𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 • k. ayato

16

☄. *. ⋆

It was the first day of winter that the coup of the Kamiyama's occurred. And Ayato, who was so young at the time was accompanying his father in the aftermath of it all. Helping him take care of the many dead servants and the enemies that were still lurking in the shadows. He had learned a lot from that day.

It was also the day he met her for the first time—albeit now he knew she did not remember that happening at all. To her, their first time meeting was on their wedding day. He realized that perhaps she did not remember anything from that day at all.

Despite this, he remembered her very well.

He saw her sitting with a blanket thrown over her shoulders, he wondered, did it help her at all? It seemed foolish. He saw her nightgown, which was dirtied by blood. He remembered her hair, unkempt, falling messily over her eyes. And the many servants who were swarming all around her, trying to get her to go back inside.

He remembered being intrigued by the absolute darkness in her eyes, and the expression of pure nothingness on her face. Now that he thought about it, it was almost as if she was unconscious. Never before did he see someone look so crushed.

He paced up to her, bid the servants away, knelt down in front of her, and spoke, "Why is it you're out here in the cold? Your kin is fast asleep. You too should get some rest."

But she didn't say anything. She simply shifted her eyes to meet his, staying as quiet as before. He recalled being charmed by the stillness of everything around her.

"May I walk you to your chambers? You look weary, my lady," he smiled, extending his hand towards her. However, she did not take it. But he understood. Her heart probed withered, a neglected fruit that would never again sweeten—or so he thought at the time.

After a moment of silence, Ayato was ready to leave her alone, but before he could do that, he heard her speak, "Mother is dead... and so is... everyone else. Everything's destroyed. Doesn't father feel anything at all, mister?"

Ayato was taken aback by this. The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic to his brain. He saw how her eyes gleamed, how bad they wished for an answer, and so he glanced over at the head of the Kamiyama's, who was busy conversing with Ayato's father.

He seemed tired, but nevertheless authoritarian. As if even a tsunami could not shake down his determination to mend his family.

"He is human too, is he not? How could he not feel anything?"

She shook her head, "The servants said he is a heartless monster. I heard them whispering."

He observed her expression, which was now contorting into that of a pained one, "And so you chose to believe the people you don't know over your own father?"

She snapped her head to look at him, digging her nails into her knees, "No, no, no! How could I ever do such a thing? Father is... father is kind! He saved me and my brother!"

At such a reaction, Ayato took hold of her cold hand, smiling tenderly, "Then why is it you're asking me such a question?"

"I... don't know," she bit her lip, feeling tears threatening to come out of her eyes, "I miss my mom... There was so much blood around her..."

He eyed her. How hard she was trying to hang onto sanity, and how greatly she was fighting against her own mind. He so admired her resolve, "You're strong," he whispered, "Much stronger than you concede. With this strength, you must protect those around you. So that a tragedy such as this never happens again, okay? You mustn't doubt your family either. Family comes before everything else in this world."