Runaways [MikaYuu]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Some omniscient force was dragging Yuu through the ornate halls of the castle up to his room to change as quickly as possible. He was itching to leave, to escape to the city for just a few hours and find the vivacious teenager he stumbled across in the last moments of summer.

Upon diving into his room and slipping into the closet, he became suddenly self-conscious of the clothes he wore. Last time was a mistake, wearing a stuffy tuxedo and layers of clothing. Of course, when you're a runaway, you don't have much of a choice about anything except where you want to go.

He felt silly, like a teenage girl getting ready for a date. He desperately pulled clothes off their hangers, held them up to cover his torso, shook his head, carelessly threw them to the side, and repeated the process. Shiori-san would give him hell for the mess later, but Yuu couldn't think about anything else right now.

Every piece of clothing he owned was so incredibly expensive and fancy; how did he live like this? Most of this stuff wasn't even comfortable to wear, and each piece probably cost more than an entire luxury fruit stand at a market.

Eventually Yuu settled on some random, loose-fitted white collared shirt and creased brown pants. The material of his shirt was thin; he hoped it wouldn't get too cold tonight. In the mirror hanging in his bedroom, he adjusted his shirt collar and threaded his fingers through his hair nervously.

This time, he wouldn't run away from Mika so nervously (even though he felt quite jittery right then). No, tonight would be much different. It would be better.

It would be everything he was searching for; whatever that may be.

Sighing a bit and putting on a determined face, Yuu forced himself to stand up straighter. He smiled in the mirror, and when it looked a bit too forced, he dropped the corners of his lips slightly. There. Is that what people see when I smile? He frowned, and then smiled again.

When he was done pulling faces in the mirror, Yuu quickly left his bedroom and was running down the hall again. Of course, this was against the rules, but Yuu didn't really care, it's not like anyone was going to- 

Something blocked his path and suddenly Yuu was on the floor, rubbing his forehead. He felt a knot forming and cursed under his breath irritably.

"Language, mister!" An angry voice scolded him. "And where do you think you're going so quickly?"

Yuu looked up into the cold, icy blue eyes of his mother, Kaori. They were frosted with impatience, and her face was devoid of any emotion besides irritation. She was dressed in a fancy gown, but not her fanciest. It was white, with gold trimmings, extremely tight in the torso area but billowing out in the skirt.

Yuu had a theory that his mother was always so cranky because her corset was pulled too tightly. He tried not to laugh at that thought and put on his most convincingly apologetic face.

"Nevermind that, Yuichiro, but you must get off the floor before you get your clothes dirty," Kaori demanded. She held out her satin-gloved hand to him and he took it, pulling himself up. "Your father and I have news to share with you, so please join us for dinner tonight."

Yuu tried not to show his scorn, and nodded politely. "Of course, Mother. Shall I take you downstairs?"

The side of Queen Kaori's mouth upturned into a small smile. "Certainly."

He held his hand out to her this time, bowing, and she took it delicately. As they slowly headed down the staircase, Yuu kept his face neutral. Showing any sort of rigidity would flare up suspicion, but being around his parents always put him on edge. There was something about it, where he felt like he should always put on a façade to be someone he's not.