fᎪmᎥᏞᎽ [Kaedehara Kazuha x Reader]

Chapter 22

"Ayaka." Ayaka's father's voice sounded across the doorway. She got up from where she sat and bowed deeply. Her father was a figure of respect, and she was not to disobey or disrespect him in any manner. If it got out to the media that his family life wasn't so perfect, his image would be ruined and he wouldn't allow that to happen, at any cost.

"Your marriage with Diluc is next week. Seems like you couldn't capture Kazuha's heart after all." her father smirked at her. She felt daggers dig into her chest. Diluc was the heir to a huge company, and she was expected to marry him for the sake of her family. Her father had given her a chance- if she could make the person she loved love her back in four years, she wouldn't have to get married forcefully. But she'd failed. Just as she always did.

"Father! I beg of you not to decide so soon." a male voice came from behind her father, which she recognised to be  her brother- Ayato's voice. Her father's icy eyes fell upon Ayato and his lips curved up into a smile.

"Right, how could I forget? She's my precious daughter, isn't she?" he glared at Ayaka in a way that made her shiver. Then he struck Ayato's cheek, hard enough to make blood flow out. Her elder brother stood in stunned silence. Ayaka felt tears form in the back of her eyes. "Is that what you thought I would say?!" her father roared as he pulled at Ayato's hair before tossing him towards the ground. Ayato stood up after their father left, cheek red with a bit of blood flowing out and smiled as he turned towards Ayaka, patting her head.

"Sorry I wasn't able to do anything, Ayaka." he wiped away the blood from his cheek with an expression that said it didn't hurt a bit, but she knew more than anyone else how deeply he had been hurt.

"Brother." she embraced him and wept inconsolably. How many times had her father struck her brother because of her? It was now uncountable. The injury on his forehead, which was bandaged, was also recent. Her father had become so angry at her, not because she'd done anything wrong, but because of sheer frustration, and when her brother had tried to stop him, he'd flung a porcelain dish at Ayato's head.

Was this all her life was meant to be? Pain, sadness and deep darkness. She wanted to save her brother somehow. Even if she couldn't save herself.

|

"I'm soo glad you decided to have us here. I had fears that maybe Beidou would make you change your mind or-" Ganyu's words were cut off by an angry Beidou who pounded her head jokingly.

"Hey, now, who did you fear would change their mind? Huh?" Beidou guffawed as you slipped them both cups of tea. You gave Xiao the coffee he'd asked for and stood on standby in case they needed something else.

"Courier!" a voice yelled from outside. You ran to get the door before anyone else could react, and swung it open to reveal a pink haired woman with jewel like purple eyes.

"Yae Delivery Services- courier's here." the woman smiled. You recognised her to be Yae Miko, the founder of the services. Your father and mother had been good friends with her.

"Yae-san?! Why are you here?" you questioned the pink haired woman, who just laughed in her deep feminine voice.

"I saw one of the deliveries was to your house by coincidence, so I thought I'd drop by." she waved a brown packet in her hand before she handed it over with a smirk. "Its for you." she added.

You peeled open the brown cover carefully before your head met with pure agony as you fell to the ground. Yae just smiled at you as you gazed at the two in the picture, at a summer festival, apparently.

A blond boy with a braid, and a (h/c) haired girl with (e/c) eyes that looked lovingly at the former as she clutched onto his shoulder. And the white haired and red eyed boy in the back, who just gazed with extreme jealousy at the two of them.