Chapter Text
Kunigami Rensuke was once again drinking, but not in an alcoholic way. No, no — it was more in the realm of having a drink after a hard day's work. He'd been up since dawn travelling by an amalgamation of transport, lurking around each corner looking for anything at this point. Look, it was the first of the month, and Kunigami deserved a drink. Just like he did the night before, and the night before that. In fact, he deserved it every night for the past three months just for the gruelling work he’s been doing. Of course, he didn’t follow suit with that because then he would be an alcoholic.
Even though it was a weekend night, Kunigami still had work tomorrow and had to do the same tedious routine. At this point, he was running on 4 hours asleep, and some would advise that he sleeps, instead of drinking, but he wanted to do something for himself, instead of his boss. Kunigami’s 'human embodiment of persistence' boss had sent him off to foreign land to find the Prince of Manshine. For three months, Kunigami has been stuck in Ubers, searching for the presumed dead prince of the country that Muchen had sieged. Needless to say, there was no sight of the Royal. All because Mr. Tenacity (fuck him) just knows that the Prince is not dead. Well, Kunigami is pretty sure that the Prince is resting quite peacefully without having the misfortune of meeting The Sky Prodigy.
Why couldn’t The Sky Prodigy accept it, like everyone else in Munchen and Manshine, that the Crown Prince of Manshine was dead; up in Heaven, or down in Hell, with the rest of his family. Unless what the Son of Jupiter wanted was a psychic reading with the dead. There are already tons of people in Munchen who specialize in commuting with the dead, so sending him to Ubers was unnecessary.
Everyone knew that the Chigiri family was dead. For crying out loud, the last time Kunigami had stepped on Manshine soil was for the Chigiri execution, three years ago. Kunigami and his boss were both present for the public execution of the Royal Chigiri family. The whole family bloodline was gone in a mere hour. The iconic red of their hair turned to the tragic red of their blood. All families, no matter the distance of relations, were killed, except for the Prince. The Queen, Prince Hyoma’s sister, claimed that the young Prince had already passed away due to an illness when he was twelve. There was no trace of the boy in Manshine, so the Munchen army had accepted the story with the discovery of medical papers about the boy’s poor condition. It made perfect sense. But there was no physical body as evidence, which was unacceptable for the Son of Jupiter.
Kunigami's grip tightened on his cup; how much longer did he have to sustain this? It was tiresome and idiotic to look for someone he knew was gone. Kunigami had certainly dealt with worse predicaments, but the mental fatigue was catching up to him. In his previous predicament, he would go to sleep and dream that it was all over, and he would forget about the day's pain. It was the hope of tomorrow in his dreams that preserved him. Sleep and alcohol were what kept him going. The guilt-ridden guard that watched over his cell slipped a shot through the bars. Kunigami had given him a grunt for an explanation.
“It makes you feel good. Makes you forget, and feel less.”
That was all Kunigami needed to hear before he hungrily took the shot. Working for the Sky Prodigy was his escape from hell, so he’ll sustain another month of mindless travel till he could go back to Munchen. A country which was still a foreign and hated land to him. Nonetheless, Munchen was now his home, not Manshine.
Manshine: which was once his home with glory, was now covered in the blood of its royals. It was the Empire of illustrious feats. Now, it is neatly concealed by the robes of Munchen; like a traitorous lover. A lover who asks for forgiveness after ripping out the heart of his love. A plea with actions that can only defy, as the words were silent. A way to cast the deeds of the past within borrowed robes. The foolish lover who paints himself as the victim.
Blood that was like a ruby jewel bled all over and spread throughout Manshine. He was a lover who could not do anything but watch. Eyes which conceal the truth, yet can not meet anyone else's eyes. In the end, the lover was painfully human.
Kunigami chugged his drink, which ironically cleared his mind. He was drinking so he could stop thinking, not do it more.
The bartender knocked on the counter in front of Kunigami.
“You look worse than the last time I checked up on you, kid. What’s up?”
Kunigami couldn’t help but glare at the jolly man in front of him, though you could say his neutral face was a glare. He got that he didn’t look the best; he had under-eye circles that were practically permanent and his hair was overdue for a haircut, but saying that straight to face was unnecessary.
He had ended his travels for the day in Seppio Village and ended up in the Hare Tavern. It was the best tavern in the village which is a laughable feat when he realizes it was the only tavern in the village. It was owned by the man in front of him who had a hard-earned beer belly and a bald spot to go along with it. The owner also happened to be the happiest and noisiest man in the village. Kunigami couldn’t help but talk to the other since he had the cadence.
“It’s my boss, he’s persistent and annoying as ever.”
The man laughed as he did earlier when he told the man, which perplexed Kunigami. There was nothing funny about having the most egotistical boss in the whole Munchen Army (which is saying something).
“I swear, your boss is gonna be the reason for your liver failure if you keep working for him," said the bartender, swiftly taking Kunigami’s cup and bottle.
“Hey! Give that back, man. I paid for it,” he yelled, standing up to grab the bottle. He can not be out bested by a balding man at the age of 30. For fuck’s sake, he needs this one tiny win.
“Nope, I’m cutting you off,” the older man smiled as if he did not just single-handedly ruin Kunigami’s night.
“You can’t do that!”
“Oh yes, I can. I own this place. But seriously, you should consider quitting.”
“Alcohol or the job?”
“Both. What are you, kid? Nineteen?”
Kunigami nodded. It was for the first time in years that he had celebrated his birthday. With a drink, of course, he had to stay on brand.
“No one at your prime age should be stress-drinking this much,” lectured the owner. Kunigami was about to argue, but the other cut him off. “And don’t tell me you're drinking for fun because I haven't seen you dance or socialize with anybody.”
Who was this man telling Kunigami to get some bitches? He gets plenty of hoes, thank you very much.
Kunigami sighed, “I wish I could, but they got me in a contract. With them for at least another 2 years.”
“Should’ve read before you signed."
He didn’t have much choice but to sign. Either stay in hell and be tortured by the demons, or strike a deal with the devil.
The bartender left him alone after that; leaving Kunigami to his drunken train of thought. His mind drifted back to the Prince. From what Kunigami remembered from his early knight training, the Prince lived up to his family name; smart, talented, and radiant.
Even at the age of 10, Kunigami was sought out for his physical prowess and he joined the Manshine Royal Knights Academy. He did well in his training; ranking top of his class and receiving constant praise from his peers and instructors alike. At times, he was even brought to the castle because of his potential. Most of the things he knew about the Prince was by ear, only interacting with the boy once or twice, and seeing him here and there. Kunigami knew he was known, but he didn’t think his name would reach the ears of the Prince. But they did.
Once, he passed by the Prince in the palace halls, and he bowed and greeted the Prince as a common courtesy before heading to his own destination. When he straightened from his bow, he was greeted by a pearly smile, “Hello, Kunigami. Good luck at training today!” Said the Prince.
Kunigami’s heart couldn't resist skipping a beat. Though even at his young age, he knew the Prince was unattainable.
The Prince was engaged to Mikage Reo at the age of ten, and they were arranged to marry at twenty. It was silly to think about, but Kunigami had learned it was quite common among the nobles of Manshine to arrange marriages between their children. Reo had explained it to him when the two of them were roommates. He still found it silly though. Let the rich be rich he had thought.
However, he heard that the Prince fell ill when he was twelve and when Kunigami was thirteen. It was just as the Royals claimed three years ago during the execution. The story lined up, and with the lack of clues (I just know, is not a clue), the chances that the boy was still alive were zero to none. Kunigami was losing hope.
He didn’t even get to see him again. What would he say to him? Not that Kunigami’s words would have any effect on the Prince. All things considered, he was completely insignificant to the Royal. It was a selfish thought to want to see him again. He doubts the Prince even remembered him.
Kunigami’s thoughts were fading, so his ears picked up the conversions around him. Most of it was nonsense, though one conversation piqued his interest.
“You haven’t heard about the rumour?” One patron said.
“There are so many rumours, which one are you talking about?” Said her companion.
“The one about the princess of course!”
“Huh?”
“There’s a rumour that in the forest, there is a princess from a far-off land who is here till her saviour comes. I hear she has long red hair and a beautiful singing voice. The one who finds her will be the King of her Kingdom!”
“Bullshit. That’s not a rumour, that’s a fucking fairytale! Also, why would you be the King, you have no heritage in the land?”
“Whatever, you just don’t know how to have fun.”
“No, I’m realistic.”
Red. Red like the ruby jewel of Prince Hyoma's red hair. Kunigami had loved red just because of that. His hair was so smooth and bright, that the crown on top of his head had to fight to be the staple piece of his look. In the forest she said? That’s just at the edge of the village, quite near the tavern. It wouldn't take Kunigami a long time to get there. He might as well give it a try. He wasn’t having any luck with the intel his high-class military unit gave him, so what was the harm? Before he knew it, Kunigami’s feet were moving on their own to flee the tavern. On his way out, he bumped into a man who wanted to start a fight. He just glared at the man, and he left him alone. Kunigami was then gently kissed by the summer’s night air. In the middle of the night, Kunigami left for the forest.
_____
When drunk, things usually do not piece together in an orderly manner. Kunigami was no exception to this fact. Yes, the forest was right there and it was quite an easy journey there, so his adrenaline-pumped brain was cruising. Now a fun fact about the forest, it’s fucking massive, and Kunigami currently had the brain power of a pea to have any sense of direction. He was one man, and foolish enough to think he could search the whole forest himself. Fact number three, it was pitch black at night, and trees cast shadows which act like black holes. Kunigami was sobering up from the sheer creepiness of the forest alone. That and also the constant bumping into things.
Leaves were in his hair, making a shit flower crown on his head. He was bumping into everything; bushes, shrubs, and even trees. While trying not to step on some flowers, he stepped into another patch of pretty flowers. He should've gone back to his Inn. This was stupid, and he was drunk. Why couldn’t God have mercy on him?
Maybe God did have mercy on him because at that moment. It seems to Kunigami that when he loses all hope, he finds light. Maybe he should give up more often because the moment he lost hope, Kunigami spotted a cabin.
It was a typical fairytale cabin, small, short, and lacking colour. Around it was a hazardously put-together garden, though the plants were growing, so that was a win. On top of the house, there was a figure, bright and red. The sacred jewel of Manshine lay on top of the roof, stargazing. Kunigami gets closer till he's right near the house, his steps ever so quiet.
“Prince Hyoma?” He asked.
The figure on top of the roof startled up, the moonlight casting the boy to have a halo glow.
"Reo!?" Said the redhead.
Right before he could say anything else, the boy rolled off the roof. Instinctively, Kunigami caught his Prince. In his arms was Prince Hyoma, just as radiant as he remembered.
The Prince had not expected Kunigami to catch him as he was clenching his eyes tight for impact. Safe in Kunigami’s arms, the redhead opened his eyes. Hyoma’s eyes were scanning his face with a furrowed brow. Kunigami made observations of his own, and he had noticed that Prince Hyoma’s face was way too close for his liking.
“Kunigami?" said the Royal, bringing his face closer to Kunigami’s, who was desperately trying to keep some distance.
"Kunigami, you’re my saviour?” He continued, grabbing Kunigami’s bicep. Kunigami’s functioning part of his brain concluded it would be awkward to continue holding the Prince like they were newlyweds, so he put the other down. He also thought that would help with his predicament of Prince Hyoma's face being way too close to his. However, the other kept a small distance between them, his hands on Kunigami’s shoulders.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just. I was expecting --”
“Young Master, Reo,” Kunigami said quickly, using his limited brain cells to conger up a story.
“Yes, Reo. I was hoping he would be the first one I would see after how many years? Five, five and half years?” Chigiri waited for something.
“Six years,” he supplied. No wait, he didn't need to come up with a story. He remembered that his boss had already made one. Foolproof, he just needed to remember it.
“My lord, six years! So forgive me for reacting so unpleasantly," said Hyoma. "Oh, I just really want to see him. Every night, I dreamt of Reo saving me on a white stallion. I don’t know why it was a white stallion. He didn’t even have a white pony, it was a brown one. And I’m pretty sure she was actually a mare.” Chigiri continued, not paying attention to Kunigami if he was even listening. Good, that gave Kunigami more time to recall the plan.
Hyoma's eyes had stars in them, much like the ones above them. The more he kept on talking, the more the stars would arrange themselves into a constellation, connecting one thought with another. Kunigami couldn't help but get lost in the galaxy of his eyes. It made his mind waiver from the plan. Yes, the plan! Think, God dammit!
His eyes drifted back to Hyoma. The striking red hair in the rumours was true, it was as if it was glowing. Just as Kunigami remembered from his youth. Each clump of hair was its own ignited red flame which went down to his back. Intense. Everything about the Prince was intense, aside from his clothing, which was poorly sewn commoner clothing. The stitching was clearly done by an amateur, and so were the alterations which were done because of growth.
Kunigami sighed, to which Chigiri finally stopped talking and made an unpleasant face.
Kunigami wasn’t expecting the Prince to be so talkative. Granted, it was his fault for thinking so. His boss had probably told him about how Prince Hyoma would be talkative due to the lack of human interactions throughout these past years. Though Kunigami had tuned that out, checking it off as common sense. Not common enough though; if it had been, Kunigami would’ve waited until the morning to retrieve His Highness. Get his much-needed rest before he had to deal with this. In Kunigami’s defence, he hadn’t expected he would actually find the deceased Prince. After months of searching, he should be ecstatic but he was only tired. Kunigami needed rest above all at the moment. He was not in the mood to deal with Hyoma's dream journal thoughts.
“My Prince, there is no need for my forgiveness, it is I who needs yours. It is truly understandable that you want to see the Young Master at the moment, after all, he is your fiance. Though Young Master Reo is busy with other matters at the moment, so he sent me instead. My apologies.” He bowed.
“No, it’s okay, Kunigami. It is Kunigami, right?” He nodded, surprised that Hyoma remembered him.
“Well, if you are here as his replacement, then you must be skilled as well. The barrier is a hard one to break.”
Barrier? Kunigami was faced with no barrier on his way. Ah, an alchemy barrier, probably one of the Sky if he were to guess. It must have dissipated when he stepped into the area. At times like these, he's grateful for his skill.
“Yes, the Young Master taught me how to break it. He had also told me to bring you to him once I found you. We will leave in the morning, if you don’t mind, right at dawn," reciting the lines from the plan his boss had given him.
“Of course! You must have had a long trip. Follow me.”
Hyoma finally increased the distance between them and led Kunigami to the door of the cabin. The inside was exactly as Kunigami imagined: small, cramped, and cozy. There was a twin-sized bed in the corner, an armchair, a basic wooden desk on one of the walls, and a small kitchen at the back. There were also a ton of books everywhere. From shelves filled with them to the floor with the rest of the Prince’s mess. All around the place were nicknacks, clothes were on the floor, the bed was unmade and the desk had barely any room for writing.
“Sorry about the mess,” he said bashfully, “I wasn’t expecting any guests.”
Kunigami dismissed it, saying it was fine.
“Would you like some tea?”
“I would like some sleep, actually,” he answered honestly.
“Oh, yeah! You can have the bed. You’re probably really tired, so you deserve it.”
“And where would you sleep, my Prince? The floor is not a suitable place for you to sleep. You can get aches and sores from sleeping on the floor.” Kunigami refused it! Why should Prince Hyoma sleep on the floor, while he sleeps on the bed? To his core, it felt wrong.
Kunigami found it funny that even after all these years, his conditioning as a knight was still kicking. It was especially funny because he will be committing one of the most un-knightly things in the days ahead. He will both be lying to the Prince and putting him in danger. The top two things against the Royal Knights of Manshine Code. But Kunigami was no Manshine Knight. He was a Muchen Bastard, not that Chigiri was aware of that, nor will he be aware of it either.
“It's fine,” Hyouma reassured with the same pearly smile from years ago. “If you're worried about my comfort, there is no reason to fret. I’ll sleep in the armchair. Some nights, I prefer it over my bed.”
He could no longer argue with the redhead, his mind oh so close to escaping to the unconscious realm. The bed would be nice, even if it would be a little tight for Kunigami’s frame. The mattress was soft like a mother’s hug when he layed down. The blankets were warm, yet light, perfect for the summer weather. Once his head hit the pillow, he was almost in Dreamworld. Though he felt this agonizing feeling that eyes were on him. By now, he was used to being watched at all times, but he couldn’t help to ask what was wrong. He would not be able to go to sleep before Chigiri’s wish was fulfilled.
"What's wrong, my Prince? I feel you staring."
“It’s nothing, really. I’ll tell you about it in the morning,” said the Prince, waving him off.
“Spit it out,” he grumbled, turning over to face Hyoma. He did not have the time to deal with these shy antics. The redhead fiddled with his fingers for a bit before he spoke. Cute.
“It’s just, well it’s summer, right?”
He nodded. It's hot as fuck outside, and he's glad that didn't go undetected by the Prince.
“Well, in the Ubers there is a tradition they do to honour their past Kings and Queens, it’s called the Lantern Festival. I went to it once when I was nine and it had to be the best moment of my life. It was so lively and joyful- it was truly a sight. Anyways, I was just wondering if we could go. Tell Reo to meet us there, it would be a perfect place to meet him. The lantern release is quite a romantic experience, and I would like to share it with him. The festival is during the first week of August. Will we have time to get there?”
Kunigami’s sleep-induced brain did the math, it was the first week of July and would take roughly three weeks to get to the Capital. Obviously, Kunigami knows about the Festival, the whole continent does! A few of his colleagues have gone and some would love to go. Himself included. It wouldn't hurt to bring the Prince to the Festival. The Royal Knights of Manshine Code had its rare win.
“Sure,” he said.
“Really!?” Jumped Hyoma.
“Yes, now please let me sleep, my Prince.”
Kunigami turned his back to Hyouma again.
He heard the boy moving around, shuffling some things, and the creak of a chair. When the boy moved, Kunigami heard the sound of gears, which he only noticed now in the silence. Kunigami had written it up as something that he heard because of his lack of sleep. After that Kunigami heard nothing but pencil writing for a while. Then he heard another creak of a chair, followed by the hinges of the door.
Hyoma came back into the cabin with a yawn. Footsteps were coming closer to the bed until he felt the bed dip beside him. So much for sleeping comfortably. It was way too tight, just as Kunigami expected. He turned around, only to find the Prince dead asleep. Too tired to do anything, Kunigami wrapped his arm around Hyoma to be more comfortable. With his Prince in his arms, he finally went to sleep.