Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

LXXXIV

The days passed by at an alarming rate for Shoto, who had every spare moment of his time snatched away from him. He knew his coronation was coming soon, and his friends were due to arrive as well, but he was so busy he could not keep track of the date, and for all he knew one day he would wake up and in the next minute a crown would be placed on his head.

From meetings with people he had never seen before, to food tastings that left him often rather queasy, it was only in the solace of the moon that he could find a moment of quiet. Momo, Jirou, and his siblings were great companions, always there to keep him grounded whenever he found himself slipping into a slight panic.

Everything was planned to perfection, just as it was destined to be since he was brought into this world, and whilst this time it was through his choices and not the iron grip of his father, and that he was accepting the role of king rather than it being forced upon him, sometimes he could still feel that shadow of his father in the dark shadows at the end of hallways and the flashes of red that would seep from his under his fingernails. 

His father's death seemed so far away, almost as if it was someone else who had speared that sword straight through his heart, but in the silence of the night, when Shoto was unable to escape his own wandering thoughts, he would relive the moment over and over. Leaving the Tribe lands had helped with his nightmares, where he would wake up with the feeling of choking on red hot blood, Katsuki there to hold him close and tell him it was all just a dream, but during those lonely nights when he couldn't distract himself with his responsibilities, that fear, doubt, and vulnerability would seep back in.

One night when the moon was at her peak, her cold and shimmering beams sprawled languidly throughout his bed chamber, he was unable to escape his thoughts. His sleep was deep, that hardest kind to force himself awake from, and now he couldn't rely on Katsuki or visits from the maiden to wake him up, it was as if he was a child once again, trapped in this same castle with only himself to keep him tethered to this life. His dreams were violent, full of blood and swords and screams, and for the first time in a long while he had lost control of his power. 

It had happened before, where he would wake up with half of his body covered in frost, blood chilling and muscles rigid. It would be painful and leave him in an awful panic, but he would grit his teeth and force his heartbeat to slow down lest his father hear and punish him. But this time, he woke up to scorched sheets and sweat upon his brow. Natsuo's hand was cold and firm on his shoulder. But he could feel the tremor coming from his brother's hand, the worry and sickening fear in his eyes as he looked at the remaining flickers of fire on his left arm.

His breath wouldn't slow, and Natsuo's form continuously switched into that of his father, hand burning, shouting at him with a sword through his chest and blood running from his lips. Everything felt too hot, his brother's cold hand feeling like molten lava on his skin, and it wasn't until something metallic and smooth passed through his lips, swallowing on command, did sleep reach out with unrelenting hands and drag him back into the darkness...

He awoke to something damp on his forehead and whispers moving back and forth above him. Everything felt heavy, his limbs left with a distant ache, and there was something warm in both of his hands. A deep sigh left his chapped lips, and the grip on his hands tightened, encouraging him to open his eyes. He blinked slowly, still sleep heavy, and as his room came into view so did his siblings, each looking down at him with worried yet relieved expressions.

"Did..." he tried to say, but there was still something heavy on his tongue, keeping him weighed down on the bed, yet he pushed through. He slowly turned his head to Natsuo. "Did I hurt you?" he asked. 

"You wake up and the first thing you ask is if I'm okay?" Natsuo tried to joke. "Didn't expect anything else, though. Yeah, I'm fine Sho. Gave me a damn good scare."