The royal capital had been dimly lit as the barrier that had surrounded the surrounding area and even the castle that had been in the center. The house they had stayed in had been quiet, even after all the chaos that had occurred in the kitchen as those in the household had been sleeping soundly.
All--Except for two.
Karasu had awoken with a scream as he had been in a cold sweat; though he had been quick to calm himself as he had buried his face into his hands as he groaned. His snake had been resting on the bed as well as he slithered up on his arm.
"Just my luck--I didn't have that dream for the last two years, and it comes back in spades."
Sachiko who had been in the bed next to his own as she seemed to have stirred, "Aniki… Is everything okay…?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Karasu said as he gave her a reassured smile, "I'll be fine. You can go back to sleep."
Sachiko yawned before she fell back into the bed as she shut her eyes. Karasu sighed before he got out of bed and went out of the room. Sauntering down the kitchen he went to help himself to whatever had been in the fridge as he practically drank down a glass of fruit punch before he let out a tremendous burp.
"God--What I wouldn't give to just have a damn break."
His snake let out a hiss as he nuzzled his head into his cheek. "Yeah--I'm glad you agree."
Soon enough he heard the sound of a soft guitar playing as he noticed that it had been from nearby. It hadn't been long before he heard a familiar voice.
For one so small, you seem so strong
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm
This bond between us, can't be broken
I will be here don't you cry
Cause you'll be in my heart
You'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forevermore
You'll be in my heart
You'll be in my heart
You'll be here in my heart always
There he saw Prism sitting on the back porch with her guitar in hand as she had been sitting against Adrien while the spirits had gathered around her listening to her play. Karasu sighed as he quickly wrapped the bandages around his arm good and tight before he sauntered over to the back porch.
"Well look who's out of her room." Karasu said as he put on a smile while Prism flinched. She had been quick to calm down as she smiled, "Hi Karasu."
Karasu allowed the snake's tail to hang from his arm as he started to tickle her, which she couldn't help but giggle at. Though he noticed that she had a cup of half down juice. He allowed the snake to recoil as he took a seat beside her.
"I see you decided to help yourself to some punch too." He said.
"Yuup. " She replied.
He soon took the jug he had, as he held it towards her, "To the weirdos that is us."
Prism chuckled before she clanked her glass to his jug before they chugged it down and they both let out their own burps. "Whew--!" Karasu said, as he hit his chest, "--Felt that!"
"Me too." Prism said with a smile, "So… What are you doing up and about?"
"Just had a pretty bad dream." He said with a wave of his hand, "And felt like getting myself a said drink. I--Take it you refuse to go to sleep?"
"Yeah…" She said, "... I guess we both had dreams that we don't want to see."
"Still doesn't explain what you're doing out here in the open. I mean not to scare you but if someone saw you out here, and tries to kidnap you--"
Prism chuckled a little, "I don't think I have to worry about that. But… I am doing something else out here other than playing my guitar."
"Like what?"
"Stargazing. It helps put my mind at ease."
Karasu looked to the sky as he couldn't seem to see the stars like she talked about as all that they could see had been the lights from the other buildings.
"I can't see them." He said.
"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's there." She said, "Even now, I still remember what and where the constellations Licht and I named were, when we went stargazing together."
"That's pretty impressive, not gonna lie." He said with a huff, "Me? I tend to forget things."
"That's okay, you'll improve on that." She said, giving his shoulder a pat. The snake had soon made his way along her arm, before he nuzzled his head against her cheek. Karasu only smiled at this sort of thing, "You really do have your way with animals."
"He's such a beautiful snake." She said as she scratched his head, "Did you think about what to name him?"
"Shiromori." He answered, "It means--White forest where I come from."
"I think that name suits him just fine." She said with a smile before she looked at the snake as he wrapped himself around her neck, "Right Shiromori?"
The snake--Shiromori tickled her nose with the flick of his tongue which made her giggle once more. Karasu couldn't help but laugh at this as well, "It's good to see you smiling, I didn't think that would be possible after that challenge."
"Aside from the traumatizing experience--" Prism said as she shuddered a little, "--That was probably one of the most fun dare bucket challenges I have ever had. It almost felt like I never left Airedale."
At this Karasu could see how much Prism had softened, like he could tell what it was she had been thinking at that moment. A thought soon came over him, as it had been one filled with curiosity. "Your folks--" Karasu soon said, "--What were they like? Aside from the whole Warrior Chief and King thing."
He could see her expression brightened. "Where do I start?" She said, "Well--For one thing, they're both suckers for classics when it comes to books, though they favor different ones. Mom's favorite was Robin Hood, and my dad's--Beauty and the Beast."
"No--?" He said in disbelief.
"What can I say? He's a romantic." She said with a shrug, "They both had very different lives. Not just because one was an elf and the other was a human, or even their difference in magic. My dad when he was growing up, every girl in the Clover Kingdom loved him even back when he was a prince. Every girl wanted to be his wife, and yes he did date one or two of them, but deep down, he wasn't truly happy. He wanted someone to love him for him, not just because he was royalty and was basically the ruler of everything in the Kingdom. He didn't tell his family, not counting Lemiel and Teitia. He trusted that secret with Uncle Cad and his brother Acer."
"Your dad knew Pluck's dad?" Karasu asked, as he was genuinely surprised.
"Plu-Plu's family was well known back then." Prism replied, "His estate was very close to the castle, and they often played together."
"... What about your mom?" He asked.
"Aunt Yuki told me she lost her parents at a young age. Her older brother, my uncle Nolan, was the man of the house--" She soon answered, "--And her and Licht were called odd by the Elders when they were growing up. Mom was really fascinated with Human's, when it came to their culture and magic. Often she'd sneak out of her home village and visit the capitol, bringing back things from there. Mostly it was books, because she really loved the stories they tell. At the time it really scared Aunt Yuki. You should've heard some of the debates she had with Licht when he encouraged her."
"Sneaking out when others told her not to. Like mother, like daughter."
"I guess so. One day when she snuck off to the capital, she met my dad in disguise, mind you. It was actually in a library, a day before Licht saved my aunt. For the both of them, when their eyes locked it was like their world lit up. They spent hours talking to each other before parting ways that first day. When my dad officially met the tribe, they were a bit shocked to discover who each other had been, but even then they still spoke to one another." Prism let out a nostalgic sigh as she thought about it, "It was the most romantic thing I've ever heard about them."
Karasu chuckled, "You said your parents loved classics, but it sounds like they lived one of their own."
Prism laughed again when she recalled it all. "You know--" She soon said, "--Today's dinner, or attempt at dinner, reminded me of something that happened one time, when dad came home."
"Really?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Prism nodded, "It was going to be the anniversary when they married, so dad had the idea of surprising mom with dinner. The thing was, because my dad was so used to as Feo would put it, being handled, he had NO idea how to cook or bake. I tried to help him, but at the time I wasn't so good at it myself. We ended up screwing up the recipe, burned the food, put eggshells in the dough, and almost set the kitchen on fire a couple of times. By the time my mom got back from the hunting party--" She laughed at the memory, "--She WAS surprised! In the end out of all things, the only thing that survived were the potatoes, so she baked some good old pot-potato pie and we just had to laugh at how ridiculous we looked. Wasn't the best anniversary surprise, but it made them both smile."
Karasu soon noticed the tears formed from her eyes despite the smile she had on her face. The spirits around her turned blue as Adrien purred while nuzzling her.
"You know it's funny--" She said as her voice had been breaking, "--Even, little moments like that--I'd give ANYTHING to have that back." Immediately she noticed the spirits around had changed color as she did what she could to wipe them away, "So-Sorry! I didn't--!"
"It's alright." Karasu replied, "Sometimes it's okay to be selfish."
She sniffled, "... I… Just miss them."
Karasu nodded as he let out a sigh of his own while his gaze softened, "... I… Think it's cool that you know your parents at least. Sachiko and I only had our Uncle and Aunt growing up. It wasn't the same, but we still loved them."
"Did--" Prism said, "--Did you know your parents?"
"I--Only remember little things about my dad. The stories my uncle and aunt told helped out." Karasu said, "As for my mom--" He soon bit his bottom lip as Prism could see he had been holding himself together, "--She passed away, a few days after Sachiko was born."
Prism had been taken back by this as her look softened; even the little spirits seemed to have a look of concern.
"I--" Karasu said as he played with a loose bandage, "--Don't remember what she looked like, or even the sound of her voice. My uncle hardly talked about her, and my dad when he was still around I don't remember him talking about her either. The only thing they told me was… She was a fighter till the end." The look on his face changed the more he thought about it, "Sometimes I wonder… Is it possible to miss someone you've never met before?" He only chuckled, "Sounds ridiculous right? Of course you ca--"
He had been taken back as he found himself trapped in Prism's arms as Shiromori wrapped himself around his neck; even Adrien curled himself around the both of them as he purred. Finally he felt his own tears start to fall as all he could do in that moment was cry.
***
The sun had risen over the horizon of the city as some of them had barely begun to stir from their slumber. Though Yami had been wide awake in the morning as it had on one of those rare occasions. At the sound of a flush he emerged from the bathroom that had been downstairs as he let out a breath of relief.
"Whew, first chasing sword boy and now that. Yesterday and today was busy, huh?" Yami said as he stretched, "Think I might help myself to a drink, seeing as how it's still early."
He sauntered over to the kitchen area as he went to help himself, though it had been his plan until he noticed a familiar raptor sitting outside. He went over to investigate only to find that not only had Adrien had been outside sleeping soundly, but Karasu had been as well; along with Prism whom he saw she had been finally getting much needed sleep. While she laid against Adrien's stomach, Karasu had been using his tail as a pillow as he softly snored.
With a sigh, he walked back inside only for a moment before he went back out again after he had gotten out a couple of blankets. He placed them over the two of them as Prism seemed to have moved unconsciously.
Yami had taken a puff before thinking aloud, "At the end of the day, they're still kids after all."