blue butterfly (IZANA WISTARIA ◎ akagami no shirayukihime)

13; The Family

I've actually been planning this since like chapter 5.

9 chapters in 4 days!! Omg

•••

Her eyes were wide and she reached a hand out to me touching my cheek. "That can't be..."

The tray I held in my palms began to shake. I whispered out, "Hi."
What was I supposed to say?

"I thought you died!" She shouted, wrappinh her arms around me, making me drop the platter.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"How could you?" She questioned. I felt a wetness on my shoulders. "Umi, you're supposed to be dead."

I could feel Izana staring at me—at us.
At this time, another man had stepped up. Handsome, black hair with a shining blue tint, and brown eyes. "Is this..."

The queen of Tredosand looked at him and nodded.

"That's impossible!" He declared. "She's dead!"

"No one has ever had hair like this other than her! Don't try to avoid the facts, Alhe!"

He looked confused, much too confused. Then, I looked at him and made eye contact. Alhe's mouth opened slightly and he looked away. "I understand."

The queen nodded. "You see? She looks just like her. It's incredible," she sobbed.

A brown-haired man looked around confused. "Whats happening?"
From what Shirayuki explained, he seemed to fit the profile of who the prince of Tanbarun is.

She let go of me. "I suppose you all don't know," she said, her hand sliding into mine. She smiled and wiped her tears. "I, Milliana Tredan, have finally found the second princess of the Kingdom of Tredosand!"

•3rd Person POV•

You could hear the gasps. It was extremely unexpected, obviously. Izana couldn't believe it. A princess? Was all that went through his mind.

Others were still confused as to what was happening. "She's the missing princess of Tredosand?!" Raj shouted in confusion.

"There is no mistake about it. She has the Tredan family bloodline looks. She takes after our mother in every aspect," Milliana explained.

Izana walked up to the three. "I congratulate you un finding your sister," he gave a smile. But only Umi could see that it was forced.

Milliana and Alhe nodded. "I was only a child when she disappeared," Alhe said and patted her shoulder. "It's been nearly 16 years since I've seen her. You're pretty old now, eh?"

"I'm still young," she said, quietly. "I'm only 23."

"7 years older than me," he laughed.

"Prince Izana," Milliana became serious. "I would like to thank you for keeping her here in Clarines for however long. As thanks, I want us to become allies."

He nodded and held his hand out. Milliana shook it, then turned to Umi. "I'm taking you back home."

"What?" Umi asked, not hearing what she said—she was too conversed in her thoughts.

"Me and Alhe are going to take you home," she grinned. "Let's go."

Izana wanted to do something, he really did, but what was he supposed to do?  If Umi wished to go back to her home country, then he won't do anything from keeping her from her happiness. His fists were clenched under his cape.

Just at that moment, Umi did something he didn't expect. She pulled herself away from her sister and her brother.
Umi smiled at them, "Sorry. I'm sorry." She sobbed silently and brought a hand up to her cheeks, feeling a tear hit it.

"Umi?" Alhe said.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, heart clenching within her.

"Wh-what is it?" Milliana stuttered.

"I..." she looked up at them. "I wish to stay," she spoke loud and clear, which shocked Izana.

"What are you talking about? This isn't your home," Alhe stated, flustered.

"16 years ago, I witnessed our parents deaths before my very eyes—I don't want to go back to the place where that happened. That memory has been carved into my mind. And I was so young." She balled her fists and looked down.

The people around felt pity for her—such a young girl to go through something like that must've been horrible.

"Umi..." Her siblings synced.

"I've just started to make a life here," she cried into her hands. "I don't want to leave you two alone! I've missed so much with you two! But I want to stay—I don't know what to do with my life anymore," Umi sobbed.

By this time, the two were crying at their sisters words.

"Alhe was only a baby, he doesn't even remember me and he looks perfectly fine, laughing, smiling. And, Milliana, you've become a queen—you even probably have a husband.

"I don't have anything, yet. You both are finding a path for your life all by yourselves. I want to do that too!" She cried and looked up.

Milliana and Alhe ran up to her and crushed her in a hug. "Why do you sound like some kind of hopeless romantic from those stories we read as children?!" Milliana shouted.

"Why do you have to make a man like me cry?" Alhe sobbed.

Izana couldn't help but smile at them.
After hearing those powerful words from Umi, he had to feel inspired.

Find my own path by myself, huh? He wondered, his thoughts drifting to the blue-haired girl. He looked at her. My own path.

•••

I legit wrote this in like less than an hour total

I even felt a little emotion while writing this because I thought to myself, "What if I was in her situation?"