Chapter Text
As the young Prince Akito paced around his room, Tsukasa felt powerless. It wasn’t Akito’s fault his father had become careless with his power. Since they were kids, the king had never seemed to care about others, especially those who were mere citizens of the grand empire he presided over. Problems had spread like rapid fire in the last decade. Food shortages, guards turning a blind eye to anything endangering citizens, and the increasing number of laws being passed prohibiting magic use, most resulting in execution.
The people were never happy about their lives. No one could take responsibility for anything they did. After almost 10 years, they seemed to have decided who was to blame for their own mistakes. Perhaps if he were a civilian, he would better understand how they might feel. He may have even sympathized with them or joined their cause.
In this life, however, Tsukasa was born into the role of a knight. His late parents had been legends of the Imperial Soldiers, sacrificing their lives for the King and Queen. They will forever be remembered as heroes, dedicated, brave, and an example of how loyal their staff should be.
Tsukasa thinks that they’re fools who should’ve thought for more than two seconds before giving up something they can’t take back. It wasn’t like him to speak ill of the dead, no less his own parent who he loved dear to his heart, but he was bitter and couldn’t bring himself to forgive them for everything they left behind. Did they not think of him and Saki? Did they not consider the expectations that he now had to meet?
Despite his best efforts he was entered in the top school for knight training at the ripe age of six years old. He used to consider it to be the closest he’d ever get to experiencing hell but now he’s not so sure. He was barely able to keep up with the never-ending pain he felt in his muscles. Every time he thought that he was getting used to it, they intensified his lessons. Finally, they allowed him to graduate. He wanted to believe he graduated a year early because of the hard work he put into his training mixed with the fact that he tried his best to achieve everything with near perfection but deep down, he knew it was because of his last name. That was the only time he would ever be thankful for them.
And so, he was sworn in as one of the knights tasked to guard the royal family, mainly their youngest child, Akito. A few years later, Tsukasa would have been convinced that he hated him if it weren’t for the fact that the boy confides in him when they’re alone. As a future duke, he never had the chance to truly form any relationships that weren’t diplomatic. Of course, he was required to put up the polite yet commanding facade whenever he was around other nobles but as soon as they left, Akito showed a few qualities that would most likely be seen as childish or negative.
He was stubborn, sarcastic and a million other things that would most likely be the reason for his execution if word ever got out that he thought of his ruler in such a way. It never bothered Tsukasa though. In fact, he found it endearing sometimes and almost laughable when he compared it to his formal manner. Tsukasa has no room to talk. When he’s in the castle without anyone to judge him, his personality does a complete turn as well. It’s the only time he’s permitted to set the cold mask he wears aside when he’s by Akito’s side in front of others, and embrace everything that makes him human.
In the eyes of the world, they are the noble prince and his tool, never anything more or anything less. It is only when the day is over and their duties are temporarily discarded when the duo can just be Akito and Tsukasa, childhood friends. The late hours of the night are when Akito can rant about how flawed his destiny is and his friend can console him, assure him that they are in it together.
Tonight is different. Tonight he finds himself unable to offer any advice that would mean anything. All he can do is listen. “Another city has revolted against officers. The estimated casualties are in the hundreds,” Akito muttered. He turned to the blonde, exasperated. “Tsukasa, this is the fifth one this month! If they can’t even keep a few civilians from starting a riot, how the hell do we defend ourselves from enemy nations?!”
The boy in question sat on a couch in his room, the place he occasionally sleeps when he is certain that all is well. While he knew this was a somewhat safe spot, he wasn’t sure if his friend would appreciate his words at this time.
“Do you know if all the villages are conspiring with each other? Do you know what their reasons are? If it’s a change in their quality of living that they want, wouldn’t it be best to meet their demands?” he suggested.
Akito sighed. He walked over and sat beside him. “I’ve tried talking to my father about listening to their concerns, but you should know how he is by now. He wants to cover the attacks up instead of finding a solution. It’s going to get so much worse, I already know it.”
Tsukasa couldn’t say he didn’t expect that answer. The few times he had been given permission to stand beside the prince as he spoke with his father, any input that he had made was always brushed off. It baffled him that the king could be so simple-minded yet he was perceived as capable of ruling an empire. He guessed that in his eyes, he saw himself as equal to god, everyone else as just pawns to be discarded at will.
Tsukasa just puts up with it all, knowing damn well that one day the pawns will check the king. They may be weak but that can be their advantage. With more important things going on, you sometimes forget that they’re there. Sometimes that is all they need.
“Once it gets worse, there’s only room for it to get better, no? Just be patient. Hang on for a little longer. I’m sure it’ll all die down,” Tsukasa said, trying to encourage him to keep his spirits up. That same advice is the only thing that kept him going during his time at the academy and he believed it could also help his companion now. Akito shook his head. “Always the optimist, aren’t you? I guess optimism is what I need in a time like this, though.”
The knight smiled. “It never hurts to think on the bright side. Just don’t let it distract you from reality, okay?” He stood up and walked over to the door. “You’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. I wouldn’t recommend staying up for too much longer, but it’s up to you.”
“Leaving already? Aren’t you supposed to have eyes on me at all times?” Akito asked as Tsukasa opened the door. He glared at him. “I’m not the only knight at your disposal. Shiho’s an amazing soldier. She’ll guard you just fine. Right now, I’m watching over your sister’s door.”
For a second, he saw a look of suspicion on his face. It wasn’t often that Tsukasa got assigned to someone that wasn’t him, no less his sister. “Is everything alright?”
He nodded. “Nothing’s wrong, I just pulled a few strings to change the schedule for right now. As much fun as it is being with you, there’s something I need to talk with Mizuki about. Don’t worry about me, you have your own things you need to be thinking over.” Seeming to accept that answer, Akito climbed into his bed and turned off his lamp. “I seriously don’t get how you can just change the schedule whenever you want but I don’t really give a shit right now. God, sometimes you feel like one of my advisors. You give better guidance too,” he said, making the other snicker.
“Some advisors you have. I hope things go better tomorrow. Goodnight, sir,” Tsukasa whispered.
“I hope so too. Thank you.” He stepped out of the room and shut the door softly. Almost immediately he came face to face with the one who would cover his shift.
“You owe Saki and me,” she started in key Shiho fashion. His confusion was apparently too obvious as she stared at him and offered an explanation. “You owe me for cleaning up the mess you caused with the schedules and for making sure the prince doesn’t get killed in his sleep because you felt like chatting with your friend was more important than your job. You owe Saki because if you two weren’t related, I would’ve never agreed to it. Does that help?”
“I suppose. You didn’t really have to be that blunt, though,” he said. She rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe, but if I’m not blunt then you’ll begin to think that I’ll always be there to save you as if you were some damsel in distress. Plus, I believe that you’re not grateful enough for your sister sometimes.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Shiho!” Saki called out from the other end of the hall just as Tsukasa was about to deny that since it’s totally not true. She skipped over and stood next to where her friend stood guard. “Come on, I had to spend around half an hour convincing this girl! And even then, I had to spend another half trying to let me join her. Don’t worry, I was victorious in the end!” she said with a grin.
“Truly unfortunate,” Shiho began. “Now I have to deal with this all night. Thanks so much, Tsukasa. I really appreciate it.” Tsukasa gave them pats on the head in an attempt to get them to quit being agitated, to which he received a glare that could disintegrate him from Shiho and Saki looking like she wanted to bite his hand. “I really have to go, though. Are you sure you two have this covered?” he asked one final time.
Saki smacked his hand. “Just because we don’t usually do this doesn’t mean that we’re completely incompetent. This is our job, we got this! If you’re really worried, you can just blame Shiho if something goes wrong!” The girl in question snapped her head to look at her friend with an incredulous look on her face.
She stammered for a second, almost in disbelief of the sheer audacity of his sister. “You’re kidding, right? I’m the last person in the world to let something go wrong. This is the prince we’re talking about. I would never let something like that happen to him!”
“Right, you’re the one who’s better at being a bodyguard, so if anything happens we blame it on you!” Saki giggled, clearly not taking her words to heart. “Do you even know what you’re talking about? If I’m the better one and you fall behind, how is that my fault? Obviously that’s on you.”
Most of the guards argued with each other all the time. In the dead silence of the night, it was a great way to pass the time. None of the so-called arguments ever held any meaning, just pointless banter between friends, but Tsukasa realized that now the girls were distracted. He figured that even if they noticed him leaving, they wouldn’t really care much.
As he made his way toward his official post of the night, he wondered what the princess thought of the situation they seemed to be in. He knew that she and the king never did see eye to eye on things but from the way she and Akito interact, he wasn’t confident that they shared a similar opinion.
It was unfortunate to him that they two never had much of a relationship. He found it difficult to imagine siblings that don’t act the way he does to Saki as he never had the chance to know anyone else with a brother or sister. He had heard that Shiho might’ve had an older relative but they hadn’t gone the way of the knights. Internally, he thought that was a good thing. If they were anything like her, it would be too much for him.
With how the prince had described the two of them, they used to be close when they were younger. It made sense, they were the only people around their age that the two of them knew. As such, for the early years of their lives, they were allowed to be kids. They played games, they talked about meaningless things, everything that he guessed that the children in the village would do with their time.
“Times changed. We had to face reality one way or another,” Akito replied when Tsukasa had queried about it. “Only one of us is able to rule. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that it was her. After that, I guess she just stopped caring. Probably thinks she’s too good to ever be seen standing near me.”
“But that’s so harsh! Are you positive that’s what she thinks?”
He nodded his head. “It’s the looks she gives me whenever there’s something important. The only word I can think of when I see her eyes is ‘dismay,’ and I hate it. It’s like she silently hates being seen beside me. She doesn’t do it often. Every other time we interact, she’s friendly, but it’s the kind of attitude she gives adults. Like I’m not her brother.”
He gave a long sigh and smiled to Tsukasa’s surprise. “At the end of the day, I’m not the one that is in control of how she sees me. I don’t think I’ll ever get the opportunity to tell her and even if it arises, I’m not sure I’d gather up the courage to tell her, but I’m happy that she’s the one who’s gonna be queen. I know she’s not the best, but I trust her. She’ll be a wonderful leader for this nation. Something I could never do, no matter how much I long for it. I love her, y’know? She may not love me back, but I’m proud of her.”
It was one thing that he and the prince had in common. They cared for their sisters no matter what. They didn’t care how badly they messed up, the two would come defend them. That conversation was one of the first times his friend had opened up to him. From then on, Tsukasa was more than just a knight just as Akito was more than a prince. He began reminiscing about those first few months when he heard almost silent footsteps from behind him. With the noise level that low, he knew it had to have been on purpose. Unsheathing his sword, he spun around and had his blade near their neck in a moment, but they had already brought theirs up to defend themselves.
“Calm down, it’s me!” Mizuki all but screamed. He lowered his blade but still kept the weapon in his hand, as his fellow knight did theirs.
“Mizuki, quit screwing around. What if you hadn’t had anything to defend yourself with?” Tsukasa asked. This was not the first time that they had decided to play a prank on him while he was guarding something and it was definitely not the first time he almost sliced them with his sword. Luckily for them, their reflexes were perfect, something that was key to survival in their profession.
“Come on, ‘Kasa, you know that I’m amazing. Maybe it’s you who shouldn’t be so quick to draw your blade, hmm? Anyways, how have you been?” they asked, keeping their usual smile on their face.
“Ah, you know how it’s been. The recent uprisings have made Akito a little more than stressed but I’ve been doing fine. It’s Ena I want to know about,” he replied. Mizuki gave him a look that told him that they didn’t believe that list bit. “Fine, Akito wants to know how she’s doing.”
“That’s what I thought. I seriously don’t get why he doesn’t ask himself, but it’s fine.”
“He’s convinced Ena hates him. I’ve tried making him see otherwise, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. Just in case she crushes his dreams again,” he said.
Mizuki snickered for a second. “So he makes you do everything, huh? What a responsible leader.” That earned them a light smack on the head from Tsukasa. “Jeez, I didn’t know you were the only person who could say anything about the prince.”
“Shut up! If anyone else heard you say that, we’d all be killed!” he said, a little louder than he intended. He looked around the hall to make sure no one was there. Mizuki leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Hypocrite.”
He elbowed them in the stomach, making them yelp as they fell to the floor. “Hypocrite!” they said again. As he helped them to their feet, their eyes widened at something behind him. “Oh, Toya! What’s up?”
“Are you both alright? I heard a noise over here. Like someone was yelling,” Toya murmured. Tsukasa stood up next to Mizuki. “We’re all good. They just don’t know how to keep their voice down”
“Hey, you’re the one who’s constantly shouting 24/7. You were probably the one he heard,” they said.
“Yes, I’m not the quietest one here, but I’m not screaming when the princess is trying to rest. Sometimes I’m not sure you even remember what your job is,” Tsukasa said, exasperated. Toya leaned against the wall, apparently deciding that he would stand alongside them tonight.
It dawned on Tsukasa that when he moved around the schedule for who had a night shift, he didn’t put Toya’s name on the list. It seemed like every night, Toya was out and about. He was one of the most dedicated knights they had, a true role model to be looked up to. If there was anyone who deserved a break, it was him. So what was he doing out here when he could be in bed?
“Toya, where are you supposed to be tonight? Mizuki and I have Ena’s room,” he asked. Not that he wouldn’t appreciate the extra help, but if there was someone he had to be, Tsukasa didn’t want to keep him for too long.
His coworker’s face paled for a moment, something that Mizuki appeared to miss. Honestly, what was all their training for if they weren’t able to notice subtle signs? “Well, I was with Len in the kitchen,” Toya explained. “He was insistent that he could watch it on his own. Kept arguing that since the room is small enough, only one person really needed to be there. He just told me to go to bed. Said he would stay up all night. I’m worried for that kid sometimes.”
Len was the epitome of the word hope. Everything he did, he did with a grin, albeit a mischievous one. Nothing would be able to stop him when there was something he wanted badly. He was bright and determined despite how badly he had been treated. Those were qualities that Tsukasa tried his hardest to exhibit in his work. Only 14 years old, he showed clear potential for a successful future. For that reason, Tsukasa was the one to seek him out and let him graduate early just as he had done himself.
Around that time, he had found Toya as well. He hates to think about it, but back then he looked broken. You could see in his eyes that the only reason he was there was because he never had the chance to leave. Still, he was an excellent swordsman. He never faltered when sparring with others, perhaps because of his sheer talent, but more likely than not a result of the fear he had for what would happen to him if he did not do his best.
Ever since Tsukasa fought for his removal from the program, Toya would always look at his savior as though he were a deity sent from above when he thought he wasn’t looking. In a way, it creeped him out, but he understood what he was thinking. No one else seemed to have cared about him the way he had and Tsukasa was thankful that he had swooped in when he did. He doesn’t know what would’ve happened had he shown up too late.
“You were quite similar to Len when you first arrived, remember? Definitely not as much of a schemer as he was but the way you two did things was almost the same. Over time, you’ve grown into a different person but towards the beginning you were so determined in doing everything yourself,” he told Toya. The boy nodded, getting back into his habit of assuming everything Tsukasa said was fact.
“Was I really? That’s interesting. I didn’t think it was that easy for someone to change just like that. Especially without realizing it,” Toya mused. He stared off at the wall as he usually did when wanted to picture something in his mind without any distractions.
“That’s what happens when you’re subtle enough. Sometimes change is for the better, though,” Mizuki added. “That’s what Ena was telling me a few weeks back. She had to take a minute to really think about whether she’d make the same decisions if she were a few years younger.”
“So is she involved with handling the riots? Akito’s been super stressed lately. This isn’t the only cause of his panicking, but it's one of the main ones,” Tsukasa shared with the two.
He wasn’t usually one to reveal things that his friend told him in confidence, but ultimately it was his job to help out his prince and he had absolutely no clue how he’d be able to assist him this time. The problem at hand was simply bigger than him, leaving him with not many options. He hoped that by steering the conversation in the right direction his fellow guards might offer some guidance that could be useful.
“I see what’s going on here. He sent you to get me to talk to her, am I wrong?” they asked. Tsukasa shook his head. “Surprisingly, yes. I’m the one that thinks you should talk to her. You should know by now what he’ll do if things stay the way they are now. Either he’s invited to the strategy meetings just like his sister is, or he goes out on his own and tries to make a change.”
“How do you know that he’ll try to make a change? Are you confident?” Toya asked, tuning back into the conversation more focused than he’s ever seen.
“Oh, I think I get it! He’s stubborn as hell!” said Mizuki. Toya shot them a look, which caused them to go on the defensive. “But he is, and you know it! Remember when he didn’t get to stay for that dinner with that noble one time and he snuck out and showed up anyways!”
Tsukasa chuckled as he thought back to the times when the prince didn’t take his job as seriously. “Which one? It’s happened about four times now. No wonder they have us watching him so he won’t break out.”
“I didn’t really think it was that funny when we got the lecture of a lifetime from the Commander,” Toya said. It’s true, when Commander Ken Shiraishi had figured out what had gone on, he yelled at them for about two hours straight, Toya even more when someone accidentally implied that he may have known about it. “He had a point. We didn’t know where the prince was, and you two laughed like it was nothing.”
“I laughed because it was hilarious watching the prince try and convince Tsukasa to let him go.” Mizuki pointed to Tsukasa. “He laughed because he knew where the prince was the entire time and didn’t say a word because Akito made him swear not to.”
“Prince’s orders, what can I say? I could’ve lost my job for it!” Tsukasa said while feigning an innocent look on his face.
“Wait, that was you two?” Toya asked.
“Back to what we were talking about before, I’ll see what I can do. Ena might be reluctant, but I’ll do my best to see that she at least considers it. No promises though,” Mizuki said.
“That’s fine by me. Thank you for agreeing. Seriously. I appreciate it. I can pay you back if you want?” Tsukasa offered.
“Don’t worry about it! Though, there is a new shop I’ve been meaning to check out in the village. Akito sends you out every so often, right? Something about seeing first-hand what the people think?”
As much as Tsukasa liked Ena, he believed that she didn’t care a lot for the citizens living in villages when compared to Akito. Another one of the reasons he thinks he deserves to be king. With as high a status as he had, obviously there was no way he could go by himself. He knew that he could go with his guards surrounding him, but he believed it defeated the purpose of checking in on the villages if they knew he would be arriving. He could send Tsukasa, however. Akito trusted Tsukasa to give him an honest report of how satisfied the villagers were with their lives.
“Yes, he does. Usually it’s only around once a month that he sends me since the queen thinks it’s dangerous to be without even one of his personal knights for a day, but I suspect that with everything going on, she might be more lenient,” he explained. “Either that or the exact opposite and she doesn’t have me go ever again. Who knows?”
“Does that mean you’ll be going sometime soon?” Toya asked. Tsukasa was glad that his friend was engaging in their conversations lately. For a while, he would be completely silent and unbothered by everything. He wondered if this was the start of Toya breaking out of his shell, opening up to those in the castle.
“Most likely. Why? Is there something you want me to get for you while I’m there?” he asked.
Toya paused for a second, seeming to want to choose his next words carefully. “I…I’d like to go with you if possible. I won’t follow you around or anything, it’s just… it’s been a while since I’ve seen the village. I miss it. I fear that if things turn for the worse, I won’t be able to see it again.”
“Oh! Umm… I really don’t know. That’s two of us gone if you come with. Already, they didn’t like having one,” he said. It felt horrible to say no, but he believed it was for the better.
“Tsukasa, please! This is really important to me. If I miss my chance, I’ll never forgive myself for it,” Toya begged. His heart twinged as continued to ask.
“Look, if it’s something you need to buy, I can search for it while I’m there. If you could come, that’d be great, but you know how strict they are, Toya. I’m really sorry.”
The taller boy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. After a moment, he opened his mouth again. “There’s nothing I need to buy. It’s just that there’s someone I need to talk to. I haven’t been able to see them in a while. It’s okay, I understand. I’m sorry for losing my head there. I won’t bother you again,” he said, uncharacteristically serious even for Toya.
He slowly began to walk away from the door. “I think I’ll be going to bed now. Goodnight, you two. Sorry to waste your time.” Just before he could leave their sights, Tsukasa called out to him.
“Toya, wait! I can try and talk to them! Please don’t be mad! Just, don’t be surprised if they say no,” he said. He couldn’t tell which hurt him more, crushing his hopes now or waiting and getting his hopes up only for him to be denied. Tsukasa saw a slight smile appear on Toya’s otherwise stoic face. “Thank you, Tsukasa. This means a lot to me. It’ll be okay, I promise. Once the younger boy was gone, Mizuki turned to him. “Are you actually going to talk to him about letting Akito go?”
“Of course! I would never break a promise as important as that, especially to Toya! He’s been through so much and he’s done such a good job, he deserves this!” Tsukasa said, justifying his tendency to bend the rules for those he has a soft spot for. “Just this once, Mizuki. This one time.”
“Sure, sure. This one time.”