As Kazuki had left for his work, Ichiro began preparing for the "family night", running around to place games on the table. He had also concocted a large shopping list in which he dragged (Y/n) out for in the afternoon. She took subtle joy in watching him grin widely and do all he could do to collect the perfect snacks, drinks, even treats for his pets. The younger girl was also told to take whatever she wanted, the male promising to pay for it all. In fact, he really wanted her to and went so far as to encourage her.

"I'm not strapped for cash, I promise," he pleaded, "You should enjoy yourself more. Please, please, please, at least let me buy you one thing."

The (h/c) haired girl gave a sigh and looked around the aisles for anything she could find that she actually liked. When she came across a fizzy drink she rather liked, she picked it up and guiltily set it in the cart. Despite the fact she'd been spoiled rotten by Rei, she wasn't raised to be like that and was always finding ways to conserve her budget. She wasn't so keen on spending money that wasn't for essentials, but Ichiro was begging with her to let him get her something. In that regard, he bore some similarities to his younger brother.

While the bluenette wanted to buy tons of junk food, the younger girl also requested to go to the grocery store. She didn't speak, obviously, but she made sure to tug on his sleeve and point to one. He understood rather quickly and followed her as she bought different vegetables, flour, fruit, and much more. Ichiro was extremely excited about the prospect of having her cook, fast food being rather displeasing to him. The last time she made something, he was reminded of his home, so he was giddy the entire shopping trip.

When they returned to the penthouse, they had a lot of groceries, snacks, and everything in between. Luckily, they were helped out by the front desk, lending them a bag cart to take everything up to the penthouse. Without it, they would have been going back and forth from the car to the top of the building for hours. Still, they began to stock the almost empty fridge with the newly acquired groceries, placing the snacks and drinks on the living room table.

Though it was only late afternoon and Kazuki wasn't scheduled to arrive back home until much later, Ichiro couldn't stop jumping up and down on the couch. It was like it was his birthday the way he rocked back and forth. If that wasn't any indication of how riled up he was, his bunny was doing the same, hopping and stomping on the couch. When Ichiro paused, Chariot did too, and when he started up again, so too did the rabbit.

"(Y/n), come here!" the boy called loudly, "Let's watch tv together!"

The younger girl didn't respond. She'd spent half the day with the male and still, he wanted more time with her. Frankly, she was exhausted, her introverted side competing with his more extroverted self. Instead of joining him in the living room, she began to cook dinner. Deciding on pasta, garlic bread, and a side of green beans, she set to work on cooking, making time pass more quickly for her and Ichiro.

When Kazuki finally returned back home, he gave a sigh and dragged his feet to his room. It was obvious his day had been rough and the only thing he wanted to do was take a shower and have some fun. Well, he would have preferred sleep, but spending time with his younger brother proved to be better for his spirit. Ichiro was so excited about it, after all. He simply couldn't wait to get started.

As the blonde came out of the shower, he dressed in his pajamas and dried his hair with a towel. He then made his way to the living room, his younger brother jumping on him and stating that he loved him more than life itself. It was thoroughly exhausting, but Kazuki couldn't deny that he felt overwhelming love from the younger male. Nothing was better than coming home to someone that wanted nothing more than to love him unconditionally.

"(Y/n) made us dinner," the bluenette beamed, dragging his brother to the table, "She's really sweet, huh?"

Kazuki gave a concerned expression, but only pet the younger boy's head in response. When eating the dinner the younger girl made, his look of guilt only increased and he wanted to stop partaking in her generosity. Nonetheless, he continued especially because the taste was more Vethelan than he'd had in some time. Her cooking reminded him of times long past, and he couldn't deny it was a comfort to him, even making him slip a few tears down his cheeks. A faint pink could be seen on his face as well.

He took the care to clean the dishes while Ichiro set up the first game for the evening, putting on a movie for background noise. The (h/c) haired girl would have left for the males to spend time with one another, but the bluenette insisted on her staying. He claimed that he would have more fun with her than without her and that he wanted her to feel included. It was hard to refuse him when he was using puppy dog eyes, practically begging her to stay.

"Here, do you like Monopoly?" the boy asked, holding up the game's box with a hopeful expression on his face, "You can be the puppy. Zuki's usually the top hat - Oh, but I'm sure he'll let you have it if you want!"

The younger girl sat down on the couch and looked curiously at the board, giving the bluenette next to her great hope. At the same time, Kazuki finished the dishes and made his way over to the living room. He began to shuffle the orange and yellow cards, placing them in their respective areas and organizing the place names. The male took the role of the banker while he gave Ichiro the place cards. Then everybody rolled the dice to see who would go first. The winner was the bluenette.

The game began and he proceeded to roll the dice and buy the places just like in any normal game. It continued for a time, the game coming to an end when Kazuki ended up winning, likely due to his business senses. Still, he was impressed with (Y/n)'s coming close even if Ichiro was demanding a rematch. They all decided against it, preferring to play something else that didn't give them a headache, so it led them to a game of Uno in which the bluenette also lost spectacularly.

While it might have seemed like a waste of time, the (h/c) haired girl was filled with an innate sense of love and affection. The companionship she received was something she didn't know she needed so badly. If the connection she made with the two males was taken away, she didn't think she could live. She'd fall into a deep depression and cry over the loss of the company, and just thinking of the pain it would inflict made the younger girl cry slightly.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and though she didn't feel the sadness, it was there, trying to escape instead of wanting to build up inside of her. Nonetheless, she only felt a tightness in her chest and a fear threatening to make her collapse. A hollow expression crossed her face and her lip began to tremble. She dropped the cards in her hands, moving her hands to place them on her arms in order to comfort herself, but they never touched.

Instead, the (h/c) haired girl was embraced by the two males who felt no hesitation about lending their hands to her. Both males held onto one of her hands, stroking it delicately with a concerned look on their faces. Strangely enough, she didn't pull away at her touch, just accepted the affection they had to offer. They were genuinely fearing for her wellbeing, something she couldn't push away. The younger girl just leaned into their warm touches. Ichiro would wipe away her tears and Kazuki would stroke her hair.

"You don't need to cry," the bluenette wept, finding her sadness to be contagious for him, "I promise you're safe here, okay? We just want to...we just want to protect you from Rei."

At the mention of the male's name, the younger girl squeezed onto Kazuki's hand, prompting his eyes to tear up as well. He knew as much that she was terrified of his youngest brother and of what he had done with his sadistic impulses. The male couldn't have imagined how fearful of Rei she was nor did he know if there was anything that could ever help her. The thought was more than just saddening. It was excruciating. But Kazuki was wrong.

(Y/n) didn't fear Rei in a traditional sense. In fact, she rather loved and adored him, knowing he felt the same about her. He could be prone to violence, but to him, he was like a caged monster, tired of being gawked at. The blonde lashed out because he was afraid, too. In fact, he cried often to her about the things he'd done, always regretting inflicting such terror on her mind. Most of the time, he didn't know she was awake. He simply cried and clung to her tightly, holding her protectively as if he could truly shield her from him.

She understood his feelings for her more than he knew. The male was starved for recognition. Attention, he had, but not recognition. There were only two others besides the (h/c) haired girl that understood who Rei was and accepted him for it, and they were both six feet under. Rei was overly protective of (Y/n), condescending occasionally, but he was hurting, and she was the only person that could heal his broken mind. If she could do that, he wouldn't want to hurt another. Her love would be enough for him.

It might have seemed like the girl was withdrawn from him, but she was simply in disbelief. He saw no other option than to keep her in his care and separate her from any threats even if it meant restricting her and treating her like a prisoner. The blonde knew she was miserable, but he tried to do everything he could to make it more bearable for her until he worked out security for her. He wanted the best guards, the best ladies in waiting, the best food for her, and only the best.

Unfortunately, the best took time, as did being the future king. His time, though he wanted to spend it all with her, was taken up and an entire country depended on him. Stress ate away at him from being constantly watched and assessed by people he thought irksome. All he wanted to do was provide for (Y/n), keep her safe, and make her happy. Sadly, at the time, it appeared that he only met two of the criteria, and she just knew it was killing him at the same time she thought about him.

. . .

The blonde was in his room, bawling his eyes out, grabbing at his sheets. No, they weren't his sheets. They were his and (Y/n)'s. They shared them, they slept together, they held one another in their arms and felt safer than in the eyes of the judging public. Together, they shielded one another from the harsh reality away from each other. Without that, Rei was falling apart, infuriated, depraved, craving blood...and painfully lonely.

Without the younger girl, the only thing he could think to do was lash out at the people he found responsible. (Y/n) wouldn't have run from him no matter what, he knew that...no, he feared that. His delusion seeped into his mind and fantasies ran wild. The scum of the earth must have taken his precious cupcake. The criminals that envied what he had with her took her to make him seem weak. But he wasn't weak!

Rei punched a wall, uncaring of the blood seeping down his knuckles. He then fell to his knees and continued crying, unable to take the heavy weight pressing down on his chest. An insatiable panic went through his veins, prompting him to feel as if he would burst from grief. The male continued to pound his fist against the wall, begging for it all just to be over. He wanted (Y/n) back, he wanted her safe, he wanted to kiss her and tell her everything was alright and that she would be safe.

From the moment she entered his life, he despised her. He wanted to rip her apart and feed her to the wolves. He wanted to humiliate her and toy with her before discarding her. It was the only thing that ever made him feel like he was being given proper attention. If he couldn't have recognition, neither could anybody else. Rei wanted her begging for her life before he shot her and left her to bleed out on the floor, but she never feared the gun.

It caused him to shake, shiver even with hope; hope that he knew would fade away all too soon. In an attempt to cast away fake hope, he steeled his heart, trying to do anything he could to make her fear him, make her turn from him, make her run away as fast as she could. He kept pushing and pushing and pushing, but she never submitted. Even if it wasn't intentional, she knew who he was - what he was - and didn't dismiss it like anybody else. It touched his soul and made him deeply infatuated with her.

When he gave her an inkling of his past, she wanted to know more, she even asked and went to him to understand it all. His grandmother, his parents, the pressure, everything he told her and her alone. It was all to see the little glimmer of curiosity in her gorgeous (e/c) pupils, the anxious look she had on her face when he told her more. It was proof she bore strong attractions and affections towards him, and it made his heart escalate so addictingly he did it all the time. He would always share little stories with her before bed.

Rei was heartbroken. Letting something so precious be ripped from him without him knowing was utterly pathetic. Swirling emotions clashed in his heart, in his mind, in his soul beating him up over and over, breaking him down violently. It was harsh and he couldn't take it without going mad. The silence cast in the shadow of the younger girl's absence was unbearable and the only thing - besides her - was the desire to kill and torture. He wanted to see someone else suffer in his place while he was the one laughing.

The blonde lifted his head and looked at himself in his mirror. It was cracked, especially after the rage-inducing tantrum he threw when he learned (Y/n) was gone. He stared at his typically charming and elusive appearance in the biggest shard he could find and gave more sobs. There wasn't a day that would go by when he didn't keep himself looking the best he could possibly be. He wanted to be the (h/c) haired girl's handsome prince, but so much for that ideal.

The male was more than unkempt, looking distraught. There were bags under his eyes from the sleep deprivation he put himself through. He thought constantly if he just stayed up an hour more...just one hour more, he'd get news about where she was and he could leap to her rescue. The only thing that it resulted in, however, was more pain and agony in waiting tirelessly in vain.

His hair was askew as well. Before it had been perfectly in place, he would have his servants comb it thoroughly and would take painstaking lengths to maintain its soft texture. He had special shampoo and conditioner to make his hair that way and to exalt the golden shine it had. It wasn't even parted anymore. His locks just hung from his head as if he'd risen from his coffin and came back to life.

Rei felt unclean, but he had no motivation to look better. His mother would have scolded him, but he blamed her for (Y/n)'s disappearance. The male's eyes lit up at such a thought. She was responsible for making him believe everything was fine. If she hadn't lied to him, he could have saved her. He could have kept her safe! Not only that, but he still hadn't punished her for making (Y/n) cry.

His thoughts only proceeded to escalate as he made his way out of his bedchambers, stomping down the hallway. Servants parted from his way, shocked at both his appearance and his livid state. None of them wanted to interfere for fear of being the object of his ire. Who could blame them, truly? The blonde was obviously out to get someone, and they were more or less aware of how violent he could be.

However, he could only think one thing. His mother had to know who was responsible for (Y/n)'s disappearance. It was the only thing that made sense to him. After all, he knew his mother despised any woman he or his brothers would have chosen as their lover. She was cruel to the (h/c) haired girl, constantly degrading her foreign appearance and telling her she was useless.

Of course, Rei only found out afterward, running into people and asking them constantly about his mother and (Y/n). The servants shied away from him, but told him the truth, watching as he only became more infuriated. Almost everyone he ran into said more and more that his mother didn't care to share with him. He didn't blame his darling for not telling him, knowing it would have been hard on her. In fact, she was far too precious for him to see any faults in her. Not disclosing his mother was being a bitch to her was simply her way of showing kindness. How he loved that in her.

As the blonde gave a smile, he touched his shaky hands to his lips. It wasn't nearly as addicting as the (h/c) haired girl's lips on his. They were more gentle, softer, far more loving than anything in his body could ever be. Then the thought of someone criticizing so beautiful drove him far more livid. He bit down on his finger, drawing blood, and continued stomping towards where his mother was. Pushing the doors violently open, he looked around the room, only looking at his father peering down at a novel.

"Rei," he smiled, looking up from the book for just a moment, "What can I do for you?"

"Where's mother?" the younger male growled, clutching his fists tightly.

His father tilted his head just slightly before chuckling and licking his finger, turning the page of his book. He then watched as his son looked angrily around the room, greatly understanding the reason behind it. His former wife was quite a handful, and she could do any number of things to piss off anyone and everyone. The boy gave a gruff scoff when he couldn't find any trace of his mother only for his father to close his book, bouncing it up and down before looking over to his son.

"Why don't we go out for a nice lunch? I'm fond of a restaurant in Afrua."