The Queen: Mad Woman of Tenjiku

Chapter 2: Promise

Author POV

Kakucho and Izana were sitting inside the classroom lounging while the other children went to do their evening activities.

"This is longer than usual....should we go get her?" Kakucho asked referring to Ai. After the director Ai last night they didn't see her for the entirety of the morning and now the sun was setting. Izana had gone out with Shinichiro again, but they didn't visit Emma since she was sick. Instead Shinichiro taught Izana multiple things helping him ignore the aching feeling in his heart when Ai still wasn't back when he returned. He talked about his day to Kakucho, the tricks Shinichiro taught him. Like how you should hold a lighter in your hand and punch in a certain way so that you don't break your hand in a fight.

"Ai-nee...Izana I'm worried...." Kakucho said pouty.

"Don't do anything stupid Kakucho, it'll make things worse for Ai." Izana growled. Sighing he jumped off the desk. "I'm going to cool off."

Though the worse they feared had yet to come, after that, Ai's sessions in the basement grew longer and longer. At times Izana and Kakucho wouldn't see her for a month or two. Whenever Ai came out she looked worse and worse, but she still told them.

"Don't worry about me Izana, tell me more about your day..." Ai would say softly. Izana knew that Ai didn't want to think about the room, she avoided the topic altogether. He couldn't even stop them from taking her, he and Kakucho tried once. After that they didn't see Ai for three months straight.

Izana was about to lose it, he didn't want Ai to die, but she looked weaker as the year went on. She would mumble to herself at times or cry out hysterically, which was odd. He comforted her in her room, but Ai was close to breaking completely mentally and physically. Her complexion only got better after drinking his blood. He needed to get stronger, he had to he was more determined then ever to get her out of this cursed place.

At school Izana was bullied though, he didn't care much for it. His only concern after being sent to school outside the orphanage was to return and have a chance of seeing Ai. Ai wasn't allowed to step outside the orphanage much. She couldn't leave before her daily examination. It was like she had shackles.

Izana 12
Ai 11
Kakucho 8

"Izana is late huh Cho-kun..." Ai said pondering, she was lounging as Kakucho sat on the grass below the porch between her legs. He had a bit of a back rest since Ai was wearing a dress.  Ai was in a better state of mind thanks to Kakucho spending time reading with her.

"I know.....Hey Ai-nee? Do you like Izana?" Kakucho asked. Ai tilted her head.

"Of course I do, I like you too Cho-kun." Ai said bluntly.

"T-thats not what I meant like do you Like Izana like the princesses in the storybooks?" Kakucho clarified blushing. Ai thought for a bit, in the storybooks the princes would save the princess on the white horse.

She thought of Izana, who saved her from her days in solitude. "Maybe....Izana..is my hero I guess. He taught me everything, how to play, how to have fun, family and he taught me how to care about another person like you Cho-kun. You're my precious little brother." Ai said nuzzling Kakucho with her head. "Izana is.....someone that changed my life....everything was dull back then" Ai thought of Izana's smiling face and she smiled too. Izana was really special...

"A-ah stop it!! You're going to mess up my hair!" Kakucho pouted. "Just wait a second I'm going to ask the director if we could go get Izana." Kakucho said jumping up, Ai tilted her head.

"Like as in us?" She asked.

"Yes! It's really close so it should be fine Ai-nee." Kakucho insisted making Ai sigh. She nodded, she couldn't say no to Kakucho's big doe eyes after all.