showed it leading to a corridor, with the first two doors leading off it being bathrooms. Her notes claimed that the door straight ahead was originally locked but she managed to use a hairpin as a lockpick.
From there, it was as Ena and Akito had discussed the night before. Kanade would have to go in the opposite direction to them in order to get to the library, but it seemed straightforward enough that Ena was relatively hopeful that she’d manage it by herself.
Thinking over it some more, she concluded that Kanade might still need the map just in case, so she drew out the route to the dungeon in her sketchbook so they’d both have a map of their own.
Her nerves had calmed significantly now. They had one minor hiccup, but progress was being made.
All Ena had to do now was wait for her cue.
Notes:
I was gonna explain the meaning of the fake name I chose for Ena but my dumbass closed the tabs I had open for it so now I’m gonna have to find the meanings all over again lol.
Ok so for Ayane: Aya (彩) = colour, ne (音) = sound
And Aikawa: Ai (愛) = love, kawa (川) = river/streamI just thought it would be fun to tie the name into Ena in one way or another. Ayane has the reference to colour bc Ena’s an artist and Aikawa has a reference to water in some way bc she is the rain lol
Also side note that is basically completely irrelevant to this chapter:
Shoutout to anyone who writes An centric fics bc my god is autocorrect annoying about her name. And alas, I type very fast so it would be inconvenient for me to turn off autocorrect 3
Chapter 26
Notes:
I know this is a weird request but if you read chapter 24 before the day this chapter came out (27th April) then please go back and reread the last few paragraphs bc I made a bit of an edit. I’ll elaborate more as to why in the notes at the end of this chapter lol
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kanade was supposed to be by Rui’s side right now. She was supposed to be close to him so when the time came the two could easily head off to the library together.
Instead she was left aimlessly trailing after An, who seemed to be aimlessly walking around herself. Apart from the brief moment where An left her to investigate something for Ena, the two of them had achieved a whole lot of nothing so far.
It wasn’t like there was actually anything for them to do for the time being, but that didn’t make it any less anxiety-inducing for Kanade or boring for An.
They’d placed themselves by one of the buffet tables for the time being. An piled all sorts of tasty looking food onto her plate, occasionally offering Kanade a bite of whatever she found particularly delicious.
“Did you see those people talking to Ena- I mean- Ayane earlier?” An asked between bites.
“No- I don’t think so. Do you know who they were?”
She laughed. “Nope. I’m as out of my element here as you are. All these rich people and here I am: the commoner. I guess it feels weirder for you, given you’re a- y’know.”
“I guess. I am decently used to being around humans, half my family is human after all, but this is definitely different to anything I’ve experienced before. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen the king with my own two eyes before, yet there he is.”
He sat on an elaborate throne, deep red cushions framed with gold, beside his wife. Both of them held a glass of what was probably champagne as they chatted to one another and watched over the party like hawks. Beside their thrones was a pair made of silver, the people sat in them must’ve been King and Queen Hinomori.
Kanade knew very little about the Hinomoris. Her family were facing enough of their own problems during the war that she never once took any interest in the conflict between the two kingdoms. It was clear that, even following ten years of peace, the two sides still held resentment towards one another.
In a way, Kanade found herself resenting both.
Maybe if their war never happened, her mother would’ve been able to get medication for her illness quicker. Maybe it was wishful thinking, or maybe she was just looking for a person to blame. Regardless, her conversation with Kasumi had left Kanade with lingering feelings about her mother, feelings she thought she’d buried long ago.
“He seems awfully proud of himself, doesn’t he?” An grumbled. “Maybe it’s a little ironic given I was working for him just a few weeks ago, but that smirk of his really pisses me off.”
Kanade had never been particularly good at reading people’s expressions, so she couldn’t glean much from King Tenma’s grin. But something deep down made her certain that Mizuki was the last thing on that man’s mind.
It left her with this strange almost icy feeling, knowing that he was enjoying all these luxuries whilst an innocent girl was possibly suffering at his hands. The more she thought about it, the more nauseous she felt. What state would Mizuki be in when they found her? What had King Tenma done to them?
“I’ll be right back,” Kanade said, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to get a drink-”
Just as she took a step forward, Kanade collided into someone. She stumbled back, immediately apologising profusely only to look up and be greeted with a soft smile.
She didn’t recognise the girl in front of her, with her pale blue hair and flawlessly smooth skin. Everything about her was so stunning and beautiful that she found herself utterly speechless for a moment.
The girl at her side, a knight of some kind with vibrant pink hair, seemed to glare at Kanade.
It was only when she saw the silver tiara on her head that she bowed down, An immediately copying her. The girl in front of her was one of the Hinomori princesses. She’d just bumped into a princess and didn’t even realise it.
When she finally rose back up to her full height, the princess let out a soft giggle and the girl beside her sighed.
“You’re too polite, really,” she smiled, her voice airy and gentle. “I’m far less concerned with formalities and the like than you might think. Though Airi here thinks I should be.”
The name Airi was familiar, it was almost certainly mentioned at some point during their planning. She subtly glanced between the princess, then Airi, before remembering the discussion they had as Mafuyu looked through the guest list.
Momoi Airi: Ena’s childhood friend and a traitor to the Tenma Kingdom. Which meant the princess she was accompanying must’ve been Princess Shizuku.
There was so much else that should’ve crossed her mind, but Kanade found herself thinking about how this girl was once Mafuyu’s friend. She was the one to push him to leave the confines of his family. She was the one person from home Mafuyu knew she wanted to see again.
“All I’m suggesting is that you don’t immediately slip into casual conversation with people we don’t know,” Airi replied, crossing her arms. “You two aren’t familiar, I’m guessing you’re both from around here.”
They nodded.
Kanade couldn’t get a word in before An introduced herself as “Shiraishi An.” It didn’t take long for the realisation to kick in, and Kanade watched as An seemed to fight off the instinct to immediately try to correct herself. She supposed it wasn’t a huge deal given the main purpose of having fake names was to sneak them onto the guests list without any suspicions.
So, in the end, Kanade introduced herself by her actual name as well.
“How are you enjoying the party, your highness?” An asked, hands awkwardly clenched behind her back.
“Well I’m certainly enjoying it more than my little sister. But I think Shii’s just happy to see her friends again.” She gestured over to a small bundle of people. Saki and Hoshino stood talking with two others, presumably Princess Shiho and her attendant Mochizuki. “The four of them have always been close, so they were all devastated by the wedge the war put between them. I’m glad to see they’re talking again.”
“Does that mean you and Prince Tsukasa are friends?” Kanade was relieved that An was taking the lead in the conversation. Not only was she much more outgoing and talkative than Kanade had ever been, but she also knew what she was talking about. Meanwhile Kanade was so disconnected from the world outside her home in the forest that she was coming up blank for things to even say.
“We certainly know him,” Airi murmured, seemingly distracted by something else. “He always refers to me by my full name, I don’t know why.”
The princess laughed again before glancing down at her knight, who’s eyes seemed to frantically dart around the room. “Airi- what’s the matter?”
“Ah- nothing. I was just trying to see if I could spot a familiar face, that’s all.”
“Might I ask who you’re looking for?” Kanade said, deciding that it would be suspicious if she inputted absolutely nothing into the conversation.
“A boy about our age named Shinonome Akito. His father’s here, so I thought I might spot him too, but I guess not,” she shrugged.
“Oh? You know Akito?”
She raised her eyebrows at An. “That might be a bit of an overstatement, but yes. He’s the little brother of an old friend of mine. So I’m guessing that means you know him too.”
An nodded. “He’s working as a knight now, so he’s probably off on duty somewhere.”
“Well that explains it,” she laughed slightly. “Probably for the best, we don’t know each other all that well after all.”
As if on cue, the doors at the main entrance to the ballroom swung open. It was loud enough that much of the room went silent, all peering over to see what was going on.
Akito stood there in his uniform and cowering slightly behind him was Mafuyu wearing an expression that sent chills running down Kanade’s spine. She’d seen Mafuyu’s ‘good girl persona’ as Ena liked to call it, but this was different. Somehow he’d perfected this perfect balance of nervousness and anticipation and fear.
It was like looking at a completely different person. But it was likely this person was exactly what her parents would expect from her.
Akito walked a few steps ahead but every few seconds Mafuyu would manage to get ahead of him and he’d place a hand on her shoulder to pull her back.
Kanade glanced at the princess for a moment, only to see her wide eyed with her jaw partially dropped.
“Mafuyu,” she whispered, beginning to step forward.
She froze in an instant when another voice called Mafuyu’s name, breaking through the silence that hung over the room.
Suddenly, a sobbing woman was running Mafuyu’s way, a man trailing after her. She practically threw herself at Mafuyu, wrapping her arms so tight around him that Kanade thought it must’ve made it hard to breathe.
Her words were difficult to make out through her sobs whilst the man stood there in a stunned silence. Mafuyu’s arms remained dropped at her side, but she kept her face buried in the woman’s shoulder.
“Airi- Airi, she’s alive,” Princess Shizuku breathed, tears welling in her eyes.
“The Asahina girl? But you said she’d been missing for years.”
Whilst the princess was distracted, An grabbed Kanade by the wrist and began to lead her to a door at the back of the ballroom. It was the one she investigated for Ena earlier, the one they decided they’d leave via to continue to the next stage of the plan.
Outside the door in the little corridor, Akito and Ena already stood. Ena had her arms crossed tightly at her chest and she tapped her foot on the ground with a kind of nervous energy.
“Gods that was unsettling,” was all Ena said when An closed the door behind them.
Kanade nodded. “Do you really think he’ll be okay?”
An’s hand was still wrapped around her wrist, which she now gave a gentle squeeze. “That’s what I’m here for, remember. I promise, I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure they don’t run off with her. So on that note, I better make this quick.”
She let go of Kanade’s wrist and took Ena and Akito’s hands.
“Stay safe and good luck.” She glanced back at Kanade. “All of you.”
And just like that, A was rushing back out into the ballroom.
Once she was gone, Ena opened up her sketchbook and handed Kanade the map An was looking after earlier. It had the route to the library drawn out on it which - to Kanade’s relief - was relatively simple.
“Are you sure you two don’t need a map of your own?”
“I’ve spent the last twenty minutes studying the route, so I’m pretty familiar with it now. Plus, I roughly drew it out in my sketchbook, so we should be just fine.” Ena stared at her for just a moment before pulling her into a tight embrace. “Promise you’ll be okay?” She whispered.
“I promise,” Kanade replied, gently wrapping her arms around her. “And promise me the same.”
She nodded. “Promise.”
They walked through the door that An had lock-picked earlier, stepping out into one of the grand corridors of the palace. From there, they would have to go their separate ways.
Ena stared at her one more time. It was the same way she’d looked at Mafuyu when he left with Akito earlier. It was the same way she used to look at Mizuki when she had to leave for the night.
“Good luck,” she said, then briefly kissed Kanade on the cheek.
Before either of them had much time to process it, they were on the move again.
Kanade made sure to pace herself, both for the sake of her energy levels and to make sure she wouldn’t go running into any guards. Thankfully, there were plenty of pillars and statues she could hide behind when someone walked past.
She was pretty certain that she wouldn’t even need Ena’s map with how straightforward the route was, but was glad she gave it to her regardless. Kanade often found herself forgetting small details when she was in a panic, and she was most certainly in a panic now.
What if Rui couldn’t find another way in? What if someone found their supplies and confiscated them?
So many what ifs plagued her mind.
But she shook her head and kept walking.
The library was grand. Dozens of towering shelves, all filled to the brim with an endless array of books. More importantly, it was completely empty.
This was both a good thing and Kanade’s worst nightmare.
It was good because it meant there was no one there to spot her, to possibly arrest her for sneaking around in the palace. But it also meant that Rui was nowhere in sight.
Could she manage to carry out her part of the plan all by herself?
She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. There was a high likelihood that Rui simply hadn’t made his way to the library yet, so she decided to busy herself in the meantime before she let herself truly panic.
First she checked if their supplies were left where Kaito said they were. There was an area of the library with a few desks, set up for those who may be using the library to research or study. The prince and princess each had a desk that was theirs specifically, and said desks had built in drawers. Supposedly, their supplies would be in Prince Tsukasa’s drawer.
Kaito had given Rui the key for it the day before and he passed it onto Kanade when they realised he would have to find his own way in.
She let out a sigh of relief when the key clicked into place, and found herself smiling when everything was just where Kaito said it would be.
About a dozen potions, all with a spell drawn onto their lids that- when activated- would cause them to open. They were split into two bags, one for Rui and one for Kanade. The potions were Kanade’s idea, but the spell was Rui’s.
There were so many questions Kanade wanted to ask him about his magic. After all, he used dark magic and seemed to be doing perfectly fine.
Rui still wasn’t there yet. But she had at least another five minutes before she had to start worrying.
Kanade grabbed one of the bags of potions before locking the drawer back shut again for the time being.
The palace library had so many books, old and new alike. A small archway which she assumed would typically be guarded by some knights, led to what was labelled as the restricted area. Books not trusted to be used not only by the general public, but even those working directly for the King.
Almost every book there was on dark magic.
Just as Kanade went to reach for one, a hand grabbed her by the wrist and she just barely held back a screech.
“Yoisaki- I’ll only say this once,” Rui said, squeezing her wrist tighter. It wasn’t the same as how An had held onto her wrist earlier- Rui’s grasp was firm and unwavering. “Do not mess with dark magic. Let it be known that I do not wish the dangers of it onto anyone, especially not you.”
“But-”
“I can assure you, whatever you’re trying to accomplish can be achieved much more safely.”
“Then why do you use it?”
His expression darkened. “That’s- we don’t have time to discuss that now. Do you still have the key to the drawer?”
She nodded, handed him the key and the moment he turned around she snatched a book from the shelf and stuffed it into her bag. She was annoyed that she didn’t have the time to examine it closely, to decide if it was even worth picking out, but at least she’d managed to grab one of them.
“Alright, Kanade.” He was referring to her by her first name again, hopefully that was a good thing. “You said you knew an invisibility spell, correct?”
She nodded, “But I can only use it on myself and I’m not good enough at it to use it for long.”
“That’s fine. I know one that I can use for myself, and we don’t need too long to set up. We’ll sneak into the ballroom whilst invisible, scatter these around the room, and then wait until the moment is right.”
“Right. Let’s go-”
“Not so fast, Yoisaki Kanade.”
She flinched. That was the voice of Momoi Airi.
Notes:
Ok uh yeah I added a mfen kiss (on the hands) moment to the end of chapter 24 lol partially bc of the knen kiss in this chapter. I was originally considering having it in a later chapter but the more I thought about it, the more I realised the timing just worked so much better there. This is the only time I’ll make any sort of plot related edits I promise this will not happen again lol
But yay yippee Shizuku and Airi appearance !!
I’ve currently got up to chapter 30 written so I’ll probably post chapter 27 tomorrow night. Trying to pace myself at least a little so I don’t drop a bunch of chapters all at once and then lose motivation or something
Chapter 27
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Even as the two of them silently snuck through the palace, Akito was fully aware of just how anxious Ena was. It was something about the way she walked - just a little too fast for it to be a comfortable pace - that made him so certain that his sister was barely holding back her nerves.
Before, Ena had given off the impression of being able to handle stressful situations decently enough but something had changed that night. He’d watched her nerves kick in when he came to fetch Mafuyu so the two of them could head off. He then watched those nerves double when she parted ways from Kanade.
It was safe to say Ena worked best when her friends were nearby.
As a result, the silence that hung between them was awfully heavy. It was almost suffocating, in a way, despite the fact that it made perfect sense for the two to be quiet as they made their way to the dungeons.
Every now and then, Ena would glance down at her makeshift map in order to figure out which way to turn or what door to head through and she’d mutter a few words to herself.
But the silence was mind numbing, so when he knew no one was nearby he asked a question.
“How was the ball?”
She almost scoffed. That was more like the Ena he knew.
“Really uncomfortable, to be honest,” she eventually replied at a whisper. “I’ve not been in a situation like that in over a decade and I didn’t have anyone I could drag around with me.”
He laughed slightly. “Yeah, you always used to drag me and Airi around so no one would pester you whilst you drew.”
Ena rolled her eyes. “Anyways, I accidentally ended up encountering Mafuyu’s parents which was… interesting. But I’ve got to have faith in Mafuyu, he promised me he’d be safe.”
Akito still didn’t know anything about the situation between Mafuyu and her parents. All he knew was that Asahina Mafuyu was from the Hinomori Kingdom and had been presumed dead for the past few years. Instead, he’d really been living in the forest with Ena and the rest of their little group.
Mafuyu didn’t explain anything about it to him as they were waiting for the right time to enter the ball. All she ended up telling him was the cover story she’d decided on with Rui, one that claimed that Mafuyu had been kidnapped by rebels all those years ago and finally just barely managed to escape.
It was a relatively flimsy story, but it wasn’t like it was a lie he’d have to keep up for too long.
“I think you can trust Mafuyu,” he said, placing a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Plus, it’s like An said, she’s there to keep an eye out on her. Rui and Kanade’s plan should be more than enough to get him to safety as well.”
Ena seemed to pout at this. “Gods, it feels weird to have my little brother try to reassure me.”
“Oi- what does that mean?”
She began to laugh before immediately cutting herself off and ducking being a vase. Akito managed to hide himself behind a pillar just in time for a group of knights to pace through the corridor.
Ena’s instincts were scarily good, maybe even better than his. He thought about his visit to the forest the other week, about the horned figure he saw that seemed to vanish in an instant. That must’ve been Ena and she must’ve gotten good at hiding from strangers who entered her home.
As a result, the two of them made a decent team when it came to stealth. Ena was quick to notice people and Akito was quick to follow her cue. Even if he’d never use it again after today, Akito was glad to see that his knight’s training came in handy after all.
“We should be safe here for a moment,” Ena said as the two settled into a little nook. She pulled out her sketchbook and laid it out on the ground between them, beginning to closely examine the map. She circled where the dungeon would be before marking approximately where the two were now. “We’re almost there now, at this point I don’t think you’d draw all that much suspicion towards you.”
He couldn’t stop himself from frowning slightly.
“You’re the one who suggested this plan, so don’t look so bummed out about it,” she huffed. “Look- I’m fine with it, so please stop getting all worried about it.”
Ena reached behind her neck and removed her necklace, her horns appearing in an instant. He was used to the sight of them now, but that didn’t make this part of the plan any easier.
“Are you sure?”
“Mafuyu’s putting himself through hell for Mizuki, this’ll be a walk in the park by comparison.” She held out her wrists in front of her and Akito fastened a pair of handcuffs around them.
“Even if we get to the dungeon, how would we go about getting in?” Rui had asked the other day.
“Well, what if we had a reason? A criminal of our own we could take there,” Akito suggested. When Akito suggested it, he was mainly picturing Rui as their criminal given his job as a rebel. But, Rui was quick to point out that without evidence, he just appeared to be like any other person. No- they’d need someone more obvious, someone they wouldn’t hesitate to throw in a cell.
He hated the way he looked at Ena in that moment and he hated the way she looked at him now.
The last thing he wanted was to make his sister feel like a criminal, yet here he was having to pretend she was exactly that. All because she was cursed when she was only ten years old.
“Come on,” she said, rising to her feet. “Let’s go save Mizuki.”
Akito tried to equip his best poker face, hoping to take inspiration from Mafuyu’s constantly blank expression. He wasn’t sure if he was doing a good job or not, but the last thing he wanted to do was look distressed about the fact he was arresting a demon.
He probably would’ve been best off pretending to be proud of such a feat, but if he could barely muster a blank expression then he certainly couldn’t succeed in acting proud or confident.
“Shinonome- what is that you have there?” One of the knights guarding the entrance to the dungeon said. He wasn’t even sure if he recognised the man, but he must’ve given that he knew Akito’s name.
“A demon, sir. I found her trying to sneak into the ballroom, probably to cause some kind of trouble.”
“I see. Then hand it over and we’ll find a cell for it.”
It.
He had to fight off the urge to punch the man.
Instead, he shook his head. “I’m under strict orders from his majesty to take her to a cell myself. I hope this isn’t an issue.”
“No, I suppose not,” he sighed, grabbing a set of keys from his pocket and opening the door to the dungeon. He then handed the keys to Akito. “There should be an empty cell next to the fae. Call for one of us if you need anything.”
Next to the fae. Gods, Mizuki was really down here after all.
“Of course.”
The door opened to reveal a long, spiralling set of stairs. He gulped, before nodding at Ena and beckoning for her to go first.
Once they were about halfway down the stairs and the door had been long shut, Akito unlocked the handcuffs and began grumbling to himself.
“You’re more bothered than I am about what he said, you know that, right?” She sighed. “Like duh- of course he doesn’t see me as a person, that’s their whole thing.”
He frowned.
“Yeah, and I’m still technically one of them.”
She shrugged. “I think you need to stop being so harsh on yourself.”
He didn’t have a response for that.
Ena likewise fell silent as they reached the bottom step. Mizuki was somewhere nearby.
Gods, he truly hoped she was okay.
Notes:
Kinda short chapter this time around but it’s very nearly time for a certain someone to make her appearance.
Next chapter will be up tomorrow, same as last time. Very excited for it tbh
Chapter 28
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Mizuki was fourteen years old when a group of knights captured her and Yuuki as they were passing through the capital city. They’d planned to be in and out, to get some supplies to keep them going until they could find another little village to live in for a few months. But things didn’t work out as planned.
All because Mizuki had forgotten to wear their gloves.
She did everything she could to try to defend her older sister, to try to protect her from her silly mistake, and in a way it worked. King Tenma saw this fourteen year old fae, angry and desperate and ridden with guilt, and used it to his advantage. Yuuki had sacrificed so much for Mizuki in the past, so it was Mizuki’s time to return the favour.
The reason King Tenma wanted a fae amongst his ranks was still unknown to them, but they had a few theories after all these years. Fae were always known for having strong magic, after all, so maybe he figured that he could one day use Mizuki’s to his advantage.
Either way, he’d found himself with a knight more loyal than all the others purely because he had the power to end her sister’s life in the blink of an eye.
Now, Mizuki couldn’t stop wondering if Yuuki was okay, if this mistake was the last straw for King Tenma. All because she hadn’t worn her gloves.
But they also couldn’t stop thinking about the way Akito looked at them the night of the concert. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like she was slowly going insane.
When Mizuki ran away from him, when Akito realised what they truly were, they immediately began trying to figure out a plan to go into hiding. Their instinct was to run to the forest, but Akito knew Mafuyu was there and it could’ve easily led to the others getting in trouble. So she planned to run to Yuuki, to grab her and drag her along to the Otori Kingdom and never turn back. The two had planned to go there years ago when they heard rumours about their acceptance of magic creatures.
It was a shitty plan and not one Mizuki wanted to pursue in the slightest, but she was certain she had no other choice.
It didn’t matter though, as before they could get anywhere in that plan, Mizuki was stopped by a pair of knights. She was tense, the burn on her hand still throbbing and the soles of her feet blistered and raw, so she failed to put up much of a fight.
It was their first time meeting with the king in a while. He didn’t seem to like talking to her one on one, so most of the time he’d have someone else pass on his ominous warnings to her.
“I hear you’ve been keeping a secret from us, Akiyama,” his tone was so condescending. They felt like a child, small and frail and defenseless. “What was it that young Shinonome called you? A rebel sympathiser?”
She didn’t know how he knew about any of it. About Rui, about her fight with Akito.
“Confused? I sent someone to keep an eye on you at that little concert. You’ve been getting too comfortable and I knew the rebels would likely use the distraction of the concert to their advantage, so I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any trouble. It’s such a shame that there was.”
He deemed Mizuki a traitor and threw her in a cell without a second thought. At the time, Mizuki wondered how he could so easily discard one of his most loyal pawns, but in the days of endless silence they came to realise that he was a man with many more pawns at his disposal. Losing one, no matter how loyal, probably didn’t phase him in the slightest.
A few days in, he visited her in her cell. Only once, and not for long.
She didn’t stand up for him, didn’t bow or say a single word. He didn’t say much either, only speaking up once to say that if they continued to behave themself, he would consider leaving Yuuki out of it.
That was almost a week ago now, or at least she was pretty certain it was. They’d been tracking the days using the meals they received, which honestly weren’t too much worse than the crap they had to eat when training as a knight.
She hadn’t received a change of clothes and her wounds were barely treated, just given a clean in order to avoid infection. Her outfit which she was so proud of the night of the concert was now being used to mock her. It was as the king said, Mizuki had gotten too comfortable. They were so used to lying about their identity that they had started to lie about more and more until it all came crashing down upon them.
The cell was mostly bare and her bed was somehow more uncomfortable than the nights she and Yuuki would have to sleep on cold forest floors. That being said, they didn’t move from the bed unless they had to, remaining curled up on their side. She only tried to escape once, that first cold and miserable night, inevitably ending up with more burns on her hands.
How could they forget? Prison bars were made of iron.
She wondered where Akito was now. Maybe he and An were still investigating the rebellion, maybe they were assigned a new knight to help them.
And what about Kanade, Mafuyu and Ena? Ena was always quick to panic, but hopefully Mafuyu managed to reason with her. She didn’t want to worry all of them, so she truly hoped that they all thought that she was too busy with work to come and visit. But they wouldn't believe that story forever. They just had to hope that one day they’d come to forget that Mizuki was ever a part of their lives. It would hurt less that way, right?
But Yuuki wouldn’t forget.
And deep in her heart, she knew her friends wouldn’t forget her either.
A voice, a familiar voice, was calling their name from somewhere far away. It called again and again but she couldn’t find it in her to stand up and investigate.
“Oi- keep your voice down, okay? We don’t want anyone to investigate what’s going on,” another familiar voice responded with a grumble.
They blinked long and hard, trying to figure out the voices. They were both familiar, sure, but she was certain they weren’t voices she’d ever heard be paired together.
They rubbed their eyes and sat up the moment the first voice gasped. “Mizuki?”
“What did I just-” the second voice cut himself off. “Holy shit.”
Standing on the other side of the bars were two people Mizuki had never seen stood side by side before. The demon and the knight. Ena and Akito.
Suddenly, Ena snatched a set of keys from Akito’s hands and immediately began to test each one on the cell’s lock. When she finally managed to open it, she scrambled over to Mizuki, tears already streaming down her cheeks.
“E-Ena?” Her voice was hoarse. She couldn’t remember the last time she spoke.
“You’re here- you’re alive- you-” Ena looked down at Mizuki's burnt hands. “Right, right, we thought you might be injured so-” She was frantic, bubbling with an anxious sort of energy and she fumbled around in her pockets until she found a set of bandages.
Akito came up behind Ena, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You good?”
Ena took a deep breath, then nodded. “I’ve got this, let me handle it.” Then she paused. “Though it would be nice if Mafuyu were here.”
She knelt down in front of Mizuki and began to bandage their hands, then their feet.
Mizuki didn’t know what to say, so they tried to keep their eyes exclusively on Ena. She didn’t know what would happen when she looked at Akito, so she wasn’t sure she wanted to look up to find out.
But he was here, so that had to count for something, right?
When they looked up, it startled them that Akito seemed to so easily hold their gaze.
“I’m so sorry, Mizuki,” he said, perching down on the floor beside Ena. “If it weren’t for me, there’s a chance you wouldn’t even have been here in the first place… but it’s good to see you again. I’m really glad to see that you’re okay.”
Somehow, this was what broke Mizuki.
Their sobs were loud and wracked through their entire body. When Ena finished tending to her wounds, she wrapped her arms tightly around Mizuki, letting her bury her face into her shoulder. Mizuki couldn’t help but feel bad about the fact that they were soaking Ena’s nice dress, only to wonder for a moment why Ena was dressed in such a way to begin with.
Why was Ena here? Why was she with Akito?
There were so many questions to ask, but she just kept crying.
“E-Ena- I-” She sniffled, struggling to get her words out. “I- I need to tell you something. I-”
“Hey- it’s okay. I’m here, so just take your time.”
Mizuki nodded, trying to wipe their tears away. “I-I’m a fae.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she said those words out loud.
They closed their eyes, preparing for whatever reaction Ena may have, but she simply squeezed Mizuki tighter before pulling away from the hug. She took Mizuki’s face in her hands, and Mizuki opened her eyes once more. Their vision was blurry with tears, but they could just about make out Ena’s gentle smile.
“I hope you know that it doesn’t change a thing for me,” she whispered, touching her forehead to Mizuki’s. “No matter what you are, you’ll always be Mizuki. You’ll always be important to me.”
The two lingered there for a long moment. Mizuki could’ve stayed like this forever, in Ena’s hands with not a thing to worry about. But there was something to worry about, they had to get out of here.
Before rising to her feet, Ena tilted Mizuki’s head ever so slightly downwards before leaning in and planting a kiss on her forehead. Mizuki could practically feel their cheeks redden, but the gesture seemed to barely phase Ena as she immediately switched into planning mode.
“Do you think you can walk?” Ena asked. “Those blisters looked quite nasty.”
“I- I probably could, but-”
“I’ll carry you, then. If you’re alright with that,” Akito said. “We’ll have to hurry getting out of here, we won’t be able to sneak around like we did to get here. So if you don’t think you’ll be able to run for long then it might be our best bet.”
“Right.”
“Ena, can I ask you to handle the guards for me?”
“Of course.”
Looking at them side by side, it was so clear that they were siblings. Whilst there were still plenty of differences in their appearances, there was almost a vibe to them that seemed so similar.
And as Akito helped Mizuki onto his back, she realised something.
Did these two reunite because of me?
Notes:
she’s back !! 12 chapters later and Mizuki finally returns !
I missed writing Mizuki I’m so glad to have them back <3 (I say as if I’m not the reason they were gone so long in the first place)
Also I find it funny that Akito’s been witness to all three of the Ena x niigo kisses (he’s not directly stated to have seen the mfen kiss but tbh he was literally right outside the door when it happened im sure he did see it)
Chapter 29
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Oh Mafuyu,” her mother sobbed, arms still wrapped tightly around her. It was just as Mafuyu had thought the other day. The way his mother held him was just a little too tight, and her fingernails seemed to dig into his back. “I can’t believe you’re here, after all these years- I-”
“We’re so glad to see that you’re safe,” his father added in a gentler tone.
It had been years since she last saw either of them. Even before she left home for good, she had begun to see them much less frequently when she started training to become a knight at fifteen years old. He remembered how much it felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders, how escaping their gaze if only for a moment was strangely freeing.
Now it felt like she was suffocating again. Drowning.
As he remained, trapped in his mother’s grasp, he did everything in his power to keep himself grounded. She recalled the way Meiko patted her shoulder the other day, how the gesture was so simple and slight yet carried so much warmth. He thought about how Ena would snuggle up against him whenever they shared a bed. She thought about helping Kanade with the cooking and how they’d both reach for something at the same time and Kanade would always end up laughing that soft laugh of hers.
He thought about how Mizuki squeezed his hands when he offered to help with their investigation and called him the best.
But thoughts of Mizuki made her legs wobble like jelly, so she tried to think of something else.
When Mafuyu had entered with Akito earlier, he’d tried his best to locate Ena and the others. In the process, she was certain she’d spotted Princess Shizuku standing nearby Kanade and An.
She was gone now, though, nowhere to be seen no matter how much Mafuyu searched. It made him feel disappointed- probably- as he was still certain that the one person from home he truly wanted to reunite with was Shizuku.
Instead she was reunited with her parents.
“You’ll have to tell us everything that happened so we can report it for you. You said you were taken by rebels, right? They have to be brought to justice-!”
“Calm down, dear,” her father said, placing a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Mafuyu’s probably exhausted, so there’s no point overwhelming her with questions now.”
Mafuyu didn’t have many memories of his father, he was so often off at work that they didn’t see each other very often. But she could recall that he sometimes served as a voice of reason, helping calm the situation when tensions got high.
“You’re right- sorry,” her mother breathed, pulling away from the embrace. She took Mafuyu’s face in her cold hands. “You poor thing, you really do look exhausted.”
Mafuyu forced a wobbly smile.
“I-I’m just glad to be back by your side.”
The thing that stung the most was the fact it wasn’t a complete lie. Mafuyu loved her parents, no matter how complicated that love had become, and seeing them again was relieving in some ways. But in all others, it seemed like his worst nightmares had come true.
It was nightmares like this that would lead her to seek comfort in Ena’s bed the next night. Maybe, when this was all over, he’d sleep beside Ena in her bed again and convince himself that this was all some awful dream.
She wondered where Ena was now. Had she found Mizuki yet? And what about Kanade? Did she and Rui manage to collect the potions without getting caught? Kaito did claim that the library was guaranteed to be empty during the ball, but Mafuyu barely knew the man so his words weren’t particularly reassuring.
“Are you feeling okay, Mafuyu?” She flinched at her father’s voice. “You seem to keep zoning out. Are you feeling unwell, perhaps?”
He frantically shook his head. “No- sorry- I think I’m just a little tired, that’s all. I’ve been running on adrenaline ever since I realised you two were here.”
By this point, Mafuyu was almost certain that what she was feeling was a sense of impatience. Rui said they’d activate the potions as soon as possible, so why did it seem like nothing was happening.
That impatience was momentarily overshadowed by fear. What if they had been caught after all?
Just as the worry began to kick in, Mafuyu’s eyes landed on An, who simply nodded his way as she pulled her collar over her nose.
Mafuyu didn’t want to act too soon, so she waited for the moment she heard that familiar popping sound to do the same. Rui had made sure he was familiar with it in the days leading up to this. After all, it would be an inconvenience if Mafuyu breathed in the fumes of the sleeping potions.
She made a run for it immediately, trying her best to ignore the ache in her chest as her parents called her name. When a hand tightened around his wrist, Mafuyu felt himself go stiff.
“Mafuyu- where are you going-?!”
She felt like a child again. Small and scared and wanting nothing more than to be there for his mother. It was with all her effort that she pulled away from her mother’s grasp.
The way his mother yelled after him made him want to turn back round and fall back into her too-tight embrace, but he shook his head and kept running.
Around him, people were dropping to the ground, grasping onto one another as they sank to the floor. She had to hop over a few people who’d already begun to pile up on the ground.
The sight was almost morbid, though he did his best to remind himself that they were only sleeping, that they’d be fine and back to normal in about ten minutes.
She followed An to a set of doors at the back of the room, the same ones she’d watched Kanade and the others leave out of earlier. It led them into a small corridor, where Kanade and Rui both stood with relieved smiles on their faces.
And beside them was someone else, someone unexpected.
“It’s good to see you again, Mafuyu,” Shizuku said with a soft smile. “And I’m glad to see that your plans worked, Kamishiro, Yoisaki.”
“As am I,” Rui grinned.
“Shizuku- what are you doing here?” He didn’t bother donning the good girl persona.
It was strangely freeing to not have to act anymore. Shizuku may have never seen this side of Mafuyu, the deadpan side of her that never quite knew what she was feeling or why, but something deep down made Mafuyu certain that she’d accept it regardless.
“Well,” the girl beside Shizuku sighed, this must’ve been Momoi Airi. “She wanted to go talk to you the moment you entered the ballroom, but I happened to notice that Yoisaki and a few others had run off somewhere. So, I decided we’d investigate instead.”
“But they explained everything to us,” Shizuku cut in. “I knew something didn’t feel right when I saw you enter… I didn’t know how to explain it, but you almost seemed reluctant.”
Reluctant was certainly one way to put it.
The truth was that the events of this evening would leave him shaken for days, maybe even weeks. This wasn’t something she’d be able to dismiss easily, no matter how much she wished it was the case.
The princess, his friend, approached him and gently laid her hands on his shoulders. Shizuku was always a little taller than Mafuyu, so she had to tilt her head up in order for their eyes to meet. “I understand that you can’t stay long, so I’ll make this quick. I’m so glad to know you’ve found a place where you belong and… well, if you ever need allies then I’ll always be there to help.
Despite everything that had happened not only today, but ever since they came to the capital, Mafuyu found himself smiling.
“Thank you, Shizuku. I hope this isn’t the last time we see each other.”
She nodded, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze before leaning in and hugging her. When she pulled away, she turned to Momoi and requested she stay with them all until it was time for them to leave before promising that she’d keep everyone distracted once the sleeping potions wore off.
And just like that, Shizuku was gone.
There had been this horrible coldness emanating through Mafuyu’s chest the whole evening, but now it seemed to slowly be replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling.
They stepped out into the main corridor to wait for Akito and Ena, Mafuyu resting his head on Kanade’s shoulder in an attempt to recover some of his energy. Kanade kept a hand on her head, stroking her hair as Mafuyu took slow and deep breaths.
“Gods, I do hope Akito and Ena are quick. That sleeping potion won’t last forever,” An mumbled, crossing her arms as she leant against the wall.
Mafuyu watched Momoi’s expression shift, her eyebrows raising ever so slightly.
“Akito and… who?” She breathed.
An looked at her for a moment, visibly confused, until the pieces seemed to click together in her mind. “Right- she did say you two were childhood friends.”
Momoi blinked.
“Ena’s alive?”
As Rui and An explained Ena’s situation to a baffled Momoi, Mafuyu and Kanade settled into a quiet conversation of their own.
“How was it?” Kanade said, still stroking her hair.
“I think I want to go home,” was the only response Mafuyu could articulate. He didn’t know what he was feeling, just that he couldn’t bear to be standing around here much longer.
Kanade nodded, just about to respond when she was cut off by the sound of voices yelling.
“Almost there now!”
Mafuyu startled upright at the sound of Ena’s voice, immediately grabbing Kanade by the hand. If Ena was here, then that meant-
Ena was the first to come into sight, turning the corner with a somewhat wild look in her eyes. She barely even glanced their way, turning back around and yelling for Akito to hurry up.
When he turned the corner, Mafuyu knew that she didn’t regret a single thing that happened that night.
As Akito approached, carrying Mizuki on his back, Ena used her magic to form a wall of thick vines that blocked off the corridor behind them. She panted as she ran to catch up with Akito, with bags under her eyes and sweat stuck to her cheeks. But the moment her eyes landed on Kanade and Mafuyu, Ena’s smile grew so wide that Mafuyu thought it must’ve hurt a little.
“We don’t have much time,” Akito said, his legs seeming to wobble a bit beneath him. “We had to cause quite the scene in order to get out of there. Is everyone-?” He cut himself off when he spotted Momoi, who was too busy staring at Ena.
“Airi…” Ena breathed, slowly approaching her old friend. “Is it really-?”
She was cut off by Momoi wrapping her arms around her, lifting her off the ground in an eager embrace. “Gods- this is such a shitty way to reunite,” she said.
“It is, isn’t it?” Ena laughed slightly. “I wish I had more time, but-”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to visit.” After lowering Ena to the ground, she turned to Akito and Mizuki.
Mafuyu felt a sense of what must’ve been relief wash over her when she realised Mizuki was very much conscious. Her feet, however, were bare save for some bandages wrapped around them. No wonder Akito had been carrying them.
“There’s no way you’re going to get far carrying her like that,” Momoi sighed, reaching down and taking off her boots. “Maybe it’s a little silly, but I assume you’re going to need these much more than I do.”
Mizuki winced slightly as her feet touched the ground, but she seemed able enough to suck it up. They slipped their feet into the boots, “Thank you.” Mizuki’s voice was a little hoarse, though Mafuyu knew the perfect remedy. He’d have to make some for her once they got home.
“No worries. A friend of Ena’s is a friend of mine. Now… good luck. I’ll go keep an eye on Shizuku.”
It was once Momoi had left that Mizuki’s eyes finally settled on Kanade and Mafuyu. Their smile was wobbly as tears rose in their eyes. But as much as they all wanted to savour the moment, they had to move. Ena’s barrier of vines wouldn’t last forever and they needed to get out of here before anything could swoop in and ruin everything they’d accomplished so far
“Let’s go,” Rui said. “Kaito will be waiting for us.”
Notes:
Did not intend to drop this chapter whilst mafu6 was running so uh whoops.
Honestly I have so many thoughts about mafumum (ESPECIALLY after reading mafu6 holy shit) but this fic will likely not be the place for them given she’s not a central character to the story (though this also isn’t her final appearance)
I just think she’s so interesting..
Chapter 30
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
When Kaito had come by the night before, they agreed on a place to meet him once they secured Mizuki. From there, he was going to help them get out of the palace.
There was no time for sneaking around anymore and Ena couldn’t care less about the mess she was making with her magic. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever used it so freely in her life before. On the one hand, it was exhilarating but on the other, it was utterly exhausting. But it was causing chaos and distractions and that was exactly what they needed right now.
She even felt so bold as to shoot a vine through one of the king’s portraits, quite literally wiping the smug grin off of his face. Ena only felt a little bad about the fact it was one of her father’s paintings she was destroying.
When they met with Kaito, they barely even had the time to exchange a word. He simply beckoned them along, taking them through a series of twisting and turning corridors until they found themselves in the palace gardens.
All the while, Ena never once let go of Mizuki’s hand.
The blisters on Mizuki’s feet looked painful and they were definitely impacting her ability to run, so she had no intention of letting go of her until they were somewhere completely safe.
“Rui knows the way out from here. I’ll try to mislead the other knights, but I can’t guarantee much,” Kaito said as they all stepped out into the cold of the night.
It was quite relieving, in a way. Ena had found herself overheating after all that running she’d done.
“Thank you, Kaito. It seems I’m still in your debt,” Rui laughed.
“Don’t be silly, you don’t owe me a thing. Same for you, Mizuki. I’m just glad to see you’re okay,” he grinned.
Mizuki blinked up at him then nodded.
Rui led the way through the gardens in complete silence. They hadn’t been spotted out here so they could slow their pace from a run to a swift walk. Mizuki seemed to be glad for this, able to keep up with Ena’s pace a little better now.
The gardens were grand and elaborate and if the circumstances were different Ena would gladly stop to sketch the many flowers. Instead, she found herself wondering if she could manipulate them with her magic and use them to fight back if they were spotted again.
However, Ena was never given the chance to test that theory as soon Rui was leading them through a small gap in the wall, hidden by a few bushes. It led them onto what looked to be a completely normal street, which meant they now stood out in their fancy suits and dresses. Thankfully, it was late enough that there was no one around to question their appearances.
“Well, Akito, I think we both know where we’re heading now,” Rui grinned at her brother. Ena wasn’t entirely sure what this meant and the way Akito seemed to grimace confused her even more. She didn’t bother to question it, though, as she’d frankly grown quite used to Rui and his oddness. Maybe she’d even grown fond of it, though that might have been pushing it just a little.
Ena fastened her concealment stone back round her neck, deciding that she couldn’t justify keeping her horns on display. They’d just make their group an obvious target, regardless of whether someone knew what they’d done or not.
Mizuki seemed to raise her eyebrows at this, but by the look on her face Ena could tell that she was choosing to wait until later to ask questions. It was definitely a good idea, seeing as Ena would much rather keep an ear out for any trouble.
The streets really were empty, more so than she expected. Ena couldn’t help but wonder that, if it weren’t for Mizuki, the rebels would’ve come up with their own scheme for tonight. They had so many knights on guard at the palace that there must’ve been less patrolling the streets than usual.
But that didn’t mean there were none at all.
Clearly, despite Kaito’s best efforts, they sent some knights to keep an eye out for them outside the palace walls.
It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. Suddenly someone was yelling, saying: “That’s them! Don’t let them get away!” And then they were all running again.
Through the commotion, Akito yelled at Rui to go ahead with the others, saying he’d stick with Mizuki and Ena until they caught up.
She managed to trip up a knight or two with her vines, but Ena was too focused on running to achieve much more than that. Unlike the palace, she wasn’t eager to start destroying her current surroundings. These were people’s homes and businesses they were running past and they had done nothing to deserve getting dragged into all this.
So she focused on Mizuki’s hand in hers instead.
Rui and the others were out of sight by this point and Akito ran a few feet ahead to lead the way. All of a sudden, Mizuki seemed to perk up. “I know where we’re going,” she muttered, eyes slightly wide. With that, they suddenly picked up the pace, now running a little faster than Ena.
Suddenly, they turned into an alleyway where Rui stood waiting for them. On the wall was a spell drawn in blood, the same type of spell they’d found in the forest.
Rui yelled at them to all grab on and in an instant, they were no longer surrounded by cobblestones and buildings, but grass and rocks and trees.
It was frankly dizzying, maybe even nauseating. Mizuki and Akito both quickly dropped to the ground and Rui yelled at Ena to destroy the spell before stumbling over to a bush and promptly throwing up in it. Ena - standing on wobbly legs - grabbed Akito’s sword from the ground and slashed at the spell until she’d managed to chip off all the blood and most of the tree’s bark.
Then, she too dropped to the ground, her legs giving in beneath her. If that was how it felt to use a teleportation spell then Ena was certain she never wanted to use one ever again.
Yet somehow, through it all, Ena was still holding Mizuki’s hand.
The two seemed to realise this at the same time, both glancing down and letting out a breathless laugh.
They’d made it. They’d successfully brought Mizuki home.
When Ena finally managed to steady herself, she rose to her feet and glanced around. They were in that same little clearing in the woods that they’d encountered Hatsune Miku in and it seemed they’d all coped just as poorly with the teleportation spell.
Rui seemed to be coping with it the worst, An rubbing his back as he continued to empty his stomach’s contents into a nearby bush. She assumed it must’ve affected him so badly because it was his spell drawn in his blood.
Ena grimaced, then turned away.
Akito was sat on the floor, trying his best to catch his breath. Somewhere in all the commotion, he’d acquired a few cuts on his face and arms. She’d have to see if Mafuyu would be willing to tend to them later.
Still holding Mizuki’s hand, Ena helped them to their feet and led them over to where Mafuyu and Kanade sat.
“Welcome home, Mizuki,” Kanade smiled as Mizuki perched down beside her. “We missed you.”
Mizuki was crying now. In fact, Ena was startled to see not only Kanade but Mafuyu crying as well. Though Mafuyu’s tears were relatively minimal, paired with that sweet little smile of his.
“I- I missed you too,” she sniffed, trying desperately to dry her eyes. “I thought- I thought I’d never see any of you again. I was so scared-”
“You’re safe here, Mizuki,” Mafuyu said.
Mizuki was now sobbing in much the same way as they did when Akito apologised to them. Ena still didn’t know entirely what their argument was about, but she assumed it must’ve culminated in Akito finding out she was a fae. It must’ve been why he and Rui were both so secretive about it and why Rui was so certain that King Tenma was involved.
Through heaving sobs, they told Kanade and Mafuyu what they told Ena in the cell, their burnt hands shaking in their lap. It seemed to startle them both just a little bit, but their smiles immediately returned and they held their arms out towards Mizuki. In an instant, she collapsed into their arms.
They were all here. They were all safe.
She couldn’t quite believe it, pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
And before she knew it, Mizuki was pulling her into the hug as well.
Ena had found tears running down her cheeks when they found Mizuki, but she didn’t bother acknowledging them at the time. Then, the moment Ena had spotted Kanade and Mafuyu earlier she felt so relieved that she was ready to burst into tears. Mafuyu had gotten away from her parents and Kanade had made it to and from the library without being caught. She didn’t cry then, but now, as she settled into her friends’ arms, the waterworks began.
It was only now that she realised just how much she was holding back. She could feel her body begin to physically relax as the tension that had plagued her life those past few days finally began to fade.
She couldn’t wait to see her home again. To see Meiko and Luka and Rin and Len.
“Here,” Mafuyu said, reaching behind Ena’s neck. “Let’s take this off now.”
Kanade smiled as her horns appeared once more. “That’s more like it. Feels wrong seeing you without them.”
Mizuki gently took the necklace from Mafuyu’s hands, examining it closely as she wiped her eyes dry. “A concealment stone? I thought these were incredibly rare.”
“Luka’s been keeping one safe for me for a while now,” Ena explained. “I owe her a lot, I never would’ve been able to help save you otherwise. And…” she glanced over to Akito. “I never would’ve reunited with my family either.”
“So I was right all along,” Mizuki smirked. It felt good to see that mischievous smirk again. They paused for a moment, glancing between Akito, An and Rui before rising to their feet and saying they’d be right back.
Mizuki’s legs seemed to wobble beneath her as she walked over to Akito. Ena watched them place a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently as he glanced up at them. She perched down beside him, the two of them talking about something until Mizuki lightly nudged him in the side. Then they both laughed.
Before they could even walk over to her, An rushed over to Mizuki and swept them off their feet in a tight embrace. There were tears streaming down An’s cheeks, but she grinned so widely that it was infectious. Ena had started smiling as well.
Then, Mizuki approached Rui. He’d mostly recovered, having cleaned his face up using his now discarded cravat. His conversation with Mizuki was quiet and brief, the two of them wearing soft smiles.
Mizuki said the two of them knew each other for a period of time in their childhoods, that the last time she had seen him, he’d freed himself from his curse and trusted her with the notes he made on it. Even after all that time, they clearly viewed one another as a dear friend.
“On that note,” Ena began, dusting off her skirt as she rose to her feet. “One of us should probably go find Meiko. I didn’t expect to be gone as long as we were, she’s probably getting worried. I’ll go, I’ve still got a decent bit of energy and-”
“Ena?” The voice that called her name was relatively quiet and she had to frantically glance around to see where it came from. Finally, her eyes settled on Rin and Len as the pair of them flew her way. Len was on the brink of tears, wrapping his little arms around one of Ena’s horns, meanwhile Rin settled in her hands with a startled look on her face. “You’re back.”
She nodded. “Sorry we were gone so long, but we’ve got good news,” she smiled, gesturing Mizuki’s way.
Rin’s eyes widened slightly. “I’ll go get Meiko for you. She’s asked us to keep a close eye out for you all these past few days.”
And just like that, Rin had flown back off into the trees.
Len immediately fluttered over to Mizuki, smiling and happy to see her until the moment he noticed Rui sat beside her. He never did well with strangers; it took him months to even be comfortable with Mizuki.
“Len, this is my friend Rui. I know he looks a little scary, but he’s harmless,” Mizuki grinned. Their voice was still a little hoarse and would likely take another few days to fully recover. “And those two are also my friends. That there is An and that’s Akito- he’s Ena’s little brother.”
Despite Mizuki’s reassurance that they were all friends, Len still kept his distance. Instead, he settled down on Mafuyu’s shoulder. Len would never admit it, but it was clear he had a favourite.
“They’re all over here!”
Ena turned around just as Meiko emerged into the clearing. She realised in that moment that this was the first time in the last ten years Ena had been away from home, away from Meiko, for an extended period of time. It made her chest feel funny as her eyes met with Meiko’s.
Meiko was never much of a hugger, but she didn’t push her away when Ena bolted over and wrapped her arms around her. Whilst she didn’t return the hug, she reached up and gently stroked Ena’s hair.
Ena had reunited with her family, but that didn’t change the fact that Meiko was also her family. And gods, she missed her.
Notes:
yay they’re all back together again :))))
Chapter 31
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Meiko’s house certainly wasn’t built for as many people as were currently crammed into it. Whilst Mizuki sat with the house’s residents at the dining table, An, Akito and Rui had to sit with Luka over on the sofas. She couldn’t help but find the arrangement a little amusing, given Luka certainly knew how to be a little off putting and had been sat next to the three people least familiar with her attitude.
In fact, it was curious to see Luka there at all. Though based on what Ena said about Luka giving her the concealment stone, she assumed Luka and Meiko must’ve made up in one way or another.
They were glad to be somewhere warm, somewhere familiar. Just weeks ago, Mizuki was so hesitant about the idea of making her life here more permanent but now it really seemed like she had no choice. It’s not like they could’ve stayed in the capital anymore.
But as glad for the comfort as she was, the fear of what King Tenma would do to Yuuki was hard to ignore.
Though they decided they had to have faith in their big sister for now as Mizuki was in no state to go rushing in to protect her. Instead, she was sat down with her dearest friends, eating what might’ve just been the best stew she’d ever had in her entire life. It wasn’t even the fanciest or most tasty - although Meiko’s skill in cooking was not to be understated - but it was exactly what they needed after eating nothing but cold slop the past week.
“I made a lot, so be sure to eat up,” Meiko said, glancing at Mizuki right as she finished her bowl. They would’ve been too embarrassed to admit they were still hungry, so was glad that Meiko refilled their bowl without a word.
“Ah~ that hit the spot,” Ena sighed, pushing her now empty bowl away. “I could die happy now.”
“After all we’ve gone through, surely it would be a waste for you to die now,” Mafuyu replied in his typical deadpan manner.
“I obviously didn't mean it literally.”
Seeing Ena bicker with Mafuyu as usual was such a relief that Mizuki found herself unable to stop laughing. She missed this, gods she missed this so badly. Even if Mizuki wasn’t even certain that they deserved this life, they couldn’t deny the fact that it was a life they’d secretly desired for years.
Ever since that first meeting, she could tell deep down that this was a place that she wished she could call home. Maybe it would take a while for them to feel comfortable doing so, but they were finally heading down that path.
She just prayed that it would last. That the world or King Tenma wouldn’t take away another place that Mizuki called home.
“Mizuki, let me know when you finish and I’ll make some tea for you,” Mafuyu said, choosing to ignore Ena. “It should hopefully help with your throat, make it less sore.”
“Thanks Mafuyu.”
“I’ll help with your injuries as well. Ena said she only had time to bandage them. I should be able to soothe the pain a little.”
Akito and An offered to help Meiko clean up once everyone had finished, the group of them standing in a somewhat awkward silence as they washed and put away the dishes. It seemed neither of them were quite prepared for just how stoic Meiko could be, maybe the way she greeted Ena earlier gave them the wrong impression.
Mizuki sat in silence as they drank their tea, perfectly content to listen to their friends talk about anything and everything. At some point, she would ask about how they even managed to find her let alone get her out of that hell, but right now it was the last thing she wanted to think about. All they wanted to focus on was the warmth of their tea and the familiar sound of their friends’ voices which were so soothing that they were almost like a lullaby.
“I’d love to stay, but I should really let my allies know that I’ve returned,” Rui said, pushing himself to his feet. “I’ll visit in a few days once things have settled down. And I’ll let you all know if I hear anything from the capital.”
It was strange seeing Rui all grown up and serious. He certainly seemed confident enough as a rebel that Mizuki could understand why someone like him would be considered a threat by King Tenma. It made her all the more glad that she stood up for him.
“What are you two going to do?” Kanade asked Akito and An. “It’s late, so even if it was safe to return to the city now I don’t know if you’d have the energy.”
“I actually will be heading back, promised my dad I’d be home as soon as I possibly could and it would probably raise some suspicions if I’m not home tomorrow morning,” An replied. “Although- Kanade, you have those clothes I packed with the potions, don’t you?”
She nodded, removing a small pile of clothes from a bag she had tucked under her chair. It was simply a plain white shirt and one of An’s typical waistcoats. “If you don’t mind, can I use your bathroom to change into these?” She asked. “I’ll stick out like a sore thumb if I try to walk home in this.”
This prompted Mizuki to take a closer look at everyone’s outfits. They’d already noticed how nice Ena’s dress was yet somehow Kanade’s was even fancier. Akito wore his uniform and Mafuyu dressed in her typical attire.
It made her wonder why they’d need such outfits in their plan to save her.
Once An returned from getting changed, Rin and Len offered to show her the way out of the forest. Mizuki was glad for this as they really weren’t certain An would successfully make it out on her own.
“So I guess that means you’re going to stay the night, Akito?”
“If that’s alright with all you. If I head back too soon, it’ll only cause problems for mum and dad.”
Ena nodded. “You’ll be sleeping on the sofa, then.”
Akito rolled his eyes, but didn’t object to this. It’s not like there was any other spot in the house to sleep, although it did make Mizuki question what the sleeping arrangements for her would be.
Things had settled down significantly now. Ena and Kanade had changed out of their fancy dresses into their pyjamas before joining Akito on the sofa and bundling up in blankets. Meanwhile Meiko and Luka sat at the dining room table, the first time Mizuki had ever seen them having a proper conversation.
Mafuyu beckoned Mizuki upstairs, grabbing a change of clothes from the bedroom before leading her to the bathroom.
“I’ll run a bath for you, then you can change into some of my pyjamas and I’ll work on treating your injuries,” he said, rolling his sleeves up. “You might have to borrow my clothes for a little bit- I apologise that they’re not really your style. I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
It was just like Mafuyu to be worrying about the little details.
“Kanade and Ena would be better options style wise, but they’re both a lot shorter than you so I don’t think their clothes would fit and-”
“Mafuyu,” she took her hands, “It’s fine, I promise. I’m the one who should be apologising for having to borrow your clothes.”
That seemed to ease his tension. “Alright, I’ll start running the bath.”
Mizuki needed a bath for a whole number of reasons, mainly that they were regrettably quite dirty. Stuck in the same clothes for a week was certainly a miserable experience and Mizuki was glad to finally be free of them.
In addition, baths were a sure fire method of easing muscle pain, which her body was absolutely riddled with.
“Okay- call for me when you’re done and then-”
“Wait- Mafuyu-” Mizuki called just as he reached for the door. “If it’s not a problem, can I ask you to wash my hair for me?”
When Mizuki was really little, Yuuki would always wash their hair for them. She’d talk about how lovely it was, say how long it was growing, and always ensured it would be nice and silky once it was dry. That was so long ago now that Mizuki wasn’t even completely sure how it felt to have someone else wash her hair, having long forgotten the sensation.
They recalled that some of the other knights with especially long hair would ask for help when in the showers, but Mizuki always woke up to shower before anyone else - they typically felt uncomfortable showering in front of others - and it’s not like they ever knew any of the other knights well enough to feel like they could ask.
But she did know Mafuyu well and more than anything, she trusted Mafuyu. He was one of the few people Mizuki allowed herself to be vulnerable around.
“So,” Mizuki began as Mafuyu poured water onto their hair. “Can I ask how you all managed to find me? I feel like I’ve missed a lot: Ena and Akito reunited and you all ended up working with Rui of all people. How did that even happen?”
“We ended up bumping into An when we went into the capital to look for you. She was telling us about her theories and plans and then she mentioned how she wanted to ask Akito about an argument you two had. When Ena heard that, she panicked and ran off, eventually returning with Rui by her side. Apparently he helped stop one of her magic outbursts.”
“She lost control of her magic?”
Mafuyu nodded. “She was worried about a lot, I think. It was only a few nights before that Ena even told us she had a brother, so she must’ve had a lot of anxiety about reuniting with him.”
She couldn’t help but wish she was there for the moment the two reunited. All that talk from Akito about wanting to find out what happened to his sister, only for her to be one of Mizuki’s best friends all along. They were proud of themself for having connected the dots as quickly as they did.
“An wanted to see if King Tenma knew where you might be and Rui then explained that he was certain the king was the reason for your disappearance. He wanted to get in contact with either the prince or princess and we ended up using Ena’s father’s connections to do so.”
From there Mafuyu explained the revelation that Prince Tsukasa and Princess Saki had both been working with the rebels for some time, plotting against their own father. They deduced where Mizuki would likely be and decided to sneak into the palace on the day of a ball with the Hinomoris in celebration of peace.
“Well that would explain why everyone all looked so fancy.” She then glanced at Mafuyu, who was wearing some of her own clothes. “Not you, though. How come?”
“We…” He hesitated. That was a surprise. “We needed a distraction to let everyone sneak out of the ballroom without being seen. I was that distraction.” Mafuyu fell silent, continuing to massage shampoo into Mizuki’s scalp until she found her voice again. “My parents were there and I knew they’d make a scene if I appeared again. And I was right.”
“You faced your parents? Why would you do that? I mean-!”
To Mizuki’s surprise, Mafuyu smiled ever so slightly. “It wasn’t good, it made my chest feel cold and awful but… I don’t regret it. I don’t regret it because you’re here and you’re safe. I’d do it again, hundreds of times, if it meant that you were all out of harm's way.”
“Mafuyu…”
He didn’t let Mizuki linger on it for long, explaining how Kanade and Rui set off sleeping potions to help Mafuyu get away and how Akito pretended to be arresting Ena in order to sneak into the dungeon.
It all felt so convoluted to Mizuki. But convoluted as it was, their plan was inevitably successful.
“Thank you, Mafuyu.”
“I’m not even finished washing your hair yet-“
“That’s not what I mean,” she snickered. “Thank you for doing something so scary for my sake. You’re stronger than me, I think I would’ve just ran away if I was in a situation like that. But, I’ll make sure you never have to do it again, even if you don’t regret it.”
Their conversation trailed off for a while.
Mafuyu’s hands in their hair, the warmth of the bath, the gentle silence, all of it made Mizuki feel as though they were about to fall asleep. She just barely clung onto consciousness for long enough to fully clean and dry herself off and change into the pyjamas Mafuyu lended her. As they sat on the tiles of the bathroom floor letting Mafuyu properly tend to all their wounds, Mizuki had to blink long and hard over and over again to avoid drifting off.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Apparently Ena and Mafuyu had agreed to share a bed for the time being, allowing Mizuki to take the top bunk all to herself. She tried to refuse, insisting Mafuyu shouldn’t give up his own bed for her sake, only for Mafuyu to admit that she would’ve chosen to sleep in Ena’s bed that night regardless of Mizuki’s presence.
“We’ll all be downstairs if you need anything, okay? Rest as much as you need.”
Mafuyu left, leaving them in dark silence once more. Mizuki lit the lantern beside Ena’s bed, hoping its dim light would help to alleviate that sense of dread she felt, before climbing into the top bunk and wrapping herself in the quilt.
Physically, they were more comfortable than they had ever been before. But now that she was alone, Mizuki’s mind was running wild once more.
Everyone put themselves in danger for me.
Ena and Kanade went into the city despite the fact they could’ve been imprisoned or executed simply for existing, Mafuyu faced her parents after having escaped them for years, An and Akito both put themselves in direct danger as both of their names and faces were known by King Tenma. Even Rui using the teleportation spell to help everyone escape had a negative impact on him.
They already knew Ena would scold them for worrying about such a thing, Akito probably would too, and everyone else would reassure them that they made it out okay and there was nothing to worry about. But there was still so much to worry about.
Maybe An would manage to stay out of trouble given she kept her distance for most of the night, but Akito wouldn’t be so lucky. Even Akito himself knew that, given the fact he’d decided to spend the night here instead of heading home.
Her chest was beginning to hurt.
Everyone was so kind, so warm, so why did it hurt so much?
They curled up on their side, trying to wipe the tears from their eyes just as the bedroom door gently creaked open. Kanade stood in her nightgown, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
“Oh- Mizuki- did I wake you?” She asked when she noticed Mizuki looking down at her.
“No… I’m just struggling to sleep, that’s all,” Mizuki replied. “You can stay, if you’re worried about disturbing me. I think I might actually find it easier to sleep if someone else is in the room, I’m not very used to sleeping alone.”
“Okay- I was going to do some reading, so I’ll be sure to keep it down.”
Knowing Kanade was on the bunk beneath her certainly helped a bit, reminding Mizuki of her bed back in the knights’ dorms. But it was still too quiet, Kanade was so perfectly quiet that it was almost unnerving.
“Can… can you play a song, Kanade?”
They were being selfish, but they already knew that. Asking Mafuyu to wash her hair and now asking Kanade to play her a song. Mizuki owed their friends so much, but they kept finding themself asking more and more of them. She couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“Any requests?” Her voice replied from below.
“As long as it’s one I know, I don’t mind.”
She began to pluck at her lyre. It was a song Mizuki knew perfectly well, the last one they all sang together a few weeks prior. To think, their whole life had flipped on its head since then.
Mizuki couldn’t remember the name Kanade had given the song, just that she was pretty sure it had something to do with twilight. It was a soothing song, Kanade’s soft voice complimenting it just perfectly. At first, Mizuki found themself humming along but by the chorus they were singing along at a quiet whisper.
She’d closed her eyes now, mumbling along to the last few words of the song before finally drifting off into sleep.
Notes:
Strange time of day for me to be posting I know, but I keep forgetting to update this at night like usual lol
So here it is yay yippee. I have to start writing this again bc I’ve run out of prewritten chapters to post
Chapter 32
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
She’d long grown to dislike meetings like this. Meetings where her parents would talk with their advisors and knights and sometimes even Tsukasa, but never her. Because why would any of them be interested in the opinions of the princess who spent most of her life too sick to gain any of the same experience as her brother? They all seemed to ignore the fact that she’d been recovering and adapting with only a few hiccups since she was sixteen. And even then, she kept up with her studies as best as she could even when her condition was at its worst.
Luckily, she wasn’t wedged between a pair of nobles she couldn’t care less about this time. It was one of the few perks of being forced to stick around for so long after the ball. On one side of her was Tsukasa - Kaito stood behind his chair - and on the other was Shiho. Likewise, Ichika and Honami were stood behind their respective princesses.
It was rare Saki got to see Shiho and Honami for extended periods of time, so in the end she decided she was glad for this meeting.
It was chaos when everyone had awoken from the sleeping potions earlier. First the two kingdoms tried to blame each other for the act only for reports from some knights to come in saying that some of the palace corridors had been utterly wrecked. Most of the ball’s guests had been sent home for the evening, and those who remained now were left to discuss the event. The two royal families and their knights, plus a handful of high ranking nobles from both of the kingdoms.
And - to Saki’s surprise - the royal painter and his wife. Apparently he was set on finishing the painting of the ball despite everything that had occurred, but she was pretty sure he was here to keep an ear out for anything that could be passed onto Akito and the rest.
“So, you think it was caused by these rebels that you’ve been investigating,” Queen Hinomori said. “I was under the impression you’d been looking into them for a while, did something delay the investigation?”
“Unfortunately, it turned out we had a traitor in our ranks who was steering the investigation away from some vital evidence,” her father sighed. Saki always thought that Tsukasa inherited his theatrics from him. He always knew when to sigh or frown or laugh or smile in order to set the right mood. “Kaito, you were overlooking Akiyama weren’t you? Did you truly not pick up on any signs sooner?”
Kaito shook his head. “My sincerest apologies, your majesty, but I was truly under the impression that Akiyama was undyingly loyal to you. I’ve known her for a few years now and I never would’ve expected her to go out of her way to defend a rebel the way she did.”
“Did you not think to take any protective measures against the rebels then?” It seemed Queen Hinomori wasn’t quite falling for his attempts to garner sympathy quite yet.
“Come now- we were more prepared than you might assume,” her mother argued. “Did you not see the amount of knights we had on guard? And the blood tests we did were to compare with a sample one of our detectives had successfully collected from a rebel.”
“Bring that detective in, then. The more information we have the better!”
“Might I interrupt, your majesty,” Tsukasa said, rising to his feet. It was always odd, watching her brother be so serious. “But the detective, Shiraishi An, is likely resting right now. It’s late and she lives quite the distance from the palace, so we can wait until tomorrow to have her contribute to the conversation.”
“Yes, mother, I’m sure the detective wouldn’t be working at her best if we dragged her out here so late at night,” Shizuku added with a grin.
Was she also trying to divert the attention away from An? Now that she thought about it, Saki was pretty sure she couldn’t find Shizuku for a while earlier. Maybe she somehow found out about the plans.
No matter what happened earlier, it seemed like she was now on their side.
“Why don’t we focus on what we know already?” Shizuku continued. Those who didn’t know her well would likely describe Shizuku as an airhead, but that was frankly a disservice to her intelligence and ability to lead a conversation. “Didn’t someone say that the lids of the potions had a spell drawn on them?”
“Yes, drawn in blood. It’s dark magic and I’d say there’s a decent likelihood it was drawn by the same rebel as the spell Shiraishi collected a sample from,” Tsukasa replied. On the surface, bringing attention towards Rui would seem like a bad idea, but his identity was still unknown and he encouraged them to use his involvement as a red herring of sorts.
“Did anyone ever get around to identifying what that original spell was?”
Kaito hesitated, before speaking up. “As of my last meeting with the investigation team, they had not. Young Shiraishi might have made some progress since then, but we’ll have to wait to find out.”
“Well none of that really matters if we don’t know why they set off the sleep potion in the first place,” King Hinomori argued. “They destroyed some of your belongings but then what? What else did they accomplish?”
“They succeeded in snatching my daughter back, that’s what.”
When Asahina Mafuyu introduced herself a few days ago, Saki was certain she’d recognised the name from somewhere. It took her by surprise when she realised the presumed dead child of Lord and Lady Asahina had been living in the forests with a group of magical creatures, one of which being the also presumed dead child of the Shinonomes.
“Ah- right. Lady Asahina, are you certain your daughter wasn’t allied with the rebels and acting under their command? She made quite the scene when she entered, a perfect distraction, really.”
“King Tenma, my daughter would never ally herself with such monsters-!”
“Calm down, dear,” her husband said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But I agree. Mafuyu was always the kind of person who wanted to help people, more than anything else. She wouldn’t involve herself with people trying to cause harm.”
It seemed they’d reached a bit of a dead end, something Saki was more than relieved for. The longer they struggled to figure out what went on that night, the better. Rui and the others would need time to rest and recover and prepare for whatever her father might throw their way if he were to connect the dots.
“Saki- what’s going on?” Shiho muttered to her. “I know you know, you’ve got this look on your face that makes it obvious.”
“Not now Shiho,” she replied. “I’ll tell you later.”
She already knew she could trust Shiho not to snitch.
Just as she thought the conversation would end for the night, a group of nights barged into the room. She was certain she recognised one of them as one of the knights meant to be on post at the dungeon.
“Your majesty, sir, the fae has escaped.”
He immediately shot to his feet.
“She what? How? Why didn’t you imbeciles stop her?!”
And just like that, Saki knew this night wasn’t going to be easy.
“A fae? You had a fae imprisoned and you didn’t think to share that information with any of us?” Queen Hinomori yelled.
“That’s not important right now. How did they get out? Those bars were made with iron!”
“She had help- sire,” the knight stammered. “I- well-”
“Spit it out already!”
“Shinonome Akito arrived at the dungeon with a demon in handcuffs. He told us you’d given him strict orders to take the demon down there so I let him. He and the demon managed to break Akiyama out, and the demon used its magic to wreck the palace in the process. We’ve got knights patrolling the streets but we’ve yet to see any sign of them.”
The revelation that Mizuki was a fae didn’t particularly shock Saki, it actually helped explain her father’s actions perfectly. It also explained why Mizuki was so “undyingly loyal” as Kaito had put it earlier, she could’ve easily been killed just for existing.
But Mizuki should’ve been the last thing on her mind in that moment as her father’s fiery glare slowly shifted towards Shinonome Shinei and his wife. To her surprise, the two of them held his gaze with ease.
“Your son has committed treason, you understand that, correct? Your son has directly betrayed me and my trust, there’s no coming back from that.”
The royal painter didn’t budge, his expression entirely unreadable.
“You said he was accompanied by a demon, did you not?” Shinonome Kasumi replied, her voice steady. “There is nothing to suggest that my son would betray you so willingly, especially after training so hard in order to protect this kingdom. Have you not considered that he was perhaps forced into it? He entered alongside young Mafuyu, it wouldn’t surprise me if both were being threatened by the rebels in some way.”
It was like she’d rehearsed the whole thing. Maybe she had. They’d planned so much of this out that Saki doubted they’d leave the Shinonomes without any sort of guidance.
The king did not respond.
“Well, currently we have no proof either way. So… if the demon was alongside young Shinonome, that means it must’ve snuck into the ball. What did it look like?” King Hinomori asked the knight.
“A girl, late teens or early twenties I believe. Short brown hair tied back into a ponytail and brown eyes. She was dressed quite formally, Shinonome did say she was trying to sneak into the ballroom.”
It was such a generic description that Saki almost let out a sigh of relief. It worked out perfectly that they ended up using Ena to get into the dungeon given she hardly stood out in a crowd.
“We’ll examine the guest list then. The sooner we can identify the demon, the better.”
It was at this point where the prince and princesses were all finally dismissed. Saki was both overjoyed to escape and worried that things would go poorly without them there to divert the conversation elsewhere. Luckily, Kaito would still be there and Kaito was more than willing to throw in a few red herrings to keep everyone distracted.
She just hoped the Shinonomes would be okay. If her father inevitably decided Akito was guilty, they’d end up being punished too. Perhaps not as extremely, but it was likely Shinei would lose his job as royal painter.
“Saki, I want to know what’s going on.” Shiho turned to her the moment the doors closed behind them.
“I know, I know. I’ll tell you if you let us do a sleepover!” Shiho rolled her eyes, Honami giggling softly behind her. “C’mon Shiho! You’re staying the night here anyways, so why not make it fun. I’ve missed you so bad~!”
“Why don’t you go for it, Shii? I know you’ve been missing Ichika and Saki, so-”
“O-oi! Be quiet!” Her cheeks were blushing. “Fine. But I want an explanation.”
“Of course, of course!”
Saki knew she was being greedy, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. It would be a while until she saw Shiho and Honami again, especially after the night’s events, so she wanted to make the most of the time she had left by their sides. She was likewise thrilled to have Ichika involved too, since she most often slept in her dorm with the other nights.
“So,” Saki began as Honami braided her hair down her back. She liked it when Honami played with her hair, no one else was ever as gentle as her. They were all dressed in their pyjamas now, sat on a pile of blankets and pillows on Saki’s floor. “The fae that my father mentioned is a girl called Akiyama Mizuki. They were a knight and did something my father perceived as a betrayal and he threw them into the dungeon as a result. Many of her friends have been searching for her and they came to me and Tsukasa for help.”
“It was Kamishiro’s idea to get Saki and Tsukasa involved,” Ichika explained, “the rebel boy they’ve been assisting.”
Shiho raised her eyebrows. “So it was a rebel plot after all?”
Saki shrugged. “Rui and Kaito were the only true rebels involved. The rest included Shinonome Akito, the detective Shiraishi An, and a few of Mizuki’s friends from out of town. I guess they’d all be considered rebels now, though.”
“Did the Shinonome’s know about their son’s involvement?” Honami asked. “I mean- it would be quite the nasty surprise for them if they didn’t.”
“No, they know. Turns out the demon girl - one of Mizuki’s friends - is their missing daughter.”
“Airi’s old friend?”
“Mhmm.”
Saki could feel herself getting sleepy as she explained the rest. The night had been chaotic, even if Saki herself didn’t do much at all to aid with Mizuki’s escape. But the meeting earlier had her on high alert, which had unknowingly been draining her energy.
Now it was calm, and she was surrounded by her dearest friends in the whole world, and she couldn’t help but feel so warm and cozy.
“I’ll help,” Shiho said, though Saki was so tired now that she was on the brink of drifting off and wasn’t sure what Shiho was deciding to help with. “I mean- I’ll do my best to distract them all as well.”
Saki closed her eyes and rested her head on Shiho’s shoulder, unable to wipe the wide grin off her face.
“Thanks Shiho, you’re the best~”
Notes:
Yay Saki time <3
Anyways yay I’m back. Not even the longest writing break I’ve taken for this thing but also I did need a break bc oh boy writing the ‘Save Mizuki’ burnt me out a little bit lol
I also did need to take a moment to figure out where the story will continue to go.
My current plan is to finish off Niigo’s story and then maybe make other (probably shorter fics) in this AU to explore some of the other characters. Like Emu’s probably not going to have much of a presence in this fic, but I could make one that centres her and the characters around her for example
idk that’s something for the distant future regardless. I’ve still got quite a bit more in me for this one I think.
As always thank you all for reading and commenting. I never would’ve been motivated to write so much if it weren’t for everyone’s support <3
Chapter 33
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Ena was the last to go upstairs to bed that night. Mizuki was first, followed by Kanade then Meiko and the fae then, after she had treated Akito’s wounds, Mafuyu. Ena, however, stayed bundled up in a blanket at the end of the sofa.
Akito spent much of that time sat in silence with her, neither of them feeling the need to say anything at all. The silence between them as they snuck through the palace was mind numbing, but this was peaceful. There was this sense of solidarity in their quietness, a mutual feeling of exhaustion yet the same desire to not yet fall asleep.
Sometimes Ena would hum. It was never a tune he could recognise and Akito assumed they must’ve been songs written by Kanade. Even without the accompanying lyrics, he could feel the warmth that radiated from the tune.
The one time they spoke was about Ena’s curse.
He hadn’t realised at first, but Ena had been reading through what looked to be a battered notebook. However there was a title that described Ena’s curse and more interestingly an author credited by the name of Kamishiro. Those must’ve been Rui’s notes on the curse.
It was when Ena let out a soft gasp that Akito even noticed she’d been reading.
“Ena?”
She remained silent, eyes frantically skimming the page over and over and over.
“There’s no cure,” she whispered. It wasn’t a surprise to him, given Rui had told him as such a few days prior. Akito was under the impression that Ena already knew, but evidently he was wrong. She took a deep breath. “It can only be passed onto others…”
“Would you…?”
Her eyes met his before immediately darting away.
“I… I don’t think I could do that to someone.”
It was just as Rui predicted.
Ena quickly excused herself after that, leaving Akito alone with just his thoughts for the first time all day. In some ways, he was still in shock. How did they manage to succeed in helping Mizuki escape? Even with the hiccups they did face, it all felt too easy.
Granted, he had a gut feeling the aftermath would be where things took a turn for the worse.
He could only hope that his parents were okay and that they managed to keep An out of their plans enough that no one would be suspicious of her. But there were too many variables to be able to accurately predict how things might’ve progressed from here.
The knights who were guarding the dungeon, who let Akito in, were bound to cause problems. They’d seen his face, recognised him.
Then there were Mafuyu’s parents. They were bound to kick up a fuss about their child going missing for a second time. If they were to send out a search party past the city walls, there’d be a high likelihood that Ena and her friends would be found.
He tried his best to shake off these thoughts, to clear his mind enough to get a full night’s sleep. However he’d only managed a few hours by the time sunlight began to leak into the living room and people began to come downstairs and start their day.
By that point, he knew there was no chance of falling back asleep, so he helped Meiko prepare breakfast in an attempt to wake himself up.
He couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by her stoic nature. Not once could he read the expression on Meiko’s face, something he’d managed at least a few times with the similarly deadpan Mafuyu.
“I’d like to thank you,” Akito said. “If you didn’t take Ena in, she very well could’ve died. You saved my sister’s life… I spent years being told she was dead and refusing to completely believe it. It’s thanks to you that I was right to have faith in her.”
Meiko simply nodded. He would be put off by her lack of response if it weren’t for how she and Ena greeted each other the night before. Ena’s tight hug and the way Meiko gently stroked her hair. It was all the proof Akito needed to know Meiko didn’t regret taking Ena under her wing.
Mizuki was the first to follow Meiko downstairs, complaining that her schedule as a knight meant that she was unable to enjoy a good lie in.
Seeing Mizuki all bandaged up made Akito’s chest ache. If it weren’t for him, Mizuki wouldn’t have had to endure so much.
“Oi, stop looking at me like that. It’s giving me the creeps~” They smirked. “Honestly lil bro, you’re worrying too much.”
He rolled his eyes, yet couldn’t help but smile at that stupid nickname. “I think I’m allowed to feel bad for inadvertently getting you imprisoned.”
Her grin faltered for a moment. “I… It was bound to happen someday. King Tenma was right about one thing, I got too comfortable. I was already lying about my identity for his sake, so I began lying about things for my own sake. If anything, I’m lucky it was you that found out. Not many others would put in the effort to save a fae they’d only known for a few weeks.”
Akito was surprisingly relieved to see that Mizuki wasn’t going to completely ignore his involvement with what happened to them. It was bound to make their relationship rocky for a little while, but Mizuki was his friend and he was more than willing to put in the effort to make things right.
“Anyways,” she said, dropping down at the dining room table, “Are you planning on heading back into the city today?”
“I think I might wait until I get any updates from Rui. I want to know what I’m walking into before I return.”
The rest all slowly made their way down, one by one until they were all gathered around the table - Akito and Luka leaning against the wall nearby - to eat breakfast. There wasn’t enough room in this house for him to linger for too long so he hoped they all understood why he wasn’t eager to rush home so soon.
“With us being gone for so long, we should probably do a patrol today just to be safe,” Ena sighed.
“Patrol?”
“Hunters and the like have a bad habit of terrorising the creatures round these parts. We just go round and make sure there isn’t any trouble, like when you two and An showed up the other week.”
It explained why Mafuyu was as tense as she was when they bumped into her. At a first glance, he probably assumed they were hunters too.
“Well, I don’t mind helping out,” Akito shrugged. “I think I could do with a bit of exercise.”
“You’ll have to change out of your uniform,” Mafuyu replied. “People around here don’t do well with strangers, so they’d be even more tense if they realised you were a knight.”
He wasn’t even sure if he still was a knight, but he understood what Mafuyu meant.
Luckily, removing the waistcoat part of his uniform made his outfit incredibly plain: just a long sleeved white shirt and dark brown trousers.
In the end, all of them but Meiko and Luka went out on the patrol. It was a good chance for Akito to make himself more familiar with the woods and Mizuki seemed glad to have an opportunity to stretch her legs.
He was surprised by the weapons they all carried. Mafuyu’s bow and a quiver of arrows, Kanade’s wand and Ena’s dagger. For a moment, Akito considered heading back into the house to grab his sword, but decided against it for the same reason he wasn’t wearing his uniform. He had enough skill in hand to hand combat that he assumed that he’d be able to hold his own if they did wind up encountering some hunters.
The two little pixies they all seemed to be friends with were perched on Ena’s head, each holding on to one of her horns for stability. They both seemed wary of Akito to some extent. The girl - Rin - was standoffish and monotone meanwhile the boy - Len - would be startled by the slightest thing.
“So- you two are gonna have to catch us up on what we missed whilst we were gone,” Ena said to them. “I see Luka and Meiko are much more comfortable around one another now.”
Rin nodded. “The night you all left, Meiko invited Luka round to have dinner. I wasn’t around to hear any of their conversation but Len said the two made up.”
“Where were you then, Rin? It’s rare for you and Len to be apart,” Mafuyu replied.
To Akito’s surprise, the pixie stammered, seeming to blush ever so slightly. “I was visiting that rebel girl, Hatsune Miku. I found out she was a shapeshifter, but seeing as you all befriended one of the rebels you probably already know that.”
“A shapeshifter and a rebel, huh?” Mizuki pondered. “I think I missed that revelation. Makes a lot of sense, though.”
“What do you mean, Mizuki?” Len asked.
“Ah- you two probably don’t know, but Hatsune Miku is a famous bard in the city. Clearly she’s been living a bit of a double life. No wonder Rui was sneaking around the night of the concert, they all must’ve planned it together.”
There was likely still a lot to catch Mizuki up on. Mafuyu mentioned that he explained some of it to her the night before, but the past couple weeks had felt so frantic and busy that he could probably talk for hours about everything that went down.
“So you and Miku are friends now, Rin?” Ena asked, holding her hand out so the pixies could settle down on it.
“I wouldn’t call us friends,” she replied, cheeks still tinted pink. “I just went to visit to see if she had any updates on all of you. I figured that because she was a rebel, she might know more about what’s going on in the city. She was pretty useless in that regard, though.”
The way Ena continued to tease Rin was, of course, very familiar to Akito. If there was one single trait that characterised Ena as an older sister, it would be her ability to tease him. It seemed like in the years Ena spent away from him, she adopted Rin as a (very) little sister she could tease.
The last time Akito entered the forest, he found it eerie and unsettling. It was dark and eyes seemed to glare out at him from the shadows. In comparison, this patrol felt like a nice walk in the park. Maybe it was because he was with Ena and the others, so the creatures in the forest didn’t immediately see him as a threat. Or maybe it was because his outlook on a lot of things, but especially the residents of the forest, had changed so much these past few weeks.
“Let’s go this way,” Mafuyu said when they reached a fork in the path. “I owe Ghorak a visit after so long.”
Kanade laughed softly. “I think he’ll be thrilled to see you.”
“Akito, you might be best off hanging back. The orcs are especially over protective of their home and families, given how often they’ve been driven out of their homes by humans,” Ena added. “Mafuyu is the exception to the rule. I’ll hang back with you, maybe you can help me pick some apples.”
“I’ll stay too,” Mizuki grinned. “I’ll make sure you pick the best apples possible.”
He rolled his eyes. “Surely you’re more than capable of helping out too. We’re the same height.”
In the few seconds it took for them to start bickering, Kanade and Mafuyu had vanished down the path. In truth, Akito was a little curious to catch a glimpse of the orcs given he’d never seen one before, but he knew he wouldn’t want to risk making any of them feel unsafe.
Akito had to consistently remind himself that, to the creatures of the forest, he was indistinguishable from the kind of people who wished to cause him harm. It was as he’d said to Rui that night in his home’s guest room. He was the exact kind of person Mizuki, and all other magical creatures by extension, had every right to be afraid of. He still had a lot to make up for, so for now the least he could do was try to avoid causing any more harm.
He walked a few steps behind Mizuki and Ena. It was the first he’d seen the two of them interact as they would typically, and despite their playful bickering, Akito could feel the warmth radiating off them both. Mizuki would poke fun at Ena, and Ena would call her annoying in a tone so full of love. Meanwhile, when Ena would be glancing up at the trees in search of apples, Mizuki would smile as they kept their gaze glued on her.
Ena held such love for all her friends. If all the subtle glances and grins and gentle touches weren’t enough to prove it, the way she kissed each of them the night before was. The way her lips brushed Mafuyu’s knuckles, the hasty kiss on the cheek she gave to Kanade as they parted ways and the kiss on Mizuki’s forehead which seemed to be her substitute for everything she wished she had time to tell her in that moment.
It didn’t matter if the way she loved them was romantic or platonic, because her love inevitably transcended anything that could easily be described.
Or that’s how he saw it at least.
And despite how much Akito was still yet to learn about Ena and who she was now, he was certain of it.
“Ah- Mizuki, look at that one!” Ena practically cheered.
“That’s way too high up, even for me, you know that right?” They replied.
“Uh- well… oh!” Ena held her hands up towards the apple, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, vines twisted and rose from the ground, eventually wrapping themselves around the apple and plucking it off the tree. “I did it…” She breathed upon opening her eyes.
“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do magic before,” Mizuki said. “Well, other than when you wrecked the palace last night.”
“I think- I think I’m less scared of it than I used to be. This curse is going to be a part of my life forever, so I might as well not neglect one of the few gifts it gave me.”
Akito watches Mizuki’s eyes widen slightly at the word ‘forever’, only for her expression to immediately soften. Mizuki looked after Rui’s notes for years, so it was no surprise that they had read them.
“For a previous rich girl, you sure are selfless, huh?”
“Hey- what does that mean?!”
Akito let out a slight chuckle when he knew Ena wasn’t looking.
Notes:
I’m not dead and I’ve not abandoned this fic don’t even worry about it
Tbf it’s not even been a month since the last chapter, I’ve definitely gone longer than that before
Ena Shinonome my beloved <3 she’s so full of love for her friends she makes me feel insane
Chapter 34
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
An had managed to sneak back home the night before without anyone spotting her. It was quite the feat, given the streets were absolutely flooded with knights on patrol, and she was so exhausted by the end of it that she collapsed on her bed before she could even change into her pyjamas.
She wanted nothing more than to have a nice long lie in, but she had work to get done. An may have not played a huge role in Mizuki’s escape, but it was her duty to cover up her friends’ involvement. Most importantly, she needed to gauge the situation for Akito and figure out how they would go about getting him home.
The house Ena and her friends lived in was quaint and certainly didn’t have enough space for Akito to be lingering for too long. Even if they had to sneak him back into town and let him hide out at his family’s home, it would be better for everyone than his current situation.
Full of reluctance, An dragged herself out of bed and prepared for the day ahead. Once all of this was over, she was going to take the longest nap ever. She just had to make it through whatever interrogation she might face. After all, both of her co-workers seemingly betrayed the crown so there were bound to be lots of suspicions around her as well.
Just as she’d finished scoffing down her breakfast, there was a knock on the door.
“Hoshino!” An practically cheered when she opened it. It was such a relief to know they’d sent a familiar face to drag her along to the palace, especially given it would give her a chance to ask her for details on what happened after they all left. “Ah~ you don’t know how glad I am to see you rather than some crusty old knight. Oh?”
Behind Hoshino stood an unfamiliar face in an unfamiliar uniform: a girl of similar age with light brown hair and gentle blue eyes. It clicked after a moment that she must’ve been from the Hinomori kingdom. That meant their actions the previous night were considered severe enough that the Hinomoris had decided to get involved. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, given they set off a sleep spell and wrecked the whole palace. It was annoying regardless, though. A mission to save their friend had evolved into something so much bigger than them.
“Ah- this is Mochizuki Honami. She’s Princess Shiho’s attendant,” Hoshino explained. An recalled hearing her name as they were planning. Did her being here mean she was on their side now?
“Saki and Ichika explained everything to us both,” Mochizuki added. “We’re going to do everything we can to assist.”
It was a relief. Not only has Princess Shizuku expressed her allyship the night before, but now the younger princess had too. All things considered, they weren’t doing all that bad in terms of allies, though that didn’t make their opponents any less intimidating.
The two explained everything that had occurred since they fled the night before. How the kingdoms tried to blame one another, how they then received reports of the damage they’d caused during their escape. Mafuyu’s parents seemed like they weren’t going to let him slip away so easily, insistent that he must’ve been threatened by rebels to get involved.
That wasn’t ideal, of course, but it wasn’t like they had any leads on where to find Mafuyu yet.
The real problem was that a knight, who was on guard by the dungeons, had reported Akito’s involvement. The fact that Ena was there helped to suggest his innocence, with the Shinonomes suggesting that the demon was willing to harm him if he didn’t cooperate, but they seemingly weren’t convinced yet.
None of it was as bad as she had anticipated, but likewise it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped and prayed as she snuck home. She had to hope her acting skills were up to the task, though part of her doubted it.
The throne room was packed full of nobles and advisors and knights all trying to get their say in. They wore symbols from both kingdoms, which was all An needed to prove that the Hinomoris weren’t going to let this slide so easily.
An felt herself stiffen when King Tenma’s eyes landed on her. He quickly gestured something at Queen Hinomori and suddenly the two were approaching her at rapid speeds. Clearly they were eager to hear what An had to say.
“Shiraishi An, correct?” Queen Hinomori asked.
“Yes, your majesty,” An immediately bowed. “I understand you wish to know as many details about the rebel investigation. I’m more than happy to cooperate and tell you anything I can to help.”
She was certain her words came out a little stilted, but that didn’t worry her too much. An was a commoner, no matter how successful of a detective she was, so of course she would stammer and come off as nervous when talking to literal royalty. Even if she was as innocent as could be, she would still be scared shitless.
Queen Hinomori offered her a gentle smile, one that almost made her forget who she was even talking to. But one glance at King Tenma wiped away any sense of security she felt. It was clear as day that he found An suspicious.
“If you would mind coming with me, then we could perhaps talk somewhere a little more quiet. It’s been so tiresome with all the fuss in here, I’m sure we could both do with the escape.”
“And if you don’t mind,” King Tenma added, “I’d like to squeeze in a word afterwards.”
“Of course, your majesties.”
She followed Queen Hinomori and one of her bodyguards through the wrecked corridors. She was almost impressed by the damage Ena had caused.
“You seem a little startled,” she said. “Is something the matter?”
“I-” She gulped. “I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but I’m just surprised to see the palace in such a state.”
She was even more surprised by how much Queen Hinomori laughed. “I’m hardly the person you need to worry about offending. But yes, it is quite the shocker. Some suspected rebels did this last night.”
They settled down in a little sitting room a fair distance from the throne room. A maid poured some tea for them and An quickly embarrassed herself by adding one too many cubes of sugar.
All the while, the queen smiled that sweet smile.
She’s trying to lower your guard, An had to keep telling herself, You can’t trust her just because she smiles at you.
“So, Miss Shiraishi, feel free to tell me everything you’ve discovered so far in your investigation.”
She paused for a moment, carefully considering her response.
“Well, I’m a little ashamed to admit that we began to fall behind in the investigation. You see, my colleagues - Akiyama Mizuki and Shinonome Akito - got into an argument the other week. They both refused to show up to work for ages and I never got reassigned to another knight so it was hard to continue without fearing for my safety.”
The queen nodded along as An spoke, though she noticed a slight shift in her expression when she mentioned her friends. Surprise, maybe?
In any case, it seemed An’s plan was working. By all means, An shouldn’t have had a clue that Mizuki and Akito were involved in the previous night’s chaos, therefore she acted like everything was completely normal between them.
“Although, in terms of what we did discover, we managed to find a spell drawn by one of the rebels. It was dark magic, Mizuki said, drawn in blood. The other day, I managed to figure out what kind of spell it was.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “It took a lot of asking around and begging to even be let into the restricted area of the library,” she replied with a chuckle.
Queen Hinomori laughed. “Yes, I can imagine.”
“I believe it’s a teleportation spell. And judging by my calculations- which, granted, might not be the best- the other half of it would be in the forest near the rear end of the city. If I had to take a guess, the rebels would be hiding out somewhere around there.” She was lying through her teeth.
But Ena’s group and Rui and his fellow rebels were much closer to the city gates. If she could divert the investigation’s attention to somewhere in the forest much further away, then that would be for the best.
“Would you mind pointing it out on a map for me?”
“Of course. The initial spell we found was somewhere around here,” she pointed to a spot on the map a good distance from where they actually found the spell. Since they began prepping to save Mizuki, An had been asking for knights to guard certain areas of “evidence” for her to help hide the fact she’d be lying about the spell’s location.
It was all Rui’s idea, of course. He said something about Kaito having some similar for the rebels in the past and how it made it much harder to be sure that he was lying about certain things.
“As a result, the radius of the spell would be something like this.” She chose the place on the map that she did in order to make sure the rear end of the forest was within the spell’s radius. She had considered lying about the distance the spell could work at, but knew that would be something easily disproven.
“Excellent.” The queen’s grin was less gentle now. There was this eager look in her eyes, a sense of hunger An couldn’t quite understand. “Thank you, Miss Shiraishi. If you wait here, I’ll send King Tenma your way. And please feel free to report to me if you figure out anything else, I can understand that your king is a little more intimidating.”
She wasn’t left waiting long until King Tenma arrived. Unlike his glare from earlier, he wore a smile that seemed to be doing its best to match Queen Hinomori’s. Maybe it would fool some, but An had a good enough understanding of his true character that she could see right through it.
Regardless, she returned the smile as she stood up and bowed once more.
“Come now, no need for all that,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to follow up on a few things you mentioned to Queen Hinomori, and ask a few questions of my own, if that’s okay.”
She couldn’t help but find the wording funny. Whether or not she was okay with it didn’t matter in the slightest. It wasn’t like she could say no to her king.
An nodded.
“Right, I wanted to ask you about the fight between your colleagues. Akiyama and Shinonome- do you know what happened between them?”
An raised her eyebrows, hoping to come off as surprised. After all, she still technically had no reason to suspect they had anything to do with the rebels. “No, your majesty. I can tell you everything I know leading up to it and afterwards, but that’s as useful as I can be in that regard.”
“Well, anything can be of help, so go ahead.”
She recited the exact same thing she’d told everyone else before finding out the truth. They were at a concert, the two of them vanished, only Akito returned and he seemed miserable, then neither of them showed up to work for days.
“I couldn’t find Mizuki anywhere, so I assume it was bad enough that maybe she moved out of town. As for Akito, I managed to drag him out of the house after a few days, but he wasn’t very productive and still never told me anything.”
“I see…”
A long silence.
“In truth, I already knew what their argument was about. I apologise for deceiving you, but you must understand that it’s hard to trust anyone at the moment.” An simply nodded. “Right, let me explain.”
An gripped the edge of the sofa as he told her of Mizuki’s true identity, biting down on her lip to really sell her distress. Whether it was convincing or not, she really couldn’t tell. Perhaps the king’s smile didn’t fool her, but his poker face showed no cracks.
“Right…” she breathed. “A fae, huh?”
“Do you want to take a moment before we continue?”
She frantically shook her head. “Please don’t worry about me. I need to be better at being impartial for the sake of my job.”
“I understand. During last night’s ball, Akiyama managed to escape. And as it turns out, they had the help of Shinonome Akito.”
“You- what-?” She paused, really trying to give off the impression that she was in complete denial. “There’s no way, that can’t be-”
He laughed slightly, though she felt as though she were being mocked. “I thought you wanted to remain impartial.”
“Right- yes- I know, but I’ve known Akito for years and I really doubt he’d do such a thing.”
“Well, unfortunately, we have several eye witnesses saying he did.”
“I mean- I don’t think he’d do it willingly. He’s been committed to being a knight, to protecting our kingdom and its people, for probably longer than I’ve known him. He made a promise to his sister that he’d never let anyone get hurt under his watch.”
This seemed to surprise King Tenma, his eyebrows quirking upwards. “His sister? Oh… are you talking about young Ena?”
“She went missing, presumed dead, during the war. It affected Akito deeply and he swore that he’d never let anyone be taken away by conflict again. Assisting a fae, assisting rebels, that’s not the Shinonome Akito I know.” It all felt wrong to say: reducing Mizuki to nothing more than a fae, reducing her new friends to nothing more than rebels, acting like they were all beneath her
“Do you know anything else about the girl?”
“Not really. I’ve seen a portrait of her and that’s about it. Akito’s told a few stories, but he generally doesn’t like to talk about it.”
Another silence. She was already exhausted, already craving the comfort of her bed more than anything, but it hadn’t even gone noon yet.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Shiraishi. I believe I can trust you to continue your investigation, and for any work outside of the palace I will assign you a new pair of knights for your safety.” More pleasantries, it seemed. She could tell he didn’t quite trust her, that the knights were supervision more than they were protection and that the investigation was simply meant to keep her busy and somewhere he could keep an eye on her.
But she was clearly convincing enough that he couldn’t just throw her in a cell without a second thought. She found herself wanting to boast to Kohane about her newfound amazing acting skills.
“If I might make a request, would you be able to ask the Shinonomes a couple questions for me? They’re on the defensive when it comes to me, but you’re a friend of their son’s and therefore much less intimidating.”
“Oh- of course, your majesty.” It was ideal really, she had to stop herself from grinning.
“Thank you, Shiraishi. I’m sure you won’t disappoint me.”
She seriously doubted that.
Notes:
Apologises for disappearing for so long, I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again but fingers crossed lol
Funnily enough the thing that inspired me to finish writing this chapter was the fact that I went to see the pjsk movie earlier today (Very fun movie btw)
I unironically think it filled me with a sense of whimsy that I’ve kinda been lacking from the game recently given we’ve been trapped in world link hell (/hj). Either way, it allowed me to lock in. Now let me go proofread this whole chapter to make sure none of the “An”s have autocorrected to “A” (update: there were multiple)
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