Kazuki was graced by the sound of the (h/c) haired girl's singing, his body relaxing at the mere sound of it. Indeed, she was like a muse, her words and the tone in her voice prompting utter reverence from him. Untrained though she was, she had a natural talent that surpassed constant practice. It seemed it was another connection to his family line that the blonde couldn't ignore. If not just Rei and himself, there was also their mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandfather, etc. The royal family almost always had an angelic voice apt for singing.

As he stared at her, his mind didn't stray away from seeing the similarities in his bloodline. They were all too familiar to him, and it would explain the odd sense of understanding that both him and his brothers felt around her. Truth be told, he didn't know how to figure the puzzle piece out or how to even start with the few pieces he had. There was nothing that outright connected her to his family, and the fact he needed to bring it up to her prompted his mind to spin constantly.

He moved his hand without any indication of what to do. His heart took the reins on his movements, his pink cheeks pushing him to make any kind of contact with her he could. Thus, he let his fingers comb through her (h/c) locks of hair. Again, his mind wandered while his heart took action. It might have been true that only the royal family ever had a chance of possessing a silvery blue color, but was it possible she had it as well?

"I...realize this may be insensitive, but," the male paused, feeling almost lonely when the younger girl stopped singing, "is your hair dyed?"

"Huh? No. My hair is the same natural (h/c) color it's always been. Do you want me to dye my hair?"

"No, no, no," the male denied, shaking his head and hands furiously while chuckling nervously, "I like you as is, believe me."

Kazuki let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want the younger girl to even be distantly related to him. The idea of being romantically and otherwise interested in a family member in such a way made him want to throw up. However, it was clear that he needed to continue searching for more pieces to the puzzle to make his love for the younger girl perfectly acceptable. It wouldn't be just for him but for the eyes of the public. If anyone ever found out about any of the few puzzle pieces he found, he would lose it. It would be humiliating, but more so, it would be a chance for someone to tear them apart, and he couldn't have that.

The male watched as the younger girl stared down at the piano they were seated at. He had taught her a few keys, though she struggled in moving her fourth finger without moving her pinky. She was persistent in attempting to learn, however, and he found it precious. Her resilience was another beautiful trait about her, something that only made him blush more in her presence.

They only had a bit of time together. It made sense considering she was being brought forward to the public as the soon-to-be queen consort. She had to learn etiquette and how to address the public, even learn how to eat. Kazuki had not missed being drilled on these things and held to them to a strict tee. He somewhat pitied (Y/n) for having to be something she clearly wasn't. The blonde would rather have her pampered without any expectations required of her. The thought made him sigh happily.

Still, when they were ripped apart, his heart went along with her. The maids took her away to meet with Rei shortly about something or other. Supposedly he had been in a foul mood, something that prompted Kazuki to roll his eyes. It was always that way. The younger male wanted things when he wanted them and no later, and everyone else catered to it with worried smiles on their faces.

Nonetheless, it did give the older male the opportunity to seek out his great uncle. The older man must have been the most knowledgeable about the goings-on with the castle and their family line. He had always been one to seek out danger and secrets, earning much more than anyone else. Perhaps he could also elaborate on who that person was that harshly warned Kazuki about the dangers in those secrets in addition to (Y/n)'s strange connection to their family. There was clearly something deeper lurking within all parties involved.

. . .

There was something cold. It was freezing. It was wet. It was...displeasing. As the bluenette opened his eyes, he found himself underwater. His breath was disappearing quickly, but he didn't panic. He saw the golden hair above him, knowing he had been pushed into it by his brother. It didn't bother him. It had been the first time he had woken up in so long, his mind fuzzy from everything except (Y/n)'s face.

The male watched as the bubbles of his breath surfaced to the air above the water. It was almost a beautiful sight if he wasn't drowning, but when thinking of the younger girl he wanted so dearly to carress, the water felt lighter, almost letting him breathe. Still, sooner or later, he swam up to the surface and inhaled as much air as he could at the given time. He coughed up water, panting violently as he dragged himself onto the grass beneath him, his chest inflated and deflating with his exhaustion.

"Glad you're up...Well, not really."

Ichiro collapsed on his back, looking up at the sky with a frown on his face. He rolled his eyes, sitting up straight and crossing his legs while he attempted to shake the water from his hair, only to pause when it wasn't wet at all. The male should have known such a thing, having been attempting to investigate all he could about the pond's secrets. He hadn't acquired anything except for the selectability it possessed. Nonetheless, he wasn't thrilled to have been tossed into a body of water while asleep.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't ever wake up," Rei huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "but I was right about the pond working its magic."

"Where's (Y/n)?" the bluenette demanded, getting straight to the point with eyes as dead as a corpse.

The blonde's eyebrow twitched, a sneer forming across his lips as he stared down at his older brother. Without thinking about what his actions would cause aside from sheer pain, the blonde moved forward to put his strength into a strong kick, aimed for the bluenette's head. If he was lucky, perhaps he would have been able to knock it straight off, chalking it up to an "accident". After all, Kazuki was the one that he had to keep alive. No one cared about the secondborn. He was shrouded in obscurity.

However, something came over Ichiro, and without knowing what he was doing, the male maneuvered himself to quickly punch his younger brother. There was a bruise on his cheek, a purplish glow on his otherwise slightly pale skin. Guards moved forward to hold the bluenette back from the young king who opted for staring at the ground in front of him. His hand moved to touch his cheek, unused to the idea of pain if it didn't come with pleasure. Then he frowned, gritting his teeth and clenching his free fist.

His narrowed eyes shot to the strangely confident and capable Ichiro. The older male was eyeing the guards that restrained him and pushed him to his knees, wondering if it would be more worthwhile to put up with them or ignore their actions. Whichever would have gotten him to the (h/c) haired girl the quickest was his answer, but in terms of speed, the answer was letting the guards do what they needed. Running would have made him a target, and it was unlikely he would ever get to her before being apprehended again.

"Your highness," one of the guards panicked, noticing the noticeable bruise on his king's cheek, "Should I fetch a doctor?"

"What good'll that do?!" the blonde snapped, "Forget it! I'm not a glass vase!"

"I don't know," Ichiro hummed, his tone strangely distant and possessing a lurking violent indication, "Maybe if I give you a few more bashes, (Y/n) will see how ugly you really are."

At this, Rei reacted poorly. The idea of the younger girl viewing him as something less than perfect prompted great rage and uncertainty in him. If she wasn't enthralled with him, what was the point? The answer was there was none. She was bound to him in the way he was to her, unable to leave the other's side as he had intended it. He was promised she would be his, and the words of something that very much had the power to change the deal frightened him.

As if a wild animal, the blonde only had two options to choose from. Either, in fear, he would flee and avoid the confrontation or idea of losing something he wanted more than anything or he would fight. His violent side favored the latter, but his intelligence attempted to overcome it. Alas, the lion saw a threat, and wouldn't let something invade its territory when it was too much of a threat. It should be dealt with and fed to the vultures.

The younger male couldn't resist attempting to inflict the pain on the bluenette that he had suggested would be done to him instead. It was only fitting. There was great violence in both males, the guards feeling shivers up their spines. They stepped away, releasing Ichiro while keeping a close eye on him. There was the undeniable feeling of fear for not only their lives but their souls. They were dealing with the direct descendants of their goddess, Ezdia. The consequences of infighting could be disastrous.

And indeed, they were, but as Rei and Ichiro began to imagine how to inflict as much pain on the other as possible, they suddenly stopped, confusing everyone observing the interaction. There was no distinction of the things that happened in those moments, the separation of time less than one millisecond. At the same time, the same thought appeared in both of their minds.

(Y/n) looked heartbroken, her beautiful (e/c) pupils shaking as they were laced with the most sorrowful tears. Some had already fallen from her eyes, leaking down her just slightly pink cheeks, directing the attention to lay on her quivering lips. She appeared scared and frightened, all the same, her hand held up to her mouth as if she was attempting to defend herself from some kind of an attack.

"Please," she stuttered, her tone possessing a frailness that neither male could deny or face without feeling immense guilt, "don't fight."

At once, their guards were lowered, focusing on what their minds had pictured. It was believable, wasn't it? That she would disapprove of violence and be frightened by it? Yes, it was. Ichiro stood down, feeling remorse for having even pictured the idea of harming his brother. He had never been one for violence, and truthfully, he didn't know what had gotten into him. His mind was in a haze, and that was the only thing he could picture. Thus, he gave up trying to harm his brother, muttering an almost inaudible apology.

However, Rei was still entirely too frustrated. He couldn't deal with the thought of losing the (h/c) haired girl because of something someone else had done. A bruise would make him look ugly to her, and would damage their reputation. Perhaps she would have broken down at his appearance, her fragile state of mind crumbling under the circumstances. And it was all the bluenette's fault. As such, the blonde grabbed the older male by the collar and harshly swung his fist at him with everything he could muster.

"You two," Mica tsked, stepping forward as Rei caught his breath, attempting to calm himself down for the younger girl's sake, "Violence leads to more violence, shouldn't you know that?"

Of course, the two were well aware of that fact. They hadn't thought of themselves as being able to do harm to another without reason, especially the older of the two who had typically shied away from violence. Still, when it came down to it, they only wanted to protect the things they loved, and most of the time, when it came to (Y/n), their primal instincts were more present. Their defense for her was to be both a sword and shield, pushing aside anyone in the way of their affection.

"Well, it's to be expected," the older man sighed, shaking his head almost disappointedly, "but I would advise against ripping one another apart. I will be a tattletale, mind you."

The silvery blue-haired male stood behind the two younger boys, the both of them turning their attention away from him to the other's intimidating presence. Still, the tense atmosphere in the air had long since faded away, not that Rei didn't want to keep beating the ever-loving crud out of his older brother. Ichiro felt the same, but his urges were much less than the blonde's, but if given the opportunity, he likely would have taken it.

"Is there a reason you decided to drown me?" the bluenette asked, still feeling the water in his lungs.

"Aside from your backstabbing, thievery, and outright demeaning way of addressing my cupcake? Yes. You've hurt her, and I'm worried, so you're going to answer my questions."

"I'm not the one that tortured her."

Both males were once again locked into another glaring contest, the older man stepping in to intervene with a small mischievous chuckle. It seemed he was the only reason that they weren't tearing one another apart for their sly and insulting words and select slander. Nonetheless, the guards were as tense as ever, their shoulders hunched and their eyes directly in front of them. Should either male break out into a violent rage, the course of action would be difficult to deal with.

"You're a poor excuse for a man," the blonde growled, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his body just slightly away as he looked down at the bluenette who sat criss-cross on the floor, "In case you haven't forgotten, she fell in love with me first."

"And now she's over you now that she knows what love feels like and not constant pain and ridicule."

"Watch your tongue or I'll cut it off myself."

"(Y/n) seemed to like it when I shoved it down her throat."

Again, Rei could not be held back when he heard the bluenette's oddly calm statement. If it were a normal him, he would have never said such a thing, especially not to a family member, but there was something off. Mica certainly saw it, fearing for the worst, especially when the blonde and bluenette once again engaged in a fistfight. It started with Rei attempting to choke the older male, only to become more agitated every time Ichiro dodged him.

A strange confidence appeared in him, a smirk spreading from one cheek to the other, mocking his brother repeatedly. It was certainly something he could get used to. He'd never seen Rei in a state of mania, especially not one he had ever caused. Ichiro had long since been on the receiving end of the fence, appreciating the opportunity to give the blonde a taste of his own medicine. Only when the bluenette was about to start inflicting actual violence on him did Mica have the ability to stop the fight.

"Boys, enough!" he yelled, something very unlike him, "Should I drag the poor girl down here to see you acting like two dogs in heat?! No?! Then bite the damn bullet and keep your hands to yourself like two gentlemen would!"

The two boys once again settled down, Rei contemplating on how to speak without spiraling into another furious fit, not that he had forgiven Ichiro for his words. In fact, he would be punished for them later, but at that point in time, he was more concerned about (Y/n)'s well-being than teaching the bluenette a lesson. She was proceeding to show symptoms of an overdose, something that must have been solely Ichiro's doing. The eldest of them had always been extremely careful about restraining from it.

"How often did you use it?" the blonde asked, his tone distant and yet spiteful.

The bluenette paused, his gaze diverting to the floor. It had been true he might have abused his ability to push forward pleasant feelings to the younger girl, but he didn't regret it. She showed him genuine feelings without any truly consequential effects, even if Rei didn't seem to think so. Then again, Ichiro couldn't simply blame himself. The blonde clearly couldn't control his ability, being more prone to using it than not, even after he found himself able to control it.

"How often did you?"