It was the (h/c) haired girl who had asked to go out. She wanted to leave the palace, doing so with Haru at her side. The brunette was in a better mood, though there was still a massive frown on his face. It wasn't evident quite yet whether it was because of what happened previously or if he was being forced to walk. If she had to say, it was a mixture of both, the brunette glaring at his feet.

"We won't be walking for long," she hummed.

"Don't wanna walk at all."

She laughed a bit at his statement, earning a childish glare from him. In his mind, he was doing her a favor by exerting precious energy, but she was making fun of him. As if to recharge himself from the three-minute journey, he waited five seconds before resting his head on her shoulder. When she didn't push him off or object to it, he let out a small sigh of comfort. It was always nice to rest like that, even if he still had to walk.

Truth be told, he didn't know where they were going or that she had wanted to take him out on a date. If he had known that, he would have been more enthusiastic about walking toward their destination. Dates were rare, after all. Usually, she was working, doing this or that with his father to make sure things were running smoothly. So when they did have a date, it always felt extra special.

Eventually, they made their way to the spot she had chosen to take him. It was always hard to find something he would want to do. To start with, he had everything he could ever want at the tips of his fingers. If he didn't, he would make it. There wasn't anything she could surprise him with either, considering how many things Sona would pass onto him. She was actually shocked the android hadn't done the same that time, or that he had remained in the embassy. Usually, if she went anywhere, he would trail alongside her, but, for the past few days, all he had done was stare at the flower Celith had given her.

Either way, she had luckily found something nearby that she knew Haru would like. He probably wouldn't have objected that much to anything she chose to do with him as long as she said it was a date. However, the point was not for her to have fun. It was to take his mind off of whatever threat he had perceived Orion Trewin to be. So, for Haru, when it came to having fun, it meant tech had to be involved somehow, so she had done her research beforehand.

Most of Vethela was very traditional, especially in cities closest to the palace. It wasn't simply traditionalist views on family or even religion (though when it came to that facet, Vethelans tended to be a little crazy). Rather, as a nation that revered a nature goddess above all, they took environmental protection very seriously. They had no tech industry, and, in the first place, electricity was limited. So when she managed to find a laser tag place in the royal capital, she couldn't believe it. And when they arrived, it turned out she shouldn't have believed it either.

"What do you mean it's shut down?" she questioned, pulling up the website only to find it was taken down, "But I just looked this morning!"

The man shutting down the building looked at her with a groan. He didn't want to deal with some foreigner throwing a fit about having fun. If they wanted to do that, they could have gone somewhere else. It really wasn't his problem, and he had things to do, namely shutting down the building. It didn't surprise him at all to see that the place used to be run by a foreigner. They never learned.

"The building went against Vethelan law."

"What law?"

"My eternal flower," the man groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Look, go somewhere else. Do. You. Understand?"

The man moved to push the girl away, done with babying foreigners. Doing so, however, only made Haru grip onto him, squeezing his wrist painfully. He squirmed and threatened the brunette, but it was no use. (Y/n) let him harm the man, but, after a while, she tugged him back and glared at the Vethelan. She then turned around, knowing very well that all the brunette wanted to do was strangle him to death.

The two ended up at a cafe not far from there, the younger girl aggressively typing on her phone. Haru watched, seemingly at an impasse about it but he was still boiling inside. He had thought about peeking over her shoulder to see what she was so avidly researching, but it would only have made her mad. Deciding to just munch on the cake she had gotten for him, he sighed. He really hated that stupid country.

Eventually, the girl's typing settled down and she began to squeeze the device in her hands. The brunette tilted his head, wondering if she was going to break it again. Though she was usually very level-headed about most things, occasionally, something would come along and piss her off. When that happened, she could break anything she set her mind to, and, oftentimes, it was the phone that was destroyed in the process. He had tried to make a stronger phone for her, but it just seemed like she was getting stronger and stronger.

"Sorry, Haru," she sighed, throwing her head back in defeat.

A frown. He didn't like it when she apologized for something that wasn't her fault. Just as she had been trying to train him to be mindful of other people, he'd been trying to train her not to apologize. The male wanted her to realize she was a part of the Akahito family now, and an Akahito didn't have to apologize, especially not those of the main branch. He didn't like how other people's mistakes became her own guilt, and that time was no exception. Thankfully, she seemed to pick up on it and chuckled a bit over his care.

"Right. I wanted to take you someplace fun, but that didn't work out, did it? I guess we should eat something and head back."

The gears in the male's head very visibly turned, a solid minute passing before he perked up and exclaimed the word "date" at the top of his lungs. Her face flared red as other people turned around to look at them, and, of course, Haru became very defensive. He was like a rabid cat, hissing at everyone to mind their own business and not look at his person. Either way, after five seconds of pure excitement, he moved to hug her, receiving a head pat in return. She even kissed the top of his head.

"We can't go back now," he objected, shaking his head like a petulant child, "I want to go on a date."

"I did, too, but Vethela...it's just not really up your alley. The one place that I thought you might enjoy like back home and it's shut down. I don't really know where else to take you."

It was rare to see Haru put effort into thinking if it didn't have to do with electronics, but there he was. He was racking his brain for anything that he might want to do with her, and, fortunately, her presence alone made many things bearable for him. If he could walk, he could stomach a few hours in a museum or something. Though, he would have preferred something more romantic. All of a sudden, he smiled and nuzzled against the arm he was hugging.

Though he didn't tell her where he was planning on taking her, they finished having their snack before heading out. He seemed very eager to lead her, a small skip in his step accompanied by a stifled smile. Often, a small hum escaped from him, too, insinuating he was very happy. Though, just the word "date" was enough to put him in a good mood for a while. Actually going on one, however, was a whole 'nother ballpark.

She was actually surprised to see that he had taken her to a garden, mostly because it entailed more walking. Obviously, the castle's gardens were more pristine and well-taken care of, but it was nicer to be in one with the brunette for some reason. She hung off his arm as he very excitedly pointed out flower after flower, asking for a very detailed opinion of all of them. And though she could hardly deliver on that request, she did her best. It seemed he was satisfied with that.

"Those are nice," the girl hummed, peering down at a few barely blooming roses, "They're a little overplayed, but...I still like them. They might be my second favorite, actually."

"What color?"

"Honestly, just plain red."

Haru's eyes sparkled at the flowers, fascinated with the information he had learned. He hadn't thought to ask what her favorite flowers were. Before, he had just presented whatever was the most expensive. But, oddly enough, that didn't work with her. Just because something cost more didn't mean she would like it more. Beginning to scribble that down, he kept asking opinion after opinion. Lilies, hyacinths, whatever else fascinated him. He wanted to know every little thing, even if it wouldn't be useful later on. There wasn't anyone else he would have done that for, and she knew that well.

Content, she rested her head on his shoulder as they sat down for a break. It was calm and peaceful, the sound of wind brushing aside the leaves of the trees filling her with a bittersweet feeling. Wind had always done that. Despite how freeing it could feel, within mere moments, she was reminded how it could always push her off a cliff. Regardless, perhaps it was because she was with Haru that she felt safe. Even at that very moment as she was lost in her thoughts, he was both glaring at others passing by them to stay away and holding his hand up to protect her from the sun.

Haru shouldn't have been her type. In all aspects, he was exactly like the kind of thing she wanted - and had been active in her attempts - to avoid. Though he very much avoided nature, there were still uncanny similarities. For instance, he was protective by nature, especially of his family. Still, she supposed, not all of them had family at the forefront of their minds. At least, not the family she thought of when she heard the word.

The brunette was also very curious. Memories came flooding into her head, the sight of silvery hair passing by her eyes. The man in her memories was smiling as he held a much smaller her, pointing to some kind of being they'd never seen before. She remembered squeezing his top, trying to tell him not to interact with a stranger, but he was too fascinated. His magenta eyes sparkled as he peered over at the creature that looked a lot like them sans any wings. He wanted to know about them. What were they? Why didn't they have wings? Could they...fly?

He was dense, too. He didn't get how people thought, and because of that, he'd often hurt people. Most of the time, it was unintentional, but he did hurt them. The silvery-haired man cooed at the small thing in his arms and set her down. Then he moved towards the stranger, giving a coy smile while putting his finger to his mouth. He was telling her to be quiet, so she made herself appear smaller and hid behind the bushes. She didn't like it when he set her down. That always meant something dangerous was nearby. Otherwise, he'd never put her down.

The man didn't even ask anything. He didn't interact with the being except as maybe he would a rock. Then he stood for a while, peering down at them before darting his eyes to the mountain cliff they were overlooking. And then, without warning, he pushed them over, watching as they fell more and more. He looked like he was waiting for something, but, in the end, as the being fell to their death, he just hummed, a blank look on his face. The man held the same look on his face as he picked up the little girl, but the girl just stared in horror over the edge of the mountain.

Suddenly, the (h/c) haired girl snapped out of it as Haru began nuzzling her. For a while, her breathing escalated and her back seared. She began to panic, especially as the wind began to blow on her already shaking form. Her hands began to clench on her arms, the girl inhaling but finding that no air entered her lungs. If only...if only she was like that man. But, even if she was, there was no escaping her blood and no escaping the constant craving for it.

And then she froze, the brunette pulling her onto his lap. He didn't say a word and just began petting her head with a big smile on his face. She bit down on her lip and looked away, but he kept smiling, playing with her hair as if nothing had happened at all. If there was something comforting about him, it was that he was always so calm. Even if he was angry 10% of the time because someone touched something that was his...moments with him were surprisingly peaceful. She ended up smiling because of that.

After a while of calming down and focusing on her breathing, she returned to her own tranquil state of being. Silently, she sat up when she was ready and let out a steady stream of breath. She couldn't see it merge with the larger rushing stream of air, a small piece of the bigger picture. Humbled, she turned to the brunette and leaned in his embrace, kissing over his jaw towards his lips. Everything was alright.

"I love you," he openly offered, the same small smile on his face.

She couldn't deny she had always been starved for affection. Thus, saying something quite like that made her weak. The girl flushed, swatting the male's hand away as he became concerned for her health. At first, the overwhelming affection he freely gave made it so hard to get close to him. It was too much at once (though she hadn't thought that would ever be an issue for her). She thought he was only faking it, but Haru couldn't lie to save his life. It was much easier to trust him.

"I...do, too."

"Hm? Hm? Hm?"

The brunette blushed and became very energetic. He asked her to repeat what she had said, but she wouldn't do it. Either way, he was satisfied. Even as their date came to an end, he viewed it very successfully. After all, it was hard to get her to say something like that. She tried very hard to create an aura of maturity and strictness. Yet she had said it to him. Haru was very happy. He couldn't really describe it past that.

They returned soon enough. All the while, she remained attached to him, clinging to him silently. She didn't really care who saw them, and, for the first time in a while, he got to show off their relationship. Though he hadn't really needed to show off, his title as an Akahito more than enough to make others writhe in envy, he always took pleasure in showing off people close to him. When he was younger, he loved carting his mother around, and when he got older, it was Bastien. Both went along with his whims just because, but getting (Y/n) to do it was something special, indeed.

Sona looked shocked as they entered the embassy but chose to remain both silent and afar. He then did his part to distract Bastien from rushing to his older brother. If the younger girl was in the mood to hang off of Haru's arm, it was best to leave her be. Otherwise, she might have changed her mind, and then the brunette would have become very sour. No one really could predict what he would do, but when it was after that occurrence, it became obvious just what he would do to anyone that interrupted.

Haru was holding his breath, waiting for her to fully enter his room. When she did, he let out a small sound of exaltation. He had thought, when she declared she would move to the other side of the building, she would never go in his room. However, past that, she even laid down on the bed with him, cuddling him wordlessly. He excitedly went to grab what he had been working on just for her, wanting to talk on and on about all the things he had put into it, including the design. The brunette wanted her to love it more than he did, so he was ramping up as he showed her the paper.

Yet, she had fallen asleep, comforted by his mere presence. For a moment, disappointment washed over him, but he soon got excited again. Moving to hug her tightly, he chose to sleep with her - a rare treat. It wasn't difficult at all to fall into a nice, deep slumber, the brunette just as comforted by her as she was by him. How nice it was to have someone there to calm the rampant emotions inside.

. . .

"They went to a garden?" Orion questioned, listening to the ramblings of a servant that was not his own, "But why? Does she not like the ones here?"

"I'm not sure, your highness. If you'd like, I can extend an invitation for a tour of the imperial gardens. She might - "

"No! No." A pause, "I-I don't want to bother her."

The servant boy glimmered in awe at the prince. He was always so considerate of other people, even when they were rude to him. To be honest, most of the servants were very wary about the (h/c) haired girl. It was beyond rude to reject gifts from the royal family, and worse to ignore them. If it was up to him, he would have driven the girl out, but she was a guest of state and the orange-haired boy seemed to like her. Sighing, the servant fiddled with their thumbs, watching the prince's despaired reaction.

"Besides," he blushed, pulling his sheets over his mouth, "if she was going to take a tour, I'd want to be the one to show her around."

"No one likes the gardens more than you do, your highness!"

"It's not the gardens that I - "

The younger male stopped himself short, flaring bright red and hiding his entire face, but it was apparent what he was going to say. Immediately, the servant forgot about their distaste for the girl. He beamed in joy and clasped his hands together, sparkling at the thought of the two of them. Orion was experiencing his first love. All of a sudden, the male's face fell at the tragic reality before him. His first and only love would never come to fruition.

The servant became eager and resigned to get the orange-haired prince what he wanted. Even just a single date would mean the world to him. That much the servant was sure of. As such, at once, he set off to tell the others. The palace became full of chatter, people reevaluating the (h/c) haired girl despite her shortcomings and rudeness. The common consensus was that she was able to reject the prince's gifts so boldly because they were close. Of course, it was a blatant distortion of the truth, but, all of a sudden, like magic, her treatment at the castle was a whole lot better.

"She'll want to leave if you treat her like a blasphemer."