Chapter Text
Mitsuba woke up just as usual.
Looked around and—
.
.
.
IM OUTSIDE?
This was really bad. The day time knights were surrounding the only way to sneak into his room. One look at him with Minamoto outside, executed.
Mitsuba brought his head up from the knight's lap and looked at him in support in any way.
He was dead asleep?!
The royal slapped his friend hard in the face.
"OW—" His mouth was quickly covered.
"Shut the hell up before we both ruin on future." The pink boy said with a horrified expression.
Minamoto looked around to double check his statement as the little prince had always been a trickster at times.
Nonetheless Mitsuba had been telling the truth.
"Oh god.." The blond whispered to himself, he messed up horribly. It was only supposed to be only a few minutes how did he fall asleep?!
"H-Hey your a knight, where are places no one is guard?" Mitsuba asked almost in tears of sheer shock. He still couldn't process what was happening.
"Maybe study hall? The only outside entrance there is air ducts which is risky.." Minamoto said out loud thinking.
"Then let's take it! It's better than nothing!" Mitsuba grabbed a hold of Minamoto's arm and pulled him all the way to the air vents.
Mitsuba pushed Minamoto down seeing a knight guarding. The royal placed a finger to his mouth to say, keep quiet!
Walking slow and steady, his devoted knight... stepped on a leaf. A crunchy one to he specific. "RUN!" Mitsuba breathed out not as loud.
The guard investigated the area the were and of course that's when Mitsuba's bright pink hair didn't come in handy. The guard blew a whistle and yelled, "HIS HIGHNESS IS RUNNING OUT OF THE KINGDOM WITH ANOTHER BOY! CALL THE QUEEN!"
‐-
"So that's what happened Mitsuba?" Yashiro spoke at what her friend told.
Mitsuba wiped his tears with a tissue and nodded. "I really don't care if it was only me but the Minamoto was also seen! They'll kill his family Yashiro." He spoke in a whisper not wanting to worry his knight.
"You both can't stay in here. Your mother would inform my parents and they have a sharp eye. Look I could make my knight take you to my familiar again." She held Mitsuba's both hand and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"What wa—"
"A good luck charm! My knight introduced me to a which once and had given me the ability to do that." Yashiro turned to Minamoto and did the same.
"Please don't return, I'll go to Aoi's kingdom if you want to talk more but go now!" Yashiro shoved them to a boy with brown choppy hair.
"Yugi please take then to the Akane's kingdom but straight to the princess or you'll face very bad consequences!" Yashiro rushed them to the garden.
"Yes, your highness!" The boy dismissed himself.
The walk(run) was more silent.
The boy began to talk, "A prince from the Mitsuba's and a knight from the Minamoto's. Interesting." He thought out loud.
"I presume you guys are trouble." The boy snickered.
Mitsuba gave him a slap on the head, "That is no way to talk to your superiors. You may have befriended the princess but that gives you no rights to talk in such manner!" He scolded the shorter boy.
The prince blinked back when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mitsuba stop before we get in more trouble." Minamoto had a angry calm expression, only Minamoto could.. Mitsuba inwardly slapped himself out of the daydream, maybe spending to much time with Yashiro is harming him.
"Yugi. Seeing your relationship with Yash- my highness, I'm assuming to see you in the near future." The boy now named Yugi introduced himself.
Another while of silence covered them.
"We're here. My highness' friend should be around here." After that sentence he left.
Aoi appeared after the short boy left. "That kid is a mess, I recommend not becoming close with him." She said.
"Wow we just arrived and you're talking smack? Should've expected that." Mitsuba crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"Oh a new person?" The blue haired girl took a look behind the pink boy and yes they're was a unfamiliar person. "Hello nice to met you, I am Aoi princess of the Akane's."
"Minamoto." He just said.
"Not talkative too?" Aoi had a small smile. She sighed, "Why are you here in the middle of the morning with I'm assuming a knight?"
"Oh Aoi!"
--
"You have to help us, Aoi! They'll kill Minamoto and his bloodline along with years of torture for me." Mitsuba pleaded desperately.
The didn't speak he tried to listen but it came in one ear and out through one. Minamoto's bloodline will end. And he can't accept that.
"Of course, look you can hide in my kingdom just cover your hair." Aoi offered.
"But what about my family?" Minamoto's looked up at them.
Aoi didn't speak. She didn't have an answer for the poor boy. "We'll look into it, okay? I'll get your family back one way or another." She gave her best cheery expression to cheer the blond up but in reality she didn't know.
Aoi patted the boys, "Look I've got connections with commoners who can book you a nice home on your run, but we need to fix the hair." She blew Mitsuba's bangs out his eye. He clenched his teeth in embarrassment because Minamoto also saw the teasing.
--
Aoi let the two to rest and talk under the big green tree in the flower field.
"Minamoto.." Mitsuba closed his eyes and memorized the words quickly in his head before he spoke, "About me sleeping and maybe getting your family killed, I sincerely apologize." He placed his head on the blonds shoulder.
Minamoto just let out a dry laugh. "Well we're now fugitives in a foreign land, nothing we can do."
Mitsuba stayed quiet while cursing himself on what a stupid idiot he is. Maybe if he'd stick to the rules like a nice son maybe—
"I'm done!" Aoi called out to them, unintentionally interrupting some thoughts between the two. She held out a patch of yellowish brown flowers.
"My mother used to send me those when I was younger, Calendula." Minamoto spoke in nostalgia.
Aoi gave a pitiful smile, "That's nice."
She let them get back on their feet before giving them a cloth.
"What is this thing?" Mitsuba looked at it with disgust and confusion. "Get used to it, all commoners use clothes like that. It can also hide your hair like this." Aoi snatched the cloth back and took his half tangled hair and wrapped it around the piece of fabric.
"Better than being dead I suppose." Mitsuba touched his hair at the weird sensation.
"Oh, Minamoto do you need assistance?" The girl quickly asked when she saw him struggling to put up his hair. He stayed silent but she got the memo.
Aoi wrapped the cloth over his head as the knight had short hair compared to the prince. "Let's get back to the palace."
--
"Okay you two are bread sellers, my palace allows sellers inside for periods of time without getting suspicious. I should get people to settle you around." She said as they had arrived at the gates.
Akane, being on gate duty immigration opened the gates and send a hand gesture which Aoi didn't return but just smiled.
Now the entrance, two guards stood eyeing the two people behind Aoi. "These two are commoners from the downtown, many said they have nice bread." She said to them.
They looked at each other and bowed down quickly, "Excuse us for the misunderstanding!" "We will be more aware!" They had said. The doors we're opened and now the trio was in the big palace.
She brought them to her room. "You two stay here. Here footsteps and go in there." She pointed at the floor piece that looked different from the whole pattern. "I will boil the Calendulas in a batch of tea and be right back."
Aoi had left now leaving the two again alone.
None spoke, it was a loud silence.
Until Mitsuba heard Minamoto's breath hitch. He turned to the other who just covered his mouth.
The pink one placed a hand on the blonds back. Minamoto just looked up at his friend in tears looking so close to breaking down in front of the prince.
Minamoto laid his head down on Mitsuba's lap. By the wetness Mitsuba could clearly tell his friend was crying. A little wave of pity went through the pink boy when he knew Minamoto was muting out his cries.
"There, there. Let it all out.." Mitsuba pet his hair trying to be comforting.
The blond sobbed, poured out all feelings, all stress he had bottled up throughout the day. Mitsuba felt like a dagger was stabbed into his sternum and pieced the deepest part inside his beating heart. Oh lords how he wished it would tire itself out and end.
Maybe a few drops of water leaked out of the prince's eye but when the tension in the room lifted a pitch, he quietly rested Minamoto's head to the bed covering instead of his lap to retrieve some tissues. Convenient to the duo's situation, there was a box of tissues elegantly place against the nightstand of the blue-haired girl's room. It matched the walls in it's pattern, Mitsuba blinked droplets from his eyeballs, oh the girl's room remined him so much of his former room.
Right he is no prince. Just a runaway.
A fugitive.
Mitsuba balled his fists enough to leave imprints of his nails on them. Stop think that! That life is a life of the past, idiot. He scolded himself inwardly. The pink one took a longing glance at his knight, well used it. Maybe it was just to let his mind roam on something else, his mother's voice rang throughout his mind. Every single move he took, she was still there. Just not physically.
He took a handful of tissues for Minamoto. He wouldn't want unwanted attention on his state of mind for taking to long for something so simple.
"Minamoto." Mitsuba's voice brought the blond out of his head. He lifted himself up to face his old prince. The young former prince handed his some tissues and snuck on in a pocket. Minamoto noticed the red eyes and the hidden tissue, he would've mentioned it but it wasn't the time to get into an argument with his friend, he was the only one who understanded him to an extent. Plus he knew how the pink boy will get if he tried talking about his emotions through this calamity.
--
Aoi had come back in the room with a tea kettle.
The feelings from not so long back had died down almost completely. Both not wanted the only way to not getting caught to leave them out in ruin or worse, turn them in.
"Alright we have to color your hair Mitsuba! Minamoto you don't need this tea since you are a rare blond." Aoi smiled at the youngest son of the bloodline then signaled the pink one in the bathroom. Minamoto followed as the bathroom was vastly large and could contain the three of them. "Sit on this chair." Said Aoi while laying out the materials for this process.
"Aoi might I question what on Earth are you about to do?" Mitsuba side-eyed the hot kettle lying right beside the sink he was nearest to.
"Coloring your hair with the tea, silly~! Now rest your head." The girl took a hold of the pink one's head, as unsettled as Mitsuba felt, he shot a forced smile to Minamoto. He brough a chair not before asking permission, he carried the chair next to the not for long pink haired boy.
Aoi rinsed Mitsuba's hair with warm but chilling water. "Aoiii!" He whined. "My neck hurts!"
"Just for a little more Mitsuba you can do it!" Aoi's encouragement reminded the boy of Yashiro, maybe she had gotten or influenced this behavior. "I can't, It feels like you're breaking my neck."
Minamoto stayed silent around the princess often just having long stares until the girl looked back. Mitsuba had grown to believe he doesn't trust the girl much, he has been very aware as of today, eyeing everything that rubs him off the wrong way but that's only Mitsuba's observations.
After a long glare to Aoi, Minamoto reached his hand out and tighten it around Mitsuba. The boy jumped a little startled and scared Aoi but then she fussed realizing nothing was wrong.
Mitsuba really wanted to twist his head to get a clear look at his friend without exhausting his eyeballs.
"Alright say goodbye to your royal hair!" Aoi warned as she began to pour the tea over Mitsuba's shiny pink hair. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time, Mitsuba never wanted to face the reality of his status but this week as been a handful as he had to push forward his fears; getting married, getting in trouble(to the point of torture), running away, and more he will have to face in the near future.
The calendula tea was hot, not burning but hot enough to hurt his scalp. Oh this process will take long.
--
After hours of waiting for Mitsuba's hair to turn a bright shade of gold like Minamoto's, Aoi brewed dark coffee. "This will take shorter to dye your hair, before you complain." She cocks her head to stare directly at the used to be pink head.
"Better be, I'm sure no commoners are going to be up when the sun sets. That's how it was in my king..dom." You were never ruler, it isn't yours don't say that. The mind of the former prince nagged him.
"I assure you both won't be on the streets." Aoi chuckled.
Minamoto leaned forward and whispered, "You heard the princess, now don't worry your pretty head about it." Even in these moments Minamoto still had the audacity to show his cocky side. Mitsuba is convinced he influenced it to some extant.
Mitsuba send a playful glare back. Oh, he couldn't wait for them to be alone.
--
"Voila!" The girl led them to a full body mirror hidden in the back of her closet.
Mitsuba cringed at the color of his hair, it was like half of his personality was drained. He could say the same for Minamoto. "This does NOT look pretty." Mitsuba spoke up brushing his finger through some unseen knots. "Enough whining, we need to find you guys a place to stay."
--
They had left the palace and now outside. The knight of Aoi that was reintroduced for Minamoto, guided the two to the lower town. The air was infused with scented flowers, this area was filled to the brim with the colorful plants all year long.
They walked until until they came across a young lady. She had warm green hair up to her neck with two long sets of bangs each side of her head. "You must be the prince from up north and heir to the Minamotos. Pleasure to met you, Sakura." The women raised a hand towards the two boys waiting for a greeting.
Minamoto immediately took her hand while Mitsuba was confused. "The honor is all mine, Nanamine!" He blurted. "No need, Akane tell the princess they have arrived safely, you may take your leave." Sakura dismissed the knight. He bowed and left without a word.
Based on what Mitsuba observed, she must be a well respected women. "Enter, you are welcomed." The green headed lady opened the door waiting for the two to go in.
A ecru colored cat with hints of light brown sat on a sofa. His head perked up at the strangers. "We have a large bedroom up stairs go straight and take a left. If you need anything I'll be available all night." The girl said in a monotone voice, taking a seat for the cat to jump on her lap.
"Thank you Miss." Mitsuba dismissed himself with a quick bow and took Minamoto's hand. The poor former blond was dragged to the directions of the bedroom.
"What was that about?" Minamoto asked confused. "I'm just tired Mister. But who was the lady?" The boy who responded quickly slipped the question.
Minamoto studied the confused one with any hints of him playing a cruel joke on him(like most other times). "You are serious?" Minamoto was confused why the other was confused. The other nodded impatiently.
"She is a powerful known witch. And her 'cat' was here too, just like in most folktale!" The energetic boy air quoted the cat part which made Mitsuba more curious. "The cat isn't a cat?"
"No! It's a equally powerful man disguised. This feels like a dream," Minamoto laid on the king sized mattress and looked up at the painted ceiling. "Today has felt like a dream." Mitsuba shooed him over to get under the covers.
"Let's call it a day my dear knight. You need to be tired by now." Mitsuba laughed at him.
Minamoto smiled back, "I can't help it prince!" He stood to turn off the lights. The rooms filled with stars and moons. Mitsuba admired them, his mother always told him one day they could have a galaxy under the roof and this witch made it true somehow.
With the room lit up by the light of the stars, it was easier for Minamoto to navigate where the bed was. "Beautiful isn't it?" The old blond whispered also astonished by it.
Mitsuba hummed and faced the wall on his side. It feels awkward to sleep in a bed with another person especially if you aren't used to it. But he could manage for his prior knight.
At least for tonight.
-<3