Ichiro was certainly not in the mood to speak with anyone but the younger girl he so adored. He hardly wanted to have a conversation with his backstabbing brother either. For all of his preaching that he thoroughly loved his little brothers, it didn't stop him from stealing their happiness, did it? No, certainly not, never mind the fact that the blonde sacrificed everything else in his life for them.

As the bluenette sat in the large bath for nobles and royalty, he crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look over at his older brother. He resented him. In order to fix their relationship, it would take more than just a few pretty words. Ichiro wasn't even sure if giving up (Y/n) and helping him secure her for him would make up for what he did. Their family was crumbling, and quickly at that.

Life truly wasn't fair for him. The next thing he knew he would be drowning in a pool of his own blood. He wanted to throw up at that. It was a disgusting sight. Violence had never been something he was drawn to. In fact, he, like Orion, was queasy to the sight of blood. Rei had scarred him with all the things he had done. That was what he wanted to believe. He didn't want to think that he was responsible for being feeble and weak. If everything else was the blonde's fault, why couldn't it explain his fear for violence?

As he felt the water ripple, he looked up to find Kazuki with a conflicted state of mind. His eyebrows were furrowed, his golden hair soaked by the rose-scented water. A bath typically did much to calm his nerves, relaxing him and putting him at ease, but it seemed not even that could draw him out of his despairing feeling. Clearly, there was something heavy on his mind that he couldn't form into words. It was rare when he was unable to speak eloquently. He had always been so articulated.

"I," the blonde paused, scooping up a palm-full of water and staring down into it, "I wanted to talk about your behavior as of late."

"What, are you going to ground me?"

Ichiro's eyes darted to the side with his snide remark, narrowing his cyan irises in discontent. He was in a foul mood, so much so that he refused to think of anything else but pleasantness, and regrettably, the only thing that was delightful was the (h/c) haired girl. Yet it only drowned him in his own sorrow. He only wanted her to join him and kiss his worries away. Why did she have to leave before telling him what he wanted to hear?

"Ichi, this is serious. I don't know what's happening to you. Can we at least talk about this? Just a bit?" the older male asked, finding that nothing snapped the bluenette out of his heavy trance, "(Y/n) looked concerned."

The bluenette sighed heavily, pulling his knees up to his chest and let a remorseful smile be placed on his face. He supposed that she did look conflicted about something or other, and he would have gladly accepted her worries for him. That small frown on her face and the way her eyebrows bunched together. She had held onto him tightly, but then Kazuki entered and her focus on him had been ripped away. It hurt too much.

"What do you think is wrong with me?" he sighed, resting his head on his knees, his gaze distant.

"I haven't the faintest idea. You've never been so violent."

The younger male gave a confused expression, lifting his eyebrows. His mind was a blur, sure, but he was uncertain about what exactly the blonde was speaking about. Had he seen him fighting with Rei? If so, then he should have known it wasn't out of nowhere. It wasn't as if the bluentte had put everything into his fists either. He relied mainly on his words to sting the younger male. It seemed to work, too.

"He had it coming. I mean...you would have done the same thing."

"There was no threat. I'm not a saint, but you killed two people without any regret or hesitation. That's not normal, especially not for you. You won't even hurt a butterfly, Ichi! What could they have possibly done that rendered it 'coming'?"

"K-Killed?"

Ichiro's eyes shrank, his body shaking violently as he registered the weight that was placed on his heart. The amount of guilt present was overwhelming, sending him into a nervous breakdown. He stared down at his hands, the ones that he used to kill like a barbaric beast on a rampage. A barrage of guilt-filled questions bombarded his head, his lip quivering in sheer terror, his arms gripping painfully onto his biceps. What had it felt like? Were there screams?

As he stared down into the water he resided in, he watched as his own tears fell into its abyss, becoming the large body of liquid and ceasing to be his. In much the same way, his sanity had left his body, but the terrifying part was he had no idea it had happened. He must have been far gone, unable to hear the cries he inflicted. At the thought of inflicting agony on another, Ichiro's eyes dilated further, realizing there must have been blood involved.

The slippery red liquid wormed its way into his mind, flashes of misery and agony flowing into his unwanting head. He couldn't bear it, the disgust within him building up and forcing him to flee from the bath. Hiding behind the restroom's locked door, he shook painfully, emptying his stomach. The fear, empathy, and understanding of what he had done allowed the illness of guilt to invade his body which trembled at its touch of death.

The bluenette was unable to accept the fact he had killed not just once but twice, and in front of (Y/n), no less. His hands found their way to his head, squeezing it painfully in a vain attempt to stop the painful thoughts from entering his already tormented mind. He couldn't imagine the look on her face when he destroyed another's life, condemning their soulless body to drop to the floor. Just what else had he done in her presence? Who else would he kill? Would it be Kazuki? Rei? (Y/n)?

"What did I do? What did I do?" he wept, hearing the frantic banging of a fist on the other side of the door, but by that point, everything was but a fog, closing in around him and causing him to shiver.

The dark thoughts appearing in the bluenette's mind forced their way in, making it all the more painful for him. He recalled all the pain he'd been put through. From his mother and Rei to unknown assailants, he'd been the target for everything, and yet, despite that, he'd always stayed on the path of peace. It was unthinkable that he could have crossed over to violence without even knowing it. There was no satisfaction, no sense of vengeance, not a drop of relief coursing through his veins. It was simply cold again.

Ichiro shivered, his arms closing around his chest to trap as much warmth as he could inside of him, but it seemed it was all for nothing. The more he tried, the more frigid the air became, his breath becoming visible in front of his heartbroken cyan eyes. His tears of regret may have coursed from such a beautifully somber gaze, but they turned to ice, his skin freezing as he shivered feebly. Before he knew it, before he could see what scared him the most, before he could even mutter two syllables, he was out cold, all alone on the floor, trapped behind a locked door. How fitting.

. . .

There was so much guilt lingering in Kazuki's heart. He had been pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, forgetting how many times he had done it. Although he had already decided he wouldn't just give away (Y/n) to either of his beloved brothers, it didn't mean he stopped caring for them. All his life, he had been doing it. It felt wrong to just abandon them altogether. This was perhaps the reason why he was so tense about the bluenette. He just kept getting sicker and sicker. In some ways, it reminded him of Orion.

The fear of losing him kept the blonde up through the night. Ichiro had yet to wake up, only thrashing about in his sleep or shivering violently, whimpering subconsciously about this or that. To some, it sounded like a foreign or ancient language, but to the majority of those that checked up on him, most of it was gibberish, unable to be deciphered. There were some parts with a few select words that they could pick up on, however. They included four select words: night, shadow, ice, and corpse.

The blonde's heart rushed in fear for his younger brother, wondering if he would survive the sudden onset of fears that plagued him. They had always been present, even in his early childhood. The blunette wasn't as brave as their youngest brother, fearing things that would almost seem ridiculous to others. He feared small spaces, bugs, blood, and water, but most of all, he feared the death of his loved ones. In that regard, he and Kazuki were quite similar, explaining the suffocating feeling the blonde possessed at his younger brother's pain.

At some point in time, he was stopped from pacing back and forth by a set of loving arms. He processed the situation before his cheeks became pink and he indulged in the relaxing hug that the (h/c) haired girl gave him. Perhaps he wasn't as fond of physical touch as many others were, but she found a way to make it bearable for him. She was soft and comforting, that expression of hers moving him and putting him more at ease. It was more than he could have ever dreamed of.

He relaxed in the younger girl's embrace, but strangely enough, though she was shielding him from his own thoughts, he took joy in protecting her. Being useful was like a drug to him, and when able to provide one of the most necessary things for the treasure in front of him, everything else faded away. The blonde didn't want nor need anything else to truly love himself. A rarity for him, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, only further pushing him to attempt and pay her back for everything she had done for him.

"He just keeps getting worse," the younger girl paused, a guilty expression crossing her face, "I'm scared he'll end up like Orion."

"It might be for the best."

Kazuki mumbled the statement, refusing to let her hear the dark thought. It wasn't as if he had wanted his brother to die, but it seemed like it was in store for him whether he survived the plaguing guilt or not. If he lived, he would have to face him and Rei for sole possession over the (h/c) haired girl's heart, and regrettably, the eldest of the three wouldn't hold back. Even with the odd violence the bluenette had begun to portray, it seemed he wouldn't have matched up with either of his brothers. In the end, it would have been a bloodbath for him.

"Would you follow me for a bit?" the blonde asked quietly, his voice slightly muffled as he rested his head on hers, "I'd like to clear my head. Anywhere's fine as long as it's not...here."

The younger girl gave another concerned look, nodding her head hesitantly. They ventured through the halls of the castle out to the garden. Fresh air always served the older male well, clearing as much of his dark thoughts as possible and replacing them with a temporary hope. And as she was there with him, it wasn't so temporary any longer. It would last forever...or at least until she died.

(Y/n) felt her hand being squeezed tightly, the blonde having moved his fingers to intertwine with hers. It was unlike him to initiate contact, but the worried look on his face explained at least part of his contrary actions. As her face grew warm from his determined and yet somber expression, she averted her eyes to attempt and mask her somewhat bashful nature, her gaze landed on the pond in the garden.

She hadn't the faintest idea of why but it called to her. Perhaps it was the curiosity of what had happened the last time she had touched its clear blue water or the beauty it possessed that compelled her to it. Either way, she found herself straying away from the blonde, his concern progressing on his features when her fingers slipped away from his. It almost prompted tears to prick at his eyes, but he knew she would come back. That look on her face was one he recognized; momentary interest. From the moment (Y/n) called him a music box, he realized that was what Moriko was. Just a fleeting curiosity, nothing more, nothing less.

He sat down beneath the willow tree, watching her fascination with the flowers and tufts of grass that sprung up from the soil surrounding the large perimeter of the water. It was a pure gaze she had, one unclouded by greed or desire, just simple admiration. That being said, the blonde would have taken any one of those from her if directed at him. She didn't need to be unsoiled, but he knew she was. So different from the average person, it was almost like she had a shimmering aura around her that proved such a truth.

Kazuki's thoughts weren't his to control any longer. He had so deeply yearned to rely on his heart rather than the logic he was held to. Intelligence and standing posed a burden to him, but in the presence of the pure being before him, he didn't have any required expectations. He simply had to love her truthfully and without fault. It would have been difficult for him to do anything but.

He mindlessly touched his lips, his breath shuddering at the thought of her lips touching his. Only once had he had the pleasure of tasting paradise, and he would have begged for another chance to have it. His cheeks flared pink at the thought, his golden eyes assessing her form as if it would tell him whether or not she would have kissed him again. She was so gentle when he had kissed her. It was like the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings, an elusive and yet stunning sight.

The blonde was snapped out of his thoughts, his body shivering at the scream that the (h/c) haired girl made. She stared into the water, her eyes shivering as her tears flowed down her skin. There, in front of her, was the lifeless corpse of Mica Trewin. His flesh was a greenish-black color with blisters, his hands and feet swollen, bleach, and wrinkled, the cuts on his extremities having been bloated. His eyes were dull, their color gone as they threatened to wiggle out of their sockets.

The younger girl shook with fear, her eyes covered as the blonde quickly covered her eyes. She had already been traumatized, but it didn't stop him from trying to shield her from any other kind of pain. He held her in his arms, taking her away from the lengthy pond and towards the willow tree. She shook and cowered, clawing at his shirt in an attempt to feel safe, and despite the fear she had that broke his heart, he loved it.

He loved the reliance she had on him, the way she depended on him to protect her. The blonde was useful to her, the only one there for her. His eyes shook in desperation, his arms holding her tightly. She looked up at him with teary eyes, begging him for attention. It was so addicting to him that he forgot entirely about his great uncle's clear death. He only wanted more. Never in his life had he ever been greedy, but that he desired; to be useful to (Y/n), herself. A sickening smirk formed its way on his face.

The guards arrived sooner or later to dispose of the body. They did it in the most gentle way possible, but it didn't prevent the younger girl from bursting back into tears. She became so terrified, she left the blonde's arms, tripping on the grass and falling on her back, crying and whimpering. Heartbroken at the state of mind she was in - and still somewhat pleased with himself - Kazuki smiled softly.

Lowering himself over her, he interlocked their fingers, gazing at her fearful state of mind. Despite the tears rushing down her face, she was stunning nonetheless. It only told the blonde what he already knew; she needed someone to protect her, and he was meant to be that someone. His cheeks were already pink as he lowered his head to meet her lips with his, the paradise rushing throughout him. Like lightning, his nerves stood on end. He loved her so much.

"Listen to my voice, and mine alone," the blonde commanded, placing his hand on her cheek and rubbing her softly, "You are a treasure that only has ever existed once in this world. I'll never let anything happen to you. So, for now, do me a favor and close your eyes."

The (h/c) haired girl shook her head quickly, her hands quivering as she grabbed on tight to the male's hand. It might have been cruel of him to enjoy the desperation she had for his touch, but he loved it regardless. How thrilled he was to have someone begging for him. She wouldn't leave him if she needed him, wasn't that right? And as long as he kept her safe, she would be with him for eternity.

"My treasure," he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers, "I'll take good care of you, I promise. Now, just listen to this song, and you'll calm down no problem."