"Yuuma!" Roared a familiar voice.
Yuuma turned his head and examined the person running at him with open arms. It was too late, he couldn't stop the attack with the fuel he has left. With a silent prayer to anyone who will listen his face smashed directly into the woman's chest. "Mommy missed you so much!" She cried with a sob coming after. The scent of her perfume made Yuuma want to sneeze but much to his distaste it just stuck at the tip of his nose teasingly.
She grabbed his cheeks in her clawed talons and squished them, "look how much you have grown! Such a handsome young man will be sure to attract many suitors," she practically purred. When she got a closer look her eyes narrowed, "but we need to fatten you up a bit," she reluctantly nodded at her conclusion. Unlucky for Yuuma he had to listen to his 'mothers' gibberish. Shortly after Yuuma's father paced towards him.
The man stood still just four feet away from his son. His eyes were wide and didn't appear to be processing this as reality. For only half a minute he stayed paralyzed in shock before gradually softening. He half hugged Yuuma's side who was still trapped by his mother.
Although Yuuma knew his mother still in her villainous heart treated Yuuma as an object to manipulate like a pawn on a chessboard, his father was different. The man's heart still held affection towards his children even if it was hard to show. Constantly having to keep his wife happy he held little room to grow any form of relationship with his kids. Even if his morals are questionable along with his work that doesn't mean he can't miss his son after all these years.
Yuuma couldn't spot any of his siblings and when he was eventually brought to the carriage they weren't there either. They must have not come, Yuuma thought while trying to separate himself from his overly touchy mother.
"How are you feeling?" His father asked with equally as tired eyes as Yuuma.
"I'm well, where are Mako and Ena?"
His father was stumped momentarily, "I thought your relationship wasn't well so they didn't come..."
Yuuma glanced at his mother in realization and just shook his head.
"I'm taking Ami's place by the way, there isn't any need for her to be in her position any longer." Yuuma casually said.
It was silent for an excruciating period of time before bursts of rejection were spat out. Yuuma expected this reaction. "I'm awake now, why leave my poor little sister in the war? It would ruin our family name and leave even more nasty rumors," Yuuma stretched and his mother finally seemed to calm down at the thought of what he said.
"Your right your right! Mommy will be sure to help you," she kissed his head before taking out a crystal to contact someone, possibly a rotten connection. Yuuma didn't stop her.
"But Yuuma.." his father held out a hand but hesitated to look at his wife. He furrowed his brows knowing this isn't right but then Yuuma suddenly took his outstretched hand and smiled like a blossom, "don't worry." His worries were suddenly swept away and he never spoke the rest of the carriage ride.
For Yuuma he blinked and then he was back to the mansion, naps do that to you.
He was practically flung inside by his enthusiastic mother and handed a glass bottle of pills, "make sure to take them every day, your rooms the same one, mommy will see you soon!" And then she left with his father trailing behind her.
Yuuma turned to walk to his room by himself and wondered if his mother's IQ had always been this bad. If the heir goes off to war then he could be killed, meaning no more heir. But Yuuma was sure in the time he was asleep Ami was groomed for the role, but then she had to be sent to war thus Mako is the only one left. Therefore he is probably being treated carefully by the people at the mansion.
Yuuma tapped his chin, his mother must want him dead.
Why else would she not continue to counteract his simple bland explanation as to why he's switching places? He was seven when he slept so even ten years later he would still be seven. That is probably her mindset, to everyone he is a seven-year-old in the body of a seventeen-year-old.
'Poor boy,' the maids must think. Yuuma could practically feel the stares of the passing miad's boring holes into his back.
"Brother"
The sudden voice broke Yuuma's bubble and his lethargic strides stopped. He turned around and saw a boy, thirteen years old, and his birthday was recent. "Mako," he identified, different from his appearance in his memory of course. The child had a scholarly air but also held himself brutishly.
"You're Yuuma, I....I heard even if you are tall your actually seven. So that actually makes me your older brother...even if you were born first."
Yuuma wanted to laugh.
He walked up to the teenager who stiffened at their close proximity and confidence appeared to waver. Yuuma smiled bent down pulling the child's ear menacingly, "what a brat you've become little Mako, your older brother is me, who is seven? Do I look seven? If I'm seven then an infant is twenty!"
Mako's eyes watered trying to pull his ear away from the pinching grasp, "I didn't mean it! I lied I lied! I lied older brother! Don't take my words seriously!" Mako struggled losing all his previous enthusiasm.
"Not only did little Mako learn to speak he became a color-changing chameleon," Yuuma uttered, smiled bitterly, and released him with a yawn.
"Do you still like wooden toys? I will get you many." Mako clutched his stinging ear in weariness but hearing that his eyes widened with stars. "Seriously older brother? Older brother is the best! There are several collectibles I really want! If older brother gets them I will be in your debt, mother doesn't like the toys I collect," Yuuma was abruptly drowned in the words of a cyclothymic.
Feeling drained from this short talk with Mako Yuuma didn't realize the other company in the hallway before a slight tug pulled his trousers. He looked down and saw Ena, he assumed. She probably has no memory of him since she was so young. The ten-year-old girl looked up with big brown eyes and smiled sweetly and shoved some papers to his chest.
"Ena, shouldn't you be with your tutors? Your running away again aren't you?" Mako exclaimed in exhaust.
"I wanted to meet older brother and mom said to give him these papers," she stuck her tongue out to provoke Mako. It worked and before Yuuma could address Ena she started running around him with Mako at her tail and disappeared down the halls in only a matter of seconds.
Yuuma looked at the paper that was shoved into his arms realizing they were things he needed to sign to be transferred in his sister's stead. His lips quirked and he was off to his room. Luckily the room had been kept clean and the bedding changed so he didn't complain. And the little jar of pills was promptly thrown in a corner to collect dust.
He sat down at a desk, inked a feather, read through the papers, and wrote down his signature here and there.
It came to a part informing about what a soldier would do, which he promptly declined. Yuuma wasn't a soldier and by heart, he was more of a coward. Fight? Him? Yuuma may have a beast somewhere in his skin but his brian is more than enough to win a war. Yuuma dragged the ink-slated feather along the sheet. With minimalistic action, he whipped out the badge he had stolen from around Sadao's neck when he had choked the general. It glinted in the light along with the chilling glimmer cast over Yuuma's eyes.
He placed it onto the paper and like a stamp, the badge left his hand and morphed into the sheet. That would be more than enough to get him into the main building. He would work from the bottom and gradually he would become an important piece to move in the war. Although this wasn't enough to subdue the upcoming problems that'll be sure to come.
Yuuma folded the important papers and stuffed them into an envelope stamping it with hot wax, the family crest large on the front. Yuuma yawned placing his head on the desk and briefly pondered when his butler would arrive. For now, he'll take a nap...