Runaways [MikaYuu]

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

The taste of Mika's lips had not yet ceased to disappear by the time Yuu returned to the castle. He hardly even noticed the way the rough bark of the tree cut into his hands, surely to give him blisters considering the amount of time he spends climbing up and down trees.

He eventually landed on his balcony, breathing a sigh of relief. He pushed the french-style doors open absentmindedly, shocked to find they had been locked.

Yuu's initial thought was oh shit, because he knew he had fucked up and stayed too late at Mika's (yet somehow, he couldn't find the will to regret it just yet).

He knew he had to think creatively in order to get inside the castle; instead of sneaking in, he'd make a dramatic entrance.

After scaling down the tree once again, he circled the castle grounds, nodding politely to the guards stationed around various windows and entrances. When he made his way to the front doors, the four guards straightened up, brandishing their weapons.

"Good morning, men," Yuu greeted them respectfully.

"Yuichiro-ouji!" One guard shouted. "What are you doing outside the castle at a time like this?"

"I am glad you asked, my good sir," Yuu responded flawlessly, stopping to cross his arms across his chest. "I went out to get some extra fencing practice, and within minutes I was locked out of my own castle! Can you believe it? Not a single guard was on duty in the back!"

"We're so very sorry to inconvenience you, Yuichiro-ouji," They chorused, bowing. The leader of the four spoke up, saying "We will take care of the mistake immediately. We hope you forgive us for the royal guard's foolishness."

"I won't be forgetting it," Yuu reprimanded them, just to sell the act. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get inside so I can prepare for my school day."

"Yessir!" They moved the weapons, and the two closest to the door opened the heavy double doors for Yuu, which he walked through confidently, nodding to the men as he passed by them. Once the doors slammed shut, he made a run for his bedroom, his heart dropping when he saw his door was left open and his mother was inside his room, talking angrily with Shiori-san and the head of the guard.

"-Could be anywhere," Queen Kaori was saying, her powdered face starting to look red with anger. Upon hearing Yuu thundering up the stairs, she looked shocked to see him standing there in the doorway. "Yuichiro?" She gasped.

"Mother," Yuu forced a strained smile. "Good to see you."

"Goodness your father and I were so worried!" She screamed, storming over to him. There were worried tears in her eyes, spilling after releasing the overwhelmed energy pent up inside her.

Yuu looked behind her shoulder, seeing that his father was, in fact, not in the room. "If he was so worried, why isn't he here?" Yuu asked, seeing her twitch with annoyance at his backlash.

"Something came up that he had to handle," Queen Kaori explained. "It's good to know you're safe," She took him in for a hug, much to Yuu's chagrin. When she pulled away, her initially worried expression had morphed to anger. "Where were you, mister? Were you seeing anyone? Were you doing drugs? Were you selling drugs?"

"My, mother! What kind of savage do you take me for?" Yuu pressed a hand to his chest, looking offended (and part of him was - he wasn't so rebellious that he'd get involved with such a dangerous world). "I was up late studying, so I went to my balcony for fresh air last night," Yuu lied quickly, making sure to keep eye contact to seem more authentic.

"The silent alarm system we installed was tripped last night; we thought the thief had broken in again, and then you were gone-"

"Well, to clear things up, I was outside in the practice courts this morning. I was getting some extra fencing practice done before school, because Shinya-san said I needed to practice some steps."