Runaways [MikaYuu]

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

It goes without saying that Yuu would have trouble sleeping again that night. Honestly, this insomnia was seriously putting a damper on his focus in school every day. He wasn't sure how long it took to fall asleep, considering he didn't have a light on to see his grandfather clock, but it felt like hours of tossing and turning before he finally lost consciousness.

He didn't get to sleep long, however, which seriously pissed him off. It was at some unknown hour of the night when he felt someone furiously shaking his shoulders, whispering "Yuichiro-sama!" in a hurried voice.

Yuu groaned, knowing it was impossible that it was morning already. His eyes remained squeezed shut, but he was awake enough to hear the worried cry of Shiori-san.

"Yuichiro-sama, there's been a robbery!" She whispered loudly. "Your parents are requesting your presence in the bunker immediately!"

Yuu wasn't actually interested in whatever petty thing was stolen in the castle. Knowing their financial standing, King Ichinose could buy a replacement without even batting an eyelash. Still, Shiori-san was unwilling to let him fall back asleep and tugged him out of the bed. What was it that made beds all the more comfortable when you weren't allowed to sleep? It was one of the universe's greatest unsolved phenomena.

Yuu made a futile attempt to grab his pillow while being yanked away from his bundle of warmth, but his fingers only grazed the fabric of the pillowcase before he was on his feet and Shiori was guiding him towards the door.

"I can walk myself, thank you," Yuu said with a little bit more hostility than he intended. Well, it's not his fault he gets cranky when woken up at whatever-in-the-morning. Shiori nodded and they made their way downstairs, the castle quiet. Yuu was expecting chaos, and was slightly disappointed to see everything looked normal.

After they hit the ground floor, they moved towards the back of the castle, where the secret door to the bunker remained. Shiori pulled the wooden lever and the giant fireplace slowly pulled up to reveal a small door. Yuu had to duck to get inside, but Shiori was short enough to pass through standing straight up. The button on the other side closed the secret passageway, and Shiori pressed it with the back of her hand. They maneuvered through the eerie, cave-like tunnel, their footsteps echoing and shadows stretching all around them. The torches mounted on the walls flickered, casting an ominous glow throughout the tunnel, making Yuu shiver. He dragged his hand across the wall, picking up a layer of dust. He wondered when was the last time someone used this bunker.

He knew it's been here for centuries, though. When the castle was built, many secret passageways led for quick escapes in case of a threat. This tunnel in particular led to a large safe house, with a few sets of thin bunkbeds, some canned food (that probably expired twenty years ago), and bottles of water. When they turned a few corners and reached the safe room, Yuu saw every other castle worker and his parents were already there.

Yuu would've laughed out loud at the sight of his parents in their pajamas, because it was so unlike them Yuu almost didn't recognize them at first. Queen Kaori's hair was twisted into in foam curlers and King Ichinose looked like he came out of an Ancient Greece textbook. He had a giant white cloth draped over him and pinned by his breastbone and no crown on his head. Yuu's simple pajama set still looked incredibly common in comparison to their royal sleepwear. 

"It's good to see you're safe, Yuichiro," King Ichinose gave him a nod of approval. Yuu resisted the urge to roll his eyes and bowed his head, thanking him and wishing him the same.

"What is going on?" He thought to ask, remembering it was the middle of the night and ten people were squashed together in this condensed space. He felt a blanket being draped on his shoulders, and he turned to see Shiori-san doting on him to make sure he was warm. Yuu hadn't even noticed amidst the chaos, but now he was well aware that he was shivering in the underground safe room.

Queen Kaori looked like she was about to scold him for asking a question without addressing his father, but his hand resting on top of hers softened her expression. "Tonight, we've received word that someone broke into the castle. We are not sure what the thief stole yet, but I've called in an investigator to search the entire home," He told Yuu.

"It can be assumed that the thief is one of those dirty lower class folks," Queen Kaori added with a disgusted bite in her tone. Venom practically dripped off her words as she spoke. "They are too uncivilized to understand what kind of problem they have now."

"Certainly so, Mother," Yuu nodded, agreeing respectfully out of habit. He turned to face the king. "Are we just going to wait here and wait until we get the all clear signal, then, Father?" Yuu asked.

"Yes, for the rest of the night, we'll remain in here for our own safety," King Ichinose explained. "And from now on, I will be doubling the castle security and having Shiori working full-time as your protector."

Yuu was startled to hear this, but then he realized it made sense. As it was, Yuu was often alone in the castle, which could actually be disastrous if someone broke in with the malicious intent of hurting the royal family. Having someone supervising him would be a total invasion on his privacy, though, and he was annoyed at the idea of his maid watching him while he slept and did other daily activities.

"You look disturbed, Yuichiro," Queen Kaori commented. "It's not like you have anything to hide, so having Shiori-san monitoring you will be no problem. It will be for your own safety, no less."

"It's just..." Yuichiro didn't know why he was about to disagree with his mother, in the presence of the king, no less - surely he would be reprimanded for this in a minute - but it needed to be said. "We don't know for sure if it's a commoner, right? It could be anyone."

"Are you questioning the intelligence of your mother, Yuichiro?" King Ichinose boomed, raising his hand as if about to strike him. Recoiling back quickly on instinct, Yuu whimpered in fear.

"My love, it's alright," Queen Kaori said with a soothing voice, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Yuichiro, the lower class aren't very smart. They're like primates; fighting ruthlessly for whatever they can get their hands on. We're only making a guess on that, nothing is set in stone. Now, go to sleep. In the morning, everything will be alright."

Grateful his mother barely saved him from the king doing something violent, he bowed his head and scrambled towards one of the unused cots. All of the castle workers were already asleep, and even though the torches cast long shadows across the bunker, Yuu immediately scrunched his eyes shut and immediately felt fatigue wash over his senses.

From the other side of the room, the king and queen of Drelacia took a seat side-by-side on the double cot, whispering to each other. "Guren, the thief is back so suddenly? And stealing my brooch; that piece of jewelry is priceless to my family, you know this!"

"Kaori, everything will be alright," King Ichinose said calmly. "We've already narrowed it down to a select number of culprits. We'll find them soon, and bring back all the things they've stolen."

"But, Guren-!" She was silenced by a chaste kiss to her lips.

"You've forgotten that commoners are easily manipulated,"  King Ichinose reminded her. "A mere reward will bring all of them out. You'll see." He drummed his fingers rapidly on his thigh, and noticing his own nervousness, Queen Kaori rested her petite hand atop his.

"We mustn't forget the real goal here, Guren," She whispered even softer, careful not to let her sleeping son overhear. "Yuichiro, the heir to Drelacia, must be protected at all costs... for the sake of this kingdom's peace."