Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

XXXVI

Dear Shoto,

My heart leapt out of my chest the moment I watched father chase you as you ran from the dining room. I wondered, deep down in my heart, whether that would be the last time I ever saw you. You,  Shoto, who whispered to me as a child about running away. You, who had far too much responsibility forced onto your shoulders at such a young age. When it was you, not me, whom father was forcing into an arranged marriage.

And now, to know that you are alive and safe brings me nothing but relief and joy. Natsuo and I have been so worried, but could not be more proud to hear the news that you are going to finally challenge our father once and for all. All of the servants talk between themselves, of what the Tribe lands are like and if their ruler is as beastly as people say he is. Yet I knew, when Iida came to speak to me to tell us of your letter and his mission, that he must be a good man even if you were arranged to marry him. 

I would say how bittersweet it is that you escaped to the place your marriage was to occur, and yet it seems it is a place where you have started to find yourself. I hope you know that when the time comes, I and the people of our kingdom will stand with you, and Natsuo has all of the best doctors he knows ready to help at a moment's notice. 

Please be safe Shoto. I know it might not mean much coming from me as I have never been able to shelter you from our father's wrath, but I want you to know that I will always care for you. Me, Natsuo, and even mother and Touya watching over from above, will be with you in heart and spirit when the day comes. I have always felt that you were gifted, meant for more than whatever father's wishes for you were, and I will make sure there is a throne waiting for you when you return to the kingdom, should you choose to do so.

Be well, Shoto. I know we may not speak face to face for some time, but you are forever in my mind. 

Love, your sister Fuyumi.

It was strange that he could almost hear Fuyumi's voice talking to him as he read the letter. Such careful words, delicate despite the short time he knew they must have been written in. Shoto was happy that she was alright, safe, and that Enji's rage had not yet been extended to his siblings. It comforted him that she was thinking of him, that there was someone looking out for their people whilst he was away, and he was grateful Iida had taken the time to inform them of his situation when he was under no obligation to do so. 

Fuyumi had always tried her best to take care of him, filling in the role of mother when theirs was tragically taken away. Whenever Shoto had been injured badly in training, badly enough that he could not tend to himself, she would try to slip into his wing of the castle to bring bandages or even some hot soup. Often, if Enji was feeling particularly cruel, he would station guards outside of his door, meaning she could more often than not only watch him whenever they crossed paths in the castle, eyes holding pity that Shoto never truly knew how to deal with. Spending these few weeks without those small interactions, small glances across rooms and in hallways, made Shoto further treasure the bond they shared, regardless of how small or fragile it may be.

He picked up Natsuo's letter next, the writing scrawled and cramped but legible. Shoto wondered if he was spending more time in the castle, possibly to be with Fuyumi and to lessen the burden of their father's dark presence in the castle. To know that his siblings were looking out for each other, doing whatever they could to help Shoto's cause, made him feel a sense of pride that their father, despite his best efforts, could never truly control them. It read:

Shoto,

First of all, what an idiot you are for leaving Fuyumi like that! Secondly, running off into the forest in a panicked state is definitely one way to get injured! And third, you're so fucking badass Touya would be proud!