Ichiro was in the process of setting up a video call, something he'd never had the mind to do before. He wasn't the most technologically advanced despite his brother's occupation, and he wasn't fond of many new devices. The world had been progressing quickly, an ingenious and young inventor coming up with things that people once thought only science fiction. That being said, the bluenette wasn't even able to use a phone without being confused. He didn't really need it all that often.

He was a bit torn up over staying in the hotel when Kazuki called him to say that he would be staying at the castle with Rei. Although the blonde couldn't be convinced to come to the hotel, it didn't mean the bluenette had to be lonely. In fact, he had been trying to call (Y/n), wanting to see what she'd been up to. She had been all alone at the penthouse, after all. Although it seemed cruel, he greatly wished for her to be lonely.

Ichiro dialed up the phone that Kazuki had given the younger girl, greatly anticipating seeing her. He bounced on the bed with a chuckle as the dial tone came on, and watched as a bird flocked to the windowsill of the hotel. He opened the window so the bird could come in, tearing up a piece of bread to feed it. It was then that the younger girl picked up the phone, her voice coming through the device.

"Hi, (Y/n)!" he chuckled excitedly, rubbing the back of his head, "Are you doing okay? You have enough food, right?"

"Yes, you went on a shopping spree, don't you remember?" the younger girl chuckled, "The pantry and refrigerator are fully stocked and you left me two hundred dollars if I wanted to eat out."

"Well, you can never be too careful! Hey, do you know how the hologram feature works? I wanna see you."

The younger girl gave instructions on how to work the device, but she wasn't too in the know about it either. Rei hadn't let her near many electronics, and she certainly hadn't been aboard the whole technology revolution that a certain Akahito sparked. That being said, as the bluenette worked with the phone, he watched as the spitting image of (Y/n) appeared in the room. There was no resemblance to any form of foreseeable technology, just a (h/c) haired girl in the room with a fascinated expression.

"Wow! It's like you're really here with me," the bluenette blushed, reaching out to see his hand pass right through her, "Oh..."

The technology was truly something, allowing the male to see a person that was thousands of miles away like they were truly there. However, the fact that he was not able to touch her made it less than satisfactory in his eyes. Still, at the very least, he was able to see her and her smiling face. He even saw Chariot as he bounced along the floor and Mona as she swished her tail, giving a purr.

"Hey guys!" the bluenette chuckled, leaning down as his cat tried to brush her fur against him then proceeded to be frustrated when she couldn't feel him, meowing loudly, "I'm sorry, Mona. I'll be back soon."

"They're getting pretty worked up without you," the younger girl smiled, "They must really love you."

"Oh, I hired a housekeeper to come in and do some chores and feed my pets. They haven't disturbed you, have they? I told them not to bother you."

"I didn't even know someone was in the penthouse. To be honest, I'm kind of lonely here. W-When do you think you'll come back?"

Ichiro resisted the urge to jump around the room, knowing that the (h/c) haired girl could see him too if she so chose. However, a bubbly feeling surged through his body at the sound of her words. It wasn't necessarily a good thing, but the moment he returned home, he hoped she would cling to him. He greatly craved the feeling of her touch, wondering if she would cuddle up to him. His cheeks flared pink.

"As soon as possible, I promise!" he replied quickly, "We had the funeral yesterday, but I just want to pay my respect to my family today, so I hope I'll see you tomorrow though it'll probably be late at night. C-Can I bring you back a souvenir or something? I'd hate to have just left you at home all alone without an apology gift! What would you like? No, I should figure that out. Maybe I could - "

"You're rambling," the younger girl chuckled, petting Chariot as he sniffled and scrunched his nose, "I don't need anything though the thought is sweet."

"I-If you say so," the bluenette laughed nervously, finding he had another call from his big brother, "Oh, I guess I have to go, b-but let's talk later! And please call me. I-I mean feel free to call me."

Ichiro quickly hung up on the girl and threw his phone on the bed, his face bright red. His heart was pounding ridiculously quickly, and for a few minutes, he thought he'd die. The call from his brother was nothing special, just a small check-up, but his mind was on his call with (Y/n). His hands shook, his mind spun, and his heart was wild. He loved every moment of it, and though he was quite some distance from her, he felt so close to her still.

The bluenette was eager to get back to her, wanting to experience more of the emotional rollercoaster she had to offer. He leaped over his hotel room bed and began to dress, brushing out his hair and teeth, and running out of the door with a wide grin on his face. The walk was short to the palace, and he attempted to avoid the press at the same time, covering his face as he entered the castle.

Kazuki was there waiting for him in the dining room with Rei. The younger blonde had a blank look on his face as he rested his head on his elder brother's shoulder. At the same time, the bluenette felt jealous at the sight. Rei had already stolen him the previous night. Why was he still clinging to him? Ichiro pouted, kicking at the ground as he sat down, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, just barely looking at the two out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you sleep well?" the eldest male asked, directing his question to the bluenette, "You haven't slept on your own for a while."

"I'm fine, actually," Ichiro smiled, thinking of his conversation with (Y/n), "I couldn't sleep but I feel all fizzy inside like I could run twenty miles!"

Rei's eyes narrowed. While he was suffering without his cupcake, the bluenette seemed to be having the time of his life. He was glowing, kicking his legs playfully under the table and so full of life that it sickened the blonde. Besides, he knew that the bluenette was responsible for the (h/c) haired girl's disappearance. He was only waiting for him to screw up so he could find out where she was and get her back in one piece.

He didn't speak at breakfast, watching the bluenette's every move, hearing his every word, and digging into what he could have been thinking. It was something that drove on his nerves, and he dug his nails into his thighs as he watched his older brother. Kazuki noticed his glares and scowls but attempted not to make a scene. Rei was right, after all. He was fully aware of his skepticism about Ichiro in correlation to the younger girl's disappearance.

After their meal, the youngest male was instructed to attend a press conference with his parents. Since neither Kazuki nor Ichiro were invited, they made their way to the garden. It felt odd without Orion there, and the plants almost appeared as if they were wilting or mourning his death. Still, there was something more fascinating about the garden as if it was humming a song that only a select few could hear.

It wasn't quite a ballad of loss and heartbreak, but of curiosity and wonderment as if the nature surrounding them had experienced something mystical. Perhaps it was welcoming back the two brothers, enveloping them in the sweet melody of the hummingbirds' serene song and the light flapping of the butterflies' wings. From high to low and sweet to somber, the notes were more than pleasing to the ear, invoking those who heard it with the utmost of love and compassion.

As Ichiro sat down at the willow tree his grandmother used to brush his hair at, some butterflies rested on his hair. It was as if the colorful creatures were complimenting his hair much in the same way as his grandmother would. They moved their wings softly as they rested on him, prompting him to close his eyes and relax. It had been far too long since he'd enjoyed the peace of nature, and he planned to soak as much of it up as he possibly could. Vethela was like no other in both flora and fauna.

"It's peaceful here," the bluenette sighed, "I've always loved it here."

"And I've never understood why you haven't made a garden back home in Athain. Even if it was because you're hopeless with plants, I would have hired a gardener for you."

"It's not the same. I want to be surrounded by plants and animals, not trap them in an enclave where they're surrounded by vicious concrete and pollution. Butterflies wouldn't be happy in the city, would you guys?"

A small morpho butterfly landed on the younger male's finger and it proceeded to jump on his nose, giving him a butterfly kiss. He could only chuckle and smile with great amusement, the butterfly proceeding to flap its dark blue wings gently. It was such a delicate creature that it could break at any given moment, something that was as simple as it was entrancing. It was given so much beauty, but even a baby could tear it apart with one touch.

"I'm going to ask (Y/n) out."

Although the music of nature continued, serenading the younger male with beauty and gentleness, Kazuki heard silence. It was like the world stopped at that simple statement for him. He couldn't stomach the thought. If the fact that Rei suspected him wasn't enough, then surely the realization that Ichiro was in love with the (h/c) haired girl would have signed his death warrant. Ichiro was walking on thin ice.

"I would strongly advise against it," Kazuki tensed, feeling his heart race in fear for his brother, "Rei already believes you are responsible for her disappearance."

"Rei will kill me either way when he finds out," the younger male smiled, watching as the butterfly on his nose jumped back on his finger and then away towards a nearby rose, "I'd rather have a fleeting love than none at all."

"Ichi, I'm serious."

"So am I. I think I'm in love with her. I know it's only been a handful of months, but something in me says that I should know her. It's like I've known her for more than this lifetime. I don't know how to explain it."

The blonde turned his head away, trying to figure out how to convince his brother out of the crazy idea in his mind. It would no doubt lead to much bloodshed. While Ichiro was unlikely to hurt a fly, Rei would tear apart the world if it meant that the younger girl was back in his arms. It was likely it wouldn't matter that she was treated well and respected in the penthouse. The fact that she was there at all would give a motive for the blonde to kill his older brother.

"Ichiro, listen to my words carefully," Kazuki stated as calmly as he could, taking in a deep breath, "If not because of Rei, then don't do it for yourself. You should know what effect you have on other people."

"It's not the same."

"You said that the last time and the time before it and the time before that. It just keeps going. It's like a curse with you."

The bluenette's eyes widened and he turned suddenly to look far to his right, just a bit behind him. The butterflies that rested on him took off in fear, fading away until they were further than Kazuki's eyes could see. The younger male's body appeared to tense, his muscles ceasing to move and his mind ceasing to process everything. He just stared blankly behind him, his breath hitching in his throat. It wasn't until a few moments of silence passed when he seemed to relax and he brought his knees up to his chest, hiding his lower face behind it, his cyan eyes peeking up and looking to the edge of the pond.

It was that same pond that he compared the younger girl to when she finally started speaking to him. Her voice had such a delicate quality to it like a butterfly's wings, but it was also deep like the pond before the bluenette. There was something behind it that he knew, but something that he didn't, and it was the latter that he couldn't let slide by him. What was the answer that she hid behind her saccharine voice?

"I want to be loved by others," Ichiro stated, his eyes possessing a great and deep sadness, "I want people to look at me like they look at you and Rei. Even if it's just one person - just (Y/n) - I want someone to love me because they want to, not because being family forces them to."

There wasn't half a second that passed by before the bluenette felt a warm feeling on his forehead and a strong but oh-so weak embrace. If the male didn't hold himself up to such an extreme and demanding emotional state at almost all times, his arms would have been shaking. The idea that his younger brother would say such a thing made him feel utterly worthless. He had thought that his role in life was to support his brothers, but was he failing that now? There was too much unanswered for him to say a word. He could only depend on his embrace to speak for him.

"I know," the bluenette stated, throwing his arms around the blonde, "You don't love me because you have to. You would love me even if I killed you."

. . .

It was well into the night when the two of the brothers left the willow tree. It was a safe haven for them, that much was true, and when Ichiro couldn't sleep later on, he made his way from his hotel back to the palace. The guards looked at him strangely, but the garden called to him, and he didn't have the mind to resist it. He simply wanted to be in the presence of nature, not cooped up in a concrete block no matter how luxurious it was.

He walked through the central garden, taking a deep breath of air. It was the cleanest, purest, most quintessential air that one could get in the natural world. Just a breath filled the male with the energy of feeling, so much so that he felt as if he was in another world; one designed especially for him. The flowers were glowing a faint green, lighting up as the male walked by them and the butterflies radiated a faint blue iridescence, flying by the bluenette as he meandered further in.

The male stopped just by the edge of the pond, gazing into its clear and yet indistinguishable waters. The water could easily drown him, but it was soft and cool to the touch. His hand skimmed through the faint ripples of the night, the moon's reflection almost sparkling in his eyes. And then there was a distant light beneath the water. He could have swum for ages, eons even, and he wouldn't have reached it yet it was the same light he heard behind the (h/c) haired girl's voice. Which way would be easier to get?

Truthfully, he didn't know. Without thinking, the male ducked his head under the water, opening his eyes to see the light just a bit more clearly. He stretched his hand out to touch it, but it was beyond his reach. It was unbearable seeing it and not being able to touch it. Years had gone by when he tried to hold his breath long enough to reach it, but he never could. He pouted, ultimately coming up for breath.

The male began to shake his head, drying his hair from the water even if it was still just a bit damp. He rested his back against the willow tree, watching the leaves of the tree light up a soft green. The glowing blue butterflies rested on Ichiro, uncaring of his wet hair. They only wanted to indulge in his presence, resting on his hair, but one, in particular, went straight to rest on his finger.

His cyan eyes assessed it with a gentleness, the butterfly's wings stunning him. The creatures' wings had always fascinated him, and not only was the beauty part of it but the gorgeous idea of a creature so small. It only took one to change the course of a lifetime or brighten someone's day. How did they decide when to land on someone's finger? What made them do it? Were they predisposed to being attracted to someone?

There were many questions that someone could have about so small a creature, but Ichiro only had one question. The male knew many facts about the butterfly, and there was one that seemed to capture his interest. They could see colors that people could not. Did that mean that butterflies were attracted to people with the brightest colors? It was then that a secondary question popped up into the bluenette's mind.

"What color is (Y/n)?" he whispered, watching the butterfly flap its wings slowly as if responding to him.

He didn't want to know what color he was. No, he didn't care. He knew Kazuki's color. It was white; purity; the color of an angel. But the (h/c) haired girl's color was more complex. She wasn't one that people knew of. Then the blunette had another thought. If he held a butterfly to her, would it be able to see her color? Suddenly, Ichiro was jealous of such a small creature. That being said...he didn't hurt it. Not yet.