Not for the first time, Kaito couldn’t help but note how the weather just refused to account for narrative symbolism. As a life-long lover of adventure stories, tales of knights going into battle, of war stories and great battles of good vs. evil, he knew the atmosphere of an evil kingdom, oppressing its poor, indentured people and lashing out at its better to-do neighbors was supposed to be dark. Depressing. Cold and barren, with the exception of the occasional ominous crow cawing its predictions of doom in the distance. A noble and good prince escaping into such a kingdom should be more ominous. Dark. Brooding, maybe, was the right word.

Instead, it was actually a genuinely beautiful day. The streets were full of people, parents with their children, shopkeeps whose stores have been open for hours now as the morning went by, young couples holding hands and giggling into each other’s ears. People who, frankly, did not reflect the oppressed and impoverished people he had been imagining on his way here.

The streets were…maybe even in a little better shape than the town streets at home.

Kaito Momota wouldn’t be fooled though. This was the capital of this kingdom, after all, this town the immediate surrounding town of its royal palace. Surely this wasn’t typical of the kingdom that Kaito had spent his whole life growing up hearing about its tyrannical reign and corrupt nobles, its brainwashed soldiers practically throwing themselves onto his father’s battalions, preferring to die than daring to surrender and return home for punishment. No, surely even this city was hiding behind their charming, warm smiles that strangers kept throwing him as he passed by, returning to them friendly waves in return, their exhaustion of having to, for the last fifteen years, deal with this seemingly endless war and their insane, stubborn leadership who put them through it. Certainly, they were brave to put on such proud faces, but Kaito knew they wouldn’t have to wear such masks for long.

Their soon to be Hero, Kaito Momota, second son of the Luminary Kingdom, was coming to end this war and save both his own kingdom and theirs!

…yeah!

…yeah.

Kaito sighed to himself, looking over a stall of apples. The apples were three copper a piece, which was nothing to him; he had brought plenty of money, despite his garb. He had borrowed his friend Shuuichi’s common clothes, he and Maki pretending to be hunting with him in their lodging just outside of the city boundaries. Kaito’s caravan wasn’t actually supposed to arrive for another three days, but they had made great time, and Kaito had decided he wanted to use the extra days to get acquainted with the kingdom he had been sent to save. He was, maybe, also enjoying his last brief moments of freedom before a whole heap of political stuff made his movement super limited. Weddings and such.

…yeah…

“Sir!” Kaito said to the shopkeep, who was busy with another customer, “One apple, please! Can you make change for a silver piece? I’m not carrying copper.”

“Just one apple?” the shopkeep said, raising an eyebrow at the strange-talking man. “Too early in the day to make change really. If it’s just the one, take an apple. Pay me back next time you swing by.”

Shockingly, Kaito’s heart sank at the easy generosity he had just been shown. It didn’t seem like the shopkeep was struggling in poverty. He…this town didn’t seem…anything like he thought it was going to be…

…he…he needed to be here, right?

There was a simple rule in the castle--if someone needs help, go to the boss. And, as soon as someone stepped into the threshold of the gates, they were in the castle, so anyone could get help. Same thing applied to letters, and let it be known that Dicea had one of the best postal services in the world! Probably. Ouma had never read of any other country that boasted it, so he'd choose to believe it.

But, the more important thing here, was that because anyone could come in, anyone could get out. Everyone in the castle knew Ouma snuck out to spend time in town, but no one had ever caught him, so they couldn't call him on it. And that's how he liked it! Once he'd safely landed outside of the gates, the world was his!

Or just the town, but that was pretty good too. It was practically his world, since he'd never been anywhere else.

The boss was all about community, about strengthening bonds between his people and making sure everyone was provided for, which Ouma thought was dumb as hell considering they'd been at war for the past fifteen years. The complete antithesis of what the boss spouted on a day-to-day basis. What a gross liar.

Though, he didn't want to be annexed either. So that was why he was going through this whole "marriage" bullshit in the first place. Fuck. How stuck up would that loser be, he wondered? Going on and on about freedom and justice like he knows any better. Would he threaten him to take over affairs once Ouma--and his husband--took the mantle over? Thinking he'd know how to run the kingdom better, that everything the Ouma Family had worked for was wrong.

Gross gross gross!

With a sigh, Ouma slapped his cheeks to get his mind back on happier things. Like seeing if there was anyone new in town that'd humor some kid for a while, willing to share stories of literally anywhere beyond the capitol. Iruma's letters tended to only outline the goings-on of her workshop, though that was fun to hear about too.

Stepping into the market, Ouma waved to the people who recognized the totally average man in totally average clothes, scanning the crowds to spot any new faces. And, with super stupid hair that rose above the crowd, Ouma ran towards the traveler with a hand up, frantically waving. "Hey!! Hey, you! Tall guy!!"

Some kid was shouting his direction, running at a full sprint. Tall guy? Kaito looked around curiously to see who the kid was trying to get a hold of. Who here was that tall? Honestly, no one around seemed that tall, not in comparison to himself anyway. But, then, Kaito was maybe a little above average, taller than the next person here by about an inch-oh!

Him! The kid was talking to him. Obviously!

"Hello!" Kaito said, waving back at the...kid? Had to be. Turning to give a quick thank you to the shopkeep who had so absentmindedly gifted him the apple, the man in question already working with his next customer, who was buying two baskets’ worth, Kaito put his focus on the kid, swelling his chest heroically as he asked, "Yes, how can I-" Kaito's brain skipped a beat. Not his real name. Couldn't use that. "Caleb Momento, Legendary Stable Boy of the Barns, help you?! Are you lost?" Kaito just had time to ask, taking a precautionary step back as the kid came up fast. Man, he was fast.

Wooooow. Today was gonna be a good day.

Ouma snorted, coming to a stop right in front of the stranger and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you talk super weird--you must be from really far away, right? Where? Is stable duty super vaunted there? Like, enough to have ranks, because if Caleb introduces himself like that for no reason, that's really lame."

Ouma's eyes jumped from place to place over the stranger, taking in as much as he could. If he was brushed off, this was the only chance he'd have to learn about the mystery place the guy was from. Clothes were pretty simple but well-kept, likely extras to wear into town since traveling clothes could get pretty messed up. The style wasn't anything telling of foreign fashion though. His hair stood out the most out of everything, but, unless the 'legendary stable boy' said anything, there was no way to tell if it was common or personal style.

"I'm not lost at all, but are you?" Ouma laughed a bit--what an odd thing for a foreigner to ask a, presumably, local. Habits of hospitality, then? "If you came here to talk to the boss, all you need to do is look up, silly."

It was a safe assumption, since that's what most visitors came for. Asking for an investment for a new business or relief aid for an accident. Coming with ideas for more efficient travel routes or showing off a new invention. All sorts of business. And well, though it wasn't much more lavish than nice buildings in town, just from the way the castle was constructed it towered over the horizon, easy to spot no matter where you were.

"Are you in a hurry?" Rocking back on his heels, Ouma tried to push in his request before he was pushed away. "If you have time to sightsee, I know a lotta cool places in town!"

"Boss?" Kaito asked, blinking down at the clearly excitable...boy? No, obviously a boy, biologically anyway, that wasn't the question. Kaito was just struggling to pin the age of the kid. He had a soft, boyish face with wide, sweet eyes, and his mannerisms made him think of Maki's many, many younger 'siblings'. But something about his voice suggested he was older than that. Maybe...fifteen then? Still, his manner was of someone much younger than that. Perhaps it was better to just assume the kid was on the younger side.

Kaito put on his best 'big brother' grin, the one he had, again, mastered for the benefit of Maki-Roll’s brood. Everyone, even crying children, loved Kaito after all! It was to be expected that his mere presence had this boy practically bouncing on his toes, despite the fact that he was, right now anyway, no one in particular.

"Unfortunately, I don't know about any 'Boss'. I'm here to sell..." Horses? Is that what stable boys did? They sold horses? That didn't seem right. Oh well! The kid probably didn't know anything about running stables either. He'd ask Maki and Shuuichi next time he saw them what stable boys did. "-horses! And they call me Legendary because all the horses I breed and raise become Legendary Horses, known far and wide for their speed and strength and beauty!" Reel it back Kaito. He was getting ahead of himself, his mind already whirring with random details about 'Caleb'. He had always liked to play pretend.

"Anyway," Kaito said, winking at the boy and raising a thumb in approval, "I am in fact new in town! Good eye! And I'm not in a hurry actually. My Legendary Horses haven’t been delivered yet! So I'm just looking around. I'd be happy to follow you, young..." Kaito left a space open for the boy to introduce himself.

...huh? Maybe Caleb really was from the far edges of the kingdom--or even another country entirely!! How cool would that be?!

"The boss," Ouma repeated, pointing back at the castle. "I think people from really far away just call him the king? No one here calls him that, though. Just boss, or Aiichi. Or my brother, if they really buy into his nonsense." Ouma rolled his eyes at that. Even to him, his father had insisted that Ouma call him by his first name. Something about not flaunting his influence, when everyone knew Ouma was the heir anyway. Just let people call you what they want!

Whatever, though. Judging by his kinda dopey smile, Caleb wasn't getting too annoyed with him yet. And that's what mattered! Especially since he was a total weirdo. What kind of place would call horse breeders stable boys?

"Far and wide, huh? Then how come I've never heard of legendary horses? This a little too far for ya, huh?" The other man seemed like a bit of a dummy, so Ouma wouldn't judge him too much at not answering where he was from, but he was still curious! Everything about Caleb was so strange and interesting, so how could he not pry to find out what kind of place the man came from?!

Ouma rolled his eyes, but matched Caleb's grin. "You stand out like a sore thumb; I don't have to be a genius to see that. But I'm happy to hear you don't have plans today! There's soooooo much to do a day doesn't do it justice, but I can find a few things to leave out, I guess."

Young. Ah. Well, if Caleb wanted to be yet another person to think he was a little kid, so be it. "Kohtalon," he offered without missing a beat, grabbing Caleb's sleeve and starting to drag him out of the river of people in the market. "You can call me Koh if you want--everyone does."

"Kohtalon. What a strong name-ah!" Kaito gasped as he was suddenly moving, following Koh's steps the best he could. What a charming young man! A little over-eager, maybe, and a motor-mouth at that; Kaito could barely keep up as the kid strung sentence after sentence together, his tone almost thoughtlessly musical.

Honestly, this was perfect. Kaito had just wanted to get more familiar with the locals of the kingdom, his journey not allowing him much time to actually speak to anyone along the way. He really wanted to get a better sense of what the most vulnerable members of the kingdom would need from him once he was their prince consort. Prince Kaito tried not to frown at the thought of the title. It wasn't...it wasn't a bad thing, to be the consort! His mother was princess consort and he'd argue to anyone that would listen that she made more decisions about the kingdom than his father did, the king always busy with matters of the war, after all. It was a perfectly heroic position, to be the consort in someone else's royal kingdom. Truly an honor, even!

Yeah.

Anyway, what had he been thinking about? Oh yes! Fulfilling his quest to find out more about the kingdom! And Koh seemed certainly eager to explain. Kaito would have to ask Koh more about this 'boss' title. It was his first time hearing of this kingdom’s king referring to himself this way. Perhaps it was purely a local thing. The same way most of the men in Father’s war-room referred to King Aiichi as 'That Bastard'. Cultural differences indeed!

"Lead the way, Koh! Where are we going?" Kaito asked, for the first time the sort of jaunty, 'hero voice' falling away to his admittedly more regular speaking voice, curious as to where he was being led to.

It was probably a good thing that Ouma was already turned away so that Caleb couldn't see his smirk. How could a name be strong? It was just a sound, a collection of letters. And the name of one of the villains from one of the librarian's stories that he'd managed to convince her to let him read. She really knew how to write horror, geez.

Caleb almost seemed like one of the frustrated victims in her work, if not for the way the bravado toned down into something more normal. Interesting... He was putting up a front while in a new place? Reasonable. But kind of dumb if he let it down just for some random person who made conversation with him. Trust in strangers, then? Wherever it was that Caleb was from and refused to say with certainty, it sounded peaceful. How lucky.

"The botanical garden! Kind of a bummer you came into town at the end of summer--during winter, since it's dark a lot longer, people decorate all the plants with lights and it's super pretty! Buuuuut a lot more things are in bloom right now, so it's still fun to visit."

Ouma had a love/hate relationship with the gardens. They were for sure gorgeous, and a symbol of the kingdom's diversity--each plant was either requested or actually planted by a resident, kept tended by the community. Ouma's own plant was in there, a single seed of a cornflower having grown into a small patch over the years. It was also a great place to hide when the guardforce came looking for him.

But it was also crawling with bugs, as gardens tended to be. He'd nearly died that time a spider crawled over his hand...eugh!

"Waku-chan's grandma's persimmon tree is bearing fruit right now--you can take one if you want. They're free for anyone to take, as long as you're not a jerk and take everything." Ouma led them along the streets, still sending an occasional wave out to people, though they were less frequent than when he'd entered town. He'd done this enough that the townspeople were used to 'Koh' dragging travelers around town.

"Most things are free to take a piece of, actually, but if you wanna transplant anything, you have to talk to Aunty Hijiri--she was elected the head gardener this year." With a bit of a cheeky grin, Ouma looked back at his companion for the day. "Someone planted hallucinogenics in a secret spot, but I know where it is if you want some of those."

Once again, a rush of light, bouncy words, too quick and deftly thrown together to actually interject into until Koh took a breath, often looking incredibly pleased with whatever he had managed to convey, looking back to Kaito as if eager to gauge his reaction. It had flown over his head before, but the more Koh spoke, the more Kaito started picking up the small little edges in his otherwise innocent statements, a hint of...mischief? But then, perhaps any kid who was willing to throw in immediately with a total stranger had to have a bit of mischief in them to do so. Kaito had probably been similar at his age.

For instance...hallucinogenics would have been a huge temptation when he was fifteen...and honestly, if maybe he was out with just Maki and Shuuichi, errr, out of the three of them he'd probably be the one pushing for someone in the group to try one. "For the story, you guys!" he would have said.

...But! This was a different situation! This was an opportunity to be a responsible mentor-type figure to an Impressionable Youth! Puffing out his chest, Kaito gave Koh a stern look as he said, "Now, Kohtalon, you know young men who indulge in stuff like that don't get to grow up to be powerful knights. You're still developing! If you want to get as big as me someday, you're going to have to steer clear of stuff like that, got it? In fact, with the proper nutrients, I bet...huh."

As he scolded, he finally got a good look at the garden, and was actually astounded. "This is beautiful," Kaito admitted, looking around in open amazement. He had never seen such a diverse amount of flora and crops all in one spot before. All the gardens at his own palace were very carefully stylized, and the crop gardens in the towns were mostly functional. "We don't really have anything like this where I'm from. What a fascinating project the common folk have taken up for themselves! Truly inspiring!"

God, it was so hard not to burst out laughing. Caleb acting like he was his nanny, saying stuff like he was a little kid not eating his vegetables. Well. Ouma still didn't like those either, but he certainly wasn't going to grow anymore. He hadn't grown an iota since he was twelve and the only thing puberty had done for him was lower his voice. And a few other things, but that's irrelevant for now.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, mother. Look, I didn't say I was going to pick any--I was just wondering if the degenerate-looking stable boy I found would want any. Or do you have more to grow too?" By the end, Ouma knew he was mostly talking to himself, if the wide-eyed amazement on Caleb's face was any indication. A proper reaction to seeing the garden for the first time!

While he wasn't one to slouch, Ouma did stand taller, looking out at the garden with pride. Most things in town were group efforts, but the garden showed it the most. Affected by people in towns and villages all over the kingdom, too! Everyone working together to make something special and beautiful...that was what he was trying to keep. If the Luminary Kingdom became satisfied with one of their own having a hand in Dicean affairs, stopped trying to "save" them, then... No one would have to go to war anymore. They could all relax, and while it didn't mean there wouldn't be any more problems for the rest of time, it meant that they could focus on actual problems. It meant that there was more time for creation and creativity.

Ouma sighed quietly to himself. He hoped the union would work out that way. He really did. Caught in his own thoughts, he almost missed the...peculiar thing Caleb said.

"...'common folk'?" he questioned, careful to keep it innocent. Even if it was sus as hell. Caleb getting defensive was the last thing he needed if he wanted to ever get answers. "Where are you from, then? If the climate is anything like here, you might be able to start up your own patchwork garden when you go home."

Tugging on the stable boy's--was he?--sleeve again, he started to lead Caleb through one of the shorter pathways through the garden, hoping the distraction would make lips a little looser.

Was Kaito forgetting that he was supposed to be Caleb? Maybe a little! Or not so much 'forgetting' as 'Caleb the Legendary Stable Boy of the Barns' was competing with Kaito's far more practiced persona, 'The Legendary Luminary Prince of the Stars'! It was a hard act to just drop on the fly, and it was the persona Kaito felt most comfortable with in uncomfortable situations.

Like trying to make a good first impression on the first person he had met from what he kept having to remind himself was literally his new home. Apple-cart salesman aside. He wasn't leaving this place. He had to remember that. This was permanent.

Koh's curious repeat of Kaito's slip flew right over his head as he got lost in the awe of the scenery. At least parts of his new home were beautiful, anyway! As he walked step by step with Koh, he answered, almost absentmindedly, "I'm from outside the kingdom. The Danganronpa Kingdom." This lie came easily. It was the same lie that his whole caravan train had been telling to anyone they met in travel this whole way. It was pointless to try to pretend to belong to locals who would figure out he was foreign eventually, but it was dangerous right now to admit he was from a kingdom that had been at war with them for over a decade. The Danganronpa Kingdom, for all its many, many terrible rumors and flaws (There were nightmare stories about its ruler, Junko Enoshima, and her public event 'games'. Kaito didn't believe most of them. How could they all possibly be true? She had DIED in one of the stories he had heard even! Clearly rumors going out of control), had managed to stay neutral with both kingdoms during this time and keep up its trade routes with both, and shared a lot of culture with both the Luminary and Dicean Kingdoms. So it made a fairly solid lie. He was pretty sure that it had been Shuuichi's idea. He was good at stuff like that.

"The summers are beautiful; if anything our winters are too short. I don't know why we don't have stuff like this there. I'm not really a plant guy," Kaito admitted, before saying cheerfully to Koh, "I'll send a letter back about the idea! I have some friends still back there who might be able to use the idea. It's such a cool idea, I wonder how we've never heard of it before! Ah well...what about you, Koh? You talk like you know all about this place. Have you always been here..."

Kaito's brain was not the quickest to digest information, and suddenly Koh's very first words hit him like a brick. "Degenerate! Who’s a degenerate!?"

Ah, that made more sense, then. The Kingdom of Danganronpa was an ally, thankfully, but not really...chummy, if kingdoms could do something like that. There were a ton of specialists and artisans living there and trade was good, though Ouma couldn't say he'd ever met a Ronpan. Well, now he had!

"Oh, cool!" Ouma's excitement was palpable and he hung on Caleb's every word, hungry for news of a world outside his own. "I don't really like romance novels, but the ones by that really famous Ronpan author are so well-written that I've read every one in the library. Every one describes scenes so different that I think it all just comes from the author's imagination, instead of describing what Danganronpa is actually like." God, even just learning about the weather patterns was exciting!

As was Caleb's reaction, as it seemed his brain finally caught up with him. While internally he was howling, on the outside Ouma simply tilted his head innocently. "Degenerate? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, but to answer your question...I actually just came into town yesterday!" He let the words sit for a moment before giggling. "Obviously, that's a lie. Born and raised, never set a foot outside. So, of course I'd know all the ins and outs! That way I can scope out any lost-looking travelers and show them everything the Dicean capital has to offer!"

A side benefit for them, probably. It was just a benevolent backdrop for him to needle them for information.

"Truly, a noble effort!" Kaito said, noting the plant life thinning as more buildings were coming up. They must be coming to one of the edges of the garden. "And what a wonderful home you get to grow up in! But, when you're older, everyone should explore outside of their home, at least for a little while. I'll tell you stories of some things I've seen in my travels that may inspire you to start your own adventures someday!"

There was a moment of silence as Kaito looked around, enjoying the air. He wondered when he should start thinking about going back to the caravan. The longer he was gone, the more time left to accidentally create an international incident by having a prince going missing in enemy territory in the middle of an extremely tremulous construction of a peace treaty...and also, like, his friends would probably get yelled at and then yell at him. Not cool.

"Wait...you're not talking about Touko Fukawa's work, are you? The one with all the pictures of the really muscular guys and the women in the nightgowns? You read that trash?" Kaito asked, chuckling to himself. "Her stuff is so cringey! Like that one book, where Shahara is pursuing that nobleman, who’s a vampire, but accidentally getting together with his banished twin brother, who just also happened to be a werewolf? I only got through three books of that series before I had to give up from second-hand embarrassment."

Caleb's words struck a chord in him, Ouma's smile fading into something contemplative. He did love his home, liked that he could be so hands-on in the kingdom's affairs. But...he only knew what the rest of Dicea was like through word of mouth, through the letters and reports that arrived at the castle. They gave a good idea but Ouma wanted to see the rest of what would one day be his responsibility himself. Wanted to be able to know what his people were talking about intimately, wanted to be able to connect with them like how the boss did so effortlessly.

Not to mention the rest of the world, but that was an even more impossible dream.

He understood why he was kept in the castle. In part, and especially after the war started, it was for his safety. He was the heir apparent, and if anything happened to him...well, it wasn't like the kingdom would stop functioning, he wasn't that important, but it wouldn't be anything good.

After a certain point in his studies, Ouma had started working on administrative matters, hearing out everything that was sent in and setting to work finding solutions. He was practically doing all the work of a leader already, but just less of it since his father was still the prime ruler. To continue the work, he needed to be where people sent such things--the castle. Not to mention that he...

Pushing down a sigh, Ouma lit up when Caleb mentioned a possible storytime. Now that's what he was looking for! "I'd love to hear them! Since you came all the way out here from Danganronpa, you must sell all over the place, right? What's the weirdest place you've been?"

He had so many questions. However, they were derailed rather quickly.

"NiiHIIISHIshhhhhhii--" Ouma let out a loud snort before devolving into snickers. "Those are the ones! Like I said, I don't really like romance, and the content of her work is abysmal, but the writing is really good! Look, there's only so many 'friendship is the real treasure' stories you can read before even sloppy pining for a merman seems thrilling. It's a landmine, picking a book at random, I'll tell ya."

Wiping a tear from his eye, Ouma gave Caleb a teasing look. "Plus, if you made it through three in the series and can still remember what they're about, I think you can get what I'm talking about. That, or you're so desperate for romance novels you'll read hers."

"C'mon, c'mon," he urged, taking the lead again as he calmed. "We're not too far from the aqueduct. At a certain angle, it looks like a dick." One of Iruma's finest designs, truly. No way the boss didn't catch it when he was approving the plans, but Ouma knew he wasn't above letting humor bleed into his duty.

...Yes, okay, fine, he did want to see an aqueduct that looked like a dick. Sue him.

"Oh no, I think I know which book you just referenced." Kaito groaned, following along behind Koh as they dodged common folk going to and from their day. "Her book 'From the Depths', right? The scientist who's in charge of monitoring the world's first captured merman, but falls in love with him and goes through this, ya know, total 'heist' scenario to break him out and run away with him? I actually thought that one was a little creepy."

Kaito hadn't really intended to say anything more about the subject. But the more he thought about it, words started to fall from him as his mouth tried to keep up with the sudden whir of his mind.

"Like, all the writing about the merman himself suggested he kind of only barely understood what was going on to begin with, because of the language and culture barrier, and then suddenly she just runs off with him to some hotel instead of just going straight back to the ocean? Like, I know by the end of the book she brings him back to the ocean and it's all sad and heartwarming and stuff, but that first part of it she just basically kidnaps him, right? Nothing was stopping her from going to the ocean right away. She just wanted to have sex with him in a hotel first. That's creepy, right?"

This was probably a weird subject to be harping on. Kaito glanced over at Koh to see if he was annoyed and couldn't get a good read on the kid. He just always seemed pleased.

"Sorry, I don't mean to talk at length about it, but I don't get a chance too often to talk to other fiction readers," Kaito said with a small smile, rambling as his mind went over the events of that, admittedly saucy, but still unnerving storyline.

He suddenly barked out a laugh, putting a hand over his reddening face. "Oh my god, the 'eggs'. I just remembered the 'incubating' scene. Oh, no, I think I repressed it all this time. Oh, noooo," Kaito said, just laughing again to himself, before giving Koh an embarrassed grin. "Maybe I should change the subject. You wanted stories of where I've been?"

For someone who didn't like Fukawa's books, Caleb had sure read a lot of them, huh. And not only that, but his opinions were pretty nuanced? As far as criticizing them went, at least. Ouma nodded along, laughing lightly with a shrug.

"That's the one--it's actually one of my favorites of hers. Because I read it as a horror story and not romance; it's just written from the perspective of the antagonist, you know? Being captured from your home, studied and ogled by weird creatures, given a chance at freedom only to be used as some fetishistic sex toy?" He shuddered, shaking his head. "It's horrifying, frankly."

It wasn't information. They weren't talking about the real world at all, not even what Fukawa had to have been on to write some of the stories she did. But still, Ouma found himself excited to talk, to hear the other man's opinions. To be honest, it wasn't something he got to do often either.

Ouma stuck his tongue out in disgust when Caleb mentioned one of the more disturbing scenes of the book but perked back up at the alternative he was offered. "Oh, yes! Really, the only things I've heard about the Danganronpa Kingdom are the rumors, so...just more fiction. Oh, and if you've been to other kingdoms too--I'm ready to be wowed and inspired!"

Here we go, here we go!!! As fun as idly talking had been, this was the real stuff!

Kaito considered the kid before smirking. The caravan could wait for another hour or so. Kaito really liked this kid and their shared love of absolutely trash masterpieces.

"Sure, but this isn't the place to talk of daring adventures! The gardens and architecture are cool, don't get me wrong, but do you know any good pubs or taverns? Sit down with me, I'll buy you a beer for showing me around today." Kaito considered the kid’s age and size before stressing, "Just one. With food. My treat!"

Ouma looked up at Caleb for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes. So he didn't think he was a kid-kid, but still young enough to lecture... The man looked like he was about his age, so...probably figured he was a teenager? Closer than most, but still off.

"It's kinda early...but there should be some open." Ouma ran through his mental list of pubs in town, a little lacking in that area of knowledge compared to everything else. Some were a popular hangout for members of the guardforce, and if he got caught in a pub, nevermind drinking? He could practically hear the lectures already.

But, as he said, it was early enough that he wouldn't have to worry about that. Nodding to himself, Ouma grabbed Caleb's sleeve again and headed to the pub he had in mind, luckily not that far away. With a grin and a tilt of his head, he teased his temporary companion. "Aww, you really know how to pay a tour guide! Thanks! Spending your salary on little ol' me when you haven't even made a sale yet--I can't tell if it's generosity or poor financial decisions."

Kaito was actually genuinely confused for a moment. Sales?

...Oh! Right! Caleb!

Crossing his arms, Kaito laughed into the sky, squaring his shoulders as he boasted, "Well, this is one of the benefits of hard work and sound financial saving! Occasionally you get to take some time off and splurge on a friend! Remember, Koh, stay strong and dedicated and you too could be as successful as Caleb Momento, Legendary Stable Boy of the Barns!"

Actually, if Kaito really wanted to encourage Koh into anything, he supposed the most honest thing he could encourage the kid into would be to pursue an academy, like Kaito himself had been enrolled in for the last few years. Kaito himself wasn't, maybe, the most...diligent student. But he was of the firm mindset that all these classes asked you to do was pass! No one said he had to actually understand the material!

Koh himself seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. And he was so small, even for a young teenager. An academic future was actually a probably best-case scenario for him. With a royal recommendation and a scholarship...but, no, Kaito was getting ahead of himself. Koh was probably like any other commoner, in that he was going to do what his father did before him and would prefer it that way. Father always said the worst help you could give onto the poor was to burden them with unnecessary education. What would Koh even do with it?

They entered the pub which, again, was far cozier than a pub in the capital city of Luminary's enemy nation had any right to be. There was a strong, tall woman with dark weathered skin and gentle eyes setting up tables who seemed surprised to see anyone walk in, though at the front bar there were two men sitting next to each other, grumbling into beers and eating eggs. Other than those three, it was just himself and Koh.

"Hail, fair mother!" Kaito greeted, getting annoyed looks from the men at the front at his booming declaration, "A table, two ales, and whatever is already hot!"

The woman, Sakura, gave Kokichi a long, long...long look. Before nodding, pointing to a ready table nearby. "Nothing’s hot yet, still prepping for the noon crowd. Can put on some ham, bacon and eggs for you though. Ale’ll be out in a second. You'll both pay upfront."

Before Kaito could protest, more out of surprise than any actual concern for the request, the tall woman headed back to the bar to get the ale. Kaito looked at Koh and shrugged goodnaturedly. "Let's take a seat."

A friend, huh? All they'd done was talk for a little while, and yet, here he was, proclaiming them friends. To be fair, it'd been some damn good talk. A friend...that sounded nice. Too bad Caleb was only in town to sell some 'legendary' horses, but...he'd talked about letters before. Maybe he could ask if the stable boy wanted to keep in correspondence. Plenty of people had their mail delivered to the castle anyway, so it wouldn't be that weird.

Ouma didn't respond much past a slight scoff at the bombastic phrasing, but mostly because they were entering the pub. He didn't recognize the barkeep, but...there was a damn good chance she recognized him. Keeping eye contact with the woman, he didn't let the casual smile on his face waver, even after she conceded. Hopefully, if Caleb even noticed, he'd assume that she was trying to gauge if he was even close to being old enough to have alcohol. He did have that kind of face.

Following Caleb's words, Ouma sat down, toes just barely touching the ground when he sat all the way back. Bullshit. "Told you it's early. But time doesn't have bearing on words--what sort of grand adventure are you gonna tell me first?"

Hmmm, that was a good question actually. What could Kaito tell him about without directly referencing his station in life? Certainly there was plenty to tell! But he just had to...twist it into Caleb's point of view.

The woman came back and placed two ales down, for some reason looking directly at Koh as she said, "Two gold pieces."

Two gold pieces seemed a little hefty for just two meals and some ales, but, well, Kaito wasn't in the habit of arguing prices with people, not when he had a basically endless amount of coin to spare. Clearing his throat to get the maiden's attention, he declared while reaching into his purse, "I'll be covering the tab, good mother! Two gold, plus another silver for the hospitality!" he said, giving her a wink.

Sakura stared at him in open perplexity, giving a side glance to Prince Kokichi. When the young prince didn't insist that he could cover the tab, as she had been expecting, she internally rolled her eyes before accepting the gold and silver, giving the stranger a grateful nod for the extra piece. Maybe the stranger was well enough to do to treat the heir apparent. Maybe the idiot didn't know who he was treating. Either way, so long as the pub got its due. "Be back with food once it's hot," she said, walking off.

"Right, right," Kaito said, taking a deep drink of the swill before wrinkling his nose at the ale. Ha! At least in this his kingdom had an obvious advantage. The ale at home was thick and sat heavy in the stomach. Drink enough of it and it could be a meal in itself. This stuff was more like water. Ah well, it would do. "So, a tale of my travels." What could he tell, what could he tell, without giving it away...

Ah! The incident with the Despair Roots! Now that was a tale! And it even happened during their brief period stopping in the Danganronpa Kingdom, so it matched his backstory even. Perfect!

"Okay, so, first of all," Kaito said, leaning in towards Koh so as to keep his voice low in the quiet bar. "I'm traveling with a caravan train, right? A long line of four caravans, we travel slowly but safely. Now, when we were getting directions to where we were going, the person who gave us directions through the Danganronpa Kingdom's western forests didn't realize how big our party was, most people traveling with two caravans at most. So, they failed to mention to us to avoid a certain wooded area at the cusp of last spring, since if we had been anyone else we would have passed it already."

That was what Shuuichi had thought happened, anyway. Maki-Roll had theorized that the person who gave them directions was a counter-agent trying to sabotage their journey, or maybe even get them killed. Kaito liked to think the best of the person and believe it was just a misunderstanding. He sincerely hoped Maki hadn't sent anyone back to kill him.

"So, we're in the Western Forest of the Danganronpa Kingdom, also called by the locals The Dead Forest. All the trees are strong and healthy, but the bark always looks black and breaks off like charcoal, as if they had been burned at some point, and their leaves are an unnatural silver color. Very pretty. Kinda scary! Now..."

Kaito grinned, putting on his best 'storytelling' voice. "You're well read, Koh. You ever heard of Despair Poppies?"

Sakura definitely knew who he was. Welp. As long as she didn't say anything, he could deal with that. Might have to circle back at some point to make sure she wouldn't tell anyone in the future as well. Especially with how well today had gone, he didn't want his trips to town to be indefinitely suspended.

Ouma took a sip of the ale, trying not to wrinkle his nose too much at the taste. He'd experimented when he was actually as young as Caleb probably thought, and he drank when the town would have feasts or when dignitaries came to visit and it'd be expected of him. But he really didn't care much for booze. But it was a gift--between friends!--so he could deal with it.

Especially with a story as such a sweet distraction! Ouma scooted forward in his seat, crossing his arms on the table to listen.

The Dead Forest...what a name for a place! He'd seen the Western Forest in Danganronpa on maps, of course, but it was just a labeled outline on a piece of paper, sometimes with little patterns to indicate even more that it was a forest, depending on the map. Hearing its colloquial name, getting the image of such odd plants painted in his mind...this was already perfect. He wondered what kind of plant the black and silver trees actually were, if brush fires were particularly beneficial to their growth. Silver wasn't the worst at absorbing light, but it was still peculiar...maybe the trees didn't photosynthesize? Maybe they were actually a type of fungus!

Fully sucked into the story, Ouma hummed in thought, a little surprised that Caleb would pull him in too. "Despair Poppies... Their seeds are a high-grade poison, right? Compromises victims' immune systems, gives them a fever and delirium, right? Usually people can recover after a few days, but if you have an underlying condition, it can be fatal, if I remember right..."

"Ha! Thought you might have an inkling of it!" Kaito said, laughing jovially as he reached out and gave Koh's shoulder a firm, manly SLAP, grasping the thin bones (really, the kid was skin and bones. Kaito hoped the food came out soon and plenty of it. Maybe he'd buy him a second dish if it didn't look like enough) under his hand for just a moment companionably before letting it go, leaning onto his elbows as he continued.

"That's exactly right! Now, thankfully everyone in the caravan was relatively healthy, guards picked for their strength and aids picked for their ability to safely make the journey. We did have a few older men among them who might have been at risk just because of their age, but it all worked out in the end, so," Kaito shrugged, taking another deep drink of his ale. "So! We're traveling about halfway through The Dead Forest, and spring has just begun. And throughout the whole journey, we had seen these roots running everywhere along the path and through the trees that we knew were called Despair Root. Didn't know much about them other than we had been warned not to turn the root into a tea. Sure, easy enough!"

Kaito put down his glass and put his fingers together, motioning the effect of buds popping up, one after another, as he explained, "But one morning, we notice these little white and black poppies sprouting from various points of the roots. Thousands of them, like little puffballs, and every time we so much as grazed them with a wheel or a horse, they would go POOF and break apart into the wind. Now, nothing happened the first day, so we thought it was weird, but fine. Well, turns out, Despair Poppies don't hit everyone right away, if at all, and it hits some people way harder than others. If there was a reason why it affected some of the entourage and not others, I couldn't see a pattern personally. But the people affected by the poppy started acting strange..."

He pointed to his own eyes, widening them dramatically as an example. "Their eyes got super big, like they were constantly trying to see everything at once, and like you said, they all started picking up fevers. Some of us affected got away with just the fever before it cleared up the next day, but others started to hallucinate, or to act entirely unlike themselves. My friend who’s, literally, a stone-cold killer, and has been most of her life, started weeping all the time, spouting nonsense about how spiders needed shoes and she didn't know how to sew. Like, really insistent that spiders needed tiny spider shoes. She was convinced all spiders would die without them, and was super upset about it. We eventually got her to sit still by actually finding a spider and letting one of our handmaidens sit down with her and try to sew it some little cloth nubs."

Good thing Ouma hadn't gone to take a sip, because all the breath was knocked right out of him as Caleb practically assaulted him, but all friendly-like. If he hadn't been braced on the table, he seriously would've been knocked right out of his seat! He still almost was, and Ouma had to scramble a little to right himself. Fuckin' hell. The strength of horse rearing, apparently.

Not that he was really a great judge of strength at all.

But, back to the story. It was interesting that the roots would be so wide-spread and interconnected while being visible, especially if the poppies reproduced with spores. Maybe just covering every base they could to survive...plants were like that sometimes. The poison in them wasn't surprising either, since the much more common kind of poppy had seeds that contained narcotics.

Though, the symptoms were just plain weird. Ouma's eyes widened himself as Caleb described them...though his expression fell a little when he mentioned his friend. Literally a stone-cold killer? Being a part of the ruling power, Ouma was implicit in the deaths the war with Luminary caused, but Caleb was a stable boy. Not exactly someone involved with politics. Maybe it was more common in Danganronpa--something the rumors actually did support--but, friends with a killer?

While that tidbit did bother him, the story continued on into something more lighthearted, if at his friend's expense through being sick. Drinking a little more, Ouma giggled as Caleb described spider shoes and his friend's hysteria. "What bizarre plants! I mean, I've seen people high before, but that kind of delirium is crazy--and super unnerving, I bet, to see people acting totally different from how they usually do."

While he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, probably their food on the way, Ouma still leaned in with a teasing smile. "Hey, if it'd been you that got got by the flowers, what do you think it'd do to you? You think you'd be super shy and only speak in whispers or something?"

Sakura came up, placing the plates in front of them silently before going back to her duties. Any concern that the food wouldn't be enough was laid to rest at the display in front of them: eggs cooked runny with thick slices of bread put beside them, ham cut thick and wide, accompanied by bacon slices to match, and around all of it was some vegetation that Kaito didn't recognize but smelled good.

"Perfect! Thank you, mother!" Kaito called out, digging into his own ham immediately, saying between bites almost absentmindedly, "Oh, no, I was paranoid and vengeful, apparently."

Taking a few bites perhaps too quickly, Kaito cleared his throat before elaborating. "I don't really remember it, but as they were mixing the antidotes, I ended up getting hit pretty hard on the last day. I woke up the next day effectively entirely tied down, feeling like I had been hit by a wagon. According to my companions, no one even realized anything was wrong with me at first. I just seemed uneasy. But then I started accusing everyone of being spies and betrayers, and apparently at some point took out my sword with the intent of 'getting the truth' out of one of the poor guards who had been posted to watch me. Apparently I came real close to slicing him through. I feel terrible about it, but he's alright now, so." Kaito shrugged.

Taking another couple of bites, he took a breath, feeling incredibly pleased with the meal so far. Noticing Koh had barely touched his drink, Kaito decided not to comment on it. Not everyone enjoyed drink. Nothing wrong with that. "How do you think you would have acted? I got the sense that everyone sort of felt compelled to act opposite of themselves, though I don't know how some flower would know how to do that."

Ouma smiled up at the woman as she served them before eating at a slower pace than his companion--though, that wasn't difficult to do. He dipped his bread into the eggs, breaking the yolk and letting it soak into the bread. ...maybe he'd be able to get out of dinner today. The procession from Luminary wasn't supposed to show up for a few more days, so maybe Aiichi would take pity on him and not force him to show up. Once his fiance showed up he'd have to say goodbye to quiet meals for a looooong time. Eating together with the prince and his entourage would be a mandatory show of good will.

A few more days...

He didn't have to think about that right now.

"Paranoid and vengeful?" he repeated with some amount of mirthful disbelief. Not for thinking that Caleb was those things normally, but that, even just in the short while they'd known each other, he couldn't imagine the man acting that way. The power of Despair Poppies, he supposed.

Ouma let out a quiet "yikes" as Caleb explained what he knew of his time under the poppies' spell, though one point struck him. "You know how to swordfight? I suppose it'd be helpful to know how to defend yourself if you're on the road a lot, even if you have guards too."

It'd suck to be in a real fight, but Ouma had always thought sparring at least looked cool. He knew basic self-defense, but the expectation for him was that he'd stay in the castle, and any member of the guardforce stationed there would be able to protect him. They hadn't had a break-in since he was really little either, so, according to the boss, there was no reason for him to strain himself to pick up and learn a weapon. People generally didn't like giving him sharp objects either.

Ouma took a long drink as he thought over Caleb's question, trying to think of something accurate that wouldn't give him away. But first, some fun. "Oh, I'd be super happy all the time! Nothing but smiles over here," he delivered with a joyous grin, outlining the kind of smile he meant. "I'm suuuuper miserable, you know? Maybe my first big adventure would be to go over to the Western Forest and collect as many poppies as I can--a perfect and totally not harmful antidepressant!"

"For an answer that's not a lie, though..." he trailed off, eating a piece of bacon. "I think I'd be complacent. Just okay with anything that went on--like, someone could threaten to cut my head off and I'd just be like, go for it. Or maybe I just wouldn't be a liar anymore."

His grin quirked into a smirk when he looked back at Caleb, though it was unclear how much he was joking. "That aside, I'm glad you got better pretty fast. It sounds horrible."

"Oh sure! Ya gotta be well skilled in self defense when you're defending Legendary Horses from bandits and stuff," Kaito explained, keeping Caleb in mind for once as he continued, an idea brightening in his mind, exciting him. "I don't think I can stick around for much longer after this meal. My caravan’s gonna start wondering after me soon, no doubt. But if you want, I'd be willing to meet up with you tomorrow or something to go over some training basics! You don't actually have to be all that strong to use a sword. You just gotta know how to adjust for weight and stuff. I could totally train you!"

Kaito was already imagining it, and because his imagination worked fast, in the same way his fantasies had run away from him when thinking about Koh's future in academics, he was now imagining guiding Koh into being a master swordsman (the exact kind of swordsman that Kaito himself was, in fact, not), using his small frame to catch larger opponents off balance, maybe teaching him fancy footwork. Well, maybe he could get Maki to teach him some fancy footwork...

"You know, I don't think that's the first time you've talked about yourself lying today," Kaito pointed out, raising an eyebrow at the kid. "I didn't think much of it the first time you said it, assuming it was a joke, but do you lie a lot? About what?"

Ah, right... Caleb wasn't there to goof off; well, he sort of was, but just to get an idea of the city before his stock was delivered and then he'd be back to work. Then, when he sold the horses, he'd be gone.

Ouma wasn't sure if he'd be able to get away tomorrow. There were so many preparations for the coming procession, not limited to making a rough draft of the treaty they'd all sign once discussions were settled, starting to make plans for the wedding, cleaning out his room...ugh.

But... He could try, at least. That's what friends did for each other, right? Especially with someone who actually offered to train him, who, though Caleb believed he was a kid, didn't look at him like he wasn't able to do anything on his own.

"You'd really do that for me?" Despite himself, Ouma's voice had softened, hope alighting within him. "You're here for a job, would you really have time for something like that?" Mentally shaking himself, Ouma pulled himself together. "I'll do my best to meet you tomorrow, then! Wanna meet in the market again?"

Pumping himself up, Ouma blinked in slight surprise, almost shocked at himself that he didn't lie more so that Caleb would come to expect it. Though, he was lying about his entire identity, so maybe that was enough. "Oh, I lie all the time about everything. Gotta keep people on their toes, you know? It's fun to see how they react, or if they can catch it--and if they do, if they call you out. It's like a really big game!"

He couldn't clear up his identity, but Ouma did consider bringing up his actual age, just to see Caleb sputter in shock. Maybe tomorrow, or the last time they'd see each other. It'd be a huuuuge jaw-dropping moment for sure!

Job?

Ah. Right. Horses.

Kaito felt a sudden stab of guilt as he remembered that he was currently spinning his own lie around the little self-proclaimed 'liar'. It's not a big deal to maybe fib a few things about yourself to passersby you'll only see for the day, but Kaito sincerely wanted to meet up with Koh again, and also, like, he lived here now. So presumably, he could end up seeing a lot of Koh in the future, if he really wanted too.

...Okay, no...that was just Kaito lying to himself too. He had no idea how much free time he was going to have in this kingdom, or if coming to town to casually hang out with the common folk was something he'd be allowed to do. Who cared if he was allowed!? He was Kaito Momota, Second Heir to the Luminary Kingdom, Legendary Prince of the Stars! He could do whatever he wanted! Who had the right to stop him?

No, no, that was him being childish. He had come to this kingdom with a purpose. A fifteen-year war coming to an end depended on him behaving himself. Hell, even being in town right now was putting countless lives at risk if something went wrong. Kaito wanting to distract himself from his hazy and uncertain future by hanging out with a fun teenager with a wonderfully trashy taste in literature was literally the height of irresponsibility. Maybe he should cut his losses and just rescind the invitation entirely...

...Just tomorrow. He would fulfill his promise to hang out tomorrow, and then he would go be responsible. Have his cake and eat it too! What could go wrong??

"The market is perfect!" Kaito said with a grin, "I gotta pay back that apple-cart salesman anyway, so that works out perfect. Alright, I've got maybe a few more minutes and then I got to go," Kaito said, the weight of his responsibilities now worrying and guiltily nipping at him. If he was really coming back tomorrow, he should do his best to not create a fuss today. "I gave you a story. Let's hear one from you then! Give me your most heroic tale!"

Ouma blinked in surprise but managed to bite his words back. A...story from him? He supposed that was a fair trade and all, but he'd told Caleb that he'd never left the capital--what sort of interesting thing would he be expecting?

Luckily, he was the kind of person that didn't need to rely on the truth.

"A story from me? Well..." Giving himself a little longer to think, Ouma feigned shyness, like he was embarrassed to say anything after the story Caleb had told. "I guess I'll tell you one from spring too."

"So, we have this huge festival every year in the middle of spring to celebrate Hanami, you know? People from all over the country come for it--it's a big deal. Just like Harvest and Unity and New Years..." Ouma rolled his eyes a bit. He liked a good party, don't get him wrong, but the number of celebrations that were considered a 'big deal' were, like, all of them.

...Did other countries have them? "Oh, if you don't know, Hanami is, like, a flower festival celebrating all the plants blooming again after winter. All the trees around town are in bloom, and the gardens get super busy. Usually visitors will bring new plants to plant in it, and people who already have their plants will leave an offering of thankfulness. And, to feed all the new people, we usually have a big feast laid out for people to eat as they please."

Taking a pause to sip his ale--he needed some sort of liquid to keep his voice going--Ouma considered the next part of his story. "So, lots and lots of new people mingling with everyone who lives here, happy feelings around, ya feel? It's hectic. My favorite is always the sweets, since a lot of fruits are in season. So I was makin' my way over there, but in my way was this little girl looking at the spread like it's heaven--smart kid. I'm not heartless, so I ask if she needs any help reaching anything--I don't get a lot of chances to ask that, obviously, so I'll take it where I can get it, even for, like, a four-year-old. She points to these...like, they're this almost gooey but delicate pastry wrapped around cherries that have been cooked in a cherry syrup--super yummy! I compliment her taste, and get one for both of us."

"And it's not like I have anything better to do, so we both stay there for a little while, eating our fill. Then, like, she's kinda young for being on her own? But I'm not too bothered by it--it's a festival, everyone's super nice and in the mood of cheer, and town is usually safe on a normal day. I ask her if she's with anyone anyway."

Pitching his voice higher and even more child-like, Ouma pantomimed every expression the fantasy little girl would've made. "She looks around and then looks kind of freaked out. 'I wash here with my mama...' Kid got separated from her parents, got distracted by the sweets. She'd be fine on her own, or I could take her to one of the guardforce still on duty, but, like, that'd be a shitty memory of what's supposed to be a fun time, right?"

"So I ask if she wants to see some of the cooler plants in the garden, if she wants to play a game, see who can catch the most falling petals from the cherry trees in a certain amount of time. Just play with her as we go around the festival. Eventually, we do run into her parents, and they ask me if I need help finding mine." Ouma shook his head with what looked like a fond but exasperated smile. Before curling it up into something impish.

"But, of course, all that never happened. I'm not the heroic type."

Kaito watched Koh, enraptured. He could see it in his head. The town bathed in warm lantern lights as people walked from event to event, stall to stall, resting in between to eat sweets with each other. The laughter and the conversation. Dancing and singing. And among all of it, Koh, cheering up a small, nervous child, being the strong and responsible person she needed just then, that warm, cute, pretty smile on his fa-

WHOA!

Kaito could have slapped himself, and almost did. Nope. NOPE! What the fuck!? Where did that even come from?? We did NOT think of the fifteen-year-old that way. That was an obvious no-go. Why had that thought even flitted across his head? He might not even be fifteen! He could be twelve for all Kaito knew!

Also, Kaito was ENGAGED. Or, well, would be as soon as he met Prince Kokichi. Wow. Maybe the ale was stronger than Kaito had thought?

Looking suspiciously at his drink, Kaito eventually carefully pushed it away. It had probably just been because Koh had described looking after a child. Kaito had been really attracted to Maki for a long time because of how well she handled children. He supposed he just...had a thing for people who were good with kids. Watching her be an assassin for a few years had sorta...tempered those feelings. He hadn't wanted it to, but, well...there ya go.

Anyway, Kaito was still ashamed of himself. He threw the image away from his mind and focused on the story again.

He gasped in shock at the end of Koh's story. "What? That was a lie? None of that happened? Awwww," Kaito said, leaning back into his chair with a certain amount of disappointment. "I was really taken in by that. It didn't even occur to me you were making it up, it sounded so real. But man!" he said, suddenly lighting up excitedly, "That means you're a really good storyteller, Koh! I bet you could give Touko Fukawa a run for her money!"

Honestly, Ouma had been expecting some degree of anger or annoyance at the big reveal. That was what usually happened when he spun someone into some big, fantastical narrative then pulled the rug out from under them. Or, what the boss did, and just got used to ignoring what he said. Not disappointment that his story hadn't actually happened, not...c-compliments?!

Not entirely from the ale settling into his system, Ouma flushed pink, blinking at Caleb in astonishment. It...was just because he didn't know him, not really. They'd just talked about it, but the stable boy hadn't been around Ouma enough to hear his constant fabrications. Hadn't heard enough to grow tired of them--that's why he had such an interesting reaction.

Still, Ouma felt bummed out that they would only have tomorrow and maybe seeing each other as Caleb sold his horses. He'd bring up the letters tomorrow--maybe the novelty of his lies wouldn't wear out as quickly through text.

Laughing sheepishly, Ouma twirled a bit of his hair around a finger. "You think so? Most people tune out pretty quickly, but maybe I can fool 'em if I write everything down. I don't think I'll ever reach her level of bizarre pseudo-bodice rippers, though."

Drinking a little more, trying to finish at least one part of the meal, Ouma tilted his head from side to side. "I'm glad you enjoyed it? Something like a nice send-off, right? Though! I'll hold you to tomorrow! I'm a busy guy and I'll be pissed if you stand me up!" Pouting in fake anger, his expression eased into a smile as he waved to his new friend. "I think I'm gonna stay here a little longer, so if you need to rush away, go ahead. I'll see ya, Caleb-chan."

"Pffff, you calling me cute is so backwards, I gotta say," Kaito said, rolling his eyes as he downed the last of his ale and, quicker than was strictly healthy, engulfed the last few bites of his meal. "I won't miss it. Same time tomorrow morning, same place. I'll bring some swords and show you some stances. Don't you stand me up."

Kaito stood up, gave a friendly wave and a wink to the woman running the bar, who gave him a curt nod in return, the men at the bar now on well into what looked like maybe their third cups of ale. Then he looked down at Koh, gave him the same wink and smile, "Til tomorrow, Master Koh!"

Then, with a flourish of his jacket (maybe tomorrow he'd risk wearing his cape), he headed outside of the tavern, into the brightness of the day, and proceeded to be very lost for a very long time. He had been barely paying attention to where Koh had led him on the way here, and it took several times stopping people to ask them for directions before he found himself back in the main market, on his way to the stables his horse was being kept at.

He did eventually figure out how to get back to the caravan, and thankfully there was no fuss. With Shuuichi and Maki covering for him, no one else had noticed his disappearance, though they did note his reappearance when, looking for his friends, Kaito entered the main tent and found, to his disappointment, his four official advisers, General Juuzo, Mistress Miaya, Secretary Chisa, and Head Secretary Tengan (who out of all the advisers was the final word on everything and an extension of father), all circled around a map, talking earnestly and making strategies in a way that made Kaito sigh. You could take the politicians out of the war room, but you couldn't take the war room out of the politicians...

As they saw him, Head Secretary Tengan beckoned him to join them, telling him they were discussing his upcoming proposal. "We've decided this is the exact wording you will use upon meeting the prince. Now, follow along the best you can..."

It was a long night after that.

Ouma snorted to himself--he'd sure picked an odd one today, huh. Fun, though. Caleb was fun and interesting and stubbornly upbeat. And, while from another country, not the right one.

His smile faded a little once his friend left the pub, picking at the rest of his food though he was far too full to really eat any more. He'd always known he'd have to marry for political benefit--it was pretty much the only thing of stuff like that that was enforced in the Ouma line. The leader marries someone that would compliment them to bring greater benefit to the country. What greater benefit, what greater honor could he have than ending a war?

A stupid, petty war between two egos, okay with snuffing out countless lives and promising their heirs' futures away just so neither had to say "I lost". Ouma clenched his fist in his lap, staring blankly at the table. No matter how horrible Prince Kaito turned out to be, he still felt sorry for him. Being used as a pawn the same as him.

...it wasn't as gross as "Into the Depths" like he'd explained to Caleb, but the Luminous Prince was still being forced from his home.

...or was infiltrating, as Hideki had posited in one of their meetings to even agree to the union. Luminary wouldn't even have to annex them if they had one of their own leading the country. That's the biggest reason he couldn't run. Even if all the infrastructure would still be in place, Ouma couldn’t leave his people to someone who wouldn't understand. Or to a puppet controlled by someone who tried to steal Diceans.

Sighing, Ouma put his smile back in place, leaving an extra gold piece under his plate before heading out. He managed to catch Sakura's eye, thankfully, and while he waved, he put a finger to his lips. It felt weird bribing her, but it was more...thank you money for not saying anything. ...yeah.

Not feeling like trying to scope out any more people for the day, Ouma headed back to the castle, bypassing the front gate and circling around the side to scale it back to where he was "supposed" to be.

"Kokichi, Sir!! I prevented Denji from throwing away anything from your room as directed, Sir! The rest of the mission is in your hands!"

Back to it, then.

Ouma turned, grinning at the guard predictably just late enough to miss his re-entry.

"Awwww, dependable as always, Katsuki-chan! I'd definitely call that a mission accomplished; I'll get on my part right away. Please tell Aiichi that I'll be working through dinner, and not to disturb me for anything less than the apocalypse. Thank youuuuuuuu!"

The next morning, Kaito went to Shuuichi and Maki again, begging for help.

“Just one more day,” he said to his two friends, both of them looking at him with various levels of total exasperation. “I just want one more day. I promise I’ll be back a little after lunch, just like yesterday. Come on guys, I’m just asking for a few hours. Consider it a wedding present!”

As Shuuichi stammered something out, scratching his face as he tried awkwardly to collect his thoughts amongst Kaito’s desperate barrage of pleading, Maki squared up, a scowl on her face. “Don’t try that on us again, your wedding present was running around in the woods for hours by ourselves while committing treason to let you go off on your own. Kaito, we’re meant to present you to the Dicean Royal Family tomorrow. What if something happens to you today?”

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to give Maki his most charming smile, “Well, nothing happened to me yesterday-“

“That doesn’t necessarily mean it was safe, Kaito,” Shuuichi pointed out, his rebuttal like a bullet through Kaito’s excuses. “You understand we’re not just talking accidents. This war has lasted so long that people have grown up on this war: even if it’s become common knowledge that you’re coming to create a peace treaty, which there’s no guarantee that word’s gotten around yet, there will be people in this kingdom who don’t want peace by this point. They’d kill you just to stop the peace talks.”

“…who wouldn’t want the war to stop?” Kaito asked, genuinely disturbed at the idea. He couldn’t fathom the idea. Wasn’t the eventual point of all war to just...stop fighting at some point?

“Imagine if yesterday, literally yesterday, you got a letter saying that your older brother was killed in the name of the Dicean Kingdom. And today, you met the guy who was supposed to stop the war, before your brother’s body has even been put into the ground. Would you feel, personally, like the war was good as done?” Maki said, her voice harsh, but the concern in her eyes genuine as she tried to make her prince, and her oldest friend, understand the situation. “That’s the literal situation hundreds of people in that city right now are experiencing. People are dying in that way every day. There will be battles and battalions who haven’t gotten word of the cease fire until weeks after the peace treaties have been signed. I was sent here to watch over you for a reason, Kaito. This is going to be dangerous territory for you for a long time.”

Kaito bit his lip, worrying his fingernails as he listened. He wondered…he wondered if Koh had lost anyone to the war yet…

Heh. The war could be older than Koh was. What a strange thought.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he should stay. Forget about the kid in town and face his responsibilities. There was still so much to prep before tomorrow. He had lines to memorize, negotiation points he had to be fully ready to understand and answer upon tomorrow, names and titles to memorize before he ever got the court…

…No. No, he wanted his last day. He wanted to go teach Koh how to hold a sword. All that stuff could wait for this afternoon. The morning was his.

He argued with Maki and Shuuichi for another twenty minutes before he used his trump card: he got on all fours, bowed his forehead into the dirt, and refused to stand back up until they agreed. If anyone had seen the Prince bowing to what essentially amounted to Royal Escorts, on an official level, it would be Shuuichi and Maki who had to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions. Defeated, they agreed to cover for him again.

‘Borrowing’ two, mostly decorative, but more importantly light, fencing swords from General Juzo’s weapon display, Kaito grabbed his horse and headed to town. When he got to the market, the first thing he did was head to the apple stand to pay back the apple salesman, who seemed pleasantly surprised to see Kaito had kept his word. Kaito, today, was wearing a cape.

Thankfully, he had gotten out of dinner, but that resulted in a different consequence. The boss himself had shown up to Ouma's door the next day, forcing himself in when Ouma warily opened the door and went on a winding speech about how proud he was to see the floor for the first time in years, wow, he must've been working so hard, taking up the entire day, not breaking even to have dinner with friends and family.

Especially at such a tumultuous time. When they should be refining the treaty and analyzing stories of the members of the procession to figure out the points and attitudes they should present to each to make things go as smoothly as possible. There were lives on the line, Ko! Glad to see you're taking this seriously!

God. It was all he could do not to scream at the man sometimes.

As such, Ouma was a little late returning to the market, but he figured it was better than not showing up at all. However...he probably wouldn't be able to promise another 'tomorrow'. It was risky as it was disappearing for a chunk of the day, and then once the group from Luminary showed up...no way. This would be his last hours of freedom for...the foreseeable future.

However, his foul mood was turned on its head once he spotted Caleb. Wearing...

Bursting out in disbelieving laughter, Ouma ran up to the man almost like a mirror of the day before. "What on earth are you wearing?!"

Kaito jumped a little bit, startled by his young friend's sudden appearance. Man, Koh was fast. However, upon being asked the question, Kaito gave a smug, cocky grin, before brandishing his arm out as the red cape flourished behind him, caught just right by the wind. "Do you like it? It's my sparring cape. I won it off a Luminary guard in a poker tournament about a year ago. It's cool, right?!" Kaito said excitedly.

This was all true, by the way. The red cape was a staple in the Luminary Guardsman Uniform, and Kaito, a collector of many fancy and fascinating capes, had jumped at the chance to bet for it instead of silver. He had thought Koh might get a kick both out of the clothing and the story behind it.

"Truth is, I think the guard may have felt a little bad for me and lost on purpose, because before the cape, when it was coin on the line, he put me through the wringer. But either way, it was fun to get! Got him on a pair of tens," Kaito bragged, as if he hadn't just admitted he probably hadn't won by his own merit. He then showed Koh the two fencing swords he had brought with him.

"What do you think? Think you can lift it well enough? Go ahead, take it," Kaito said, passing one of the fencing swords to Koh with a grin.

It was ridiculous but...somehow it seemed to fit the man. He was kind of ridiculous too. Even in the way he acquired it. Ouma's eyes widened a bit, voice hushing. "You've been to Luminary, too?"

He'd be meeting quite a few Luminous people very soon, but it was still something of a shocking statement. Both for talking about the country very few people had even an uncaring opinion about, and, more personally for Ouma, the fact that Caleb had been able to travel to all three of the countries in the area. How many more did selling horses take him to?!

Shaking his head, Ouma rolled his eyes. "You look absurd, but judging just from yesterday, that seems to be the norm for you. Really, I've never seen anyone style their hair like that." He put a hand on his head and fanned out his fingers almost like he was mimicking a chicken. And maybe made a few 'bwak!'-ing noises to sell it. Who was to say?

However, Ouma's smile froze as Caleb thrust a sword out at him--despite his excitement about wielding a sword. "Hey... Maybe don't pull weapons out in the middle of a market? Unless this is a terrible plan to pull me in to rob someone."

"C'mon, I didn't get to show you the park yesterday; you can show me all your undoubtedly pristine sword-skills there." And, in a park and not a place of peaceful commerce, no one would call on the guardforce. He'd seen kids play-fighting and old masters practicing there before, it'd be fine.

Gently pushing Caleb's outstretched hand back towards him, Ouma grabbed his sleeve once more to lead him to the park, one of the more spacious areas in the city, separated from the hustle and bustle by full trees outlining nearly the whole thing. Likely the trees that bloomed pink in the spring, as Ouma had described in his bogus story.

Choosing a spot away from anyone enjoying the nice day or any of the public art displayed sporadically, Ouma held his hand out. "Okay, don't think we'd cause a brawl out here."

Kaito laughed awkwardly as the reason for Koh's concern finally occurred to him. It wasn't that Kaito was dumb, necessarily. He had been getting good marks in University before being suddenly pulled from his studies, and he was well liked by his peers and authorities in life for good reason, being good, one on one, with people.

But there were certain things, growing up as a prince, that he had just never had to think about. It was hard for him to get into any serious misunderstandings, such as being seen with a weapon, since it was so rare for him to meet anyone who didn't already know him by at least his title, and if they were disturbed by anything he did, could speak quietly to one of his always nearby aids, guards, advisers or escorts to get clarity on the situation. His entourage managed him, so to speak. He wasn't cruel enough to take advantage of these privileges intentionally, but it would be naive to say he never unwittingly did so, by sheer ignorance alone.

"Sorry, that was dumb of me," Kaito admitted, before giving Koh a thumbs up. "Good watching out, Koh! That could have gone badly, actually."

Oh no, imagine if the guardsmen had been called on him...meeting Prince Kokichi from a local jail was one hell of a way to start negotiations.

Still, crisis adverted! The sword still sheathed, Kaito stood straight and squared, putting on a serious expression. "Alright, Koh, lesson number one. Don't be afraid of your sword. Catch!" he said, gently tossing the sword to his young charge.

Caleb had said that, being on the road, it befit him to have a weapon and know how to use it. Still kind of airheaded of him to brandish it in the middle of a market, but understandable to a point. People were allowed to have weapons, of course, but no one really carried any around on a day-to-day basis. To play or spar, sure, but running errands? It'd just get in the way, and things were generally peaceful. There were thieves and rowdy folk just like anywhere, but the guardforce were able to take care of things before they escalated, usually. And while the guards carried weapons--just in case, and non-lethal ones--they rarely used them, and when they were off duty they were unarmed.

Another thing different in the greater world, he supposed. But he was slowly learning more! Person by person!

Ouma easily caught the sword as it was tossed to him, just staring at it for a moment in awe. He was holding a sword. He almost expected a guard to pop out of nowhere and bat it out of his hands before hauling him back to the castle, but there was nothing but general chatter quiet on the wind. He was holding a sword...

Trying to stifle a genuinely delighted smile, Ouma held the saber at its grip, looking back up at Caleb with his other hand lightly on the sheath. "So do I get to unsheath it, or we gonna do the whole 'respect the sword, treat it as an extension of the self, don't use it against regular people' spiel first?"

"Nah, respect the sword is usually lesson number four. You know, after you've managed to cut some part of yourself open bad enough to scare you," Kaito said, unsheathing his own sword and throwing the scabbard to the ground, putting himself in a somewhat exaggerated version of a starting pose.

"And considering the dig at my hair earlier, I think I'm okay letting you learn that lesson the hard way," Kaito said with a wink, twirling his sword teasingly. "Bold words for a guy who seems to only want to cut every other strand of his hair, by the way."

Ah. He hadn't considered that. ...eh, he could make something up if he got hurt. Sometimes he'd land from the gate wrong or get scratched up during his forays and would have to explain it away. An injury from a sword would be a little harder...but if he patched himself up, it would seem like any old scratch. Right.

Unsheathing the sword, Ouma looked at Caleb's stance and...didn't copy him. That didn't seem right. Instead, he just widened his stance for optimum balance and movement, holding the sword in front of him. With both hands. Because, even with how dainty the sword looked, it was still heavy enough that he doubted he'd be able to do any sort of precise movement with one.

Not that this was serious in any way.

"Hey, I look cute! It highlights my natural charm--unless you think looking like a duck butt is the kind of charm you want to enhance." The bane of Denji's existence, and one of the few actions of rebellion he was allowed to have. Not that it really mattered, since for any official appearances he had to wear his hair up in that stupid crown. Ugh. He was going to be pulling pins out of his hair for the next month after the next few days.

Not knowing where to start, Ouma waited for Caleb to move. Parrying was just...moving a blade away, right? He could do that.

Kaito watched as Koh hefted up the sword, taking note of all the little openings. His stance wasn't...well, okay, it wasn't right, but it was clear Koh had seen people do it right before and was doing his best to mimic what he had seen. It honestly looked close to the kind of stance a Dicean soldier might have, based on the few times Kaito had been in a position to witness such a thing.

Yeah...not the best memories.

But that didn't matter! If anything, it was a relief to see just how freaking cute Koh looked trying to do it, working out his footing here in an open, sunny park. The air was casual and friendly, and Kaito was enjoying every second of it.

Alright, but first thing was first. Kaito had to make Koh understand exactly what he was dealing with so he wouldn't get cocky and end up actually hurting himself messing around. This was how Kaito had learned 'respect for the sword' when he was taught, and while it was scary, it was a good early lesson to not lose a finger someday.

"So, first lesson, don't be afraid of your sword. It only does what you let it do, after all." Kaito said, relaxing his stance a little into a more natural starting pose. "Second lesson-"

Kaito rushed forward, using the length of the sword itself to make up for the distance as, using the weight of his swing, he knocked Koh's sword upwards, letting it ring through the air. Then, while Koh was still getting his bearings, Kaito swept his leg out, using his foot to catch Koh's ankle and send him into the dirt. As Koh fell, the sword came back down, almost as if in slow motion, and Kaito grabbed it from the hilt.

As soon as Koh's back hit the ground, Kaito stepped forward, putting the end of both his blade and Koh’s to a few inches safely away from Koh's neck, but he knew from Koh's perspective on the ground would seem terrifyingly close.

"-be very afraid of your opponent. The swordsman in front of you can also make your sword do things you don't want it to do, like, for instance, change sides. But, if I had really wanted to hurt you, I could have pushed your sword back into you, knocked it into the dirt, or just straight up yanked it from your hands. Your weapon is safest when it's either sheathed or not moving. The second you take it out, it's a danger to you and everyone around you."

Kaito let the swords stay there for a few seconds before smiling warmly, taking the swords away from Koh's neck and letting it drop onto the grass. Kneeling, he opened up his right hand palm and showed Koh with a cheesy grin a long, thin line on his palm.

"Also, lesson number three: don't show off with your sword skills unless you're trying to seduce someone or win a bet. I tried that exact same move on one of my friends when I was sixteen, and instead of catching the sword by the handle I caught it by the blade. Almost cut off three of my fingers. Cried for days. It was pretty dumb. Though as you can see, I never really learned my lesson," Kaito said, offering the same hand to help Koh up.

In a moment, Ouma realized that he'd made a mistake. Within a second Caleb had relaxed, and anyone who could relax into a fighting stance was someone he stood no chance against. People like that had a plan, and the only defense he'd been told and taught to do against people who had a plan was to thrash and scream as loud as he could.

Obviously not something he could do here.

He could only barely brace himself before Caleb dashed forward and--knocked the sword right out of his hands?? Ouma stumbled back a little, and, knowing better than to avert his eyes from an opponent, decided to--

"Wa-ahh!!" Maybe becoming a trend, the breath was knocked out of him as Ouma hit the ground, gaze averted regardless and to...the sword falling down right at him. At once, an entire scheme played out in his head.

Caleb had been to Luminary, was wearing their clothes. If he'd only pretended to be airheaded, nice, and willing to talk about whatever Ouma brought up... Bringing up swords, convincing him to take up a lesson then taking the chance to...ruin everything...

He felt lightheaded, eyes burning, but...the sword never touched down. Caleb caught it--and then immediately held both to his neck. Ouma had never wanted to go down with tears but he just...felt so much like an idiot! After all the times he'd been told to stay in the castle, every time someone said he was too small and too weak and too dumb to go out on his own, and for some selfish curiosity, he was...

...being taught a lesson.

Ouma shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position, heart still pounding away and making his head buzz. A lesson. He'd thought... But of course. Who would ever believe in him?

Glaring up at the man, Ouma smacked his hand away and got up. "If you're just going to waste my time, don't waste yours. I have stuff to do, put it off to come out."

He whirled around in a teary huff, stomping off towards the castle.

Kaito was shocked as his hand up was knocked aside, the prince not even recognizing the look of hurt and then anger on the kid’s face until Koh had pulled himself up, storming off. "Whoa, what? Hey, come on now, Koh!" Kaito said, having at the very least the foresight to grab the swords from the dirt before following his young companion, who was just so damn quick.

Hoping his voice might carry faster than his legs would, Kaito shouted out, "Koh, I wasn't trying to...hey! Atua give me strength." Kaito muttered to himself before shouting, "Look, would you stop pouting!? If you can't handle a little teasing, you'll never be ready for any sort of real-"

Kaito saw the looming shadows of the castle the more he followed Koh across the park (he hadn't realized they had traveled this far into the city). His first glimpse of the building, distant as it was, stopped him in his tracks, ice running through his veins. He hadn't really been conscious of it, but he had been avoiding actually looking at the castle until now, though it was partly visible everywhere in town. But from this spot, you could almost see the entire thing in detail, and it was a cold dose of reality as Kaito stopped shouting, suddenly extremely aware of other people in the park.

He shouldn't be out here. What had he been thinking? This was so stupidly dangerous. Fuck, he had even stolen some of his general’s swords to come out and mess around with the kid, who he had managed to send off in tears about five seconds into hanging out. What was he doing out here??

He watched Koh's retreating form, feeling awful, and also kinda pissed. He just...hadn't expected the kid to be that weak. It was like he had never been tussled with before. It was infuriating, and also made Kaito feel like some kind of dirtbag, which just made him angrier.

Afraid to call any more attention to himself by literally chasing him down with a sword, but unwilling to not try to at least patch things up, Kaito called out one last time. He meant to say, "Koh, I'm sorry!" He meant to say, "I'm not running after you!" He meant to say, "I need you to come back to talk this out!"

What he actually said, in his haste and anger, was: "Koh, I-fucking, I'm not!-- KOH, I DEMAND YOU RETURN!"

The second the order barked out of his mouth (and man, if that hadn't sounded exactly like his father), Kaito could have gutted himself. Nope. Nope. That wasn't the right thing to say. Fuck. Maybe Koh was too far away to hear that. God damn it.

Ouma tried to block out Caleb's voice, not looking back or slowing down. His eyes were still teary, but he refused to cry, refused to acknowledge how much it hurt. Not the actual being sent to the ground part--he'd done that to himself plenty.

It hurt to be proved wrong, and in such an in-your-face way, that he really was better off locked up in the castle. To see how much he was really putting at risk by sneaking out. His theory about Caleb being some disrupter aiming to nullify the treaty was far-fetched, he knew that even now, but if he had been some sort of spy? Ouma would be dead for nothing. And, wearing Luminary clothing, the country would be blamed and surely all negotiations of peace would be shattered.

It hurt that he thought he'd found someone that actually liked him, not venerated him as the heir or was sworn to protect him. That respected him as his own person, wouldn't think of him in only what he couldn't do, and wouldn't even give him the chance to try.

He had half a mind that Caleb had been hired by the boss just to teach him a lesson. It wouldn't be too out of character for his father.

Sniffling as a stab went through his chest, Ouma scrubbed his eyes, gritting his teeth as if he could drown out the shouting behind him through sheer will. It was impossible to drown out the bellow that followed, however.

It was enough to actually stop him, and Ouma half-turned, a disbelieving and disgusted expression on his face. He 'demanded'? Sending a withering (if wet) glare back, Ouma took a breath and finally responded.

"GO FUCK YOURSELF, FUCKFACE!!!!"

Oh, for the love of-

"Fine! Whatever! Go have your tantrum!" Kaito shouted, resisting the urge to stomp his legs into the dirt as his own fury nipped and spat acid in his stomach. He noted some open staring from a family having a picnic not far away, the mother protectively drawing her small daughter closer to herself upon noticing him glancing their way as the father squared his shoulders, and Kaito reminded himself that he had to breathe. Fuck. He was the one losing his temper.

Kaito glared at Koh, who seemed like a vibrating little ball of rage, and after a deep, steadying breath, Kaito tsked, turning away from him with a flourish of his cape. "What a disappointment," Kaito said, a tad too loud to even pretend to himself like he wasn't trying to openly dig at the kid, his face hot with a mixture of fury and embarrassment.

Great job, Kaito. You beat up a kid you wanted to mentor, made him cry, and then resorted to name calling. Super heroic, man. Absolutely the savior this kingdom needs. Fuck.

Not willing to look back, Kaito waved his hand above his shoulder, forcing his shoulders to relax as if he wasn't bothered by any of this anymore. "Your stance was wrong because the actual fighters you've seen standing like that are using heavier swords than a fencing sword. That stance was also why I was able to knock it out of your hands so easily. I don't know. Read about it in a book if you want more info. I'm leaving town today. Nice meeting you kid."

Not even sure if Koh had stuck around to listen to any of that, Kaito walked off, feeling stupid and boorish and immature. Great. Fantastic. Kaito Momota, Legendary Prince of the Stars! Makes small children cry! Fantastic.

Definitely a plant from the boss. With every word from Caleb's mouth, he could practically hear the dozens all saying the same things throughout the years. Useless. He was useless, only good to put a ring on his finger and let someone else do the work.

He hadn't calmed down much at all during his walk back to the castle, a couple tears escaping and marking angry tracks down his face, his shaking not helping him in any way climb the fence. Taking the back way to his room, he was stopped--or...not really stopped as she did a double-take and quickly followed him--by, unfortunately, a guard that didn't mind her own business as much as Katsuki.

"Wha--hey! Your Highness? Prince K, what happened?" Lake's boots clacked loudly against the floor, but Ouma didn't slow down. "Do I need to beat someone up? Just say the word! Should I get...uh..."

He didn't even care about the way she trailed off with a wince, almost to his room. "Leave me alone. Go flirt with Nazumi or something, I don't care, just fuck off."

The guardswoman stopped at the door slammed in her face, a ticked-off expression that returned to worry as she sighed. That was one hell of a bad mood. Hopefully he'd be able to reign it in before tomorrow...

Doing as asked, Lake left the irritable prince to his sulking, warning the rest of the staff to tread carefully. He did eventually leave his room looking more put-together, expression blank and serious as he joined the final planning sessions. In the night before everything would change, Lake and Denji shared a pot of tea.

"It was bad, Den. He was crying, but not that bawling thing he does. Maybe the stress is getting to him, but...I've never been able to read him; none of us have. I wish Ikuo was here..." The green-haired woman sighed, swirling her mug.

"It's better he gets it out now and not, like, in front of the Luminaries," the royal stylist scoffed. "Or tomorrow morning. Kokichi's a royal pain in the ass to get into regalia on a good day." There was a beat, Denji's mouth twisting as their former comrade was mentioned before shrugging. "Well, if things go well, the war will end, and Ikuo can come cartwheeling back. He'll probably smother Kokichi, since he'd have missed the wedding."

They sat back, something of a smirk hidden by their teacup. "I wonder how it'll feel for Prince Kaito, seeing his husband be a fluffy ball of love for his nanny. Knowing our prince, I wouldn't be surprised if Kokichi demanded that they maintain a six-foot area of distance at all times."

That made Lake chuckle, and the two royal staff members soon finished their talk and tea, arguably one of the most important mornings in recent history looming ahead.

Kaito walked into the tent mid-conversation as Shuuichi and Maki were quietly making their own plans for the events tomorrow. As Kaito's closest confidants, but also as the number one person the Royal family depended on to suss out spies and the first call the king made whenever he wanted someone to have an 'accident', respectively, Shuuichi and Maki walked a tight-rope between fulfilling their duties to the kingdom and their desires to be there for Kaito on a day to day basis, and it was honestly an exhausting, full time effort.

All this to say that when Kaito walked into the tent, went straight to Maki and threw his head into her lap saying, "I'm ready to die, Maki-Roll. Just make it quick. I don't wanna see it coming," their first reaction was open exasperation, rather than real concern. Kaito could be...a little extra. A lot extra. When he wanted to be.

"Why am I killing you then?" Maki asked, Shuuichi rolling up the blue-prints to the palace that he had managed to obtain for her quickly, while Kaito was distracted. "What have you done, your highness."

"What? Already with the 'your highness'?" Kaito said, openly distressed as he sat back up, looking between his two friends. "Are you mad at me? Why are you mad at me? Why is everyone mad at me?!"

"Kaito, she's kidding," Shuuichi soothed, as Maki just shot him a dark look. It was probably best not to point out the strong-arming Kaito had done to them that morning that Maki was still fuming about an hour later. "We were expecting you to be gone longer than this, though...did something happen?"

"I'm the worst. I'm a dishonorable wreck. I'm lucky I'm a prince, because my stupid temper would have never allowed me to be a noble knight!" Kaito said, this time turning to Shuuichi, reaching out and grabbing his friend's hand, "Shuuichi, I can't keep my promise to make you a squire! I'm so sorry, man! I'm a disgrace!"

"I...don't want to be a squire Kaito..." Shuuichi pointed out for the millionth time, patting Kaito's hands, which were wrapped tightly around his arm sympathetically, "...but you probably haven't disgraced yourself. Tell us what happened."

"I swear, Kaito, if you're done something to put this treaty at risk." Maki growled, her eyes fierce as energy seemed to almost radiate off of her. If Kaito had messed up somewhere on her watch...

Kaito looked at his friends’ serious expressions and sighed. He needed to pull it together. He was clearly actually worrying them. Straightening himself up, Kaito took a breath, crossing his arms as he reminded himself that, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't always just act like a mewling idiot, even around his friends. He was their prince. He needed to act like it.

"...I think I may have made a twelve-year-old cry," Kaito muttered. "Well, twelve is low-balling it. Twelve-sixteen range."

"That's a heck of a jump Kaito. You can't tell the difference between a pre-teen and a teenager?" Shuuichi said with a little hesitant smirk, scratching at his cheeks.

"You wouldn't understand without seeing him. I changed my mind about how old he was every couple of minutes, and honestly, I still don't have a solid idea. But at that last minute he could have been ten, for how he was acting! A total child!" Kaito huffed...before deflating, rubbing the back of his neck. "Which is probably why I should have been gentler with him. I may have pushed him in the dirt."

Both of his friends gave him long, long...long looks.

"It made sense at the time! Anyway, he got upset, I acted like an asshole, I don't know, you guys. I can't even placate a random commoner kid. How am I supposed to possibly endear myself to those vultures in the castle?!"

"You not calling them vultures would probably be a solid start," Shuuichi pointed out, as Maki huffed.

"You're an idiot," Maki said. There was no argument. "But you're a good idiot. Your whole job tomorrow is just to be...good. Your aids, your advisers, me and Shuuichi, we can handle any actual problems that occur tomorrow, but you? You just have to go and be the thing you always are: the best of us. Be the representation that the Luminary Kingdom needs you to be, make friends with your future husband, restore peace." She looked away, a small blush in her features, a clear sign of her embarrassment as she finished with clear sentiment. "Easy, for the Legendary Prince of the Stars."

A pause. Another pause. Outside of the tent, the entourage was still prepping and preparing for the final leg of the trip, where they would officially enter the city, heading to the castle. No doubt there was a Dicean representative somewhere speaking to the Secretaries, working out the exact details. The smell of freshly made bread was lingering.

Kaito laughed. "Alright. You're right! You're always right Maki-Roll! I can do this! I may not have acted like I should have today, but tomorrow is another opportunity to be a star! I'll go sweep that prince right off his feet, impress the boss, and be the hero that ends the war! How hard can it be! With you guys to support me, I know I can do it!"

The 'Luminary Prince' persona right back in place, Kaito let out a triumphant laugh, putting one hand on his hip and pumping one hand into the air, a picture perfect pose of a Hero in Triumph!...And then he let the pose drop to give his friends a genuinely earnest smile. "It's gonna be fine. Right, guys?"

If his friends’ replies weren't as enthusiastic as his, Kaito didn't notice or mind. Tomorrow was the big day! His moment to make history! He wasn't going to let everyone down!

Putting Koh now far from his mind, Kaito insisted on drinks to celebrate. It was another long night.

Maybe Lake had a point. Denji had been working in the castle since they'd walked in and demanded a job at 13, and every day since then Kokichi had been a nightmare to coax into looking like the prince he was. Well, coaxing had been when the heir was 10; as Kokichi had grown up and ever more stubborn, it'd been more like as close to threatening as the stylist could get without committing treason.

But that moment, the extra hour they'd accounted for was unneeded. While he was far from enthused, Kokichi sat through his hair being pinned up and back and into the headband-like crown he wore without complaining. Was buttoned up into his full regalia, cape and all, without threatening to roll around outside and sully it with grass-stains. Kept still through his makeup without playing chicken to get Denji to stab him in the eye.

It was unnerving, to say the least. But, at the end of it all, the prince was ready ahead of schedule, and that's what mattered.

Seeing him like that, it became clear why so many townspeople wouldn't recognize their prince when he went to goof off in town. Every fly-away was smoothed down, making it look like he actually had an acceptable haircut, not to mention that his bangs were brushed back behind his crown--a simple silver diadem if not for the small gems of every color pressed into it.

Kokichi didn't wear as flamboyant makeup as the boss, but Denji might've been a mage straight from his storybooks for how they made his eyes a little sharper, brought out any modicum of maturity his face had. Which still wasn't much, but it was a difference enough.

As per his past-insistences, the Dicean regalia was waaaaaay too many layers. An undershirt, a white dress shirt under a black vest, with an asymmetrical white jacket overtop. The pants were a little better, just white dress pants that Denji had long learned to cuff a little higher than for any other outfit considering Ouma still ran around like a maniac despite the layers, but they weren't enough to make up for the cape.

Just like their flag, the Dicean royals wore black and white, but, like their people, wore capes that glittered with every color. Well, Ouma's was just a shoulder cape, the king's a whole-ass train that was constructed as part of his jacket. Over-the-top jerk.

"Ah, a marvelous job as ever, Denji," the man himself smiled warmly. "I know it's a tad earlier than usual, but you can take the rest of the day off--please enjoy yourself, it's a joyous day."

With a smug smile and a wave, the stylist took off, and Ouma looked around the meeting hall blankly. Head-Secretary Hideki was glowering at Ryouhei, almost aggressively offering to get him some coffee, hoping for once the scribe would stay awake through an entire meeting. Mikaku had forgone his usual cloak, looking as amused as ever though there was a glint of sharpness in the strategist's eyes. They caught Ouma's for a moment, and he gave him a nod. Maybe in sympathy. Maybe in pride for him doing his part. It was hard to tell.

"Katsuki should be bringing the Luminaries here now--almost time, people!" Everyone stood to attention at Aiichi's voice. Even in more casual situations, the boss's voice had that kind of quality.

Aiichi had the sort of demeanor that made people feel welcomed and at ease. He was friendly without being overwhelming, and anyone who came into the castle remarked how easy it was to speak with their leader. He cared deeply about his people, believed firmly that social prosperity was the root of everything. If you took care of the most vulnerable members of society, then all other problems would dwindle away. He even would talk personally with major criminals who were brought to the castle, and they were soon seen contributing their efforts towards the community.

There was something sharp in those golden eyes, though no one could really put a finger on what. Whatever it was, there were very, very few who would ever consider taking advantage of the boss' kindness.

Kneeling down in front of his son, Aiichi placed his hands gently on small shoulders, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Ko. What you are doing for this kingdom, for our people will never be forgotten. But, please, give Prince Kaito a chance before you run him through the wringer. If not until the wedding, then at least for this meeting. Keep our people who have sacrificed so much in your mind."

Ouma felt the fire of anger in his heart, but it was like a match instead of the usual bonfire. Big words to say when you weren't the one with their future ending in a matter of minutes. He simply averted his eyes and shrugged, even as Lake rushed into the room.

"They're here!"

It was a spectacle, before everything else. Musicians and dancers and performers, all either hired and vetted on the way, or having come this entire way from the Luminary Kingdom itself, to create a procession for which the Luminary Party would present itself. As music lit up the main hall, half-dressed men and women alike provocatively moving to their festive, bouncing rhythm, danced into the hall joyfully: however, a small boy, maybe nine, led them from the front, a curiously serious expression and a scar across the whole of his face, marching as he beat out a steady, familiar drumming beat for the procession to time itself to.

Behind the march of musicians and dancers and jugglers, strong men started pushing in carts with chests on them, the chests splendid to look upon, ornately designed and gold in color. Each chest had something valuable piled almost haphazardly inside, one chest full of sparkling gems of value, another full of spices from far off lands, another full of intricately designed and rare fabrics, and so on and so forth. As the chests were pushed aside to line with the performers, a line of well dressed but less flashy people started to fall in, row by row.

First hurried in the servants and the guards, quick to find their spots among the display, bowing deeply to the king who watched this display. As the servants remained bowed deeply in respect, the guards stood straight and tall, the boy’s familiar marching drum suddenly easy to recognize in their presence. It was the sound of a battle drum, meant to send orders to battalions in the thick of battle, where the soldiers couldn't hear their generals’ mere voices. The boy, stone-faced, kept up his ominous drumming among the display of gifts. A reminder. A warning.

Then marched in the Officials. The General, the Adviser, the Secretaries sent to speak on behalf of the king. They all came down in practiced rows, each bowing respectfully to the king before moving aside, until finally it was just the Head-Secretary Tengan, who bowed, slightly, before putting up his hand.

At that the music stopped. The performers rested on their knees. Among the servants, Maki and Shuuichi stayed deeply bowed. Lastly, the war drum stopped.

...and after a moment, the Head Secretary looked back. This was the prince's cue. The speech. He was meant to be the first to address the king. He was dressed impeccably. He wore a heavy golden cloak, and on the inside, an intricate pattern of the universe made it look as if Kaito was the center of the cosmos himself, his golden and silver armor a sun in that center of the universe. On his head, the edges of his hair that naturally went up curled around a simple, thin, but heavy crown. A battle sword, twice the size of his arm, the sheath beautiful but the hilt just the correct amount of worn, cracked from use rested easily on his hips. It was time. Time for his speech.

But Kaito didn't speak. He just stood in the hallway, having stopped moving halfway down the hall.

Looking at the prince.

Not that he hadn't ever seen anything like it--apart from the whole...dowry thing--but the whole display was...extravagant. He understood why the fanfare was needed--the whole show of strength and power and wealth and all that. Maybe he would've even enjoyed it, if not for what it all meant. That, after the whole show, was...his husband-to-be. Some dumb strong-arm that would try to push him out of affairs.

But Ouma just clenched his jaw and left a painted-on smile on his face. His own feelings didn't matter here. Everything, everything here would affect the future of his country. Of those on the front lines, fighting a useless war that would finally be coming to an end. To those who stayed home, missing loved ones, hoping that they would see them again. He could fake a smile for that.

Until he saw exactly who it was all the excitement was building up to. Ouma's smile dropped instantly, jaw dropped as his eyes widened, undoing all of Denji's work. It felt like he'd been dropped in a frozen lake, and he took a small, shuffled step back before there was a firm hand on his shoulder, squeezing enough to hurt, especially since that was the shoulder that...

...he wasn't a warning from his father.

In a moment, so many questions found their answers, so many pieces were fitted together. But the biggest thing Ouma got from it was...that he was fucking pissed.

All his fears and apprehensions about Prince Kaito were confirmed from experience, and even worse, since the prince had done all those things to someone he thought was just some kid. If that's how he'd treat their people...

It was difficult to keep the seething glare off his face. But now, more than ever, the Dicean people needed him. He would not let this self-entitled monster trample all over this country. So Ouma placated himself by clenching his fists, schooling his face into something neutral. Trying to smile right now would only look like a threat.

So? Get it over with, fucker. The sooner this show was over, the sooner they didn't have to look at each others' faces.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause as Kaito stood there, too shocked to move. He had this weirdly uncomfortable feeling, like all of this was somehow...a prank? Because what else could it be? Why...why was Koh...all dressed up and, and, even here? And where was...

...

Of course, he understood what was happening. He understood his...mistake? Had he made a mistake? Where had the mistake been? He had met a peasant in the market. A peasant who had...walked right up to him...demanding stories and attention and...

...Had Koh...had Ko...Kokichi? Planned the whole thing out?

Nothing else made sense. How else could you explain it? But-but why? Why go through all that trouble? Just to upset Kaito? To get him to run? To create an international incident??

No, no, that wasn't being fair. Maybe...maybe it was more innocent than that. Maybe Koh-Kokichi had just wanted an opportunity to meet him. That made sense. But how had he managed to set it up!? Kaito hadn't been instructed to go to the market, he had snuck away, so how-

"Your Highness," Head Secretary Tengan said quietly, his voice the pinnacle of calm, but fury in his eyes, as he gestured slightly to Kaito. "Come."

Kaito had pushed wagons through mud and wadded through the bottom of swamps before, and this...this movement felt harder and slower then both incidents. But Kaito pushed himself forward, two very different versions of reality fighting for dominance in his head. One version of reality was that Prince Kokichi, somehow, had found him in the market, and wanted to get to know him. Understandable. Kaito himself would have been tempted to try such an idea had there been a way to do it. It was, in its own way, noble even.

The second version of reality was that Kokichi had just spent the last two days continuously, viciously mocking him. Putting on a show to get his new, unwanted husband to embarrass himself, over and over. The more that version of reality shaped itself into Kaito's head, the worse every moment of the last two days seemed in retrospect. God, Koh, no, no, Kokichi was laughing at him this whole time! Probably thinking he was oh so god damned clever, getting the unwanted son to make a total ass of himself, the little-

Kaito closed his eyes and took a breath. This wasn't helping anything. Kaito didn't know which version of reality was correct. He didn't know, and this was important. This presentation, this marriage, this treaty. It all mattered.

Kaito...Kaito had to believe. He had to believe, at least right now, that the rosier version of what could have happened, did in fact happen. He had to believe that, or he wouldn't be able to get through this.

As he got to the Head Secretary, he whispered to the old man. "I...I thought the man I was meant to marry was in his twentieth year?"

Head Secretary Tengan looked like he wanted to slap him, and it was only the thousand eyes watching that stopped him. "He is, my prince," Tengan said, "And he is waiting for you to speak." Then, even quieter, Tengan leaned in. "You are letting us down."

And that just couldn't be allowed. Not him. Letting people down was against his core being. It wasn't who he was. He was-

"Your Grace!" Kaito said, flourishing his cape, looking directly at the king now, one hand on his heart and the other on the hilt of his sword. "I am Kaito Momota, second heir of the Luminary Kingdom, the Legendary Prince of the Stars! I thank you, and the Luminary Kingdom thanks you for seeing me and my party, on this beautiful day in your magnificent home! My family sends their endless regrets that they could not join me on my journey here to meet you, but each one begs me to relay a promise to you on their behalf."

Behind Kaito, on cue, the performers leaned onto the chests, drawing the eye to the wealth that lay inside. "My eldest brother, Byakuya, offers you riches. He is first heir to the Luminary Kingdom, and is a shrewd man of business, and has doubled my family's fortune even in these trying times. He wishes me to promise that a union born today would bring fortunes to you as well."

The performers, leaning behind the chests, took out what was hidden: beautiful paintings carefully prepared, and presented meals still warm, and clothes that the dancers put onto themselves, giggling and fawning over them in a way that made these things even more beautiful than they were. "My mother, Queen Sayaka, offers national treasures. The Luminary Kingdom has developed many beautiful new things and traditions in the last near two decades, and my mother would smile to see that our Kingdoms trade and inspire each other through these exchanges of cultures. It would bring both of our people joy."

And then, finally, the drummer boy very carefully took off his drum, laying it down on the ground with the tenderness of someone holding a holy thing, and then bowed as low as he could. The guards, taking his cue, all bowed as well, up to and including the General. "My father, King Leon, would offer peace between our lands. Too much bloodshed has passed between two kingdoms that should lean on each other as neighbors, not enemies. King Leon would take great pride in there being no more bloodshed, for the rest of his reign, and for the next hundred years."

...

Kaito got down on one knee. The guards straightened up. The servants looked up to witness. Maki held her breath and Shuuichi, to comfort, held her hand.

"And I offer myself..." Kaito, finally, finally, looked over at Kokichi, clearly addressing him for the court to see. "I offer to dedicate my life to the sacred duty of the keeping of your son, Prince Kokichi. I would protect him with my life, and let him know no lonely hour. I will..." Kaito found his throat catch at this. It felt wrong to say it. Felt unkind...but still. "I will love him, and swear my honor upon it. Please, my king: give me your blessing to take Prince Kokichi as my husband. By the will of my kingdom, he will never want for anything, and together we will raise an heir that can upkeep the hundred year peace my father so dearly desires. Please, my king. In exchange for all these gifts, I, Prince Kaito Momota of the Luminary Kingdom, ask for Prince Kokichi Ouma of the Kingdom of Dicea’s, hand in marriage!"

King Aiichi looked upon every member of the procession kindly, internally appraising the offering and judging that the delegate he'd sent to Luminary wouldn't be presenting an insult. The art and produce and wealth sent to King Leon was of equal measure--the trade was the most important part, after all. He did wonder, though, if the king would notice that some of the bounty had once been supposed to end up in that country anyway.

"Our new friends," the boss started, opening his arms to all. "I am glad to see you all here, and wish that you've had nothing but luck and good cheer on your travels. All of Dicea welcomes you."

Begrudgingly accepts anyway. Ouma chanced a glance at the Head-Secretary, recognizing the cool, detached expression. It wasn't hostile, but Ouma knew Hideki trusted any member of Luminous authority about as far as the lanky man could throw them.

"It is a promise that we will not take without the proper reverence, knowing that those who hold Luminary in their hearts are as dedicated to the prosperity, the enrichment, and the peace of our nations as every Dicean. In shorter words than I have sent to King Leon, we have promised the same, to allow the flow of wealth and culture to freely enter your lands."

To give Luminary what they wanted in the first place, but with Dicea drawing the rules. For Dicea to retain their independence but happily provide aid to their neighbor.

For a moment, the boss closed his eyes, taking a breath as his voice held weight. "This war has benefitted no one, and neither I nor King Leon have wanted our people to suffer under its weight. It is time for this long, bloody war to end, and for us each to instead offer a hand to help our neighbors and respect the sacrifices that have brought us here."

Ouma grit his teeth, resolutely not letting his face twitch. A war that you two buffoons started, needlessly escalating what could've been fixed with words. There would've been no sacrifices if they hadn't let their egos blind them.

"And, nothing could greater represent our dedication than the union between the next generation. Prince Kaito, I would happily give my blessing unto you as the leader of Dicea." With that, Aiichi gave his audience a grin much more like himself than the formality he had been putting forth for the sake of their guests. "And, as a father, it certainly warms my heart to hear such promises. Nothing could make me happier than knowing Ko will have someone else in his corner."

Ouma could practically hear the unsaid, "fuck knows he needs it."

Turning to Ouma, Aiichi prompted the one thing Ouma had to do for this whole production. One of the most important, and yet there were those of them wringing their hands, praying for the prince to not mess it up.

Luckily, Ouma's love for his people was much larger than his fury for the man in front of him.

Looking back at Caleb--Kaito-- with nothing but ice in his gaze, Ouma bowed his head briefly. "Prince Kaito Momota of the Luminary Kingdom, I, Kokichi Ouma, the Heir Apparent to the Dicean Kingdom, accept your proposal, and promise to dedicate myself to the fullest in our marriage in the promise of everlasting peace between our kingdoms."

And with a few overly fancy words, Ouma said goodbye to his happiness.

And with that look, any belief Kaito had that Kokichi had the best intentions in seeking him out for the last two days shattered.

Or, at the very least, in that moment it felt shattered. Even now though, seconds later, there was a part of Kaito trying to rationalize the cold, vicious gaze away: maybe it was the pressure of the proposal. Maybe Kokichi was still just mad about the fight. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms.

Or maybe Kokichi had felt this way the whole time, and was just like he said: a fucking liar.

More than anything else, Kaito wanted to ask him. In the same way his imagination always ran away from him, Kaito imagined going up to Kokichi now, pulling him away from all this, somewhere where it could just be the two of them, just Caleb and Koh, and they could finally hash this out. Have the argument that, had the castle not loomed above Kaito and frozen him with terrible responsibility, they would have worked out yesterday. Why had Kokichi hidden his identity from him? Why had he lied about his age? No, well, Kokichi hadn't said his age...had he? The two days were a furious blur now. He couldn't remember. Had Kokichi implied it, or had Kaito assumed? Why hadn't Kokichi been honest with him?

They could talk it out. They could fight it out. Maybe it would come to blows. But maybe at the end-

A hand was suddenly on his shoulder, and Kaito almost jumped out of his skin. Head-Secretary Tengan was clasping it, his thin fingers digging in hard enough to cause Kaito to wince. But his face was the picture of calm as the hallway hustled and bustled now, Diceans coming to collect and inventory the boons the Luminaries had brought, the officials now all getting into circles, planning the next few days. The wedding was always meant to happen almost immediately, though Kaito had yet to hear a hard date set. It could be within the next few days to a week from now, but it had to happen first before the treaty was signed. So it had to happen soon.

"My prince," Tengan said, "I'm certain that must have been exhausting for you. You did well." All the earlier fury was smoothed out now that the worst was over. "We've discussed acquiring a guest room until the day you can move into your proper quarters with Prince Kokichi. The King is sending one of the Dicean servants to show you where you will stay until the union occurs.Take your escorts and go get ready for a lunch. Important things will be discussed over the meal, and I believe it will be your first true opportunity to speak with your betrothed. We want to make a good impression, yes?"

'I hurled a sword above his head yesterday,' Kaito thought numbly. ' And pushed him into the dirt. Then I called him a disappointment.'

Yes. First impressions.

"Thank you Secretary Tengan," Kaito said instead, his proud Prince of the Stars persona still on. "I will go freshen up now. If I know Maki and Shuuichi, they already know exactly where my room is anyway and are heading there now. Do you know which servant is meant to aid me?"

The secretary nodded, pointing his old hand. "I believe that one was tasked."

As soon as he could, Ouma whirled around with the aim of...hiding out like a coward in his room until he had to reemerge for lunch. But could you blame him?! He'd been pessimistic about the whole thing on a personal level before, but now? Now he just needed a moment to himself, out of the public eye, alright?

He wasn't stopped by the boss or any of his cabinet, his part done for now, and so once Ouma made it out of the hall into less populated areas, he broke out into a sprint all the way to his room. And, not caring if he smudged his makeup any--he wouldn't, Denji learned that lesson long ago--Ouma picked up a pillow and smushed it against his face. And screamed.

Easily dodging through the swarms of people, Lake made her way towards the foreign prince, brightening up when she saw the...Head-Secretary, right, point her way. Pushing down the impulse to wave, she bowed the way they'd all been taught for the Luminaries and grinned at the prince. "Hiya! Prince Kaito, if you would come with me I'll show you to your room."

The Dicean castle was used to housing guests. Anyone who couldn't afford an inn was welcome to stay in the castle, and even when citizens couldn't stay in their homes for whatever reason they could stay freely in one of the many rooms the castle had available. However, though it was just a temporary room until the princes were married, the staff of the castle had done their best to make Prince Kaito's room a little homier than the standard. Waku had nearly pulled the entire staff into a debate over what kind of sheets the Luminary Prince would prefer.

Once they were a bit away from the procession, well, it was just polite to start a conversation, right? Even with how rigid and uptight the Luminaries seemed. Turning a little toward Kaito, Lake gestured lightly to his get-up. "Your cape is awesome, by the way. Very heroic," she nodded in approval.

Having been entirely lost in his own head by this point, still reeling over the events of the day, Kaito was, for a moment, surprised the servant would be so quick to speak out of turn to him. He didn’t mind, preferred it really, but most of the time the working staff usually reserved themselves until Kaito had made it plainly obvious that he wished to get to know them or be more familiar, and then they would start letting their guard down. Which made sense, since any other member of his family being addressed in such a way would have ultimately ended badly: father would frown and show general displeasure, which would have resulted in the servants being harsher on each other, his mother would have smiled and then had a private conversation with her supervisor later, and his brother, well, he would have probably shouted at her then and there.

But, then, those were just the servants back home. Maybe it was…different here?

Actually, this was a good time to figure that out, right? He had to learn how things worked here if he was going to live here, and the servant girl seemed nice enough, if her bright smile suggested anything. Matching her smile and energy in kind, he almost instinctively flourished his cape again, blushing at the compliment. “Thank you! I’m not actually terribly fashion-forward, I’m afraid, but capes are a weakness to me. Did you notice it looks like the stars? They’re accurate too! I still can’t believe the level of detail stitched and dyed into the fabric. Easily one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. It’s just…fun, right?!”

Kaito looked her over before saying, with a wink. “I like your hair. It shapes your face. Very cute.” Kaito complimented back, because that was what you did when someone pointed out something nice about you. Then, he followed this up with a nervous laugh as he said, “So…as you may have heard, I’m new here…may be staying awhile…any advice for how to get along here?”

"Whoa, seriously!? That's incredible! It must've taken ages to make sure everything was aligned and in proportion and all that stuff." Lake laughed lightly, shaking her head before striking something of a pose, one gloved fist clenched in front of her. "Capes are never a weakness! They make a statement, are striking for all to look upon you and know that their savior is here!!"

Relaxing, she chuckled sheepishly, tousling her hair. "It's a good impression, right? Couldn't wear mine today, obviously. Gotta let the boss and little boss have the spotlight. Even if Prince K hates his."

Under her breath, Lake's face fell into something a little frustrated. "Aw shit...you're Prince K too...hmm..." She was soon brought back to attention by Kaito's compliment and inquiries, though.

"Ha ha! Thanks!" she boomed, "And don't you worry; the Hero of Justice, Mukimuki-chan, has got you covered!"

Hearing her voice echo, Lake messed with her hair again with a quieter, sheepish laugh. "Lake's the name, by the way. But, yeah, all of us are here to help you out too, Prince Kaito. You're our prince now, too."

"Honestly, we're all way more casual than what we've heard from your neck of the woods--so, super sorry if we cause any offense! We've all been briefed to try and act more like what you all must be used to, but, you know, cultural differences and all that." That...was pretty apparent already from how the guard had been acting thus far. "Aiichi hates being called "king", though I think he's okay with it from you guys? Hard to tell what the boss is thinking."

"Oh, and it might be more limited at first, since we'll be planning your wedding and preparing the treaty and all that, but any and everyone is allowed to come to the castle--to talk with the boss, but also because the library is in here, and people come to hold classes and workshops in the auditorium all the time. It's kind of...both a castle and a community center in one."

Lake paused seemingly considering something before deciding to speak up, her expression more serious than it'd been in the time they'd been talking. "Look...I probably shouldn't say this to you, considering the treaty hasn't been signed, but...you seem like a good guy. Prince K's been super stressed out about this whole thing, so...give him a chance. He can be kind of prickly, especially right now, but he's a fun guy once he warms up to you. Kokichi really cares about all of us here, so he's gonna give this a real try, and he doesn't do that for anyone."

With that, Lake stopped in front of a door, giving the prince a sympathetic smile and a thumbs up. "In any case, we know it's not home for you, but we hope you'll be comfortable here, your highness. Housekeeping is usually running all over the place, and even if you catch one of us in the guardforce off duty, we'll still be happy to help. Someone will be by to show you the way to the dining room when it's time for grub."

"See ya 'round, other Prince K!" Giving him a wave, Lake turned around to attend to her other duties. It was a buuuuuusy day for the guards today.

Kaito just stared wide-eyed at her for half of her speech, his eyes practically sparkling as she slipped into what could only be called her own version of the 'Legendary Prince of the Stars!' voice. He had never met anyone else who did that too, and his total shock at hearing that same tone and melodrama coming from just some random servant girl was so wild that Kaito couldn't think of anything to interject the whole time she talked. When she finally dropped him off at her room with her last bit of advice, he watched her turn and walk off, still absolutely speechless over what had just occurred.

...Why couldn't she have been the royal child he was destined to marry? Why did it have to be the half-stacked brat!? He bet she could take a hit in a sparring match! God damned. Atua give him fucking strength.

Shit, did he even get her name? Damn it, Kaito. No, wait, she had told him at the beginning of the speech! Lake. Funny name, but it seemed to suit her. Kaito hoped she'd be attending to him often, she seemed like the kind of commoner that he could get a drink with.

Still, everything she had to say about Prince Kokichi...ugh. Kaito didn't even know how to begin to unpack that. He was still so...hurt. By everything. He felt stupid and betrayed and gullible...ugh.

"Would you stop pouting outside and get in here already?" Maki said from behind the closed door. "You've been panting outside for two minutes already, mouth-breather."

"And also we heard you talking to the woman outside," Shuuichi said, opening the door to let Kaito in, who immediately walked in, grabbed Shuuichi by the arm, and pulled him over to Maki for a group hug.

"We did it, you guys!" Kaito said, his voice only wavering a little as he hugged them tight. "We got here in one piece and we did the thing! The war is basically over! We won!"

"Please tell me you're saying that playfully," Maki said, patting him on the back before gently pushing him away. "Getting here and asking for a pre-planned proposal was the easy part. Actually being here, in the enemy castle, while trying to set up a sustainable peace is going to be the hard part. Do not let your guard down, Kaito."

"Yeah. I mean, everyone here seems nice..." Shuuichi said uncertainly, "...but it would only take one or two dedicated people to ruin this for everyone. We need to remain diligent. Absolutely nothing can come between yourself and Prince Kokichi."

"Thankfully, if how he presented himself today is any indication, the prince is a calm, serious sort of person," Maki said, a touch of approval in her voice. "With the exception of something briefly surprising him during the procession, his mannerism was entirely controlled the whole time I had my eye on him. Very disciplined. Kaito, when you make your first impression today, I would recommend holding back a little in your friendliness. He might not appreciate being too forward too soon."

"Yeah...about the whole...'first impressions' thing..." Kaito said, keeping an arm around Shuuichi's shoulder, just so he could use him as a human shield should it call for that. "Soooo, I have something to tell you guys!"

And then he did.

Ouma almost wished he had messed up his makeup just so he could wash it all off, but it was still time for impressions. That, and he'd have Waku trying to psychoanalyze him for weeks once she did the laundry. As it was, Ouma just tucked a few stray hairs back into place and removed his cape and jacket. It was warm and they were eating, no need to keep them on.

And then, with a sigh that seemed too deep for his little frame, he headed to the dining room.

Some of the advisors were already there, talking amongst themselves lightly. Carefully. Mikaku was talking in his usual relaxed way to...Miaya Gekkogahara, who, at least, didn't look completely bewildered. He wondered if the strategist was telling her about the Loretto Staircase--it was one of the tamer mysteries he was enamored with, and could easily shift into talking about local architecture. Hideki and Chisa Yo...Yukizome seemed to be having...something of a conversation while Ryouhei nodded along, face pinched in a way that made him look irked, but was really just him struggling to stay awake. It was probably a good thing that the meal would start soon, from how Hideki looked like he was about to explode with all the words he didn't let himself say.

Ouma didn't greet anyone past a general nod, taking his place. Just small talk, surface-level conversation. He could do that; could get through the meal like that. He wouldn't be addressed about the finer points of the treaty anyway, if someone decided to bring it up. His job was just to keep Prince Kaito from running away before the wedding. And, like, maybe contribute to frivolous details about the wedding, but right now, he didn't give a damn about that. The politicians could deal with the politics of decorations.

Keeping his gaze out in the middle distance, Ouma folded his hands in his lap and silently waited for everyone to arrive.

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE!?"

The walls were thick, and Kaito's high pitched, panicked screams only bled through them a little as he dodged another blow to the gut, Maki a whirlwind of killing energy and manic rage. As Kaito dodged and weaved around the room, Maki one step behind him every time, Shuuichi stood in the middle of the room, hands grasping his cap to pull it low over his eyes, mumbling to himself. "-oh my god this is all my fault the king’s going to have my head he's gonna boil us alive he's gonna give us to the danganronpa kingdom oh my god-"

"YOU SAID YOU BOUGHT SOME APPLES, LOOKED AT SOME GARDENS, AND LEFT!" Maki screamed, grabbing a dagger from the inner lining of her skirt, hurling it at Kaito, who just barely managed to duck, the blade taking some of his hair with it as it stuck into the wall behind him. "HOW DID YOU ALREADY MANAGE TO MAKE AN ENEMY OF YOUR FIANCE!?!"

"M-maki, Maki-Roll, please! I need to live, remember!?" Kaito said, dodging a second blade as he leapt over what was probably his bed, ducking behind it. Realizing Maki had actually lost it and wasn't playing, Kaito, still hiding, barked out in his best 'Dad' voice, "Maki, I command you, stand down!"

Maki twitched, and though a third dagger was already in hand, years of training to listen to that type of voice triggered her body to stop before her head had time to catch up with it. As she stopped, her anger gave way just a bit, and she tucked the knife back away, tsking in disgust. "We should have never trusted you to go out alone. This is a disaster, Kaito, you understand that, right? This makes everything so much harder."

"How?" Kaito said, peeking up from behind the bed before standing up, brushing off his metal armor and checking on his sword before sighing. "No, really, what does this change? So what if he hates me a little bit? The best case scenario was that me and him get married and bring peace and just happen to like each other once all that is done. The first two parts are still going to happen, after all. It just means family dinners will be a little more uncomfortable...for the rest of my life..."

"It would have been nice had we been able to get on Prince Kokichi's good side right away, though," Shuuichi said, after taking a calming breath, putting his cap back on the proper part of his head. "Seeing you two get along would reassure everyone involved that the union is truly feasible. Plus, I can't imagine what consummating the marriage is going to be like if you two loathe each other."

Kaito threw his hands on his face, rubbing his eyes as he growled, "No, no, we're not talking about that. No C words, no S words, I don't even want to hear the word 'fuck' if you use it in that context. That is a later problem. I'm not thinking about that now. It's too weird."

"Well, uh, sorry Kaito, but I'd prepare yourself," Shuuichi said, looking somewhere distinctly between amused and uncomfortable, a line he straddled every day. "I overheard your advisors all talking about it while we were setting up this morning, and I think they're planning to sit down with you and go over some things about it..."

"Nope! Nope! That has to be where I draw the line with them!" Kaito said, face red as he went to go help Maki pull the daggers out of the wall, one a little too dug in for her. "They can plan my proposal, and my wedding, and hell, maybe my whole future! But they don't get to plan our I...ya know. That. It's not like I need the birds and the bees talk. They know I had relationships at university and in boarding school. I know what I'm doing! Right Maki-Roll?" He said, handing the dagger to Maki with a wink, who blushed and, just for good measure, she shot out her hand and used the dagger to cut at the left part of his hip armor, leaving a scratch before putting the dagger away. Kaito pouted, "Aww, come on Maki, it was a joke! No need to be like that."

Shuuichi shrugged at all this. "I'm just telling you what I overheard. Tengan and the others all have a lot riding on this. Anything goes wrong and they'll all probably lose their positions, at best. It's understandable they're feeling a little...controlling about it."

"I still can't believe he managed to find you in the market," Maki said, eyes dark and suspicious. "That would take a lot of strategy and forward thinking, to set up a meeting like that. The small prince might take well after his father. King Aiichi has a mind like a steel-trap, and implements strategies better than anything else I've had to contend with. There's a reason your father never just sent me to deal with him myself. You need to be prepared if his son is the same way."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The three looked at each other with concern. How much time had already gone by? Smoothing her outfit, it was Maki who went to open the door.

Shuuichi and Maki were not invited to this formal event, so Kaito followed the servant alone. Having managed to buy himself fifteen minutes to get changed out of the suit of armor, Kaito was now in his second prepared outfit, which the author won't go into detail about, but know that it was fashionable for the time and his social class, was mostly red and gold as befitted his kingdom's colors, and still had a cape, because capes were dope as fuck. Being led down hallways and through passages entirely unfamiliar to him, Kaito had no idea he was at the dining room ‘til he was practically standing in the middle of it, along with a crowd of other people all discussing things in groups and sitting down in their prepared spots.

It was Secretary Chisa who found him first, giving his shoulders a warm squeeze as she said with a bright smile. "There you are! We're beginning soon! Oh, aren't you handsome! Smile, dear, it's time to meet him! Follow me, I'll show you your seat," she said, grabbing him by the hand and gently leading him.

It was a seat by Prince Kokichi, to his left side. The two of them seemed to be placed directly in the middle of the table, with Kaito sitting on the side that had Head Secretary Tengan at one head, and presumably at the other end of the table would be the king. Kaito was surprised to see himself and the prince would be seated shoulder to shoulder, rather than across from each other. It felt too familiar. But then, maybe that was the point.

"Prince Kokichi, I am happy to present to you Prince Kaito," the secretary curtsied, gesturing to Kaito, who stood stock still for lack of any better ideas. "I hope you will accept him; he is very excited to make your acquaintance. Prince Kaito?" She said, something insistent in her voice.

Kaito only hesitated for a moment before bowing slightly. "Prince Kokichi," he greeted. "May I sit?"

Ouma looked up when Secretary Chisa and Prince Kaito approached him, his plan to remain calm and unaffected already put to the test as even just seeing Kaito made fury alight in his chest. But he somehow managed a polite smile at the two before gesturing to the chair beside him.

"I would hope you weren't planning to stand the entire time, Prince Kaito. Please, have a seat. The boss is often the last to arrive, but rarely makes anyone wait." A blatant lie, though none of the Luminaries would know better. Aiichi was usually the first to show up, stopping by the kitchens to ask if they needed any help bringing food out to the table, chatting with anyone who came by for the meal. It was actually Ouma who was last to show up, if he did at all. The others were used to starting without him these days.

After that, Ouma went back to his silence, his cold ire at least not blatantly apparent. He wouldn't be able to ignore the asshole for the entire meal--they were expected to talk and get to know each other--but he wasn't going to give Kaito a moment more than what was required.

All talking went on pause for a moment anyway as Aiichi entered the room, bereft of his coat similarly to Ouma. Again sweeping his smile over the room, he took his own seat at one of the heads. "Let us enjoy this meal, friends. The first of many between our people."

A brief statement, but enough, and the food was brought out, not all at once and spread throughout the table like usual, but what would be in courses. A curious way to eat, but they wanted to be as accommodating as possible for their neighbors. A fair trade, at least, since the food was of Dicean cuisine.

Despite himself, Ouma spoke up quietly, never one to be good at being tacit. "Is your room to your liking?"

It'd been nice to pass along good news to Waku, at least. Someone should be happy about this.

The uncomfortable silence between the two had gone on so long that Kaito had sort of thought it would last the whole lunch. What he lacked in courage to speak to Kokichi he had been trying to make up for by listening in on the other conversations. People talking about cuisines, their history, making jokes about recipes. "The Luminary Kingdom spread its influence all over the world in pursuit of fine spices to try, and once we had found all there was to find, turns out we just prefer everything plain!" Lady Miaya laughed, the rest of the table chuckling along with her.

Kaito knew, he knew, that there were small messages being sent back and forth among the seemingly innocent talk. When such discussions had happened at home, he would listen to what had seemed like inane chatter between powerful people, only to see his father rip maps apart in a rage once in the safety of the war room, apparently facing down insults and low-key threats and boasts the whole dinner that had flown right over Kaito's head. He didn't really have an...ear for that sort of stuff. It was hard for Kaito to imagine saying something but meaning something else. It seemed like a lot of effort if everyone already knew what you were saying anyway.

With this in mind, Kaito, once he was done being surprised, considered the prince’s question before saying, quietly, "I didn't get a chance to really look at it. I was busy fighting off an assassin." Then, after a beat, said, "The bed was nice."

Ouma listened to the chatter around him passively. While he caught the boasts and warnings and rebuttals, it wasn't for him to participate. This was a game Aiichi was the master at, especially with his three power ups by his side. The way Mikaku was able to derail almost any conversation and confuse people in a way that had them treading lightly not to expose their confusion. The way people underestimated Ryouhei, expecting him not to be listening, even knowing he was a scribe. His words were few, but impactful in a way few expected. And their resident know-it-all, able to catch the nuances and in-jokes no matter who was speaking, despite Hideki's distaste for lies and omissions.

He could play, but it wasn't his time yet.

Instead, Ouma had to do everything in his power not to whirl on Kaito and demand a panicked explanation. As it was, the way his eyes widened and he turned minutely to the prince was telling enough. An ASSASSIN?! That was something that could break off all negotiations right away, and certainly not something to be said so calmly--

Calmly. Like it happened regularly. Like you had a friend that was literally a stone-cold killer. Ouma let out a breath, releasing his grip on his utensils into something more natural. "I'm guessing you deserved it."

Whatever it was, Kaito definitely deserved it. God...friends with a killer and not even in a way that you knew you'd never face their blade. Was his fiance crazy too? The last thing he needed was to play nice with a 'mad king' like in some novel.

Kaito snickered, playing with his food. Man, it really was just, like, covered in spices… How did Diceans stand it?

"I generally do, yeah," he admitted, glancing over at Koh- no. Fuck. Prince Kokichi. Looking him over before attempting to try the potato.

Blegh. You couldn't even taste the potato. What was the point?

"You look nice," Kaito said, finally indulging himself on some of the wine. Their ale was shit, but the wine, he was surprised to find, was amazing. And strong. Wow. He'd have to ration that one out. "All dressed up, I mean. Very...mature looking."

This was bullshit. It was what they had to do when the decision-makers of their two countries--minus the rest of Kaito's family--were surrounding them, but it was bullshit. He wasn't just being the bare edge of polite--Prince Kaito was being friendly, if a little unenthused. Like he hadn't told Ouma to his face that he was nothing.

It was only trained muscle memory that he didn't just shove his fork in his mouth.

"I look ridiculous," he grumbled under his breath despite himself. "And so do you. I didn't think it was possible to look more ostentatious than you already did, but unfortunately, I know my father."

However, he did crack something of a smirk, still soft enough to be mistaken as a smile by anyone looking their way. "Mature? Just relieved you don't have to marry a teenager? Or did you think I was a pre-teen?"

It was clear that Kaito had never thought he was an adult, though not through any fault of his own in this one, specific case. Ouma could admit to himself that he was a little amused by it.

"Old enough to order booze for myself," he murmured, taking a pointed sip of wine.

Kaito tensed, a flush of embarrassment running through his face. Despite having just told himself to ration it, Kaito's habit of giving himself time to think through drink flared itself, and grabbed the wine again, taking a long sip to think of a response. Something calm. Something responsible. Something worthy of his station.

"Well, can you blame me?" He growled softly once he was done, the cup still high enough to hide the scowl on his face from the rest of the group. "I've never seen an adult whine and needle that much in my life. Of course I would think you were twelve."

Maki was going to kill him.

"Maybe you aren't as worldly as you think," Ouma shot back without a pause, though...that really was the best-case scenario. There were plenty of other things he could follow that up with. How, if that's how he treats children, then Ouma wouldn't even let him speak to their heir, when the time came. How, if he can't hold his temper against a twelve-year-old, did he really think he could handle a constant stream of questions and requests from his people? How it was pretty lame that he wanted to hang out with a kid.

But, for now at least, Ouma kept those words inside. They were already tempting fate enough with hushed, veiled digs, but taking it further would cause an incident they both couldn't afford.

He felt bad about it, but Ouma still had about half his food left on his plate by the time the next course came out. It was a problem he didn't have when they ate in their normal way--he could take as much as he could eat and no more. This way, he had to only pick at each plate if he wanted to be able to keep eating until the end. They were even having fruit parfaits at the end, for anyone who wanted something sweet! And he definitely did!

...god, if they did this for dinner too... He should ask the kitchen to just set his food to the side when they took it away. He'd eat the rest at a later time. Along with his heart and head and hope, this whole event was going to be torture on his stomach.

Kaito picked at something green that he didn't recognize, but was so foreign to him that when he tasted it, his taste buds didn't immediately reject it under the guise of 'this isn't what this normally tastes like'. Fuming.

What the fuck was wrong with him? Why did he keep snapping at this guy like this? Kaito was good with people! He was! Usually he couldn't visit anywhere without becoming the life of the party, and left everywhere with hearty waves and sometimes tearful goodbyes of new fast friends. He was GOOD at PEOPLE.

So why did talking to the prince result in him making mean little snide comments and wishing he could just...fight him? Or something, at least. Why was he acting like this!?

Pull it together, Kaito. You're the hero of this story! Pretend...pretend Kokichi was some frightened maiden, sullen and angry in her fear, needing just gentle coaxing by a vigilant knight to guide her through these trying times. Hell, maybe even it was true!

Just...stop being a dick, dude.

Kaito took a deep, calming breath, and said quietly, "Look, I'm sor-"

"A toast!" General Juuzo called out, standing up with his cup out. "To the future king and prince consort! May your union bring peace and prosperity for a hundred years!"

There was an echo of "toast!" and "To one hundred years!" from around the table as glasses were raised high. Kaito, caught up in the familiar Luminary custom of mid-meal cheers, threw on his Prince of the Stars grin, laughed triumphantly, took a sip of his wine, and then raised his own glass again. "Cheers!" he said, in The Voice. "To my betrothed, Prince Kokichi!"

Another round of cheers and chants, louder than before, as the others all turned their glasses to Kokichi. "To Prince Kokichi!"

"To our future, Kokichi!" Kaito said, fully in his persona as he gave the smaller prince a wink. Then, quieter, he said, "We're in this together, for better or worse," before taking another sip of his drink, the rest of the table following.

Please. Please. Ouma would not go through all of this without that promise. The war had to finally end, their countries had to play friendly again...and not with his own being run into the ground. Hopefully Aiichi would have a nice long reign in front of him still, but...all options had to be addressed.

Ouma raised his glass with the rest, painting a bright, hopeful smile on his face. And grit his teeth to look away bashfully as Kaito turned the lens to him. Bastard. If it wouldn't just paint him in a bad light and give the Luminaries more ideas to strongarm him out of power, he'd drink himself into a blackout.

As it was, by the time he was chewing half-heartedly through his parfait, his cheeks were rosy enough to show through his makeup and emphasize their true roundness. Aiichi knew his son enough to know that it didn't mean Ouma was anywhere near drunk, but perhaps he'd ease the concerns of their guests.

"Ko? Why don't you show Prince Kaito around the castle? I'm sure he'd like to know more than just where his quarters are."

With a silent nod, Ouma stood and took a few steps back to push in his chair, waiting for Kaito to follow.

"Are you sure that's appropriate?" Mikaku questioned once the two princes had left. He wasn't sure the two of them would be the best pair to leave together, propriety aside, but...he was interested to see if they'd hear yelling through the walls at some point.

Aiichi waved off the concern with a light laugh. "They're both adults, and it's not like they'll be alone walking around. I bet they would appreciate a moment to speak together with less watchful eyes, hm?"

Whatever tension had been going on between them at the table among that lively, highly invested group, was insignificant in comparison for the sheer ugly, awkward silence that followed them into the halls. As they walked, their footsteps seemed to echo through the corridors, the hustle and bustle Kaito had seen earlier apparently hustling and bustling elsewhere right now.

After a while, Kaito decided to try to break the ice. "So..." he said, the word trailing off into nothing as he tried to collect his thoughts. He glanced out into the day and tried, "'least it's nice out..."

Unlike Kokichi, Kaito had severely underestimated the strength of the wine, and his head felt thick and heavy with fog as he turned his eyes away from the glare of the sun coming in through the openings and windows. He wished he was among friends right now. He wished he was doing anything else but this.

"...how did you manage to find me in the market that first day?" Kaito asked. "I have a friend or two whose guess right now is 'spies', and if that's the case you might want to tell that person to fall back immediately. I can't be held responsible for what would happen if they find that person first."

It was nice out. Fall days in Dicea tended to be kind, stretching out clear, sunny skies for as long as possible. Unlike the nights which grew colder much quicker until the days followed and sent them into winter. Ouma's eyebrows drew together in frustration.

"...if you were actually talking about Luminary weather, our winters aren't short. We should have a lot of these days coming up, but don't get tricked by fall when it comes." How much had been a lie? Moving things around to keep his cover...it would take forever to actually sort out what things and what weather was where.

Sighing, Ouma pressed the back of one hand against a cheek, unsurprised with the heat he felt. Stupid low tolerance...

Ouma glanced up at Kaito's question, scowling at the assumption. What would it even matter if he told the truth? It wouldn't change what happened, how Kaito thought of him. ...still, Ouma found himself heaving a beleaguered sigh.

"Hey. You didn't recognize me at all, right? You hadn't been given even a description of me, let alone an etching or something, I'm guessing." He had his arms crossed over his chest, tapping his finger against his arm in irritation. "If we didn't provide a picture, if none of your folk got one to you, what makes you think I got one?"

All he'd been told was that he was to marry the second son of the Luminous Kingdom, Kaito Momota. And that was it. No description of his appearance, or anything about what he was like, or anything he might've gotten up to. Hell, he still didn't know anything of the latter--for all he knew, Kaito could've been just as cooped up in his own castle and just cooked up some stories to feed Ouma's excitement. Though...he did seem genuinely surprised to hear that he'd never left home...

With that little bit, Ouma's anger started to bubble, forcing more words out of him. "Considering I thought you were a spy coming to ruin the treaty by killing me, or that Aiichi hired you to put me in my place, maybe check your fucking assumptions."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at that last comment, fire lighting itself into his belly. He took a steadying breath. Would you just chill, Kaito? Calm down.

"I was told a picture would put too many assumptions in my head." He admitted, "Guess they thought if I saw a picture of you, I would just assume you were harmless. Wanted to keep me on my toes. Understandable, really." Kaito said, taking off his outfit’s gloves, tucking them into his pockets. It was too hot. Why was it so hot? He was freaking sweating even.

"But sure, I'll believe you. It was a total coincidence. I totally don't need to be worried about a spy among my people. After all, I have the word of, oh..." Kaito sneered at Kokichi, something viscous curling in his gut. "...what did you call yourself again? You mentioned it several times...ah. Well. I'm sure it'll come to me."

The more Kaito looked at him, the more baffled Kaito felt about Kokichi. How could something this small and cute be this fucking irritating? At the same time, how had Kaito missed it? Maki was right: Kokichi was a schemer. You could see it in his pretty little face. The eyes of a devil...

The Luminary Prince stopped, shaking his head, puzzled at his own thought. Where had that come from? Kokichi was exasperating, but the guy wasn't the devil just because he got all weepy during sparring. That wasn't fair of Kaito. Maybe it really was all just a coincidence. Kaito just had to breathe. Why was it so hot?

Another breath. "...Hired?" Kaito asked, looking down at Kokichi quizzically. "What do you mean hired by the king to put you in your place? Is that a...thing?"

Figures. Idiots did tend to judge books by their covers. Maybe there was a good idea in there somewhere, though, because if Kaito had shown up as himself as everything was planned and tried to speak to him like a little kid? Ouma might've decked him.

Well, no, he wouldn't, and not just because of the consequences. He'd more likely sprain his wrist than do any damage to Cal - Kaito. Even if not from raising horses, the guy was big.

Ouma rolled his eyes as his prediction came true. Truth, lies? Neither mattered when people chose the reality they wanted. Kaito obviously wanted to blame all of this on him, typical of Luminary royalty. Ugh.

His bad mood just deepened, if that were possible. Ouma glowered off to the side, gripping his arms tightly and likely wrinkling the fabric of his shirt. "I'm not allowed to leave the castle. If I, hypothetically, were to leave it, even regularly, but no one could prove it? Then that would leave the boss no choice but to make me stay of my own volition. A no fuss, clever plan, right?"

"...bastard..." Ouma muttered under his breath, not caring that he probably shouldn't be bad-mouthing the leader to this person in particular. Kaito was probably too dumb to change things under Aiichi's rule--the boss would probably weave his words around the prince too, and Kaito wouldn't even notice. What a fucking pair.

Two extremely different thought processes ran through Kaito's head at the same time.

The first thing was: That's not something you should do to a person.

Sure, Kaito hadn't been allowed outside of his home without some sort of supervision or oversight in his castle, back in the day. But that had been because he was a child, and that was just the sort of thing you didn't let your kids do, regardless of where you were on the financial spectrum. As he had gotten older, those bonds and restrictions had loosened accordingly, to the point where it hadn't been uncommon for him to be seen rushing back to the castle from the surrounding city at two in the morning, having realized he had spent too long at the pub and that he was going to be a wreck at school or training the next day.

And it was easy to do that. Sure, there were dangers. Con artists and criminals who recognized him and knew how much he had to be carrying on him at any given time, kidnappers in the form of pretty women and burly men, the occasional just straight up drunk brawler who wanted to pick a fight with a noble. But the City Guardsmen were well funded and constantly patrolling and all recognized him by sight and were always looking out, and there were plenty of citizens who were happy to schmooze and butter up the second heir.

Like...it all worked just fine. What would be the point of locking anyone up in the castle? That was just a...shitty thing to do to someone. And Kokichi's open resentment clearly showed it wasn't appreciated. The fuck, King Aiichi?

The second thought was strange, but strong.

Schemers.

The whole fucking line was made up of schemers.

No wonder the two kingdoms had been at war for so long if that was the way the royal family thought, always planning and conniving. If King Aiichi had just been willing to have a good, old fashioned brawl and then crawled away like the dog he was to tend to his wounds while the honest fighters took their just reward...fuckers deserved everything coming to them...honestly, the whole line should just be-

Kaito slapped himself.

It wasn't a traditional slap or anything. He just took both hands and pressed them quickly and fiercely against his face, digging his palms into the lids of his eyes as he took another cooling breath. Was he drunk? Off three glasses of wine?? Why was his head going to such dark places? Shit, the wedding date was being announced tonight over dinner. That wasn't going to be a private event like lunch had been, hundreds of people would be there. He'd probably be expected to speak at some point. Kaito needed to sober up, pull it together.

"Koh," Kaito said, without really thinking about it, "Can we go get some water somewhere? Somewhere colder and less bright? Dicean wine has had a tougher effect on me then I expected. I can feel myself becoming a fucking asshole. Well, a bigger one." Kaito tried to give the prince a well-meaning joke at his own expense. Then, suddenly, feeling like it had to be said, "That's really shitty, you know. You're not a child. It's not fair to treat you like one. It's disrespectful."

Ouma knew it all was to keep him safe. But that didn't not make the reasoning and execution flawed!! Despite what they all might think, he wasn't helpless and the capital was safe. He'd snuck out consistently since he was 11 and nothing had ever happened! Apart from accidentally meeting the foreign prince he was supposed to marry and learning that he was a callous, self-important jerk.

Snapped out of his fuming thoughts, Ouma looked up in startled confusion as Kaito...tried to brain himself with his hands? Kaito could probably use a firm jolt to his head, but...

"...are you drunk?"

Asshole! If Ouma couldn't get drunk, then how dare he! Ouma had made sure to only drink about half a glass--his usual when they had wine, honestly--and Kaito...had been drinking an awful lot. Idiot.

With a groan, Ouma latched onto Kaito's sleeve and started dragging him away--Nao would be in the library and there was no telling if she'd tattle on them, the observatory was too far away for a lush to make the journey, so...one of the empty meeting rooms would do.

He had a whole book of insults to hurl on their way, but Ouma found himself stopped before he could say a single one. He even stopped physically, staring back at Kaito in bewilderment. He...agreed with him. Saw how ridiculous the situation was without, like, any persuasion.

Ouma gaped for a moment before flushing more than what could be blamed on the wine, whirling back around and dragging Kaito along with twice the bustle. "Rich for you to say."

It wasn't right. Kaito had said to his face how much of a weak, useless disappointment he was. Had pretended to indulge in his curiosity, then dashed it all in an instant. Had shoved in Ouma's face how he wasn't meant for any world outside the cage he'd seen people come and go from freely for years.

His grip tightened and he practically threw Kaito into the meeting room (not really), stomping over to the pitcher in every public room, pouring the prince a glass, then shoving it at him. "Sit. Drink. And don't pretend to be on my side."

Ouma stormed over to the windows, furiously closing the curtains.

Kaito blinked slowly at Kokichi. "Side? Whose side? I don't have to be on anyone's side to know you don't lock people up in towers and make them wait for rescue. It's, like, the number one thing you shouldn't do to the damsel," Kaito said, having grown up to read just as many deconstructions of old fairy-tales as he had the fairy-tales themselves. Plus there had been that Feminism 101 class at University. Very eye opening. Fantastic for picking up chicks.

Kokichi wasn't a damsel, but he was small and pretty and it sounded like he was being treated like a typical one in a typical fairy-tale. So it applied. He nodded, certain of his logic. "Takes away her agency. Disrespectful. It's why all the villains do it. Easy way to control someone is keep 'em helpless. 'veryone knows that."

The water was like an ice cube fighting magma, but Kaito still drank it with reverence. As he took it down in one long drink, emptying the glass, he reached over and just grabbed the pitcher instead, drinking straight from the supply. He had drank down half the pitcher before taking a breath, feeling a little bit better, if still foggy.

In the confusion of his brain, Kaito tried to untangle the mess of messages that was the angry little ball of fury in front of him, Kaito's shoulders relaxing from their rigid position as the light was blocked and he could collect himself in the darkened room. "I'm not drunk," Kaito protested, looking back into the memory of the meal, "I barely drank. I only had one glass for every course. Who even gets wine-drunk besides doddering old men and exhausted mothers?" Kaito looked at the half downed pitcher, curiously watching the fuzziness at the edges of his vision. "Besides! I'm a fun drunk. This sucks." He groaned, taking another long, long drink from the pitcher.

With the water almost gone, something resembling manners occurred to him, and he gestured the pitcher over to Kokichi, wordlessly offering him some.

There were certainly sides here. His, with the reasonable anger towards being expected to never leave the castle except for festivals during which he'd be accompanied by a guard if not Aiichi himself. Then there was the boss', which everyone else was on. Everyone who told him no when he was little and still asked about going into town, wanting to see the things that visitors talked about. Everyone who was quick to hurry him away from weapons and everything sharp, even banning him from the kitchens. ...that one was a little more warranted, since when he'd get his hands on a knife he enjoyed playing games with them. The holes in the walls had long since been patched up.

He was expected to study and work, quietly and obediently. Hypocritical, since it would be his job to be concerned with the world outside. He talked with most everyone that came to the castle, but what about those who couldn't come? How would he lead his people if he didn't know them?

Those arguments never worked. Not like Aiichi ever listened to him.

However, Ouma just grumbled an annoyed, "Not a damsel."

Looking on in wonderment and slight disgust, Ouma watched Kaito guzzle water down. He'd been drunk before, had seen other people drunk. This...wasn't...

"...three glasses is a lot, Kaito. Even for a freakish giant like you. Most people stop after one, if they even finish it." Maybe wine in Luminary was weaker? That would've been nice to know and pass on the information. But, still, this didn't seem right, and while he couldn't fully trust Kaito's word, if this was weird to him too...

With a grossed out look, Ouma turned down the out-stretched pitcher and chewed on the inside of his cheek. They'd all eaten the same things, it couldn't be poison, right? Even if it was all on different plates... He admittedly didn't know the kitchen staff as well as everyone else, considering his ban. Would one of them want to stop the treaty?

"...your escorts are here, right? Stay here." Ouma turned to go, aiming to find someone who would know what was normal for Kaito more than him. And...likely wouldn't send everything to shit.

"Koh?" Kaito said, watching the little spit-fire walk away, the door closing behind him on its own. Where was he going?

Kaito took a deep breath, moving his hands to his shoulders and loosening the clasps of his armor a little bit. Man, fuck. It was hot. He was glad Kokichi had turned down the last of the water, using the last bit to pour a little down his back, cooling the area between his skin and the shirt protecting himself from the rough bites and cuts of his own armor.

He wondered what Kokichi was doing.

...

He wondered what Kokichi was scheming.

Kaito stood in the dark of the meeting room, his mind racing furiously as he considered the possibilities. Certainly there was something about this he wasn't understanding. Why was it always so hard for him to understand? He had grown up in the same world as Byakuya and Kokichi, been part of the same parties, had the same education: why, with every advantage available to him, had Kaito been the one to grow up just...unable to understand?

Schemers. Fucking schemers. It was better to just be rid of them. Rid of the whole brood. He bet Kokichi was going to his father to tell him the good news: that his fiance was a fucking idiot who wouldn't be able to figure out their plans and traps in a million years without Shuuichi and Maki babysitting him all the fucking time...

Wait, no, Kokichi had gone to go get his 'escorts', right? Isn't that what he said? Maybe he was just worried and was going to get help? That was possible too, right?

...

Or...OR

Maki and Shuuichi were IN ON IT.

Oh my god. It made so much sense! Sure, Kaito's fever-raced brain maybe couldn't explain to him...exaaactly how that made sense. But it did! Betrayers! Schemers! He had figured it out! Everyone was in on it!

His sword. He had to go get his sword. His father had sent him for a reason, after all! If the Dicean Kingdom didn't want to play nice, if they wanted to scheme and trick and betray, he'd fight them all! This war was coming to an end today, if Kaito had to win it all by himself!!

He was the GOD DAMNED HERO!

And, later, that thought would be his last, hazy memory of the day before everything went black.

- - -

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Maki and Shuuichi were, in fact, looking for His Highness. It was unusual for Kaito to not come find them first once big events like these were done, if just because he wanted to talk to them and get their insight on whatever he had seen. According to one of the servants who had waited on the table, Kaito and Prince Kokichi had left the table a little before everyone else had started buckling down and discussed wedding dates, and, so far anyway, no one else they had asked had seen either of them since then.

"Honestly, their security system is a joke." Maki scoffed as one more guard confessed ignorance to the location of either prince. "If the king had any sense he'd flog the whole batch and replace anyone who couldn't stand after. How do you lose a prince IN his palace!?"

"We've lost our prince, apparently," Shuuichi pointed out, laughing nervously as Maki turned her murder eyes on him.

"We wouldn't in OUR palace, where we had actual assistance and access to all chambers. It's ridiculous we couldn't accompany him to lunch. Anything could have happened without us watching. His safety is our responsibility."

"Not officially," Shuuichi said, shrugging, "But I understand. It's frustrating. But maybe you shouldn't worry so much. The princes disappearing together could be a good thing. Maybe they're bonding?"

The only idea Ouma had as to where Kaito's escorts would be was his room, but he'd be surprised if they stuck around. They were probably exploring, getting a feel for the castle, as Ouma had been instructed to do for the prince. He could probably ask one of the staff if they'd seen them, but...that might lead to too many questions. The last thing they both needed was for the advisors to know that something was amiss. There was too much riding on this.

Thankfully, Ouma found a duo walking together through a hall, recognizing them from the procession. Maybe they were the ones he was looking for?

"Hey! You two!" He called out, quickly jogging towards them to, you know, not shout across a hall. "I'm looking for Prince Kaito's escorts--is that you?"

If they weren't, it was still safer to ask Luminous staff than Dicean. The two of them seemed different, anyway. The girl had her long hair tied in pigtails, but the scowl and sharpness of her expression counterbalanced any notion of cuteness. Unlike the boy, who was very cute, but seemed to hide under a hat. And... Ouma's eyes flicked over his clothes, something about the style...

If Kaito had been undercover in town, he obviously wouldn't be able to wear his own clothes. Ouma only had a common outfit because he'd gotten Katsuki to buy it for him. The boy wasn't that much shorter than the prince, too...

"Ah, you are," he decided without confirmation. "Look, he's acting super weird and drank, like, an entire pitcher of water? If that's normal for him, tell me to fuck off, but if it's not, it'd be just dandy to try and fix this without telling anyone?"

Motor-mouth revved up again, he made a grab for both of their sleeves. "C'mon, he's in one of the meeting rooms this way."

Maki dodged the grab, but it didn't matter, because as soon as Shuuichi was grabbed he in turn grabbed her, creating a train of three people barely holding onto each other as Shuuichi and Maki did their best to keep up with Kokichi's effortless speed. "Y-your Highness, wait!" Shuuichi stammered out, "Please calm down, we're happy to-"

"What do you mean he's acting weird?" Maki interrupted, shaking off Shuuichi and running to keep pace beside Kokichi, staying just ever so slightly behind him to allow him to lead. "What's happened? I swear, I'll kill him if he's managed to get himself hurt already."

"Oh, you're the killer girl. Gross."

"I was showing him around the castle, and he just sort of...smacked himself? Then he asked if we could go somewhere dark and cool, and I was like, shit, idiot's drunk. Except he's not really acting like he's drunk, and when I got him some water he downed the glass then just took the pitcher." Ouma sped through his account as he sped through the castle, leading the duo to the meeting room.

"Obviously, I don't know what he's like, so..." he trailed off, mind whirring through possibilities. "...Prince Kaito doesn't have any allergies, does he? Thought we'd be notified if so..."

With one free hand, since the killer girl decided to forgo a direct guide, Ouma tapped his lips, trying to figure this out--but he wouldn't get anywhere without more information. Stopping abruptly in front of the meeting room, Ouma strode back into the room, expecting the others to follow.

As Shuuichi went to step inside, Maki put a hand on his chest, sending him back a few steps. "Watch the door," she said, before flexing her hand in such a way that, unless you watched it very carefully, it was difficult to tell where she had suddenly got the dagger. "Anything happens to me, run for Tengan."

Stepping inside, Maki allowed her eyes to adjust quickly to the dark, taking in everything in the room. There was the pitcher and the glass, as Kokichi had described. Beyond that... nothing. No one was here.

"Your Highness...if Kaito has put you up to some sort of prank, I would advise you against it. I handle surprises poorly," Maki said, still looking around suspiciously before calling back to Shuuichi, "He's not here!"

"I suspected as much," Shuuichi said from outside the door. "Though I think I have a clue where he's gone then. If you guys look at the ground, there's drops of water leading out the door and down the hallway. I don't know why he would be wet, but odds are good that's Kaito, right?"

Empty. This was bad. This was particularly horrible, actually. If Kaito had just been pretending to get away from Ouma, go back to his room, whatever. Jerk could do what he wanted as long as it didn't put the treaty at risk. But something in Ouma's gut told him that wasn't the case.

He looked around the room in surprise, almost figuring that this was a prank on him. Ouma glanced to the killer girl for a moment before walking over to the glass and pitcher. "Fuck, I wish. He might actually be tolerable if he wanted to collude with me."

But, no. Kaito thought he was as useless as everyone else did.

Following the man's advice, Ouma looked down to see the trail. "...the pitcher is empty--it hadn't been when I left. If...he... If he asked to go someplace cooler, then he would be overheated. Might've poured the rest of the water over himself."

Great deduction, dumbass. You solved a mystery that didn't need solving in the midst of a disaster.

Shaking his head at himself, Ouma started on the trail, only slightly slower than before since he had to make sure he could still see the droplets. "Come on, then. The X on the map is moving too."

"Your Highness, you said he was feeling hot?" Shuuichi asked, his brain humming with what he was raised to do as he also kept his eyes on the ground, following the droplets. "And drinking a great deal of water. Sounds like a fever."

Maki, in turn, wasn't watching the ground, trusting the boys to keep the trail as she watched the corners, the doors, the shadows. Remaining vigilant, dagger cupped against her fingers and wrist. "If it was just a fever, he wouldn't have gone anywhere. He's annoyingly lethargic when he's sick. He'd still be in that room, whining and waiting for us."

"Your Highness, I know you aren't entirely familiar with your betrothed, and I don't want to put any evidence in your head that doesn't actually exist, but did our prince seem...aggressive at all?" Shuuichi asked.

Maki tsked to herself, clenching her fists as she practically growled. "Shuuichi, you know that if it's that, then that means it had to be one of-"

"Yes. We will deal with that. First, I just want to be certain before we consider any of that though. Plus, if it is, we need to be very careful. Kaito's strong when he's not holding back," Shuuichi said, growing concern over the memory of their time in The Dead Woods.

It occurred to Shuuichi that this sort of conversation would be maddening if he were on the outside of it, so he said, "I apologize, your highness. We don't mean to be vague. We're simply trying to not come to conclusions too quickly."

So this was definitely weird for him. Ouma figured, but it was good to know for sure. Though, a fever was bad news. Not as bad to ruin everything they'd been working for, though--no one could blame him for being sick. They could still...do the official stuff for the wedding, quietly, privately, sign the treaty, then worry about the spectacle of the wedding later on.

However, how the two escorts described things dashed that plan in its infancy. Fever. Aggression. Something that they may have an idea about. Ouma didn't know how much Kaito had lied about to him, but...if it could give them an idea, if it really was as dangerous as they all were thinking, then...he'd have to believe it.

"He seemed, I guess, bothered, but not aggressive, no." He didn't want to, but Ouma's voice lowered slightly in suspicion, hating that he had to consider this. "However, Despair Poppies don't grow in Dicea."

So, it had to come from their side. Figures, from a country with an actual military, battle-hungry war-mongers... He could admit that his own people weren't exempt from the temptations of revenge, but he would hope any such individuals would be surrounded by those who would remind them that prolonging the war would only bring more pain. A wane hope, but it was there.

"You had to tie him down before, yes? And your party already knows the antidote, so at least there's that." Ouma spoke in a mix of questions and thoughts said aloud, fingers tap-tap-tapping away. "We don't have an armory, but he brought his own sword. Not to mention that practically anything can be a weapon with enough determination. If any of the guards see him, they should hold their own, but...they'd tell the boss..."

Ouma closed his eyes for a moment with a grimace before speeding up. He couldn't let that happen. There were already suspicions that Kaito was a spy or a puppet. If they caught him raging around...that would be an even worse basis for a war.

"You don't have an armory!?" Maki said, actual shock causing her to raise her voice as she looked in open aghast at the Prince, before she turned to Shuuichi, a genuine look of distress on her face as she demanded, "Where have you all brought me to live!??"

Shuuichi put both hands on her shoulders, attempting to give her a calming smile. "It's okay, Maki, everything's fine. We have your suitcases, and we can order more things to be sent here. And you can make a weapon out of anything! Remember those wooden chopsticks in Hallington? That was...so efficient!"

Maki, who had been tugging at her pig-tails in distress, calmed down, embarrassed at the compliment. "...I mean, the way they're shaped, they may as well have been designed to do that...ugh! Alright, I'm focused," Maki said, shaking her head. These kinds of jobs were harder on her than others. As in, the kind of jobs she wasn't ordered to do. Every part of her wanted to go to some authority, debrief them, and receive a specific command. To take the power out of her own hands.

But, that would be bad for Kaito, not to mention her and Shuuichi. It might even affect Prince Kokichi. The advisers were on top alert. Any mistakes, and who knows what they would decide becomes 'appropriate' measures.

Seeing she was back under control, Shuuichi turned to the prince. "So, you're already caught up on the Despair Pollen incident? Well, at least we don't have to stop and explain everything then. Yes, Your Highness, while I can't confirm that's what's happening without seeing Kaito for myself, it does sound like the incident in The Dead Woods. And...yes, you're right. If it's Despair Pollen, the odds are heavily stacked in favor of it being one of the Luminary Party. I...I humbly ask you to please keep that to yourself until the Luminary party has accessed the situation ourselves. We value the work we are doing here, and do not want one nay-sayer to undo everything we've accomplished."

"Why have we stopped?" Maki asked, as the boys slowed down, the droplets seemingly done as Shuuichi looked around in concern.

Oh, but, the Dicean Prince had a point. The sword. "Your Highness, I'm turned around. Is this the direction of Kaito's guest room? If he's going for his sword, we can maybe cut him off before he gets any further."

Despite the situation, Ouma couldn't help snorting. Oh, the killer girl, Maki, apparently, would have an absolute blast living in Dicea. They had no armory, they had no formal military. Aiichi found it unimportant to safe-stock such things meant for violence. Ironic, since he landed them in a war. One that would only escalate if they couldn't find Kaito.

"Obviously," Ouma sighed in slight exasperation. "That's why I was looking for you two in the first place. The fuddy-duddy politicians would talk and debate the days away if they get the chance, so they likely won't be a problem, but most of the staff is loyal to the boss over me--not to mention that some of them already don't have the highest opinion of Luminaries. Like hell I'd tell anyone--I will not allow this stupid war to continue."

There was a finality in his voice, the kind of thing that reminded people who Ouma actually was, the kind of thing that relieved any citizens that had their concerns overseen by him.

"This way." Turning sharply to head down a different hall, Ouma broke out into a full run, practically seeing their timer ticking down.

Maki had kept pace with everyone while they were searching, but as they turned the corner, two things became apparent: one, that Kaito's door was wide open, apparently held there by some fallen furniture.

Two, someone was crying out.

Maki's head went quiet, as she let long ingrained instincts and muscle memory guide her, practically flying past the boys as she got to the door, daggers in both hands as she caught her own momentum by bracing her foot against the door side paneling, ricocheting herself into the room.

There was Kaito, sword in one hand held high above his head, and in the other he was holding the arm of a terrified servant, freshly laundered sheets and towels in a pile at their feet. "Tell me who sent you!" Kaito barked at the servant, his grip relentless as they tried to pull away, shaking and blubbering in the wake of his madness, "What were you doing in here!?"

Maki didn't bother trying to reason with him, or even wait for him to notice her presence. Instead she leapt forward, entwining her thighs around his head and using the full weight of her body to hurl him in a twist to the other side of the room. Kaito crashed into the back wall with a gasp, but his grip on his sword didn't so much as waiver.

In that brief skin to skin contact, Maki could confirm the fever in his body. His neck had felt like an inferno, and the hazy, manic look in his eyes suggested his brain wasn't doing much better. She would have to be careful. Kaito usually wasn't that dangerous of a fighter, but what she had discovered in the forest was that was because he didn't set out to be a danger. It turns out, most of his poor decisions in the fights she's seen him in come from this idiotic notion of trying to 'wear them down' or 'disarm them' or, Atua give her strength, 'knock them out'. Notions that were a waste of time and took more nuance then he had.

And now look at her. Staring her prince in the face, having to...sigh. 'Wear him down' or 'disarm him' or, blegh, 'knock him out'. Ridiculous. This was going to get her killed.

"I found him! Stay outside, Shuuichi!" she called back.

Shuuichi, who had just gotten to the door, immediately stopped, though he looked in with concern. "Don't hurt him, Maki!" he called in, before glancing to Kokichi. "One of your people is in there."

Shitshitshitshitshit!!! At least it was contained to his room, but that wasn't much of an upside. Anyone walking by could see, and...

Ouma peeked under Shuuichi's arm, recognizing pink braids haphazardly strewn on the floor from where she'd been yanked. It looked like Maki had broken Kaito's grip on the small woman, but...if not frozen in fear, she might be stuck for a different reason.

"Waku! Get out here, he's being scrambled! It's not a real message!"

That seemed to get the housekeeper's attention and she looked back at the doorway with a panicked, manic expression before scrambling back. "He's going to kill us all! He really thinks it!"

As soon as she crossed the threshold, Ouma knelt down at Waku's side and took her hands in his, placing a few of her fingers on his wrist. "There were no other messages?" The girl's expression faltered into something disturbed and Ouma nodded with a confident hum. "He's corrupted right now, Prince Kaito doesn't really think that. He needs help, and you know what we do in that case, right?"

Still obviously shaken, the maid took a breath and nodded. "...pain for one is pain for all."

"Exactly." With a proud smile, he helped her up and let her hands go. "I've gotten the help we need, so there's no need to worry. If it would make you feel better, though, please go get Katsuki-chan. And...maybe tell her to get some rope. Please, keep this to yourself, everything will be a-okay!"

It was...an odd conversation, but something good must've happened as Waku gave her prince a shaky smile and headed off to do as asked.

Shuuichi...couldn't even begin to unpack what had just happened. Code, maybe? It certainly said something about the prince if he had developed a casual code system with his staff. It was impressivl-

Maki flew past them, crashing into the wall on the other side of the wall with a gasp and a sickening ‘thud’ sound. Maki bounced off the wall after making contact, falling forward into the ground. However, she didn't rest for a moment, immediately kicking off from her spot on the floor to head back into the room, blood starting to trickle from somewhere on her skull down the side of her face.

"That was bad," Shuuichi muttered, fiddling with his cap for a moment before bowing to Kokichi suddenly. "Pardon, your highness! I...I have to go help her!"

Then Shuuichi ran in.

Kaito looked insane, though to Maki's credit he seemed exhausted already, now holding onto his sword with both hands, his legs parted to give himself balance in a pose that, for the narrative of this story, was eerily familiar. In his thigh was a dagger, Maki having managed to throw the dagger before giving herself some space between her and the swing of his blade. When she noticed Shuuichi come in to the other side of her, she shouted, "No! Get back outside! He'll cut you in two!"

"I can't just leave you Maki," Shuuichi said, any heroism in the statement muted by his own murmuring uncertainty. To Kaito, he said, "Please, Kaito! Calm down! We're...we're here to help you! Me and Maki are assigned to protect you from spies, remember? We're your allies!"

"Betrayers..." Kaito gasped, looking rapidly between the both of them, "Schemers. This was the plan all along. Pretend to be my friends, and then stab me in the back!"

"What, since we were ten!?" Maki asked, rolling her eyes. "Don't bother, Shuuichi. He's out of his mind. We need to just get him down and get the antidote."

Ouma jumped as Maki flew past them, wincing as his stomach churned uncomfortably from the thud. And blood. And...everything about this. If Kaito was too far gone and too strong to be held back by his escorts...

He'd sent for Katsuki already, but until she arrived...there was nothing he could do. He certainly wasn't strong enough to hold the rampaging prince back, and if his escorts...no, his friends couldn't get through to him, what chance did Ouma have? He barely knew the man! He had to be knocked out and tied up the last time!

At the very least, Ouma stood up from the ground, worriedly watching the increasingly horrible situation inside the room. It wasn't looking good for Shuuichi and Maki, and Kaito didn't look great himself. Red and sweaty and heaving and just...crazy.

Gritting his teeth, Ouma just hoped his shouting wouldn't alert anyone else.

"CALEB! SHUT THE FUCK UP! Picking on people weaker than you is disgusting and if you're going to lash out at everything that moves then why don't you hide out in the woods like a coward! Because that's who you are right now! A disgusting coward!"

Kaito, Maki, and Shuuichi all paused what they were doing, looking back at the doorway to see the furious prince, face red from shouting, fists clenched. Shuuichi looked surprised. Maki looked exasperated. Kaito...

Kaito looked hurt.

"Coward?" He said, quietly to himself. He put a hand up to his sweating forehead, trying to push away some of the soaked bangs covering it, and something inside of Kaito tried to push through the madness of his fever. "I'm...a coward?"

There was a moment as Kaito seemed to try to rationalize this...and then started to laugh.

"That's so funny coming from you," Kaito said, grinning like a wolf.

"Oh, look you guys! Now he wants to step up!" Kaito chuckled, dragging his sword behind him as he took a step forward, then another, then another. Eyes only for the prince. "Come on, Koh, what are you doing? You know you're going to end this running off and crying to Daddy. You couldn't handle a scare, you think you can handle this?" Kaito snarled. Another step forward. "You don't have a fighting bone in your body, and everyone knows it. Your kingdom is lucky the war is ending before you ever had a chance to lead it. Shame. If only Father had known that all it would have taken to win the war was waiting for its only prince to finally take the reins. " Kaito snarled, bracing into a attacking position. "Could have saved me the trip!"

Kaito started to lunge forward, murder in his heart, when suddenly-

"The prince isn't a coward?"

Kaito froze, startled. Not because someone had said something, but because of where the statement had come from. He glanced over at Maki, who was just raising an eyebrow at him.

"Cowards don't chase and scream after people with swords, Kaito," Maki said, in a way that suggested this was obvious and she was annoyed she had to explain it to him. "They go and they make other people chase after people with swords."

"No, that's wrong," Shuuichi pointed out, Kaito now giving his other best friend his best 'what the fuck!?' look. "His Highness did come to get us! Based on the evidence we've just established from your statement, Maki, that would make Prince Kokichi a coward."

"Sure, but then he came with us to see it through. That makes him resourceful, not a coward," Maki argued. "A real coward would have sent us on and just hoped it worked out alright while he got himself to safety. So Kaito's testimony is flawed. He's not a coward."

From the outside, this was the weirdest thing that could have possibly occurred next. It was the four of them, all roughly in a circle...

...fucking debating?

"Guys, what...what are you?" Kaito asked, his confusion overtaking his rage as Maki and Shuuichi, completely serious-faced, continued on.

"I propose that we need further evidence to really establish this character witness one way or another," Shuuichi proposed, fiddling with his cap. "What do you think? A fight between the two would give little room for error. See how he reacts?"

"Against Kaito with a sword? No way, that's a rigged game. But-" Maki looked over at Kaito, who was staring at her in open confusion. Almost...hypnotized by the strangeness of it all. "If he throws away his sword, I could see it being a good test of courage. The armor too. Man-to-man combat. No sword. No armor. Don't you agree, Kokichi?"

And then the two both gave Kokichi very, VERY pointed looks, as Kaito just looked on. Endlessly confused.

Ouma shook with fury as Kaito shot back at him, but...he was talking, not fighting. It was an opening, no matter how much the words hurt. At least all the attacks were ones he'd seen before. And, thankfully, Maki and Shuuichi took advantage of it. A clever duo, weren't they.

Huffing, Ouma crossed his arms and gave Kaito's armor a critical look. "Nothing courageous about running to your death--or breaking your hand trying to punch through armor. Don't even fucking think about taking a step towards me without stripping, loser."

"Unless you're too scared to try and win something with your own merits, not hiding behind strips of metal," he taunted, laying on his best shit-eating grin. If it took that long, he could take a punch or two to leave the escorts the time to take Kaito down. Buy time for Katsuki to show up.

He was a coward, for the record, but in the park that day, it hadn't been the shove or the blades in his face that had broken everything. Pain was recoverable and he'd gone through worse than being shoved around a little. It was being told, again, that he wasn't enough, and would never be, so why even try. That someone he hoped would actually be someone who could see him would turn away from his attempts.

But, now knowing the monster Kaito was, there was no reason to be afraid.

Kaito looked between the three, his brow furrowed in obvious confusion. The despair effect made him vengeful, paranoid, and murderous, twisting and mirroring his whole concept of what a hero even was. But, apparently, there was one concept of heroism that worked for both the kind of hero that was as likely to make friends of his enemies as fight them, and the version of heroism that didn't see the battle as finished until everyone was dead or under heel.

Both of those kinds of heroes didn't say no to a challenge.

"Okay!" Kaito cackled. "Fine! You think I can't take this pipsqueak by myself? I'm gonna cave his chest in with the heel of my boots, and then I'm coming for your two traitorous pieces of shit," Kaito snarled.

But, for all his bolster and hissing, he did start taking off his armor. Unclasping strand after strand, tearing off the metal and hurling it aside, until it was just him in his boxers and an undershirt, and then, for reasons that I'm sure made sense in his head, he tore the shirt off as well, throwing it in the corner. His leg was still bleeding heavily from where Maki had gotten it, and there a series of nasty bruises forming on his collarbone, chest, and his right arm from where her blows had landed. An estimate that, had Kaito not been fueled by Despair Fury, he would have absolutely lost to Maki by this point, who had managed to hit hard enough that the armor couldn't protect him from such blows.

Finally, he threw the sword aside, letting it fall onto the pile of armor with a clang, before getting into fisticuff positions.

"Alright, Kokichi. I hope you've made good with whatever weird-ass god your kingd-GAH!"

Neither Shuuichi nor Maki gave any more time for this charade, Maki grabbing his arms and swinging her legs around his neck and squeezing while Shuuichi went for the legs, holding on as tightly as he could, barely grasping them as he shouted, "Maki, hurry!"

"Go to sleep, Kaito! You'll feel better in the morning!" Maki growled, holding the position as Kaito struggled and gasped, face going red, then blue, then-

He collapsed, taking the pile of people with him. Maki loosened her grip, and Shuuichi hit Kaito in the chest, and Kaito started taking in deep breaths again, completely passed out. Shuuichi and Maki watched him nervously for a moment before sighing in relief.

"Well, that's done, I guess," Maki muttered, putting her head in her hand. "He's gonna be so insufferable when he wakes up with a migraine tomorrow."

"Well, at least he's out." Shuuichi sighed, looking over at Prince Kokichi with a grateful smile. "Good job, your highness. That was an impressive bluff."

Still an idiot. Ouma supposed he should be thankful that Despair Poppies didn't change every attribute of a person, if that's indeed what the poison somehow managed to do. Having Kaito turn into a murderous tactical genius? No way they'd be able to keep that hidden.

Ouma didn't move until Kaito was on the ground, taking note of his injuries with a frown. The bruises could probably use ice, but his leg definitely needed attention. At least it wasn't a main artery--probably a conscious decision to change the trajectory on Maki's part. Then there was the whole 'knocked out' business.

Looking over to Shuuichi, Ouma waved him off though a flush bloomed across his no-longer fury-reddened cheeks. "I still want an excuse to punch him, but that can wait until it won't cause an international disaster."

...fuck. Ouma sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair until it snagged on a pin. "...I'll handle the circus. Tell 'em Prince Kaito misjudged the wine and had to retire--'s true enough anyway. You two..."

It was a horrible job to have, but necessary. "Please get some of that antidote--I'll make sure no one goes into his room. Then...if you have any idea who could've done this, get more of an idea. Once people start showing up, I won't be able to help--not 'til everyone goes to sleep, anyway."

Almost on cue as he stopped speaking, Katsuki approached the group, a rope coiled around her shoulder, and one of the other doors in the hall quietly clicking closed. She barely gave a glance to Maki or Shuuichi, zeroing in on the prince. "Orders?"

Unfazed, Ouma turned to her, his demeanor doing a 180 into cheer. "Top-secret mission time! You're on defense; acquire a first aid kit, then return to this location. No one is to enter this room except for these two." He gestured to the escorts, looking a little frustrated for a moment before smoothing the expression out. "Shuuichi and Maki. And if anyone but them leaves the room, you are to non-lethally subdue and return them to the room. This is a suit-only mission."

The blonde guard nodded curtly, only pausing to chirp a quick, "Understood--mission activated!" before turning to, presumably, gather a first aid kit.

Looking back to the escorts, Ouma tilted his head a little. "Katsuki Okuniji, one of the guardforce. She won't tell anyone, so please consider her an ally. As long as it doesn't go against anything I just said, she'll probably be able to help you with anything you need."

Deflating a little, Ouma sighed again. "Of course things would go ass-up...fucking hell..."

More code? Shuuichi tried to make note of the context in which everything was said, deciding to try to write down everything he could remember later. It wasn't exactly complicated stuff, but then, the prince presumably wasn't actively trying to hide anything from them right now either. It could be useful to know for certain what certain phrases and words meant later. He'd share it with Maki and Kaito as well.

Helping Maki move Kaito to the, now somewhat busted up, bed, the two moved quickly to start cleaning up the room as best they could, picking up the furniture and throwing into the closet items too busted to salvage. If one of the advisors came by for a visit, after all, it'd be easier to keep things under wraps if the room didn't look from a glance like a war zone.

Kaito had started softly snoring, and when Maki went to check on him, she saw that his nose had started bleeding in his sleep. A touch to his forehead showed the fever racing on.

"Keep cleaning, we can't delay the antidote any longer than we already have. What a mess. " Maki scowled, moving some of the matted hair off his forehead. "We need to burn that whole forest to the ground. This was even worse than last time."

"Maybe it gets more potent with each use?" Shuuichi mused, righting an upturned desk with a grunt. "I would say try not to let the Secretary know you're grabbing one of her medicines, but..."

"She'll figure it out eventually. Doesn't mean she has to know now. Hopefully she has enough for a few more doses."

"Why a few? Kaito will only need one," Shuuichi pointed out.

"Whoever poisoned him is still out there, and somehow I think investigating in secret will slow down us catching them," Maki said, fiddling with her dagger on instinct. "We have no way of knowing how much of the pollen the traitor could have left, and if I was the betrayer, I wouldn't stop at the prince trying to start the war back up again. There are countless people right now who could up-end the war outfit from digesting it."

"True. While that is the most likely outcome, let's not cross out that this was personal just yet though," Shuuichi insisted, his mind whirring again. "The traitor might have been willing to sacrifice or target Kaito for whatever their goal is, but they might hold back otherwise."

"That's naive."

"It's just speculation."

"Well, speculate to yourself all you want. I'm gonna go grab the antidote. I won't be long," she said, leaving the room so quietly that had Shuuichi not been watching her leave, he wouldn't have known she was gone.

Cleaning the blood from Kaito's face, Shuuichi started the long process of repairing him with what he had available.

As per Ouma's instructions, it didn't take long for Katsuki to return, knocking twice on the door and setting the first aid kit on the ground before taking her post in front of the door. It was a mission that didn't have much room for creativity, but that was fine. Kokichi never gave her meaningless scenarios. It was all for the big picture.

The big picture this time being, you know, not destroying the attempt at peace currently going on.

Ouma stopped in front of a window before he rejoined the advisors, trying to neaten up his appearance into something that wouldn't suggest he'd just been chasing down a delusional, violent prince. Everything was fine! Just a minor hiccup, that, really, wasn't that important. They could just catch Kaito up on everything tomorrow! And, like, who wouldn't be tired after so much pomp and circumstance on top of the long journey?

Catching word that the advisors had moved to a more comfortable meeting room to suss things out, Ouma quietly entered the room, catching attention nonetheless.

"Ah, Ko, there you are. I was just about to send after you two." There was no emphasis, no raised eyebrow, but Ouma could still hear Aiichi's demand loud and clear.

Taking a seat, Ouma offered the room a sheepish smile. "Apologies, but during the tour, Prince Kaito found that the wine over here is markedly different from Luminary wine. We both agreed that it would be better for him to retire to his room and get rest rather than try to make plans with less than a clear head."

The Dicean cabinet shared a look, Hideki rolling his eyes a little. They had figured that the Luminous prince had just been nervous, but if he had thought the wine weaker than it was, that explained how much he'd had. Not ideal, but reasonable.

"We will have to catch him up later then," Aiichi mused. "It is unfortunate, but I'm happy to hear the two of you working as a team already. No time too soon!"

...sure.

Secretary Chisa was away from her quarters, so getting the medicine was as easy as just breaking into her room, which was unguarded, and then breaking into her medicine bag. Finding the antidote, Maki quickly got back to Kaito's room, giving the servant a tense nod before heading in.

"Here," she said, handing the needle to Shuuichi, who frowned. "I went and got it. You give it to him. He doing any better?"

"As good as can be expected," Shuuichi said, wincing in distaste as he injected the needle, pushing in the fluid that would save his prince's life. Shuuichi didn't know how long it took for Despair Disease to kill a person, but the way the fever seemed to just be getting hotter the more Shuuichi handled him made him think that without the medicine, it'd be a matter of days. Thankfully, if last time was any indication, Kaito should wake up the next morning, good as anything.

Even just moments after the medicine was given, Kaito's features seemed to smooth out, his rest more comfortable as whatever was in his body started to get fought off. Using the first aid, Kaito's body was now covered in bindings and bandages. Nothing that well picked clothes tomorrow wouldn't hide, but still. Fuck.

"Prince Kokichi seems capable," Shuuichi said, once their tasks were done as well as they could be. "The stories that I'd managed to gather about him before this didn't paint him as very...reliable. But honestly I think he handled this about as well as anyone could be expected to."

"He's quick, sharp, and can keep a straight face through an obvious bluff," Maki admitted, grasping Kaito's wrist and squeezing, feeling the reassuring beat of his pulse before letting him go. "He could be a danger to Kaito."

"I feel like that's a hypocritical view to take. We just had to stop Kaito from killing him."

"Extreme circumstances. Kaito in his right mind would have never done or said those things."

"Yeah, that speech...that was...harsh." Shuuichi looked uncomfortable at Kaito, putting a comforting hand on his friend's arm. "Do you think Kokichi's going to...hold that against him?"

Maki didn't answer for such a long time that Shuuichi didn't think she was going to. Then she said, "It doesn't matter. The prince doesn't have to like him. Kaito has us. The prince is just a convenience of war."

Shuuichi sighed. "Yeah...I guess. Do you think we should go investigate the poisoning now?"

"I think you should. I'll wait here. Come back when you've found anything. Don't take any unnecessary risks," Maki instructed, staring down at Kaito with a fiery determination in her eyes. "We can not fail."

Feeling thoroughly dismissed, Shuuichi just sighed, lowered his cap, and headed out.

It would be officially announced at the dinner that night, but they'd all settled on a date for the wedding--four days was enough time to prepare everything, and no one wanted to wait a minute longer. It would take place in the mid-morning, then the treaty would be signed, then the rest of the day would be free for the reception. A celebration both for the union of the two princes, and for the peace between the two nations.

It would take the four days primarily because of the spectacle it'd have to be. Representatives from each town in Dicea were already on their way, having known that the Luminary procession would have arrived today and that the wedding wouldn't be far off. Both princes already had their wedding garb ready and would only need last-minute finishings if anything. However, settling on a location, discussing decorations and guest placement, what should be provided at the feast...

Not to mention that both sides would have one last look at the treaty draft, agreeing on the finer details before a final copy would be produced to be signed. That was the only thing that really deserved proper consideration, in Ouma's opinion. That, and the ceasefire that Aiichi had already penned, and was ready to be sent out the second the treaty was signed.

"Summer weddings are always so lovely--you're lucky, Ko."

"It could be any time of year and I'd still think this to be lucky, Aiichi." It hadn't been that long and already Ouma's cheeks were starting to hurt from the careful smiles he kept in place.

"Truly, King Aiichi, your son is a treasure," Head Secretary Tengan said, cleaning his mouth carefully after the spice-covered food on his plate. Unlike his less world-traveled companions, Tengan loved this sort of food, and relished the opportunity to eat so much of it for the first time since the war had begun in, in the context of an 87 year old man, not that long ago. "Impeccable manners, intelligent answers, and I hope I don't give myself away as an old lecher when I say quite comely. Truly there could be no better prize for our Prince Kaito, and I will be certain he's made aware of that."

Putting down the napkin, Tengan sighed. "I apologize again for Prince Kaito's absence. He's a noble lad, well-meaning, but still falls prey to some of the failings of his youth. I will be certain to have strong words with him on watching his drink for the rest of the festivities."

Ouma looked down into his lap, seemingly embarrassed by the praise, digging his thumb into the palm of his other hand secretly, storing his anger away. He wasn't a thing to be won. Especially by someone who only ever won things through brute force.

"Kids will be kids," Aiichi offered kindly. "They are bound to make some mistakes, but it gives them wisdom for the future, no? Though our time together has been brief, Prince Kaito has conducted himself admirably; it takes a special kind of person to be absolutely bursting with charisma the way he is--it's easy to see the leader in him."

"Still, it's not every day you meet the people that will be looking to you for guidance, let alone proposing to your fiance. I know this one has been fretting about today for ages." Aiichi glanced over at his son, internally laughing at the split second of a sharp look given back. Ko was doing well, better than they'd expected, but it was still fun to tease the prince. Especially with how he'd run off to do who knew what in the days before. "Prince Kaito can be forgiven for being a little nervous, it happens to the best of us."

"Now," the boss started, Ryouhei laying out a map of the capital city on the cleared table. "There are an abundance of wonderful locations in our city that would serve as a venue for the wedding. I would love for you all to see them for yourselves and enjoy your time here, but personally, I would recommend the park."

Leaning forward a little, he pointed to the area. "The weather is forecasted to be pleasant for the rest of the week, and it is spacious to accommodate for any number of guests who attend, not to mention that it is decorated with sculptures and such from our talented friends."

"Of course, if there are any stipulations that come from your religion, we will be happy to do anything we can to fulfill them."

It was odd to hear Aiichi say that. Dicea had no national religion, and while everyone was free to practice what they liked, the model the royal family set was...rather secular. One of the more popular phrases the boss liked to say was "the universe does not care about you, so it is up to us to care", after all.

"Thank you for your consideration. We, in fact, have brought a priestess of Atua, praise him, to give ceremonial blessings at the union and to commit the proper rituals and sacrifices. While this would be an event unto itself at home, we understand that most of Dicea, including the royal family, might be uncomfortable with an Atuan ritual..."

This assessment went hanging in the air for a moment as the Head Secretary watched for reactions, curious to see if there would be any strong feelings on the matter. Satisfied, he continued on.

"...so we are happy to do these ceremonies before the actual public event, in private. I hope your son won't shy away too much from participating in the binding ceremony: Atua is, after all, an important part of Luminary Kingdom's history, seeing as the Momota family was only allowed to overthrow the previous tyrannical regime through his blessing and divine intervention four generations ago… Ah, but, I'm certain Your Grace has familiarized yourself with our history already. I don't mean to ramble on."

The Head Secretary took a sip of tea, enjoying the heat of it before saying, "King Aiichi, I'm sorry to bring this up again in such a pleasant and productive meeting. But, seeing as the wedding is coming up in four days, and this is a matter of some importance to the Momota family, specifically due to our religious beliefs...we have not heard any word yet on your final stance on Prince Kokichi's name change."

Sacrifices... Gross gross gross! From what he'd read of the religion, Atua didn't seem much like a benevolent god at all. What kind of protector would demand blood?!

Aiichi didn't seem much bothered by it, though, simply nodding his head slightly in thanks. "The faiths practiced just in the capital are many, so it is to my utmost appreciation that such rites are able to be performed in private. It's important to us to uphold the sanctity of Ko and Prince Kaito's wedding to all parties, even when certain practices may impact a negative reaction among some of our people."

While Aiichi nodded along in understanding with the brief foray into Luminous history, there was a certain point that had Ouma searching everyone's face for any type of cue. Binding ceremony? He hadn't read or been told anything about that. It...didn't have the most inviting name, and if there was a worry that he'd be uncomfortable with it? What the hell had Aiichi gotten him into!?

Already confused and kind of worried, Ouma froze at the mention... He'd have to change his name? And Aiichi knew that? And didn't tell him?! B-but...he couldn't! That wasn't--

Aiichi sighed lightly, almost regrettably. "Yes, and I apologize that it has taken this long to get an answer to you, Head-Secretary Tengan. There has been...quite a lot of debate on the subject."

"As you likely know, the leaders of Dicea, ever since we were established as our own independent nation generations ago, cannot be traced by a bloodline. The responsibility has always been given to the person most fit for it--the current leader will often take on an unrelated protege from birth to teach, knowing who will become the person they need to be by a feeling in their gut. Some call it divine intuition, others fate, but it has been our way," he laughed. "Each of us takes up the name of 'Ouma', since the very beginning.

"It's something of an outlier that Ko is my biological son, though not unheard of. He is one of the few that is a born Ouma."

"Because of that, we have had to consider more than just personal feelings on the matter. Our friends of Dicea have always looked to an Ouma for guidance." Aiichi's expression sobered into something more serious, meeting Tengan's gaze. "We do acknowledge, of course, the religious importance of taking on a partner's name for Luminary. Thus, we would ask if a compromise would work--each of our princes take up the other's surname as a middle name."

Tengan hummed to himself, closing his eyes as he took everything he knew about the situation, from Dicea's history, to Luminary traditions, to King Leon's pride. He knew his king would consider a sort of...victory in spirit, to have the Momota family name eventually overtake and supersede the Ouma family line. To have two royal Momota lines in two different kingdoms, further cementing the idea of Auta's favoritism towards the family. Though Atua had been a small religion when the Momota family had managed its takeover, there was something about the bloody overthrow of the current most powerful family that demanded a better reason than 'Because'. And so, Atua's blessing, and its influence had grown in the kingdom. These superstitions and traditions carried weight, and allowed the average person the luxury of looking away from the dirty business of running a kingdom, calling such casualties God's Will.

All this to say that the Momota family was very invested in providing more and more evidence of their divine rights.

No, middle names weren't ideal...but...if Tengan loosened their negotiations to allow this, perhaps it would give them more room in the future to influence the naming of whichever infant heir this absurd family got their next 'hunch' on. Yes, yes...always future negotiations to think of...

Tengan nodded, opening his eyes after a few seconds it took him to consider all this, laughing. "That sounds like a wonderful compromise. A true union of the cultures, right down to the name! An inspired idea, King Aiichi. I am certain King Leon will be pleased to hear it."

Tengan looked down at the maps in front of them and, almost as an afterthought, said, "The park does seem the most ideal place, especially on your beautiful sunny days. Our weather is far too hot this time of year and an outdoor wedding would have been unbearable, but Dicea summers seem almost pristine. Now, for now, that's all that seems worthy to burden your time with, my king. Is there anything you would like to bring up, Your Grace? Now would be the ideal time to do so, as I imagine the dinner tonight shall be far too hectic to converse."

For once, the same thought went through both Oumas' minds. 'What a pretty lie.'

Though, even in the face of such political talk, there was something like comfort that eased Ouma's uncertainty. Even if it was just for their nation's pride...for once it felt like Aiichi was in his corner. That he'd have someone to rely on. The name was all he had--if Ouma lost that to some dumb imaginary belief? Luckily, his father and the cabinet wouldn't let that happen.

"I am glad it is an acceptable option." It had been many, many meetings to decide on it. When they'd first found out about Luminary wedding traditions, Aiichi had wanted to throw it all out--all the unsettling stuff, anyway. Some comforting words from a priestess would be fine, if a little boring. But, well, thinking there was someone above you who could take the responsibility of everything you did was a powerful force. If he had to let them put an extra part into his son's name that he would never use, if a waste of an animal and a little blood was what it took to peacefully end the war? They could handle that.

Prince Kaito was coming to live in Dicea, anyway. While he'd keep some of his closer kept traditions, he'd come to learn of Dicea's ways inevitably. Especially once the advisors under King Leon's thumb returned to their country--once the veneer of politeness was no longer needed, hah. Kokichi was far too strong-willed to let anyone overpower him.

...he just hoped his son would be able to make it through the ceremony.

"Wonderful!" the boss brightened again, a fond look entering his golden eyes. "You can definitely bet on it--it makes subtlety near impossible, but the excitement in the air during such parties is truly something to behold. I believe we have covered all we need to for today--please take some time to relax, you've all come such a long way."

Right after the boss, Hideki was the first to rise, bursting with a need to, probably, stop making nice with the Luminaries. "I will speak with the kitchen staff right away--I have already compiled a list of Luminary recipes that are appropriate for a wedding. They can start preparations after tonight's meal."

Ouma followed the secretary not too long after, giving a smile and a nod to the room before scampering off towards the residential wing. He was exhausted, but...that could wait. There was a saboteur to find.

Shuuichi had come back about twenty minutes ago, and he and Maki were on the floor of Kaito's room, looking over blueprints and writing down notes as they bickered almost mindlessly about a thousand little points. The arguments were comfortable, familiar. The two had been having discussions like these for over a decade, and they were as comfortable around each other as they were alone.

"No, no, I've already ruled her out. Why did you put her back on the board?" Shuuichi complained, watching as, once again, Maki took the chess piece that they had salvaged for their purposes, a rook, and put it back on the far corner block that represented the space near the oven in the main kitchen.

"Your reasoning is flawed. According to every statement, she spent the whole time next to the oven. She had full view of the comings and goings of everyone in the kitchen, was in an out of the way place, and had access to the wine glass. To suggest she be disregarded over a simple thing like the timing being 'impossibly fast' is ridiculous."

"What you're suggesting, that she could have dumped the packets into the wine in the literal second that Isabella took her eyes off her to glance at the wine table she's meant to be poisoning is basically suggesting this kitchen staff has super powers," Shuuichi said, looking over his notes again. "And I quote Miss Isabella 'Catherine only stopped by to chat for a minute, and I glanced at the wine glasses for a second because I thought I had heard a tinking sound from the other side of the table.' End quote. When is she supposed to have done it in that time?"

"It sounds like she did while the kitchen cook was looking at her. That's probably what the sound even was."

"From the other side of the table? How??"

"We don't know if her memory is infallible, maybe it wasn't from the other side! Ugh." Maki took out her dagger, getting up to stretch and then pace the floor. "She wasn't taking your inquiries serious enough. We should grab both the Cook and the Kitchen Wench tonight and just force them to tell us everything they remember accurately."

"In my experience, torture doesn't get the right answers," Shuuichi said, bringing up an age old argument between them.

Maki glared at him. "Then you weren't trying hard enough."

Ouma liked to think he had a pretty good mind, but sometimes he was an absolute idiot. "Katsuki-chan, let me enter."

The guard had been blocking every attempt to knock, had matched him feint for feint in trying to slip into Kaito's room, had even picked him up and deposited him a few steps away on a particularly close attempt.

"Negative. Only Maki and Shuuichi are to enter."

Like a fool, he'd forgotten to include himself in the orders. Editing orders mid-mission was always a risk, but...he needed to see where the escorts had gotten. ...and to, like, make sure Kaito hadn't died or anything. "Katsuki-chan, new intel has come in. Due to the changing situation, you are to allow me to enter and exit this room as I please."

For the first time, Katsuki's smile dropped as she narrowed her eyes at the prince. There was always the chance of a fake--changing orders could lead to a failed mission. But... This was Kokichi. For sure.

Eager grin back in place, she stepped to the side.

"Thank you," he sighed, knocking on the door as a warning before stepping inside, a little amused at what he saw. "Since you're working on a strategy board, I'll assume you've found something?"

"Prince Kokichi," Shuuichi said, both he and Maki standing up to bow to the heir, before looking back down at the board. "Mostly we're just at the stage of identifying who it couldn't be. Your staff was confused but willing to answer my questions in regards to the wine glass. While I didn't say as much, I think the conclusion they've drawn is that Prince Kaito got some sort of food poisoning from the wine and I'm trying to confirm exactly where the contamination occurred. I hope this does not cause you any inconvenience, Prince Kokichi."

"Unfortunately, their individual statements are...annoyingly comprehensive." Maki scowled, "Every moment of the glass's existence seems to be accounted for when you put all of their statements together, and, unless multiple people are covering for each other, it's proving tricky to say that the glass was disturbed unusually at all."

"It also had to be the glass that was tampered with, and not the wine bottle itself, that we know for sure, since your glass, Prince Kokichi, was poured from the same bottle at the same time," Shuuichi added in. "Was there any trouble from Kaito's disappearance tonight?"

Out of one pool of formalities and into another. At least in this one he didn't have to pretend as much. Ouma squatted in front of the board, considering it as the others caught him up.

"That...that still works, yeah. What I told the others was from Prince Kaito's own testimony, so if someone hears something about food poisoning it won't make any contradictions that would make anyone look closer into it." It could just as easily be assumed that the wine just didn't sit right with Kaito--an incident that didn't implicate anyone, and was just something to know for the future. Considering what the Head-Secretary said, likely the only consequence would be Kaito drinking less, if anything. No biggie.

But that none of the kitchen staff had noticed anything odd, that left the true problem at a standstill. He couldn't even infer anything, since the kitchens were a glaring hole in his knowledge. Dammit.

"Hm?" Ouma looked up from his thoughts before shrugging. "Not really; just left room for insincere flattery towards me and him. Accidentally getting too drunk to go to a meeting is never something the boss has ever been too uppity about. It happens. As long as he can show up tomorrow, it'll be fine."

Wrinkling his nose, Ouma glanced between the two escorts with a sigh. "If you catch him before anyone else once he wakes up, let him know the wedding's in four days. So, if our saboteur isn't either of you two," he gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes at that, showing just how ridiculous he thought that possibility was, "then that's the time frame we have to figure out what kind of idiot wants this war to continue before they head back to Luminary."

Maki and Shuuichi both sat down on the other side of the board together, Maki glaring at the board like she was half tempted to stab it, Shuuichi looking around at the other journals and loose-leaf notes around them before grabbing the one he was looking for.

"While I don't like to think about it, we've already discussed that it was unlikely to be any of the Dicean people anyway. My inquiries were less about determining which one of them could have done it, and more trying to widen our list to our Luminary party. But, as far as any of the staff can recall, no one noticed any Luminary Party members going into the kitchens at all. Which means whoever did it, somehow did it unseen."

Shuuichi opened up the big, black leather journal, opening it up to some of the later pages. Each page was densely packed, both with Shuuichi's tight, small writing, and with simplistic drawings of individuals and items, clearly done by Shuuichi's own hand.

"I don't believe further investigating the kitchen itself will lead to any answers, so we have two strategies moving forward: creating a comprehensive timeline of who was in the rooms around the kitchen at the time, a difficult proposition that will likely be full of errors since we would have to account for three different rooms, as well as the backalleys the kitchen piles their trash into, or, we do a comprehensive character study of everyone in the party, and determine through that who would have the most motive, and then narrow that down to the most opportunity. An...equally difficult proposition, really."

"All in three days, since we damn sure better have this figured out before the wedding day itself," Maki said, stone-faced, her frustration betrayed by her clenching and unclenching the end of one of her long ponytails. "All while keeping it under wraps."

"And also keeping an eye out for further attacks," Shuuichi said, looking to Kokichi. "I would recommend having your resident poison-taster consume a little of all your meals from now on. There's no telling how many doses the traitor potentially has, and you're just as worthy of a target as Kaito."

"If someone managed to sneak in... fuck, they must be, like, an espionage genius. I've tried every way I could think of to sneak into the kitchens, and they've caught me every time." Ouma pouted a bit, kind of put out that someone had managed to slip into the kitchens without anyone's knowledge and it wasn't him. And that, you know, it meant the person they were dealing with was super dangerous to go unnoticed like that.

It...really didn't look good for them, did it.

Ouma winced a little at Shuuichi's suggestion, and not from the concept of him being targeted. "Resident...right..." ...it wasn't like there were no safeguards in the castle. Aiichi was very aware that there were people who'd wish them harm. But, in the pursuit to create a space welcoming for anyone, things were, well, far less secure than the Luminaries had expected, if how they spoke was any indication.

Ouma could request for his food to be tested for poison, but...that would surely indicate that something was wrong. It'd alert the boss that he felt unsafe, and it would be something of an insult towards the Luminaries, indicating that he felt they were untrustworthy. And, well, they were, but he couldn't afford to show that.

At least dinner would be served in the usual Dicean style. Their culprit wouldn't chance poisoning everyone there, would they?

"...I'll be careful. I wish I could help more, but at least I can try to derail any theories that get too close. ...oh!" There was one thing he could do, though! Ouma searched in a pocket for a moment before bringing out a small key, holding it out to the escorts. "It's not exactly a character witness sheet, but if you need to get into anywhere that's closed, this is a master key. I can already get into wherever I need to be, so take it."

Rolling his eyes again, Ouma offered the duo a wry smile. "And before you think something like, 'wow, Kokichi's a real airhead!', I'm not thrilled to be giving free access to a killer and a detective. But I know you two want this all to end, and, well, you'll be living here, so it'll probably be better to try and make it a nice home, right?"

Shuuichi and Maki, at the same time, both gave the prince a look, at first, of mild surprise.

...that surprise eventually turned into shock, as they looked at each other for confirmation of what they had just heard...

"Detective?" Shuuichi asked Maki, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Killer?" Maki said, eye noticeably twitching.

...which led to sudden, ridiculous, sincere panic.

"Killer, w-who's a killer!?" Maki said, suddenly leaping back up to her feet, crossing her hands in front of her herself and bowing ferociously over and over again to Prince Kokichi. "My name is Maki Harukawa, a simple child caretaker! I was sent on this expedition to watch after the young ones! Pleasure to formally introduce myself to you, Prince Kokichi! Please let me know if you have any little ones you would need any assistance with!"

Her wording and mannerisms, in a sense, actually managed to sound like something a sweet young caretaker might say... had her eyes not looked like she half-wanted to murder everyone in this room. Also she was SHOUTING every word, like somehow if she was loud enough it would be believable.

Shuuichi also sprang up, putting one hand in front of him crossed against his stomach, and bowing over and over again as well, sweat pooling on his forehead as his cap skewed to the side under the frantic movement.

"And I am no d-detective! My name is Shuuichi Saihara, a..." he blanked, looking at Maki in desperation.

"Personal Servant!" she reminded him.

"-Personal Servant of Prince Kaito!" Shuuichi corrected himself, bowing even lower in the same furious fervor. "S-sent to h-help with...luggage?" he asked, having not used his official backstory for since almost the beginning of this whole trip to Dicea and almost entirely forgetting everything he had been instructed to say.

"And dressing in the morning!" said Maki, who had had to use her own cover story far more often throughout the journey, "And undressing in the evening! Shuuichi is also a very capable caretaker! He also is at your disposal if you need anything at all, Prince Kokichi!"

"Y-yes!" Shuuichi stammered, both members finally both bowing low and holding it.

Then, because the two are both kind of idiots in their own, special ways, they both peeked up from the bow to see how much, if any, of that the prince had believed.

Ouma simply blinked for a moment at the display before his lips started quivering and--

"Pff...Nmmm Ni-HIII-SHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHISHI!!!!"

The room filled with the sounds of snorting whinnies, the prince falling on his back as he let loose uncontrollable laughs. He even started rolling a little as he clutched his stomach, brays truly living up to his namesake.

It was rare to hear Ouma laugh so fully, so genuinely--there simply wasn't too much that warranted laughter. But these two!! That was so stupid!

After quite a while, Ouma rolled to his side, trying to catch his breath and wiping tears from his eyes. "O-oh man, fuck, you two are gonna be fun."

"Sure, sure, babysitter and personal attendant. Whatever you say. Just take the damn key so we don't have to say goodbye so soon." Ouma pushed himself up, face still flushed in mirth with a matching smile as he offered the key again. It was nice to know there was an upside to the whole marriage thing--besides the major one.

"Aw, that laugh was kind of cute," Shuuichi whispered to Maki.

"I guess if screaming horses are adorable," Maki muttered back.

Maki, smoothing out her dress now that the excitement was over, went to take the key from Prince Kokichi, bowing as she did so. "Thank you for your trust and assistance, Your Grace. We will not let you down."

"I'm only...frustrated," Shuuichi said, glancing down at the board again, eyes tracing the various clues, evidence, and hunches that formed at his feet with the type of mindless abandon and lack of organization that could only come from true, actual study. "It's such a simple plan, poison, but without any eye witnesses, in a busy kitchen where the evidence is being cleaned up or destroyed as quickly as it's being left, it's extremely difficult to trace. Our traitor is either brilliant, lucky, or both."

"Me and Shuuichi are going to skip the dinner tonight to watch over Kaito," Maki told the heir. "Me and him will start creating profiles of everyone in our party, and hopefully by the time you're ready to see us tomorrow, we may have a more refined list of possible suspects."

"A-and Maki's going to check in on the children tonight too!" Shuuichi suddenly said, his whole body stiff, "Just to check that they're okay after all this."

Maki stared dumbly at Shuuichi before shouting, "Yes! I will check on..." she frowned, struggling to think of it. There definitely...were children in the party. She was certain of it. They were underfoot sometimes. How many though?? Shit, she'd have to find out, or Prince Kokichi would start to suspect the worst. "...on the...many children! That are under my care!"

"Meanwhile, Your Grace," Shuuichi said to the heir, "A great help from you would be to just watch out during dinner. To put it bluntly, another attack tonight would actually be a best case scenario, now that someone's actively looking for it. The poisoner may give themselves away by accident. So we're counting on you to keep an eye out for that opportunity. Your Grace...is there anyone else you would like to add to this circle of trust?"

"We know you have that servant girl outside, but..." Maki wasn't sure if saying she seemed like a spaced-out weirdo was the appropriate description, so instead she said, "...but considering your own life is at risk right now, myself and Shuuichi are willing to work with any security or confidants that you would prefer to rely on."

It was stupid of him, he knew, but Ouma felt...optimistic that they'd be able to find the traitor. They were weirdos, but that had never been a bad sign of ability in Ouma's experience. Even if they yelled their obvious lies--did they even want anyone to believe them?

"It'd be pretty ballsy to try something tonight," Ouma hummed, "But since Prince Kaito didn't cause too much of a commotion, maybe they'd feel pressured into trying. I'll keep my eyes open." It might be harder than it otherwise would be, since doubtlessly he'd be accosted with insincere congratulations, but he'd try his best despite it.

Having someone else looking out would be helpful, but... Thinking, Ouma was quiet for a moment. "...Waku-chan already knows something's up, but she might let something slip. Though...everyone's used to her saying weird stuff, so maybe they wouldn't pay it any mind? Aunty Nao would probably be the first person to spot anything if the poisoner tried, but...she wouldn't stop them."

The librarian was a pleasant enough person, liked talking about books with Ouma, but she could be kinda...unsettling when it came to "inspiration". She enjoyed observing people, writing down her findings in a notebook that never left her side--she particularly liked seeing people's...er, fear responses. "They'll be people to ask, at least. You saw Waku-chan before, and Aunty Nao is our librarian--tall, freckles, usually wears her hair in a bun with a flower hair tie."

Tapping at his cheek, after a moment Ouma added in something that didn't really need to be said. "And, you know, it might be what you're used to, but you guys don't need to talk to me like I'll have you arrested for one wrong word. I don't really care what you call me, so continue on with the "your grace" hoopla if you want, but don't feel obligated."

Maki and Shuuichi both smiled and thanked Prince Kokichi for his generosity, and out of all the lies they had tried to tell that night, that was the one that came easiest and most practiced to them.

Nobles...said things like that. They probably even meant it when they said it, and all of them would let you get away with a certain casualness when they talked...to an extent.

But Kaito had earned their trust over a course of years. Every line crossed, every button pushed, every genuine, actual fight the group had, had always been handled internally, even though Kaito had such easy and immediate access for revenge or control over them. It was to the point where, in the worst possible timeline, if something happened and suddenly they were all enemies, Maki and Shuuichi could feel confident that, even in the throes of hatred...Kaito would still treat them like people. People he hated, maybe. But people.

And that was still leaps and bounds above the other nobles that the two kingdom orphans had been trained to obey.

"h...hey..."

The word was so quiet that Shuuichi almost missed it, but Maki didn't, looking over to Kaito, who had one eye half open, and was blearily looking at them. Maki quickly went over to his bedside, but realized upon inspecting him that, despite his open eyes and engaging them, their prince was still basically asleep, merely momentarily roused by their talking. "Everything is fine, Kaito," Maki said, putting a hand on his forehead. The fever was cooling. What a relief. "Go back to sleep."

"...c-cut on...head" Kaito murmured, staring intently at Maki, weakly pointing at her. "wh...the fuck?...gonna...fight em..."

Maki touched her forehead and realized he was referring to the cut that his blow throwing her into the back wall had caused. The bleeding had long stopped and been cleaned up, but apparently Kaito was ready to throw down with whoever had attacked her, half asleep and from his sick bed.

Maki smiled. It was soft and sweet.

"Don't worry," she said.

Then the smile turned sinister, a violent energy radiating off of her.

"As soon as he's up and about, I'm definitely going to get back at the person who gave me this cut."

Shuuichi watched Maki snicker to herself menacingly as Kaito just looked at her in stupid, sleepy confusion, laughing nervously as he turned to the prince. "She really is very good with children."

Ouma looked over at the soft sound, more alerted by Harukawa's movement than actually having heard it. Presumably they hadn't wasted time in giving him the antidote, so he didn't have to rear up for a fight or anything, but...still. Kaito waking up wasn't a good thing. Right now, anyway.

However, it was just fever talk, and instead Ouma was witness to something very different. Comfortable friendship. A moment normal people could've had. ...something like what he could've had if Cal--

Ouma cut the thought off and cast it into the garbage, never to be considered again. Along with the stab of longing in his gut. He didn't need it, he didn't want it. He had a job to do, and that's all he was good for.

Scoffing quietly, Ouma crossed his arms. "If your prince is any precedent for how people treat children in Luminary, I just might believe you."

"Anyway, I've suffocated you long enough--I'll let you know if anything happens at dinner as soon as I can." Ouma turned to leave, feeling distinctly out of place in that room and wanting to get the hell out as soon as possible. He had to change for dinner anyway.

-

Kaito didn't actually realize he was awake for a long time.

He stared at the room in mostly baffled confusion. Where...was he? Had they stopped at another inn instead of camping out again? If so, this was a nice-ass inn. Probably the nicest one he had ever been in. How much gold had they spent on this??

Also, holy shit, everything hurt.

Ah well. At least Shuuichi and Maki were both here.

Maki was sitting up, leaned against the headboard, daggers still gripped in hand even as her chin softly pushed against her chest, snoring softly. Shuuichi, in turn, was curled up into a bowl on Kaito's other side, entirely quiet, but drooling heavily. Which was super gross, but not surprising; he always drooled when he slept in that position. And, he also only slept in that position when...he felt unsafe...

WHO THE FUCK HAD INTIMIDATED HIS SIDEKICK!?!

As Kaito sat up, the movement of his body caused him to notice several things at once. The first thing was that he had definitely broken a rib at some point. The second was that Maki also looked beat to hell and back. And third, based on the cracks in the walls, there had definitely been a fight in this room at some point. What had happened??

Kaito closed his eyes and tried to think through his migraine. What had happened. What had happened? Think, Kaito! Something had happened to his friends! Oh, also, someone had fuuuucked him up. Had he gotten drunk? Kaito couldn't remember the last time he had gotten black out drunk, but then, maybe it was the Dicean wi-

OH FUCK!

"Oh my god, Atua save me!" Kaito said, his panicked flailing waking up his two companions, who sleepily glared at him. "Did I get blackout drunk at the wedding announcement!? Oh no!"

His father was going to kill him. Head Secretary Tengan was going to kill him! The General might actually, physically kill him! Prince Kokichi--!!

...

Fuck...he probably embarrassed Kokichi...

"Maki, kill me," Kaito said, as Maki rubbed the sleep from her eyes, at ease in her certainty that no one dangerous was in the room. "I got drunk at my wedding announcement. I'm a terrible fiance. Marry Prince Kokichi in my stead."

"Yeah, no," Maki said. "He's not my type. Make Shuuichi do it."

"He is kinda cute," Shuuichi muttered, stretching out from his ball and wiping his mouth. "But he's pretty intimidating. I think I gotta say no too. Also, Kaito, you didn't get drunk."

Kaito frowned, looking between his two friends. "Well, then...what happened?"

So they told him.

Ouma laid awake in his bed, hoping every second that Denji wouldn't barge in. Thankfully or not, nothing had happened at the dinner--that was related to sabotage, anyway. Instead it was filled with people coming up to him to offer their congratulations, to gush over how cute the proposal had been, how lucky he was to have someone like Prince Kaito marry him. The congratulations were fine, but the rest was just infuriating.

He'd tracked down both Waku and Nao, asking innocently if they'd had a good time--he didn't think either of them thought too much of it. Well, maybe Waku thought he was checking on how she was doing, which he sort of was too, but still. Neither had seen anything nefarious, much to Nao's disappointment, but he was treated to her excited rambling about how barbaric the Luminaries were. Very confidence-boosting considering he was marrying one.

...fuck, he was marrying one. In three days.

Groaning, Ouma covered his tired eyes, rolling over in bed. He should get up, get ready as quickly as possible so he could check in on Harukawa and Saihara--he'd managed to slip a note under Kaito's door, something subtle, a 'Hope you're feeling better, dinner was boring :o)" that would tell them all they needed to know. But he didn't want to get up. Maybe for the next year.

With a sigh, though, he did anyway, just in time for the royal stylist to stride through the door.

And, hair pulled and tugged and pinned back into obedience, a little more makeup today to cover the bags under his eyes, Ouma took a meandering path to breakfast, hoping to intercept the, ugh, trio today.

"Kaito, if you don't hand over the long-bristle brush soon, I'm going to break your fingers," Maki threatened, having been trying to comb her hair with a short comb for too long that morning and losing her patience as she waited for her vain prince to get his bangs just right. "My hair is five-thousand times longer than yours, your hair is already brushed!"

"Maki, please hold still, re-stringing your corset is tough enough without you squirming inside of it." Shuuichi sighed, having had to replace the last string after the fight had snapped it under her dress. "Also, you need more conditioner before you use that brush. You barely put any in."

Maki pouted before, reluctantly, going back to the conditioner, running her fingers through her stupidly long hair. Still, she was right, Kaito's hair was done. Giving her an apologetic smile, Kaito placed the brush next to her, before going back to look at the note, having been re-reading basically since they found it.

"Hope you're feeling better..." Kaito said aloud, frowning, nerves swirling in his stomach as he tried to imagine what talking to Kokichi was going to feel like today. "And a funny little smiley face… What did I say to him again?"

"Some stuff about him being a coward and that his kingdom was better off without him or something," Maki replied, undisturbed as Kaito's groans at this answer. "He seemed to take it in stride. It was impressive."

"Yeah...?" Kaito said. "I...I literally cannot think of a worse thing I could have said. Which is probably why I said it when I did. Just wanted to hurt his feelings. I don't... I mean, I don't actually feel that way..." Did he?

No! No of course he didn't!...Well...maybe when he was angry he thought it... a little bit...

But he wouldn't have ever told the prince that!

...an uncomfortable memory of calling a kid he barely knew a 'disappointment' resurfaced, and Kaito groaned again.

But he had been angry! Certainly angry talk didn't count! People did all sorts of stupid shit when they were angry! Lashed out at friends, picked fights with strangers, start...fifteen year wars...

"...I need to be better, guys..." Kaito said.

"Better at what?" Shuuichi asked, finishing up the corset and then doing a quicker job of tying the dress up. Then he put on his cap, and was ready to go. Maki was just putting up her pig-tails, but she would be ready in a moment too. "Not being poisoned?"

"Not being a dick to my fiance," Kaito said, a determined fire in his belly, "I get married to this guy in three days! I don't want to marry a guy who hates my guts, but I have to marry him for the good of everyone! So!" Kaito stood up, hands on his hips as he turned to his friends, who looked at him warily. "We have two vitally important missions for the next three days! Mission one! Find the traitor! No problem. Mission two! Woo Prince Kokichi and get him to fall in love with me!!"

"That sounds a little more difficult than mission one," Shuuichi pointed out.

"Can we just aspire to make him tolerate you instead?" Maki sighed.

"Let's go! We have a lot to do and not much time to do it!! I need everyone on their A-game!" Kaito said, deciding to ignore his friends' protests. The three, finally ready, headed out to breakfast.

Bright side! He did see Prince Kaito and his escorts before making it to breakfast! Dark side. They were just a quick walk away from it, and there were far too many ears around to talk. With his note, they had all the information they could get at the moment, but he was still left in the dark!

Ouma had tried to do his own ruminating during the night, having gotten a list of everyone in the Luminary party from the housing plans, but...it really was of no use to him. Other than the advisors, Saihara, Harukawa, and Kaito himself, Ouma didn't know any of these people. If he could figure out who was guilty just from seeing their name and occupation, maybe magic really did exist.

"Good morning!" he chirped to the trio with a little wave. "I hope you all had a good night, despite everything yesterday. I've heard sleeping in a new place can be daunting, but you've all been on the road for ages, so I don't think that really applies."

With a little giggle and a look that was sharper than anyone on the outside would be able to tell, he addressed Kaito specifically. "We don't typically have alcohol with breakfast, so I'd hope you can make it through at least one of your first meals here, Prince Kaito."

Kaito twitched. What was that? Was this pipsqueak trying to imply he was an alcoholic!? Little shit, Kaito was going to-!

No! Nooooo! Bad Kaito! Kokichi wasn't like his friends. He couldn't just...fight him when he was annoyed. Their relationship didn't work like that. He had to keep it cool. Besides, he knew the official story was he had gotten drunk yesterday, so it made sense for Kokichi to comment on it! Hahaha!

Made! Perfect! Sense!

Taking a great, deep breath, Kaito collapsed onto the ground, his knees tucked under him, palms down on either side of his head as his forehead hit the floor. Caught off guard, Maki and Shuuichi quickly followed suit, Shuuichi embarrassed and flustered by his prince's theatrics, Maki looking around at the hallways around them, increasingly nervous. There were people here. They were staring! What was Kaito thinking!?

"Prince Kokichi, I wish to formally apologize for my terrible behavior yesterday!" Kaito said, not caring at all as some servants started whispering to each other and one of the Dicean guards called out if everything was alright. Pressing on, he said, "I never should have touched the wine on our first meal together. It should have been enough for me to be in your presence! I will forever regret the missed opportunity to escort you to our wedding date announcement dinner! I am-" Kaito gripped his fists, digging his nails into his palms. "-so sorry!"

"Prince Kaito?" General Juzo said, who had just turned the corner, being escorted by two of his own security team. There was an edge to his voice as he called out, "What are you doing on the floor, your grace!?"

Ouma flinched as Kaito dropped to the ground, worried that he'd...like, had a relapse or something?! But the others did it too and... W-what were they doing? Ouma didn't know how to react so he just stood there, a bewildered and slightly disturbed expression on his face.

Kaito was...apologizing. Was this some sort of Luminary custom? He'd never read about anything like this--bowing, sure, but laying oneself on the ground? It was just...uncomfortable. Why would anyone do this?

"U-uh..." How do you respond to that?! Especially with...was Kaito making fun of him?! Saying the sort of things he'd been told the night before, insinuating he was only good to look at, that he needed someone at his side.

Ouma's hands only curled into fists for a moment before another voice rang out and attuned him to the general murmur of the, you know, dozen or so people looking in on the spectacle. With a steadying breath and a covert glance around--god, the gossip was going to be awful today--Ouma approached the trio on the ground.

"What...whatever it is you three are doing, could you stop? If you wanted to apologize, you could've just told me." Under his breath, he hissed to the prince, confident the white-noise around them would hide the words. "You're making a scene, get up."

Kaito looked up at him, looking genuinely puzzled as he whispered back. "But...if we had done it in private...how would you know I was really sorry? If I wasn't willing to be humiliated?"

As they whispered to each other, the General finally managed to get to them, grabbing Kaito by the collar and hurling him to his feet, keeping his grip on the collar as he drew the prince close to him, whispering furiously in his ear, "My prince, what are you thinking!? How dare you tarnish your family name like this! If I ever see you doing the submission bow again..."

The General glanced over at Kokichi, remembering his audience again, before reluctantly releasing Kaito's collar, saying through gritted teeth, "You and I are sparring after breakfast, my prince. It will be good to get your blood flowing after your indulgences yesterday. Ten. Don't be late."

The General continued on into the dining room, grumbling to himself the whole way as Kaito looked on after him, disappointed. "Aw, man," Kaito sighed, "That's gonna be rough."

"Actually, that's fairly fortunate. I was planning to ask you to spar today too," Maki said in a low whisper, standing up and brushing herself off, Shuuichi doing the same next to her. "We can get it all done at once."

"What? Both you and the General? Uggghh." Kaito sighed, looking over at Kokichi and remembering that there was still a job to do. Frowning, his brow furrowed upwards, he said to the prince, "Thank you for your help yesterday. According to my escorts, you were invaluable in containing the situation. I'm in your debt."

...what? Well, that didn't answer anything. Gave him more questions, actually. Why would remorse be anything but internal? Why would it ever be tied to humiliation, why draw attention to it? Why was curling up in a ball on the ground held to a level of humiliation?

Fuck the Luminaries were weird.

The General's behavior wasn't any less baffling, if a little...envy-inducing, honestly. That Kaito was trained to use a sword, and likely other forms of combat too. That it seemed expected of him. No wonder he took one look at Ouma and decided to have him be the butt of a cruel joke.

Ouma's expression fell from confusion into something more neutral at that thought, used to keeping anger hidden underneath. Though...genuine gratitude cooled it a little. Just a little.

Ouma shrugged a bit, half-turning to usher the others towards the dining room. "I did what I needed to. Just put your efforts into solving the bigger problem, and we'll be square." That's all he wanted, really. For things to go without a hitch, then...spend the rest of his life making sure his husband wouldn't send the kingdom into ruins...easy-breezy...

Sighing, Ouma tried to draw himself up again. No time for rest.

"If you two will be occupied after breakfast, then, Shuuichi? If I could bother you at that time, I have some questions about Luminary customs I was hoping to ask someone. Unsurprisingly, our books aren't exactly updated on the shifting trends from the past fifteen years." While finding somewhere private would be inappropriate, maybe...they could watch the sparring matches off to the side, the fighting parties too focused to hear anything they said.

Shuuichi bowed. "Of course, your grace. With my prince's permission, it would be an honor to assist you."

Despite the wording, at no point did Shuuichi actually look to Kaito for permission, nor did it even occur to Kaito to add anything to the acceptance, instead deep into his own thoughts. He wasn't thinking about the poison thing all that much; he knew that Maki and Shuuichi were already working on it, and other than just generally supporting them, there wasn't much more he could add to the discussion. He'd let them lead on that. But for mission number two!

Hmm...what...would actually woo someone like Kokichi?

Think Kaito! Every meal was another opportunity where Kokichi HAD to interact with him! That made the meals his best chances for the next few days! He had to focus! Strategize! Improvise! Be the hero in Kokichi's story! What would a hero do!?

Be gentlemanly!

Kaito turned to Kokichi, offering up an elbow. "My prince," he said, doing his best to give a sort of charming, royal smile. "May I escort you to the table? I'm certain we'll be seated together again. And if not-" he winked, "-I think we should insist."

Shuuichi lowered his cap, suffering from second-hand embarrassment as Maki just rolled her eyes. Kaito really should have stopped reading those old school love stories. What a mess.

Okay! Information dissemination set in place! Hopefully he and Harukawa had narrowed down the list somewhat--if it was a reasonable amount of people, then... Ah, well, he already had the housing list. Figure out where their rooms were, break in to look for evidence, simple enough. A bit harder if their suspect decided to carry the pollen on them, though. Trail them for a bit, see if there's anything off...questioning them directly only as a last measure. Couldn't let them know that--

Ouma was broken out of his thoughts and looked up at Kaito blankly, before being just a beat too late to fully cover a disgusted expression with a flattered one. Commit, dammit, commit! Give everyone hope for this treaty! You can hold a monster's arm for a few seconds for that!

Forcing his arm up to gently slip his hand in the crook of Kaito's elbow, Ouma smiled up at him. "People are usually free to sit where they like, but I would be honored if you would like to be at my side once more. I might be able to provide more insight on any foods that seem unfamiliar, if it pleases you."

Dammit. At least he wasn't expected to be flirty, even if that was the path Kaito was taking. He might actually throw up if he had to force sweet nothings to the monster.

"Please, lead the way, Prince Kaito." All three feet forward.

The table was packed with platters of various foods, people gathered around filling their plates. Usually the staff sat with them, since the table was uncomfortably empty with just Ouma and Aiichi, but, considering the customs of their guests, Ouma caught a few guards waving to his father as they took their food elsewhere. How lucky.

Gently, Ouma steered Kaito towards an area of the table nearest to a still-tall stack of fluffy pancakes, a small pitcher of syrup right next to it.

Okay! Prince Kokichi seemed flattered! Solid start!

As they came up to the seats that his betrothed seemed set on, Kaito gently shook off the hold on his arm so he could take a step ahead of Kokichi, pulling out his chair for him. Across from the table Secretary Chisa giggled at Kaito's theatrics while the General, who sat next to her, just frowned, unimpressed, especially when considering Kaito's earlier humiliation.

Secretary Tengan, who once again sat at the second head of the table, watched all of this with the same pleasant expression he watched everything with, but made no comments.

"Ah, good morning, Ko, Prince Kaito." There was something amused in Aiichi's gaze as he regarded the two princes warmly over a cup of tea. The boys were putting on a good show, if nothing else. Nice to see them taking this seriously still.

"Morning, Aiichi; good morning, everyone," was Ouma's light, but slightly distracted response. He didn't waste much time sliding a pancake onto his plate, internally debating how much syrup he could get away with without any looks. Less than he wanted, surely. Maybe he could...pretend to over tip the pitcher, 'accidentally' getting much more syrup than intended.

At that moment, Lake entered the dining room with her usual cape back in place, giving everyone a bright smile and a “Mornin', folks!" though it was much more subdued than her usual greeting. Different types of communication, and all that--gotta be respectful. Still, Ouma gave her a wave, and Aiichi didn't let the present company alter his schedule too much.

"Good morning, Lake. I apologize again for giving you work off duty."

The woman laughed and waved Aiichi off. "Nahhh, it's my pleasure, boss--anything I can do to help! 'zumi got all excited too; she said the garden has all the flowers that were on your list, so you can leave the arrangements up to her! Oh!"

She turned to the princes, a hand up as she remembered something. "She wanted me to ask--Prince K, did you want some of your flowers for your ensemble? There's enough for Prince Kai too, if you two wanted to match!"

Ouma looked up in slight surprise, cheeks full of pancakes, and the guard chuckled, taking a few steps back, her plate somehow filled during all of that. "Sorry, sorry, no business during breakfast--you know where to find me when you decide. Have a good day, everyone!"

With a wave from the boss, she was out just as quickly as she came in.

The Luminary Advisors watched this exchange quietly, saying nothing until the servant(?) had finished her business and moved on. Once she was gone, it was Secretary Chisa who looked over to the king, concerned. "Your Highness," she said, bowing her head slightly in respect, "I apologize if this comes across sounding naive. I know customs differ across borders...but is it truly okay here for the staff to interrupt nobles at their meals? She was quite...brazen. If it's about maintaining a friendly reputation, I could have one of my people take her aside and speak to her. The correcting wouldn't appear to come back from you, and it always seems to come across better when another staff member reminds them of proper etiquette, after all."

Kaito glanced at the secretary and then the king in slight concern, but honestly was more worried about Prince Kokichi, watching as the little guy seemed to be trying to choke himself on his breakfast. Kaito was worried, looking over the food, looking for any signs of the white pollen mixed in, but of course it was impossible to tell. He was picking mostly meats for his own meal, hoping that it would be harder to contaminate them without it being noticed, and wasn't touching his drink at all.

Oh! But okay, that was a new thing to learn about Kokichi! He liked sweets! Add it to the list!

What else did he like?

He...seemed to like Kaito's stories, when they had first met. And he liked books! And trashy novels! Okay, what else...what...what else?

Kaito frowned, poking at his ham. He...really didn't know that much about Prince Kokichi, did he. Sweets, books, travel stories. That's it...well, okay! Kaito would just have to pay attention! Learn his betrothed inside and out! He was determined!

Aiichi shook his head with an easy smile, and though there was nothing in his expression that suggested otherwise, Ouma went still, an ingrained response to seeing...well, something no one else saw. Something that meant his father had seen something that clashed with his ideals.

"I appreciate your offer, Secretary Chisa, but Lake's behavior was perfectly normal. Our friends are always welcome to come speak to me at any time--truly, I appreciate her updating me to the knowledge that the flower arrangements for the wedding are taken care of. Miss Hijiri is this year's head gardener and she truly has a knack for it--I look forward to seeing her arrangements." Aiichi happily took a sip of his tea.

They'd been prepared for it, but the Luminaries really were rather cold. Rigid in outdated modes of hierarchy. Unlike some, Aiichi didn't plan on enforcing his culture onto foreigners, but he would not put his people's comfort at risk either. He was prepared for the subtle debates.

Ouma sighed quietly through his nose, things apparently okay for the time being, and he swallowed his latest mouthful. Only to immediately replace it, but even if his father had new people to play with, he didn't want to stick around to see it. A pity Aiichi always managed to ruin such good food.

However, it wasn't just about him. Would it be too rude if he left without Kaito? The prince was poking at his food, though that was pretty understandable. It sucked being poisoned once. If it happened again? Bluuuuh. But, the same with the spread at dinner the night before, everyone ate from the same source. It would be risking poisoning half the castle if their culprit went for it.

Sopping up the last of the syrup pool on his plate, Ouma nudged Kaito's foot with his own, giving him a heads-up warning for whatever his plan would be.

Kaito was still thinking heavily, trying to work out how he could impress Kokichi with his limited knowledge base about him. Maybe he could get Kokichi a book as a gift? But it would have to be a book from around here, meaning that if it was available and Kokichi didn't have it already, that probably meant he hadn't wanted it in the first place. Maybe he could send out a carrier to find something distant? Did he have any books himself that weren't too dog-eared to give away? Mayb-

Kaito stiffened, something patting against his foot. Not sure what to think it was at first, Kaito glanced down and saw nothing that was there that could have brushed against it...except for maybe...

Oh my god.

Was...

Was Kokichi playing footsie with him!?

Kaito's face went bright red, as he glanced over at Kokichi, whose mannerisms were as unreadable as ever. When...was Kokichi just being flirty as a tease, or...maybe...well, what could have changed his opinion of him that fast? Certainly it wasn't just being nice to him this morning. C-could it something to do with last night? But he had been monstrous last night! Unless...

Oh man, was Kokichi turned on by murder rampages!?

Shit! Shit! Should he footsie back? Wouldn't that be weird!? But wouldn't it be cruel to just let Kokichi do it by himself!? Atua give him strength, maybe if he just...did it a little...!?

Nervous, Kaito gently tapped Kokichi's foot back, his face beet red as he stared fixedly down at his breakfast.

...what did that mean. What did that mean? Maybe an okay? Ouma glanced over at Kaito, the flush taking over his face...well, that could mean anything, and nothing that Ouma was privy to. Probably for the better that he isn't.

Internally rolling his eyes, leaving weirdo monsters to their weirdo ways, Ouma rose with a quiet, "If you will excuse me," aiming to make a clean exit. He would take his plate to the kitchens like everyone else, but it was kind of hard to do that when he wasn't allowed in. ...damn saboteur. Maybe they'd be willing to share the secret of sneaking into the kitchen once they apprehended them.

So, plan for today. Find out where the sparring was going to be happening, and get caught up on the situation with Saihara. Maybe they'd even get around to some theorizing. Then, investigate the people of interest. The Luminaries were encouraged to enjoy the capital city in the time before the wedding, so hopefully most people would be out and about and not in their rooms. That did leave everyone in the city in danger but...there would be reports of sudden fevers and strange behavior. That there were Despair Pollen poisonings in the city at all would strain things, but only to the Luminaries. Ouma only knew what it was because he'd read every book in the library as many times as his boredom provoked.

Then, if they found evidence...subdue the traitor. Give them over to Luminary authority? What did they do with prisoners, anyway? ...something about that didn't sit right with Ouma. Anyone who would gleefully prolong the war was no friend, but...they were still a person. Had to have a reason. Would need help adjusting to peaceful life.

Ouma was already in deep thought by the time he was pushing open the door, not noticing the glances aimed between him and Kaito.

He was leaving! After playing footsie with him, now he was just getting up and walking away! WHAT DID THAT MEAN!?

OH GOD WAS KAITO SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW HIM!?

What if Kokichi had started the footsie game, but when Kaito footsied back, Kokichi had gotten overwhelmed and needed space from him? Well, then Kaito should respect that need for space and not follow! But, what if the opposite was true?? What if Kokichi was so turned on by bumping feet, that he was trying to put themselves in a situation where they could be alone together! Then Kaito should follow him!

B-but then what!? Would it be a conversation!? More flirting!? If Kokichi was trying to find them privacy for, ahem, 'specific' reasons, should Kaito allow that!? Kaito was by no means inexperienced, but he had a feeling he was supposed to wait until the wedding night when it came to Kokichi!

AND EVEN STILL if Kokichi was just turned on by almost being murdered by Kaito last night, THERE WERE PROBABLY ISSUES WITH THAT TOO!

Oh no. He couldn't handle a future where he had to almost murder his husband every time they wanted to spice things up in the bedroom. He just...didn't have the constitution for it! Was it too vanilla to not want to attack his spouse with a sword!? He hadn't even known that was a thing!!

But! If Kokichi did want to do all that stuff, who was Kaito to make Kokichi feel weird and alone by NOT following!? He could just imagine, Kokichi, hurt and embarrassed as he went out to the hallway, only to realize that Kaito had not followed, had not reciprocated his feelings! The tears! The tragedy!

Fuck!

Okay! Okay, he'd go, and just play it by ear! That would be best. Standing up, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Thank you so much, please excuse me!" before leaving his plate behind without much thought, following Kokichi outside, shoulders squared and tense and face still painfully red as he tried to consider what he would do depending on how Kokichi advanced this. Was this a good thing? It was probably a good thing, right!? He was so nervous!

As they got into the hallway, Kaito stammered out, "S-so...b-beautiful morning, i-isn't it!?"

Aiichi watched the boys exit with a watchful eye, the gears in the elder Ouma's mind tick-tick-ticking away. Ouma had startled the moment he saw Prince Kaito, gone to run as he always did when he felt overwhelmed. The foreign prince, in turn, had stuttered in the performance, looking in...awe, perhaps, right at his son. The two had been muttering to each other at lunch, and, of course the grand gestures Prince Kaito had been throwing Ko's way at every opportunity. How fiercely Ko was trying to keep up his reserved mask.

It was all too easy for the leader to imagine a scene, the two princes walking together after lunch, able to talk above quiet mutters. Prince Kaito, nerves soothed and courage bolstered with drink in his system, being a bit too forward for an unwed couple. Them both agreeing to shove it under the carpet until he'd sobered up, Ko covering for him, omitting a few details.

Softly, the boss chuckled to himself. "What a nice surprise."

--

So, Kaito decided to follow. Saved him the time of wandering around until the general finished breakfast and got the whole thing going. Ouma turned, but before he could get a word out...

Ouma squinted at Kaito. What was his deal? Nervous over being poisoned again? Considering what had happened before, not an insignificant thing to be worried about.

"...it is," he started slowly. The nice thing to do would be to try and assuage Kaito's worries, but...he didn't really want to be nice to the monster. "...Your head secretary said it's really hot in Luminary this time of year. Do you think your sparring will be outside to take advantage of the weather? We don't have a dedicated space for such things in the castle, obviously."

No one went waving swords or any other weapons around like a maniac. Frowning, Ouma continued on a bit quieter. "...you should apologize to Waku-chan when you get the chance--and not that...rolling around on the floor thing, or whatever you were doing before. She was scared shitless when Maki tore you away from her."

"Who?" Kaito asked, genuinely confused. Beyond informing him of the servant outside the door keeping watch, Maki and Shuuichi had failed to mention anyone else involved in the confrontations last night. The second part of Kokichi's statement registered, and all thoughts of Kokichi's earlier flirtations left his mind as Kaito frowned, heart sinking into his stomach. "Tore...oh no, did I hurt someone last night? I mean, beyond Maki?"

Kaito tried to remember, but honestly, it was all darkness after Kokichi had taken him to get some water, and even that memory was hazy and vague. What a mess...

Kaito walked by Kokichi's side, arms crossed around his chest as he tried to think. "No, don't worry, I wouldn't. Submission Bows are really only reserved for when criminals are receiving their sentencing verdicts and as a final attempt to diffuse a really dangerous conflict. You know, if someone's going to kill you and there's no other options, that's a way to express that you know you are entirely at their mercy. For someone like me to do that to anyone beyond my equal would be extremely uncomfortable for both parties at best, and openly mocking at worst. Not a good apology at all," Kaito said, rambling on because he found himself enjoying getting the chance to explain some of his home customs to someone.

It hadn't occurred to Kaito that Kokichi might not know what a Submission Bow was until Kokichi had just said that, but, well, he wasn't super worried that his point hadn't still come across. Even if Kokichi hadn't grown up with them, the humiliation of splaying yourself out in public like that, putting yourself at the mercy of whoever you were having a dispute with...certainly that sincerity of an apology was a universal concept, right? The Diceans probably had their own version of it. Kaito would have to find out what it was, in case anything that bad ever happened again.

Still, he had harmed someone else then...some sort of repentant needed to be made for her sake. But simple verbal apologies were such an insult...hmmm...

"I don't suppose she likes to spar?" Kaito asked, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his neck, his whole upper body stiffening in pain as he did so. "She could join us, get some licks in for her troubles. I'd hold back appropriately!" Kaito laughed, shaking his head. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding...unless of course she actually would like to do that," Kaito said, looking around the castle. "I'll probably just end up giving her some gold. What do you think would be an appropriate amount, based on the incident? I don't remember it, so I'd appreciate your assessment."

"As for where the spars will take place, don't you all have a courtyard, or anything like that? Any grassy area with enough space around here would work well, really."

"Waku Harai, she's one of the housekeepers here. Was soooooo excited for your arrival, and then her first meeting with you was you threatening to cut her in half with a sword." Ouma scoffed, but he wasn't the monster here. "She's alright. I calmed her down and you only managed to shake her around a little by her arm before we got there."

Despite being even shorter than he was, Waku was hardier than Ouma. She didn't even have a bruise when he talked with her after the dinner.

Against his wishes to keep shutting Kaito out, Ouma's expression bled more of his curiosity than disdain. A...submission bow? Weren't all bows submissive, to a point? That's why no one ever bowed to them on a regular day--staff, citizens, Ouma and his father...they were all equal. People all the same.

And, if you were about to be killed, wouldn't the killer just go through with it regardless? Why would you just accept it instead of fighting back?

Ouma furrowed his brow, looking up at the truly foreign prince. "It was uncomfortable for me too, ya know. Something like that wouldn't be a good apology to anyone."

Kaito had said something about that before too, that just talking wouldn't be a good apology, but... With a sigh, Ouma rolled his eyes. "Or you could just talk with her. Let her know that you aren't a rampaging, murderous beast. I already explained that you weren't in your right mind--as if that's much better--so, just. Make your words more than words. Commit to them, if you really are sorry."

The best apology was changed behavior, after all.

"...she might take the gold, though. Not many people sayin' no to free money."

Humming at Kaito's assessment, Ouma planned to take their meandering walk around to the back of the castle. It wasn't as extravagant as the city garden, but there was a spacious backlot for events, surrounded by well-tended plants.

Kaito felt extremely confident that wherever Kokichi brought him for the sparring practice, both Maki and the General would be able to find them almost immediately, if they so desired it. This confidence probably came from a place of naivete, as what was true in his own castle didn't necessarily translate here, but Kaito didn't think things through enough to consider that, so he didn't.

Kaito frowned, considering Kaito's argument, his expression uncomfortable. He was trying to woo Kokichi, get the guy to like him, so...he should probably just smile, nod his head, and agree with the young prince's advice...but...

"Just...talking to her?" Kaito said, increasingly uncomfortable as he tried to imagine what that conversation would look like. The scene felt familiar, in the worst ways. The sort of 'apologies' he had witnessed from other nobles growing up that had always upset him. "What, take her aside and say something like 'Oh, so sorry about threatening your life yesterday, such an inconvenience, I'm sure! Please d~o forgive me, person I have complete power and authority over." Kaito placed both hands on his cheeks in mock shock as he finished, "Whaaat, you dooo? What a surprise, ho~ho~ho~!"

Kaito suddenly remembered that Kokichi didn't handle teasing well and dropped the act, clearing his throat as he just continued, "Sorry. I mean, you know...an apology like that would be...I don't know. It's the sort of thing my mother would say..."

Ah, shit, where had that come from? Now the prince was going to get the wrong idea. Kaito, pull it back! "Not that my mother is a cruel person!" Kaito said, holding his hands up as if he were trying to literally wipe that image of his mother out of the air, "She really is a wonderful and capable queen! She's just...not very good with servants...but lots of nobles aren't! My cousin used to say that was the biggest hurdle for any person of status, just, trying to communicate with those beneath us in any meaningful way."

Mind, Kaede had always seemed effortless in it, herself. Just like in everything she did. Kaito had gotten a lot of inspiration growing up, watching as his cousin just...seemed to lead the people around her with the ease and grace of a pastor preaching to a group of already devout believers. She even looked like a classic example of an Atua Saint, as all of the saints had always been beautiful women...which was funny, because Kaede was one of the few people Kaito had ever met who just straight up didn't believe in the religion. It was the one point they had always disagreed on. But otherwise, Kaede was perfect. A true hero! Everything Kaito aspired to be!

Shit. What had he been thinking about? Ah, right. Nobles talking to common people.

"Though, I guess that's not true everywhere-" Kaito admitted, watching as yet another servant walked by, giving Prince Kokichi a warm nod, or a wave, "Your family seems to have mastered it. How'd you do it?"

Ouma sent Kaito a bewildered look at the mock 'apology' he acted out. That...wasn't an apology at all. Why would anyone say something like that--who would think that was a good way to apologize?!

...the queen of Luminary, apparently. That...made a lot of sense, actually. With how all the Luminaries--all of them--had been acting, it made sense that the leaders would be... Well. Antiquated. In Nao's words, barbaric.

"...Kaito, if you say something you don't mean, of course it's not going to go well. Even if you're a good actor, Waku-chan will be able to tell, though I think anyone would, saying something dumb like that," Ouma started slowly, dropping the honorific on Kaito's name. Maybe unintentionally. "Just, you know, be sincere? Her only impression of you is from when you lost your mind--give her something to actually base her opinion of you on."

"The point isn't forgiveness. It's to acknowledge that you did something wrong, even if you didn't mean to. It's to show that you're not going to sweep everything under a rug and pretend it never happened--that you're going to try to be better." Ouma had something to add, some exasperation like 'geez, have you never apologized to someone before?' but...Kaito probably hadn't. Not properly, judging by what he thought was a proper apology.

There was just...so much about Luminary customs that made no sense. That seemed backwards in the worst ways. Everyone in the castle was told to be gentle with their guests, but...Kaito wasn't just a guest. He'd be staying there.

Ouma pursed his lips for a moment before sighing. "Look, I'm not supposed to talk about this, but you asked, and I really don't care if I hurt your feelings or whatever."

"First of all, we're not 'nobles' and they're not 'servants'. We're all just people. Aiichi is the leader of the people, and I'm being taught to take that role over someday. Everyone who works in the castle is just that--people who have been hired because there's no way we could do everything ourselves. Everyone in the castle, everyone in Dicea? We're all on the same 'level'. Aiichi has the best mind in the country to allocate funds and labor, to set standards, so that's why he's the boss. However, no one person is perfect, so anyone can come talk to him about changes or ideas or even just to chat and broaden our perspective."

Ouma laced his fingers behind his head, finally getting all that off his chest. Stuff he'd noticed that he'd wanted to shove in the Luminaries' faces. Looking at Kaito with a critical gaze, Ouma scoffed in the back of his throat. "Honestly, how you talk about people as if they're beneath you is pretty disgusting."

Kaito...and his kingdom's practices...were disgusting?

Certainly, things were hard. Sometimes terrible choices had to be made for the good of the kingdom. Sometimes hard lines had to be drawn between classes of people. But those things happened because it was for the best for everyone. His father didn't enjoy the iron fist he had to wield, any more than Kaito enjoyed watching him do it, he was certain. But if the king didn't, the people his family had built up for over a hundred years would fall into anarchy, into ruin. Just like everywhere else, right?

The Ouma family was just another family? No different from the staff and the common folk and the urchins? What? How...how would that even work? Who picked the Ouma family to lead then, if not by inherently blessed blood? How did you keep the people in line if they really thought anyone could be the leader if they were capable enough? Certainly the common folk would prefer to live in this castle, rather than work in its kitchens. Why would they ever allow it if not compelled by some higher order, or under threat of violence? The Ouma family had to be using one of those, certainly.

...That...had to be how it worked.

...Right??

Kaito looked down at his shoes, and when he didn't find any answers, looked up at the ceiling. Nope. Nothing there either. Hmmm...he didn't understand. Not really. But, well...if Kokichi really believed that...maybe Kaito could just pretend to understand until he actually did. And maybe one day it would just click for him, like sometimes his classes did. But there was no reason to make Kokichi any more...'disgusted' with him then he seemed to already be by arguing with him any further. The wedding was in three days. He didn't want to marry someone who hated him. He had to make choices.

So, he said, "I'm sorry," with a smile, and went on to say, "I'll...I'll try to be better. The Dicea Kingdom really is beautiful. It's people seem happy. If...if there's a better way to lead, I can learn it. I swear it."

Ouma didn't mind the silence that followed. He may have said he didn't care if he hurt Kaito's feelings, but...well, having your entire way of life criticized wasn't something you could just say 'okay' to and continue on with a smile. The more he learned about Luminary, at least in the way of social conventions, the more he just...felt sorry for the people that lived there. Felt horrible for the people losing everything in a war they had no stakes in. No input. No choice.

A life with no choices was a horrible thing...

Ouma looked over when Kaito finally spoke. And...couldn't believe what he heard for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. It was surprising enough that the prince was considering what he'd said, but then to not argue it? To not bring up the points of his own kingdom to prove that their way was better?

He was...willing to learn. To put his ego aside for the sake of someone else.

A flush spread out from Ouma's cheeks as he fumbled to find something to say. "...ah...well... We try our best. Nice to know you will too."

Right about then, they stepped out of the castle into the backyard, greeted with a large grassy plane surrounded by flowers and simple crops. The wind was present but not too harsh, but still Ouma looked to the side, rubbing a cheek.

As they stepped out into the grass, Kaito wasn't surprised to hear Shuuichi call out from some distance behind them, "Prince Kaito! We've got the equipment!"

As Kaito looked back, he saw it was Shuuichi and Maki at the forefront, both of them carrying a variety of weapons in their hands. Behind them just a bit was the General, as well as the two same Luminary Guards he was traveling with before, two steps back, one of them carrying a large first aid box. Walking alongside the General was Secretary Chisa, who was cheerfully waving at Kaito as she chatted quietly with the General.

Maki and Shuuichi put down the weapons in the grass, rapiers, shortswords, longswords, daggers. Kaito guessed that Maki hadn't been certain what kind of weapon the General might feel like using and had just brought everything she could find. All of these weapons, while dangerous in their own ways, were slightly blunt and had nicks and cracks in them that suggested they had been used too often for ceremonies or serious combat. Kaito saw the saber and was almost giddy at the sight of it. His official, ceremonial sword was a short sword, which were very practical weapons, but man...sabers looked soooo cool. Cutlass’ too!

Kaito gave his friends a wave as he looked over the swords, feeling himself getting excited. Oh! Oh wow, Maki had brought out a hook sword too? Wow, did she want to use that herself, or was just sort of hoping the General actually wanted to kill him today!? It was so cool looking, but hopefully no one was going to actually pick it up. Still, you had to admire that sturdy twisting end...

Honestly, he just really liked curved swords. He wanted so badly to get his hands on a Dao someday! Man, really see what a heavy, curved blade like that could do against armor and shields and-!

...Uh. Maybe Kokichi wouldn't like that stuff. It'd probably be better to not fanboy about weapons in front of him. Besides, these were revenge sparring matches. Probably wouldn't be that much fun anyway.

"What are you using, Maki?" Kaito asked, "You sticking with daggers?"

Maki shrugged. "They're effective," she said, "Gonna pick the Stilettos."

"Brutal," Kaito said, grinning at her with a thumbs up. He wouldn't bother asking the General what he would pick. It really depended on how upset the guy actually was at his display earlier. Just to put it out there, Kaito took off his shortsword and picked up the saber, swinging it for weight as he glanced at Kokichi.

Should he invite him to spar? For the fun of it? Kokichi had seemed so interested when he was Koh, for a moment there...no, that was a terrible idea. He wouldn't bring it up.

"Okay!" Secretary Chisa clapped her hands in delight as she looked over everyone. "I heard we're having some sparring training today! That's so fun! I volunteered to referee, so do try to keep an ear out for my voice everyone. Ahh," she sighed, looking up into the sky with a peaceful smile. "It's great weather for it too. What fun! Who's going first?"

"Let him and the girl play around a bit," The General murmured, sitting in the grass as the Secretary sat down next to him, clapping in delight again.

As all this was going on, Shuuichi walked over to Prince Kokichi. "You asked to speak to me earlier?" Shuuichi reminded him, holding a journal in his hands.

If he'd been surprised before, Ouma was absolutely flummoxed now. His eyes bugged as he took in the heap of weapons, knowing for sure that they hadn't found them anywhere in the castle. They had brought all of these from Luminary?! Maki and Shuuichi had mentioned suitcases...just...containers of weapons. Part of him questioned why you would need so many, but it wasn't an important question compared with the sense of just being cool.

Ouma looked over the swords and daggers and blades and whatever else with a sense of awe, though he very carefully kept his hands to himself. It would be mortifying to try and take a closer look, only for one of the guards to swoop in and sequester him out of grabbing distance. Again, Ouma felt the pool of envy swirl within him as he watched Kaito approach and sift through the weapon pile effortlessly.

But he had a job to do here.

Looking up at Saihara at his voice, Ouma grinned with a nod. "I did! The cultural differences are catching me off guard more than I expected, so I was hoping you'd be able to clear some things up?"

He ushered the not-detective over to the side, still close enough to the...sparring arena, he guessed, to be a part of the group, but far enough away that, one, they wouldn't be caught up in the brawl, and, two, they could talk relatively freely. Plopping down in the grass, Ouma murmured under a smile, "I tried to do some evaluations of my own last night, but it's difficult when I don't know who anyone is."

Shuuichi nodded, opening up the journal, which was considerably more full then it had been yesterday, shuffling the pages towards the end of the book. "That's alright, though I appreciate the attempt. Actually, between myself and Maki's work last night, and our time to walk around this morning, I've actually managed to narrow down the possible candidates by quite a bit...I think." He tacked on at the end there, lowering his cap a bit. He never liked to talk in absolutes, if he could help it. When he was investigating, people had a bad habit of taking his theories and guesses as the case progressed as the actual conclusion to draw, everything else just collecting evidence to support the hunches. Which was a bad way of investigating anything.

Plus, he...well, of course he didn't actually like having to suspect the people on his list. It'd have been nice if everyone he narrowed it down to had been, like, noticeably evil or anything like that. Some villain to conquer. But most of them were just hard working commoners. Some of them were even...

...Shuuichi wondered if he should tell the prince about his strongest theory...but, if he was wrong...

Shuuichi frowned, shaking his head. Just focus on the evidence. Let the truth come naturally. If his theory was true, well, they would deal with that bridge when they came to it.

"So, Maki and I made basic bios on everyone possible last night. Then, this morning was about taking as many people out of the running as possible. Who was busy that morning? Where were they? Could they have left in any reasonable amount of time? Who wasn't seen by anyone? Who was seen by someone in some place they weren't supposed to be? That sort of thing."

Shuuichi turned through pictures and names, all x’d out, right up until the last page, where three people were drawn crudely out, with their names and notes about them were written below them. And in the bottom right part of the page were a bunch of little stick figures, with just two words below it.

"First of all, there's Mondo Oowada. His addition to the list is more motive then opportunity," Shuuichi admitted, pointing to the man with the bread-dough haircut. "He's a fiery young man who joined the guards only a year ago, and was really excited to join the war. Felt winning battles and getting promotions would get him a higher status in life. Spent a lot of this trip moaning about his luck, according to the other guards. As for opportunity, he was off duty during the lunch shift, and no one can account for where he was concretely. So, he's on the list, but...it's hard to imagine the kitchen staff wouldn't have noticed him." Shuuichi shrugged. "So, not exactly a strong candidate."

As he talked, Maki and Kaito went out on the field, weapons in hand. They stared each other down, Kaito getting into a starting position, and Maki just standing there, arms loose, a model of stillness.

The Secretary called out "Go!" and Maki FLEW!

Her speed was unbelievable, and she seemed to glide above the grass rather than running on it, being in Kaito's face within seconds, who, while prepared for this, couldn't hide the panic in his face as he tried to keep up with her movement, and brought his sword up to swing down at her. With ease she ducked to the side of it, using her now turned momentum to strike out her dagger, which sliced at the spaces where the armor didn't connect, causing Kaito to cry out.

"One point!" The secretary called out cheerfully as Kaito recoiled too late, readjusting himself to stand against Maki again as quickly as he could, blood glistening down his armor. "Nice work, Miss Maki!"

"Hey! Fix your stance, Prince Kaito!" The General barked out, looking annoyed, "There wouldn't be openings in the armor if you bothered to stand in it properly!"

Saihara's journal was, well, incredible didn't even begin to cover it. A well of thoughts and observations, unfettered by any convention. Ouma felt an itch to scour the whole thing, the same way he felt whenever he found a new book, but... It was a private journal from someone still living. So, off-limits unless Saihara said otherwise--just getting to see these few pages was enough.

"Oowada..." Ouma hummed, taking in the caricature. He couldn't imagine anyone excited to join a war, but if it was a means to an end for status... What a sad sort of glorification. Still, being a guard, it was just a matter of waiting for shifts to align to break into his room and conduct a search. Easy enough. Ouma nodded. "Can't hurt to check."

Determining who could be their saboteur was important, but Ouma still found his attention shifted to the spar, at least a little. Harukawa seemed as dangerous as he'd guessed, but it was still amazing to see her zoom like some mythical figure. Like what he'd discovered in the moments he still had hope in the "lesson" he'd had with Kaito, she was comfortable in combat. Seemed to suit her more than awkwardly bowing, anyway.

He grimaced as Kaito got hit, turning back to the journal at the sight of blood, feeling a bit sick at the sight. What kind of friendly match drew blood? Maybe he'd been lucky to only be shoved to the ground. Kaito would've had a much bigger problem to deal with otherwise.

"And the next?" he prompted Saihara.

"The next one is Mikan Tsumiki, and again, this is..." Shuuichi tried to figure out how to word it in the most neutral way possible. "...it's motive and opportunity, but in direct conflict with her character profile."

He pointed to a simple picture of a woman, maybe edging her thirties, wearing a nurse outfit with long, frazzled hair. Shuuichi had also drawn in her nervous demeanor and wringing hands, because honestly it would be easier to spot her in a crowd knowing that was what she would look like.

"The opportunity is easy," Shuuichi explained, pointing to his notes below her. "She's one of Secretary Chisa’s, who used to work in medicine before getting scouted for the Secretary position, most trusted medical staff, and thus was instructed to keep three teaspoons of the Despair Pollen contained and traveling with her. She's the reason we even could make any cures in the first place, as disease is her expertise, so it was decided she could be trusted to handle it carefully enough to warrant the risk. The idea was that when she made the return trip to the Luminary Kingdom, she could use her research lab to better understand the disease, since the Danganronpa Kingdom won't share medical research with the Luminary Kingdom."

"So, she has opportunity in access to the poison, and while she was said to be admiring your Medical Wing on the other side of the castle when things were going on, no one was specifically with her, and can confirm one hundred percent that she was there the whole time. So, there's room for her to have traveled in that timeline."

Shuuichi tapped the journal with his pencil, considering his next words carefully again. It would be easy to see her as the most obvious suspect with a motive and private access to the pollen, along with time to do it, but Shuuichi himself had many opportunities to speak personally with the nurse several times on the trip and it just seemed...

...unlikely.

"Her motive is simple enough. About ten years ago she was living in the Dicean town Haldson, one of the early border towns that the Luminary Kingdom had invaded, with her husband, a guard whose name I believe had been Samuel? They lived in the Emissary we had put up as the headquarters for control there. She was a nurse, he was a guard. Anyway, all that to say that when the Dicean Army did a counter attack to reclaim the town and burned down the Emissary, they got caught up in the whole thing. Her husband got locked in one of the burning rooms and died, and she was raped by a Dicean soldier. Thankfully she was left behind alive and was ultimately able to escape the building before it completely burned down. So, a happy ending there at least."

There was another "Go!" from the Secretary, and Kaito and Maki went at each other again.

"This was all ten years ago," Shuuichi continued, "but it would be naive to say this incident alone wouldn't count as a motive to keep the war going. Revenge for her husband and all that."

Shuuichi thought about not saying it, about leaving the evidence there for what it was...but his conscience wouldn't let him. He turned to the prince and said, "Prince Kokichi, I know all of that sounds very incriminating for her, but I really don't believe she did it. Her nine-year old son, Damien, was from that incident, who’s traveling with us now. She loves that kid more than anything in the world. I just...it doesn't match her character to risk the future of her child over a death that happened a decade ago." Shuuichi lowered his cap over his eyes, suddenly embarrassed at his insistence. What if he was wrong!? He wasn't infallible, but people had a terrible habit of just...believing him. Even when he didn't feel confident. Should he not be saying this?

"I-I'm not saying it's impossible, of course...heh. Sorry. I guess all I'm saying is I have a hunch it wasn't her." Shuuichi sighed, "For all that's worth."

Kaito had managed to get a point! Admittedly, not with his sword, Maki was too fast for that, at least as far as Kaito's skillset was concerned. But as she had gone in for another nick at his skin, Kaito had thrown out an arm, grabbed her by the mid-section, and hurled her down on the ground, Maki losing control of her breathing on the impact. While she was down, Kaito just managed to get the blade above her stomach, showing an obvious example of being able to bear the blade down without actually doing so.

"Point to the Prince!" Secretary Chisa called out, clapping at the display. "Last point for the match!"

The General seemed to consider the display, trying to work out exactly what advice to give, before shouting to Maki, "Girl! You went too high! Unless he's off-balance, you want to keep your core low when you go in for a move like that!"

Maki, who had known this and was annoyed she had underestimated Kaito's footing, turned to the General and did a small bow. "Thank you General!"

Ouma frowned a bit looking at the doodle of the nervous woman. If she was already known to have despair pollen, then...searching for it would be a moot point. Since she wasn't seen committing the crime, the only firm evidence they'd get would be her letting something slip. Quite a bit more difficult.

However... He visibly deflated as Saihara went on to describe that incident. It was shameful for the entire country, and one of the only times he'd ever seen his father visibly angry. Hit too close to a sore spot, he figured. Ouma had only been ten at the time, not even having a hand in any affairs--even if he'd never had a hand in war affairs period--but he still felt the responsibility of the tragedy.

Quiet for a long moment as he considered Saihara's vouch, Ouma twirled a few pieces of grass around his finger. "...what about her son, then? Damien. If she has reasons for revenge, then so does he. And, if Mikan has possession of the pollen, it'd be easy for him to get, correct? Would he have had the opportunity to sneak into the kitchens?"

It wasn't the time to joke around and ask for Maki's character witness, because she took care of all the children, right??? Not when it was his fault for the motive in the first place. Maybe he'd bring it up later, when he didn't feel as sick.

It was tempting to look over at the spar again, but...he'd already seen Kaito make Maki bleed once. Didn't need to see it again. Not when he was already feeling this woozy.

Shuuichi visibly winced. Ah, yes...that had come up sooner then he would have liked. But, if the prince had come to that conclusion as well...what more could be done but confront it?

"I don't think by himself he could have done it," Shuuichi said, reading over his notes again. "Two people saw him running around fairly far from the kitchens around the time the incident happened. In fact, lots of the kids from the party were apparently running in every direction. According to the ones I spoke with, the children had been enamored with such a big, new building to explore, that they all got together to play a game of hide-and-seek that morning...which leads to option number four."

Shuuichi used his pencil to point to option number four, with all the little stick figures. Written above them: The Children.

"There's seven children in total that came on the journey," Shuuichi explained, reading the list of names aloud. "Damien, Timothy, Masaru, Jataro, Kotoko, Nagisa, and Monaca. They’re all children of party members who had to come on the journey, with the exception of Timothy, who came as a representative of the War Drummers. Because the children were running everywhere, and because like you said, one of them has easy access to the pollen...out of everyone on this list, there's really only one kind of person here that a group of busy kitchen staff would just entirely ignore while going about their work..."

Shuuichi didn't like it. He was getting a better read on Dicean culture and Prince Kokichi himself the more they investigated everything, but there was still a part of Shuuichi that was worried that Prince Kokichi would just get tired of this at some point and just punish all the suspects en masse. After all, you would definitely get the target, if you didn't mind catching a bunch of innocent people in your net too. God knows Shuuichi had seen it play out that way enough times...

"Our third adult that could potentially be a candidate is Secretary Chisa." Shuuichi finished, "For a lot of the same reasons Miss Mikan is a suspect. She knows about the pollen and has access to the reserves we brought. It would have been tricky for her to poison the glass and attend the lunch at roughly the same time, and she has no motive to do it that I could ascertain. Honestly, her wealth would probably be the easiest method to getting the glass contaminated: money is a powerful motivator. Everyone in the kitchen could be in on it, if the money was good enough and the pressure to remain silent strong enough. But that's purely speculation, and not super likely either."

Shuuichi didn't look up as Kaito screamed, having seen Maki prick Kaito in the back of the knees to get him on the ground dozens of times by that point. As Kaito collapsed, the Secretary shouted, "Point! Match goes to you Miss Maki! Great job!" While the General just shook his head in obvious disappointment, standing up and going to grab the rusted over and chipped broadsword.

"So, really these are all the most feasible suspects," Shuuichi finished. "If it's someone outside of this, they've done an amazing job covering their tracks. It'd have to be a professional, honestly, and I think Maki would have sussed a professional out by now."

Ouma sighed deeply, feeling the urge to go back to bed again. If it was the kids--seven of them--then... Ugh. If they even realized what they were doing, it was all too easy to imagine them being angry at the big, scary enemy nation they would've been at war with for their entire lives. Nine was old enough to understand death, right? Fuck.

He hummed flatly at Saihara's outline of the last suspect, the woman behind them. He didn't think any of the kitchen staff would betray the chance of peace for a little extra money, but, well...he didn't really know any of them. It was hard to say.

"...of everyone, I think we can put off investigating Oowada for now. With everyone else having such easy access to the pollen, it's less likely for him to have done it when he has an extra step. However, the only piece of evidence we'd be able to gather from this point would be personal accounts and hoping that something doesn't line up, or they let something slip. Not exactly a walk in the park."

Ouma turned to regard the secretary, only to catch the last point in the match and flinch at what he saw. Uuuugh... He had to close his eyes and turn back around, pressing the back of his hand to his mouth as he breathed carefully. "...the secretary... She's going to be...difficult to question without her catching onto anything. Though...she was t-talking to Hideki before lunch, so I could ask him..."

Get ahold of yourself, Kokichi! Now's not the time to prove everyone's worries right!

"For the kids...if Maki actually is as good with them as you say, she might be able to get one of them to admit something. They can't all be equally invested."

...

...

"...we..." Shuuichi coughed into his arm before lowering his cap as far down as he could, "...may have exaggerated...Maki's role with the kids."

Maki, mechanically, cleaned off the blood from her daggers using the grass beneath her feet before placing them back into her skirt. As the General and Kaito lined up for a spar, Kaito's left leg still shaking, Maki walked over to the prince and detective, only a few new bruises for her trouble.

"Any progress made?" Maki asked, sitting in front of them, taking out a napkin and brushing some of the sweat from her forehead. "Sorry I took so long. I think Kaito was trying to put off his spar with the general, so he just refused to go down that last point until I forced him down."

"I've just finished catching the prince up on everything," Shuuichi said, steeling his nerves as he said to Maki, "Hey, considering how important it is for us all to work together right now, I was thinking...maybe we should just be upfront with the prince about our positions. I mean, he basically already knows. There's no point in keeping up the act when the secret’s out."

Maki glared as Shuuichi. "Do you wanna die?" she said, her tone dead-serious. "We've been given orders."

"Yeah, but, like...we've already basically messed those orders up." Shuuichi pointed out dryly. "Why not just accept we failed and move on? I mean, the fact that we're talking about this in front of him shows we've kind of given up."

Maki turned her hatred-filled eyes to Prince Kokichi...before pouting, looking down at the grass. "Orders though..." she whined.

Kaito stared down the General, now holding his shortsword, since it would work a...little better than the broadsword. Fuck. He was about to die.

"Go!" Called out the Secretary, joy in her voice.

Ouma rolled his eyes--no shit. For how clever they were, apparently Saihara and Harukawa were reeeeeeeeal dumb about some stuff. He knew who they were, basically. The semantics of their actual titles didn't matter that much. Harukawa was probably some sort of bodyguard, killing anyone at a word from a 'superior', and Saihara was a smarty-pants, sussing out threats. Not hard to figure out at all.

Sighing again at the killer girl's reluctance, Ouma resumed playing with the grass under him. "Hey, Maki-chan, you know the first time Prince Kaito ever spoke about you to me, he called you a 'literal stone-cold killer'? Then talked about how you sobbed over spiders, which is just as dumb, in my opinion."

"Tell me who you guys are or not, I don't give a single flying fuck. I know what you can do, I know you care about that self-interested dumbass, and I know neither of you wants this war to continue--that's all I need." Ouma sat up, face as blunt as his words. "Figure out who between you can talk to the kids, because, you know, as the heir to the country they've been told to hate their entire lives, I'm not gonna get shit from them. And, honestly, I kinda think Shuu-chan is just gonna get bullied."

Ouma flopped over onto his back, hands behind his head as he stared at the sky. Hopefully they'd get a lead somewhere. If not, then investigate Oowada, then... Then they'd still be at zero, and the poisoner would have all of the next three days to ruin everything at their leisure. Fu~u~u~u~n!

"Shuu-chan..." Maki said, blinking at the prince in Kokichi before looking over to Shuuichi. "You're cute?"

Shuuichi just shrugged. "Guess so."

"Outrageous. You know the last time someone called me Maki-chan? It's been years." Maki grumbled, "I'm easily way cuter. I have incredibly long ponytails. My outfit's designed to be cute. Prince Kokichi, you clearly have terrible taste."

Shuuichi snorted, looking a little more relaxed as he pointed out, "It hasn't been years. That guy in Sodaville called you cute. Remember?"

"Who?"

"Ya know. The guy with nine fingers?" Shuuichi said, looking down at his hands with a wince as he amended, "Well, I mean, he had ten when we met him, but ya know..."

Maki tried to remember for a few seconds...before a wide sneer twisted her features. "Ah," she said, sounding pleased. "Him. That's right. Anyway, the prince is probably right. I may not be a caretaker, but the kids do tend to listen to me if I promise to show them my knives and such."

"Okay! So, I'll go check to see if Miss Mikan still has all of her doses of the pollen in her medical bag, and Maki will go speak with the kids. Solid plan." Shuuichi looked over at the prince, considering his words before he said... "Kokichi? Is there anything else you think we should do before we meet up again?"

Kaito just had to dodge. It wasn't like Maki's daggers. It wouldn't just be a nick or a puncture wound every time she got a point. The General had picked his weapon because he wanted Kaito to move, to jump, to make sure he stood out of the way. Any landed blow, even from the dull blade, was going to break something. Probably Kaito.

As Kaito rolled to the left, the blade just barely missing him this time, he heard the tell-tale sign of the dirt shifting more than the General had expected. The blade was lodged! This was his chance.

Taking his sword, he dug his nails into the dirt, stopping his momentum. He was close enough to the general where he didn't have to stand. Swinging as quickly as he could, the blade hit the General's leg, deflecting harmlessly off the metal with a loud SCHWIPP! Beyond a bruise, the General was unharmed, but it still counted as impact.

"Point to the prince!" The Secretary called out, calling to the General, "What!? Getting old Juzo?"

The General snarled. He pulled his blade out of the ground, moving to start again.

Saihara was indeed very cute, and would totally be the kind of guy he'd flirt with if he hadn't been, you know. Engaged. Nothing to do with the cutesy nicknames he gave everyone, though, but they didn't need to know that. "I'm getting married to that," Ouma pointed over to where he could hear the scuffle, eyes still watching the odd fluffy cloud that drifted by. "And I'm not protesting it. Of course I have bad taste."

"...also girls are icky. Congratulations, Maki-chan, you're saved."

So. Things were as settled as they could be. Hopefully it wouldn't be fruitless. And...already one thing was looking up. A slight smile quirked Ouma's lips up as Saihara addressed him without a title. "Just keep your eyes open. It's less likely for you two to be targeted considering the other people in play, but if our traitor starts feeling pressured, you never know."

Ouma pushed himself up from the ground and brushed himself off, feeling a little better again as the sound behind him was of metal against metal. Not a cry or grunt of pain. ...they could do this.

"Alright. I'm going to go find Hideki, you two do what you need to. If not before, I should be able to sneak away after dinner so we can reconvene. See ya!" With that, he started skipping away in search of the secretary.

It was like trying to avoid a crumbling building. All the General had to do with a sword that heavy was bring it over his head and then aim its fall, over and over, as Kaito dodged and weaved, only once actually managing to deflect the sword with his own shortsword, and even that had been mostly a desperate fluke. Hair matted to his forehead, breathing heavily, his ribs ACHING, Kaito finally managed a twist around the general, swinging without really being able to see where his blade was going to go. The sword hit metal...and then kept going.

He heard the General give a small "HRNG!" sound as the blade managed to cut a little bit into the back of his armor, making contact with flesh.

Kaito quickly pulled the blade back, dislodging it, and blood came with it. The general shook a little...but took a few deep breaths, straightening his bleeding back and looking back at Kaito with something resembling grudging pride. "So you have been practicing," the General said, as from the distance the Secretary called the point, ending the spar. Kaito had won.

"Of course," Kaito said, grinning cheekily at his long-time trainer. "Didn't hurt you there, did I? Terribly sorry," he said, the grin mean now, and as the blade was still covered in the General's blood, he relaxed the blunt side on his shoulder, letting it casually stain him. "Need me to go get medical?"

"Little shit," the General muttered, carefully testing moving his shoulders before scoffing. "You're lucky that cutting off one of your limbs right now would be generally frowned upon. You had a thousand openings. You need to be more aggressive in your attacks. Constantly defending just means your opponent has to wait for an opening, which will inevitably come."

"Right," Kaito said, having heard a similar speech from the General several times now. He looked around, seeing his friends off sitting in the grass and waving over at them, before frowning as he realized Kokichi wasn't there anymore. "Oh," he said, disappointed the Prince hadn't seen his victory. "I wonder where he went..."

The General followed Kaito's eye-line and quickly assessed who the young prince meant. Sighing, he went over to the prince, turning away from the others so that any prying eyes couldn't read his lips as the General said to Kaito, "Hey...you get you don't actually have to like that little shit, right?"

Kaito stiffened, fists clenching. Ah. Okay. So where was this coming from? "You know you shouldn't talk like that, General," Kaito warned, looking up at the General from the corner of his eyes. "He's going to be part of the Luminary Royal Family soon, and you've sworn yourself to protect all of them. That's gonna include him."

"Not if you fuck around and get pulled into all this Dicean shit," the General said, not hiding his obvious distaste in even saying the name aloud. "Then instead of their prince joining the Luminary Family, it's going to be our prince joining the Ouma Family. And if you don't understand the difference, then I'm gonna have every tutor you've ever had executed, cause they didn't teach you shit."

"...Please don't say anything like that around my betrothed, General," Kaito said, his tone deadly serious, an unusual fury in his features...before breaking into a warm grin, Kaito chuckling. "It seems I understand foreign relations a bit better than you do, for once. This is a union. Not an invasion."

The General scoffed, clutching his sword tightly as his whole body seemed to want to just...lash out. Blood still seeping down his back as the Secretary and Kaito's escorts just watched them quietly, standing in the fields.

"...My loyalty is to the Luminary Family, and to you, Prince Kaito," the General finally said, relaxing his body as he reached out a hand to place onto Kaito's shoulder, who accepted the touch willingly. "If you find yourself trapped, or overwhelmed, or surrounded by enemies here...reach out. I will come."

"Thank you, General Juzo," Kaito whispered.

Then the General walked off. Taking a steadying breath, his body hurting all over, Kaito ran over to his friends to find out where they were in the investigation, who explained it all to him.

Hideki wasn't hard to find. Never really was barring...a certain time. Without even asking a single person, Ouma beelined for the library, knowing he was on the right track when Nao wasn't at the front desk, but he could hear quick footsteps padding quietly throughout the shelves.

The secretary was bent over one of the bigger tables hidden among the shelves, texts and maps and half-written letters and notes laid out across the whole thing. The man had his sleeves rolled up, yet not a drop of ink from his pen had a chance to drip with his furious writing. It was...not the best time to disturb him, but no time really was. Hideki hated to be idle.

Sauntering his way over, Ouma looked over some of the letters, getting a beat on what the secretary was working on today. A notice for the community board, reminding people of the date and time of the wedding if they hadn't been at the dinner, or had forgotten the finer details. Transcripted recipes of Luminary delicacies, letters to nearby farms and butcheries and bakeries... Music sheets copied from the masters they had...

Wedding prep.

"Wooow, you're sure giving Aunty Nao a challenge today! Never seen a combo quite like this before."

Without any surprise or even looking up, Hideki grunted softly. "She'd already prepared many of the books I requested--it's not like this is a surprise for any of us. We could've been prepping for weeks, but our guests had to have the final word on their representation. Of course."

His voice was respectful and matter-of-fact, like usual, but there was a certain begrudging edge to it. No surprise there. While not as much at risk of starting an international incident, Ouma still had to tread carefully here.

"Riiight," he drawled, carefully moving finished letters out of the chaos to let them dry. "They're really weird, right? More than I was expecting, at least. It's like every conversation goes somewhere you don't expect! It's kind of exciting, but confusing too. Cultural differences, I guess."

"You were talking with Chisa yesterday, right? Was it all business, or did something like that happen to you too?" Buy it, please!

Hideki only glanced up to Ouma for a moment, giving a nod of thanks at his help. Seemed this wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. "Their customs are strange to us, definitely. Hopefully we'll be able to update our texts appropriately with this exchange."

"...she was curious about the university."

Ouma winced. It was telling enough that Hideki had paused, hadn't elaborated any. That Ouma knew exactly why it was a touchy subject didn't make it any better. "...are you oka--"

"I'm fine," the secretary snapped, straightening from his work to look over at one of the paintings on the wall across from him for a moment. Six people grinning and slung casually over each other, wearing the graduation pins of the capital university. Getting back to work, the lanky man just shook his head. "She was curious about how every student is allowed to explore a specialty, rather than going into a program. As you know, many interests overlap, so it's easy to create classes that would be interesting for more than one or two students. It's the model all of our schools use, which was quite surprising to Secretary Chisa. It was an enlightening conversation for the both of us--apparently Prince Kaito had been attending university in Luminary before the peace talks started. He should be able to finish his education here, if he so chooses."

It took everything Ouma had to not crumple the paper in his hands. Oh, so Kaito could feel damn free to transfer from a different god-damned country, but Ouma couldn't even attend primary school?!

He had his question answered--an 'enlightening' conversation with Hideki meant a long-ass one, so there wasn't a way Secretary Chisa could've made it into the kitchens in the time between the glasses were brought out and then to the table. With a whirl, Ouma turned to leave, giving a pissed, "Good for him!" before...fuck if he knew. Maybe get some work done himself. The kingdom hadn't frozen in stasis just because of a peace talk.

"A pet?" Kaito said, having borrowed Shuuichi's journal as he jotted the idea down, his large, messy handwriting a noticeable contrast to Shuuichi's thin, condensed version. "Like, you know, maybe a cat? He seems like he could be a cat person. Or a dog! Oh man, we should definitely get a dog," Kaito said, lining out cat and writing dog next to it...before putting a question mark next to it. "What do you think? Any votes for pet?"

"Somehow I don't think he'd like some new living responsibility as a wedding present, Kaito," Maki said, the two of them walking down towards what the servant who had clued them in had referred to as the 'Kid Room'. The Luminaries not wanting the kids to wander around randomly, but unable to find any sort of childcare 'specific' places in such short notice, the Luminaries had basically just taken up a spare bedroom and left the children to their own devices in there when their parents were working.

Shuuichi had gone off to do his task, and Kaito had decided to go with Maki to talk to the kids. After all, Even Crying Children Loved the Prince of the Stars!

Kaito had been surprised when it had been explained to him that a group of small children were currently the most likely suspects to his poisoning. That it had either been one kid coordinating everything on their own, or the group as a whole cooperating under a shared goal of absolutely ruining Kaito's day.

It was...interesting. Kaito had some things to think about if it ended up being them. Thankfully, he was a simple man, and he had already thought about how he would handle it if the kids did end up being guilty, and was now occupying his mind with the far more interesting mission of wooing Kokichi again.

"Flowers, then?" Kaito said, then pouted. "But this whole kingdom really already has the whole 'plants' thing down. What could I give him that he hasn't already seen? And it's got to be new, right? I can't give him any old flower, it's gotta be something special!"

"Kaito, I get the impression from the prince that..." Maki paused, considering her words as she tried to find just the right way to convey it. "...look, everytime the prince mentions you, it sounds a little bit like a person might mention seeing the same roadkill on their path home for the third time in a row. Like, sort of muted, accepting disgust."

"Ouch," Kaito said. "Damn Maki."

"It's the truth," Maki said, looking over to her prince with something almost resembling sympathy, if Maki was actually capable of it. "I think he hates you."

There was silence for a little while as they walked, before Kaito shrugged. "So? That's the point of the mission! I can climb back up from hatred! I'm Kaito Momota, the Luminary Prince of the Stars! I can do anything!"

"Why should you?" Maki asked, as they turned the corner, nodding respectfully to a passing servant. "He's gonna marry you either way. That's the other vibe I got from him. He's brave. He'll marry someone he hates for his kingdom. So that's half your work done."

Kaito wrote down 'hot air balloon' on the list with several question marks next to it as he listened to Maki, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he tried to think... "You sound like the General," he said.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Maki said, spotting the room. She could hear the sound of children playing inside and steadied herself. Man...kids were so annoying. It was really frustrating they did find her as interesting as they often did. Guess with no real life experience, being around an assassin was just interesting, rather than terrifying. Shame.

"Hold on Maki," Kaito said, stopping. "Just, try to imagine this, right? It's our wedding night. I like Kokichi. He hates me. And somehow, that night, I have to...to touch him...while I like him, and he hates me. Do you have...any idea how creepy that is?" Kaito said, bending the journal in between his fingers as he frowned, his face looking actually sick at the thought, "Like...there are words for that situation. Words I really don't want associated with me."

"He's not unwilling. You're not forcing yourself on him. It's a business exchange." Maki said, raising an eyebrow at her life-long friend. He didn't look calmed by this, just still abusing Shuuichi's poor journal as he overthought this whole thing. Idiot. "He's as willing as you are, remember? Neither of you had any real say in this. You're equals in this, legally speaking. Emotionally...you keep saying you like him. Do you? Because if you both hate each other that night, well, at least emotionally you're both in the same position. So there's no reason to lie to yourself if you don't actually like him."

Kaito kicked the back of his shoe a little, wincing as the back of his knee ached at him. "I wanna like him," Kaito admitted. "It'd be nice if I married someone I liked. What's wrong with wanting that?"

Maki looked at him, then took a long, long look around. Was there anyone around? Could she hear any footsteps? See any shadows around corners? No?

She went over and hugged him.

"Life isn't fair sometimes," she said into his shoulder, as he hugged her back. "We endure."

Kaito gave a hard squeeze back, before chuckling, letting her go. "Yeah. You're right. Thanks Maki-Roll...alright!" he said, taking a step back from her. "Let's go interview some potential murder children!"

The rest of the day was something of a blur. Ouma had stopped by the mailroom, gathering as many letters as he could from the 'business' sections and went to his room, setting to answer as many as he could. He'd probably be expected to answer the congratulation letters at some point, but...it'd look better if Kaito signed them too. They could be put off for a little while.

He took lunch in his room, and while he did have to come out for dinner, it was calmer than it had been the day before--and he and Kaito stuck firmly to water. It was...as normal a day as could happen right now, he figured.

Until night, after people had retired to bed, and Ouma tapped quietly on Kaito's door, slipping in unknowing of the eyes watching in the shadows.

"Please tell me you found a lead."

Kaito rubbed his eyes, still heavy with sleep, his hair standing up, as usual, but this time in random directions. Looking back at the bed, he put a finger up to his lips, putting in a soft, "Shhh," before pointing at the bed.

In the bed, fast asleep, was Maki, in her usual defensive sleeping position of sitting up with weapons tucked in her hands...with three little heads on her lap. Shuuichi had attempted to curl up on his spot as well, but little sprawling limbs had made it difficult, and instead he had ended up in a sort of half curled viser grip of hugs. At the very end of the bed an additional body practically hung halfway off, as if he had thrashed and kicked in his sleep until he had ended up there before settling into a deeper sleep.

Maki, Shuuichi, and seven children.

"Yeah, it was definitely them," Kaito said, sounding distinctly exhausted. He was wearing one of his capes, a yellow one, as a blanket, but was otherwise just in pants, various parts of his body wrapped tightly in fresh bandages as he yawned. "They haven't admitted it or anything. I think they're trying to protect one of them specifically, and we haven't quite clued in who yet. But, like, when Maki started asking them direct questions, it became real obvious real fast they were trying to keep a secret. When we realized we weren't getting anything out of them, we decided the best bet would be to, I don't know. Establish trust? At least keep an eye on them. So Maki went to their parents and offered to host a sleepover for the kids, as, like, part of her Child Caretaker duties. Parents agreed, here they are."

Kaito yawned again, motioning for Kokichi to follow him as he sat on a small sofa, grabbing Shuuichi's journal. "Here, I'll show you their statements," he said, voice half dead from exhaustion.

Ouma's eyes widened at the...bizarre scene on the bed. That was one way to investigate, he supposed. But...maybe... After doing something like this, nothing too bad would happen to the kids, right? Whatever Luminary did to criminals...these were children, and it was a foreign country, and... They were kids. No matter how the Luminaries seemed...they wouldn't do anything too bad.

And, well, he had seen Secretary Chisa bring a first aid kit, but it was comforting to see Kaito in fresh bandages. It was disconcerting that he would need bandages at all after just sparring, but, hey. He didn't know shit. Otherwise, the prince just looked tired.

Ouma hadn't bothered to undress, really, just down to his trousers and undershirt. He had taken the time, however, to rip as many pins from his hair as he could, leaving it a crimped mess, and to scrub the makeup off his face. He hadn't slept any, too much work to do.

But they had a lead now. They weren't clueless anymore.

"Okay..." he sighed, plopping down on the couch beside Kaito to peer over the journal. "Kinda sucks, but at least we know now. Hopefully they'll be convinced to not do anything else, and we can just get through this with no one the wiser. Once the treaty is signed, it won't matter..."

Readying himself for more reading, Ouma carefully absorbed the kids' interviews, taking them at face value but also trying to string them together to see if they pointed any way in particular. Not even the squeaky yawn that escaped him could move his focus!

Still whispering, not wanting to wake up the pile of bodies on the other side of the room, Kaito used his pencil to point at the individual names as he referenced them. "So, I was looking at this while Maki and Shuuichi played with the kids, trying to exhaust them into sleep, right? Super cute, by the way." Kaito chuckled, "Though, one of the kids pulled Maki's hair, and she hit them so hard with a pillow they flew. Thankfully they thought it was funny. Kids are something else. Anyway, so this one."

He pointed to the name Masaru, before pointing to the kid half falling off the bed, snoring loudly. "Kid definitely sees himself as the leader. Calls himself 'Hero'. They all gave themselves nicknames like that. Anyway, he was 'it' during their game, and I think his job during the whole thing was to make sure everyone on the planet knew they were playing hide-and-seek. Trying to establish alibis, right? Did a good job of it too. Too bad 'hiding on purpose' doesn't count as an alibi. Beginner mistakes in strategy."

Then he pointed to Damien, then pointing to his name. "The kid who most likely actually obtained the poison, stealing it from his mom, who was missing one dose, by the way. Shuuichi broke into her medicine bag and looked. Anyway, since he obtained the poison, I doubt they made him be the one to break into the kitchen too. Plus, probably didn't have the constitution for it. When we were questioning, the poor kid burst into tears twice. His nickname is 'Cleric', and I think he thought he was helping."

"Most of the kids were just meant to keep up the illusion of the game. Get seen lots of places, far away from the kitchens. Did a good job too. We made them tell us where they hid during the game, but that's where things got a little confusing for us, since we don't know the area. We thought you might be able to decipher where some of these hiding places are. Take a look."

Kaito handed Kokichi the journal, leaning his head against his shoulder as he leaned his whole body against the back of the sofa, his arm sprawled forward next to Kokichi's face. It was a relaxed position, as Kaito just watched Kokichi, waiting to see his verdict.

Damien he could've guessed at--the connection he got to the kids in the first place. Masaru was a little more interesting, especially since he thought of himself as the leader. That was an ego they could use for information. The others they had to take on a case-by-case basis, but, he supposed, that's what he was there for.

Plucking the pencil from Kaito's hand, Ouma looked down the list of hiding places. "...it looks to me that they each chose a section of the castle as their domain. Kotoko took the first floor, front areas. In the entry hall and landing, under the stairs to the second floor, the hall that leads to the other wings... That's fairly close to the kitchens, comparatively, but judging by the other statements she was probably used to draw even more attention. Be loud and visible so people would think that's as close to where we were as the kids strayed."

"The rest..." Ouma scratched down the translations next to what Saihara wrote down, his loopy handwriting a stark contrast to the narrow one. "Back of the residential wing, the backyard, laundry room, library, mailroom, observatory..." Ouma trailed off, adding another duty to the night. There were a lot of delicate tools and maps and journals in the observatory. He should check on it, just in case.

Rubbing an eye, he inadvertently tilted his head onto Kaito's arm for a moment, perhaps nuzzling the prince a bit. "And...hm. It's a stretch, but... One of the places, er, Timothy hid, the greenhouse. It has a chute to the dumpster the kitchen uses too. But it's a five-flight slide that's completely enclosed--even for a daredevil that's kinda daunting."

"...should check it out anyway... maybe there's... evidence on the chute..." He managed to stifle more yawns, though the gaps in his speech weren't inconspicuous.

Kaito watched Kokichi talk, since there wasn't really anything else to look at, and Kokichi's voice always had this little...lilting quality to it. That was actually really soothing to listen to for a long period of time and Kaito found himself less listening to the meaning of Kokichi's words and just...watching him.

He really was terribly pretty. And he looked exhausted. His uneven strands of hair were even more wild than when he had been Koh, going up and twisting into odd directions, and every now and again his neck would just...tighten. A little bit. Kaito could see it in the back of his jaw and the front of his throat, this little stiffening in Kokichi's features. Maybe little yawns? Just the thought of it caused Kaito to give out another long yawn, doing his best to be polite by covering the yawn halfway with the back of his palm, but otherwise just kind of too tired to care much more than that.

As he was about to apologize for basically yawning in his face, Kokichi, who hadn't seemed to notice either way, rubbed at his eyes, and for just a second...there was this soft warmth on Kaito's bicep, the side of Kokichi's head hitting it and lingering for just a second or two before Kokichi righted himself, continuing to talk about whatever the heck he was going on about. Floors? Dumpster chutes? Sure, why not. That'd be tomorrow's problem.

That soft warmth...Kaito wondered...if he were to brush his hands across Kokichi's face. Down his neck. Down his chest. Would it be soft and warm all the way down to-

Kaito covered his eyes, his face burning bright red as his thoughts went places he hadn't actually meant them too. Well...not to that point, anyway. Fuck. His ribs ached. Focus on that. Focus on the pain in your chest, and don't think about those impossibly wide, impossibly purple eyes...

Good? We good? Alright, you can drop the hand already. Kokichi was gonna think he was a freak if he didn't pull himself back together. There was no need to blind himself.

Kaito let his hand fall, resting his head against it, and nope. It was worse. Kokichi was looking at him now, and his gaze...did he always look like this? No, the makeup was mostly worn away now. Kaito had almost forgotten what Kokichi looked like without it. That boyish charm...

An uncomfortable memory of the word 'disappointment' came across Kaito's mind with the intensity of touching a hot pan, and suddenly Kaito couldn't look at him anymore, looking back down at the journal. "Chute. Right. S-sounds good. Good job, Kokichi. I'll tell Shuuichi and Maki when they wake up tomorrow, they'll go check it out."

He was too tired to really get pissed and...well, Kaito didn't actually sound sarcastic, but...saying 'good job' like that. It was dismissal, right? Thinking that the chute was more than just a longshot, but an impossibility. But it was still worth checking out!!

Ouma shook his head and stood up (even if Kaito leaning on him was warm and comforting and he kind of just wanted to curl up and go to sleep). "Don't bother. I'm checking it out ri...right now. Got some other stuff I wanna check on too. We don't have time for tomorrow--the sooner this gets settled, the better."

They couldn't leave it. Every moment without concrete proof, without a way of making sure that their saboteur wouldn't try anything else was a moment where the advisors and his father could decide to call the whole thing off. So close to peace, ruined. On his watch. Something he knew about and couldn't do anything to prevent. Like always. Useless Kokichi, letting his entire country down...

Fuck, he needed some sleep.

Maybe he could get away with sleeping for a full day after the wedding. He wouldn't be expected to do much after a party like that, right? Even if Kaito would be sharing the bed from then on... Maybe he could sneak into a free room.

Scrubbing at his eyes again, Ouma turned to leave. "Night. Good luck with the kids."

Kaito frowned, the warmth of Kokichi's body leaving the couch chilling Kaito as he watched the guy get up, Kokichi sounding...well, how he usually sounded when he talked to Kaito. Maki had really hit the metaphor on the head. Just...resigned disgust.

Kokichi was going to go check it out now? Why? Well, okay, maybe it made sense from, like... a smart person brain. Later in the night. Less people around. No time to destroy any more evidence they had already lost. Yeah. Of course. Fuck, Kaito, at least try to keep up.

Kaito looked over at Maki and Shuuichi, buried in the pile of children. Maybe he should wake them...nah. What kind of hero disturbed a literal pile of sidekicks and sleeping children? That wasn't heroic at all.

Looking over to Kokichi, he called out, his voice heavy. "Okay. Can I come?"

Ouma's first impulse was to snap at the prince, say that he didn't need his help, jeer that, oh, he needed the big, strong hero prince to protect him, because he was so small and weak, right?! He still kind of wanted to, but...Kaito had left out the theatrics. And...it probably would be a good idea for someone to watch his back, even if their prime suspects were snuggled in bed.

"Do as you want..." he sighed, nodding his head a little towards the door. "You're too fuckin' big to fall down the chute anyway. Don't need to worry about your dumb ass."

Ouma peeked his head out of the room, and upon seeing no one there silently crept out, hoping Kaito would think to do the same. They were on the second floor where most of the guest rooms were, and they had to head to the fifth. Luckily, the stairs were well-kept and didn't squeak, so they shouldn't wake anyone up.

It wasn't surprising that the castle had a greenhouse, honestly. Horticulture was important! The basis for any civilization! And the greenhouse was used for experimentation, as well as staple fruits and vegetables that people liked to eat year-round. Much easier than going out to buy them in bulk at the market.

The moon bathed the large room in blue light, illuminating everything thanks to the refraction of the glass ceiling and walls. Leafy plants, however, cast large, irregular shadows that were all too easy to hide in. Ouma knew that well. It really was a great place for hide-and-seek.

Without a sleeve to grasp, Ouma circled his fingers around Kaito's wrist, barely making it around, to guide him. He could feel the thump of the prince's pulse, somehow comforting in the still night.

Huh. What a cool room.

Kaito had never been in anything like this before. Oh, sure, he knew about greenhouses from, like, a definition standpoint, but the opportunity to see one himself had never come up, and it had never occurred to him that they might be worth seeking out. Actually, hadn't his university had one? He could vaguely recall seeing a glass dome building in the distance that had made him mildly curious, but there had always been something better or more pressing to do than to go check it out. Shame. Maybe he would have liked it.

...Guess he'd never get the chance to go see it now, huh?

Ugh. That thought made him feel sick. He really tried not to think about home in that context. It was too depressing. Better to look forward! Look ahead! Look-AH!

Kaito practically jumped in his skin as a hand grabbed at his wrist, Kaito having to stifle the noise of his surprise by covering his mouth with his blanket/cape, which he had decided to bring along for this trip, but not a shirt. It was just Kokichi, trying to pull him along in the dark. Which was thoughtful, and also a relief. Ha. Could you imagine if it had been something else? Haha.

Like a spirit?? Hahaha!

Or, even funnier, some sort of vengeful ghost, that only came out at night, to prey on exhausted, small, half beaten to shit princes who dared leave their rooms at night??

Hahaha???

..."Kokichi," Kaito whispered, suddenly looking around nervously. "Does your castle have any hauntings?"

Out of everything Kaito could've said to him, Ouma definitely hadn't been expecting that. He sent a look back at the taller boy, huffing something that might've been a laugh, or maybe a scoff.

"The castle? No. But people say the theater in town is haunted." Was Kaito scared of spirits? Supernatural stuff? Ironic, considering how religious the royal family of Luminary was. A half-smile cracked across his face, as Ouma decided to tell the very real ghost story of his city.

"It burned down a few years before I was born. Some suspect foul play, others think it was a light that wasn't properly set up and caught fire. No way to know now," he started, slowly walking through the rows of plant beds. Wouldn't do to only investigate the chute and miss something important. "Thankfully, it caught fire when there weren't any performances going on. Unfortunately, that didn't mean there weren't any casualties."

"There were two stars of the theater, back then. Honoka Oshiro, a dancer, and Yui Seika, a singer. They spent a lot of time in the theater, making sure they could always put on the best performance they could. They used to say that any trip to the capital was a waste if you didn't see them perform." There was a slight pause as Ouma peered under a particularly leafy plant, and he continued with a quiet afterthought. "As a result, there was another person that spent a lot of time in the theater, a friend of theirs from university. My mother."

"Anyway, they were in the theater that day, along with a bunch of technicians and custodians and, you know, everyone you don't really think about when you go into a theater. And, despite the number of people, no one noticed the fire until it was too late to easily put it out. Honoka and Yui jumped into action, organizing everyone to evacuate the building. My mom, Miyako, helped too, though they insisted she leave before they did."

"...they never came out."

He was quiet for a few moments before turning to Kaito with a devilish grin. "The theater was rebuilt, obviously, and people say they can hear tap shoes and singing sometimes if you show up early. Suuuuper haunted."

Kaito gripped his cape-blanket tighter and tighter as he listened to the story, feeling more and more creeped out as the tale went on...right up until the mother was mentioned. And while, in a sense, the tale was still scary, that personal detail made it hard to focus on the tap dancing detail at the end.

...for the most part because holy shit his new home had tap dancing ghosts what the fuck this is not what he had signed up for.

...where was the queen, actually?

Was she dead? That was probably the sort of thing he had been briefed on before coming here, but for the life of him he couldn't remember anyone saying anything about her at all. In a very real way, Kaito had sort of come into this kingdom just under the impression there was no queen involved. Why had he thought that? Oh, right, someone had told him about their heir adoption traditions and Kaito had assumed Kokichi had fallen under that. But he and King Aiichi were clearly related, so now that didn't make any sense.

Should he ask? Fuck, there were probably okay ways to ask someone if their mom was dead without coming across as an asshole, but Kaito was so damn tired that every version of the question he shot through his head came out hopelessly insensitive. Fuck. Maybe he could ask later. After he's slept for a year. No...no, better make it a decade. Just to be safe.

"...they sounded brave," Kaito said, eyes casually looking around the plants, seeing some things that looked like peas, another thing that was purple and large and was maybe a pumpkin, a pile of poorly curled but strong looking rope. "I've never seen an out of control fire in real life. I can't imagine what it takes to face one down like that. Your mom must have had a spine of steel."

The theater was named after the two of them, a plaque on the entrance to commemorate their bravery. It was common for those taking up formal vocal training to braid part of their hair, and for dance students to wear a black ribbon. When he looked at the portrait in the library, they seemed like nice people. Even when Hideki described Honoka as a nosy mother-hen, and Yui an ever-grinning airhead, it was said with a warmth that Ouma rarely ever heard from the secretary.

They were brave, but...

Ouma turned on Kaito, practically throwing his arm back at him. "Are you fucking serious?!"

He still had the sense to be quiet, but the fury in his eyes overpowered any fatigue. "You don't even know them and yet you give them respect without a beat. You didn't know me, but you fucking decided that I was weak and useless and the FUCKING perfect joke to take away any hope I had! I know you're a dick, but, fuck, it's just my fault for thinking any different, huh?!?"

Like he always did, Ouma spun around to get away from the monster, tears traitorously pooling in his eyes.

Kaito stared down at him, taking a step backwards purely out of the pressure of Kokichi's total fury...before balling his fists and taking two steps forward.

He was going to grab him by his shoulder. Spin him around...but stopped himself, clutching the cape tightly in both hands instead, tugging at it until it was at the risk of tearing. This little son of a-

"HEY!" Kaito shouted, because he did not have the sense to be quiet. "If you're going to FIGHT me, then fucking LOOK at me! Don't fucking pull that scream and then run bullshit! If you're going to stand against me, just fucking do it! Turn around and tell me what the FUCK you're so pissed about all the time already! Because, guess what! I have no FUCKING IDEA what you WANT FROM ME!"

"I'm mad because you said we were friends and I believed you!!!"

Ouma did as asked, inadvertently, facing Kaito again with wet, furious eyes that were...hurt. "I've never had any friends, and the one person that would even listen to me was sent to fight in that stupid war, because, apparently I don't deserve even one person to confide in! I'm stuck in this fucking castle and I'm not allowed to do anything!"

He didn't bother wiping his eyes, tears falling freely as he snarled at Kaito. Someone who had everything and still managed to only see the inside of his own fucking ass.

"Then, on one of the last days I'll probably be able to sneak out for the rest of my life, I find you. Not just some traveler that humored a stranger's questions, but you talked with me. You wanted to know what I thought. You bought a total stranger food and called us friends. You were going to teach me stuff about sword fighting! My life was ending, but I thought I had a friend. We could write to each other! It wouldn't be just for a few days!"

Ouma was heaving breaths by this point, face red and little frame shaking with rage. But not once did he make a move to even approach Kaito, let alone hit him. "I told you I didn't know anything about swords. I've never been able to hold one in my fucking life, I'm not even allowed to touch knives! I thought you were going to teach me, like you said! But you didn't say a fucking thing and just shoved me to the ground--what was I supposed to do?!"

"Nothing. Because I can't do anything, because I'm just useless and fragile and can't do anything for myself, like everyone says, right?! Because I'm some fucking trophy for your blood-crazed kingdom! Because my own fucking dad wishes I was never born!" Openly sobbing by this point, Ouma fisted his hands in his hair, still hiding by angling his arms in front of his face. He was only hiccuping gasping breaths, rage and frustration taking him over. "I thought I'd found someone who thought different! Who would actually believe in me! MY FUCKING BAD!!"

Kaito stared at him, the rage dying down with every word, every sentence. With the exception of his 'lies' when Caleb had first met Koh and gotten a, frankly, excellent story out of him, this was the most Kokichi had ever talked to him, in the...honestly, still pitifully few days the two fiances had known each other.

And wow...was it a lot at once.

Kaito couldn't even begin to figure out what he should respond to. What did he have the right to respond to? The thing about his father seemed like a landmine. Trying to explain away Kaito's actions during their one and only spar attempt felt self-serving and probably not helpful. His biggest instinct was wanting to insist that Kokichi had been right the first time. That they were friends!

...but that wasn't really true either.

Kaito hadn't wanted a friend when he met Koh. He had, first of all, wanted a distraction from his problems. That had to be acknowledged. But second to that, he had wanted to mentor what he had seen as a kid, because, hey! Maybe he wouldn't get to go on any more cool adventures, and maybe he was trapped in a foreign kingdom where, who knew if his opinion on anything was going to matter anymore, once he was attached to the new family for the convenience of his old one...but Koh would get to go! If Kaito mentored him, gave him the tools he needed, he could live vicariously through Koh as the kid grew up to be strong, and heroic, and adventurous, and everything Kaito wasn't allowed to be anymore.

A new Kaito. That's what he had wanted.

And maybe he should tell Kokichi this. Maybe it would help Kokichi to know what his perspective of it all was. To really grasp the situation for the cluster-fuck of dumb emotions and insecurities that it was...but Kaito was afraid that would make this about him. And he didn't want this to be about him. Kokichi was the one hurting right now, sobbing in front of him, with apparently no one to talk to. Kaito had Maki. Kaito had Shuuichi. Basically...Kaito's shit could come later. This was about Kokichi right now.

..but FUCK. What could he SAY?

Kaito decided the first thing he wanted to do...was sit down. God, he was tired. Sitting in the dirt, Kaito played with the now near-ruined cape in his hands, and tried to think of something to say.

"...I'm sorry I lied to you and said I was some random guy named Caleb," Kaito said, the apology feeling too small, too insincere without any sort of real, physical gesture behind it...but Kokichi had asked him not to do those things. And Kaito had promised to try to be better. So he continued. "And I'm sorry how I tried to teach you how to spar. It...it wasn't...I never meant for it to be disrespectful," Kaito said, an edge of desperation in his tone as he looked up at Kokichi, his knuckles red, and then white, from twisting the cloth. "That was how I learned. My people, we...we're taught through pain. All of our most important lessons are started on a painful note. That's not to excuse what I did! I just...I don't know how else to explain to you that I did it because I had thought you would be fine. It never once occurred to me you wouldn't be! And then..." Kaito looked down at the dirt. Frustrated and ashamed. "...and then you weren't. And I didn't know how to handle that, so I said a bunch of shitty, hurtful stuff because... I don't know. I thought it would challenge you? Fuck..."

Kaito put his head in his hands, pressing his palms into his forehead, just trying to fight himself now. "...we're so different," Kaito said, his shoulders slumping as he finally said what he had been secretly thinking since he got here. "How are we ever going to possibly make this work?"

Ouma followed Kaito down, though not because he'd calmed down any, or...really wanted to talk things out. It didn't feel good to scream at him; it just hurt, all those things he tried to ignore brought to the forefront of his mind again. Nights tended to do that for him, midnight feud or not. 's why he tried not to sleep.

Instead, Ouma more or less collapsed to the ground, hands moved to pressing against his chest as breathing only became increasingly difficult. Not. Now. Not ever, if he had a say in it, but he didn't, so he demanded that, at least, he not crumble now.

However, his efforts forced him to listen to Kaito anyway. And...well... It didn't change how he'd acted afterward, but if he hadn't meant thoroughly schooling him in the first moment of Ouma picking up a sword to be mocking...to show how outclassed he was and discourage him from trying...

...maybe he deserved the effort to try and understand.

"I...I'm not mad about you lying to me..." he coughed out, something bubbly and gross sounding out in his throat. "I lie all the time, why would I be mad about that?"

"...your people are so quick to get physical. The only time I've ever seen people fighting like that, it's only with the intent to harm. Pain for one is pain for all, after all..." Another of Aiichi's maxims that spread across the country, advocating empathy. "You did challenge me, but I'm used to fighting with words. It's the only thing I have, even if no one listens. To me...it means more to walk away than to mindlessly escalate a situation until someone needs a medic. Or a morgue. ...you sort it all out with fists, though, don't you?"

Ouma coughed again, swaying a bit as he fought against the dizziness in his head. "We...we're speaking different languages, aren't we." It was quiet, despairing, but...the counter for that was to make connections. "...I'm scared you're going to take away any say I have in the kingdom. Already, no one listens to me. Luminary tried to annex us, and if they have someone that will spread their ideals here...it's just the same thing. From the outside, everything about your home seems so scary and awful, I don't want that to happen to the people who look up to my dad."

Kaito kept his face in his fists as he listened to this, but then Kokichi took a breath, and the breath was long enough to clue Kaito in that it was his turn to say something again. Uncurling himself from his position, Kaito sighed, stretching his aching shoulders backwards, letting his legs uncurl a bit as he looked up at the sky, his fingers digging into the dirt as he steadied himself into the lean.

"...oh hey. Look at that," Kaito said, softly, basically to himself. "The stars really did follow me here."

The sky was full of them, the brightness of the moon doing little to dilute them. What a comfort it was, to finally see something that was steady. That was the same. After his long journey. There were the stars. Just like she had promised.

..."I don't...I don't know what to say to that," Kaito admitted, looking away from the steady constant of the stars, down to the prince's tear strained, exhausted, unsteady face. Kaito's heart fell, and not entirely due to sympathy. "You make us sound...evil. Like we're some terrible villains in a story. Like any idea I bring from home here is going to be some twisted, awful thing that will just make everything worse for everyone. I...I don't really know how to respond to that. I don't feel evil." Kaito considered this, before chuckling. "Well...I guess that's always been a mark of a good villain in a story. They never think they're the bad guys..."

Kaito pulled himself up from his lean, crossing his arms on his chest as he said, as seriously and earnestly as he could. "But Kokichi, I can swear to you, on...whatever you want. My honor? My god? Maki and Shuuichi? I swear, I was sent here to establish unity. I'm not here to take over. This is your kingdom. You're going to be The King. I'm just going to be your consort. The power balance is literally in the names. And, maybe your dad doesn't listen to you. I don't know what's going on with all that," Kaito admitted, before continuing on fiercely, "but I would be an IDIOT to not listen to you!"

Kaito looked down at his hands, rough and calloused with scars, labor and battles, and confessed, "I won't lie to you and say you're strong or anything, ‘cause I'm not sure if you are. You're right, I come from a place where we mostly talk with our fists, and so, with that context, no. You're probably not strong. But every fucking time I talk to you, I'm always just so...dwarfed! And overwhelmed by how smart and put together you are! Like an actual, honest-to-god leader! Like my brother!" Kaito said, the words coming out faster as he rambled. "Like, it's really intimidating! I'm this big, dumb oaf that my family used as training fodder for the guy who was actually going to lead our kingdom someday. My only good trait growing up was my ability to at least put up a fight, right? But you just...you carry yourself with this presence! And every time you talk at the ceremonies, and the lunches, and the meetings, while I'm barely keeping up with what’s going on, you stare at everyone like you can just...see their secrets or something, and every time you talk, all of my advisers get more and more nervous because it’s getting more and more obvious how much FUCKING SMARTER you are than me! They all think that the second they leave, you're just...gonna run circles around me! And they're probably right!"

Kaito rubbed at his temples. "I don't think I'm telling you anything you don't already know when I say I'd be literally lost without Maki and Shuuichi watching out for me, and, let's be honest, they're both kind of idiots in their own way too. But you just do it all yourself! And...fuck, Kokichi. Every time you talk about yourself, there's a part of me that genuinely thinks you're fucking with me, because there's no way you don't know how fucking scary you are, right? You can't possibly be ignorant to how terrified I am around you all the time. You have to know, right?" Kaito asked, increasingly desperate as he searched Kokichi's face for the signs of the lie, the false meekness, the mockery, that Kaito had felt in almost everything Kokichi had said to him since he got here. And just like usual...had no idea what he was looking at. Like he always did.

Kaito took a breath, trying to pull back his trembling nerves. "I'm sorry. Maybe that's not helpful. It's just...wow. It's amazing how fucking differently we both see this situation."

Despite how uncomfortable some of their ideals were, Ouma didn't think that Luminary was evil. Nothing was black and white like that. Surely there were good things about the country, but he just hadn't found them yet. The people hadn't revolted, so...there had to be something, right? And, when they'd first met, Kaito--Caleb--had been so nice to him. Trusting and excited and fun.

...fuck, he wanted to have some fun again.

Ouma looked up through the transparent roof, the stars hard to see through his blurry vision, but they were there. They were always there. Millions and billions of miles away in their own, separate existences, not caring about some little planet they weren't even warming. And yet people made stories about them, grouping them together and ascribing a meaning just...because. Because people were like that, making their own meanings.

When he looked back down, there Kaito was, laying out his own meaning without any stupid politics. And...he was shocked at what he found. Not some power-hungry monster looking forward to whatever he could trample next. He saw the person that, even if they didn't understand, was willing to learn. To be there to support. To...listen to him.

To...be scared and intimidated by him? As novel as that was...that wasn't what he wanted.

"...I think we're both idiots, honestly." Ouma finally wiped his eyes, even if a few little beads of tears sprang up right after, and his cheeks were still streaked. "That...that was helpful, and...thanks. I don't think anyone's ever said that kinda stuff to me. Earnest honesty is its own kind of intelligence, you know? It's clear when you believe the things you say, and when they align? They'd have to be a stubborn jerk to argue."

He laughed weakly, the bubbling cough coming back though he swallowed the worst of it down.

"...you can see the sky better from the observatory. I was going to check on it after searching here so... We have a really nice telescope. You can stargaze while I look over things, if you want."

"You guys have an observatory!?" Kaito said, real, honest excitement lighting up his face, his whole body twisting as he moved from a sitting to kneeling position, his hands steadying himself on the dirt in front of him, eyes wide with joy as he seemed to forget about all the pain various parts of his body was in as he grinned. "Really?! Oh man, I mean, I brought a telescope with me, but it's this small little thing, good for traveling, but it's really tough to get depth out of it, you know? I was hoping that maybe your local university might have one I could visit, but you have one in the castle!? That's amazing!"

Kaito blinked, and he suddenly realized there were tears in his eyes. Why were those there? This had been the best news, hell, the best he had felt since he had gotten there. Why start crying now? As Kaito wiped the tears from his cheeks, chuckling good-naturedly, he said through his stupid, happy tears, "Hey...thanks for...thanks for having a real fight with me. Not, you know, double-speaking and doing all those mind games that go over my head, like, ya know...everyone likes to do. I really..." he laughed, because he was embarrassed over his stupid tears, using his entirely ruined cape to wash them aside as he said in his stupid, happy, joy, "I really feel like I get you a little better? And that's really...really comforting! I really think we can do this!"

In his excitement, he was less nervous to look directly at Kokichi, and what he saw made him pause, his tears drying up as his happiness ebbed a little. The little prince, frankly, looked like he had just been through a battle. His eyes were puffy and red from tears, his breathing was coming in obstructed, and there was a slight tremble in his body that at the very least suggested true exhaustion.

Kaito, in turn, had felt newly re-energized by the argument, and then the good news. He felt like he could run laps and stay awake forever. He knew that in about thirty minutes all that adrenaline was going to dilute itself out of him and he was going to crash hard, but for now...

Getting up, Kaito walked over to Kokichi, offering him a hand up with a worried expression. "Hey, I definitely want to go. And if you say you're good, you're good. But maybe we should get som-HRK!"

The blade entered his back. Then another, on the other side, dangerously close to his heart, in rapid succession. A soft voice panted and sniffled behind him. "F-for the King!"

Kaito tried to twist around, to hit back at his assailant, but the kid held onto the daggers and was moved with his turn. Then a little foot braced against his back, pushed, pulled, and the daggers were free, sending a shock of pain and blood through Kaito's body as, temporarily overwhelmed, Kaito collapsed, calling out blindly in fear to the one person he could always count on in a fight. "Maki!"

But she wasn't here, and Timothy, hands shaking but footing strong, looked down wild-eyed at Prince Kaito, before looking over at Prince Kokichi, a dagger (probably two of Maki's daggers even) in each hand.

"F-for the Kingdom!" Tim-Tim said, stepping towards Kokichi. Blades raised.

Ouma found a little smile on his face as Kaito sprung to life. He'd surely mentioned the observatory a few times, but maybe the meaning hadn't really sunk in until now. Figures that someone who called themself 'Prince of the Stars' would be enamored with them. Maybe there was something to history repeating itself in the weirdest ways...

"Thanking s-someone for a fight is weird, you weirdo. But, you're welcome?" He did have to say it...it was nice knowing more where the other prince was coming from. To hear the things normally only thought, but came out in a furious tirade. Ouma had felt sorry for the concept of Prince Kaito before, knowing that he was leaving all he knew on a decision someone else made. It never occurred to him, though, that Kaito might've felt unwanted because of it. That he was second-best and not suited for the game of politics. But...even if he needed a little help, Ouma thought he was still playing it well. "I...think you're right."

Coughing a few more times, Ouma had to gasp for his next breath, but it still came. He'd be alright, just needed a moment. It wasn't time to quit now; while this interlude had been necessary, honestly, and probably a long time coming, they still had plenty of work to do. No time to waste when their little saboteur was still convinced that the war was a good thing.

Ouma looked up at Kaito, looking almost...ethereal in the moonlight, and reached up to take his hand when--

"K-Kaito?!"

Ouma looked on in horror as Timothy--fuck had he been pretending to be asleep?!--stabbed Kaito and the prince fell, blood gushing from his back. He knew the danger of it, and yet he'd still underestimated the child, trusting feigned sleep and the two escorts to give them a free night. And now they were going to die, becoming compost for the greenhouse plants and the war would continue and everyone would die they'd all--! Kaito was going to bleed out.

Dark spots entered Ouma's vision and he could barely stay upright, his body shaking and swaying with his efforts. He couldn't... He couldn't let everyone down like this! "Your king wants his son dead? Your kingdom w-wishes for its people to die? How c-could..."

He didn't even have to struggle to get his point out, as something flew through the air and struck Timothy right in the neck--right on his artery, if you're being specific--before bouncing off to the ground. And, the last thing Ouma saw before he passed out was a giant humanoid shape coming into his darkened vision, a deep voice humming in displeasure.

"Quite a few naughty children up here, huh."

As Kaito's body shook violently, the pain too much, too much this time, he barely registered seeing Kokichi's body cry out, stumble and fall...and then Timothy's body, too, suddenly jerked to the right and collapsed. Panic and fear engulfed Kaito. They were dead! They were both dead! His prince and a child were dead! How could he let this happen!? Atua please, Atua save them, Atua PLEASE!

And then a footstep, heavy, deafening, walked right past Kaito's head, and he looked up. And up. And up.

Giants.

In his panicked, pain-soaked mind, that was the explanation his brain provided. Giants from the myths. Great, hulking beasts that casually disguised themselves as hills and mountain sides. The prince and a child were dead, not a few feet away from Kaito's bleeding, crumbled form, and the giants had come.

Was it going to eat them?

Desperate (to what? save them? they're dead, Kaito. You failed) to stop that, Kaito reached out, his body screaming, he was screaming. He shakily, weakly grasped the giant’s boot, trying desperately to hold on, hold it back. Kokichi was dead. The child was dead. Kaito...was dying. His vision blurring, an intense sense of vertigo making him feel as if he were falling a great distance while lying on the ground.

He held onto the boot and rasped out, "L-leave them alone!" hands shaking. A useless effort.

He was falling. No, stay awake! He had to get to Kokichi! He had to wake him (he's dead he's dead something had happened he fell he's dead!)! He had to get the kid! Even...even crying children...

Kaito's grip from the boot failed, and he passed out into the dirt with little more ceremony after that.

...meh, weirder stuff had happened. Fuyuji didn't waste time scooping up the children, Prince Kokichi and the littlest one in one arm, Prince Kaito in the other, carefully rested on the marksman's shoulder while he used the cape to press against the stab wounds and slow the bleeding.

He'd been late. In all fairness, he'd been coming back from the other side of the castle when he heard shouting, but, still. It was his job to ensure that everyone could sleep easy at night, and he'd failed. Prince Kaito had still been hurt.

Not wasting any more time, Fuyuji booked it to the Medical Wing, alerting both Dicean and Luminary healers on the way. And, once Prince Kaito was being stitched back together, the little one kept under a watchful eye until he awoke--wouldn't have more than a bruise and maybe a headache--, and Prince Kokichi carefully brought back to bed with medicine in his system...it was time to alert Aiichi.

--

When Ouma woke up, he regretted it immediately. He felt weak and exhausted, head buzzing painfully and chest heavy. But he still forced his hazy eyes open, landing on the form of their strategist and registering a careful hand around his wrist, measuring his pulse.

"...mm?"

Mikaku looked over at his little sound, smiling in relief. "G'morning, 'kichi. And it still is morning, though not for long."

"Before you go back to sleep, I need to give you some more medicine, alright? Don't worry, it's in tea. But you are on bedrest for today. And maybe tomorrow." The soft circles the strategist was rubbing into his wrist were more comforting than they had any right to be, considering the news.

"...nnno. Too much to do..."

"That other people will take care of," Mikaku easily countered. "The most important thing for you to do is rest. It's what we're advising Kaito do today too--he and Timothy are both alright, by the way. Fuyuji got help before anything got too bad."

"Now, here." Ouma couldn't do anything as Mikaku propped him up and held a teacup to his lips, though he raised a shaky hand to at least try to drink by himself. "Your work is over, 'kichi. Let us do our part now--you can't do everything by yourself."

"Though," he smiled knowingly, pushing his glasses back up from where they'd fallen down his freckled nose. "It's nice to know you weren't by yourself this time."

When Kaito had woken up, the first thing he had noticed, before even opening his eyes, was that breathing hurt. Like...a lot. And his hands were shaking, even though he wasn't doing anything.

The second thing he noticed was a cold, bony hand on his forehead, and when he opened his eyes and saw the Head Secretary there, his already labored breaths caught in his throat. What...why...?

...why was he alone with him?

Kaito's eyes scanned around the room, confirming what he had already subconsciously felt on the hairs of his skin, as the Head Secretary's hand moved from palm down, to knuckle down, feeling out Kaito's temperature. Noticing Kaito's eyes open, the old man chuckled, leaving his hand there for an uncomfortable moment before relenting, leaning back into his chair on Kaito's bedside.

"Awake, are we? About time, really. Quite a bit happening," the Head Secretary said, taking out a napkin and coughing into it a little bit as Kaito just silently stared at him. "I'm afraid there's not much time for sleeping, my prince. I imagine we'll have quite a few trials coming up today." The Head Secretary sighed, a display of sadness that Kaito couldn't quite bring himself to believe. "A few executions too, I suppose."

Executions!? Kaito's whole body tensed even further, fists clenching...and he hacked into a coughing fit, his body unable to handle even that level of tension. "W-who?" he asked, trying to speak and breath through the coughing.

"Oh, some of the children. The ring-leaders, anyway. Definitely the one who you so carelessly let put holes in you. Honestly, my prince, you really must be more aware of your surroundings. If it had been left up to you, Prince Kokichi could have been killed! And that would have just been..." Tengan waved his hand in the air, shrugging slightly, "...terribly inconvenient."

"K...Kokichi's okay?" Kaito asked. The thought hadn't occurred to him yet in his just waking moment, but the relief of hearing that practically crushed him. He had...he remembered thinking... Desperately, he asked, "He's alright!?"

Head Secretary Tengan considered his question with something close to confusion, before smiling warmly, placing a comforting hand on Kaito's arm.

Kaito shivered.

"He's just fine, you're grace. He'll be up and about before we know it. Which is why you must also get back to one hundred percent as soon as physically possible, and honestly probably a bit before that. Wouldn't want to portray the Luminary family as weak, now would we?" He chuckled.

"...you can't...you can't execute the kids," Kaito said, his voice weak and shaking. God, he really didn't feel good. He needed more sleep desperately, and maybe some food, and more than anything his friends. But this was important. He had to pull it together for this.

Tengan raised an eyebrow. "We're not going to execute all of them, my prince, we're not monsters. Probably just three. I think I've already picked out which ones I'm going to recommend. It's to be expected, turning against the Luminary Kingdom. Regardless of your age. A hard example must be set."

The Head Secretary seemed content that this was all that needed saying on the subject, and started to stand. Kaito's hand shot out, grabbing the whole man in a death-grip, his face tight and furious.

"Y-you can't...execute them..." Kaito grasped, his faltering words not betraying the underlying fury behind them. "Y-you can't...put someone o-on trial...f-for...following… m-my orders."

There was a heavy...dangerous moment of silence.

"My prince," the Head Secretary said, warning in every fragment of the words. "I will not allow you to say foolish things. I can stop you."

"Y-you won't...I...I've already told others...my escorts a-are also aware..." Kaito gasped, blood starting to pull at the end of his mouth. "As I had i-instructed...Th-they're...all qualified now... for training..."

"...a-as Royal Assassins."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.

"Aiichi, I swear," Hideki grumbled, his irritation almost visibly growing as the boss tapped on his desk in thought.

"You swear what, my friend?" Aiichi asked with a smile. One that meant nothing. "To help me find a solution to this? Because you've already done so. It's not like you to repeat yourself."

The long-suffering secretary threw his hands in the air and leaned back in his seat before looking back at the leader with a steady gaze. "Kokichi will be fine, he's always recovered."

"He's fragile."

"Kaito will be alright with some rest."

"He was still wounded on our watch."

"We're short-staffed. The war ending will bring the rest of the guardforce back."

Aiichi fixed his secretary with a look that edged into annoyance. "Don't even pretend to see a silver lining with the children. As long as they are in Dicea, we can protect them, but once they cross the border? Neither they nor their parents are our citizens, and unless they decide to stay here, to give up everything they had in their own lives, there's nothing we can do. And providing asylum for Luminary refugees isn't exactly a great show of union, is it."

Hideki deflated a bit, looking at the ground as if it had answers. "Tengan was speaking about execution. For children. More than just the one Fuyuji found in the greenhouse, as if that'd be okay in any way either. It's like they don't care about their people at all."

"They don't," Aiichi said flatly. "Not like we do, anyway. It's always about wealth and image with these folk. Who cares if three, thirty, three hundred have to die if they can keep their power?"

He scoffed, lowering his head. "...you sent word to Sayuu and Aihito?"

Hideki nodded. "Ryouhei sent it out first thing this morning. They should get it before Leon is notified--they'll need all the preparation time they can get to deal with that mess."

"...we'll protect the children, make sure Ko and Kaito recover as well as they can. Hope the Luminary representatives have hearts." Aiichi sighed with finality, rising from his desk. "Hold down the fort, Hideki. I have a prince to apologize to."

There had been a long series of closed curtains and locked doors. Sometimes Maki and Shuuichi were together, more often than not they weren't. Sometimes Maki came out of the room with new, red bandages. Shuuichi had come out of one with a bruise all along the side of his face and a limp that lasted a few hours.

It didn't matter. Their stories never changed.

"Prince Kaito was concerned about the Dicean Royal Family not having any assassins on payroll, as far as he could tell," Maki said, her eyes staring fixedly on the middle distance as a group of large, angry, powerful people asked her to explain it again. "And having only brought me from the Luminary Kingdom, he decided to start recruiting."

"He was afraid that if something happened to Maki, then he and his betrothed would be left with no way to replace her," Shuuichi said, staring at his hands, his shoulders up to his ears, the side of his face aching. "She needed to pass on her skills to others, for a worst case scenario. So, we all reached out to the seven children, and offered them a chance at the position."

"W-whoever made an assassination attempt against me that could feasibly, actually kill me would be picked as Maki's apprentice," Kaito explained to the Dicean representative, who was staring at him in open horror. For the sake of the children's lives, Kaito swallowed the shame that the look gave him, continuing on as if it were nothing, "There have been a few attempts since the contest started, but," Kaito laughed, "I guess Timothy really wanted to win."

"Unfortunately, Timothy is still young and inexperienced," Maki said, a new cut going down her arm. "And Kaito has a sort of 'living legend' status in the minds of the children. When Timothy stabbed Kaito, I'm certain he didn't think it would do as much damage as it did."

"I...I did it in front of Prince Kokichi be-because I ha-hadn't known he was there," Timothy said, terror in his eyes as he tried to remember the story Maki and Shuuichi had quickly fed him when he woke up, before they had been found and taken away. "I-I thought Prince Kaito w-was alone...I...I thought h-he would be i-impressed," Timothy said, tears bubbling up as he clutched at his shirt, his whole body shaking. "I...I thought e-everyone would be pr-proud of me..."

He sobbed into his hands, and the Luminary Advisors sighed.

It was obvious hogwash. A dumb, desperate lie to save the kids’ lives for reasons most of the advisors couldn't even understand...but everyone was sticking to the story. And Kaito was right: they couldn't put someone on trial for following a royal order. Even if that royal order had almost killed the person who had given it.

Kaito was being left alone again, which was good. He hadn't seen anyone he actually wanted to see since waking up. No one was allowed into his room besides officials and nurses, and he wasn't allowed out. He felt bored and stifled. No wonder Kokichi had been driven crazy by this. This sucked.

Taking a deep breath, Kaito got up and made another walk around the room. His footing was still super slow, and his chest ached...but it was progress. He hadn't even been able to sit up when he woke up the first time.

He wanted to see his friends. He wanted to check on Kokichi. He wanted out of this fucking room!

There was a soft knock on the door before Aiichi entered Kaito's room, shutting the door behind him. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see the prince walking around his room. He'd erred in his judgement, but Kaito and Ko were a match in that regard--stubborn, willful fools.

"Prince Kaito? If you will hear me out, I would like to speak with you." The boss was in casual clothes, his hair roughly swept to the side and lacking the crown. Putting together the presentation they'd kept up for the Luminaries seemed insignificant to the night's events.

Bowing his head slightly in regret and remorse, he started with something he wanted to get out even if the prince wasn't ready to listen. "Your safety was entrusted to us, and we let you down. There is no excusing that, no turning back the clock. We are not deserving of your trust again, but, if you would allow us a chance, I would like to work with you to ensure that something like this never happens again. Or, at least, to slim the margin."

"I would suppose those measures start with allowing Maki and Shuuichi entrance to your room." Aiichi offered a small smile to the prince. "I will have a word with your advisors; after all, it seems they need some medical attention too."

There was a spark of anger in golden eyes that were usually so warm and inviting. Except where it came to Kokichi's safety, this whole mess was under Luminary jurisdiction. It didn't mean Aiichi liked it, or would refrain from interfering where he could.

Kaito didn't actually recognize the man who had entered his room for a fraction of a second, before bowing hastily the moment his face sparked recognition. "King Aiichi," he greeted, wincing as his wounds whined at him for the sudden, unstretched movement.

Kaito listened to the apology, wanting to interrupt and assure that he didn't see this as a failing on the Dicean people’s part, but the comment on his friends distracted him, as Kaito's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I was informed Shuuchi and Maki weren't injured in the training exercise at all. I thought they had slept through the incident?"

"Just Aiichi, please," the man said almost reflexively before shaking his head with something almost amused. "Training exercise, right."

"Young man, please sit down before you pull something. Believe it or not, stab wounds usually do not heal by being constantly moved around. Though, perhaps you do know better than me." Aiichi sat on the arm of one of the chairs in the room himself, giving Kaito a grateful smile. "Despite disturbing my staff, it's a clever plan. We can only protect Timothy and the rest as far as the border. However, becoming assassin trainees is in line with Luminary values enough that you've given them full protection. Those kids owe you a lot, Prince Kaito."

The warmth hardened once more, the boss' eyes turning to stone as he explained what he said earlier. "They did sleep through the incident. However, it seems some folks have a hard time believing anything to be truthful if it isn't beaten out of someone." He'd made sure Maki and Shuuichi had been provided with first aid and ice packs, but they really could use a proper look over. And, considering the injuries Kaito had come with that weren't stab wounds...maybe he should encourage other Luminaries to take advantage of the medical wing.

"As much as I'd like to for both your sakes, the wedding hasn't been postponed. Or...if it's still happening at all, it won't be." Aiichi sighed quietly, the man looking his age for a moment. "Based on the preliminary talks, it should still go through. This wasn't a cross-nation incident, and since it's a personal matter between you and Timothy, it's mostly up to you. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see a letter from your father arriving soon."

Ah...so that was why they were keeping him separated from his friends. They hadn't wanted to upset him. Maki and Shuuichi could both handle it, he knew that, but...fuck. He wished they didn't have to.

Maybe...maybe when the Luminary party left...maybe stuff like this would stop happening to them?

The idea seemed far-fetched. Stuff like this was just how the world worked. But the way Kokichi, and the king, and the Dicean people all reacted to it...

...maybe that was one part of Kaito's heritage he didn't have to keep with him in his new home?

Kaito felt his body tense as the king basically openly called out his lie, unable to look him in the face as his eyes drifted to the window. It was sunny out. Too bad his view was just another wall. "I...I don't need the wedding delayed, personally," Kaito said, attempting to stand straighter and square his shoulders, pushing on his Luminary Prince of the Stars persona as he pointed his thumb to himself, grinning through the sweat already starting to form on his face from the effort. "I'm actually feeling fine! The injuries looked way worse than they actually were. Timothy's got those little arms, so the dagger actually only went in, like, this much," Kaito said, putting his thumb and pointer finger together. "About an inch...well," Kaito frowned, widening the finger just a tad, "maybe an inch and a half. I was a little out of it when they told me."

"And the issue with Timothy is settled, as far as I'm concerned. Out of our group of assassin hopefuls, he was easily the most ambitious. I would be surprised if the rest of the group didn't flunk out after a couple weeks of training and just returned to their own lives," Kaito said, shrugging as if it made no difference to him. "Part of me just wants to flunk them now and send them back home with their parents, so that Maki-Roll doesn't have to waste her time trying to train them when clearly only Timothy has any real aptitude for it."

And also Timothy needed to be watched. And also, frankly, probably could use some parents. And maybe a new job now that the war was ending. The Luminary Kingdom's practice of putting orphans to work in specialty fields, like Shuuichi and Maki had been made to when they were all growing up...sure, it made them really good at what they did, now. But...neither of them had ever really had a choice in becoming an Assassin or a Detective, and had been forced to give up their childhoods in pursuits of the career assigned to them. It had been effective, but had always felt...bad. To Kaito.

Maybe that was another thing he'd get to leave behind when he lived here.

...okay, now Kaito was beginning to feel like a traitor. Certainly not everything his kingdom did was bad! They weren't evil! They were just...hard. Salt of the earth people, or at the very least the kind of people who would salt the earth, which could be a very useful war strategy when used sparingly, and...

Kaito frowned, shaking out of his own head. "How is Prince Kokichi doing, your grace?" Kaito asked.

Aiichi sent an exasperated look to the prince. "Please rest. You've been given stitches for stab wounds, you have open cuts across your body, a broken rib, not to mention countless welts and bruises... You don't have to be up and ready to go, Kaito. Allow yourself time to heal--what you can accomplish afterward will be greater than anything you try while pushing yourself to the brink."

"As for Timothy," Aiichi paused for a moment, smiling at what Kaito was actually saying. If he was okay with letting the others go, then they'd be safe going back to Luminary, surely. "If he is to stay in Dicea under Miss Maki's tutelage, we will make more permanent accommodations for him. I need to have a chat with the little go-getter, anyway; may as well ask if there's any room in particular he'd like."

He'd need to be punished, still. But, like in all cases regarding children, the measures would be kinder. Kept under supervision, finding the root of his objection to the end of war and working on that...second chances were far more effective for everyone.

Aiichi's smile faded slightly when Kaito asked after his son, a glimmer of true worry showing through the leader's expression. "He's resting. Mikaku is looking after him, making sure his condition doesn't worsen and making sure he takes his medicine. Once you recover more, you can go see him--with others present, please--, but I'm afraid it's looking like Ko will have to be on bed rest until the wedding day. Thankfully, Fuyuji got help before he stopped breathing, but it was still too close a call."

"Especially when he hasn't slept in days," he grumbled, the exasperation back, but of a more familiar variety. Apparently an issue he dealt with more often than he'd like. The situation hadn't been good for Ko's health period, but if he'd taken things easier than he had he would've been in better shape.

The energy to stand was getting to be a bit too much, so Kaito sat down on his bed, his brow furrowed in confusion. He tried to call the king by his name...but it felt too weird, and he chickened out at the last second. "Your grace," he said, massaging his joints a little. "I don't understand. As far as I've been told, Timothy never actually laid a hand on Prince Kokichi. So...why is he hurt?"

Aiichi smiled without any happiness. "Ko has a lot of health issues, and he does nothing to make them better. He's prone to fainting, which is what happened in the greenhouse, thanks to chronic low blood pressure. It makes him dizzy and lethargic, and it only gets worse when he gets worked up over something. And even worse since he's anemic, too. He'll faint, get nosebleeds that won't stop, have trouble breathing to the point he can't at all, his heart's even stopped a few times."

"We've developed medicine that helps his symptoms, but nothing for the root cause. He's better suited for a quiet, peaceful life, but trouble hurtles towards him like a magnet." The fake smile fell away into worry and regret. "...he's so small. So fragile. And so quick to throw away his life for things that have other ways of being solved. He cares so much it clouds his mind."

"He's probably been worried over you, too." Aiichi picked his presence back up, if a little. "Blood makes him feel sick, so seeing you get hurt over and over can't be good for his psyche. He's been so nervous about the wedding too..."

Anemic? Low blood pressure? Dizzy spells, blood loss, lethargy...wow. Kaito wouldn't have guessed any of that. Sure, he was...he was definitely on the small side. And, he guessed now that he was thinking about it, he was pretty pale a lot too...skinny on top of that. Huh. Kaito could see him growing up a sickly child.

Fragile, though? That was... a weird word for it. Kokichi was a lot of things, but fragile wasn't exactly the first thing that came to-

Kaito's eyes lit up, the lightbulb going off in his head.

"Oh!" he said, without thinking about it, looking over at Aiichi with simple, blunt observance as he asked,

"Is that why you locked him up here?"

"Locked him up?" Aiichi repeated, raising an eyebrow before laughing a little. "Ah, he's probably talked all around it to you, hasn't he. Ko is very good at seeing the world the way he wants to--makes him a visionary, good at thinking up creative solutions! But can blind him a little when he sees things he doesn't like."

"Ever since he was little, we've taken into account his limitations. Made sure he'd always be able to rest, to find help if he felt faint or had trouble breathing. Sometimes that means he can't go out exploring in the city, and, damn, I've lived through more of those tantrums than you'd ever imagine." He smiled nostalgically, as if recalling such an event.

"He can't be as active as his peers, so we've made sure he can live a full life close by. He's already such a wonderful leader, and so many of our friends have been helped thanks to him. There's no doubt that when I step back, our friends can rest easy knowing they're in good hands."

Kaito frowned, not really sure what to do with that. It...it really did sound reasonable, the way the king described it. Any parent would worry about their child if just stressing out too much ended up with them being bedridden. It made sense...

...but Kaito couldn't get that image of Kokichi from last night out of his head. The sheer despair in his voice as he screamed that his father wished he hadn't even been born...

Kaito wasn't sure what to call what he had seen last night. At university, he had been explained the worldwide concept of PTSD, and then informed that it was just a fancy way to explain cowards running away from battles...but everything he had seen last night? All of it had matched the symptoms of that imaginary disease to a T.

He didn't know if it was a wise idea to say that to the king though, not with things as they were. It was just speculation, as Shuuichi would like to say. Maybe Kokichi really just was prone to making a big deal out of reasonable things? Kaito knew he had felt that way about the prince that first sparring match...

...but he didn't feel that way about the event anymore...

"I understand, your grace...but," Kaito said, rubbing the back of his neck as he asked, feeling stupid. "Does the prince have any friends?"

At least one of the kids got it. He doubted it, but maybe Ko would finally get it through his head that the outdoors was too dangerous for him if Kaito explained it too. Sometimes what you wished for--or whined for, in Ko's case--was bad for you. Kokichi had a bright future ahead of him--Aiichi wouldn't let him kill himself before he got there.

Kaito's next question was...surprising. So much so that Aiichi just blinked for a moment in a familiar expression before laughing kindly. "Of course! All of Dicea are our friends, and, on a more in-person level, Ko is friends with everyone who comes to the castle. He hit it off rather well with you and Maki and Shuuichi, didn't he? He can be very charming when he wants to be."

"Ah, he was particularly close with Ikuo, though that's a given since he had been Ko's nanny since he was a toddler. I bet he's excited to see him again--Ikuo volunteered to help the war effort pretty early on."

...like how Ouma described him from the very beginning, Aiichi was a bullshitting idealist. Of course he'd see no reason to doubt the friendships between employer and employee.

Kaito just stared at this man. Dumb-founded.

Random citizens. His nanny. And two official servants to the prince that was required to marry him?

Out of twenty years of life experience, those were the only examples this father, who appeared so invested in his son, could recall when asked?

What about childhood friends? Boyfriends or girlfriends (it was pretty late in the game to ask, but Kaito actually still had no idea up to this point what kind of person Kokichi found attractive)? The friendly rival whose name becomes synonymous with yours because you both drove each other to hit so many milestones?

Nothing? No names came to mind besides the nanny and the three brand new people in Kokichi's life who had, up until the night before, been pretty certain Kokichi hated them??

'Very good at seeing the world the way he wants to', huh? Seems like that was an inherited trait.

Kaito wanted to ask more questions, but it almost felt...pointless. He could see it in King Aiichi's face now. The same look his father got, when confronted with 'impossible' news. But instead of it being about how, no, my king, we can't retake the coast, the numbers are just unfeasible, it was instead, no, my king, your son didn't grow up to be a well-adjusted adult by you stopping all meaningful social and emotional, and yeah, physical, growth through conflict and confrontation.

Maybe that was one good thing Kaito could feel about his own kingdom. They might beat you down, throw you away, destroy you...but no one was ever raised to be helpless. You were expected to fight. You were expected to win.

Kokichi'd been set up to lose from the beginning.

"I understand, your grace," Kaito said, because he did now. Then he stared at his hands a bit, before saying. "A...Aiichi. I understand that my presence here is new, and that I have a long way to go before I establish trust. And I want to earn that trust! Which is why I'd like to talk to you about this now, while it's just the two of us. You see...I've been struggling to pick a wedding gift for your son. Pets, items, gestures...the more I get to know him, the less likely I think any of those things will impress him. So...I think I've found the perfect gift idea for him...but..."

Kaito looked up from his hands, unwittingly giving the king a hard look. "...I think I need your permission beforehand to give it to him. Because I want to establish trust."

"I'm always open to ideas, Kaito. It's true that we don't really know each other, but from everything you've said and done so far..." Aiichi smiled warmly at the young man. "I want to end this war, yes. But you truly seem like the kind of person I would be happy to see standing beside my son. What I said during your proposal wasn't all just politics."

"And about a gift?" he laughed, voice softening. "If you asked Ko, he'd probably roll his eyes and say he doesn't need anything--he really does take after his mother. I don't know if you've gotten the chance to see it, but our observatory was my wedding gift to Miyako. She was an astronomer, you see. A brilliant scientist, a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world that I've only ever seen matched in Ko. She would fall asleep in the university's observatory all the time--some students started a rumor about a ghost in the school for a time because of her."

"She accused me of just wanting to make sure she'd sleep at home once in a while when I showed her." The man was fond, recalling the story. "Maybe it was a little true. But seeing her light up when we opened the wing was my true gift."

Sighing a little, Aiichi shook his head. "I really am becoming an old man, rambling about the past like that. Sure, what sort of thing do you have in mind, Kaito?"

Kaito smiled through the story, and while it was a good one, his nerves didn't really allow him to enjoy it. Now that he had thought of the gift, he was actually positive it was the only thing that Kokichi would really get any joy out of, based on everything Kaito knew about him now. Which was funny, because honestly, it was probably the first thing Kokichi had hinted about himself, back when he was Koh...

"A sense of curiosity and wonder about the world," Kaito laughed, clenching his hands together. "What a perfect point to bring up, since that's the crux of it right there."

"After the wedding, I would like to take Prince Kokichi on a trip," Kaito said, the smile sticking in place. "To the Danganronpa Kingdom."

Aiichi's smile froze. His first instinct was to say no and end the discussion there. Kaito knew how frail Ko was--how could he expect him to make a trip, not just to a different town, but to another country?! And one like Danganronpa...

However, first instincts were rarely helpful.

Danganronpa, for all of its problems, was a neutral party towards both Luminary and Dicea. The chances of running into someone who had been invested in either side of the conflict was low.

And, well... Ko was twenty, now. Maybe it was time for him to see the world through more than just books...but not without stipulations.

"Not right after the wedding," Aiichi laid down first. "There will be a lot to do right after for administrative matters, which, if that were it, I could handle with the others fine. But tensions will still be high for some time. I will ask that you wait a month at least."

"Also, you need to take a healer with you. Who it is I will leave up to your and Ko's discretion, but if he has a flare up on the road, there needs to be someone there who can help him." He didn't like this, but Ko was an adult. One that was about to get married for the sake of his country. If he could make a sacrifice like that, Aiichi could allow him this.

Fixing Kaito with a heavy, serious gaze, Aiichi put a hand over the prince's balled up ones. "You promised to before, but I need that promise again, Kaito. Please take care of Kokichi."

Kaito's smile went from strained and forced...to genuine joy. He hadn't thought it would be that easy. He had expected harsh words, maybe even harsh hands. After all, they were alone, and if Kaito complained to anyone, who would even care? He clutched at his pant legs, eyes shining as his grin practically split his face in two.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Prince Kaito shot to his feet and, not even feeling his injuries now, went over to the King, taking the King's hands and clasping them between his own as Kaito fell to his knees, bowing his head on the clasped hands. "King Aiichi, I swear on my life, my kingdom, and my bloodline. I will take care of Prince Kokichi. He will experience wonders, adventures, and still, he will come to no harm. And when he returns, which will be within the year, he will be tired, tan, and happy. I swear it to you."

Kaito brought his head up, grinning up at the King with simple, pure devotion. "I will not let you down."

Kaito remembered, too late, that the Dicean people found physical gestures like these unsettling, and remembering this, he blushed, letting go of the King's hand and standing up, taking a few steps back as he murmured a small, "Sorry," looking down at the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck. Then he looked up, grinning at the king as he said, "I'm already bursting to tell him, but I'm going to try to keep it a secret ‘til our wedding day. Since it is a wedding gift after all. I humbly ask you hold it close to your chest until then as well, my King. He's..." Kaito's heart soared, "I really think he's gonna like it!"

Aiichi startled at the display the young man put on, immediately trying to help Kaito back up. He'd just conceded to sit down; what if he reopened something?! However...this was a display of gratitude and sincerity, wasn't it. He remembered Hideki talking about something like this.

While it was...a little uncomfortable, for someone to lower themself like this, Aiichi felt reassured to his core. Kaito would not let any harm come to Ko. No way, no how. Of all the reputations of the Momota family that made their way to Dicea...they were truly lucky for Kaito to be the one to join their family. Miyako would've been so happy...

Aiichi gave the young man a soft, genuine smile as he rose, waving the apology off. "I don't know about tan, but I'll hold you to the others. Ko tends to freckle rather than color."

"Thank you, Kaito. For your drive to make my son happy. For making sure he will be safe. I look forward to working with you in the years to come."

--

Ouma was so exhausted it didn't matter, so he had asked Mikaku to part his curtains. And, in between naps that felt more like falling out of reality for an hour or two at a time, he'd watched the strip of light travel across his room until it started to turn golden. He probably didn't have the energy to be bored, but he was, and not even the weirdest of Mikaku's stories could really hold his attention.

...well, the one about the key lime pie sort of did. How did Mikaku even know about this stuff???

But. Still. He was tired of being in bed, he was tired of falling asleep without warning, he was tired of the hand around his wrist, he was tired of drinking tea, he was just so. Tired.

...he hoped everyone was doing alright...

For as little to have happened in it, it was still somehow a long day.

After the king had left, Kaito had paced the room, needing to walk off the happy, adrenaline-based energy that his exchange with the king had given him. He really hadn’t been expecting that to go as smoothly as it had, and now that it was done, he felt invincible. Mission Woo Kokichi was in full effect! If he couldn’t get the guy to like (love?) him by the wedding date, well, then, heck, he had a several month journey to go see the kind of interesting places that Kokichi had been apparently dreaming about his entire life to convince him. It was perfect.

Then he had crashed, and hard. He had fallen asleep, only rousing occasionally when a nurse came in to check on him. At one point, he had felt a hand on him, and heard a soft voice, and thought to himself, ‘My friends’…but even that hadn’t been enough to rouse him.

Then, later, there had been a knock at the door.

When Kaito opened it, he was surprised to see Head Secretary Tengan, who had smiled and asked to be let in. Which he never did. Kaito was never alone with the Head Secretary, not really. There was always someone else around. There had been times where Kaito had worked hard to make sure other people were always around.

Why…was he here?

…why was he here??

…he couldn’t be disrespectful. The Head Secretary was the voice of his father. To turn him away was to turn away the King.

So, of course…despite being uncomfortable being alone with the Head Secretary …Kaito did.

“My Prince.” Head Secretary Tengan bowed, before, unprompted, he went to sit on Prince Kaito’s bed, stretching his shoulders as he sighed. “Forgive me, your grace. I’m at a point in my life where even standing too long is troublesome. I hope you don’t mind and will join me here.”

Kaito forced a smile onto his face, mindlessly wringing his hands behind his back and he wondered why the fuck this was happening, why was he in here, why couldn’t they have had whatever talk the Head Secretary wanted to have in the countless opportunities in the daytime he had had?

Why the fuck was he in his room?

“Of course, Head Secretary,” Prince Kaito said, taking a seat as far on the bed from the old man as he could. Atua give him strength, it was so creepy to have him here… “It’s always an honor to have you.”

The Head Secretary laughed pleasantly, scooting over a bit and patting his charge affectionately on the shoulder. “Head Secretary Tengan,” he mimicked, seeming to roll the words around on his tongue. “You know, as much of a privilege it is to have such a title of importance in the Luminary Kingdom, I’ve never liked what a mouthful it’s made my name. Head Secretary. Ha. What a nuisance. Perhaps I could convince your father one day to change the title to something smoother. Like…Master Tengan. What do you think, Kaito?” he asked the prince, giving him a pleasant smile. “Master Tengan? It’s got a ring to it. Or is that too, I don’t know…self-important?”

Kaito frowned, grasping his hands together and staring at the ground, struggling to look the Head Secretary in the face. Ha ha ha. What a…what a fun call-back to his childhood. What a thing to say to him, as if that wasn’t such a thing to say to him. This was fine. You’re not a child Kaito. You’re a hero! Pull it together! “Well,” Kaito said, popping the knuckles in his hand, one after the other. “Master does mean expert, right? So I guess, in that context…”

“Certainly!” Head Secretary Tengan chuckled to himself. “Ahh, maybe it would suit my position then. Let’s try it. Call me Master Tengan for the rest of this conversation, would you my Prince? To see if it sounds right?”

Kaito massaged his knuckles. Maybe he could just…leave. He was a prince, right? Royal blood, second heir of the Luminary Kingdom. He, technically, totally outranked the Head Secretary. He should go. He should order Tengan to leave. He should…

He nodded. “Yes hea-…uh, yes Master Tengan! Of course,” he said with a grin, as he looked up at the man who was the direct representation of his father, and also a longstanding authority figure in Kaito’s life. He hated how…genuinely he had looked up, hoping to see approval in the old man's face. He remembered being small, and when his father didn’t feel like dealing with his and his brothers squabbles, it was Head Secretary Tengan who would take them aside and…

It had all been for the best. Really.

It wasn’t even like it had been that bad. Why did thinking about it still freak him out so much?? God, it was like he was a coward. It was no different from sparring. He had been in far worse scraps since then!

…as an adult.

…man he really wanted to go back to sleep. “Is that all you needed to speak to me about, Master Tengan?” Kaito asked, sort of hoping it was.

Head Secretary Tengan chuckled, “Yes, yes, Master…I do like it. Word hasn’t arrived from your father yet, by the way. About the marriage. I’m sure the messengers are trying their best, but I doubt his correspondence will arrive in time before the wedding. With that said, we’re going on like planned. You will marry Prince Kokichi…which is why it’s time you and I have this conversation.”

Kaito smiled uneasily. He wished someone else was here. He really wished he wasn’t alone.

“I…I hope you didn’t come all the way up here to give me bedroom advice, Master Tengan.” Kaito laughed nervously, rubbing his bruised and scar-ridden arm. “I hope it’s not too scandalous to say I’m not exactly inexperienced in that department.”

“No, no, I’m afraid this is more of a…well, I noticed some things and have an obligation as your head advisor to speak with you about them,” Tengan said, taking out his old, familiar handkerchief and coughing into it a bit. “I’ve been troubled by some of your efforts around Prince Kokichi, lately. I know that certain things were necessary to establish trust between you, especially do to all this nonsense with the children. But there have been other examples of your behavior that.to be perfectly honest, it’s all been rather…embarrassing…” Tengan sighed, taking out a napkin and wiping at his forehead a bit. “Ah…the terrible things we sometimes find ourselves having to say…”

Kaito looked over him, now thoroughly concerned. What was this about? What was wrong with how he had been around the prince? They were finally starting to kind of get along with each other, if anything. “Master Tengan?”

“My prince…I understand where your head is at. I really do. And it’s admirable, to try so hard to ensure this treaty will work! Truly a heroic effort. But…you’re approaching the issue from the wrong direction.” Head Secretary Tengan seemed to think about his words before speaking, looking at Kaito with a sad, but serious expression. “My Prince…for the sake of the Momota family…Prince Kokichi is a spouse that will need to be controlled. Not accommodated.”

Kaito leaned away from the Head Secretary. Like before, when the General had brought up something similar, his whole body stiffened, and something boiled in his stomach as he asked, “What?”

“I know, I know. I hear how it sounds,” Head Secretary Tengan said, dabbing his forehead again before leaning on his knees, looking over at Kaito with what could be described as almost paternal concern. “But that is the truth of this matter, and it’s something I need you to understand before you share a room and a bed with him. Prince Kokichi’s and your relationship, especially in these early times, will determine in the future how…almost everything goes! Essential trade agreements, potentially violent land disputes, foreign policies! Not even to mention how your heir will be raised will be determined by your family dynamic with Kokichi. And it’s important you establish that dynamic early, and keep to it.”

The old man saw the look on Kaito’s face and sighed. “Kaito, please don’t be upset. I’m saying this for Kokichi’s benefit as well. What good would it do to let him feel like he has a say when you will find yourself so often over-riding his decisions, which you will end up doing often, I guarantee it. The Dicean people, while…resilient, in their own way, are weak. Foolish. They’ve only managed to survive this long by trickery and luck. Frankly, they need a real leader. A strong leader. And Kokichi Ouma…won’t be that leader. So…” Head Secretary Tengan looked to Kaito, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing, “You have to be.”

Prince Kaito didn’t answer. Just stared at the old man, every muscle in his body tense. Wishing to leap.

Head Secretary Tengan noticed his anger. Of course he did. But, entirely unconcerned by it, he continued, “For the good of all, you need to establish the Momota lineage, and you need to do it early! And Prince Kokichi won't just let you do that, you know. He’s got too much pride, too much of his father in him. He doesn’t know any other way of leadership besides King Aiichi’s example, and worse, isn’t capable of learning any other way. He’s going to need a firm hand. You have to understand, your marriage to Prince Kokichi can’t be a union of equals. You must take control,” Head Secretary Tengan stressed, gripping Prince Kaito’s shoulder so tight that Kaito’s shoulder began to shake, Kaito himself wincing at the pain. “It was a hard lesson I had to teach your brother many times, back when you both were younger. And while those were difficult days, wouldn’t you say your brother developed for the best from it? What I did for your brother, you need to do for yourself, now.”

…do to Kokichi what the Head Secretary had asked of his brother…to do to him…

Kaito’s stomach curled.

“…I…” Prince Kaito looked at the ground, not sure what to say. Head Secretary Tengan was the voice of his father. If he said it, it was a given that this is what, roughly, his father would be saying as well… but…Kokichi wasn’t…Kaito couldn’t…

He had promised Kokichi that this wasn’t the very reason he had been sent here. He had assured him. And now, to hear this…from the Head Secretary…from his father…

Kaito couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Tengan’s hand was still on his shoulder. Kaito realized he was trembling and tried to will himself to stop.

The Head Secretary watched his expressions...and chuckled, loosening his grip and nodding. “Do not worry, Prince Kaito. I know you’re confused, and that good heart of yours probably isn’t helping. Nothing anyone did really succeeded in toughening up that soft piece of equipment. But, remember, you’re not in this alone. Myself and the others will have more concrete advice for dealing with Prince Kokichi in the future. Everytime you falter, we, or one of ours who we’ve entrusted to enforce this…will be there.”

Please Kaito…say something.

Say something…

At least stop trembling you coward!

But Kaito couldn’t, just staring at the floor as the mattress shifted in weight. “Thank you for your time, Prince Kaito,” he said, standing up. Kaito, on instinct, quickly moved to help him up, then went to open the door for him. As he watched this, Master Tengan smiled and tutted disappointedly. “Kaito, manners. What do we say?”

Kaito stared at him stupidly for a moment, before memory kicked in, and he smiled, bowing slightly. “Thank you for your training,” Prince Kaito smiled, letting the old man out, “Master Tengan.”

When he got to close the door behind him, Kaito leaned against it, desperately trying to catch his breath. Fuck. Fuck!

…fuck.

--

They had visited Kaito in the morning, who seemed physically way more alert...but also quiet. As they sat with him and informed him of everything that had happened while he was asleep--the interviews, Timothy's confession to them on why he had done it and the extremely flawed logic it had been based off of, the king’s apparently willingness to go along with their charade, and the Advisers’ helplessness to stop it--Kaito had listened to all of this quietly with an exhausted but genuine smile.

"It kind of sounds like we won," Kaito had said, and that was the most upbeat he had been all morning.

There was clearly something wrong, but pushing him to confide in them before he was ready tended to just result in tears and disjointed, nonsensical strings of ideas and worries. When Kaito had thought his problem through more, whatever it was, they knew he would come to them for advice and clarity on anything he hadn't worked out for himself. It just required being patient.

He had thanked them for taking on the interviews and holding true to the lie, and apologized for leaving on his own with Kokichi without telling them. He confessed that he was so used to relying on them that when he was attacked, he had called out for Maki, even though there was no way she could have known he was there.

Maki had turned her head at this, shaking and furious, tears prickling the edges of her eyes. It was an emotional discussion.

Then he had asked them a favor. He had written a letter to Kokichi, since he still wasn't allowed to leave his room. "Could you guys bring it to him for me?"

And of course they had agreed.

It was Shuuichi who knocked at Prince Kokichi's door, calling out through it. "Your grace?" and then, looking around to see if there was anyone nearby, he said, slightly quieter. "...Kokichi?"

It was midday, and Ouma knew not just by looking out his window, but from the clock on his wall which his eyes had finally focused enough on to tell the time. He still technically was supposed to be watched, but Mikaku had taken pity on him and "decided" he needed to stretch his legs for, oh, maybe an hour or so? Maybe he'd even get Ouma something to drink that wasn't medicine-spiked tea!

It was an hour Ouma was going to appreciate to the fullest, so no sleeping! Even if he was still pretty tired.

So, when he heard a knock on his door, he was almost incensed enough to really get angry, though that all faded in an instant when he heard the voice that accompanied it. His voice was soft, even more through the door, but the pair outside could still hear the, "come in."

He smiled at the not-detective and not-assassin, giving a weak little wave to them. "Heya. I was starting to think I wouldn't have any guests. So, so? You guys are here to bathe me in chocolates and flowers, right?"

He'd been told that everyone was okay, but... Ouma's smile faded when he saw the bruise on Saihara's face, the bandages on Harukawa's arm. "...what...what happened? They said you were okay..."

Shuuichi and Maki both glanced at each other. For two people who had known each other most of their lives now, a glance could say a lot. A whole conversation could be had in a glance, for some people.

"We had a sparring accident/The advisers kicked the shit out of us."

Maki and Shuuichi both looked at each other again, this time just annoyed with each other. They were apparently not that sort of people.

"Really, Maki?" Shuuichi sighed, lowering his cap. "There's no need to bother him with stuff like that. It's been taken care of already."

"He would have heard about it from someone eventually. We might as well be honest with him," Maki countered, shutting down his argument.

"Well, it's not entirely right to say the Advisers did this either. Rather, the men they brought in to ask us did. I can see why they thought it would work on me, but it still baffles me they thought they could break you." Shuuichi rolled his eyes, "They literally trained you to deal with that sort of thing."

"Can't have your cake and eat it too. Speaking of, no," Maki said, giving Kokichi a once over. He didn't seem worse than the last time she had snuck in to see him, each time he had been asleep. Didn't seem better either. "Unfortunately, no chocolates. We did bring a letter from Kaito though. He would have come himself to see you, but he's still restricted to his hospital bed."

Shuuichi took out the letter and handed it to Kokichi. "He wanted us to come see how you were doing, but we've been checking in ourselves, actually. The color seems to be coming back to your cheeks!"

"Sure, if you count gray to less gray as an improvement," Maki muttered.

"How are you feeling?" Shuuichi asked.

The letter said this:

Salutations! From the Luminary Prince of the Stars!!

Hey Kokichi! Sorry I haven't come to see you yet. I keep telling them I'm ready to walk around, and then they keep doing annoying things like 'balance tests' and 'gentle pushes' to see if I fall over and then saying I can't go. It's totally rigged! They're absolutely shoving, I swear.

I have a surprise for you!!! I shouldn't say that, because it's a surprise and I can't tell you about it, but I'm really excited to tell you, so telling you that much is a compromise with myself. You are getting a super awesome surprise, from me, Kaito Momota, your super awesome fiance! Look forward to it!!

Anyway, Maki is starting to give me that 'I'm gonna murder you' look, so I better wrap it up and let them take this letter to you. Write me back! Or come visit if you're feeling better! But don't if you're not! There's, ha...always time at our wedding tomorrow!

Warmest regards, your devoted fiance, Future Dicean Prince-Consort of the Stars!

Kaito Momota

(and then, in smaller, shakier hand writing at the bottom of the page.)

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.

Ouma scowled, though it wasn't directed at either of the escorts as they had their little disagreement. That's why he hadn't been told. Prolly thought that if he knew that the Luminaries had tried to beat information out of Saihara and Harukawa it'd stress him out to the point of a relapse, if you could even call it that. Still should've told him.

"That's super shitty," he grumbled, but left it at that. Getting into the same argument over customs would just be a waste of time he didn't want to indulge right now. Especially when... They'd come to check on him? They brought a letter?

Ouma sat himself up a little more, scooting pillows behind him to lean against. He carefully took the letter and looked between Saihara and Harukawa with an innocently surprised look that melted into a grin. "Less grey? Damn. I was hoping to bring 'looking like a corpse' into fashion. Ah well, there's always next time."

In a brief pause before answering Saihara, Ouma opened the letter and read through it, his face going from amused, to curious, to...something indecipherable, though the little 'tch' at the end said something.

"I'm alright, nothing new for me. I would probably be fine not being kept in bed, but I think everyone's been freaked out enough for now. Mostly, I've just been booooored," he groaned dramatically. "But now Shuu-chan and Maki-chan have come to entertain me! And I have a letter to write."

For just a moment he played with the idea of shimmying out of bed to go to his desk, but... Giving the two a less teasing and more sheepish smile, Ouma gestured out to his desk. "Could one 'a ya get me some paper and a pencil? And something to write on. And, in the meanwhile, lemme know what's been goin' on! Even just small, personal things--the world from Maki-chan and Shuu-chan's views."

As Shuuichi went to go get the supplies asked for, Maki went to a wall space closest to Kokichi, leaning against it in a way that wasn't quite...relaxed. But appeared to be making some effort to act more relaxed. Perhaps she just didn't want to seem like she was looming over the bed-ridden prince, as she started to explain everything he might have missed.

"I'd ask you what you already know, but somehow I think it would be several hours before you could respond to that," Maki said, shattering the fourth wall for a little bit.

Shuuichi gave her a stern, disapproving look. "Maki, come on now. It's really tough to put the wall back when it breaks."

Maki smiled with something like a snicker, her angry stoicism betraying some mischief in her as she shrugged. "Apologies. Anyway, I'll just go over everything that's happened since the incident, and you, heh, you be sure to interrupt me if I'm telling you something you already know. Ya know...if you can," she said, ever so slightly rolling her eyes as another crack shattered through the wall.

"Maki!" Shuuichi scolded, handing the supplies over to Kokichi with an apologetic smile. "So, the first thing is obvious, I guess. Timothy was our culprit. It was actually really impressive. He roped in and led all six of the other kids into helping him with a mission to start the war back up, and...let's be honest...it was partly luck that it didn't work. If Kaito had decided to do anything other than follow Kokichi around, if anyone had seen him running around screaming that the royal family had to be killed for being 'sneaky'..." Shuuichi shook his head. "We really did get lucky over and over again. It wasn't a bad plan."

"Too bad it was for such a dumb reason." Maki sighed, knocking her head back against the wall. "It seems Timothy was under the impression that the reason the war was ending was because Kaito wanted to marry you. Not that he was being sent to marry you to end the war. For a nine year old who grew up on the battlefield, I'm certain that probably seemed like the ultimate betrayal to everyone he had known who had fought and died in it. Still...what an idiot."

"He's just a kid." Shuuichi said gently, before smirking at Maki. "And now he's her apprentice."

Maki groaned. "He can barely hold a dagger. He got two blades in Kaito's back, and Kaito's still getting married only two days later. A total failure of an assassination attempt, and now I have to somehow teach the little idiot how to be a real one? Besides, he's too old to start training. Everyone knows you need to start at five. He's gonna be four years behind all of his peers. The other assassins his age are gonna run circles around him."

"They don't have one of the best assassins the Luminary Kingdom’s ever seen teaching them." Shuuichi gently cheered, smiling over at his friend, who just blushed and looked away, scoffing. "If anything, he's at an advantage."

"Whatever," she said, clearly embarrassed by the praise as she continued on. "What else? Hmm...wedding’s still on, like we said, though I gotta assume someone's told you that already… Honestly, besides the Timothy stuff, nothing much has happened. There was this moment, when you both were still asleep and hadn't woken up yet, where it seemed like everyone was holding their breath. Like, an honest to god assassination attempt had occurred on one of the princes...certainly this meant war, right? Would everyone from the Luminary Kingdom suddenly become war prisoners? Would we have to make some sort of violent escape? How would we all manage to get home literally in the middle of enemy territory? I'm sure the Diceans were thinking similar things, but that's what the Luminaries were whispering about. It was...tense."

"And then Kaito woke up," Shuuichi said, daring to take a seat at the very edge of Kokichi's bed, though he was taking care not to jostle the mattress at all, and was ready to spring back up if Kokichi so much as looked at him funny. "And the first thing he did was just...pull it all back together. He just took control of the situation, even from his sick bed. And it wasn't exactly without confrontation."

"The advisers really, really wanted to put the kids to trial," Maki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think they were offended that all of this had managed to happen right under their noses and wanted to establish authority again. Prove they weren't incompetent, that sort of thing. They tried really hard to silence Kaito's lie about why the attempt had happened. Thus, this," Maki said, showing off the bandages, and then pointing at Shuuichi's face, who seemed embarrassed to be reminded of it, lowering his cap, "and that. They thought, if they couldn't get Kaito to cooperate willingly, they could convince one of us to give him up and push him into a corner."

"They were really mad when it didn't work..." Shuuichi said quietly, giving Maki and Kokichi a worried look. "...I think we all may want to be careful of the advisers until they leave. The energy coming from them lately, their body language, the way they steal little glances at us every time we enter the room… I can't imagine what the point of it would be, but...it almost feels like they're planning something against us. Though, maybe that's just me being paranoid… After all, like I said. What would be the point?"

Ouma scoffed quietly but settled down to hear the tales of the waking, only actually interrupting the very beginning with a quiet thanks to Saihara for the supplies. What sort of letter should he write? Ouma kind of wanted to just draw some big, crude picture and send it back, but...Kaito deserved a little more than that. They were trying to make this work. Together.

To My Significant Bother

His handwriting was a little unsteady, but it was clear enough to read. Better than before for sure, since he couldn't even hold a teacup.

Get rekt, nerd. You're finally getting a taste of proper medical care--appreciate it. Revel in it. I don't want the streets bathed in blood, and that includes you spilling your own. Even if you came by to see me and I was asleep, I'd wake up just to yell at you to go lie down. Actually let yourself heal and it won't take as long.

Ouma would've laughed at Timothy's motive had it not led to something so awful. "Are you serious?! I'm insulted that anyone would think I would agree to marry that idiot without some serious stakes involved. Maki-chan really has her work cut out for her."

"Though," and he did let out a tired giggle here, "considering we tend to stop people from being assassins here, he won't have much competition. Or, like, any practical work. Maybe it should be you who needs to go job hunting."

Oh me, oh my, I am absolutely at the edge of my seat. A suuuupriiiiiiise???? I can't believe you'd leave me in such suspense. I thought you loved me. Such betrayal from my own fiance, I can't believe it. Just know I'm going to figure it out sooner or later, so don't wait too long to tell me! >:o)

Any mirth faded from there, hearing that exactly what he'd feared did happen...but Kaito fixed it. Without letting anything escalate into danger, he'd fixed it, peacefully. Ouma didn't acknowledge Saihara sitting on his bed any, too busy refusing to identify the warmth in his chest as pride.

"...it sucks you guys got hurt. I know it's the Luminary way, but that doesn't mean I can't say it's bullshit." Ouma sighed a bit, not thrilled but not caught off guard by Saihara's warning. "...I was worried for a long time that Luminary was going to use Kaito as a puppet to basically erase Dicean influence. He told me straight out that he's not going to do that, and he's the lynchpin in that plan so...it can't happen without his participation. Still...the advisors might try to pressure him or something. I dunno. It's a shitty possibility still."

I'll see you tomorrow.

The Biggest Mistake You'll Be Stuck With Forever,

Kokichi Ouma

PS. There was nothing to protect, dummy. You gonna shrink down and fix my blood yourself? Just don't get hurt next time.

At the bottom of the page there was a childish, cartoon drawing of Kaito and Ouma flipping each other off, wearing their wedding rings on their middle fingers.

At the comment of her position, Maki just raised an eyebrow. "I could never be sent on another job for the rest of my life and would be fine with it, but it's to the benefit of the kingdom to always have people trained and available for the worst situations, rather than having the situation arrive anyway and sending someone who will fail and get themselves killed at the same time. Besides," she said, turning her face away in gloomy annoyance, "just because the royal family now doesn't see a need for professional assassins, doesn't mean your grandchildren won't. No kingdom is always just one thing. The Luminary Kingdom is a prime example of that, considering our kingdom wasn't even a monarchy until four generations ago. Things change. Might as well be prepared."

"It'd be nice if you did never have to go on another job though, Maki," Shuuichi said with a smile, enjoying taking a moment to imagine such a future. "Me and Kaito get really worried about you, especially for the ones where you’re gone for months at a time...especially when you'd say things like 'it'll only be a week or two' to us first..."

Maki frowned, squaring up her shoulders a little...before deflating them. "Yeah," she admitted, "It'd be nice."

"Oh! Hmmm..." Shuuichi touched the brim of his cap, mind whirring as he considered Kokichi's comments on a conversation he and their prince had actually had. It was a valid concern...but if Kaito was already at the point where he was denouncing such a plan… Shuuichi turned to Maki, "We may want to talk to him about that. That could be why we're getting all these looks. If Kaito is, even unknowingly, actively resisting a plan by the advisers to create power here, well...you and me, Maki, we'd be the easiest leverage to use against him. We might want to make certain he doesn't do something stupid, like try to deal with such threats on his own."

"What could they possibly do to us by this point?" Maki asked, re-tightening one of her bandages without much concern. "Especially in the time-frame they have. It's all smiles and hospitality right now, but the second the treaty is signed and the marriage is done, none of the advisers are going to be welcome to stay for much longer. Then, once they're gone, that's it. Pressure done. Even if they were to lock us away and torture us somewhere, we'd only have to hold out a few days before they'd have to let us return. Easy."

Shuuichi shivered, laughing nervously. "M-maybe for one of us, yeah..."

Maki, noting his nerves, suddenly smirked, pushing herself off the wall to stare ominously down at her other best friend for a moment. "Ever been water-boarded, Shuuichi? The rumors aren't true. It's not like drowning. It's way worse...I can show you, if you wanna be prepared..." she said, snickering menacingly as she took another step forward.

"Eep!" Shuuichi, scooted backwards a bit, looking over at Prince Kokichi nervously. "K-kokichi, h-help! Tell her to stop!"

...she did have a point. There had been a time in Dicean history where their jails had been much more full than they were these days. Still, he didn't like to imagine a future where one of his people or their grandchildren would have to be put to death. An end no one came back from. The unique way every single person saw the world, lost.

He hoped Harukawa would have a rather boring time in their kingdom.

Making a face at the mention of torture, Ouma huffed. "The wedding's tomorrow, so you'd only have tonight to worry about. After that, you two will be dual citizens, so we'd technically have the jurisdiction to come after you if anything like that did happen. Not the friendliest thing, but neither is trying to coax a soft coup."

...oh god, the wedding was tomorrow. He'd slept through the last day, so... He didn't have much room to pale, but he did. He was getting married...tomorrow...

Ouma was broken out of the obvious realization from something much more fun to think about. Well. Not water-boarding, but banter. Even if Harukawa might've been partly serious.

Drawing himself up as much as he could, Ouma spoke in his most regal voice, despite the fact he was swaddled in his blankets and pillows and wearing pajamas. "No torture on my bed. Shuu-chan is on my bed, so he has immunity. It's like a home base!"

"Ha! Diplomatic immunity!" Shuuichi said, scooting further onto the bed as Maki gave him a death glare, bumping up a little bit against Kokichi's legs. "Prince says it's so!"

Maki pouted, before shifting her stance, a wicked grin. "If a prince's bed has immunity to torture, then what I'm hearing," she said, reaching out to try to drag Shuuichi off the bed, "is that between here and Kaito's bed, if I get ya off the beds, then it's all fair game."

The Detective kicked Maki's grasping hand off his leg with a flail, before scooting back entirely to the wall, going around Kokichi as Maki glared at him, unable to reach him without climbing in herself, which she was unwilling to do. "Come on, Shuuichi. Stop hiding behind the prince and face me!"

"Kokichi, the letter! I'll make a run for it!" Shuuichi said, holding out his hand.

For all the ominous words, there was a red sort of lightness to the Detective and Assassin's cheeks that suggested they were genuinely letting themselves relax now, as Maki, understanding Shuuichi's play, widened her stance, threw out her arms, and said, "You won't get past me, spy-boy!"

Ouma found himself giggling at the whole game, his whinnies much softer than the outburst he'd had at the last set of antics the escorts went through. He didn't have it in him to guffaw as much as he had, but, wow, Harukawa and Saihara sure were something special to make him feel happier than most times he could remember.

Holding out the letter for Saihara to take, Ouma slumped disappointedly, though his grin and giggles gave the whole act away. "Awww, Shuu-chan doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in my bed? Bummer. We could've had a sleepover! I've never had one before."

Even if he could hear the faint siren call of taking another nap, Ouma rolled to his side and sat up a little more, pumping a fist in the air. "You can do it!! The underdog always wins! Run, Shuu-chan, run!"

Shuuichi considered all of his possible moves, all the most likely outcomes. Dive right, she would match it, and probably quickly. Feint right but move left? If he was lucky she wouldn't read it in his eyes, but he typically wasn't, so no-go there. Best bet... yep.

Bracing himself against the wall behind him, Shuuichi did a quick prayer to any god that would have him, and leapt, going straight forward on a collision course with Maki.

Thankfully, his gambit mostly worked. More concerned about bracing herself and catching his fall, Maki let him collide with her chest, falling backwards with him on top of her. Making no short work of the time difference between getting up from a face down position and her getting up from a face up position, he scrambled off the floor and ran down the hallway.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here you-!" Maki said, hurling herself over onto all fours and preparing a burst run when she heard, in the distance, Shuuichi call back.

"Gotta bow to royalty before you leave the room!"

Maki's whole body flinched, shaking as she wanted to run after him...but her training kicked in and with gritted teeth, she turned around, bowing low as she shouted, "Excuse me, Prince Kokichi!" before turning around and running off, shouting, "What was that!? DO YOU WANNA DIE!??"

And the two were off.

Kaito's room actually, when all was said and done, was not that far from Kokichi's, which was probably the only reason Shuuichi wasn't caught by Maki's greater speed before he managed to get there. Not bothering to knock, he flung the door open and, feeling her presence right behind him, making a grab for his jacket, Shuuichi LEAPT into the extremely surprised, slightly panicked Kaito's bed, who, having no context of the situation, put his arms in front of Shuuichi's form and said to Maki in Dad’s voice, "Maki, stand down!"

She immediately stopped, her whole body shaking and trembling...before she couldn't help herself, and burst out into laughter.

From behind the extremely confused Kaito, Shuuichi started giggling as well, as he called out, "Base! I have immunity!"

"Whatever. You cheated," Maki said, crossing her arms as she took a few steadying breaths. "If I didn't catch you, you would have broken your neck skydiving into the ground. You're lucky I'm so merciful."

"That's a word for it," Kaito muttered, grinning as he relaxed, realizing this wasn't Maki having another one of her 'episodes'. "Geez, I haven't seen you guys like this since, I don't know? We first started the trip down here? What's got you guys in such high spirits?"

"Why not?" Shuuichi said, catching his breath as he handed the letter to Kaito, who grabbed at it eagerly. "It's your wedding tomorrow. The war's basically over in, maybe, twelve hours? We essentially saved a group of children from themselves, which was pretty freaking heroic. And, cherry on top, the prince you have to marry, not to mention the kingdom he represents, might actually be...not the worst?"

"He's growing on me," Maki admitted, sitting on the edge of the bed, now, too, immune from torture. "It does sort of feel like we've won, doesn't it? I mean, we have to remain vigilant, of course, but...I feel like the really hard part might be done with, and it's just teething and growing pains from here."

"Yeah..." Kaito said, looking down at his hands nervously before...finally just deciding to say it. "Hey, guys? Ma-" He stopped himself. Wow. That had become a habit...real fast. Correcting himself, he said, "Head Secretary Tengan stopped by yesterday and said some...kinda scary stuff. And I don't...I don't really know what to do about it."

"What'd he say?" Shuuichi asked.

Kaito explained.

"Enforcers, huh," Maki said, going over in her mind all the people who had been brought along with the party, trying to imagine who they could be. "Kind of hard to force someone to abuse their husband. I can't imagine how they think they can pull that off."

"Ugh. Did you have to use the 'A' word." Kaito shivered, cracking his joins again anxiously. "I'm not going to! I promised Kokichi already that this wouldn't turn into that. But yeah. The Head Secretary, I think, could pretty much read it on my face that I wasn't going to do it, and he didn't seem worried."

"Even if they brought 'enforcers', no one we brought here is staying besides Kaito, me and Maki, and now Timothy," Shuuichi pointed out. "Maki and I staying to escort you was part of the negotiations. Everyone else is going home after this."

"Maybe...some of the Diceans, then?" Maki asked, though even she seemed uncertain of her reasoning. "If the advisers have convinced or paid off anyone already here in the castle staff to spy for them, they'd have consistent correspondence letting them know if you were...I don't know? Taking leadership away from him? I'm not even sure I can quantify exactly what it is they want you to do."

"I think just brow-beat him into not making any official decisions anymore. That's the best I could figure, anyway." Kaito said, "But even if they could spy! Why do they think they can make me??"

"No idea. Maybe it's a bluff?" Shuuichi asked, fiddling with his cap. "One last desperate attempt to control you?"

"Maybe...but there's something I'm even more concerned about," Kaito said, rubbing at his temples. "Do I...do I tell Kokichi? I promised him this exact scenario wasn't the case. Wouldn't telling him what I know now make it seem like I was lying to him? We're just starting to get to, like, a point where we don't want to kill each other. Wouldn't that undo all the hard work!"

"...I don't think lying to him on purpose to cover up a lie you didn't even know was a lie is the smart choice here." Shuuichi said, "And we've only just started gaining his trust. I think you should tell him. The sooner the better."

"I'd recommend after the wedding, personally, when the advisers aren't around to make him feel uncomfortable." Maki said, "But there's merit to doing it before too. It's up to you."

The three of them sat in silence for a bit, weighing the options. It was, honestly, a real buzzkill.

"So...what does his letter say?" Shuuichi asked, pulling up his knees and resting his head on them.

Kaito opened it up, reading it down, his expression tense and serious. The two watched him as a moment passed...then another...

"Oh my god, guys. Oh no..." Kaito said...and burst into tears. "It's really cute!!"

The two stared at him in shock as, still crying, Kaito handed the letter to Shuuichi, he and Maki reading it at the same time, as both turned red.

Shuuichi grabbed at his heart, as if he was gonna have a heart attack, face beet red and lowering his cap. "Oh no, that's too much." He said, "You can't tell him, it'll ruin everything!"

Maki, whose hair was floating from intense energy, this time less due to murder and more due to being overwhelmed by the CUTE, shouted, "Are you kidding! I change my mind! You need to tell him as soon as possible! You cannot risk his trust!!"

A total mess, the three idiot friend group all squirmed on the bed, just overwhelmed by the cuteness proximity. Finally, Maki took out one of her daggers, grabbing for the paper. "It's too much! We can't have something like this here! It'll destroy us!"

"No, no, don't you dare!" Kaito said, grabbing the letter from her and shielding it with his body. "Relax! I'll put it in a drawer! Where its radiation can't get to us! Everyone just chill!"

And then he did so, and everyone did, in fact, chill for a bit.

"I'll see if I can't sneak out tonight and see him before the wedding," Kaito decided. "He's one of us now. He deserves to be in the loop."

"Agreed," Shuuichi said.

"I guess," Maki conceded.

And it was decided.

Ouma just shook his head as his giggles calmed, left by himself again. They definitely were fun. Kaito too, sorta. Maybe more once the Luminary Party left and everyone could relax. Once there was no more war, and everyone came home.

...who...could come home.

...too depressing to think about right now. That could be a later problem. With a small yawn, Ouma maneuvered one of his pillows into his arms, holding it to his chest as he curled up on his side. For now, he could pretend everything was okay.

The wedding was too soon for anyone to meddle with things, and the person he was marrying wasn't a total jerk. Was someone willing to try and understand, which was better than some 'perfect' person anyway. Two of the new additions to the castle were brilliant, fun idiots who had started to relax enough to play with him. He...didn't feel alone.

Not being alone...huh. What a concept.

By the time Mikaku returned, Ouma was fast asleep, a faint smile on his face and Kaito's letter held loosely in his hand. With a smile of his own, the strategist pulled up his blankets and set the letter and the cup of juice he'd brought on Ouma's nightstand.

While he still took intermittent naps, Ouma was able to get up from bed himself, to eat dinner at his desk and speak with his normal volume. He'd be back in gear for the next day.

He should be sleeping some more, but Ouma--left on his own for good this time, since he was doing better--sat in his window seat with the curtains wide open, looking up at the stars. Just a few hours...

Two things happened that night. They happened...roughly at the same time.

Kaito snuck out of his room, standing down a guard who was very specifically meant to keep Kaito in his room, but had also been a casual drinking buddy during their long trip and had only grumbled a bit when Kaito had left.

And Maki, for once sleeping in her own given guest room, shared with a few of the other servants, received a visitor, who chuckled politely at her startled expression and gently guided her outside.

It wasn't hard to get to Kokichi's room after that, and if there was someone guarding his room as well, Kaito didn't spot them. Gently, Kaito tapped at the door to see if the prince might still be awake, and not sure what he would do if he wasn't.

Ouma perked up as he heard a noise from his door, unsure if he'd just imagined it. No one ever bothered him at night. No one bothered him during the day either, unless it was on orders from Aiichi. But...there were a few people now who would seek him out of their own volition.

Padding over to the door, Ouma didn't open it up just yet. Considering everything that had just literally happened, it'd be better to show a little caution. "Yeah?" he murmured through the door. Either the people he was thinking of would answer, or it'd be silent and he'd just go back to the window. One of the guardforce or his father's advisors coming to check that he was asleep wasn't an option he considered at all.

...

"OooOOOooh!" ooo'd a ghost, "I'm a tap-dancing ghooOOooost."

And to prove his point, the ghost tapped his feet a little. Not...not very well, actually, listening to it himself.

"I'm ouuuuuut of praaaactice."

Ouma rolled his eyes and opened the door. "You better get in here before she gets offended and decides to haunt you in particular. She was friends with my mom--who knows if she leaves the theater to check out what's going on over here?"

Walking back over to the window anyway, Ouma figured Kaito would have the sense to close the door behind him. They'd be sharing a room tomorrow, but for tonight it was still pretty damn inappropriate for them to be alone together. In a bedroom, no less. How scandalous~

"Did Shuu-chan actually make it to you in one piece? I can't imagine how he bowled Maki-chan over bought much time."

"Nah, he died. We're gonna give him a moment of silence at the wedding tomorrow," Kaito said, closing the door quietly behind him, before giving Kokichi a nervous grin. "Kidding! He's fine. Believe or not, even Maki has her limits. I don't think I can recall her ever putting a genuinely rough hand on Shuuichi," Kaito said, not counting all the times he had accidentally gotten in the cross-hairs of one of her and Kaito's blowouts or games. He was basically asking for it then. "He's, ya know...sweet. Not really a fighter. I mean, he's physically capable of it, he's trained. Just never got a taste for it."

Kaito looked around the room and was either surprised by how little it seemed to reflect Kokichi's personality, or was amused by how much it reflected Kokichi's personality, based on what it looked like. Either way, he thought it was a nice room.

"Hey," Kaito said, following Kokichi to the window, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know you said not to visit, but there's something I wanted to talk to you about, and honestly, I'm not sure how many opportunities we'll actually get to talk tomorrow? It's my first wedding, so I decided to just assume the worst and come see you now."

"Can I sit?" Kaito asked, pointing to the empty spot on the other side of the window seat.

Ouma looked around his room as Kaito did, realizing it was the first time he'd seen it. It normally looked...quite a bit different, but he'd had to clean it for the Luminaries' arrival. And. You know. Because Kaito would be moving in too.

There were several bookcases all packed with books of all kinds, fantasy, atlases, biographies, grand adventures, and all of Fukawa's trash novels too. However, the books only took up space to the fourth shelf of each bookcase, presumably because Ouma couldn't reach any higher without assistance. Normally the higher shelves kept small trinkets he'd gotten over the years, supplies to fuck around in the castle, and, honestly, what most people would consider trash. It'd all been consolidated to a shelf or two, haphazardly packed together, the rest left empty.

Any empty space on the walls had been covered with maps and theater posters, some flyers from town long faded. However, the majority of the sporadic wallpaper were drawings and letters. Letters from people all over the country, thanking Ouma for his previous help, some from random people just describing their usual days, and quite a few written in the same scratchy hand that probably weren't meant for the average eye, but neither sender nor receiver cared. One of the few things Ouma and Iruma ever agreed on.

Judging by the doodle he'd made on Kaito's letter, it was obvious that all the drawings were made by Ouma. Some a little more realistic, views from the window they were now sitting at, but most cartoon-y, far-off fantastical places and eccentric characters living there. A few almost comic-like pieces of castle staff, and one of Ouma himself with a man that wouldn't be familiar to Kaito at all.

The rest of the room was rather barren now. A work desk with writing supplies. A large bed. A window seat and a couple spare yet plush chairs. A fireplace well-used in the winter.

"Mhmm!" Ouma hummed, gesturing to the rest of the window seat. "This isn't you chickening out, is it? That would suck for literally every single person involved, even tangentially. Or..."

He lowered his voice, teasing smile fading. "Have your advisers talked to you about gross stuff?"

Kaito winced, taking a seat and pulling up his legs to sit criss-cross style, leaning into the barrier between the window and the wall to look down at the view. It was actually gorgeous. You could see the whole town from here, and even further out fields and trees, the roads that the Luminary Party had taken to get here. Kaito realized, with a bit of surprise, that it was totally feasible that Kokichi, from this place, could have seen the campfires and outlines of their caravans, taking rest outside of the town in the far distance.

The stars were still here. That was always a good sign. Kaito could feel assured, so long as that was always true.

"...yeah," Kaito admitted, worrying the joints in his fingers again. His hands ached from the events of the last few days, but that wasn't anything new. The dull ache was one of those background pains, the kind Kaito always carried with him. Easing his joints by popping them was also one of those mindless habits now, something he wasn't really aware he did. "Yeah, they did."

Gaining his courage, Kaito turned to face Kokichi, putting his hands on the surface they sat on and bowing his head. His hair, having fallen into disrepair from his bed ridden status for the last few days, was now loose enough to fall uncomfortably over his face, as he said, "I'm sorry, Kokichi. I...I was naive. I really thought!" Kaito clenched his fists, shoulders tense and shaking as he got more and more frustrated thinking about it, "I really thought that I had been sent here with no ill intent. Honestly, I don't even understand why they would have brought it up this late! I swear, no one told me what I was being sent here to do...at least...ya know..." Kaito slumped, disappointment filling him as he admitted, "...not in a way I would have understood anyway..."

Kaito looked up to Kokichi, looking for signs of rage. Of disgust. And just...couldn't read him at all. It was, like he said earlier...intimidating. "I'm really sorry," he said, bowing his head again.

Ouma sighed, but he didn't feel tired. He'd been sleeping for almost two days--he wanted to be awake for a while, dammit! Though, having seen this coming, it wasn't exhausting.

"Why are you apologizing?" Ouma asked, slowly reaching forward to gently tip Kaito's head back up. "They're not sorry, so why are you apologizing for people who don't feel remorse?"

"If you're here to tell me that you're going to usurp me anyway, even feeling like shit about it, then you really are a coward."

Ouma looked over his betrothed with sympathy but not a trace of pity. To feel like he was forced into this position was...awful. But Kaito wasn't a puppet. "Kai-chan, you promised me that you weren't here to take power for the Luminous Kingdom. That's not why you are here. Your advisers are here to make sure the treaty is valid, and that's it. Anything else they think they can meddle with is their own issues, and nothing to do with you. If they tell you to do something you don't think is right, ignore them. Part of being a leader is knowing bad advice when you hear it."

"But, if you are a coward and a promise-breaker, the kind of person that doesn't make their own decisions, then thanks for telling me, at least. I can get started on counter-measures."

Leaning back from the prince, Ouma crossed his arms and watched curiously for what Kaito would choose.

"...if you did have to counter me..." Kaito said, looking up at Kokichi, his eyes...unusually serious, even in contrast to his more serious moments in the past. "Could you do it?"

"I mean, it wouldn't be hard, right? You have the love of your people, for one. They all seem to adore you. Plus, your father expects you to be the one to take the helm when he ends his reign, if the conversation I had with him is any indication. Which is for the best, since you're better trained to be a leader than I'm pretty sure I was ever meant to be. So if...if..."

"If I couldn't be strong, you would be okay anyway, right?" Kaito said, losing his courage and looking back down at his hands again, a whirlwind of emotion running through him. He wanted to fight something. He wanted to put his Prince of the Stars persona back on and hide behind that for awhile. He wanted to lie to Kokichi and assure him nothing could convince him to betray his trust.

...but none of that would help, and Kaito had told his friends he was bringing Kokichi into the fold. That meant telling him everything, as Kaito understood it.

"I'm...I'm not that smart, Kokichi. And I can be brave. Really brave, honestly! But...when I'm put into a corner, I usually don't know how to get myself out of it. I usually need Shuuichi, or Maki, or countless other people to help get me out of binds. Because, again, I'm just...kind of an idiot."

"But!...as long as I have help?" Kaito said, pulling his fist next to his chest, a look of determination on his face. "As long as I have my friends? Yes, I can swear to you that I'll keep my promise! That I'm dedicated to supporting you!" Kaito said with a grin, The Voice edging in there at the very end.

The grin fell away as, ashamed of himself, he continued on. "But the guy who told me this...who said I have to be a certain way with you? He...he's always been really good at isolating me. At putting me into corners that I just can't get out of. And I just...I just don't want you to be unprepared," Kaito said, the shame burning at his stomach and stinging at his eyes. "I just don't want you to be unprepared in case I fail."

"It would kinda suck," Ouma admitted, looking out the window again. "We all have different opinions, of course, but I'm used to everyone wanting the same outcome when it comes to leading Dicea. That's why they're here. Why I'm here. The person most suited for the job does it, and for this job, it means we have to care about every single person in the kingdom. Even if they hate us, or want us dead, or think they could do better. We have to make a place where everyone can live happily."

"That is the reason for Dicea."

Ouma was broken from his resolve for a moment and looked back at Kaito in surprise. He spoke with Aiichi? ...if Kaito could do that and still come out himself...

"I could fight you," he said with a smile. One that said what he was saying was the truth. "I could fight you, and Shuu-chan and Maki-chan, and whoever else is putting you guys into that position. I'll do whatever I need to for my country, a-and...and I can fight for my, um. Maybe. Friends, too."

Ouma flushed pink, looking off to the side again, messing with the hem of his sleepshirt. "...I was prepared to marry someone I hated who opposed me at every turn already. That it's not to that extent...it's an easier job, actually."

"...you'll be a Dicean, too, tomorrow. At least partially. You should get to live happily here too."

Kaito watched him talk, mesmerized. He still, honestly, didn't understand how a kingdom like that could survive, let alone fulfill half of its ambitions...but if Kokichi really, really believed that he could do it, when it was his turn to reign...

Well. Maybe Atua had sent him here, to this place, so that the Momota family could learn a better way of doing it then.

At the last line, Kaito balked, chuckling nervously to himself as he clutched his pants, balling the fabric in embarrassment. Kokichi was so hard to look at sometimes, and it didn't help when he said things like that...looking cool and put together...beautiful, honestly...

"If...if you say you can fight me..." Kaito grinned, chest soaring with genuine relief as he drew his fists to chest, his muscles flexing and tightening in pure excitement as he said, "Then there's nothing to be worried about! It doesn't matter if I'm tricked, or cornered, or whatever! If the advisers want to make me a weapon against you, well, I'm personally gonna have a blast watching you kick our asses!"

Perhaps that was a weird thing to say with such...enthusiasm...but Kaito didn't care. He was so pumped now! If Kokichi said he could fight him, then Kaito believed Kokichi would win. It was as simple as that!

As Kaito calmed down, he continued, somewhat sheepishly, "Not, that, I want it to come to that. And the threat was suuuuper vague, so honestly I'm not sure if the Head Secretary even has a plan. Maki thinks he might have been bluffing as a last ditch effort...though, that's not really like him..." Kaito considered the stars in the sky for a second before grinning. "Not that it matters now, I guess."

Kaito looked back over to Kokichi, the light shining and putting the small prince in this sort of...silver glow, that just bathed over him as he sat there in his... sleeping clothes...a lot of his legs exposed...huh. This was...probably the most exposed Kaito had seen Kokichi yet...

Kaito's face burnt bright red, and as was his wont to do when he got a tad too engrossed at looking at Kokichi, he slammed his palm into his eyes. "Uh..." Kaito said through the space in his arms, waiting to calm down before he would drop them, "..so...we're okay? We're not back to being mortal enemies again?"

Ouma let out a snort, raising his eyebrow at Kaito. All...built up to be larger than life. "Please be a little worried. Maybe then you'll see something coming--it's more fun to be in cahoots than to plot something on your own. And, if they do try something, I doubt all this would have to come into play anytime soon. Aiichi's not even in his forties yet, despite being an old fart. Jerk's a big ol' control freak, so I'm not gonna have to step up for a long time."

In the best-case scenario, anyway. Ouma wasn't always a fan of how his father carried on, but he was a good leader. Despite the war, under Aiichi's guidance Dicea had flourished. He'd taken over at 16 when their last leader had unexpectedly passed away, and now, 23 years later, the man didn't show any weariness towards his duties.

Ouma thought back to how Aiichi had stood up for him when they talked about name changes. If it would threaten Dicea, he'd have his father and every other person that loved their home to back him up too.

Shifting a little, crossing his legs off to the side of the bench, Ouma regarded Kaito for a quiet moment. For the first time in...far too long, he felt...comforted. Secure. Even with everything that might happen, they'd make it through. The two of them. Kokichi and Kaito. Kohtalon and Caleb.

...he could marry this man.

Especially when his hair managed to look even goofier when it was down.

Ouma laughed a little, patting out a gentle beat on Kaito's elbows as he pressed his hands into his eyes. "Mortal enemies? While I do like the sound of that, how about...partners in crime? We're okay, Kai-chan. Though I think we'll be even more okay tomorrow."

Looking out of the window again, Ouma returned his hands to his lap, clasping them nervously. "...or is it today already?"

Feeling his heart calm down a little, Kaito took a breath and let his hands fall, feeling better about everything. "Honestly, I have no idea. But it is late, and man, it's probably going to be non-stop tomorrow. I should be getting back," Kaito said, standing up and stretching. "I'm glad I came though. That was a lot to get off my chest. It's gonna make it way easier to enjoy tomorrow!"

Kaito looked down at Kokichi, argued with himself a little...and then leaned down and, as quick as he could get away with, kissed Kokichi on the corner of his forehead. He then took several steps back very quickly, chuckling nervously as, beet red, he gave Kokichi a wink and a thumbs up. "There! Now the very first time we've kissed won't be our wedding day! That takes some of that pressure off, huh?"

Then, not knowing what else to say, Kaito said, "Okay, bye." Before heading out the door.

Sending Kaito something of a smile, Ouma hummed in agreement. Both that this was a nice talk to have, and that it was probably far too late to stay up. He didn't particularly want to go back to bed, but he couldn't be running on fumes tomorrow. The city, people traveling from other parts of the country, the Luminary Party--they'd all be there, watching. Seeing the moment the war ends.

They were ending the war.

The hopeful smile was just for himself. No one would have to meaninglessly die anymore...

And then all thought came to a screeching halt.

His bangs were messily splayed over his face, but Ouma felt the lips on his forehead clearly, his eyes widening and mouth falling open in shock though he did...nothing. How could he do anything?! Was he supposed to do anything?!

"A...a..."

Ouma didn't even start to move until Kaito had already fled, covering his red face and letting out a flustered whine. That wasn't even a kiss! It was something Ikuo used to do before he tucked him into bed, it was just!! But it still managed to get his heart pounding. Managed to make the squirming in his stomach so present that Ouma had no choice but to acknowledge it.

He was getting married in a few hours. They'd have to kiss.

Before he could work himself up any more, Ouma scuttled back into bed and willed himself back to sleep, his blush only fading once he was out.

When Kaito woke up the next morning, he was actually feeling great. Totally revived! Sure, he still had to be careful of his injuries, because stab wounds, shockingly enough, didn't close up in two days...but honestly he barely felt it, his whole body already cackling with adrenaline.

Getting dressed was going to be a pain, but Kaito had his wedding armor already prepared. In a way, he kind of wished it wasn't armor...he hadn't thought anything of it when he first left Luminary and been instructed what he was going to wear for the big day, but now, wearing armor as his wedding outfit seemed...in bad taste.

But, it was too late now. Maybe he could argue that the ceremonial sword didn't need to be a part of it. Kokichi would at least see he was making an effort that way. He had to get into the shower quick, no doubt Shuuichi and Maki would be here soon to get ready with him, and if Maki got into the shower before he did, all the hot water was going to be-

There was a knock at the door, and Kaito raised an eyebrow at this. They knew they could just...walk in.

Heading to the door, Kaito opened it up, and was relieved to see Shuuichi, who...looked...tense.

Then he opened the door further, and saw a mess of servants, along with Secretary Chisa and Head Secretary Tengan. Behind the mess of people was the General, leaning on the back wall, apparently just annoyed to be part of whatever this was as the Head Secretary chuckled, being the first to walk in, Shuuichi quietly following in behind him.

"Forgive us, Prince Kaito. I know you usually prepare for the day with just your escorts, but considering the circumstance, I thought it might be a good idea to get you some extra assistance in preparing. Go ahead, you all," he said to the servants, who all bowed to him before moving to Kaito.

Kaito was led to a chair and guided to sit down, his hair being worked by one person, his nails, to his surprise, being cleaned and polished by two others, as three more servants went to put another polish and shine onto his outfit, all while the secretaries watched this, pleased to see it all running smoothly. Kaito spotted another servant preparing some face makeup and said, "Uh, I don't usually...need any makeup?"

"I'm afraid the events of the last few days have put bags under your eyes, my prince!" Secretary Chisa tsked, clapping her hands together as she smiled down at him. "Don't worry, it'll look natural. Nothing like that mask they cake onto your betrothed. Honestly," the secretary said, rolling her eyes.

"I, gah!" Kaitoi gasped as his hair was pulled back--apparently his hair was going to be brushed back for this? Huh. "I think Kokichi's makeup suits him."

"Oh, I'm certain you do, dear," the secretary said absentmindedly as she went to go look over the clothing, pointing out little flaws and inconsistencies that, she assured the servants, were absolutely there and would need buffing out again.

"Now, it's going to be a busy schedule today. Be ready to get through breakfast quickly, if the wedding ceremony really is to start this afternoon, at 3. Before all that, we have to do your binding ceremony well before lunch, which hopefully shouldn't take too long. Then, once the afternoon ceremony is done, we'll be having a reception that you can expect to last well into the evening. Then the consummation parade-"

Kaito managed to shake off the hair stylist long enough to glare at the Head Secretary, gritting his teeth as he said, "No, I talked to father about that before we left, remember? We're not doing that. I know for a fact the Diceans haven't signed off on it, and we're not going to just spring it on them."

"Ah, yes. I suppose you did talk to your father, didn't you. Apologies, my prince, I forget things in my old age." The Head Secretary sighed, lining something out in his notes as he read from a large journal. "Shame though. Back in my day, people really looked forward to consummation parades! Good, raunchy fun! Ah, the new generation. So sensitive about everything. Anyway, strike it from the list! How's the armor coming, Chisa?"

"We'll get there soon! Just waiting for the ladies here to comprehend what I'm telling them," the secretary said, her voice a heavy mask of cheer as she clapped again, saying, "Alright, ladies, third time’s the charm I guess? Really try this time, okay? I'm sure you can do it!"

Kaito sighed, just riding the wave of this nonsense as best he could, looking over to Shuuichi, who was standing, essentially, at attention in the corner of the room, waiting to be called on. "Shuuichi! Hey, where's Maki-Roll, man? You should go help her get dressed, since apparently I'm, uh, being taken care of."

Shuuichi looked at him, full of wordless concern. But before he could respond, the Head Secretary said, "He should go get himself ready, at any rate. Go on then, young man, your services aren't needed right now."

Shuuichi's distressed look only increased...but he bowed to the Head Secretary, giving Kaito one last desperate look before heading out the door.

"So...what about Maki?" Kaito asked, feeling suddenly very, very alone in a room full of people.

"She's been sent on assignment," the Head Secretary said, looking over the work of the servants as they started the makeup process. "I'll explain after everyone is done. Now stop moving your lips, my prince! No need to make their work more difficult, is there?"

Kaito swallowed, hands shaking in the grips of the manicurists, who had the decency not to bring it up as they continued with their work.

...Assignment?

Where?

...Who?!

"Fuuuuuck, I'm so glad I started using waterproof makeup years ago--maybe we do learn from adversity, hm? I just can't believe it! Like, yeah, it's for politics and all that, but you're getting married, Kokichi! God, don't look at me during the ceremony, okay? I'm just going to be sobbing the whole time."

Denji might've sounded emotional, but they took their job as seriously as usual and Ouma only grunted as his outer obi was wrenched as tight as it could go. He knew it had to be tight to keep every layer of yukata in place, but he was still feeling a little...smothered. "Ju-just for that, I'm going to be staring at you the whole time. Yell to every person that comes by to look at the peacock weeping like a baby."

The stylist rolled their eyes as they spun Ouma around, fixing each little bit of his collar. "Please. You're going to cry too, I know it."

"Suuure. I'm gonna get sooo emotional over a guy I met four days ago."

"That you've been spending more time than necessary with. Sneaking out at night with." Ouma looked away with a sneer, though Denji took that as a win, sitting him down so they could work on his hair. Make a braid across his hairline to sweep behind his ear and tuck the rest of his ends into it, decorate it all with small pins that had charms made to look like stars, and situate his crown behind the braid. Gorgeous! "You can't tell me you're not at least okay with marrying that hunk."

"I suppose there are worse options. Still not gonna cry."

"I don't lose, little princeling. I look forward to seeing you blink back tears at getting to spend the rest of your life with the man of your dreams."

Ouma snorted in disbelief, even with the wriggling in his stomach urging him to cup his hands together for security. "He's pretty, but that's pushing it. Just man of my convenience."

"Don't let him catch you saying that; he seems like the jealous type."

The two giggled together for a moment, comfortable in the routine.

This... He'd be okay. Or, he thought that until Denji was applying his lipstick, saying that the soft pink color was irresistibly kissable. Then the wriggling came back.

By the time they were all done, Kaito looked put together, shiny, and not a little unlike himself. Thankfully, he did get to put on the cape he had picked specifically for the wedding. It was another star system one, that he had commissioned specifically from the people who had put together the one he had proposed in, but instead of the bold, bright yellows the last one had been, this one was warm, mixing hues of purples, red, and black. While the first one was very bold and in your face, Kaito for his wedding had wanted one that was more calm and somber, while still paying homage to his given birth title. His armor reflected this too: instead of bright gold, as his proposal armor had been, it was a careful pattern of red and silver, which were the colors of his kingdom, and presented a more formal mood for this event.

Then, finally, the crown on his head, which looked much more pronounced now that his hair had been pulled and pinned out of its way.

Once all of this was done, though Kaito looked around to see if Shuuichi had returned yet, the Head Secretary clapped him on the shoulder, saying pleasantly, "We should head over to the dining hall. So much to do today, we really can't dally for anything. Come along everyone!"

As Kaito was guided out of the room, a trail of servants and now guards, who the General had been waiting outside with, followed after. The Head Secretary's hand never left Kaito's body, moving from his shoulder to his upper back, as he said, "So, after breakfast, we will be moving to a basement area that King Aiichi has put aside for us. I've seen the space already, and while it's a bit unworthy of an official ceremony, it clearly having been cleared as a storage room or some such, they do have drains in the floor which should make clean up a little easier on the servants. Getting the sacrifice down there was a struggle and a half though, let me tell you. Quite a thing to watch!"

"Hm? Isn't the sacrifice a dove?" Kaito asked, as he looked down every hall they passed, seeing if Shuuichi was down any of them. "To represent the peace the marriage would bring, right? I can't imagine it was that difficult."

"Oh, shoot," Secretary Chisa said, putting her fist against her hand. "I knew there was something I had forgotten to pass along! My apologies, my prince, we changed out the animal for more symbolic purposes. New information, new metaphors, you know! It's still quite a worthy sacrifice though! Atua will smile upon this union, surely."

"Oh, okay," Kaito said, not really super worried about the sacrifice either way. It was just another part of the long ritual that was going to be today. However. "My betrothed has a blood thing, I've found out. When we do the binding, I expect that to be taken under consideration," Kaito said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear the pseudo-order, not just the secretaries. That should make them less dismissive of it, anyway. "No more bleeding then is necessary to finish the ritual. A surface level cut, that's it."

"Of course, of course! Prince Kokichi's arms are so thin, I imagine a real cut might accidentally slice the whole thing off," Secretary Chisa giggled. "Now wouldn't that be something!"

"We would never want to make the prince uncomfortable. Consider it done," the Head Secretary appeased, patting Kaito on the back. "Ah, good. We've arrived. Faces and places, everyone! Even breakfast requires a little extra professionalism on a day like today! Let's get to it!"

The servants, on cue, broke away, running to help the Diceans who were already setting up the table. Kaito looked around, but it looked like Kokichi wasn't here yet. And Shuuichi probably wasn't permitted to join to begin with...

Kaito took a seat, all of his confidence from the morning thoroughly shaken. When he had tried asking the Head Secretary about Maki again, he had talked his way around the subject, simply assuring that the objective was 'far away from here' and that she would return when her mission was done, whenever that would be.

"And when she's returned, that will be it, as far as my orders go. She will be entirely under your leadership, as a member of the Dicean family. Consider this her 'last hurrah' mission!" he had said, chuckling to himself.

They were running a little late, and Ouma was doing nothing to help. Lake had come careening in, cupping a container carefully in her hands, and she and Denji had had...quite the argument over whether to adorn Ouma with his flowers now or later and he hadn't even been able to take any enjoyment in their bickering, too busy fretting in his head.

And now, slowly making his way to the dining room, the cornflowers carefully tucked behind his braid, almost paying homage to his natural look with their wild purple petals...he wasn't sure he'd be able to eat. He'd felt more comfortable when there had been the threat of poison.

"Hey."

Ouma looked up at Lake, thinking she looked odd without her usual smile.

"It's breakfast. Nothing's happening yet. You'll be alright. After all, we're all here to support you!" And there it was, back in its rightful place.

With a breath, Ouma tried to relax the tension in his shoulders before offering a weak smirk to the guard. "Tell that to me again after you and Nazumi finally get married."

The way she flushed and sputtered was enough to carry Ouma into the dining hall, taking his seat next to Kaito. "...I take it back, looking like a duck butt suits you more than this," he murmured, hiding his lips behind a sleeve.

"Shut up," Kaito murmured, glancing over at Kokichi and then just...staring for a bit...before placing a hand in front of his eyes as his neck turned red. "You look amazing. It's just not fair. How do your stylists even do any of that? How do you look like you somehow have more hair on your head, even though it's all pulled and twisted like that? Fucking witchcraft, I swear..."

Taking a deep breath, Kaito let his hand fall, looking over the table as all the officials settled in, cheerfully chatting and idly gossiping with each other as they waited for the food to be set up. The Head Secretary, as usual, was seated at the second head of the table, and seemed to be listening to some war story the General was, at the very least, whispering about. At least it didn't sound like a bad one. Something about soldiers getting married in a chapel the rest of their squadron had put together themselves. Kind of sweet, actually. Secretary Chisa giggled after almost every word.

As time went by and he felt more calm, he looked over at Kokichi, less overwhelmed this time as he said quietly, "You really do look breathtaking."

Ouma tittered under his breath, playing with his sleeves in his lap. "Don't tell that to Denji. I don't think the world will be able to handle smug-levels that high. As it is, their ego is going to be unbearable for months--I just make it too easy, being a naturally cute canvas to work on."

Ouma glanced up at Aiichi, talking rapidly with all sorts of people coming and going, looking as nonplussed as ever though Ouma could see the effort his father was putting in. It was way harder for him to actually organize the whole thing than it was for Ouma to go through with it. Right.

The leader was wearing white robes, in a contrast to Ouma's black yukata, though both were decorated with patterns of whirling flowers in the opposite color. Tradition, he'd learned when he'd been fitted initially, though bent a little bit. Ouma's obi was a deep purple, apparently in the same style his mother had worn in the past. The star pins in his hair were hers too.

It'd been a lovely wedding, he'd been told.

Kaito broke him out of his thoughts, the compliment somehow striking true, though he'd prepared to hear all sorts of fluffy nonsense. His blush was light enough to not really show through his makeup, but the smile he tried to stifle undid any hiding he might've achieved. "What a flatterer. I think your hair looks better the way you usually wear it, but you look nice, too. I can't believe you've gotten me to say this, but the cape is cool."

"What are you talking about? The cape is always cool. Capes are cool, man," Kaito said, wiggling his shoulders a bit so his cape would wave a little. "Respect the cape."

As the food started to be served, Kaito kept a smile plastered to his face as he leaned close to Kokichi, saying quietly, "Hey, not to put any more pressure on us then we're already dealing with, but...things went weird this morning. Maki was sent out on a job by the Head Secretary, and I only saw Shuuichi for a little bit, but he looked like he really wanted to tell me something. I don't know...I guess it could be a coincidence he had a job for her the day of the wedding?" Kaito said, his instinctive need to believe people rationalizing all sorts of things for him. "But considering everything, I thought you should know."

Ouma kept his face neutral, smiling appropriately at all the people bringing food out, though...that was worrying. That Harukawa was sent out at all, but especially by Tengan... Arguably the most dangerous of the advisers. The person closest to their king, in a business sense, and that meant the person that could play politics the best. And...sent Harukawa away...

Tengan was the person that threatened Kaito. Was isolating him. But that wasn't everything, surely. He wouldn't risk taking out any Dicean representative, not on today of all days, surely? But...if it was today, before the treaty was signed, then...it technically wouldn't be breaking it.

...and Harukawa wouldn't disobey a direct order. She was fun, but, at the end of it all...she still was a killer.

If he hadn't felt like eating before, his appetite was completely gone now. Picking at his plate, Ouma only murmured back, "I don't think it's a coincidence."

But there was nothing they could do. The only person who could wouldn't.

Kaito frowned, feeling the darkening mood from his fiance, and found himself kind of wishing he had just kept it to himself now. He had vowed to keep Kokichi in the loop from now on, come what may, but...it was the guy’s wedding day. It would, if Kaito didn't accidentally get himself killed in a sparring match one day, be the only wedding day the guy would ever have, willing or not. For Kaito too, really...he wanted it to be a good day for them.

Hmmm...Maki was...was extremely well trained, to put it lightly. Even if she morally objected to an assignment, or if it would hurt her in some way, she really...couldn't say no. It would drive her crazy. Literally.

But...but still!

"I'm gonna have faith in her," Kaito said, gripping his fork tightly, a truly confident smile spreading across his face as, yeah...he decided to believe in his friend. "If whatever Tengan has planned is really that bad, Maki will find some way around it. She may need some help, so I'm gonna talk to Shuuichi about it as soon as I can, but Maki...she'll pull through for us. I believe in her."

"...King Aiichi!" Head Secretary Tengan called out, raising his glass in salute. "A beautiful spread this is, certainly! Thank you so much for hosting these events, Dicean hospitality and presentation is truly a sight to behold! As is our young Prince Kaito's groom today! Truly remarkable," the Head Secretary said with a smile, looking Kokichi over before raising his glass. "A toast! To the king and his many generous gifts to the Luminary Kingdom!"

The table cheered back, Kaito looking down at his glass with a somewhat paranoid eye before taking a sip...but apparently, the pollen did have a strong taste associated with it, because this wine seemed way more tempered then the one had had the first day.

Well, either that or they had decided Kaito was a lush and gave him a watered down version of it. Either way! He took a deep drink, before looking over at Kokichi...huh...oh.

Kaito had missed it, hadn't he. Some insult had gone over his head. Kaito still wasn't good at reading Kokichi, but there was a...tightness that he could see in the back of the prince's neck. Something had been said...

...Kaito, hoping he wasn't about to make an embarrassment of himself, stood up, his glass of wine out and a large smile on his face.

"Cheers!" he said, looking over to his advisers, "To the Luminary War, and then peace, Advisors! For the sacrifices they made to come here and set up these events! Considering the make-up of politics will no doubt look much different in peace times, I'm certain my brother, Byakuya, heir apparent of the Luminary Kingdom, is using this long nine months away to train all of your replacements for the new challenges ahead! Your willingness to step aside for the greater benefit of others is a testament to Luminary resilience! Cheers! To your upcoming retirements!"

Maybe it was just Kaito's nerves, fueling his imagination, but for a moment it was like the room had turned ice cold. He shivered at the looks, but held onto the grin, until the moment passed and the cheers rose up from the table.

"To sacrifice!"

"To retirement!"

"To the War Advisers!"

It was a bluff, or, maybe a guess, that there were fears that their time away was going to result in their dismissal upon their return, but it was an educated one. The General, who was only on the advisor counsel because of the war, would no doubt just go back to his position within the military ranks to finish out his career there, but the Secretaries? They may have spent his and Byakuya's childhood turning his brother into the man he was today, but Kaito knew damn well Byakuya hated them as much as Kaito did, and so...may actually be doing just as Kaito had theorized. Training their replacements while they weren't around to sabotage it.

Again, he didn't know. It was just a theory...but apparently he wasn't alone in that theory, if the suddenly strained smiles and muted cheers from the Luminary side of the table was any indication. Everyone, with the exception of the General, who appeared to be snickering to himself, suddenly looked as if they had sucked on a lemon, and Kaito, feeling like that had gone over as well as it could have, sat back down, muttering to Kokichi. "Fucking assholes."

It was Head Secretary Tengan who recovered fastest, just nodding and chuckling to himself. "Yes, yes. Sacrifice. It's all about sacrifice for the greater good. That is the great gift and great burden everyone must take on. Speaking of, King Aiichi! Would you be joining us for the binding ceremony after breakfast?"

...he wished he could have Kaito's optimism. Maybe that was just what came with knowing Maki for so long, with being close. But...maybe he could have faith in Kaito who had faith in Maki. He'd try, anyway. In any case, they wouldn't find out today, so he could just...relax. Just for that. There were plenty of other things to worry about today.

Like the people actually sitting at the table with them. The way Ouma's stomach roiled at Tengan's gaze and comment was far more easily identified than the other variant--it was abject disgust. Whereas Kaito's compliment had been weirdly flattering, the one from the Head Secretary was just grossly uncomfortable. And yet still, he had to avert his eyes in demure embarrassment. Right now wasn't the time to fight back.

Even if he had to clench the fist in his lap so tightly his nails started to cut into his palm. Even if the way he saw Aiichi's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly made him want to leave the table entirely.

However, it wasn't either of them that spoke up. Not anyone from the Dicean side. Instead, Ouma had to turn his head the other way, looking up as Kaito spoke up. Huh...not as dumb as he thought. Ouma's polite smile as he raised his glass again was far more relaxed for anyone who knew to look for the signs.

At the Dicean head, something indecipherable gleamed in Aiichi's eyes along with the approval that showed in all of the Dicean advisors. There was the looming possibility of replacement, then? Well, that did make things easier. Still, it wouldn't do to cover up the reports of extortion and money siphoning his ambassadors had found during their time in the Luminary capital. Sending those two in particular had been a wonderful decision--according to their reports, Sayuu and Aihito had made plenty of new friends during their stay. Charm and luck were powerful forces indeed.

Hiding his face with a well-timed pat of his napkin, Ouma rewarded Kaito with a quiet laugh. "Nice one."

"I will indeed, Head Secretary! I would be remiss to miss even a second of my son's wedding, and this is a rather important part, correct?" Aiichi grinned. The particulars of the religious ceremony had been left to those who actually worshipped Atua, but Aiichi had heard that there had been some last-minute changes. He would not leave Ko to fight off those wolves alone...though he already had an ally at his side. Still, the rites involved blood-letting, from what he understood, and that alone solidified his choice to watch over his son.

There it was again. Binding ceremony. Still picking at his food, again Ouma looked around the table, vying for a clue.

That little laugh was all the reward Kaito could have possibly hoped for, easing his nerves at the risk of taking such a public dig at the people who, for a little while longer anyway, still had so much control over him. The comment was just an added cherry on top, Kaito grinning wolfishly down at him with a wink.

At the mention of the binding ceremony, Kaito smiled. It was still so hard to believe that it was his turn to do one. He had been to a handful himself, of course, so some of the 'awe' of the process had diluted over time, but still...it was a big deal. A huge commitment, really...

Kaito swallowed, suddenly nervous again, as he stole a glance over at Kokichi.

"So...you ready for it?" Kaito asked, now picking at his food a little, the reality of what was coming up suddenly hitting him like a ton of bricks. "I've heard from some people that you can actually feel part of your soul twist away from you, though my cousin swears she didn't experience anything like that when she did hers. She's not really religious though...um… I know your family didn't claim any religion for the wedding, but do you have any particular faith, Kokichi?" Kaito laughed, looking sheepish as he said, "My bad to not have asked that sooner. If you have any rituals you believe in, you know I'm up to it, right? We can still add it in today."

Ouma wasn't sure he even believed in souls, but the description of it twisting away from you made him just set his fork down, entirely giving up on trying to eat. It was just disturbing--why would it be considered a good thing?! Hopefully he'd have an experience more like Kaito's cousin.

He shook his head a bit, though it was...kinda sweet that Kaito would participate in a different religion's practices. "M not religious. The only reason this is such a whole production is because of the treaty--and I suppose for Luminary custom, too. The actual 'wedding' part of any secular Dicean wedding is, like, under five minutes. It's mostly about the party afterward, honestly."

It was just a promise of devotion--most of the couples he'd been invited to the weddings of were already practically married. It was just a formality. And an excuse to gather all your friends together and have a party. He supposed it always was going to be different from him, even if he wasn't marrying Kaito.

Having skipped the original question, Ouma shifted a little, trying not to let his concern show through his face. "The binding ceremony, though... What is it? No one's told me anything. I know you guys do an animal sacrifice, but the way people talk about it, the ceremony seems like a different thing."

Kaito looked at him in open, dumbstruck surprise, leaning in and whispering as loudly as he politely could, "Wait...no one's told you what we're doing yet!?"

What the fuck!? For the Atuans, and thus for most of the Luminary Kingdom, the actual wedding was just a public spectacle, an elaborate excuse to either show off your devotion or, more likely than not, to show off your wealth. Marriages weren't even legally all that important in his kingdom, couples sometimes performing marriages every decade or so to renew their commitment to each other and, maybe, show off how much better they're doing financially now than they had the last time.

But the binding rituals, which were always smaller and more private events that would only be performed once in a marriage, and, as far as the Atuan religion itself was concerned, could only be performed for a person once in their lifetime (not that there weren't loopholes around that, but it was a matter of debate within the religious circles how valid 'un-binding' rituals actually were, in the eyes of Atua), and was the true ritual of value for any serious couple.

And NO ONE had TOLD KOKICHI what he was DOING!??

Kaito was suddenly...furious, glancing a heated gaze at his advisors, but also, like...what the fuck, King Aiichi? No one had thought Prince Kokichi deserved an explanation, a heads up? For fucks sake...

Kaito, in one swift movement, cracked every knuckle in his right hand, took a breath...and gave Kokichi his best grin. Just because he was upset didn't mean he had to show it. If no one else was going to tell him, Kaito was happy to explain, leaning in to whisper as servants took plates away and put new ones on the table around him.

"Okay, so, it's actually a pretty short ritual, but it holds a lot of significance for my religion, right? The point of the ritual is we're going to be asking Atua to not separate our souls after death. See, the afterlife has all these different levels to get to paradise, and...well, I won't bore you with the details today, but ultimately you spend a long part of your afterlife proving your way to paradise. So, to bind yourself to someone, is to ask Atua that, even if you die a long time before your partner, he'll put your soul, which by this point is already connected, into whoever you're bound with, so that when they die, you can both start the journey together. That way neither of you are trying to make it through the trials alone. It's an ultimate sign of devotion and trust."

Kaito waved his hand, shaking his head as he said, "Anyway, that's not what you asked though. The ritual goes like this: you bleed out a strong animal into a bowl, asking Atua to hold that animal's soul as your guide. When we die, the animal, with Atua's divine blessing, will be able to guide us through trials, depending on what it can do. A bird can fly ahead and look out for us, a monkey can help us reach difficult objects, an elephant can get us through muddy terrain, that sort of thing. We then both bleed into the same bowl, mix all the blood around, and the priestess will smear it onto our foreheads, binding us to each other, and the animal. The Priestess is always a woman, by the way. Atua favors them. Anyway, she'll say some words, we'll both be allowed to make a small statement that boils down to 'Atua bind us', no need to make it complicated, you can literally just say that if you want. Annnd that's it! Our souls will be bound together, and to the animal guide!"

Kaito took a breath, chuckling nervously as he added, "I...I know that probably all sounds like bullshit to you. But it's okay! Atua doesn't actually need belief. If you go through motions, even if you don't believe in them, you're still gonna be fine...heh, I guess I'm lucky." Kaito looked down at his food. "Going through the trials is supposed to be really hard, and they say having an incompetent partner can really slow down your progress to paradise. In fact, a lot of Luminary’s obsession with training and all that comes with us just wanting to be more prepared for the trials. And considering I didn't get to choose my partner, who knows what could have happened to me on the other side...but! With you, I think we'll get through just fine," Kaito said, looking determined, sincere faith and belief oozing out of every word.

While Ouma was annoyed at being left in the dark, for just a moment Kaito looked enraged. He quickly put on his "hero" smile, but...that kind of just made him feel worse. If it was that important...seriously, why had no one told him anything?

The whole meaning of the ceremony and the Atuan afterlife beliefs was interesting, in a sort of detached way--though Ouma thought it was kind of dumb to place so much emphasis on what would happen after you died. Wasn't it more important to enjoy life?--but, ultimately, it didn't matter much. Ouma wasn't concerned with what would happen to his hypothetical soul, or about reaching any so-called paradise when he'd just be rotting in the ground. Though. Knowing what he was supposed to say during the ceremony was helpful.

As Kaito explained what the ritual actually was, Ouma paled, and found out the reason at least Aiichi didn't tell him anything. Already he was starting to feel sick. Bleeding out a whole animal? Mixing their own blood with it? Wasn't that super unsanitary??

Even Kaito's optimism about what it meant for his faith didn't make him feel much better.

"...it...doesn't have to be much blood from us, right? You know I can't..."

Kaito frowned, crossing his arms as he looked down, not really looking at anything, just lost in thought. "Right, right, no one told you, so you've had...literally no time to prepare. Shit, I'm sorry, I thought you knew...look." Kaito said, putting up a single finger, "It doesn't have to be a lot of blood. Literally a few drops serves the purpose of the ritual. The animal has to die right away so that Atua can get it ready as a guide, but for us, literally any amount of blood will do, so long as it's, you know...not zero." Kaito chuckled nervously.

Looking over Kokichi and suddenly certain that wasn't as helpful as he'd hoped it'd be, he continued on, "Maybe...maybe I can ask the Priestess to kill the animal away from us? Or even just away from you...there's no real point in the sacred texts that says you ever actually have to see the guide. Being there for its death is just sort of meant to be a sign of respect, but...you don't have to be there for it all. I can go see it off myself, it's...it's not a big deal." Kaito said, trying his best to be reassuring, "After that, it's literally just some words, a prick of the finger or maybe the prick at the palm, whatever you're comfortable with, and boom! Souls are bound! No problem. Does...does that work?"

Though it was just some meaningless gestures...Ouma felt...bad. That they'd have to make accommodations for him. Not because of the ritual itself, or for public opinion, but...because it was important to Kaito. He was willing to change so much to understand and integrate into Dicea, but with something so important to him, Ouma couldn't even make that concession.

With the giving blood, for sure, at least. He could do a few drops, whatever, but not much more than that. He kind of had to be conscious for the wedding. Had papers to sign. For the animal...

Ouma tried to imagine it. Just...not looking at it. Putting on his best mask and just standing through it. But he'd still be able to smell it, hear it. The slosh of still-warm blood gushing into a bowl and...

He jerked upright, having swayed forward during the thought exercise. It...probably would be pretty rude too if he threw up during the ritual.

"A few drops will be fine," he murmured, swallowing his nausea down. "And...if it would be possible... If I didn't have to be around for the...animal sacrifice, I'd appreciate it."

Kaito watched the color in Kokichi's face change, and on instinct, reached out to steady him, putting a solid hand on his shoulder, ignoring the looks around the table that the more open interaction was getting as he leaned in and whispered. "Hey! Like I said, not a big deal. I'll give our guide your best, and you, ha...you can meet it later," Kaito said, giving Kokichi a thumbs up, before looking around. Some people were smiling at whatever they thought was going on, others looked concerned, perhaps noticing Kokichi's distress.

The Head Secretary just looked curious. "Everything alright over there, Prince Kaito? Your betrothed looks a bit put off. You're not saying anything inappropriate, are we? There is a time and a place, you know."

Kaito dropped the hand, embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered, looking over to King Aiichi and giving his best sheepish smile. "Was discussing religion with Kokichi. Probably not the best breakfast talk, looking back at it. My apologies for disrupting things."

"Thanks..." Ouma focused on taking deep breaths, the color slooooowly returning to his face. If that's what the ritual was like, though, he kind of did need to eat something. He needed to do everything he could to prevent being genuinely vulnerable in front of the advisors. It was one thing to lead them to underestimate him, and another to give away real weaknesses.

Ouma forced himself to get down some eggs, taking a few sips of the juice he'd opted for instead of wine. And, seeing that Ouma was actually eating, Aiichi nodded minutely to Kaito. "As long as no one is actually bothered. Keep it in mind for the future--one of these days someone may actually hear what you two are always whispering to each other."

The boss just laughed to himself at the glare that garnered from his son.

Breakfast was finished not too long after, and then it was time to head for the basement. Aiichi put a gentle hand on Ouma's back as he passed by, a reassuring smile on his face. It would be alright.

There wasn't really any time after breakfast, as Kaito had hoped, to find Shuuichi, though he did his best to look around for the guy as he was led to where they would be doing the ritual. But even waiting outside, in the hallways, there was no sign of his timid, capped sidekick, which was...disappointing for a lot of reasons. He had been wanting to see if Shuuichi had any more information on Maki's job, but, kind of selfishly, even more than that had just...really wanted a friend at the ritual.

He would admit, even if it was only ever to himself, when he imagined his binding ritual as a kid, he had imagined it would happen at a temple, with his family watching from the background, but his friends nearby, teasing and cheering him and his fiance on, as the two asked Atua to let them face the after-life's challenges together.

Instead, apparently...one of the most important rituals of his life was going to take place in a poorly lit, stony basement, surrounded either by active enemies or relative strangers, with a fiance who, frankly, thought the whole thing was a waste of time...

Kaito took a deep breath, before putting his smile back on, squaring his shoulder and rising his chest as he confidently strutted forward. So what!? So it wasn't going to be a particularly nice ritual. Kaito could still take pride in it! Plus, what more noble use for a binding ritual could there be, but to bind yourself to someone who was entirely ignorant to the texts and probably always would be? When they both died, and Kokichi found himself in the first plane, instead of being there with no guide and no partner, which was the main problem most non-believers had, instead his fiance was going to have a well-prepared Kaito there and whichever guide that Atua had chosen for them this day.

And ultimately, that was the whole point. So long as Kaito remembered that, it didn't matter if the ritual wasn't 'fun' or 'not super scary'. It was preparing him, and someone he cared about, for life in the afterlife!

As they went down the stairs and the sunlight from the hallways above quickly disappeared, Kaito heard the soft sound of a whinny below, and he froze.

Because Kaito was at the front of the line of people going down, that meant everyone else froze as well, giving Kaito confused or exasperated looks in the process. Only Head Secretary Tengan and General Juzo at the front were free to move forward, though they both stopped and looked back at Kaito, just as confused.

"Everything alright there, your grace?" The General asked.

It had just occurred to Kaito that there may not be anywhere else to sacrifice the animal. That if Kokichi was down there at all, he'd at least hear it, whether he was looking or not. Taking one look at the Head Secretary, who was looking more and more annoyed, Kaito steeled his courage, turned around, and bowed to the king.

"I apologize, but..." Kaito straightened up, glancing over at Kokichi before continuing on to the King, "Could you all wait up here, for a while? Until someone comes up and tells you it's okay to come down? This first part of the ritual doesn't require everyone, and I think it may be best to split the group until it's done."

"Prince Kaito!" the Head Secretary said, apparently shocked. "That's incredibly rude! You're asking your fiance to skip part of his own ritual? I'm ashamed of you. I apologize, King Aiichi," Tengan said, bowing ever so slightly. "Please disregard our young prince. It is of course acceptable and highly appropriate for everyone to be present. We would never ask you to leave."

A horse. Faintly, Ouma wondered if that meant, like...expedited travel in the Atuan faith. More importantly, though, was that, apparently, they were going to bleed out a whole-ass horse. That wasn't exactly something you could do discreetly.

While Ouma didn't think much of it, Aiichi's polite smile was cemented into place. How clever they must've thought they were being. The boss didn't see himself as much of a vindictive person, but he would derive pleasure in the climate the Secretaries would find themselves in when they returned to Luminary. For how much they craved it, so many from that country were terribly ignorant to the fact the power of a country resided in its citizens.

Kaito spoke up as he had promised, but as Head Secretary Tengan tried to override it, it was time for Ouma to speak up.

"Actually," he started, raising a hand slightly, giving off a strong impression of innocence. "I understand how important it is for your religion, but I find slaughter quite distasteful. I would never ask you to call the whole thing off, but rather, I do not think I would be able to give such a sacred act the veneration it deserves. If it truly is not necessary for me to be present, I would not like to ruin something so special to you all."

"I will come fetch you when your part comes in, then, Ko," Aiichi nodded. "I have to admit, I am rather curious to see a binding ritual performed, and I deeply appreciate the invitation to observe. While not as wide-spread as in Luminary, we do have those who practice the Atuan faith in Dicea. I will always take an opportunity to understand my people better--and our new allies as well!"

There was a bit of shuffling as Ouma worked his way to the back of the line.

"...Certainly. Of course," the Head Secretary said, after apparently debating with himself for a few seconds, his gentle, cheerful smile back on his face. "I apologize. If Kaito's betrothed doesn't wish to attend, that's an entirely different matter. Of course we would never want to pressure anyone into an uncomfortable situation. Very well then! Let's keep going, everyone."

As they got to the end of the staircase, Kaito found his fears had been valid. The space was large, but relatively empty and un-obstructed. Even if Kokichi had moved well onto the other side of the area, he would still have had a clear view of the process, let alone the sounds and smells associated. Right, the smell... considering they were only using this room for its drains, maybe it wouldn't be super inconvenient to...

"Yah-hah! My prince!" said Priestess Angie Yonaga, the priestess who had made the journey with them specifically for this ritual. She had also led sermons and prayer circles on the road, so he was very familiar with her, though they hadn't had too many opportunities to talk one-on-one. Still, he knew she was a hugger, so he opened his arms as she leapt into this, laughing cheerfully. "Oh dear, oh dear, it's today! It is time!"

"Yes, it is. Thank you again for coming such a long way for this, Priestess." Kaito said, letting her go and stepping back to bow respectfully, "It's incredibly appreciated."

She waved off his gratitude. "Of course, of course! Oh, where is the other one? Pretty little thing? What was his name again?"

"Prince Kokichi, and he's coming down after the animal sacrifice. I'll be the one witnessing our guide’s passing. Um, actually," Kaito said, taking the priestess's hand between his own and bowing his head again, the priestess smiling at the display as behind him the General loudly sighed. "I know you've already set up down here. I appreciate all the candles and rugs you've put around, it looks really nice. But considering the, uh, size of our animal, would it be okay if we brought the bowl upstairs to him instead?"

"Prince Kaito!" the Head Secretary tried to interject, but the priestess cut him off, waving her hands again.

"Of course! You think I wanted to do this in this damp, stupid place? It smells of mold and dullness. At least we could do it out in the sun!" she said, knowing that her position as a priestess put her in a unique position where she really didn't have to give much consideration to the Head Secretary's ire, who was openly glowering now, twice shot down.

Turning to the king, the priestess gave a slight bow as she said, "That is not meant to be a dig against you, my king. I know you all gave us the best space you could for our purposes. But they are dull, terrible places you have given us. So yes, if it is okay to move the second part of the ritual to a field or something? Much better! Atua be pleased!"

"Atua be pleased," Kaito mimicked back cheerfully, and was, in fact, the only one to do so.

There were, in fact, not that many true believers in the room.

"Okay! Let's do it, then!" Priestess Angie said, taking Kaito by the arm and leading him over to the horse. "Say hello, Kaito! This will be your guide! He is very strong, and very fast, but quite gentle. Please, feel free to give him a pet! I have been petting him for the last hour! It is divine!"

As she let him go, she practically skipped back to the King, asking him if there was anything he wanted to know before they got started. Letting their conversation be background fodder, Kaito looked over the horse.

It was big, with a broad back and strong legs, and entirely black, with the exception of some white spotting near his tail. And like she said, despite his massiveness, there was a gentleness in his eyes, the horse not flinching or turning away at all as Kaito reached out to pet him down the nose, instead just looking curiously at Kaito.

"Hello," Kaito said quietly. "So...you're the one, huh? Thank you for being here. I am in your debt."

"Um, so, what's his name?" Kaito called back, still petting him, admittedly trying to figure out how exactly they had gotten him down here, and how on earth were they going to get him out? He was massive.

The Head Secretary, getting around the Priestess's excited answers to whatever random thing the king was asking about, walked over to Kaito, the gentle smile back on his face as he reached out to put a hand on Kaito's shoulder. Kaito, not wanting to make an incident, just bore it quietly, if not a little more focused on his feet then the horse now.

"We found him our second day here, taking a look through the markets. He was a carriage horse, but look at him. Could have been a war horse, easily. Wasted potential. So we bought him from the carriage driver and brought him here in the night. The driver said his name was Thick-Foot, which I thought, perhaps, was a little on the uninspired side, so I gave him a new name."

Reaching out with his free hand to pet the horse, Tengan said with a smile, "Prince Kaito, meet Kohtalon."

Aiichi chuckled kindly at the priestess, nodding his head respectfully. "No offense taken, Priestess Angie. It's not exactly a temple, is it? This room was chosen for its drains, but I think you are correct. We will have to provide better accommodations for our religious friends in the future."

"As for where to relocate, have you had the chance to see the backlot of the castle? This certainly wouldn't be the first event we've had there. Along those lines, if you wouldn't mind indulging my curiosity..." The boss and priestess continued on to talk animatedly about the finer points of Atuan practices and beliefs, Aiichi actually genuinely interested in learning more, and Angie happy to spread the knowledge of her faith.

Meanwhile, Ouma didn't stray far from the stairs leading to the basement, but he did find himself pacing around the landing, trying to calm himself down. He sort of wanted to go find where Shuuichi was, ask him what he wanted to tell Kaito so he could pass it on, or see if he knew anything more about where Maki had been sent. Not things that would help any in easing his nerves, but important things.

So he paced, sleeves fluttering in his wake, almost as erratic as the fluttering in his stomach.

Kaito had found himself, involuntarily, trying to take a step back, away from the Head Secretary, a repulsion in him that he wasn't actually used to feeling. The Head Secretary's grip didn't allow him to make that movement though, and though Kaito's mind was swimming with questions and concerns, he still had the foresight of mind not to make an incident in front of the king, instead whispering "H...how?"

"Hmmm?" the Head Secretary said, still admiring the horse as he asked, unconcerned, "How what, my prince?"

"H-how did you know about-"

"-How did I know about two stupid boys, running around the capital city under false names, risking a fifteen year war and countless lives to go drink in a pub, frolic in some gardens, and then fight, extremely publicly, in parks together?" Tengans hands squeezed, "Did you think you were being subtle, you stupid child?"

Kaito's stomach dropped, neck reddening in embarrassment and shame. In that moment, honestly, he could have been eight again, being explained all the ways he had been wrong, and his brother had been right...god, the urge to just drop into a submission bow was...

No. You're not a child anymore. And this...this was totally disrespectful!

"A guide is meant to be chosen for its symbolism and its strength." Kaito murmured, anger putting a growl in the edge of each word as he said, "It's meant to be an honor to the animal chosen. Are you telling me you dismissed a highly symbolic animal of peace, in exchange for a horse, just to, what...threaten Kokichi? Threaten me? During a ritual as important as this!?"

"I'd suggest you hold your tongue, my prince, and remember who you are talking to," the Head Secretary said, leaning in close as he eyed the other occupants of the room carefully. "I know you feel real important right now, because all eyes have been on you for the last few months, but don't forget that the only reason you were chosen is that you were expendable, if everything went wrong. Nothing else. A particularly well-trained royal dog could fill your position right now. Even better, honestly. At least a trained dog could growl on command."

Kaito clenched his fists, breathing through his nose. He couldn't rise to the bait. He had no idea what the Head Secretary was even trying to do right now, but if the goal was to make him angry, then Kaito wasn't going to let him have it.

Kaito took a breath, said a quick prayer to Atua, and came back into the conversation refocused. Calm, even.

"I don't know what you were hoping to get from this, but I'm not giving it to you," Kaito whispered, the horse, wanting more attention, nuzzling into his arm for a moment. "I'm not some puppet that will dance for you, and I'm not going to try to push Kokichi out of command. It's done. I've decided already."

Tengan smiled, finally allowing the hand to drop. Kaito took an easier breath without it.

"Yes, yes. Quite the hero, aren't you. A pathetic kind of hero, but I can see how this would seem heroic to you, in its own way. It's a real shame then. How if things continue on like this, the beautiful prince will, in about a month, end up hating your guts for your efforts."

Kaito's brows furrowed. "What do you-"

"Are we ready?” The priestess called over, apparently the king's discussion with her wrapped up as she walked to the prince and head secretary, who both took a step away from each other, the conversation put on hold for an audience. She was wielding a beautiful, blue, incredibly sharp curved ceremonial dagger, and was holding a simple, wooden bowl. "I am tired of this basement! Let's do this thing, yah! Everyone in kneeling positions, give our guide the proper respect he deserves!"

The Head Secretary, smiling at Kaito, went to take his spot on a kneeling board, which was elevated and put reasonably far back so that the spray wouldn't reach it. Kaito, lingering, looked over to the horse, who again, bumped against his shoulder, looking for more pets. Obligingly, he put a hand on the horses nose, petting up and down...and felt tears start to sting his eyes.

"I'm still grateful you're here," Kaito told the horse, guilt gnawing away at him as the horse gave him a slow, sleepy blink. "Even if the reason you were chosen was meant to hurt me, I am still grateful to you. I..." Kaito blinked, a tear falling down, then another, as he put his head against the horse, feeling its warmth against him. "I will see you on the other side. Thank you for waiting for us."

Then Kaito took a seat, and watched as the priestess, her voice bouncy and bubbly, started to say the words, and if anyone noticed his tears, they said nothing about it.

Upstairs, a small child was bouncing on the backs of his feet, wondering if it was really safe to go up to Prince Kokichi, who he had been staring at from around the corner. The prince probably, ya know...wouldn't want to see him. But Timothy had promised the Detective that he would give Kaito the note, and since Timothy hadn't seen an opening to do that yet...

Screw it! Go!

Timothy walked up to Kokichi quickly and, the second he noticed the prince's eyes on him, fell to his knees, putting his head on the ground, holding out a slightly crumpled piece of paper in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't kill me, I've brought a message from Mr. Saihara!"

The Message Read:

The way we came.

Ouma was surprised to see Timothy, and even more as he immediately fell into a Luminous Submission Bow. At least a little more prepared for it now, Ouma sighed quietly and carefully lowered himself to kneel in front of the boy, even if it was a more difficult motion for him in the clothes he was wearing.

Accepting the paper, Ouma didn't look at it right away, even if it was important. This was important too. He didn't reach out to the child, not wanting to scare him further, but kept his hands in his lap, just sitting there in front of Timothy. "I'm not going to kill you. After everything everyone did to prevent that, it'd be a pretty dick move on my part."

"Not to mention that's just not how we do things here," he sighed again. "Even for people who do pretty dumb things. Maki may teach you all sorts of things, but personally I hope you never get a real mission, Timothy."

Waiting to see if his words actually reached the boy, Ouma opened the note in his palm, brow furrowing as he sucked in a breath and tucked the paper into his obi to pass on to Kaito later. 'The way we came'? Did...that mean Maki had been sent to Luminary? A concerningly long trip, but...she could handle herself, surely. And the only Diceans notably in Luminary were the ambassadors, who would be preparing to return tomorrow. It was...gross, but their work was already done. Tengan wouldn't order a hit on his own people, would he?

Kaito would likely know what the note meant. Way more than any speculation Ouma could come up with, anyway. They wouldn't have much time to talk privately, but at least Kaito would get the message.

"Thank you for passing the message on. I'll make sure Kaito knows too--would be a pretty sad wedding without a word from one of his best friends, right?" They were alone, but there was no telling if someone from the basement would decide to come up.

Timothy looked up at the prince, eyes at first full of distrust...but after a few more comments, feeling reassured that the prince wasn't going to immediately take revenge upon seeing him, he pulled himself up from his bow, wiping the front of his clothes off with an embarrassed sniffle.

This time, in a respectful bow instead, he said, "I know you're going to be my prince now, and my King someday. I'm...I'm glad I didn't succeed in killing you!" The small child said, his eyes swimming in frustrated tears, "Miss Harukawa explained it to me. It's not your fault the war’s over. I guess the war is just...supposed to be over now?" The child said, clearly still confused over the finer points of the conflict, before bowing further, "And this wedding is just a part of that, I guess. But it would have been wrong to blame you or Prince Momota. I'm sorry!"

Then, as if afraid to hear anything else back, the kid started to run away...and then stopped, looking back and bowing again, remembering. "Miss Harukawa said I couldn't go with her for her job, but she said I'm in charge of watching after you and Prince Momota! So...so I'll do my best! And if you see me sneaking around watching please tell me because I'm not super good at hiding yet and I need to know or I won't learn none! Okay thank you bye!"

This time the kid sped off for good. Almost as soon as he was out of sight, the doors opened, and a row of everyone who had been downstairs came up, some of them fine, others looking... a little disturbed. Watching a horse die was an exhausting process, and the only two people who seemed entirely unbothered were the Head Secretary Tengan and the Priestess Angie, who, upon seeing Kokichi, giggled in joy, bouncing up to him and enveloping him in a hug.

For being the only one close to the horse when it died, she was remarkably clean, only her shoes and ankles stained by it as she shouted, "Oh, there he is! My cute little prince! Oh, I have been waiting to meet you!" Growing still and patting the back of Kokichi's head, she said, "Atua bless you this day, all days, Prince Kokichi! Rejoice! He is a strong, sexy god, who loves you dearly for who you are."

Kaito, who was the last to get up the stairs, his eyes still red-rimmed, chuckled nervously at the display. "Kokichi, I see you've met Priestess Angie. Apologies, she's a bit...hands on. Priestess, I'm certain whoever put Kokichi's makeup on today would be weeping if they could see you trying to mush it around like that."

"Right, right, fine! No more hugs from the priestess!" Angie pouted, letting Kokichi go before giving him a smile and a wink. "Oh, my prince, you should have seen your guide! Such a strong beast to come with you to the afterlife! And the horse was pretty big too!" she said, winking at Kaito who just looked at Kokichi with a sheepish, apologetic grin. "You will be served well in the afterlife, I am sooooo super jealous of you! Okay! Now someone lead the way, where are we going?! Gotta get this blood mixed while it's still hot with Kohtalon's energy! Let's go! Let's go!"

Ouma couldn't help huffing a laugh. "I'm glad you didn't kill me, too. That would really suck for me." He waved to Timothy as he scampered off, the little shit. He'd be a fun kid to have around--Ouma could level up his sneaking skills right alongside him. Avoiding the guardforce had never been particularly hard. Now, avoiding an assassin-trainee? That'd be a real challenge.

Looking over as he heard the door open, Ouma was entirely unprepared to be nearly bowled over by a ball of bloody sunshine. Not that he could really see the blood splattered on her with how she'd pulled him to her chest. He flailed a little in the woman's grasp, trying to keep his balance though he doubted he could get so far in her grasp.

"U-um...thank you?" That was how you responded to someone blessing you, right? He glanced to Kaito when he came up, trying to gain some context, but... Was the ceremony just that emotional for believers?

Once Priestess Angie released him, Aiichi came over to help Ouma to his feet, adjusting the imaginary rumples from his clothes. And thankfully didn't comment or...wink or smirk or anything when Ouma flushed lightly from the priestess' innuendo. Instead, the boss just looked contemplative as he ushered Ouma forward.

"We're doing this somewhere else? W--" Ouma quickly shut his mouth, keeping his shock contained to just a slight stiffening in his form, his father thankfully masking the moment by explaining the change in plans. ...they named the horse Kohtalon? In that moment, he realized what had happened. How odd. They really thought something like this would break his resolve?

He tried to catch Kaito's eye, trying to convey that he needed to talk to him. The secretaries’ little tantrum could wait--he had something more important to give the prince.

Kaito was exhausted. Kohtalon had been a strong horse, and had survived a...a long time. Longer than the other sacrifices Kaito had seen in other binding rituals he had been witness to. While he was trying to stay positive about it, he couldn't help but feel like his and Kokichi's guide's slow, painful death, drowning in its own blood as it tried to run from its bindings, almost landing a kick at the Priestess's head, who had laughed it off, and managing to put several cracks in the wall before succumbing to the cut across its throat...

It all felt like a terrible omen. He wanted to find his friends and just hold them for a while...but that wasn't an option, as the Head Secretary put a hand on his back, gently pushing him forward as he said, "Come along, my prince, Priestess Angie says we are on a time limit. Wouldn't want all that trouble downstairs to be a waste, would you?"

Kaito frowned at the Head Secretary. What had...what had he been trying to tell him before? Why would Kokichi hate him in a month? Had the secretary found out about Kaito's wedding gift? But, why would Kokichi hate him for that? What had he meant?

Kaito, on the move, saw Kokichi's pointed glance and...wasn't really in a position to do much about it, as the group moved as a whole, heading down the hallway as led by the King. The Priestess kept insisting they needed to hurry, so hurry the group did, and Kaito, under the guidance of the Head Secretary, was guided with it.

With their expedited speed, it wasn't long at all before their little party arrived in the castle's backyard, looking just as pleasant as it had the other day when Kaito had had his spars. It had been just two days ago, but Ouma couldn't help feeling like so much had changed.

They'd found one saboteur, only to discover a deeper-set one, he now knew that Kaito had never underestimated him (except for physical things, which was entirely fair), he...maybe had friends. Those were pretty big changes!

Ouma let himself be guided into position, trying not to look at the bowl. It was just a bowl! The priestess would prick his finger, he'd say a few words, get some gross stuff on his forehead that he'd soon wash off, then it'd be done. Then he had to get married.

Deep breaths, Kokichi. Just not in the direction of the bowl.

"Is everything ready to go?"

It was a lot nicer out here than it was in the blood-soaked basement, which Kaito was certain a bunch of servants were going to have a hell of a time cleaning up. Kneeling next to Kokichi, Kaito took a deep breath, unclasping the armor on his arm, putting it aside, and then rolling up his sleeve. He saw a bunch of freshly, just now healing cuts on that arm already, and looked at it curiously. When...when had he gotten these again? So much had happened in the last week that he genuinely couldn't recall how he had gotten the arm cuts. Maybe it was something that had happened during the Despair Pollen incident? Or one of the spars? Maybe when he fell at the stabbings?

Who knew. Oh well. At least they looked like they were healing alright. Time to add another one.

...Come on Kaito! Perk up! He had been looking forward to this ritual his whole life! Just...try to get into it!

As the Priestess opened up her book, reading from passages of how Atua had first made the souls, and then realizing the soul was fragile alone, had strengthened it by connecting it to others, Kaito leaned into Kokichi, bumping him playfully on the shoulder a little.

"You alright?" Kaito asked, clearing his throat as he realized his tears from earlier had clogged him a bit, saying slightly clearer, "We're almost done. This next part's gonna go fast, I promise."

They were close together, but it would be far too obvious to try and pass on the note now. Not with the priestess right in front of them and all other eyes on them. They did have a bit of time after this before the wedding started, so hopefully no one would insist on stupid things like the couple not being able to see each other. Especially with Shuuichi missing in action... Ouma didn't want to leave Kaito alone with his advisors if he could help it.

Ouma listened idly to the Atuan texts, not really absorbing anything until Kaito nudged him. Were they allowed to talk during this? Ouma tilted his head a little, nudging Kaito back. "I'm fine. While you all were downstairs I got a message of congratulations from Shuu-chan. I'll tell you the whole thing later." Even if it was alright to more or less disregard what Priestess Angie was reading, Ouma still kept his voice low.

"Are you alright? Sorry I had to leave you to it..."

Had one of the advisors tried to threaten him again? The horse was one thing, but if they tried to double up...ugh. He couldn't wait 'til they were gone.

Shuuichi had gotten in contact with Kokichi? Good, good! That was a good thing! Kaito had been starting to worry about his friend, having failed to spot him once yet, despite moving from event to event. But if Kokichi had seen him, that was a relief.

...But then...why wasn't he here?

Kaito looked around the field in hopes that he might spot him, but he couldn't look very far without coming across as rude to the priestess, who was now asking Atua to bind their guide to them, so that they would go safely together through the afterlife. Talk between the couples binding was an accepted part of the practice, and again, if the crowd was less formal and more friendly, there would be calls from the audience as well, people praising Atua or wishing the couple a happy eternity together, every now and again a joker calling out, "This is your last chance to run!"

This crowd was just quiet, as everyone, for the most part, was just waiting for it to be over.

Kaito chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Do I look that bad? I'm fine. It was a nice horse. He let me pet him! I think you'll like him," Kaito said, sighing in exhaustion as he said, "...hey, Kokichi? Is there...anything happening? A month from-"

"Naughty boys, whispering through my sermons. Truly Atua blesses this lovestruck couple, who cannot keep their eyes off each other!" the Priestess teased, holding the blade and offering her hand out to Kokichi first, saying with a wink, "I have heard cuts do not make your heart sing happy songs, so it will be just a little prick. We will do yours first, wait for you to steady, and then move on your loving groom! Now, give me your hand."

Taking his offered hand, the Priestess said with a warm, sunny smile, "Atua is listening, my child. He is always listening, but what you say now, he finds more important and holds more dearly than ever. What is your request of Atua, Prince Kokichi?"

Fuck. Good thing he'd been able to wait outside. If he met the horse, pet it, knowing that it'd be killed for no real reason just moments after... Still, Ouma offered Kaito a small smile for his sake. If it comforted him to think he'd see the horse again after death...it was a kind enough lie that Ouma felt no need to shatter.

However, his smile dropped off when Kaito tried to get through something else, though he turned his attention back to the priestess. Something happening in a month? There...wasn't anything he could think of off the top of his head, specifically. The same administrative matters, people starting to return home from war...

"Ah, thank you," Ouma murmured, trying not to sound distracted, holding his sleeve up as he offered his hand to Angie. The blade looked...rather wicked, but it was just going to be a little prick, which had never given him any trouble before. He'd be fine.

As he was prompted, Ouma opened his mouth to say the words Kaito had taught him before he paused. This was something he could do, even if he didn't believe. "I wish to always be by Kai-chan's side, even if not physically. I want him to never feel completely alone, and to know that I'll always be cheering him on, even for dumb things. Um. Atua bind us."

No matter who tried to isolate him, Kaito had Shuuichi and Maki, and now he had him. He'd protect his dumbass with everything he had.

Oh...oh no.

Kaito was going to start crying again.

His eyes stinging like mad, Kaito watched the Priestess gently prick at Kokichi's pinky finger, holding the finger over the bowl and ever so slightly squeezing as they waited for the cut to leak out a few drops. It took a bit, but she was patient as finally one, two, three drops fell into the bowl. Passing Kokichi a small cloth from her pocket to place against the cut, she then dug out of another pocket a mixing stick, mixing Kokichi's droplets with the wet pool of horse blood at the bottom of the bowl.

"Atua hears, and blesses your wish, Prince Kokichi. Very well said!" she congratulated before looking over to Kaito, whose eyes were swimming as he was biting his lip and gripping his legs, trying to keep himself under control as she laughed. "Awwww, my sweet cry-baby! It is okay, my prince, many people get emotional during their bindings. I've always preferred the criers to the stoics, personally. You can hear in them their hearts, so full and raw with emotion. So cute! Give me your hand."

Kaito nodded, handing his arm out. Showing him where on his wrist she was going to cut, she said, "Atua is listening, Prince Kaito. And as you are the type who would speak to him often, I know Atua is looking forward to hearing a request from his old friend. What is your request of Atua, Prince Kaito?"

"If...if I were to die, a long way away, a long time before Kokichi does, I want to wait for him. To be there for him, if Atua would allow it. I..." Kaito thought of Kokichi, and the people surrounding them, and, steeling his nerves, he said clear and loudly, "I want to be around because I want to see all the amazing things he's going to do! I want to watch and cheer him on when he hits every milestone, defeats every challenge, and surpasses all expectations of him! Atua bind us, so I get to see it all!"

Again, in a different crowd, this might have been met with friendly cheering, maybe a family members’ tears. Instead, it was just silence, with the exception of a small, involuntary, "Tsk," from Secretary Chisa.

But the Priestess just smiled, saying, "Wonderful! Atua hears you, and is overjoyed! Hold still!" and then cut, deeply, into Kaito's wrist, Kaito hissing at the pain before suppressing it, squaring his shoulders and squeezing his fist to allow the blood to pool into the bowl.

The cut had to be deep to leave a scar, which the Priestess knew Kaito would value in the years ahead. However, keeping in mind Kokichi, she didn't let the cut bleed as long as she might otherwise have, handing Kaito not just a cloth, but some bandages as well to start binding the wound with. "Very well done!" she sang, taking the mixing stick and swirling the blood thoroughly together, until no one could reasonably say where one blood started and the other ended. Taking the mixing stick, she started with Kaito, dabbing the blood onto his forehead. Then she did the same to Kokichi, being certain to not mess up his hair as she put a little dab of the blood on him as well.

Standing back up and stepping back, she said with a smile, "Atua hears your request, and because he loves you, blesses your union and binds you. You shall never again be alone, no matter what dangers come, and together you will make it paradise. And hopefully have fun on the journey as well! Atua be pleased!"

"Atua be pleased," Kaito mimicked, a giddy grin on his face, placing a hand against his chest...before the grin fell into something more somber as, with various levels of polite enthusiasm, their audience all clapped for them.

And, just like that, it was done. Everyone started to clean up and talk among themselves as Angie, passing them both some more clean cloths, said, "Some people leave their blood bindings on all day, but I've heard that may not go over so well for the wedding, so here! Atua will not mind! He loves you, after all!"

Bowing, she went to go collect her supplies.

Kaito took a moment to reach up to his forehead and feel the bind, taking his fingers down to see the mix of blood on there. "Huh...I really thought I'd feel it..." He considered it a moment before, without any more ceremony, wiping it off. Looking over to Kokichi with a concerned grin. "I see you're still standing. You feeling alright?"

It really wasn't bad. The prick was quick and he didn't even really feel anything other than the priestess squeezing his finger. And he was careful not to look down at the bowl. That would probably get him worse than the cut. Still, he was careful to apply pressure on it when Angie passed him the cloth, knowing that, as small as it was, he'd still bleed a little more than the average person.

What did actually make his heart skip a beat, though, was when it was Kaito's turn. Ouma had been staring somewhere out in the middle distance past Angie, but when his fiance started speaking, Ouma found his attention drawn to the man beside him with an almost magnetic pull.

...he wasn't going to cry. Denji could go screw themself, even if they weren't there; he was not going to cry. Even at something like Kaito loudly and proudly declaring his faith in him. S-something no one had ev-ever...

Ouma blinked rapidly, looking to the side just in time to miss Angie stab the blade into Kaito's wrist. He still shuddered a little, just from his hiss of pain, but not that, not even the bewildered stare he could feel coming from his father could stop his heart from melting.

He ended up looking forward again as the priestess dabbed their foreheads and luckily the blood had cooled enough that it just felt like...thick water. Sorta. And it was over.

Letting out a breath, Ouma wiped his forehead and slowly made his way back to a standing position without, like, flashing anyone or loosening his yukata. In the movements, though, he was able to retrieve Shuuichi's note with no one the wiser. Kaito's concern was sweeter than it had any right to be, so for his efforts Ouma gave him a smirk. "A few drops won't kill me--I'm not that frail. I'm fine."

"Should probably keep this on for a little bit, though." Ouma held his hand up, indicating the cloth he held to the cut, using that as a distraction to slip Kaito the note with his other hand. "Luckily we don't have to run right to the park or anything."

Kaito looked down at the paper that Kokichi was pressing against his abdomen, taking it and, if only because Kokichi seemed to be trying to hide it from the others, leaned in close to Kokichi, using his body to hide him opening the paper and reading it over.

Back the way we came? Kaito's brow furrowed. This was clearly Shuuichi's handwriting, but...why be so vague? Was he afraid the note would get intercepted and didn't want to give away...what? The direction Maki had presumably gone? Or...oh.

That's why he wasn't here.

"...he's gone after her," Kaito said quietly, clutching the paper so tightly that it started to tear, frustration oozing out of every word. "He just wanted us to know which direction he was going. He's gonna try to stop her himself...damnit. Why??"

Kaito put the note away, tucking it into his armor, as he said, "Not to sound cold, but...we don't try to stop her. We always just wait for her to come back. Why is Shuuichi...what does he know that would make him take a risk like this? Going alone? Shit..."

Ouma looked down at his hand, seemingly judging if the bleeding had slowed to outsiders, keeping the appearance of their conversation vague. Even if he clenched his jaw so hard his head started to hurt a little. Idiots, the lot of them.

Maki would be alright on her own, even for a relatively long time. Shuuichi? Kaito had said he was trained to fight, but Ouma couldn't help but worry. About his safety, and what the mission actually was to get him to go after her. It wasn't a bluff just to get Kaito's escorts out of the city, he was sure. It was real, and something big.

"Should I ask someone to go after them? As backup. It would probably look better if there's someone from Dicea vouching for them..." Ouma hummed, lifting a sleeve over his mouth and taking a few steps back from Kaito as the others started to approach. Or, get ready to, anyway. It would...probably be difficult to break away to find someone trustworthy.

"Ko!" He could hear his father call out to him. "You should probably lie down for a little bit--that must've been intense for you. We have a little bit of time, so you should use it to rest."

He didn't even pretend to hide his glower.

"I mean, if you have someone you know you can trust..." Kaito whispered back, before flinching, looking inexplicably guilty as the King called out to Kokichi.

His own shoulders slumped as Head Secretary Tengan, seeing his opportunity, called out, "Yes, Prince Kaito, come! We should go make sure your cut is properly bound as well! Leave Prince Kokichi, he'll be just fine under his father's careful eye."

God, what were they, ten? Kaito felt like he was being called in from hanging out with friends in the courtyard before the sky got too dark by one of the nannies. Still feeling confident from the declaration during the binding, and being so close to the freedom the peace treaty would provide, Kaito was almost ready to just tell them off...

...but something was up. Between the comments on Kokichi, Shuuichi's desperate move, and Maki's job, something was going on. And honestly, the best way to find out about what was going on would be to hear it from its source. Kaito knew from experience that if he was just quiet, Mas-SECRETARY Tengan would feel comfortable to fill the space with his own self-impressed gloating.

But...was it really safe to go with him? If the plan was as bad as it was starting to look like, what if, the next time he saw Kokichi, he was...convinced?

Cornered?

...Well, then Kokichi would come up with something! Kaito had said he was going to believe in him, right? Believe in Kokichi, Maki and Shuuichi? Well, this was part of that! If Kaito got cornered, he could trust in them to save him!

After all, every good hero saga has a strong ensemble cast to rely on! Friends, sidekicks, and comrades they can rely on during the hard times! Otherwise, well, the hero would just be an over-powered loner jerk! No fun to read about at all!

Honestly, he was probably psyching himself up too much for just being momentarily separated from Kokichi, but fuck it, he's had a really, really long week now. He was allowed a few extra pep talks to himself.

Turning to Kokichi, he reached out for his betrothed’s hand, the one with the cut on it. "May I?" he asked, gently taking it up and leaning down low, turning the hand around. He placed a kiss on the opposite side of the cut digit. His cheeks flushing red, he looked up from the hand, winking at Kokichi as he said, "Two kisses. Even less pressure now." Letting Kokichi's hand go, Kaito straightened up and said, "I know you're good, but please go with your father. I think it might be a good idea to be surrounded by people you trust right now. And I...I'm gonna see if I can't make use of this." Nodding his head towards the Head Secretary, who was clearly getting more and more annoyed as he was made to wait on this display.

"I'll try to bring back more information. You can trust in me," Kaito said, giving him his Prince of the Stars smile, before dropping the smile and, staring at the ground, jogged over to the advisors, allowing himself to be led inside without a backwards glance.

God. They were both insufferable. However, he'd still take Aiichi over Tengan any day. And...at least Kaito wouldn't have to suffer the old man for much longer. Then they'd only have one asshole to deal with.

Ouma didn't want to leave Kaito alone with the secretary, and he didn't want to give in to his dad, but...those were likely the best options to do what they needed to do. Aiichi wouldn't be able to keep watch over him the whole time, and maybe Kaito would beat Tengan at his own game and get the missing pieces to their puzzle.

Set on the plan, he almost didn't even notice Kaito taking his hand, but there was no way he could miss the. The kiss. Different, more intimate than the one last night. Still not a proper one that would actually take the pressure off, but... Ouma lit up, unable to say anything but a quiet squeak.

...maybe it would be a good idea to lie down. For just a second.

With an affectionate squeeze of his shoulders, Aiichi cooed and brought Ouma back inside, chatting lightly about what he'd learned about Atuan faith from Priestess Angie, more just filling space without meaning until they came to an empty parlor and he could set his son down on a chaise.

"Those were some interesting speeches you two had, very sweet. I'm proud of you, Ko, for doing your best. I can't imagine it was very easy for you to ask something of a god you don't believe in, but Kaito seemed very happy. You two seem good for each other."

Ouma just shrugged as he stretched out to appease the older man. "We need to set a good example, right? Not everyone's going to believe in coexistence right away. I can say a few pretty words."

"You're really growing up..." There was something fond in the leader's voice, something...genuine that Ouma didn't think he'd ever heard before. Not directed at him, at least. He blinked up at his father before the man straightened.

"So! The ceremony will start in a little under three hours, but we will need to be at the park before that. If I can't myself, someone will come to escort you. Please rest until then, Ko. Calm your heart. What you're doing is very important, but I wish for you to be happy and healthy on your wedding day."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Kaito knew a lot of things he had said this morning were, frankly, very direct jabs at the advisors, but it didn't hit him how angry they were, until, well...it hit him. As he was led back to his room, the General motioning for him to open the door for everyone, by the time Kaito had turned the knob, the back of his armor had been grabbed and, with the strength and efficiency that only a war-general could have, Kaito was lifted onto the toes of his boots, losing his balance as he was thrown in.

Kaito, to his credit, quickly recovered, getting off his front and standing up, turning around in a defensive position as the secretaries and the General all walked in, closing the door and locking it behind them. This sort of physical challenge, outside of a spar, was...almost unheard of in Kaito's adulthood, outside of meetings with his parents. For all that he often forgot about it, there were privileges to Kaito's status, and one of those privileges was that no one could attack him, just, unofficially. Well, no one but Maki. And, again, his family. And random guys in pubs who were a little too drunk to think punching a prince was a bad idea in a general sort of way.

But even as angry as they were, to see them, apparently, gearing up for an actual fight...there were limits to their influence! How on earth did they think they could get away with this?

As the General marched over to him, Secretary Chisa and the Head Secretary cheerfully watching from the door, Kaito wondered...were they just that confident they had something that powerful over him, that he just wouldn't tell anyone?

He only got to wonder this for a moment before, the General grabbing his chest-plate to lift it high enough to expose his abdomen, he jabbed a punch through, knocking the breath out of Kaito. As the prince tried to breathe through the sudden pool of drool coating his mouth, the General pulled him close, saying in a quick whisper, "Stay down. Don't make me hit you again," before dropping the prince, taking a few steps back as the three waited to see what he would do.

Kaito, understanding, just shifted himself into a sitting position on the floor, putting a hand under his armor to hold against the bruised muscle, getting his breathing under control as the General, satisfied, turned back to the door.

"There. Have your conversation. I'm waiting outside. Don't call me back in here," the General growled, the secretaries both taking a step aside as the General unlocked the door and left.

"Miss Chisa, would you please excuse us as well?" Head Secretary Tengan asked.

"What? But I thought-" Secretary Chisa said, pouting as she was interrupted.

"Now, now. I've learned Prince Kaito responds remarkably well to one-on-one training in the past. Too many people tends to just pull his direction too many ways. There's a dear, thank you," the Head Secretary said, smiling gently as Chisa, rolling her eyes, just went to go join the General out the hall.

Closing the door and locking it, the Head Secretary looked back to see if Kaito was still sitting where he had been put, and, feeling assured he would stay, took out the desk chair and sat in it, settling in a bit as Kaito stared at the ground.

After a moment, the Head Secretary sighed.

"...I think I may have only myself to blame, really," he said, considering the man below him with appraising eyes, displeased with what he saw. "It never occurred to me, helping your good father to raise you and your capable brother, that there'd ever be a reason to...teach you how to be aggressive. To take control. It was always such an important lesson for your brother, and I'll admit, you were just...easy. To keep around as a training tool for that training."

Kaito didn't respond to any of this. Quiet. He had to stay quiet. Tengan would fill the silence if he was quiet...

Pausing, waiting to see what Kaito thought of it, the Head Secretary shrugged, going on, "But look now! That easy out, coming back to bite me in the ass so many years later. Not only did you become a dog to your brother, but now apparently you're ready to just follow any random master that calls you to heel. You've known this new prince, what? Seven days? A solid week, if we're including today? For a boy you've known a week...you're ready to completely abandon your kingdom? Who sent you here to help them?"

Baited, Kaito growled, "I was sent to bring unit-"

"You were sent to take over!" the Head Secretary shouted, grabbing a book from the desk and throwing it at Kaito's head, who kept his eyes on the ground, not even flinching at the impact. The Head Secretary, scowling, settled back into his chair as he said, "Don't fool yourself. Your father knew exactly what he was doing when he sent both you and myself to these negotiations. We were always meant to take over. It was perfect too! Everyone knew Prince Kokichi barely had the trust of his father, weak, sickly, temperamental child that he was. So why not send them a Momota man? Someone strong and patient and superior to the half-dead brat in every way? The King would, seeing the clear power difference between the two, undoubtedly give you control of all official affairs, and the Luminary take-over would be all but assured. What could go wrong?"

Tengan rolled his eyes, "Well, apparently, the Momota son's inclination to roll over like the bitch he is. Again...maybe my own fault. I did condition you to do so. I just...it never occurred to me once you'd do it for literally anyone."

Kaito frowned. That...that wasn't the reason he was so eager to support Kokichi. It was his own decision to believe in Kokichi. It had nothing to do with the lessons.

...Right?

Ouma didn't get up right away once his father left. In his experience, it was always better to wait a little while, see if anyone was being sent to look after him, even if that just meant being in the next room or so to be there if he needed anything. It was ridiculous, honestly. Wasted energy, but it got Ouma to learn nearly every path there was to take in the castle.

Once he was sure he couldn't hear anyone come by, past using the hall normally, Ouma got up and carefully left the parlor. He had to return to it before Aiichi or whoever he sent came to retrieve him, but that was a later problem.

The Ouma castle, for how well it seemed to run, was understaffed. So many of the staff had volunteered to fight in the war, unable to accept someone trying to ruin their home and country. Aiichi actually had to specifically ask people to stay, as leaving the capital without any willing and capable fighters would just be asking for an attack. Lake had stayed for Nazumi, Waku had been convinced to stay for her sanity, Fuyuji was one of the only people that actually liked the night shift. However, Katsuki had just stayed because she'd been asked, no persuasion.

She was reliable, one of the only people Ouma could ask risky things of knowing she wouldn't tell a soul. So that was why he was going to ask her to go after Shuuichi and Maki.

"Foolish. You think, when you grow old enough, you stop making such obviously foolish mistakes," The Head Secretary chastised himself, rubbing his forehead before putting his familiar gentle smile back on. "But! We adapt. Thus, our reliable Miss Maki."

This was it! Kaito clenched his hands into fists, tensing his shoulders as he willed himself to stay quiet, to not look up. Let him fill the silence. Let him fill it...

Realizing Kaito wasn't going to ask, the Head Secretary went on, "She really is the best we've had, at least since I've taken over. There was actually great debate among the counsel if we could afford to allow her to come here with you. But it was so important to you, how could we say no? Between her and the detective, we really were willing to give up quite a lot of resources to keep you complacent, Prince Kaito. You should be more grateful."

The funny thing was, Kaito was grateful. He had known even back then the risk of losing his two best friends was incredibly high. It had taken a lot of arguing with his father, reasoning with his mother, and then, finally, taking aside his brother one day and just begging him for help. Then Byakuya had put in a few words on the subject, and they had been allowed to come! It was the closest he had ever felt to his brother, in that moment. He had been incredibly grateful.

"Well, anyway, it was fortunate we did allow it. While you've been busy having petty rendezvous with the prince, we've been mining for information since we got here. The boy’s a mess. As sickly now as all the rumors of his childhood ever suggested, no real social contacts, no friends, barely a relationship with his father, if the staff can be believed. And they usually can be. Servants are a minefield of useful information. But," the Head Secretary said, smiling, "Out of all that digging for information, of all those dead-ends when it comes to weaknesses in his non-existence social circle, one name came up. Someone he adores, apparently, beyond reason. A man named Ikuo."

Kaito frowned. Ikuo? It didn't ring a bell. Wait, no, maybe he had heard that name recently? Had Kokichi said that name? No, he didn't think so...then wh-

Oh fuck.

Kaito looked up at the Head Secretary, trying to see the sincerity in his face, who just grinned back down at him, pleased to have finally gotten a real reaction. "You know the name, then? Yes, I supposed someone would have mentioned it to you by now. Shockingly enough, of course the brat would be eerily attached to his childhood caretaker. It's really...disgusting, honestly." The Head Secretary sighed, leaning his head against his gnarled hand. "It's a product of this generation, I swear. Entirely unable to let go of childish things. So sensitive about everything."

The gears in Kaito's head were turning. No... "What...what does Maki have to do with-"

"Really?" The Head Secretary chuckled, "You're going to ask me why a Luminary Trained Assassin might possibly be used in the same sentence as the caretaker of a Dicean prince? Do you really need everything so entirely spelled out for you, Kaito? I give you permission to use your brain, you know."

Don't rise to the bait. Don't rise to the bait! He'll shut down if you start asking questions, just to frustrate you!

Kaito went back to staring at the ground, his whole body shaking. Just wait it out. Just wait it out...

"FIne," Tengan said, taking out his handkerchief and clearing his throat into it. "I guess I'll just spell it all out for you after all. Can't have another 'I'm here to create unity' type of misunderstanding, apparently."

"There are two different versions of the future, Prince Kaito," Master Tengan said, leaning into his chair and looking up into the ceiling, as if imagining those two futures. "And both versions, ultimately, result in you acting how I am simply requesting that you act. In one version of the future, you've done the Luminary Kingdom proud already, I'm hearing amazing reports back home of the progress you've been making on breaking Prince Kokichi back down into his sickly spare parts. There's even rumors you've almost managed to convince him to request his name be changed, by this point! A lovely future, where I get to send a messenger to Miss Maki, with relatively no problem in doing so, since I will also be near the border on my travels back home. She, by this point will be both near her given target and be near the time-limit she was given to wait out her assignment, but hurray! A messenger arrives saying that Head Secretary Tengan is pleased with Prince Kaito's progress, and she may return to his side, everyone unharmed and unscathed."

The Head Secretary sighed cheerfully at this future, before looking down at Kaito.

Getting up from his chair, the old man, his back straighter in this moment then he had presented himself this whole trip, knelt down next to Kaito, and with that same gentle smile, grabbed at the Prince's hair, forcing his head to look up at him, the grip tight and unrelenting.

"The second future is just as effective, if more grim. Miss Maki receives no word, and the time limit expires. She must then fulfill her hit on the nanny, who roughly by this time should be packing up to go home for a joyous reunion with his pseudo son. Then she's allowed to return to you, if so desired. But, oh no! She's just killed her prince's husband’s father-figure. She had just, effectively, ruined any possible relationship the two could have, both with each other, and herself. Do you think Prince Kokichi is benevolent enough to not blame you for his daddy's death, when it was the friend you introduced into his life that did the killing blow? Somehow I think that would end the honeymoon phase pretty quickly, no?"

Kaito was shaking, his eyes wide. Even before the Head Secretary could continue, he could also see, in his own minds eyes, how that would play out...

"So Miss Maki has a choice. Risk exposing her prince's folly by getting found out for the murder, thus ruining the relationship a peace treaty depends on, or just...get rid of all the evidence. Including herself. Miss Maki's a brave, loyal tool. I think we both know what'd she pick. But it wouldn't matter, would it, because Prince Kokichi is not an idiot. Your assassin servant leaves unexpectedly, and then a month later, roughly the amount of time she'd need to get there, his father-figure is murdered, the war all said and done. He'd put it all together, and what do you know. Now you have an enemy in your husband."

Letting go of the pull on Kaito's hair, Tengan rubbed the abused part of his skull gently, before letting his hand down to place a comforting grip on his cheek. "So your husband hates you. Blames you for his father-figure’s death, which you are indeed responsible for. What do you do then? Just lie down and take it? Maybe...but I'm willing to bet you'll find yourself fighting back. Arguing with him. Wrestling control away for yourself. And for all the benefits of his mind, the Dicean prince is still someone who faints when overly stressed. So, in the end, you're exactly the kind of leader I wanted you to be in the first place. The kind who's in control."

Kaito stared at Tengan, the warmth of his hand burning into him like a furnace as he realized, oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

He...he was right...either way...

"Either way I win," Tengan said, patting Kaito cheerfully on the cheek before straightening up, leaving the twitching and shivering Kaito on the ground, Kaito's mind desperately racing trying to find a way, any way at all... "So, between the two, you can pick your own future. The one where Kokichi gets his father back, and you get your best friend back...or the one where your selfish pride gets two people killed."

Stretching a bit, the Head Secretary smiled, "I expect you to make your decision before you leave this room, and to see progress right away, Prince Kaito. Now be sure to get some rest! Lots more to do today! You need to be energized! It's your wedding, after all!"

The Head Secretary went to the door, unlocking it and calling happily behind him, "We'll be back for you soon," before closing the door behind him.

He found her in the residential wing, helping some Luminaries move Kaito's belongings into Ouma's room. He'd get to unpack himself, but it was easier to do so when all his things were at their final destination.

"Katsuki-chan! Lemme bother you for a minute!"

"Yessir!" The guard immediately put down the suitcase she was carrying and walked over to Ouma's side, looking down at him expectantly. Not confused or questioning in the slightest when he took her aside into a supply closet.

"A new mission just came in, and it might be your most important yet," he prefaced. Even in the dim light just creeping out from under the door, he could see her eyes widen in excitement.

"A grand assignment?"

Ouma nodded. "You got it! And you are to prepare and start on it as soon as I'm done briefing you."

"You remember Shuuichi Saihara and Maki Harukawa? Maki has been sent on a mission of her own, and it's up to you to sabotage it. On this mission, no one is allowed to die--this is a rescue! Find Shuuichi and protect him as you two find Maki, and then keep Maki from killing anyone--this mission ends only once the three of you return to the castle."

"They've followed the path the Luminary Party took to arrive here, but I'm afraid any other intel is up to you to discover. Despite the long duration, time is of the essence!"

"Understood, sir!" Like always, Katsuki took his request up right away, but for the first time she paused before starting to fulfill it. "Kokichi? I have a mission for you, too. Have a good wedding. I will give you my assessment when I return. Over and out!"

With that, she threw open the closet door and headed off to speed-prepare for her mission, leaving Ouma half in the closet with a touched smile on his face.

As Tengan walked out of the room, he cracked his neck a little, a small, truly pleased smile on his face. For all the annoyances that boy had been causing him over the last several months, Tengan was...satisfied. To be able to speak that way to him again. It reminded him of more fun, more interesting times.

The General and Secretary just watched him for a while before finally Chisa broke, asking "Well? Did you get through to him?"

"Only time will tell, but I feel confident that we'll be seeing more favorable results from now on." Tengan looked over to the General with a raised eyebrow, who was openly scowling at him. "Oh, really? Are we going to have this argument again?"

"He's our prince," the General said, his voice low so as not to be overheard through the door. "I understand being tough when needed, but this, all of this...it's excessive."

"It's the king’s orders, General," Tengan said dismissively, waving a hand at him as he said, "If you take offense, you are welcome to bring it up with King Leon himself. But I assure you, I am in no way overstepping my boundaries. This gradual take-over is to occur by any means necessary. That includes giving the prince an occasional boo-boo."

Flaring his nostrils, the General muttered a, "Fine. But if you call on me for something like this again, the fucking kingdom better be ready to burn down if I don't do it," and with that, he walked off, frustrated.

"Honestly, for a military man, it's pitiful how overly empathetic he is," Tengan said, turning to Chisa, "Speaking earlier of better results, how's the concoction I've asked you for going? It really needs to be done by now, if Prince Kokichi is to consume it by dinner."

"Already done!" the secretary said, bringing out a small, clear liquid bottle, trying to hand it to Tengan, who refused it.

"No, no. Just pay off someone in the kitchen staff to put it in his drink. These Diceans are all far too reliant on each other's good nature, so I doubt any of them would notice one of their own adding something to the mix. Just find someone wearing clothes that are just a tad too nice to be serving food in, and play on their vanity."

"Not to get all, you know...'General Juzo' on you, but..." Secretary Chisa said, looking down at the liquid, "Is this really necessary? They're both young, attractive men who, as far as I'm aware, find other young men attractive as well, and it's their honeymoon night. I know consummation is an important legal step for an acknowledged royal marriage, but...it's always been more of an understood thing, rather than an enforced one. Why not just assume nature will take its course?"

"Prince Kokichi, according to the information gathered, has never been in a relationship, and presumably, has never actually slept with anyone," the Head Secretary explained, the two walking the halls together, having this conversation quietly. "And considering they've known each other for such a short time, it's not unreasonable to think the young groom's going to be a bit shy."

"Meanwhile, Kaito is so whipped already that even if he wanted to, he'd most likely be unwilling to push the matter if the Dicean prince so much as looked nervous. With that combo, nothing’s going to happen tonight at all. Legally speaking, that's a no-no, even if no one checks these days anymore. Do you understand, Miss Chisa?"

"I suppose so..." The Secretary suddenly smirked at him, "I was close to assuming that this was just about you being a lecher again. You have always had a...thing...with Prince Kaito."

The air chilled around them as Tengan said, "You're not accusing me of-"

"No, no, nothing like that," Chisa said sweetly, before continuing on, "But for someone like you, you don't have to, right? Physically be a part of it, I mean, to get something out of it. You enjoy that feeling of control over people just a little too much. It's enough for you to know you're the reason why it's going to happen at all...right?" she said, winking over at the Head Secretary, whose glower got deeper with every word.

"...Really, Miss Chisa. You must learn to rein yourself back in again. You're getting sloppy. I'm not a friend, you know. I am your better," Tengan reminded her, hands gripped tightly into fists behind his back. "You should respect that."

"Certainly. Certainly." Secretary Chisa laughed, "I'll respect it as I go dose Prince Kokichi's dinner wine with love juice, knowing just how happy that'll make you. Entirely professional. Oh, do stop making that face. We've been working together for years and now traveling together for six months. If we can't put down our masks for each other, who can we?"

...maybe this reasoning actually made sense to him. If it did, he didn't mention it again, and eventually the subject was dropped.

He almost didn't make it back in time. Oh, the talk with Katsuki had only taken a few minutes, but he'd stuck around to help bring Kaito's things into his room, despite the worried protests of some of the others. How else would he get to sneak some of the fake spiders he'd made long ago into Kaito's stuff?

That still didn't take up the hours before they had to prepare for the ceremony, but with everyone running around, the less...utility-focused rooms were empty. And so Ouma found himself in the observatory, sitting on the floor and looking up at a small painting just above a large desk, the only thing on the walls that wasn't a star chart.

It was of a petite woman with round cheeks and messy purple hair tied into two low buns, star-adorned hairpins keeping her hair from falling into her face as she worked diligently to map out the night sky. Miyako Ouma, formerly Miyako Hoshino, one of the most honored alums of the Dicean Capital University.

"...I wish you could be here," Ouma whispered to the empty room, feeling a bit silly, but doing it anyway. "Ikuo always talked about how much you loved and believed in true love, ever a romantic. I'm not marrying someone I'm in love with, but...I do like him. From what they say, I think he's the kind of person you would've liked too."

Ouma chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "He's so loud and in-your-face it's obnoxious. And he's so earnest too! He's not so good with mind games, so he just sort of charges right through! When he can, anyway. He knows what stakes can be pushed and when to tread carefully. Most of the time, I think. He's a really big idiot, too."

"He really loves his friends, too. Once they relax, you can see how close they all are. It makes me jealous, but...they've started to include me a little. If this is what having friends is like, I really like it. Is that how you felt with Yui and Hanako?"

"...sorry," he murmured, hugging himself. "It's not the same, and I'm just talking to a picture, but...I'm worried about them. There are powerful people trying to hurt them, to hurt Dicea. We have the capabilities to stop them, but...it's hard. Whatever they're using Maki for to gain collateral, I don't know if she can fight back. Shuuichi is probably the safest out of all of us, but I'm still worried about him traveling alone. It's dangerous for anyone, and he's so nervous all the time."

"Kaito... His enemy has been hurting him all his life, I think. Manipulating him and making him feel alone. Like a worse version of Aiichi--sorry. He believes in Maki and Shuuichi, and I think I can believe in that belief...but if something happens to him... I can, but I don't want to fight him. I just want him to be happy. Why can't Luminary just leave us alone?!"

Ouma punched the ground at that, his voice rising a little before fading again. "We just want to take care of our people. Do what Dicea always has. Before the war started, we never did anything to them, so why...? We don't want to fight... We just want to live...to make a place where anyone can live...why can't they just let us do that?"

Sniffling a little, Ouma looked back up at the portrait, Miyako still working away. "...even if you were really here, you wouldn't know either. Still...I wish you were here anyway."

Maneuvering himself back into a standing position so he could make it back to the parlor, Ouma ran a few fingers down the painting's frame. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Maybe it was those few moments that made him nearly run right into his father, but he managed to slip by nonetheless, just sitting down on the chaise as Aiichi told him it was time to walk over to the park.

Kaito needed a plan. He needed to strategize. Find some way to either call Maki back, or corner Tengan into doing so. He needed to figure out what, exactly, he was going to tell Kokichi, and he needed to work out what he was going to do about Shuuichi, who wasn't just following Maki to the next town over, but to the god damned border.

And because thinking about all of this was freaking him the fuck out, what he actually did was fruitlessly try to fix his hair.

There's a type of panic that doesn't really feel like anything. It's a blue-screened, static noise in your mind, and if you try to adjust the picture, or fix the audio in any way, you end up just making everything more confusing, more loud, more intense. So instead you find something small and simple to hyperfixate on, something that will keep your head down, so you won't look up and see that big, terrible, screaming static screen.

Kaito was focusing on his hair. Why the hell had Master Tengan pulled it? God, Kaito wasn't good enough to put it back where the servants before had originally placed it. He was using gel, and brushing it back down, trying to readjust the pins to how they had been before, but instead of that slicked back look he had this morning, hairs kept popping up, lifting away from the pins, that couldn't seem to stick in place the way they had before.

Kaito was going to look so fucking stupid for his wedding. He was going to look like a total slob who couldn't keep his hair smoothed down for literally one day. Kokichi was going to be so embarrassed, standing next to someone like him, standing next to such an idiot...

...Kaito let his hands fall, leaning against the vanity desk as he put his hands into his head.

Why...why was he always so worried about embarrassing Kokichi?

Kaito, a few days ago, in a rush of emotion, had told Kokichi that he reminded him of his brother. That Kaito had felt intimidated by Kokichi. And that he had wanted to support him anyway. He hadn't known he was going to say those things before he had said it. Hadn't even really realized he felt that way until Kokichi, screaming and in tears in front of him, had gotten Kaito so concerned and so, just, amped up that his emotions had just started spilling out of him, un-analyzed and unfiltered.

Kokichi reminded him of his brother. Kokichi was intimidating. Kaito wanted to support Kokichi.

...was...was Mast- (Head Secretary!) Head Secretary Tengan right?

Was Kaito just falling back into old lessons because he didn't know what else to do?

Kaito cracked his knuckles, furrowing his brows as he gritted his teeth. No. He couldn't start thinking like that. He couldn't start doubting his own feelings, his own beliefs, just from a few words from the old asshole. Kaito was an adult now. When he was a child, he had found peace in his self worth through Atua, and he was grateful for that, but as an adult, he had even more foundations now to build that self esteem upon! He had left the castle, gone traveling, gone to university, all in a genuine effort to find himself, and he had! He was Kaito Momota, Luminary Prince of the Stars! Even crying children loved him! He had won countless friends, defeated challenge after challenge, and most importantly of all, had earned the steadfast trust and loyalty of two of the most capable and amazing people he had ever known!

He wasn't anyone's dog! He had proven it!!

...Right. Right. He had to trust his own feelings. He wanted to support Kokichi because Kokichi was proving, every day, that he was worthy to be supported. He was kind to his people, steadfast in his beliefs, and had an almost insane commitment to his ideals. And the Dicea people loved and appreciated him for it. That was a leader Kaito would choose to support. It was Kaito's choice.

Okay. Good.

...So...where did that leave him then?

Still with fucked up hair and no idea what to do.

Kaito wanted to selfishly spare his own feelings. That was really the heart of the matter. He didn't want Kokichi to be mad at him, to feel betrayed by him. He didn't want to look like a coward in front of him. He didn't want to feel like a coward to himself, for that matter.

But it wasn't just his relationship with Kokichi that was at risk. When all was said and done, two people’s lives were on the line. The one person Kokichi seemed to care about in the world was on the line. Maki's life was on the line! Shuuichi's too, if he tried to force her to stop. Maki would never hurt Shuuichi, but...she wouldn't really be Maki, by that point. Kaito had seen assassins try to go against their training before. It was scary. It never worked. So, saving their lives really had to take priority over everything else.

...Which meant, until Kaito came up with some sort of plan out of this, the best thing to do would be just to...keep Head Secretary Tengan happy.

...He would...he would take inspiration from his brother. That's what he would do. He'd just ask himself, 'What would Byakuya do right now' and work forwards from there. Sure, Byakuya's own relationships weren't the most...heartwarming things Kaito had ever seen. In fact, he mostly just treated his partners like barely tolerated garbage.

So...perfect?? Kaito guessed??

...Fuck this was a terrible idea.

Maybe he should just tell Kokichi what was going on. In fact, that is probably what he should do. But what if...what if Kokichi, realizing his nanny was being targeted, decided the best way to deal with it was to get rid of Maki? It didn't sound like him, and absolutely seemed to go against his ethos, but if it was in the name of saving someone you cared about?

Though, even if he did want to send someone to kill Maki, who was he going to send?? Timothy??

I don't know! Maybe!? That double dagger attack had been no joke!

Kaito's mind was going in circles now, going over each of the points mentioned above over and over again, never really settling on any of them, all the while still trying to fix his hair and still failing. By the time the Head Secretary had come back, saying it was time to go, he still hadn't come to a conclusion about anything, and, still very much panicking, followed him with his shitty, fucked up hair.

The park was beautiful. It was pretty damn lovely on an average day, but how it had been prepared for the wedding was something straight out of an idealistic painting. There were smaller, circular tables placed throughout the park, adorned with tablecloths of either gold or white, each bearing a unique flower arrangement in varying combinations of the two nations colors. Lilies and roses, tulips and marigolds, camellias and daffodils, anemones and dahlias...a showing of both unity and diversity.

It was all arranged around a small platform, ever so slightly raised to be seen no matter where someone chose to sit. It had a tall piece in the middle that would hold the rings until the married couple put them on, and would also suffice as a writing platform for the treaty.

A few musicians were setting up, tuning their instruments and warming their voices as food was being set on the banquet table, covered and kept temperate until after the ceremony.

It really was a sight to see, but Ouma just stared into the middle distance, hands crossed over his middle and anxiously pressing together. In...like half an hour, maybe, he was getting married.

...just breathe.

This whole setup was beautiful, in an extremely tasteful sort of way, and Kaito was once again just blown away at the sheer skill and dedication this kingdom seemed to have towards plant-life, flowers in particular. He had never found plants particularly interesting, but then, he had never been around anything like this before either. Just...wow.

And then, as his eyes scanned the park, taking it all in, just by chance they fell upon a now familiar looking...Kaito didn't actually know what those things were called. A sort of very pretty, very elaborate robe thing, below a beautifully done head of black, purple, and dots of fresh, colorful flowers.

Kokichi didn't look any different than he had before, but that had been at the dining hall, surrounded by conspirators, or in the field, while Kokichi was trying to breathe through his sense of nausea and Kaito had been distracted by the ritual.

Now here, in the sun, surrounded by laughing people and bright, beautiful flowers?

Just...wow.

Kaito felt the tightly wrapped bandage on his wrist, and took comfort in it. For him, the truly important and challenging part of getting married was over, everything else being decorations around the binding. But, still, he found himself looking forward to the events coming up. Everything really did look amazing, the food was a nice mix of both countries' cuisine, so Kaito would get to eat a potato dish that actually tasted like one, but also that strange green stuff that he was quickly becoming fond of, and unlike all the other events, this one was open to the public. There were families everywhere, children playing tag (was that the murder kids he saw in the distance? Good, good, glad to see they were having fun. He'd keep a closer eye on his wine today.), young people using the opportunity to dress up and get out as an excuse to flirt with each other while older couples either tried to break it up or chuckled at them. A truly festive celebration.

No matter what he decided, he still had a month to prove anything to Tengan. Maybe he could just...let today go? Just enjoy being here with Kokichi and-

He almost jumped out of his skin when a set of feminine arms encircled one of his, realizing with a sinking stomach almost immediately that it was Secretary Chisa.

"Secretary Chisa," Kaito greeted mutely, his good mood immediately dampened.

"Come on, smile, my prince! Look at how amazing this all is. What a wonderful scene to get married in," she said, looking around in genuine appreciation before continuing on. "Anyway, Head Secretary Tengan asked me to speak with you. He's looking to see how well you do today with our instructions, so I've come with advice!" she told him cheerfully.

"...I have a month-"

"You have a month based on the words of spies and long term messages," she corrected him, hugging his arm tightly. "But you really only have today and tomorrow to put his fears at ease. You'd be extremely foolish to think this first impression isn't going to count for most of it."

Kaito looked over to Kokichi, who didn't seem to have spotted him yet, before sighing, turning his attention back to the Secretary. "So, what's your advice then?"

"Good!" she said, letting him go and clapping her hands as she jumped a little on her toes, before saying seriously and quietly, "At a big event like this, obtaining power is all about networking. Sure, you have all these common folks, which is...fine, I guess, but all of Dicea's elite are here too, and you need to find them. Charm them, smile, but most importantly...it's time to start putting little nuggets in their head that Kokichi would probably be an unfit ruler in the long run. That he's unreliable. Now, don't be stupid!" she pointed out, "and just say that directly! You have to convince them they thought it themselves. That's how you start to change public opinion. If you start changing the elite’s perspective of Kokichi, his father, with them all whispering in his ear, will reflect that."

Kaito looked at her in...just total confusion. "I don't think I can do any of that," he said, just increasingly distressed. Atua save him, was this why all the double speaking was happening all the time? How the fuck did you convince someone they had an idea by themselves?? Was that possible!?

"Give it your best go! Maybe you'll get lucky! And don't forget, even if you don't see us." The Secretary cupped a hand to her ear, with a wink as she said, "One way or another, we're always listening, Caleb."

Then she grabbed his face, gave him a big kiss on the cheek, which he bore quietly, and she wished him a "Good luck!" before hurrying off.

...whelp.

This was doomed to fail.

Kaito looked around at all the people here, trying to imagine how he would start to sow the seeds of doubt and unrest needed for a long term takeover...and drew a blank. He knew how to make people laugh. He knew how to get people drinking and loosening up. He could start getting people engaged in friendly games of strength, speed, or trivia. But...everything else she had just said? No idea. None.

But...lives were counting on him...

What would Byakuya do?

He couldn't just zone out for the whole time, maybe fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn't sure. As people started to notice that Aiichi had arrived, droves started to flock to the beloved leader, wanting to comment on the wedding and end of the war and how the kids were getting on and the latest work from a popular author, and... The normal sort of stuff whenever Aiichi talked with anyone.

Ouma didn't want to just be an accessory to the boss so he managed to slip away, and...people came up to him alone anyway. Mostly to congratulate him and comment on how lovely he looked--he didn't even need to see Denji to know when they arrived. The pride wafting off them was almost palpable--and a few to thank him for his efforts in ending the war. A few others wanting to thank and talk with him about things he had helped them with in the past, excited to talk with him in person rather than through letters. With those people, Ouma found himself relaxing a little, his smiles a little more genuine.

This was for them. Wiping away all the political hoops he'd been juggling the past few days...all of this was for them. The people just trying to live their lives the best they could. The people he and Aiichi were sworn to protect. Everything else...it didn't matter so much in comparison.

He kept that in mind all throughout the mingling, through everyone arriving, and then until the musicians started up a joyful piece and his father walked up to the platform, his advisors off to the side looking various forms of pleased and reserved.

Secretary Chisa went back to Head Secretary Tengan, who was already chewing on some appetizers that he had managed to get his hands on. In the distance, General Juzo was talking to some of his guards, instructing them to set up patrols and coordinate with the Dicean guards.

"Well, I told him," she said, reaching out to steal a strawberry from the Head Secretary, who frowned at her but let her have it. As she chewed on it, she sighed. "I don't think he's going to be able to do this on his own. He looked at me like I was speaking in another language. Did you really not teach him any politics growing up? Prince Byakuya learned almost everything he knows from you, and he's brilliant at this sort of thing. Prince Kaito seemed like he had never even heard of these concepts before."

The Head Secretary shrugged, keeping an eye out throughout the crowd. "Is it my fault that he was apparently not paying attention to the things I told his brother? He was physically there for a great many lessons. Admittedly, he was probably a bit distracted...but for him to have not absorbed anything I taught anyway is really more of a failing of his than mine."

"Sure," Secretary Chisa said, taking another strawberry as, finally, she asked something she had been wondering since this whole thing started. "You're not actually going to have that Dicean killed, are you? I mean, I understand what you're trying to do here, but an incident like that could re-start the war, and it wouldn't take all that much for it to get out of our ability to perform damage control. Plus, the idea that we'll be at the border by a month from now is extremely generous. Miss Maki will only get there that quickly because she's traveling alone by horse. We'll be traveling as caravans, and the second Kaito calms down long enough to think about that, he's going to realize we'd never get a message there in time anyway."

"Your point?" Tengan asked.

"My point is, killing the Dicean with a Luminary Assassin could have serious consequences for us, and if you really told Miss Maki to wait for a messenger a month from now, you've made it extremely unlikely she'll ever actually receive a message in time to stop this incident with such potentially serious consequences...so what did you actually tell her?"

"...Why should I tell you?" he asked, enjoying the sun and the sounds of the music, now playing not that far off. "Perhaps I like having my little secrets. And I highly doubt there's anything more you could add to it now."

"Maybe because you like to brag," Chisa said, raising an eyebrow, "and I'm here, all ready to be impressed."

"..." The Head Secretary chuckled.

And then he told her.

She frowned at him, genuinely surprised, though not so put off that she wouldn't grab another strawberry. "That's a bit...cruel. What's the point? Is it part of the plan to take over the kingdom somehow?"

The Head Secretary snickered, as if having an inside joke with himself. "Take over the kingdom...certainly, certainly. Everything for the goal to take over the kingdom… Did you know I'm in my 80's, Miss Chisa?"

"Sure," she said, "So?"

"I know you're still young. Only in your thirties. But you'll discover, one day, when you realize you're coming to the end of your years..." he chuckled.

"Sometimes it's just fun to do stuff."

Kaito walked up to Kokichi, clearing his throat as he approached him. After getting his attention, Kaito gave him a little wave, an unusually shy smile on his face as he said, "Uh, hey there..."  He looked around, grinning and saying playfully, "Ritzy party, huh? Man, the couple getting married today must be something special, to get a nice as party as this. What a pair of jerks they must be."

Ouma gave Kaito a smile back as the prince came up to him. His hair was a little mussed, but...he otherwise looked alright. Maybe nothing too awful had happened? He could only hope.

"Oh, it's such a superfluous display of wealth. Quite ridiculous in my opinion," he giggled. "Wanna people watch with me and try to find the snobs? I think I know the best place to watch from."

For once offering his hand instead of grabbing Kaito by the sleeve, Ouma tilted his head towards the platform that Aiichi was waiting on, the rings set out on the pseudo desk. Simple golden bands with a spiral of ivory running through them--really, the size difference between the two was more attention-grabbing than the design.

"Are you ready?" Ouma murmured.

Kaito felt his neck redden right up to his ears as Kokichi offered him a hand, and feeling only a little conflicted about it, took it, though he shot a quick glance over to the Secretaries, who seemed to be chatting to each other over by a table full of small foods. "Sure," he said, in response to the question about people watching, following as Kokichi pulled him forward. "It'd actually help a lot if maybe you could tell me who is who around here? Surprise, surprise, my advisors somehow didn't find time to tell me about names and faces to look out for in-between conspirings and harassment sessions. Other than you, your father, and his advisors, I really don't know who anyone is."

At first he wasn't sure what Kokichi meant by the second question though. He had to follow his line of sight to see he was referring to the wedding rings. It was his first time seeing them, and they looked...nice. Very reserved. He tried to imagine himself wearing one and mostly thought he'd probably look a bit silly ‘til he got used to it. He tried to imagine Kokichi wearing one and got a bit flustered...but he felt a small ache in his wrist for a moment and took comfort.

The hard part was done. This next part would just be nice.

"Yeah, I think so." Kaito murmured back, "I mean...it's exciting, right? We're really doing this. We're putting an end to a fifteen year war. That's the sort of wedding people will make poetry, songs, and stories about for as long as the Luminary and Dicean kingdoms exist. It's...really an honor to be a part of all that, honestly."

Looking over at Kokichi, his brows furrowed in concern. "You? I mean...it's okay if you don't feel as positive about it as I do. Like...if you're nervous I mean."

They were in no hurry to make it to the platform as everyone was still mingling, though it was dying down a little. So Ouma set a slow pace, maybe to offset how his heart sped up when Kaito took his hand. He didn't think they'd fit together as well as they did.

"Mm," he hummed, looking around at the crowd of people. "Well...you met Lake, right? They said she took you to your room, and you saw her at breakfast that one time." The guard was on duty, keeping to the edges of the park though she often waved to people that sent one back in return.

Ouma then pointed to a blonde woman who kept her short hair back with a green headband. "That's her partner, Nazumi Hijiri--I told you about her before. She's the head gardener and made all of the bouquets for today. Really, they've practically been married for years, and they won't even call each other 'girlfriend' or anything. It's infuriating to watch." He rolled his eyes, though a fond grin showed through his sneer.

"...oh, Yuliya actually came out for this," he commented lightly before pointing out an exhausted-looking woman with bandages around her wrists. "She actually works in the castle, but you wouldn't know it. She keeps track of all public records...by herself. She has some funky organizational system and freaks out when anyone tries to change it. But she can get you any record in less than a minute, so the proof is in the pudding, I guess."

He went on to point out several other people all with little comments about them, people ranging from the classy woman who ran the auction house to someone who had showed up in full armor, the eccentric swordmaster that trained anyone looking for a little weapon-based combat.

Even with the leisurely pace, they did make it to the platform eventually, and Ouma found himself giving Kaito's hand a little squeeze before letting go, more to reassure himself than anything.

"I... This is important and I'm happy to do my part," he murmured behind a sleeve as his cheeks started to tint. "...but I am a little nervous."

"Are you two ready to begin?" Aiichi gently interrupted, giving no indication that he had been listening to them at all.

Kaito chuckled at the description of Lake and Nazumi, taking a second to realize he did actually recognize the guard. "I met her before. She has excellent taste in capes." He said, smirking a little, "I remember thinking I liked her. To be fair, if you tell me you think capes are cool, I'm basically always putty in your hand."

Head Gardener, in a place that valued plants so much, might be considered an 'elite' position...but Kaito, in a rare moment of clarity, could remember Kokichi saying, way back when he had met him as Koh, that the Head Gardener changed every year. So, maybe not a great long term investment...which was good. Kaito would have felt wrong to try to down-talk Kokichi to someone he clearly liked so much.

Yuliya huh? She sounded like she was working government cleric work, which in his kingdom, was the one of the jobs you had to do if you were trying to become a nation Secretary someday. So, if Dicea was similar, perhaps she was on her way to becoming a respected politician in a few years? So, a candidate...but Kaito was probably better talking to whoever her boss was. He wondered if there was a not weird way to ask who was in charge of her to Kokichi...

Auction house? Maybe wealthy. Wealthy people tended to have more influence on politics. Ha, the swordmaster seemed like a good time. Maybe he would challenge him to a spar? Though that probably wouldn't be super useful.

Kaito frowned, feeling miserable. He didn't have the aptitude for this. He didn't know what he was looking for. It was so obvious at home, where people were separated by class and titles, usually wearing clothes and colors that showed where they stood among the chosen elite. All nice and organized...but Dicea? Everyone just seemed eerily the same, if colorful in their taste of clothes. How could Kaito tell who mattered here?

...Did a question like that even apply in a place like this? Didn't Kokichi, during their fight in the greenhouse, say something about no one being above anyone else? But...how did that actually work? Among all these 'equals', who, besides Kokichi and Aiichi, was actually in charge? Who could enact the policy changes that the Head Secretary so desperately wanted?

...Was he asking the wrong thing?

Kaito stared at the king, surprised. He had been so engrossed in what Kokichi was saying and his own, ugly thoughts, he hadn't actually realized where he was being led. Feeling Kokichi let go of his hand, the world seeming colder now all of the sudden, Kaito took a quick bow towards the King on instinct alone. He looked around to see more and more eyes were falling on them.

"W-what?" Kaito said, suddenly nervous as he realized more and more eyes were fixating on them, completely taken off guard by the lack of formality, the lack of performance. "Now? We just...we just do it?"

"More or less, yes," Aiichi replied kindly. "Considering your requests to Atua earlier were essentially vows, you don't have to go through them again if you don't want to. I just have to ask each of you, as an officiate and with everyone else as your witnesses, to consent to the marriage, then you'll exchange rings, kiss, then we can sign the treaty."

"Sorry if you were expecting more of a spectacle--most people aren't very invested in paperwork, so it is the party that is the bigger deal."

Ouma had known all that, now feeling a little guilty about not explaining it to Kaito, as what had been done to him for Luminary customs. He had just figured...you know. Aiichi was on the platform, they were going to it. It seemed like a heads up to him, but maybe not for Kaito.

He'd known all that, but still his cheeks continued to warm at the mention of the kiss. That they'd have to perform in front of everyone. That would be a true-blue, real, on the lips kiss. That would be his first kiss.

Clasping his hands together, Ouma sighed impatiently, masking his nerves. "Can we get going? The sooner that treaty is signed the better."

"Of course, Ko." Aiichi looked out over the two princes' heads, speaking out in the voice that made people shut up and listen to him. "My friends! Old and new, I invite you to gather around to witness the union of Heir Apparent to the kingdom of Dicea, Kokichi Ouma, and Second Prince of the Luminous Kingdom, Kaito Momota! A bond to signify the end of our countries' war, and the start of our peaceful cooperation!"

There were cheers from the crowd, a few whoops, and even a wolf-whistle or two that certainly didn't help Ouma's nerves. Neither did being the focus of his father's unyielding gaze.

"Kokichi Ouma, do we receive your consent to wed Kaito Momota, to be devoted only to him even in times of strife, to both offer a hand and take an offered one, to do everything in your power to make this man happy as his lawfully wedded husband and to hereby be known as Kokichi Momota Ouma?"

Ouma took a breath that felt too shallow, but... He stole a glance at Kaito, somehow feeling a little calmer. "I, Kokichi Momota Ouma, consent to this marriage!"

"Kaito Momota," he then continued, looking over to the Luminary Prince. "Do we receive your consent to wed Kokichi Ouma, to be devoted only to him even in times of strife, to both offer a hand and take an offered one, to do everything in your power to make this man happy as his lawfully wedded husband and to hereby be known as Kaito Ouma Momota?"

Kaito looked over at him in surprise. He...he wasn't taking the Ouma name?

Only slightly taken by surprise, Kaito recovered quickly, standing up straighter and practically shouting, "Yes, of course I do! I-I mean, I, Kaito Ouma Momota, consent to this marriage!" Kaito said, mimicking Kokichi the best he could, his face turning red.

He chuckled nervously as there was a spattering of applause from the crowd, a couple of awws and some more whoops that quieted down quickly to allow the king to speak again. The General, for his part, was clapping as well. Neither of the Secretaries were, instead content just to watch in silence

"Then, if you would, please place your wedding ring on your spouse's left ring finger."

It wasn't much of a pause as they each did so, Ouma gently sliding the larger ring onto Kaito's finger, covertly rubbing his thumb along the calluses and scars on his palm. They could do great things together, he was sure. Could beat even the game the Luminary secretaries had planned. And, as Kaito slid Ouma's ring onto him, he shivered a little, feeling a spark, and becoming more sure in his resolve than ever.

"On the authority given to me as chosen leader of the Kingdom of Dicea, I now pronounce you husbands! You may kiss."

Heart fluttering rapidly, Ouma looked up at Kaito and... screwed his face up, puckering his lips and clenching his eyes shut as he stood on his toes to try and make the height difference a little easier.

As Kaito had suspected, the ring looked and felt a little silly on him, but seeing it on Kokichi's slender, pale fingers, the sort of reserved wealth and dignified beauty it represented fit him like a glove, and Kaito suspected he was going to end up spending time and money in the future trying to buy Kokichi jewelry that, he also suspected, Kokichi was never going to wear.

Ah well, Kaito thought with a grin. That was going to be a fun problem to have.

As the king gave them permission to physically seal the union (or, in other words, give his husband a big ol’ smooch), Kaito looked down at him and-

oh fuck don't laugh dont laugh please don't start your marriage by laughing at your tiny husband atua give him strength holy fuck kokichi

Kaito considered him for a brief second, considered the crowd, and then, leaning down...ever so slightly bumped his forehead against Kokichi's. This succeeded in startling the Dicean Prince into opening his eyes to give him a confused look, relaxing his face slightly in the process. Kaito grinned at him, taking his head in both hands so that he could gently guide Kokichi's mouth close, and kissed him at his bottom lip, feeling the warm, soft curve of it and tasting Kokichi's breath (syrup? definitely something sweet he had eaten this morning) as he kissed against it once, then twice more.

He then pulled back, his face flushed red but his spirit calm as he rubbed his thumb against the back of Kokichi's cheek for a moment, before giving him a wink as he said, quietly, "See? No pressure at all."

Ouma never really thought he was a romantic, but he had wondered about what his first kiss would be like. Something quick and meaningless, done with someone who temporarily caught his fancy on one of his excursions into town? Something melancholic, actually having been seeing someone but not being able to let it blossom, thanks to the restrictions on his life?

This was nothing like that.

Ouma blinked his eyes open, wondering if he'd done something wrong, before...o-oh... So much about Kaito was big and vibrant and loud, but, somehow, the kiss was...soft. Gentle, comforting. A night under the stars, talking plainly without expectations.

He let out a little gasp as Kaito pulled back, eyes gently glittering in wonder though his face was bright red. His first kiss was...with a friend. Someone who believed in him.

Even if they were a big dork.

Whining a little, Ouma covered his burning face with his sleeves, now able to hear the wild cheering of the crowd since the world had finally returned to him. "Shut up!"

He meant that to Aiichi as well, the boss snickering under his breath. "I'll let you two enjoy your special day in a moment, but we all do need to sign the treaty." He held a hand up, signaling Chisa and Tengan, and Hideki stepped up as well. The boss and King Leon's representation would sign, then the princes, then the secretaries. A bound contract, enforcing the peace all this was meant for.

Chisa let Tengan take the lead, who gave the king a gentle smile as he took the pen from him. "I sign in the name of King Leon of the Luminary Kingdom, who is blessed to officiate this treaty and adhere to it for the rest of his days, and the Kingdom for the next hundred years. An honor, truly. This is a proud day for us all," he said, looking over the contract with a trained eye for a moment before, satisfied this was the version they had agreed on, he signed his part, giving the pen to Chisa to sign as a witness for his signature. They both then bowed low to the King. "Thank you for having us," they said in unison.

As Chisa took a few steps back, Tengan looked over at Kaito, and without hesitation, reached out to put a hand on his cheek, in roughly the same spot where Kaito had so gently held Kokichi a moment before, giving it a soft, friendly pat. "Good job, Prince Kaito," Tengan said cheerfully. "Your father will be getting a full account of today's events. I have no doubt your parents are filled with pride."

It didn't take long, but Kaito broke first, losing eye contact and looking somewhere vaguely down at everyone's legs as he murmured, "Thank you Head Secretary." Pleased, he let his hand fall, Tengan stepping back with Chisa, both of them genuinely enjoying the show. Even for all the other things going on, this was a huge accomplishment for both of them, and they were happy to bask in the moment along with everyone else.

Kaito considered the wording of the treaty. He had been familiar with the original version that had been introduced when he first got here, but it had clearly been updated since then. He wondered what the changes were...but he trusted Kokichi knew, and that he could trust him not to hurt his kingdom, so when it was his turn, he signed gladly, taking a deep breath as he took a step back.

A signature, a year in the making. Done. Done? God, could it really all be done...? After the heated discussions when the Luminary Kingdom had first been approached with the idea, the comforting he had needed when he realized he was being sent to go, the six months of travel, taking the perilous, long way around through the Danganronpa border to avoid enemy lines, facing unknown territory and uncertain people.

Then getting here. Difficult first meetings. A week that was full of violence and hurt feelings and just this intense feeling of hopelessness that it might never get any better...

It was done?

Kaito chuckled...then laughed. His eyes stinging with tears. "What...what a relief," he said, watching the other signatures, tears running down his cheeks as he breathed easier for the first time in that long year. "We did it."

While he had to take a...well, several moments to calm down, Ouma still caught the interaction between Kaito and Tengan. Some part of him cackled with glee, wanting to say something like 'hey! get your mitts off my husband!' but they still had to play relatively nice. Even if Kaito was bothered, which Ouma was pretty sure he was, what Tengan had said was...safe. Cordial enough that aggression on Ouma's part wouldn't help anything.

Ouma still nudged Kaito's arm a little in...comfort, probably. Kaito didn't have to face them alone anymore.

He took a deep breath as he scanned over the treaty, sure that the Dicean admins had done it enough to recite it by heart, but, still. This was something too important to not be careful with. For as horrible the Luminary secretaries were, the treaty was fair. Ensured the safety and sovereignty of both nations, promised a baseline of travel and trade that was fair to each of them. It was something he could sign proudly with his new full name.

...it was over. No one had to die meaninglessly anymore. Everyone... Everyone would be okay.

Another large breath left him, even if Ouma giggled a little at Kaito's tears. There were some stinging in his own eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Didn't mean it wasn't obvious.

"We did it," he echoed, the relief actually making him feel a little lightheaded. "...I think I need to sit down..."

His words were drowned out for all except those closest to him as, once the ink had dried on the last signature, Aiichi raised the treaty to the crowd, and Ouma and Kaito weren't the only ones feeling overwhelmed. The war was over.

Kaito looked down at Kokichi, who was handling his wet eyes better than him, but clearly just barely, and laughed again, his chest lightening with an increasing giddiness, feeling almost drunk on joy as cheers and applause, almost deafening, suddenly rose up. As if on cue, the band suddenly started playing, and Kaito watched, amazed, as the Dicean people wasted no time, drinks and food being passed around to each other, as dancing circles immediately started up, as if the dancers had just been waiting for the excuse.

"Hey," Kaito said to Kokichi, offering his hand to him, caught up in the thrill of the music. "Come on! Let's go down there!"

Ouma grinned up at Kaito at his laugh, feeling like it was just...genuine happiness. He wanted to hear more laughs like that. Resting could wait until night--he wasn't going to miss out on his own wedding celebration!

Taking Kaito's hand, Ouma snorted and hopped off the platform. "I hope you're ready to be embarrassed by me. Never been much of a dancer, but then again I don't know how you're used to dancing, so maybe it's destined to be a disaster anyway."

The music was high-energy, lively, something that made you want to jump up and feel with your entire body. Something befitting pure joy.

"No, no, no, see, it's fine, right? Here's the trick," Kaito said, pulling Kokichi into the crowd, while also keeping in mind the thrashing arms and twirling bodies around them that might knock into his smaller husband, getting them to a part that would give them just enough space. "Well, there's two tricks, actually! Trick number one!"

Kaito, letting go of Kokichi, did just...two absolutely goofy, ridiculously exaggerated moves, right after the other. There's probably not any dead disco moves in this universe, but if there were, it would absolutely be dead disco moves, Kaito holding the pose and giving a nearby dancing couple giggling at him a generous wink. "You have a partner who makes everything you do look good in comparison by being just this bad. Always fun! Great for pubs!"

Kaito, relaxing his pose into something less exaggerated, but close enough to where he had landed to suggest that had been the plan to begin with, extended his hand to Kokichi. "Trick number two is..." he said, waiting for Kokichi to take his hand.

Kaito didn't realize it. This explanation of dancing was such a well-rehearsed, practiced performance on his part that he didn't realize that it was so damn close to so many other, exaggerated, theatrical versions of things he did. That his habits had crossed over from dancing, to jokes, to, yes, even first time sparring partners...that in a way, it all sort of looked the same, if you knew what you were looking for.

So Kaito, not understanding, in no way planning it, offered Kokichi his hand in a way that, at least thematically, was beat to beat the same as the second day he had ever known him, holding out a fencing sword.

Ouma snickered at the exaggerated moves Kaito pulled. It was very...him, in the joking manner he meant it. He knew the basics of dancing, they'd at least let him learn that, even if he was never shown anything faster than a waltz. But he'd been to festivals all his life--other than the handful or so he'd had to miss due to illness--so he knew what other kinds of dancing looked like. He just wasn't very good at it.

Not that it really seemed in character for him, but if Kaito didn't mind looking silly...

Ouma took his hand. Not as someone angry and scared who thought they were being mocked. Not as someone weak and useless that wouldn't be able to do anything without that hand. Ouma was taking his husband's hand as an equal, going to learn how to dance.

"Alright, prima donna--show me your moves!"

Kaito laughed, pulling Kokichi close to him and then, with excellent control, just started to spin him, first several times right, then several times left, a flick of his wrist sending Kokichi falling the other way as Kaito caught him in his left arm, leaning down low to let Kokichi feel as if he was being suspended in air.

"Trick number two is just to have a really, really good dance partner," Kaito said, winking at Kokichi before pulling back up into another spin, stopping him with a firm catch to his waist, pulling him in close to himself as he moved his hand to Kokichi's lower back to make sure he was truly steady.

"You still good?!" he shouted, trying to be heard above the crowd and the music. "I got more on top of that! It's called Salsa, do you know it?! I learned it from these three women at a festival who spent all evening just throwing me around between them! I thought I was gonna be sick halfway through!" Kaito said, laughing at the memory, gently pushing Kokichi out as he nodded down to his feet. "Here, there's more to it. Watch my feet, it's actually really simple, but it looks super cool sped up! Don't let me act like an idiot doing this slowly if you already know this, you better tell me!" Kaito scolded, before doing a simple three step move.

"You got it? After the spin! Alright, let's do it again!" he said, sending Kokichi into another twirl.

"O-OH!" Whatever Ouma had been expecting, it hadn't been this. It was all he could do to keep up with the spins he found himself in, the world whirling by in a colorful blur. Only to come to an abrupt halt and be replaced with the sense of falling backward, Ouma instinctively holding onto Kaito's hand tighter. Not really to keep himself up--he realized a moment later that his arm was making sure of that--but...well, it would be a little unrealistic for him to pull Kaito down with him. But a man could dream.

Ouma was sent whirling again, this time a little more prepared, and by the time Kaito pulled him close he was giggling with a delighted grin. "If I agree, is that just going to go to your head? I suppose I'll just have to deal with that, then."

He paid close attention to the steps Kaito showed him, not much time for the name to sink in before he was twirled again. Salsa...definitely not something he'd be allowed to try, but not something he'd ever seen before either. It felt kind of silly, just spinning around and then doing a few steps, but there was a harmony to it that felt right. It was...exhilarating!

Ouma spun with ease this time, learning the timing and easily being led into the next step or spin or dip whenever Kaito transitioned, doing his best to mimic the footwork he'd been shown. And laughing joyfully and smiling at Kaito the entire time.

Noticing the type of dance they were doing, a few people, knowing the steps themselves, showed off what they could do with it, some of them seeming to almost hover above the grass, others getting friendly laughs as they gave it their best attempt. Then a man called to the boys, him and a woman already a little sloshed, hanging on his arm and laughing, said, "Hey! Y'all ever see a swing before? Watch this!"

Then the crowd did their best to mimic that couple’s dance, again some people knowing it well and others trying it for the first time, Kaito not recognizing this one but doing his best to keep up with Kokichi.

And so it kept going like that, every now and again a new person offering a new dance move to try and emulate, drinks passing around, until the crowd was an uncoordinated mess of everyone trying out whatever move they had fancied most, whether they were capable of doing it or not, and others just holding other people close, moving against their bodies, and plenty more just jumping, which is a perfectly valid dance move.

The sun turned in the sky, and Secretary Chisa, whispering to a young woman who had gone off to the side, needing some air to catch her breath, holding two drinks in her hand. The woman listened to her request, and with a laugh, agreed easily, happy to help.

Taking the two cups from the Secretary, she made the journey back into the crowd, finding the newlyweds and coming up to them, catching their attention and shouting above the noise. "King Aiichi asked these be brought to you two! He says please hydrate, or tomorrow's gonna be rough!" she said, handing the two tall glasses of water to the boys. As soon as they grabbed the glasses, a friend of hers saw her and, grabbing her from the waist, pulled the giggling woman into a dance, the two disappearing into the mess.

Kaito looked down at the glass and, without a second thought, downed the whole thing.

Ouma had always enjoyed the festivals and parties held in town, and not just because they were the only times he could easily go outside the castle. There were many things people could say about Diceans as a whole, but they knew how to party. He had enjoyed talking with the townsfolk, indulging in the special foods, participating in whatever was happening with that particular festival if he was able.

However, this time was probably the most fun he'd ever had.

By the time the woman handed off the water, Ouma was gleefully gasping for breath, cheeks red from exertion. He took several greedy gulps, not quite being able to chug the whole thing, and tugged a little on Kaito's hand to get his attention. "I wanna get some cake before it's gone," he shouted over the music. "You can keep dancing if you want."

To say that Kaito and the man who had started the swing dance had developed a bit of a rivalry by this point was to undersell just how DETERMINED the two were to out dance each other by this point. Even if neither of them knew at all the dance that had been shown off last, they were still going at it with their whole SOULS, trying to outdo each other by, if not technique, than in sheer, dumb ENTHUSIASM!

All that to say that Kaito was this close to going with Kokichi, ‘til the man called, "Bet you can't keep up with a tango, ginger!"

"Oh please, I INVENTED Tango!" Kaito, who had done a tango once in his life and had been terrible at it, shouted back, fire in his eyes. But then he looked back at Kokichi and called to the man, "My dance partner’s leaving though..."

"Charlotte's saying she needs a sit down anyway," the man said, waving at the woman as she shrugged, giving him a wave and blowing a kiss back as she went outside the crowd. "So that means..."

The man put out his hand to Kaito, his whole body brimming with FIGHTING SPIRIT, "We'll just test it against each other!! Whoever falls first dies!!"

"Yeah!!!" Kaito said, thoroughly challenged...before leaning over and, real quick, kissing Kokichi on the corner of his lips as he said to him quickly, "Please come back soon, this man may kill me with tango."

Then he turned, took the man's hand, and THEY WERE OFF!

Ouma...pretty much choked himself on the rest of the water as he scurried away, taking the small consolation that his face was already flushed so no one could call him out on how he burned at that little kiss. If this was going to be a normal thing between them...no, that's not the sound of his heart singing as it turns to a gooey mush, shut up.

Considering the now empty cup in his hand, people let him be as he made his way to the banquet table, getting more water and struggling to hold his sleeves back as he sliced himself a bit of his...wedding cake. Because he was married now. Because his husband was one of the most ridiculous and sweet people he'd ever met even in passing.

He may have been able to hide before, but the little, pleased smile on Ouma's face was there for all to see as he made his way to one of the tables to eat. Even--very happily--enjoying one of his favorite pastimes, Ouma found his gaze turned back to the dance crowd, laughing at the two zealous fools trying to outdance each other, together.

Ouma felt...warm. Happy. Even when Aiichi briefly stopped by to check on him, asking in that patronizing way if he needed to retire early, if Kaito was tiring him out too much. Though he was sitting off to the side like usual, it was temporary, and he wasn't alone anymore.

"...Honestly. That idiot boy can't even be threatened properly."

With a tired sigh, Head Secretary Tengan sat down next to Kokichi.

Was he just destined to continually have good food ruined by assholes?

Ouma side-eyed the Head Secretary, doing a rather good job at keeping a neutral face. "It's pretty damn hard to dampen genuine optimism. The sun always comes up again."

He took a few more bites of cake, trying to savor the taste. It was a vanilla sponge with an orange-cream filling and cocoa powder sprinkled over the whipped frosting. It was moist and light and sweet, and he'd been quite happy eating it by himself.

"So, is mild transparency our wedding gift, or are you just feeling satisfied?"

Watching two men, neither of whom knew how to tango that well, basically try to wrestle each other into leading the dance, might have been fun in any other circumstance...but Tengan just put his hands together, leaning onto his knees as he watched his prince make an absolute ass of himself.

"Frustrated, actually," the Head Secretary admitted, not having to whisper as the music swelled and people laughed and cheered, their joy filling the upcoming night air with noise. "You know, I really quite envy your father. Based on what I hear, he sabotaged almost every stage of your development growing up...and yet here you are. Composed and intelligent, already doing work as a leader in the shadows, from what I hear. In fact, I think you and my boy Byakuya would have a great deal of fun talking circles around each other, if you ever had the chance."

"But him?" he said, glaring at Kaito, who suddenly tripped on another dancer's foot, causing both him and his partner to fall, the two now arguing over who had fallen first. "He just grew up to be what I suspect he was always going to be, regardless of my influence or not. Just...a total buffoon. Not really fit to lead anything. It's just...frustrating."

Definitely the person that had tortured Kaito throughout his...entire life, actually. Not just childhood, not just now. While what Ouma knew about the Momota family personally pretty much just boiled down to Aiichi's frustration with Leon and whatever Kaito had told him, he did know their names. He knew that Kaito's brother was named Byakuya, and that Tengan would call him "his boy"? He wondered how much of the situation King Leon knew.

Ouma watched the mishap on the dance floor with an amused smile before speaking, watching them instead of the old man next to him. "He is a dummy. But he's my dummy now, so I'd appreciate you not sounding so disgusted. If I can keep it out of my voice, certainly with your experience you can keep it out of yours."

"Obviously I don't know you well, Head Secretary Tengan, but, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I think you will be pleasantly surprised in the future. Kai-chan already has everything he needs to be an excellent leader, and he'll get the chance to put those skills and qualities to use. Probably not tomorrow, as we'll likely be roped into replying to letters of congratulation all day, but maybe the day after. As you know, keeping a country running is quite a lot of work."

Ouma let his next bite linger in his mouth, squishing the cake a bit with his tongue before swallowing. This was certainly a turn around from trying to make him seem incapable.

"I suppose so," Tengan said, taking out his handkerchief, feeling a tickle in his throat as he continued on. "Maybe it's just because I've been doing it so long that I personally don't see what all the fuss is about. Honestly, young people have no concept of hard work...though, Prince Kaito has a point. That might be all in the past now. Prince Byakuya doesn't think he needs me anymore. Thankfully his father still does, for now, but as I think you can attest, just because one wears the crown, one does not necessarily lead. With the war done, I imagine King Leon will start leaving to his eldest son more and more responsibility, effectively retiring...and me with him."

Tengan, coughing into the napkin, cleared his throat. "Ah well. So is the cycle of things. I imagine Kaito's told you what's at stake already? I'm surprised at how calm you are. I don't know how I'd feel under similar circumstances. Though, I suppose I was never particularly close with any of my wet-nurses."

One could only hope. The world, let alone their countries, would be better off if Tengan never touched another political matter again. Or any person's psyche. Nodding his head respectfully, Ouma fiddled another bite onto his fork. Almost done, then he could go. "I wish you a peaceful retirement, Head Secretary, when the time comes."

Hopefully immediately.

Ouma went to take his bite, but paused at what the old bastard said next. ...Kaito found out what Maki's mission was? That was good, since they'd be able to plan around it better, but...he hadn't told him. They hadn't had too much time right before the wedding, but...he'd answered Kaito's questions about the people who lived in the capital. They'd been dancing for hours. Why...

...Tengan was betting on Kaito not telling him. Or hadn't told his husband anything and was trying to sow distrust.

Don't let him win.

Even at the hint of exactly who Maki had been sent after, Ouma took a deep breath, though his grip on his fork didn't loosen any. Ikuo could take care of himself. He'd already survived a war! And even if an attack from a trained assassin was different...so was protection from a trained hit(wo)man.

"That's rather depressing to hear. A life without friends is a dull one, in my experience." Ouma finished up the last of his cake, planning to leave when...something in his gut roiled oddly. He couldn't help placing a hand against his abdomen, a flicker of confusion going across his face before Ouma internally shrugged it off. He hadn't eaten that much today, made sense his stomach would complain a little.

"Well, I've promised to return to the dancefloor, so, if you will excuse me, Mr. Tengan."

Tengan looked at Kokichi curiously...before giving him that gentle smile, giving him a wave.

"You have fun tonight, Prince Kokichi," he said pleasantly, "Congratulations on your happy union." Still sitting there. Watching curiously.

Navigating through the crowd of dancers with the ease of someone used to getting through small spaces, Ouma returned to Kaito's side. Oddly...he didn't feel much cooled by his break, but that wasn't much of a problem. As long as he didn't start overheating, it wouldn't be.

"You sure you don't want a break?" he teasingly asked. "That was a naaaasty fall. And the cake is really good!"

"Though...you might want to wait a little for better company to come by." He said that a little quieter, hopefully close enough that Kaito would still be able to hear him.

"I'm telling you, you never knew where your hips were once! It's all in the hips! I won!" The man said, demonstrating as he moved his hips around, to the cheers and whistles of some of the dancers around them, watching this spectacle.

"Oh please, your shoulders barely moved! Everyone's watching the upper part of your body, so if you don't involve your shoulders, of course it's not gonna look right! I wo-oh, welcome back Kokichi," Kaito said, giving his husband a wide grin.

It being difficult to hear him in the crowd, Kaito leaned in, listening with a smile as his flushed, hazy brain made sense of what Kokichi was saying. "Better company? But everyone here is so-"

Kaito looked up to where the cake was, and went quiet to see the Head Secretary sitting there, watching the events with a pleased smile. Upon seeing Kaito staring, the Head Secretary gave him a little wave.

Kaito frowned. Kokichi...had just been up there. Had he...had he talked to him? What had he said?!

Suddenly remembering, with a flush of shame, that he was still, you know...technically hiding the fact that one of the only friends in the world Prince Kokichi had had an assassin coming after him...not that he had forgotten about it! He just...shit.

"Come on, let's go get some air on the other side," Kaito said to Kokichi, moving out of the other side of the dance group, shifting through the loose and chaotic bodies of the dancers. When he pulled out the other end, the air was shockingly cool, and Kaito managed to catch his breath before turning to Kokichi. "Are you okay? I know that's a kind of a question with, like, layers for you, I-I'm not trying to say you wouldn't be okay, but...I mean..." Kaito looked back at the dancers, roughly where he thought Tengan might be on the other side. "...he...are you okay?"

"I get it," Ouma huffed kindly. "It's really gross how little he thinks of you, but...what you said at breakfast, about the advisors being replaced once they return to Luminary? It seems to me like he's accepting that, so..."

He shook his head. Saying something like Kaito wouldn't need to suffer him for much longer just sounded...wrong. Maybe there was another way to say it, but it wasn't coming to mind at the moment. It was a side point, anyway.

"...Maki-chan was sent after Ikuo, wasn't she." It wasn't a question. "Holding him as collateral so we'd have to do what Tengan says. Geez, what a dumb plan..."

Ouma rolled his eyes, fanning himself a little. Summer evenings didn't hold anything back when you were dancing with dozens of people. "While the sentiment is nice, in the future, please don't keep things from me because you think they'll worry me. I'd rather know, no matter how horrible it is. Then I can actually start thinking of an answer instead of blindly wading forward."

It wasn't fair to compare that to the things his dad did...but it kind of was. Keeping him in a bubble. Maybe he'd be more frustrated but...he'd already sent out a solution, and the night had been so nice...

Ouma looked up at Kaito, his dark armor gleaming in the sunset. A little ruffled from their dancing, but he kinda liked that better than the prim and pressed presentation he had earlier. Ouma found himself looking over the other man, unable to tear his eyes away.

And then his gut roiled again, making him shift a little in place as the warmth in his body pulsed, congregating in...

...he wasn't having a stomachache.

He was aroused.

Shit. So he had told him...

Kaito immediately started worrying his joints again. "Sorry," he said, genuinely shame-faced as he tried to find the words to explain himself, the heat of the dancing thoroughly cooling off and leaving a chill in the darkening sunset. "I...I think I was planning to tell you. I was supposed to basically be an ass all day today, per Tengan. He said if I could keep it up for a month, Maki would be called off and everyone would come home fine. I...I thought maybe I could try to do it at least until he left, and then get you involved when he wasn't staring over our shoulders…”

"But, as you can see I just...kind of gave up on that before I even started. Once I realized I wasn't going to do it, I knew I'd have to just tell you sooner then, but I just didn't want to totally ruin the day when it had finally started going well. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away," Kaito said, looking up from his hands. "But, you think it's a bad plan? Does that mean Maki won't be able to-"

Kaito frowned, seeing a tremble in Kokichi's shoulders, his face flushed a brilliant red. "Shoot, Kokichi, are you getting sick?" Kaito asked, placing a hand on his forehead and then on the side of his neck, "I guess you're a little warm, but nothing crazy… Still, you're shivering. Here," Kaito said, unclasping the cloak from his armor and putting it around Kokichi, giving him an uneasy grin. "Sorry, I know it's a little goofy looking with your outfit, but it's warm, right?"

Why?

Ouma was pretty damn sure he'd left his teenage days of getting horny over little to nothing far behind, so why was he turned on? ...like...yeah, Kaito was a hot guy. For all of the teasing jokes over his hair and fashion, Ouma had always found Kaito attractive, even when he'd first spotted him in the market. Not to mention when he took off his shirt he had a body that definitely--

Ouma cut that line of thinking off fast, pressing his thighs together as he felt another little pulse go through him.

Was it because of everything they'd said at the binding ceremony? Because they were married now? He never thought he was a prude, but maybe that was a thing for him? Because they'd been having fun dancing, holding each other and pressing close...

He shivered, Kaito's hand against his neck feeling far better than it had any right to.

COME ON! You're not 15, get a hold of yourself! It was too early to politely leave the party, not without knowing looks from Aiichi and the townspeople alike. He could just...ignore it. It'd go away.

While the cape felt far too warm--honestly he wanted to get out of his snugly fit clothes--Ouma still nestled in it a bit. "W-well...thanks for not being an ass on one of the most important days of our lives. It'd certainly change the whole mood of everything."

He looked out to the party still going strong pointedly. He could've dealt with Kaito's distance, but certainly other people would've been able to feel the tension. With everyone having fun as they were...sure, it was a huge excuse to party, but he had a feeling that at least some of them were feeling more hopeful about their treaty with Luminary from seeing how he and Kaito got it on. GOT ON. GOT ALONG.

"If it's yours, then I certainly look ridiculous, don't I?" Ouma asked with a cheeky smile. "I'm alright, Kai-chan. I've never danced like that in my life--maybe I'm a little tired? But I'm good here."

He would be.

Taking a breath, his smile calmed and he...tried to be serious with Kaito. "It's a horrible plan. I'm sure Maki-chan is great an' all, but Ikuo isn't someone you should underestimate. He's the one that taught me all the important stuff I know, after all."

How to take a fall, how to balance yourself the most effectively, how to make heights your bitch...and much more, including how to do a sick standing back-flip.

"And it's not one-on-one. Shuu-chan will be there to use his big brain and exploit every loophole possible, and Katsuki-chan will make sure it all goes smoothly. I know you believe in your friends, Kai-chan," Ouma grinned up at his husband, trying to ignore another pulse centering around his crotch, "But I believe in mine too."

He kept the assured grin up, but Ouma couldn't help shifting a little bit more, the smile becoming a little strained as he realized with some horror, that his arousal wasn't going away. Instead, he was getting hard.

Weirdly enough, Kaito's first instinct when he heard this was...competitive pride? He had this weird impulse to say that, really, if it came to a fight between his friends and Kokichi's friends, like, come on! Maki was a powerhouse! He had seen her once get stabbed in the chest, take out the blade, and use it as a weapon to kill three other people (four caravans traveling for six months had attracted probably more than its fair share of bandits)! Not to mention that thing she did with the chopsticks in that one restour-

Ahhh, but Kaito supposed that was all beside the point.

He understood what Kokichi was saying, and really did try to take comfort in it. And if Kokichi really thought his two confidants, Katsuki and Ikuo, were capable enough that even the idea that Maki could pull it off would seem silly...honestly, Kaito was probably just most conflicted by the fact that he didn't feel like he was doing anything. His friends were in danger and he wanted to help, and instead had ignored the situation and just partied all night like a total id-whaaat the fuck was that?

Kaito, in his musings, as he had started to get more and more down on himself, had felt his eyes start to lower to the ground, as he was prone to doing when he was embarrassed or upset. And during his eyes’ travel to get there...

Kaito grabbed both sides of the cape he had put onto Kokichi, wrapping it around his front as Kaito took a mildly panicked look around to see if anyone else had seen, his face beet red as he thought to himself, 'Really?? Now??? They were talking about his friend’s potential murder!?'

Then Kaito remembered playing footsie underneath the table and remembered, right, fuck.

His new husband had a thing for murder rampages.

He was not going to kinkshame Kokichi! That was not how this relationship was going to start! God damn it, if threats of murder were what turned Kokichi on, well, okay! Kaito would go read some of Touko's more amazingly written garbage books for inspiration later. Really work on his 'grrr' face! He was willing to meet Kokichi halfway on this! He would be the best pretend murderer he could be!

But right now?

Kaito looked warily over at the party that was still in full swing. King Aiichi was back there somewhere. That'd be...awkward, if he saw Kokichi like this. Master Tengan was also, presumably, still back there somewhere, on the other side of the crowd.

Nope. Nope. Unacceptable.

"Hey, uh, do you wanna get, like...fresher air? More air?" Kaito said to him, "Cooling air? You know that hill next to where me and Maki sparred? We could go up there for a bit. Watch the last bit of the sunset ‘til you feel, ya know...cooler?"

The smile dropped entirely when Kaito drew the cape closed, and instead Ouma's lips drew into a tense line, shame filling him. Denji had drawn the yukata as tight around him as it'd go, so there wasn't anything really left to the imagination about his figure. And that meant, at least with his own clothes, there wasn't any hiding the slight bulge from his infuriatingly growing erection.

Ouma held the cape closed from the inside, kind of wanting to just entirely hide in it. What was wrong with him?! Getting so horny over nothing that he was hard? Even while talking about a murder and blackmail attempt? What a freak...

He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to cry even shameful tears. Even as his gut roiled again, even as he could ever so clearly feel how tight his underwear was getting. God...Kaito probably thought he was some gross pervert...

Blinking wet eyes up at his husband, Ouma drew into himself, looking to the side even as he squeezed his thighs together. ...screw public opinion. This was way worse. "...I-I...I don't feel very well... I just... 'm gonna go home..."

"Hey, hey! Come on now. There's no need to be upset..." Kaito said, growing more and more concerned as he watched Kokichi's eyes suddenly start going red at the edges, feeling, just...entirely lost on how to respond to that. Sure, it was always pretty embarrassing to be so visibly aroused in a public place, but so far only Kaito had noticed, and it wasn't like, ya know...like, him and Kokichi were supposed to...

Fuck. Pointing out that they were supposed to, legally speaking, take care of something like this at some point tonight felt, just, REMARKABLY insensitive in the face of Kokichi's painfully clear embarrassment. This was so shitty. Kaito hadn't seen Kokichi so overwhelmed yet...well, with the exception of maybe when he was Koh, but that embarrassment at the spar had been more angry than...this. Whatever this was. This was just heartbreaking.

Suddenly remembering several people telling him in this last week the sheer lack of personal relationships Kokichi'd had his whole life, he suddenly wondered if this...all of this wasn't...something Kokichi was used to anyone else seeing...

Realizing he was the one that needed to pull this back from disaster, it also occurred to him that Kaito's brand of worrying over and trying to fix the problem was probably just going to make it worse in this exact moment. Besides, this wasn't something that needed to be fixed! If anything, it was Kaito that needed to make this less of a deal then it was. So, instead of fussing... he suddenly grinned, chuckling slightly, his whole body forcibly relaxing from its original tense pose as the Luminary Prince of the Stars said, "You know, I take it back. The cape does look good on you. But you know where it would look even better?"

He leaned in close, with just the side of his index finger and the tip of his thumb turning Kokichi's head back up to him so that he could look down at those wide, purple eyes, grinning wolfishly as he winked, "At the foot of my bed."

And then...he raised an eyebrow, wiggling it slightly, "Ehhhh?"

Pah! Good for him to say! He wasn't the one with a meaningless hard-on like a horny teenager! There was plenty reason to be upset! If anyone saw him like this...fuck, any respect he'd managed to hold onto would disappear immediately. An invalid and a pervert. Ouma drew in a sharp breath as he shivered.

...at least Kaito hadn't...called it out to the crowd or anything. Looked at him like he was garbage, and shoved him away. Looked disturbed and fled as soon as possible. He was still here. Was...kind of poorly trying to comfort him, but trying all the same.

Still horribly embarrassed, Ouma brought his gaze back to his husband only to find that Kaito was...smiling. Not in, like, a gentle, placating way but...

Another pulse wracked him. He swallowed.

Then Kaito leaned in and held his jaw and... Ouma couldn't help wetting his lips a little, his gut absolutely bubbling as--

Ouma snorted, laughing incredulously. "Seriously? That was so lame. And it's not 'your' bed, it's 'our' bed now. So, if you didn't put your clothes away, it'd end up there anyway, ya goof."

He shook his head, inadvertently feeling a little better, even if he was still embarrassed and uncomfortably aroused. "Look, I'm... I'm still gonna head back. I can't...stay here l-like...this. People will make their own conclusions, so you don't have to cover for me or anything, okay? I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

Oh, right. They lived together now. Kaito had...legitimately forgotten about that.

But, a laugh! Perfect. Kaito was living and dying on those little laughs today. He had such a difficult time reading the little prince, entirely uncertain what mood he was going to be in from moment to moment, which was, honestly, probably understandable for someone he had only known during one of the most stressful weeks of their life. But, still, Kokichi had been a powder-keg of emotion since Kaito had first met him, and so far, laughter seemed to be the best indicator of when he was the most calm.

So, all that to say...phew.

Kaito frowned, hesitating, not wanting to be pushy, but... "Do...do you not want me to come with you? I mean..." Kaito laughed, motioning to the party, "If you send me away, the tango guy might literally destroy me, Kokichi, it is an actual possibility. He's relentless."

Smiling softly, he continued, "If you don't want anything to happen, nothing happens. But let me take you home."

Ouma blinked. It...honestly hadn't occurred to him that Kaito would want to come back with him. It was a damn good party, and...you know. What he'd be doing was. Awkward.

Then Kaito's words clicked with him and Ouma's eyes widened, forced to lean forward a bit as the next pulse was almost painful. "U-um! I-I, I mean, if - that - you? Uh!"

He stuttered, voice pitching higher, and for fuck's sake it took everything he had not to press his hands against his crotch. "I just... I've never... That was my first kiss today, you know? So I've never..."

"...please just take me home?" Ouma shook his head, trying to straighten back up. It wasn't like, you know, with Kaito seemed unpleasant to him. His husband was sweet, cared about him without it being overbearing, didn't treat him like a useless baby. And he was pretty hot. But...he'd never banged anyone before. Not even close. Hell, the only person he'd even held hands with before Kaito today was his nanny, and that was just to stay together as they went around the castle.

...what was happening to him now was...gross, right? And he was inexperienced so...why would Kaito even want...

Ouma had to close his eyes and clench his fists as it almost felt like his balls were swelling now, becoming even more sensitive and tender and full, ready to release over and over and

"Nnng..." he groaned softly.

Oh shit.

Whatever seemed to be going with Kokichi seemed to be overwhelming him. Which was...incredibly weird? Kaito wasn't sure if he had ever seen anyone react to being just generally aroused like this before. Maybe in the act, sure, but just horny? It seemed almost...whatever. It didn't matter. Kokichi had asked him to take him home. That was all Kaito needed.

Without glancing around to see who might be watching, Kaito wasted no time, deciding to reach over and just sweep Kokichi up, ironically enough, bridal style. Then, not quite jogging but definitely moving quickly, Kaito did his best to navigate the pathways quickest back up the hill that would lead back to Kokichi's home.

His home too, now, he guessed.

As he walked, holding Kokichi close to him (who weighed, like, nothing? Was that okay??) he talked, making idle jokes and talking about the events of the day, pointedly trying not to...get distracted by the...noises. Coming from his husband as they traveled. Phew. Was it...it was getting somehow hotter in the nighttime air, wasn't it.

Shoot, where was Kokichi's room? Right, right, it wasn't that far from where his guest room had been. Had the view of the front of the town, so that meant he had to turn down this hallway...

"Home sweet home!" Kaito said cheerfully, tucking one arm under Kokichi's whole frame to free up his other to open the door. Everywhere he touched, the guy was just...trembling, and honestly, being this close to someone so painfully aroused was...um...

Reminding himself that he had promised Kokichi nothing would happen if he didn't want it to, Kokichi's sputtering after not...super clearing that up...Kaito took a steadying breath as he closed the door, talking mindlessly as he still cheerfully filled the silence with whatever banal thought fluttered across his mind, he brought Kokichi over to the bed, laying him down. He glanced around, seeing his boxes had been moved in, one of them open already.

"M-man! I see you guys got all my stuff moved in today. Wow, I...I totally forgot I even packed those figurines. Kind of a childhood hobby. Painted them myself, which is why so many of them look like hot garbage-" he said, meaning to just put Kokichi down and back away, giving him some space, but...

Seeing Kokichi just...lying below him...this clouded, desperate look on his face...

It was like lightning went up from his stomach to his chest, the desire just...sudden and urgent. It had been a long time since he had felt a flash like that...flashes like that were really, really hard to ignore, Kaito suddenly finding himself struggling to swallow, his throat full with...need.

Another steadying breath. Kokichi had just said today was his first kiss. Horny or not, maybe he wasn't up to this. Kaito wouldn't take advantage, he wouldn't..."Uh." He said, "Um, let me go get you some water..."

He said. Not moving at all. Just staring at Kokichi, who just seemed...so small right now and...would fit so easily beneath him...

Kaito jammed his palms into his eyes. "Water! Water? Do you want me to go grab you some water while you get undressed!?"

Ouma squeaked as Kaito lifted him up, hurriedly trying to adjust the cape so no one would see his erection. Especially with how his dick jumped. Kaito's arm was under his knees, through several layers of cloth, but a hazy thought pointed out that it was soooo easy for him to slide that arm up across his thighs, to press a hand between his...

Ouma did his best to stifle the little moans and gasps bubbling up within him, but...well, his best wasn't very successful. He hid his shamefully red face against Kaito's chest, the armor feeling nice at first to his heated cheeks, but then warmed up far too quickly. He tried to listen to what Kaito was babbling, but...hearing his voice just made him press closer.

He barely even realized it when they made it to their room, certainly not realizing the wrapped box on his nightstand that hadn't been there when he'd helped move Kaito's things in. There was a small card on top, some stock design on the outside, though on the inside was familiar scratchy handwriting that matched so many letters hung up on the wall.

The inside of the card read:

Congrats, I guess, shitty shota

In case your prince charming has a shrimp-dick

Here's to getting your cherry popped!

You're lucky you have me,

Gorgeous Girl Genius, Miu Iruma

In true Iruma fashion, inside the box was her gift to the newlyweds--a textured vibrator wand, no doubt designed by herself.

When Ouma was set down on the bed, he could barely think about anything other than how turned on he was and he immediately cupped the now notably bigger bulge under his yukata, pressing down as he panted. Please, pleasepleaseplease he needed this!

He could barely process that Kaito was there and witnessing this, embarrassment gone by this point, but the point about getting out of his clothes made its way through. "Pleeeeease," he groaned, squirming a bit to try and sit up. "s too tight, can't... mmm..."

He kept one hand against his crotch as he managed to sit up a little, the other blindly reaching around himself to try and find where the obi had been secured.

Kaito watched Kokichi squirm, his hands desperately trying to un-wrap himself, and in that moment something...possessive...boiled up into Kaito. Something he had only felt a few times in his life...

"Hey," he said, taking Kokichi's hand at his crotch, then the other trying to undo his robe thing. His grip gentle but utterly unyielding, he took both hands and placed them firmly against either side of Kokichi's hair, his voice dropping in pitch as he said, entirely serious, "Leave them there. Don't move."

He waited a moment for compliance, and then satisfied, he reached behind Kokichi's back, pulling at the bow, it sliding undone easier than he had expected it to. Then, unwrapping (he couldn't get that word out of his head. Unwrapping. Like a...present. Like a prize.) it from around Kokichi, he tossed it aside, noting a gift box on the nightstand next to them but not giving it much thought as he turned his attention right back to Kokichi.

There were other presents to unwrap, after all.

He then undid the front of the robe, opening it up so that each side just framed Kokichi, his background now a brilliant mix of colors from the design of the robe, laid against the flattened purple galaxy hues of his cape, which had come off of Kokichi the second he had laid him down.

Kokichi was just...there now. Half dressed in his open yukata, underwear bulging.

"Don't move," Kaito said again, something thick and wet at the back of his throat, staring down at Kokichi in hunger, unclasping his armor and letting each piece fall, one after another, his eyes sharp. Possessive. "Don't do anything."

Maybe if he could think clearly, or even semi-opaquely, Ouma would've objected. Not to the help, he didn't think, but to the order. Would've sneered and wriggled around as much as possible just to spite the words.

However, the lowered tone of Kaito's voice just made him shiver, made him remember how easy it could've been for him to touch...

Ouma left his hands by his head, panting lightly as Kaito undressed him, so much easier to do for someone else than he could've managed himself. Air hit exposed skin, making him whine again, but just from that. Not at being nearly fully exposed to his husband. In fact...he didn't want Kaito's eyes anywhere else.

It was easy to tell when he was wearing clothes, but Ouma was small. Thin. His skin pale and soft from years of being forced to lie in bed or sit down and do something quietly, showing the bottom of his ribcage, the jut of his hipbones. His pink nipples were already perked, almost like little buttons waiting to be pressed. And while he didn't have much in the way of chest hair (couldn't grow facial hair either), there was a little purple trail leading down from his bellybutton, disappearing under his strained underwear.

In fact, if one followed the trail, up over the bulge, they'd find a small wet spot seeping through the fabric.

"Mm...nnah... K-Kai-chan..." Ouma groaned, pressing into his bed but not moving past the now visible twitch of his dick. Every little thump of an armor piece made him shudder, made him impatient for what was to come. "Please..."

Kaito stopped for a fraction of a second, just...intoxicated. With the sheer need radiating off of Kokichi. The little 'please' just...

The prince's face split into a wide, predatory smile, in that moment an entire legacy of Conquerors, King-Killers, God Creators boiling in his blood as it pushed him forward, smirking down at his present. "Careful, Kokichi," he said, getting the last of his armor off and, in easy, quick movements, throwing his shirt off, a body riddled with scars and wounds, many still fresh, and coated with a light sheen of sweat as Kaito kicked off his boots, unbuttoning and kicking off his pants. Putting a knee onto the bed, looming over Kokichi, he leaned in. "Don't forget. There's a Luminary invader in your bed," he whispered, breathing into Kokichi's ear.

Putting his hands back onto Kokichi's, entwining his fingers and pressing those light wrists into the mattress, Kaito kissed into the pressure point of Kokichi's jaw, before moving down to the side of his neck, breathing him in as he tasted his skin with each kiss. As he did this, he pulled his other leg onto the bed, bringing it high in between Kokichi's thighs, pressing against the left side and opening up Kokichi's legs as, in a moment of vicious need, he lightly bit at the base of Kokichi's neck, bringing his knee up to press against Kokichi's balls.

"Say it again," he demanded, a growling NEED in the back of his throat, moving Kokichi's right hand over his head to overlap with his left, Kaito now holding both Kokichi's hands with his left hand, the move surprisingly easy. Kaito's hands felt so large compared to Kokichi's, able to hold them both between his palms and his fingers, the wound on his own wrist stinging in a way that was...almost pleasant, in the background of all this.

He now used his free hand to slide from Kokichi's abdomen and up to his chest, grabbing that light, standing nipple between his fingers, enjoying the warm stiffness as he played with it between his index and thumb, kissing into Kokichi's neck. "Say it, Kokichi," he said again, this time almost desperate.

"It's...ah...not an invasion i-if you're welcome..." Ouma panted out. Even though...he wouldn't mind this kind of invasion. He wanted Kaito to touch everywhere that he was too shy or too inexperienced to ask for, to feel things entirely foreign. For his husband to take everything he had to give.

He squeezed Kaito's hands weakly, allowing himself to be maneuvered in any way his husband saw fit. However, despite the demands that went straight to his dick, Ouma did find himself moving on his own terms, breathlessly moaning and tipping his head back and to the side as Kaito kissed at his neck, even spreading his legs and eagerly pressing into--

"A-aH AAHHH!" With just the barest pressure against his balls, with the scrape of teeth against his neck, Ouma came suddenly, hips shuddering as the wet spot showing through his underwear got a bit bigger.

However, it was almost like he'd been given no relief, just as turned on as he'd been moments ago, balls still unbearably full and cock still straining against its cloth prison.

"Please," Ouma writhed and whined, pressing into Kaito's leg, his chest arching into the fingers making even more little shocks jolt through him. "Kai-chan, please, I need you."

Kaito chuckled, a heavy haze of lust suffocating him, dulling his brain but increasing his reflexes as he felt Kokichi shiver and tremble against him, his body pushing up against Kaito, a land to be willingly conquered.

"Good," he said.

Kaito didn't take Kokichi's underwear off; he grabbed the edges of it and ripped it off, pulling in one hard yank, the edges tearing cleanly at the stitching, now just a loose connection of tattered pieces as he tossed the fabric aside, the places on Kokichi's skin where fabric had collided reddening from the treatment.

Going up to Kokichi's face and, this time, gently, as gently as he could, kissing at his lips, first the top, then the bottom, then pushing his tongue in, breathing first Kokichi into himself, then breathing out into him, the taste of them mixing and matching until it was indistinguishable. As he broke the kiss, he then gave Kokichi the tiniest little kiss on his nose, saying with a grin, "Don't move your arms. If you need to grab something, grab the cape. I'm gonna take care of you," before moving his hand away from Kokichi's, straightening up to see what he was working with.

Kokichi's dick was wet already with cum, twitching and high, almost as if reaching towards Kaito. Good. That would make the next few steps a lot easier. Placing his fingers back onto Kokichi's nipple, playing with it almost idly as he focused on his dick, he ran his other hand down Kokichi's happy trail, carefully rubbing his palm and fingers up and down Kokichi's shaft and around his head, trying to capture all the moisture he was going to need for this next part, doing his best to not let Kokichi cum again...before seeing another burst of liquid from the top. Kaito chuckled, grabbing this new flow of lubricant as well between his fingers. "Ya gotta control yourself a little Kokichi," he teased, the grin then just turning sharp, "We haven't even started yet."

Letting go of Kokichi's nipple, he turned to his legs, bringing up Kokichi's knees to a curl, taking a moment to enjoy the soft warmth of them as he trailed his hands up and down the inner thigh, before spreading them further. "Okay," Kaito said, taking his index finger and rubbing it up and down Kokichi's wet head one more time for lubrication, "This may hurt, Kokichi. I need you to communicate with me for this bit. Let me know when it feels like I'm going too wide."

Taking the index finger, he pressed it against Kokichi's hole, letting it push in easily enough as he moved it as deep as he could before hitting his knuckle, feeling the inside experimentally as he asked, "More?"

Was it normal to find Kaito ripping his underwear to shreds to be hot as hell? Ouma couldn't give a shit either way, gasping in relief as finally his dick was free to stand proudly. He wasn't markedly huge or anything--if he strayed from average in any category, he was maybe a little chubbier around than most--but it had still been uncomfortable, and his cock bobbed a little as it was allowed to stand to its full height, wet and leaking and ready for more.

And more was what he got. Still unsure of what to do, Ouma did his best to follow Kaito's lead in the kiss, just like when they were dancing. He parted his lips easily when Kaito pushed through and shyly met his tongue with his own, shivering at the feeling. It was all...so enveloping and exciting and caring and he needed to grip at the cape under him almost immediately, the promise to take care of him...

It wasn't infuriating coddling. It was Ouma placing all his trust into his husband, assured that if he lost his mind there would be someone there to catch him.

So, could you really blame him for cumming again?

"I can't!" he whined, though it was obvious that being told that this wasn't even close to the main event excited him. "Y-you... Kai-chan...feels so...mmmph..."

Pressing his lips firmly together, Ouma tried to keep from cumming again, his body shaking with the effort especially as Kaito touched between his legs and rubbed his thighs, barely needing to guide them apart as Ouma willingly spread himself until his hips ached. And, well, if he leaked a little more...he was doing his best.

"Nn?" It took his blurry brain a few moments to understand what Kaito was telling him, to figure out what that meant. And when it clicked, Ouma's eyes opened wide, incidentally the same moment Kaito slipped his finger inside.

"Buh-aaAAH!" And again he spurted, his untouched hole spasming against the insertion though Ouma bared down against Kaito's hand, forcing him in a little farther. "K-Kai-ch - please - I - oooun~"

God...he didn't know if he wanted to be like this forever or... Cumming for his husband over and over, something thick in his ass... He gasped, feeling a bit of cum drip onto his belly. "Mo ore~"

Kaito grinned wide at this reaction, his heart pounding in his chest as he simply teased. "Tsk. Greedy."

Just to make sure, Kaito pulled the finger in and out a bit, carefully moving his hands in circles to ease the wall before taking out his finger, now slick with Kokichi's insides, he put his index and middle finger together, pushing those two in. This offered a little more resistance, Kaito biting his lip a bit as, not wanting to get ahead of himself, he carefully slid the fingers in, repeating that same testing movement, pushing it in, pulling it out.

"Remember," Kaito said, his voice panting a little as he watched Kokichi's body spasm and twist at his touch, glancing up and incredibly pleased to see that Kokichi's hands were more or less where he had left them, though his poor cape was seriously taking a beating. "You gotta tell me when it's too much. Gotta use your outdoor voice Kokichi. More?" he said, taking Kokichi's cute little chubby dick and gently squ~eezing.

Was it greedy when Kaito was offering? So often, it was rude to turn down a gift, especially such a nice one. Ouma couldn't tease back, however, too busy panting and moaning in response to the movement in his rear, feeling something foreign in him relax and enjoy the almost-massage. Fuck...his cock should just be a faucet now, shouldn't it? Maybe then the full feeling in his balls would finally be eased...though he wouldn't mind feeling full of something else.

He almost choked when his wishes were granted, dick spurting even more as a thicker mass entered his hole, unrelentingly stretching him even as Ouma could feel himself tightening.

"KA - AH!" He could barely get the words out, almost unable to swallow the spit that had surged in his mouth. The heat in his gut was boiling, bubbling enough to shake him, and all Ouma wanted was more.

Whimpering as Kaito worked his cock, practically coaxing jizz out with his ministrations, Ouma turned his head to the side, pressing his cheek into the clothes under him as his hands fisted Kaito's cape. "I want iiiit! Buh-but slow down...gotta...ung... Mmuh..."

"Slow down?" Kaito mused, gently pulling out his fingers, now feeling fairly confident he wouldn't hurt Kokichi when it was time. "As you wish, your grace."

Leaning over to kiss Kokichi's stomach once, twice again, Kaito moved to take his own underwear off, letting it fall onto his ankles and then kicked it away. Kaito...had never had a reason to worry how his dick compared to others. Even entirely calm and unbothered, he was not, as they would say, 'a grower'.

But as he looked down at himself, he frowned. He was hard, certainly, how couldn't he be? But he knew he had more in him, and didn't Kokichi deserve the full experience for his first time?

But...that was gonna require Kaito asking some effort on Kokichi's side.

Moving away from in between Kokichi's legs, Kaito, moving on his knees, went to Kokichi's side, leaning over and snaking his hand around to Kokichi's back, cheerfully saying, "Up, up, Kokichi. You can move your arms now. I need your help with something," as he pulled him into a sitting position. Realizing as he did this that there were still a few pins in Kokichi's hair that hadn't gotten taken out during the dancing, he picked them out, enjoying watching Kokichi's hair fall everywhere, the prince a beautiful mess.

'Beautiful.' Kaito thought to himself, awe in his heart. And then, the Luminary Prince thought, possession in his soul. 'Beautiful and mine.'

Leaning in, he kissed Kokichi again, the kiss more forceful this time, Kaito breathing in, and in, and in, until by the time he broke the kiss Kokichi was struggling to get the breath back, his thin chest heaving as Kaito, smiling, kissed him gently on the cheek, and the neck again, biting ever so slightly, intent on leaving a mark.

Then he pulled back and said, his gaze soft, "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just asking. Just tell me no and I won't ask again."

Then, balancing on his knees at full height, his hips now hovering around Kokichi's face, he grabbed his dick and led the head of it across Kokichi's lower lip, staring down at him. Hungry and possessive.

Ouma shuddered when he felt Kaito's fingers slip out of him, feeling...oddly empty. When he asked to slow down, he...he didn't mean stop. He just...didn't think he could take much more than what Kaito was giving him, despite how his body begged for more.

He whined a little, though the kisses placated him mostly--but not as much as...oh, wow. Ouma shivered in the wake of Kaito's now-exposed dick, eyes widening and a little drool slipping out of his mouth. He was, ah...certainly not average. He felt another pulse go through him, this time instead of centering around his crotch, now making his slightly widened hole twitch. He wanted...

"Wha...?" Ouma could barely get the question out as he was helped up, shaking hands difficult to pry from Kaito's cape, and his dick leaking ever-still, a little whimper leaving him as his balls were pressed against the bed since Ouma hadn't even tried to close his legs.

The request for help barely got through to him before Kaito's lips were back on his, the pace more harried, harder, and more passionate. Ouma did his best to keep up, but it felt more like he was being tossed by stormy waves, just along for the ride. It almost felt like he was drowning, too, and maybe it was a little concerning how gasping for his breath afterward made his body tingle. Or maybe that was just Kaito biting down again on his neck.

"Wha...wha'dya... hah..." That might be the closest he can get to 'what do you need help with?' And as it became apparent... Ouma shivered under that gaze, feeling...wanted. Kaito was asking, he wanted him, so...how could he refuse that?

Ouma opened his mouth and leaned forward a little, pink lips pausing just past the head. He...wasn't really sure what to do, but... He flattened his tongue and pressed it against Kaito's hole, sliding down until the tip of his tongue reached the shaft, giving a little suck. "Mm?"

He couldn't help it. Kaito put a hand over his eyes, just...unable to look at him for a second. Just...too overwhelmed by how fucking cute it was, how fucking sexy and almost shamefully lewd, as Kokichi licked his dick, looking up at him with those wide, shimmering eyes as he waited for approval.

Too much. Too much. Kaito was going to die. He was going to have a heart attack right then and there. By this point, he might actually deserve it.

Peeking through his fingers, Kaito took a steadying breath and let his hand fall to his cheek, resting his head against his palm as he gave Kokichi an approving smile. Kaito shivered as the warm, wet tongue went down the long end of his dick, which swelled under the small bit of attention.

He shouldn't...he shouldn't ask for anything more...but he was feeling pretty greedy himself now, his legs starting to shake, his groin wanting more.

"Good..." he said, taking his right hand and putting it on the back of Kokichi's head, using the other to take his dick from Kokichi's grip, guiding the tip back to his lips, "G-good. Just...just let me do this...pinch my thigh if it's too much."

Then he pulled Kokichi's head in, letting the head of his member run up and down Kokichi's tongue, touching the saliva pooling in the back. He did this slowly, carefully, remaining vigilant for the pinch. When it didn't come right away, he said, "Okay...loosen your jaw. That's right, just like that. Good. So good. When my dick gets to the back of your tongue, swallow and keep swallowing. You won't choke then. Pinch me if it's too much. You're doing so good..."

Kaito pulled Kokichi's head down a little more, his own throat tensing with a little "Hng" sound as he felt the back of Kokichi's mouth, the top part of his throat, constrict around his head a little. "G-good. Good. Just like that."

Then Kaito kept going, moving his hips forward little by little. Letting his dick dig deeper into Kokichi's throat, feeling Kokichi's throat constricting around it, shifting over and over (shit. Was he choking? Kaito was...kind of having a hard time paying attention now...), trying to breath through his nose.

Then, becoming a little concerned by the, yes, definitely choking noises, Kaito pulled out a bit, letting Kokichi get his breath back, Kaito's dick still resting on his tongue, slicked wet and now much, much harder, his veins pulsing against Kokichi's teeth.

Ouma was learning maybe a little too much about himself that night. With every 'good', each bit of praise going straight between his legs, he couldn't help dropping one of his hands to touch himself, the other bracing against Kaito's thigh, keeping the... This was basically like a safeword, wasn't it. Something he'd rolled his eyes at in novels, but now...actually felt special. Kaito taking care of him even when it was his turn at pleasure...

He groaned around the dick in his mouth, eagerly following his husband's directions, hoping for more of those words that made him burn, to hear Kaito make some of the noises that fell from his own lips startlingly easily. And still did even when they were occupied. He hoped it wouldn't feel bad, the moans at feeling Kaito somehow, maybe grow in his mouth--hadn't he already been hard??? There was more?!?!?--at feeling his tip hit the back of his throat, swallowing rapidly like he'd been told, excitedly wondering if he was actually swallowing anything down.

Not feeling concerned by how it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe, Ouma just softly caressed Kaito's thigh and pumped himself, barely breaking every time he squirted a little more, just hazily thankful for the extra lubrication, his hand and crotch getting wetter and wetter.

And then his eyes started to flutter, and, okay, maybe he should've been concerned. But like he'd promised, Kaito pulled back, and Ouma gasped around his cock, jaw lax and tongue lolling out a little, gazing up at his husband in rapture...even with the schlicking background sounds of him touching himself.

One steady breath. Two steady breaths. Pull it back together, Kaito. There was more to go. So much more to go. He couldn't get lost in this one particular moment. He...what was that sound?

Kaito pulled the rest of his dick out, a wave of lust shooting up from his groin and into his chest again as he looked down at Kokichi's sweat drenched, messy face...and realized that Kokichi was working himself, his hands working his own member in the excitement of the moment.

Possession shocked him. The conqueror inside of him, a side of himself that he had been trained to suppress since childhood, reached down and grabbed Kokichi's wrist, squeezing as he pulled him away from himself, in the same swift movement pushing Kokichi again onto his back, his hands once again above his head as Kaito looked down at him, feeling a heavy wave of a single word rolling through him.

"M I N E."

Kaito stared down at Kokichi, that dangerous thing rolling around inside of him...but just as quickly as the conqueror had come, it was gone, Kaito feeling his body relax as he said cheerfully to Kokichi, "No, no. You're gonna spend yourself if you do that. Tsk. Couldn't let you use your arms for five minutes, huh? Greedy." He teased, chuckling as he leaned down, taking Kokichi's nipples in his mouth and sucking at the little tips for a bit, first one and then the other, before moving on to kiss the space in between on his chest.

"I-" he said between kisses, "will start back up again-" he said, another kiss, "when you say sorry-" kiss at the neck, "for trying to go on without me."

A small, firm bite at his collarbone. Kaito's own member now throbbing and aching as well, eager for the tightness of Kokichi's lithe frame.

It was a little startling to be pushed back down into his bed, to have his arms yanked back up over his head, but... Even saying 'yanked' was a little much. The movement was swift but Kaito was gentle, even the squeezing pressure on his wrist not even close to edging into anything painful. He was still

"NNN NNNNMMmmm~" Ouma squirmed as he let out the loud moan, that word shocking through him as much as the touches. His reddened, absolutely soaked, chubby cock bobbed as he came once again, his entire crotch sticky with his seed. "I-I caaan't!"

He'd already done so countless times, but each orgasm did nothing to douse the fire in him, making him feel strung tight and sensitive and, fuck, always, always needing to cum again.

"Y-you - ah~!" he started, "Kai-kai-chan - s-said - oh god please I gotta!" He had to pause for some vocal gasps as Kaito started to bite him again, his thighs shaking, wanting to press together for some more friction, but staying spread in anticipation of what was to come.

"Tah - take care of me!" he whined more than demanded.

He looked up at him curiously. The teasing demand of sorry didn't actually need to be honored, but he hadn't expected Kokichi to say...something like that. After all of the ever increasing hang-ups about being underestimated, coddled, suffocated by his domineering father, to...demand Kaito take care of him?

To put that kind of trust in him?

While it would take a long, long time still to really develop it, to let it safely grow, to feel it as a given in his soul, as true as the need to eat or sleep...that was the first moment Kaito felt the spark of love.

Grinning gently, Kaito went up to Kokichi's face, gave him a little, almost chaste, peck on his mouth, and said, "Of course I will, Kokichi."

Crawling backwards, Kaito gently adjusted Kokichi's knees, so that instead of his feet planted onto the bed, one ankle was resting on Kaito's shoulder, the other laid flat on the side of the bed. Even though Kaito's member was still wet with Kokichi's saliva, just in case he took some of the juice that Kokichi had coaxed out of himself, wiping it on his head, making sure it was slick as it could be.

As he prepped his dick in front of Kokichi's hole, he gave a quick kiss to Kokichi's ankle and said, "Remember. If it's too much, you gotta tell me. I won't know if you don't tell me. Though...it might hurt a little at first no matter what we do. Just...it'll feel good in a moment, I promise. I'm gonna take care of you."

Then, Kaito pushed.

It was a false start, at first, the hole slightly too unyielding and the head slightly too slick. But Kaito used his free hand, the one not steadying Kokichi's hip, and kept it pointed at its target as Kaito pushed, grunting as the warm, tight-

Fuck! God, that...yes, perfect. Perfect.

"Perfect," Kaito murmured, entirely to himself, before glancing up at Kokichi, checking on him before he kept going. Apparently still okay, Kaito kept pushing, feeling Kokichi's backside swallow him up, pushing, pushing, each push momentarily fought by Kokichi's insides before the walls gave way, pulsing and twitching around him.

Don't hurt him. Try not to hurt him. Just...pull out a little, push in...did he seem hurt? Were the noises worrying? Kaito wasn't sure. Kokichi hadn't said to stop though, and...fuck...

"K-kokichi?" Kaito said, his mouth pooling with drool, just barely managing to swallow it fast enough to not embarrass himself, his thighs shaking as he gripped Kokichi's leg and his hip, "I-...nnng...I need y-you to tell me n-now...if it's too..."

Kaito couldn't wait. He had really tried. But this thin, almost hauntingly beautiful body, wrapped around his dick, it was too much. Kaito began to pull in and out, feeling Kokichi's walls press and massage his dick, the friction increasing as Kaito gasped out, "F-f-f~uck. So good. So g~ood."

The heat was starting to rise inside of him, Kaito trying to control his breathing, trying to last...just keep breathing Kaito. Fuck!

Somewhere within the haze of lust and need, Ouma knew that something was wrong with his body. It was just that knowledge, no reasoning and nothing more distinct as the pink-colored haze prevented any more critical thought, but just that was enough... It was enough to know that, even aside from begging Kaito to touch him, he couldn't handle this alone. And...he trusted Kaito to help. To see him like this, to touch him like this...to take care of him when Ouma couldn't himself.

And he was doing a damn good job.

Ouma barely had the chance to whine when Kaito's cock just brushed the outside of his hole, wanting to beg his husband to stop teasing, but it was just a moment or two before - "Uuuh... uuummmuh..."

It was bigger than the fingers. Had he had more of his brain available, that would've been obvious from how big it was in his mouth, but that wasn't the reality Ouma was living so instead he just groaned at the size of it. His hole stood no chance, and Ouma could feel how Kaito's dick opened him up, making that impossibly tight space stretch and accommodate his length, pushing ever deeper.

"Kai-toooooooooo~" he moaned, feeling an odd mix of embarrassment and pleasure from knowing that Kaito could feel exactly how each word of praise affected him, his insides pulsing and spasming, inviting his husband in deeper.

To fill him.

The thought made Ouma writhe a bit, coinciding with Kaito speeding up, the leg over Kaito's shoulder tensing, wanting to bring him in more. To make it feel better and better for his husband, to keep the praise coming, to feel his husband fill him to the brim.

"...?!"

Ouma's mouth and eyes fell open as if in the middle of a scream, only no sound came out barring a violent gasp. Just barely, Kaito hit something that provoked another instant orgasm, forcing him to clamp down on the cock in his ass hard, just feeling even more pleasure in how his rings weren't even close to closing.

"o-oH FUCK!"

Kaito almost couldn't keep going for a second, hunched over Kokichi as his insides squeezed at Kaito, Kokichi spasming, his voice choked off and desperate and just endlessly intoxicating to listen to.

But the spasming slowed, and Kaito realized he needed more. Way more.

He sped up the pace, aiming for the spot that had yielded such a result, but this time as Kokichi's body tightened and throbbed against him, Kaito didn't slow down, his balls and thighs slapping against Kokichi loudly, a now steady SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! sound as he felt his own dick start to squirt, Kaito taking a deep breath, trying to control himself, but, but

"nnnNNGG!"

Kaito suddenly froze, his whole body convulsing as he squirted himself into Kokichi's backside, his thighs shaking as he rode the wave of euphoria that came from the act. His heart was pounding, and Kaito was pretty certain there were spots at the ends of his vision. In any other situation, this was probably where he was done, not having been the kind of guy who could go a few times in a row since he was a teenager...

But...Kokichi was still erect. Still in need.

...Okay! Okay! He could keep going! One more round!

"Come here," Kaito said, moving Kokich's leg off his shoulder and to the side of his hip, reaching down and grabbing Kokichi's arm, using his other arm to wrap around his back, pulling Kokichi up onto his lap, Kokichi now fully speared onto his dick, sitting on his lap as Kaito rasped out, "So beautiful. So good. I want you. I want all of you. Every piece."

Taking Kokichi's mouth with his, he started to thrust upwards, moving the whole of his hips against Kokichi as he held him close to his body, bouncing him on top himself. It was an exhausting move, but Kaito felt strong right now. Invincible, just going faster now that he had the rhythm. It definitely helped that Kokichi weighed almost nothing against his hips.

He breathed Kokichi in, groaning into him as he sucked at his tongue in little nips before pulling back, freeing a hand up for a just a moment from guiding Kokichi's hips up and down himself to tilt his head up, kissing into the top of his neck, enjoying feeling his racing pulse against his lips.

There really was nothing Ouma's body could do to slow Kaito's dick down and it was heavenly. Feeling him pound through him even as he tightened and shook, muscles he didn't even know he had convulsing in euphoria. He could feel overwhelmed tears pricking at his eyes, but that was nothing compared to how Kaito was making the rest of his body feel.

And then, Ouma heard something more beautiful than any music he'd ever heard. Well. Probably not, but in the moment, Ouma only wanted to hear that sound from Kaito over and over. It was only beaten out by the feeling of hot liquid squirting deep into his ass.

"Aaah - ah - aaaa~!" Fuck, yes, this was what he wanted; Kaito to keep filling him until he was close to bursting and-- Well, he did burst again. And once more in the time it took Kaito to finish his first orgasm of the night. Ouma's cum was becoming less sticky and more liquidy, dripping freely from his overstimulated cock that still showed no signs of softening.

His legs were practically useless as Kaito shifted them into a new position, somehow hitting all new places that made Ouma moan as a few tears managed to escape the wells in his eyes.

Wiping his sticky hand on his thigh, Ouma wrapped his arms around Kaito's shoulders as their lips met again, even with Ouma bouncing in his lap. Ouma let his husband play with his tongue as he wished, his head lolling to the side when Kaito decided he wanted his neck next. Quick gasps and moans continued to spill from his lips, exhaustion meaning nothing to the need in his body. Even as he weakly spilled onto Kaito's abs, steadily painting them with cum.

Kaito was trying, he really was, but his dick was raw now, every movement against Kokichi sending shockwaves of pleasure through him, to the point where each wave came with a little bit of bite, a stinging shock of pain. Still, he could feel his dick swell inside of Kokichi, though his grip on Kokichi's body was admittedly starting to feel more like a crutch.

Kaito thrust up, again, and again, hiding his face, equal parts lust and total, upcoming exhaustion, in the crook of his husband’s shoulders, feelings his fingers dig into Kokichi's back, his hands deep inside the yukata that Kokichi had never quite escaped, held on through Kokichi's arms, but just barely, hanging on the crooks of his arms.

As he listened to the moans and squeals escaping from Kokichi, could feel his mess against a good portion of his front side now, Kaito held him close, his whole body tensing up again as he groaned, his body slowing and freezing as he unloaded again, this time more intense, but also, just...painful.

Kaito slowed down, stopped, breathing, no, gasping into Kokichi's shoulder, his whole body trembling. That was it. That was all he could manage. If he tried for a third, he had a feeling his body would simply refuse.

And still, still he could feel Kokichi's member, hard, against his stomach. A revelation that filled Kaito with a sudden nervous energy, as, embarrassed at his lack of stamina, Kaito pulled slightly pulled away from Kokichi, loosening his hold as he looked up at his husband, a nervous grin on his face. "S-sorry...I...I think t-that's all I g-got."

All that fierce energy, all that pointed, intense control he had been able to effortlessly wield during the inhibition-dampening haze of lust...was going away as the lust gave way to exhaustion. The Conqueror and his fierce, controlling need went back, grumbling, to the hole Tengan had buried it in. Even The Luminary Prince of the Stars was too overwhelmed by this point to make an appearance; it was just Kaito, holding onto Kokichi and worried, genuinely, that he was disappointing him.

Ouma let out a long, warbling moan as he felt more of Kaito's cum shoot into his ass, coming with him again. And though his gut had boiled over so many times, it just kept bubbling, almost like there was a never-ending source or something. However, this time there wasn't needy tension holding Ouma's body tight, begging to be touched.

This time, Ouma was lax in Kaito's arms, his own draped over his husband's shoulders doing nothing to keep him upright. Though he still panted, the tear tracks were easy to spot streaking his feverishly flushed cheeks. In all, it was plain to see that, despite what his dick was saying, Ouma was far past exhausted.

"...t-thank you..." he managed to croak out, not wanting to...like, insult Kaito or anything because he'd never felt pleasure like that in his life and to not let his husband know was a mistake he wasn't willing to make, even with most of his mind gone to the wind.

Ouma shivered weakly as Kaito's dick started to slip out of him, his hole quivering as if to try and keep it in, just a small gurgle of cum coming out of his cock.

If one were able to think of such things in this time, one might compare Ouma's heaving, red, tear-streaked face to the incident in the greenhouse, right before, well...

Kaito frowned, gently laying Kokichi down and, feeling weird about it, he pulled himself out. Even just that movement pressed into him a flash of pleasure and the shock of pain, but each inch of himself relaxed once it was free.

Once he was safely out, he felt himself shiver, the cold outside of Kokichi foreign and startling as he, weak, laid himself down next to Kokichi, reaching out and almost mindlessly placing the tips of his fingers on Kokichi's palm.

"You're...you're okay, right?" Kaito asked, his eyes tracing the line of tears on Kokichi's flushed but paling cheeks, Kaito's question halted and stammering, still trying to catch his breath through the roar of his heart right now, able to feel the thump of his pulse in his neck with each word. "Did I hurt you?"

"Fuh-fuck, no..." Ouma gasped out, even as he shivered from the horrible empty feeling where Kaito once was, his cock twitching as if demanding it be paid attention again. "You...you felt amazing... I just..."

Ouma sucked in more air desperately, even as his body was wracked with another tremble, needing to be touched, needing to be stimulated. His fingers twitched closed, trying in some way to hold Kaito's hand.

But he wasn't okay. The words explaining that no person should be able to cum as much as he had were lost in his hazy head, the fact that he was both still overheated and yet cold away from his husband's touch swirling with the more lucid thoughts, turning them into mush.

The chemicals in his system were doing what they'd been designed to do, but Ouma was reaching the very end of his limit, heart pounding rapidly, painfully away. His glazed violet eyes unfocused for a moment, eyes dropping shut for a moment before he wrenched them open again, the process likely going to repeat with him losing a little more on each repetition.

"Caaa... Can't breathe...right...nmm..."

And, still, he was hard.

Kaito was starting to get scared.

Sitting up, Kaito reached out to Kokichi, almost afraid to touch him again despite having been all over him a second ago. "Kokichi?" he said, his voice tight, hand shaking as he checked his palm against his husband's mouth, feeling the air coming through in broken, inconsistent rasps, thin...worryingly thin...

Something was wrong. Actually wrong. This was way more than first time excitement. God damn it, Kaito, you idiot, something's wrong with him!

"I..." Kaito hesitated, all the worst ways his choices could affect them running through his head, before...he grit his teeth, deciding.

Getting up, he grabbed his pants, pulling them on as quickly as he could and buttoning them up. He thought about grabbing a shirt as well, but Kokichi's breathing impressed on him a sudden sense of urgency, and he just turned back to him. "Don't worry, don't worry, gonna take care of you," Kaito said, whispering, basically giving himself a pep talk as he got to work.

Closing up Kokichi's robe again, then deciding that the cape was too battered, grabbing the end blanket from the bed and wrapping it around Kokichi, he picked him up. "We're going to the med wing. We're gonna get help," he said, heading to the door as quickly as he could.

They had just made it to the medical wing when Ouma passed out, thankfully still breathing for how weak and irregular it was. The healer on duty, having left the party early on in case anyone returned to the castle, gave the two princes A Look but got right to work.

He ended up needing a dose of the regular medicine he took, but also a counteragent which had to be administered first to not nullify the other. As it turned out, much to the healer's fury, Ouma had been drugged with an extremely potent aphrodisiac, waaaaay too high of a dose for someone of Ouma's size. They had just been incredibly lucky that he hadn't started having heart or breathing problems earlier. He would be alright, likely not any worse off than any of the other times he'd collapsed in the past, though probably incredibly sore for a while.

Normally, after the little prince had been stabilized, he'd be taken back to his room and set to rest, someone watching over his pulse and breathing patterns and getting him to take medicine every time he awoke, which tended to be every three to four hours. Now, though, since the husbands shared a room...and had just been in coitus...

The healer had glanced around and apologetically asked if Kaito would look after him in their room together, not wanting to risk the wrath of an overprotective father.

Kaito was sitting on a chair next to the bed, somehow afraid to touch Kokichi now, cracking his joints, over and over again, as he listened to the healer's explanation of what he had to do, paying attention, not wanting to get it wrong.

But just before they left, he asked one more question, feeling stupid but needing to know, needing to make sure he understood exactly what had happened. "So...what's an aphrodisiac?" Kaito asked, even though he thought he understood, but he...he wanted to be sure. Didn't want to misunderstand. Needed to be certain.

Because...because if it was something like he thought it was...

"Is it...did he have a reaction to something he ate at the wedding today?" he asked. "Is that what you mean by dosed?"

They had winced, giving Kaito a sympathetic look. "It can be a natural substance--chocolate, for example, is a very weak aphrodisiac--but in Prince Kokichi's case, it was a synthesized drug that stimulates and increases sexual desire. That is why he was able to orgasm so frequently, as well as why he was able to remain erect. Though...'forced' would probably be a better descriptor there."

They sighed with barely contained fury. "If I were to guess, someone spiked something he drank or ate. My apologies, Prince Kaito--I can save you two the worst of the embarrassment, but I will be reporting this. I'll leave you be."

And they did.

And Ouma didn't wake up until late the next morning, no indication he'd done so on his pale face except for a slight wince, and a quiet, tired, "Ow..."

If Kaito had been able to sleep, he didn't remember doing so. He had sat in the desk chair, at first right next to the bed, carefully watching Kokichi's breathing for any signs of things getting worse...

But eventually he had pushed his chair back, just...not wanting to be near him. A single word the healer had said coming up in his brain over and over again.

Forced. Kokichi had been forced. Forced to stay erect. Forced to want sex.

Kokichi had been forced to sleep with Kaito.

He had been too pushy. Fuck, he had been way too pushy! He should have never left the party, he should have just wished Kokichi a good night when he said he was going up to the room. Sure, maybe that wouldn't be the...perfect future, since Kokichi still had this stuff in his system, that it would have still needed dealing with eventually.

But fuck.

FUCK!

His friends had gone off yesterday to face dangers and try to save each other, and Kaito, instead of going after them, had decided to spend it raping his husband.

...FUCK!!

And that was roughly how his thought process went throughout the night, right up until the first real sign of life came from Kokichi, Kaito looking up at him with a mixture of relief and fear. "D-don't move too much," he cautioned...before the echo of his sentiments to Kokichi last night hit him, telling him not to move, over and over again. Where had that even COME FROM?? He had been too pushy. God, he was a monster.

Correcting himself, he said instead, "I-I mean, the healer said maybe you shouldn't move too much when you first wake up. Said you'd be...just said it might be easier to stay in bed..."

Ouma tiredly blinked his eyes open, carefully drawing in his breaths in the slow, measured way he always had to after... What had... The night before came back to him in hazy bits and pieces, and, had his circulation allowed him to, Ouma would've gone beet red right there and then.

...what a horrible first time for Kaito to be with him... Some inexperienced virgin, getting unreasonably horny over nothing and being freaky about it, doing practically nothing during the deed, then...

"...I'm sick again?" he murmured, not really as a question. It was his body; he knew the signs, even if the painful ache in his crotch was something new. He could already tell that there'd be no way to ease it, and that trying to shift would only make it worse. Didn't mean he wouldn't squirm if he had the energy.

"Muh sorry..." he croaked in a half-whisper, too drained to cry, but looking miserable anyway. Kaito was across the god-damned room. Probably thought he was gross, disgusting...probably wanted the sheets burned before he'd even think to lie in the bed. Maybe he'd just demand to have a separate room altogether, knowing how much of a freak he was...

Ouma's soft breaths started to hitch a bit, and he brought a shaky hand to his chest, realizing somewhere in the back of his mind that he'd been cleaned up and changed into his sleep clothes, minus the shorts. And underwear.

Fuck.

Kaito hated seeing him like this. Everything about him seemed... shakier, slower. He looked half-dead, his face lined with exhaustion and...why was he sorry? Kokichi was barely able to talk because Kaito had fucked up again.

He had to make it up to him. He was his husband. Kaito had a responsibility.

But first, he had to confirm.

Kaito took a deep breath. He needed to be prepared for any answer he got. He had been thinking long and hard about it tonight, and...and he just needed to be prepared for the answer, was all.

Facing an uncertain future, Kaito asked, "Kokichi...did you...give yourself an aphrodisiac last night?"

Ouma had to close his eyes again to focus on his breathing, not wanting to faint again or just fall asleep in front of Kaito. It happened enough in the past to be a viable outcome.

However, his eyes blinked open wide at Kaito's question, his breath catching in his throat, forcing him to breathlessly cough for a few moments. "Wha-what?!"

Why would Kaito even ask something like that?!? Sure, he'd been nervous even for just saying the words to get married, let alone to kiss, b-but...he hadn't planned on anything happening!! It'd just happened!!

...because...he'd been aroused...over 'nothing'.

Son of a bitch.

Not the cake. He'd taken a slice out of a whole thing, and no one else seemed to have had any issues. However, he'd been too nervous to eat for most of the day, only eating some eggs before the binding ceremony. So... Suddenly, Ouma's mind reminded him of the young woman who had given them glasses. Who...had said that Aiichi wanted them to hydrate...

"The water..." he mumbled, sinking into his pillow a bit, tired out just from the brief coughing fit. "'f really was from dad..." ...honestly wouldn't be too far out of character, though on a level that had never been crossed before. Aiichi had never drugged him to obey his wishes.

"Kai-chan... I-I'm so sorry..." His voice cracked, even as soft as it was, feeling even worse about what he had subjected his husband to.

Kaito considered Kokichi for a long, long moment...

"No," he said, his voice curiously blank as he stood up from the chair, eyes turning to something he had been considering all night, propped in the corner. "You don't have to be sorry? Why should you be sorry? You were..."

Kaito couldn't bring himself to say it out loud yet. Because he was a fucking coward. But that was okay. He was going to make this okay. He was Kokichi's husband. He had a responsibility. That was all there was to it.

"Let's be honest," Kaito continued, grabbing the object from the corner, checking its weight against his grip. His exhaustion from the events of last night had come out from Kaito being ready to collapse, to now a sort of numb second wind. His grip wasn't perfect...but it would be enough. He just had to be resolute. Quick. "If someone was willing to drug you to make it easier for me to get you into bed, it's...really just one suspect, isn't it? Like...it's obvious, right?"

Kaito, gripping the sword, in a fresh shirt and pants and not much else, headed to the door, a look of eerily calm, almost matter-of-fact RAGE on his face as he moved. "Don't worry Kokichi. It's not gonna be a problem again. I'm gonna take care of it."

Kaito grabbed the knob of the door, clutching it so hard that the wood around the metal started making a worrying creaking, crunching sound.

"I'm gonna go fucking kill him."

To be honest, Ouma wasn't really running on all cylinders. If he could while he was like this, maybe everyone wouldn't have thought he was helpless for his entire life. But he was exhausted, his chest ached as he tried to breathe normally, and the pain in his crotch was probably going to drive him crazy if he tried to stay awake for extended amounts of time. So, it wasn't until Kaito had picked up his sword and basically spelled it out for him that Ouma realized what he was doing.

"Kai-chan, NO!!" Ouma yelled as loudly as his weak voice would allow him, perhaps as loud as someone speaking a tad louder than usual, and he lunged towards his husband to physically stop him...only to not even manage to roll off his back, curling in pain as his junk was jostled, the pain spiking through him and provoking a few hurt whimpers.

"Y-you can't kill Aiichi!"

Even if the treaty had been signed, even if Kaito was prince consort now, even if he was Aiichi's fucking son-in-law, none of that would protect him if he killed the leader of Dicea. Their laws were incredibly harsh on domestic and sexual abuse, so if they decided to pursue that, Aiichi would be heavily punished, imprisoned, taken from his position. But if Kaito killed him? Then he would be charged for murder, no matter how righteous it'd be, only muddled further by all their relations.

Once he had the energy to feel emotions properly, Ouma would be furious with his father, but...he wouldn't want him dead. Ouma didn't want anyone dead!

To be honest, he was this close to just ignoring him. Kokichi had his ideals and his ethos, and that was fine. Kaito had sworn he was ready to learn from Kokichi, to really take in his ideas and try to understand them, embrace them even. But this...this was a Luminary matter. Tengan had...Tengan had-

It had to be solved. An insult like this couldn't go unanswered! Kaito had a responsibility!

...but he stopped, looking back in concern when he heard the whimpers. Staring at his thin frame, Kokichi seemingly almost dwarfed by the bed and the blankets that looked too heavy for him. Kaito understood that Kokichi couldn't stop him from leaving...but somehow, that realization made it harder for Kaito to go. He didn't want Kokichi to feel weak around him. If he demanded him to stop...

Still conflicted, but his shoulders loosening from his initial bloodlust, Kaito leaned the sword against the wall to the side of the door, going back to his husband. "I, I'm sorry. I think there was medicinal tea I'm supposed to give you?" Kaito murmured, going to the vanity desk and grabbing a kettle that had been left there by the nurse, pouring it into a cup and taking it to Kokichi. "It's not warm anymore… I can go heat it up if you want. ...do you need help sitting up to drink it?"

As Kaito kneeled next to Kokichi's (their?) bed, cup in hand, he considered what Kokichi had said. Did he...really think King Aiichi did it? For Kaito, the answer had seemed to be obvious. Of course Master Tengan would do something like this. The old man was a control freak and had been becoming more and more erratic the longer they were here and the weaker his grip of control had become. Kaito couldn't guess what the ultimate purpose behind rap- no, um...behind drugging Kokichi could be, but he honestly didn't care why it had happened. It just seemed obvious it was him.

But...Kokichi seemed just as certain it would be his father. Was King Aiichi capable of something like this? Kokichi had said he was a manipulative asshole, but if anything, Kaito found himself in terror every time he thought about King Aiichi even finding out they had sex, let alone that his son had been forced into it and nearly stopped breathing from it. It just...didn't seem like something he would want?

But then, Kaito didn't know the man that well. So maybe...maybe his assumption was wrong then?

"I...I wouldn't kill your father, Kokichi," Kaito muttered.

Ouma's eyes slid shut, nearly dragging him back down to the depths. This was far more excitement than ever happened whenever he woke up after an incident. And, just for that reason, he couldn't let himself sleep just yet.

He groaned tiredly at the mention of tea, but resigned himself to it. Normally, Ouma loved tea! That's why they had started using it to mask the taste of his medicine. But by the time he was cleared to get up from bed, he had always grown sick of it. He'd literally had one day since his last bout--he wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to drink more.

"It's fine..." he sighed. "I don't think having it warm would be any better. I...I can't sit up on my own... God, my dick hurts..." He muttered the last bit mostly to himself, knowing that he'd have to prepare for it when Kaito helped him up, but...not being sure he could brace for it.

What an absolute disaster this all was...

But maybe not in the way that he thought.

Ouma blinked his eyes open--whoops, he'd closed them again?--to look at Kaito in confusion. He'd...literally just been about to murder the boss. But he didn't sound begrudging. So...Kaito hadn't just been about to murder the boss. But then who--

Ouma drew in a sharp breath, provoking another round of weak coughs. "Wha...wha'tha fuck..."

Seriously?! Well, if they were willing to threaten to kill Ikuo, maybe this wasn't too far out of the realm. But...why? To make a fool of him during his first time? Being bad at sex surely wouldn't make Kaito change his mind about him.

"The...the secretaries?" he breathlessly questioned. "St-still...just tell my dad... If they can get proof, then... hah. Then we can prosecute them...since the treaty's in effect."

Kaito's brow furrowed as he said, entirely certain, "I...I don't think my father would feel the same way about that..."

Watching Kokichi burst into coughing every time he so much as tried to move, Kaito put the tea aside and went to help Kokichi sit up, pulling up his shoulders and tucking his hand behind Kokichi's back to gently glide him up against the headboard. The movement all reminded him of coaching Kokichi's body into different positions last night, and Kaito felt a shameful stab of lust at the memory, suppressing that shit RIGHT the fuck down. That whole memory was so conflicted now. It had been so nice while it was happening, but with the implications of the aphrodisiac... fuck. All those assurances he had made that he would stop when asked had been pointless. Kokichi couldn't tell him no even if he wanted to.

"Here, let me help," Kaito said, taking the tea and just resting it near Kokichi's face on his palm, thinking about tipping it into Kokichi's mouth, but afraid that would just end up choking him.

"I'm sorry," he said as Kokichi took a drink. "This is all my fault. I knew, I knew, right away that something about all that seemed weird, but I just...didn't think about it. Fuck...this is all probably just because I said no to his damn fucking parade tradition," Kaito said, realizing it only as he said it aloud for Kokichi. He had let it go so quickly when they discussed it, Kaito should have realized right then and there that something was up. Master Tengan never just let anything go. "Is that enough tea? I can pour more?"

Prosecuting the secretaries was well within the bounds of the treaty, since without it, the alternative was taking them as prisoners of war. However...it really wasn't the best showing for this new peace. Even if they had broken some incredibly serious laws. But just letting them get away with it was! Super not okay! Even if they were probably in one of the best-case scenarios, where the only consequence had been Ouma overexerting himself and left with painful genitals. And...you know. Being gross and horrible to his husband on their first night together.

He tried not to wince too much as Kaito helped him up, instead focusing more on staying conscious. They had to talk about this! So no one did anything dumb! And because he still had to take his medicine, as gross as it was. It'd be grosser for his heart to stop in his sleep.

Ouma raised a cold, shaky hand to rest on the teacup, murmuring a thanks as he drank it down, unable to keep himself from making a face when he'd finished. No bitter, acrid medicine taste, but faaaaar too much tea in the last three days.

Sighing a bit as Kaito started to apologize, Ouma didn't really know what to say to that. Or. Well. He did know one thing. "You're not the one who drugged me. It's not your...your fault," he yawned. It would've been helpful to know that something was up, and maybe he would've been warier about drinking something he didn't get himself, but...well, from all he'd seen in the past four...five days, the secretaries were abnormally skilled at talking around Kaito.

One thing did stick out to him though as he blinked sleepily over at his husband.

"...parade?" he questioned before shaking his head sluggishly. "One cup is one dose...'m not gonna drink tea for a fuckin' month after this..."

Kaito put the cup aside, seeing the drowsiness on his husband’s face and quickly moving to help him lay back down again. It honestly looked like Kokichi could pass out any second, and, honestly...Kaito didn't know what he was going to do when Kokichi did. He...he still had to challenge the Head Secretary. It had to happen. This couldn't be taken lying down...but, maybe Kokichi was right, and he should just let them do it the legal way here...

...Where he'd, what!? End up in jail!? For how long!? ‘Til Dad organized his release?? That didn't...it didn't feel like justice...

As he pulled the covers back up to Kokichi, he said, absentmindedly as his mind was still hotly on thoughts of revenge, "It's an old tradition in Luminary, from before my family’s rise, even. It's not in common practice anymore, though I have been to a wedding that did it before."

Kaito looked over Kokichi, trying to make sure he was comfortable. There were beads of sweat on his head, and Kaito went and grabbed a cloth from the vanity desk, gently papping the sweat away as he continued. "Basically, each couple has to go through two lines of people, usually all of the guests, and they have to get through the line with everyone being able to grab them, pinch them, fondle, kiss, that sort of thing, because once they consummate the marriage no one else will be allowed to do that anymore. Which I guess could be fun, if you had those kinds of friends around...I don't know. They seemed to be having fun with it," Kaito admitted, the actual parade part that he had witnessed as a teenager not the part that had so vehemently turned him away from the tradition. "Then, the couple goes behind this curtain, does the thing, with the crowd listening outside of the curtains, like, cheering them on or giving them advice or whatever..."

Kokichi's head clean, Kaito put the cloth away, shrugging. "I don't know. The couple at the wedding who did it didn't seem to mind. I just thought the whole thing was uncomfortable. Anyway, then immediately afterwards the curtain’s taken back and the couple’s there wrapped in blankets, and their genitals are checked by a few officials to see if it actually happened or if they were just making noises for the crowd. When they did that, I think what happened was that one of the guys checking put his finger in the woman's vagina, and she started crying...it's a stupid tradition." Kaito frowned, the memory still making him feel sick. Her husband had calmed her down immediately, but still... "I just didn't want to do it. So I shut it down as soon as it was brought up, both back home and here."

"But I didn't think it was a big deal to anyone! It's fallen out of practice even at home, and I somehow doubt it's a thing here. It's not even a religious thing, just a stupid party thing built up around the consummate law. I didn't think Master Tengan would get that mad over it!"

Damnit Kaito... Why'd he have to be all...soft and caring 'n stuff, practically lulling him to sleep. It was hard to even process what he was saying, though...it got through anyway, past the lull of Kaito's voice, how he tucked him in, and how he dabbed away the sweat on his forehead.

Because it was disgusting.

Ouma's face reflected that perfectly, at least...somewhat relieved that it was an outdated sort of thing, though it was really gross that it was a thing at all. It was a tad ironic considering what his dad had done to him, but people's bodies were under their own agency. That's why the laws were so strict on abuse and harassment. Sure, voyeurism was a thing, but, like...within the privacy of your own home. All consensual.

"...wait... Consummate Law?" Again, one thing that Kaito said almost offhandedly struck him. He knew what that meant, having rolled his eyes when it was used as a plotline in trashy novels, but...did places really have laws like that?! Luminary did?!

He was getting REALLY fucking tired of not being told things that would affect him.

"They were expecting us to bang anyway?" While his voice was too weak to raise much, the anger in it was clear enough. "What, they... They just wanted to make sure? Or just pissed off they c-couldn't watch?"

...suddenly Ouma was reminded of all the comments Tengan made to him about his appearance, calling him a gift, a prize. Always saying how pretty he was. Was...he actually...

Kaito looked at Kokichi in surprise...before his face reddened up.

"W-wait?" Kaito said. "Did you not know that!? I-is that not a thing here?!"

Seeing the anger on the young prince's face, Kaito put what he hoped would be a calming hand on Kokichi's shoulder. "Hey, hey, i-it's okay. I'm sorry, I should have… I thought that was a thing everywhere? I wanted to bring it up with you a couple of times, but I just... thought we weren't talking about it?"

"I mean...I mean I was ready to put it off for as long as you needed, but, like, I knew, legally speaking, we had to get it done eventually, or, at least lie about it...I mean I, I didn't want to...pressure you before you were..."

He didn't know where it had come from. He had changed out the sheets, their clothes, and thrown all the soaked items in the hamper, but in that moment he could...smell Kokichi. Something nearby with the scent of his sex coming off of it. Maybe one of the pillow cases? Either way...Kaito felt his face redden, pulling his hand back from Kokichi's shoulder. "Look, you look exhausted. Maybe you should go to sleep and we can work this out when you wake up."

"Is it any surprise by this point?" Ouma grumbled. Apparently, no one wanted to tell him anything these days. Or any time in his life. He sighed, trying not to direct his anger at Kaito, who was continuing to be sweet and understanding, if incredibly flustered. "No, it's not a thing here--I thought it was just something in fantasy. As far as the law is concerned here, what people do consensually and within their own homes is their business and only their business. Marriages are only meant to be a sign of devotion; that you love this person with all of your heart and never want to be apart from them."

And, for them, it was meant to be less 'want' and more 'will through sheer determination'. That they would do everything they could to remain an example of peace. Even if they actually hated each other.

Thankfully that wasn't the case.

Even if the anger Ouma felt flared at too familiar words, bypassing the actual care they were said with.

"No way!" It was futile and he knew it, but Ouma weakly tried to push himself up. "I am not going to do nothing when there's work to do! Fuck right off if you think that I can't!" His breath started to hitch again, limbs shaking as he tried to resist.

And at that moment there was a knock on the door.

Ah, geez...Kaito had managed to trigger him again. Putting both hands up, he said, "Hey, come on, there's nothing going on so urgent that you can't take a few hours-"

The knock at the door. Ooh, fuck. Kaito cracked his joints, glancing nervously over at Kokichi. Kokichi really did look like he couldn't use any visitors right now, but...what were the odds whoever was on the other side of the door was someone he could actually turn away?

"Just...try to be calm," Kaito begged. "This isn't just a case of you being sick. You were basically poisoned yesterday. Anyone would need more rest after that," he said, getting up to go open the door.

He didn't want to rest (oh god fuck but yes his body did), Ouma wanted to act. He wanted to figure out exactly what could actually be done to the secretaries to make sure they'd never hurt anyone again. He wanted news on Maki and Shuuichi and Katsuki, even if he logically knew that that problem wouldn't be solved in a day. He - he wanted...

Ouma started gasping his breaths, forced to lie limply on his bed, body giving up on even trying. Fuck...he wanted to sleep.

On the other side of the door was a secretary, but thankfully, the secretary of Dicea. Hideki Fukui was the picture of calm, seemingly nonplussed by what the door opened to. He was rather used to Ouma's fits, after all, having been working for the Dicean government since before the little prince was born.

Leveling his light green eyes on Kaito, Hideki spoke as if he was telling them what the kitchen staff had planned for dinner. "May I come in? Considering how it pertains to the both of you, I should like to speak about the incident last night."

Leaning a little to the side and looking around the prince consort, the secretary sighed. "Kokichi, if you can calm yourself and stay awake, you'll want to hear this too."

Shoot, what was this guys name again? He knew this...

"Secretary Hideki! Please, come in," Kaito said, a grin shooting onto his face as, his nerves ramping up, he said as The Prince, "We are of course always happy to have you! Prince Kokichi is actually doing-" Kaito twitched, not used to telling direct lies, "-quite well!"

"Is it just you then?" Kaito said as he held the door open for the Secretary, looking around before closing the door behind him, just waiting for an extremely upset father to just...appear. And just kill him outright for almost fucking his kid to death. Kaito wondered if he should dive into a submission bow right away, or at least wait until Kokichi couldn't see. "I...does this mean King Aichi has not been informed yet? Of the incident? The..." Shit. What if the secretary was talking about something else entirely. He didn't know who the healer had told yet. "...incident we all...know about...though I think, just to make sure we're all on the same page, you should probably say what incident...you're thinking about...first."

Hideki walked in without aplomb, rolling his eyes as Ouma shakily flipped him off, getting his breathing back under control. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Though, some changes he could live with. Crossing his arms, Hideki raised an eyebrow at Kaito. "You're too polite for us here. I am aware it comes from your upbringing, but you're a horrible liar." A pause, then an amused smile from the older man. "Good. We have too many of them already."

There was a quiet, whiney, "Get to the pooooooint," from the boy in the bed.

"I would be able to if you had informed us from the very beginning."

"..."

Hideki sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pulling up a chair to Ouma's bedside where he could easily see him, motioning for Kaito to do the same. "Prince Kaito, please sit down--this might take more time than would be comfortable to stand. And Aiichi does know, which is why I'm here and not him. I haven't seen him ready to throw hands like this in years."

"Ah, not to you, though," he amended, realizing a possible impact of his words. "But of your entourage. We have been dealing with what to do about their rudeness since they opened their mouths for the first time, but with the information we've gotten from you two..."

"It's a clusterfuck, to put it lightly."

Ouma blinked sleepily, frowning. They...had been working against the Luminary advisors already? ...not actually that surprising, when he considered who the Dicean cabinet were.

Kaito sat down at the edge of the bed, clenching his fists in his lap as he listened to the secretary. It was...so strange, how his first instinct was to feel angry that this man would speak so poorly about some of his people. It was a nationalist gut instinct, this feeling that speaking poorly of the Luminary Party was a direct insult to all of the Luminary Kingdom. He felt like he needed to argue on behalf of his home...

...but he was also still trying to work out if he was actually going to try to kill the Head Secretary. So, you know...maybe he didn't have the right to defend his people’s honor from anyone.

It was all getting so complicated. The Head Secretary had committed a terrible deed against him, but the truth still was... "Um..." Kaito said, looking down at his hands, unable to look at Kokichi at the same time. "...we don't...know for sure they had anything to do with it..."

Kaito worried his joints, saying quietly, "...it's a huge insult to my father...to accuse his direct representation of a crime. He's Dad's voice..."

Hideki had gone to say more, but then looked at Kaito curiously. "You think it was Mr. Tengan that spiked Kokichi's drink? Interesting..."

"In any case," he continued, "We do know for sure about various crimes Mr. Tengan and Ms. Chisa have committed. We did look into General Juzo as well, but for being military, he's the most reasonable person out of your advisors. Shocking. However, until the most recent events, they have all been crimes out of our jurisdiction. We cannot arrest a foreign citizen for crimes they committed in another country, nor can we arrest someone for being rude and insulting."

"Unfortunately..." Ouma sleepily muttered, seeming like he was drifting further and further away from the conversation with each moment passed.

Hideki snorted a bit with a fond smirk before returning to business. "What a slippery slope that would be, you rude little imp. But, to the point at hand, we can arrest someone for spiking a drink with, what, in the eyes of the law in this context, is a date-rape drug. As soon as Aiichi was notified, he went on a tear--sometimes it's easy to forget what a monster that man can be," he sighed, leaning back in the chair slightly.

"We spent the night and early morning gathering eyewitness accounts and evidence. How lucky it is for us that you leave your dishes out everywhere, Kokichi. We found remnants of the aphrodisiac in your glass, but we didn't even need to get it analyzed before the trail of stories led us to Ms. Chisa. There are several accounts of her passing off the glasses to a young woman, and a few mentioning that she was seen messing with them beforehand. Upon questioning, Ms. Chisa admitted to it."

Hideki put a hand on his chin, expression darkening. "Rather easily, actually. But, how things are at this moment, Ms. Chisa can be charged with sexual abuse, medical malpractice, and attempted manslaughter."

Kaito felt his back tense up, his eyes trained to the floor. Oh...yeah. That made a cruel sort of sense, actually. As he had said, accusing the Head Secretary of a crime was basically, in the eyes of the Luminary people, the equivalent of accusing King Leon of that same crime. Head Secretary Tengan was his chosen, personal representation: you had to treat him like you were speaking to the King himself, and his orders had to be honored as such.

But a standard Kingdom Secretary? Secretary Chisa had particular influence as someone clearly being mentored and groomed to be the next Head Secretary by the current one, but otherwise, there were hundreds of people at home in the same job type and class she was. It was...way less of a scandal, if she had done it.

Or, was willing to claim she had done it, anyway.

"What would happen to her if she's deemed guilty on those charges?" Kaito asked.

"She would be sentenced away from the general populous and given mandatory correctional therapy, as well as have her medical license deemed null in this country." It was one of the harsher punishments they could give out. Most criminals were still allowed to interact with people on a day-to-day basis; it was only malicious first-degree murderers and abusers that were forced into relative isolation while they were in therapy. The people who would intentionally hurt others if they had the chance.

"However, there are some special circumstances around this case and the others; the reason why we cannot arrest Mr. Tengan on the accounts of blackmail and mental and emotional abuse." Hideki said this all coolly, as if it didn't hold as much weight as it did. "Considering at the time of the crime you were still only a Luminous citizen, we cannot prosecute him in this country--the same issue with Miss Maki as well. And even if Ms. Chisa only attacked Kokichi on Mr. Tengan's orders, without a testimony from her, it remains speculation of intent, which is not punishable. In the same vein, if Ms. Chisa swears to return to Luminary under supervision and does not re-enter Dicea, she will not be persecuted here, and instead will be under the purview of King Leon."

"I truly do not envy the workload your father will have upon the procession's arrival back in Luminary. Nor do I envy what your secretaries will face at their return, but, even if it is against the ethos of our nation, in my opinion, they only have themselves to blame," Hideki scoffed disdainfully.

There was silence for a moment, only broken by soft snuffles, Ouma completely out for the count.

"Maki?" Kaito said, lowering his voice slightly as he heard the soft breathing sounds from Kokichi. That was maybe good, in the sense that Kokichi probably did desperately need the rest, but was bad, in the sense that it would be up to Kaito to understand everything that was being said to him now. Thankfully, this man seemed to appreciate straight talk, but... Kaito was alone with him now.

People changed how they treated you when there was no one else watching. Kaito would have to keep his guard up.

"M-maki's just away for awhile," Kaito said, as his mind rushed to keep up with everything the Secretary had just said. There had actually been quite a few alarming things packed in there, but Maki was the priority! No question! "She's not a fan of weddings...thought exploring the new kingdom would be a more interesting use of her time, i-is all...it's not illegal to go sight-seeing, right?"