Chapter Eight

Some omniscient force was dragging Yuu through the ornate halls of the castle up to his room to change as quickly as possible. He was itching to leave, to escape to the city for just a few hours and find the vivacious teenager he stumbled across in the last moments of summer.

Upon diving into his room and slipping into the closet, he became suddenly self-conscious of the clothes he wore. Last time was a mistake, wearing a stuffy tuxedo and layers of clothing. Of course, when you're a runaway, you don't have much of a choice about anything except where you want to go.

He felt silly, like a teenage girl getting ready for a date. He desperately pulled clothes off their hangers, held them up to cover his torso, shook his head, carelessly threw them to the side, and repeated the process. Shiori-san would give him hell for the mess later, but Yuu couldn't think about anything else right now.

Every piece of clothing he owned was so incredibly expensive and fancy; how did he live like this? Most of this stuff wasn't even comfortable to wear, and each piece probably cost more than an entire luxury fruit stand at a market.

Eventually Yuu settled on some random, loose-fitted white collared shirt and creased brown pants. The material of his shirt was thin; he hoped it wouldn't get too cold tonight. In the mirror hanging in his bedroom, he adjusted his shirt collar and threaded his fingers through his hair nervously.

This time, he wouldn't run away from Mika so nervously (even though he felt quite jittery right then). No, tonight would be much different. It would be better.

It would be everything he was searching for; whatever that may be.

Sighing a bit and putting on a determined face, Yuu forced himself to stand up straighter. He smiled in the mirror, and when it looked a bit too forced, he dropped the corners of his lips slightly. There. Is that what people see when I smile? He frowned, and then smiled again.

When he was done pulling faces in the mirror, Yuu quickly left his bedroom and was running down the hall again. Of course, this was against the rules, but Yuu didn't really care, it's not like anyone was going to- 

Something blocked his path and suddenly Yuu was on the floor, rubbing his forehead. He felt a knot forming and cursed under his breath irritably.

"Language, mister!" An angry voice scolded him. "And where do you think you're going so quickly?"

Yuu looked up into the cold, icy blue eyes of his mother, Kaori. They were frosted with impatience, and her face was devoid of any emotion besides irritation. She was dressed in a fancy gown, but not her fanciest. It was white, with gold trimmings, extremely tight in the torso area but billowing out in the skirt.

Yuu had a theory that his mother was always so cranky because her corset was pulled too tightly. He tried not to laugh at that thought and put on his most convincingly apologetic face.

"Nevermind that, Yuichiro, but you must get off the floor before you get your clothes dirty," Kaori demanded. She held out her satin-gloved hand to him and he took it, pulling himself up. "Your father and I have news to share with you, so please join us for dinner tonight."

Yuu tried not to show his scorn, and nodded politely. "Of course, Mother. Shall I take you downstairs?"

The side of Queen Kaori's mouth upturned into a small smile. "Certainly."

He held his hand out to her this time, bowing, and she took it delicately. As they slowly headed down the staircase, Yuu kept his face neutral. Showing any sort of rigidity would flare up suspicion, but being around his parents always put him on edge. There was something about it, where he felt like he should always put on a façade to be someone he's not.

Most of the time, Yuu was convinced his parents were better off without him. They certainly made it seem so; often times it felt like they forgot he existed. If he didn't go to the academy, Yuu was sure he would be holed up in his room all the time and no one would fetch him.

However, whenever his parents did pay attention to him, it was because they needed something from him. This "important news" was probably asking for him to do something, perhaps plan his proposal to Shinoa or prepare a speech for King Ichinose for the next business party.

They headed towards the fancy dining hall, which is where they typically ate on important occasions. Whatever the news is, it must be important, Yuu thought as they passed through the walkway.

The grandiose dining table was completely decked out, but Yuu hadn't expected any less. A lover of fine china, Queen Kaori loved to eat with the finest silverware and drink from crystalline glasses. The table itself stretched about fifteen feet, completely prepared with fifty sets of table settings, prepared for a multiple-course feast. King Ichinose sat in the throne-like chair on the end, swallowed up by the enormity of the room.

Yuu led his mother to his seat and pulled her chair out for her. Lifting up her gown, Queen Kaori took her seat and Yuu pushed her chair close to the table. Yuu saw his father nod the slightest bit, the tiniest amount of recognition for his proper gentlemanly manners. Yuu walked around the end of the table and took his seat to the right of his father, not saying a word.

Don't talk unless spoken to, he reminded himself. Do what it takes to impress them. Get out of here as quickly as possible so you can go and see Mika.

"Good evening, Yuichiro," His father greeted him. His voice was so deep, even Yuu found it intimidating. Yuu noticed he wasn't wearing his crown, which was surprising. King Ichinose almost always had it on.

"Good evening, Father," Yuu responded robotically. "I must say, I'm surprised! Where is your crown?"

King Ichinose laughed a little. Yuu couldn't tell if it was genuine, condescending, or somewhere in between. "That's funny you should ask; my crown is being polished right now. It's always weird when I'm not wearing it."

Queen Kaori tittered with polite laughter. She sounded slightly nervous, but Yuu could understand that. King Ichinose was the most powerful - and certainly intimidating - man in the kingdom; he ruled the government, controlled the army, and made everything happen in this country. He could make your life a paradise or a living hell, depending on what side of the spectrum you fell on.

"So," He boomed, clapping his hands together. "Let's eat."

On cue, the six servants and butlers standing like statues against the wall flocked towards the table and began to remove the silver platter covers. An entire duck was seasoned and prepared for dinner, alongside many vegetables and potatoes. One of the butlers filled the parents' cups with wine and Yuu's cup with sparkling water.

"This meal looks excellent. Thank you all," Queen Kaori thanked the servants politely as they cut their food and put it on their plates. When they finished, they returned back to their posts on the wall, prepared to come at any beck and call.

Ignoring the servants, King Ichinose dug into his food with his fork and knife. "Yuichiro, your mother and I have something very exciting to share with you this evening." Queen Kaori nodded in agreement, and Yuu swallowed.

"What is it, Father?" He questioned.

"This weekend, we will be visiting the city so I can deliver a very important speech." King Ichinose explained.

Ha. I knew it, Yuu thought proudly.

"We're going to be passing some new laws," King Ichinose continued. "After voting on it with the Parliament, we've come to a majority decision."

Yuu nodded, curious but knowing it would be out of place to question. Instead, he kept quiet, knowing he would figure it out eventually.

"You know how this process works, Yuichiro," Queen Kaori added. "We need to be there to support your father, so we're requesting your support." She turned to look at her husband, sharing a smile as he placed his larger hand on top of hers.

Yuu knew he didn't ultimately have a choice, but he still smiled and nodded politely. "Of course, Mother. I will do whatever I can to support Father."

Kaori smiled proudly. Yuu came to the conclusion that his mother had two looks; one of pride when he did things right for once, and one of contempt whenever he fucked up. There wasn't much gray area in between. Queen Kaori and King Ichinose were both very black and white people. Maybe that's why they fit so well together.

Much like the arranged marriage of Shinoa and Yuu, Kaori was arranged to wed Guren when she was fifteen and he was seventeen, over twenty years ago. Of course, after they had some issues with getting along at first, but eventually hate fizzled away into dependence, and that need turned into love. Yuu knew it was never good to base a relationship off of a need for something, but what did he know? He had never been in love before.

The lavish meal continued on for another hour or so, mainly with Queen Kaori and King Ichinose discussing politics - mainly King Ichinose filling her in on things happening with the government (because women couldn't be involved in politics themselves - what a preposterous notion!) and Yuu only talking when addressed to. They asked him about his upcoming orchestra performance, his fencing lesson, and his grades. Midterms were rapidly approaching, and King Ichinose expected nothing less than perfect scores.

What did he say again? You will not tarnish the Ichinose namesake with slacker tendencies? God, talk about pressure. There were more important things in this world to worry about than standardized testing.

Eventually Yuu and his parents ran out of food to eat, the conversation was dying down, and Yuu felt incredibly stuffed. He excused himself for the evening, explaining that he had homework to finish, which wasn't a complete lie, considering he hadn't finished his Latin translating homework.

Not like he was going to do it, though. Yuu hated Latin. People hardly ever spoke it anymore, so he found it to be a useless language to learn.

When Yuu escaped to his room and the door shut behind him, he smiled at the comfort of his bedroom. After flicking a light on, he quickly checked his appearance in the mirror again, but this time with a different intention. He ran his fingers through his hair and ruffled it, making it look messier but still slightly put-together. Instead of having all the buttons done tightly up his chest, he undid the top two, pulling the collar apart some. Finally able to take an actual breath, a dry sigh passed by his lips.

He slid the chain to unlock his window and pushed the window panes open, allowing himself to breath in the crisp night air. Outside, a half-moon gleamed softly, as if it was still sleeping in the early hours of the night. The moon, swinging low in the sky, cast long, deep shadows across the acres of castle grounds.

Yuu sat on the cushion below the window, built up on a lofted piece of wood to make a sitting area, and hoisted himself up so he was sitting on the window's ledge. He looked below, barely seeing the ground below, two stories lower. Yuu was fortunate to have a slanted ledge to scoot down on, and then a tree he managed to climb down before he dropped down, landing somewhat gracefully on the grass.

Stumbling back from the drop, Yuu didnt waste any time. He immediately took off in a run, headed straight for the town.

Running was never his strong suit, but Yuu didn't think about the burning in his legs as he willed himself to move faster. His dress shoes smacked against the pavement of the long, winding road of the nobles' neighborhoods and straight into the city. Although he had only been to the pub once, it felt like second nature to locate it again.

Yesterday, the ramshackle look of the corner building but him at a heavy unease, but this time, it seemed almost comforting. Yuu knew that beyond these doors, he'd find Mika again.

But life doesn't always work out the way you want it to, and Yuu didn't know this, from the fact life had never been anything but perfect for him. When he pulled open the creaky door, he was welcomed with the loud fiddles, the heat from the perspiring dancers, and the bitter smell of several kinds of alcohol. Everything was there, exactly like Yuu remembered.

Everything was there. Except this time, Mika wasn't.