"No no no no! It's not what you think." Kami spoke immediately, as she noticed everyone turn their gaze to me. She shook her head furiously and stepped in front of me. I had nothing to say for myself. I had expected that this would happen, and I had even been steeling myself for it on the entire plane ride here.
And yet I still felt shocked by the shear amount of hate in a majority of the gazes which were cast at me.
Immediately, Mina moved to grab Kami, pulling her in for a hug. "Shhh. We understand. It's okay." Kami was still worried, however. Was she really that deadest on making sure that none of the blame fell unto me? I shook my head slightly.
I deserve all of the blame for what happened to her.
I thought back to the day when she had come back, a bruise on her right eye, and tears streaming down her face. I'm sure she had come home in hopes to be comforted, to be told that everything would be okay.
But of course, I couldn't provide it.
Mom approached her right after, placing her hands on Kami's cheeks and forcing her to look up, so she could get a better look at the bruise. Her fingers hovered over the darkened portion of skin hesitantly for a second, before running over them as softly as possible.
"Hkk!"
Kami winced and tensed in pain. Although I'm sure she tried to hide it within the best of her ability, it was all futile. Mom and Mina could clearly see the pain she was in.
Our mother's expression, filled with worry, now became mixed with something darker. "How did this happen? Who did this." She might as well have been growling with how low her tone of voice was.
"I-" Kami hesitated for a moment. She glanced behind her to look at me for a split second.
A hand seemed to grab my heart at that moment.
Is she hesitating, because she's scared, I'll be blamed for it?
Once again, I marveled at how pathetic I truly was. Everything that Kami seemed to do was in order to protect me. Even while she herself was suffering, in need of comfort, she still found it in her to worry about me.
However, I wasn't able to marvel at the depths of my sister's goodwill for long, because at that moment, Takeru Chisaki turned his gaze to me. When those piercing eyes made contact with mine, I could feel my entire being physically express discontent. As if it wanted to reject the cold, calculating gaze that man shot me. He then turned to Kami, walking forward.
"Kami." He didn't say anything else, but everyone was able to read his silence. He was asking for her to continue.
And so, Kami did, because Takeru Chisaki was not a man to be denied. Unless you wished to meet his wrath. And that, I knew all too well.
She spilled everything, leaving out any details that would place any blame on me. She said that after me and her had left school, we had gone home, and she had decided to sneak of and away from me, while I was showering. She then went to a coffee shop with her friends, where it was attacked by terrorist.
Many gasped at that revelation. The terrorists attack that they had seen so much of on the news. Kami, the princess, was directly involved with it? She was a victim of it.
I could easily read their thoughts, and as Kami continued to tell her story, I knew exactly where these thoughts would end up.
She then moved to tell them how her and her friends had subdued the terrorist. By this point, she was close to breaking down, the memories of that day threatening to overtake her. She leaned heavily and Mina for support. She told them of the clear hatred that the people expressed for her, and how she got the bruise. From the police. By the time she had finished explaining everything, the air of the room had completely shifted. Not only in a metaphorical sense, as the morale in the room had dropped considerably, but also in a physical sense.
Someone's magical energy was leaking off of their body and wrapping itself around everyone around the room. The very air was tinged with this person's magically energy, as they seethed, allowing it to flow into the air freely. The temperature in the room had literally dropped. It reminded me of the internal cold that I could never get rid of. When I looked down, I noticed that I had subconsciously grabbed my arm. I was squeezing it tightly. This aura of angry cold was emanating from my mother. Who stood next to Kami, her fists clenching into a fist, and relaxing.
Into a fist.
Then relaxing.
It was not often when my mother allowed her magical energy to flow out so wildly. Even when we were little. She was always the image of complete calm and restraint. The few times she ever did let it show, where moments were things had really gone to shit. All of the servants in the room froze. And before I knew it, the gazes of sympathy that were cast upon Kami, had transformed into accusing, hateful, and suspicious gazes.
That were all cast upon me. Kami's eyes widened as she noticed this, however her words were cut off by Takeru's.
"Young man." Was all he said. Instantly, every pair of eyes in the room turned to him. His eyes were looking at me, and his words were directed to me.
He didn't use my name. His hands were gesturing to the long hall that lie between the stairs.
The one that lead to his office.
* * * * * *
The hall that leads to Takeru Chisaki's office held no other rooms. It was simply a long hallway, that lead up to a singular white door at the end. The walls were painted white and lined with gold. It was the simplest place in the house, featuring the least decorations. That was always a curse, however. There was never anything that I could distract myself with as I walked down the long hall. The feeling of dread that I got every time I walked down this hall as a kid never vanished. The lack of varying patterns only made the walk feel even longer. Even more monotonous.
And even more dreadful.
The entire time, Takeru didn't even look back at me once, keeping a distance of around 4 or 5 paces in between us.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, where my entire body felt as if it was going to explode from the tension, we arrived at the door. It was another, very simple door. Colored white, with gold decorations that formed the shape of two lion heads roaring at each other. He opened the door, and we both went inside.
His office had not changed a single bit.
Inside, there was one, large desk, which was filled with stacks of papers. Each one of them, some sort of deal, contract, or request. He was a man who essentially worked as a pivotal contractor and negotiator for magical engineers. Essentially, if you wanted an invention to gain traction, and to be funded. You went to Takeru.
His desk was bare of any personal decorations, save for a single pen, which was light blue. It bore a small butterfly sticker on it. Kami had given it to him.
The walls of his room were also lined with paintings, all of them famous in their own right. The starry night, The Mona Lisa, Song of Angels. However, the largest painting, which hung directly behind the desk, just above a window. was the same painting of Kami that we had in our home. It truly was a beautiful painting, shown by the fact that it seemed to be hung up everywhere.
My father did not take a seat, and neither did I. He stood behind his desk, his back facing me. He opened up the curtains, to reveal a storm brewing outside. Light rain hit against the window. He seemed to be thinking.
I clenched my arm tighter. I could feel the warmth of blood trailing down my skin. The scratch wounds had reopened. I'd have to change shirts before I met up with Kami.
"A long while ago, a man had to plot an assassination."
As he spoke, I didn't even dare breathe.
"It was necessary. It was for the better." He paced back and forth, still not turning his gaze to me.
"It hurt the man to do so, but it was necessary. It was necessary in order to protect the next heir of the Chisaki business. The princess. Kami."
His voice was quiet but strong.
"When all was said and done, he couldn't bring himself to deal the finishing blow." He looked up at the ceiling, almost regretfully. "He thought: what was so wrong with showing mercy now? It was a naive thought. One that he was never punished for." Finally, he turned his cruel gaze to me.
"Until now. But I won't make the same mistake again." His switch from third person to first person did not go unnoticed.
As he moved to walk in front of the desk, towards me, I made a realization.
He was talking about me.
He noticed the shift in my expression.
"You remember, don't you? The night where Raiden Chisaki was almost lost, and a protector was born?"
I remembered it all too well. The night where the Chisaki household was attacked. When Kami almost died. Because of my stupidity. Because I had but the thought into her mind of exploring the outside.
"It was your fault." He spoke softly, almost sweetly, as if he was trying to console a child. But his words themselves were harsh.
"It is your fault now."
I nodded. Everything that he said was true.
"Selfish acts. Greedy acts." He began to circle me. He resembled a wolf circling its prey. "You lost sight of your mission. And now, the entire Chisaki estate is in pain because of you." I had no argument to his words. No way to refute what he was saying.
He then stopped. He looked down at my left arm sleeve, which was painted red. "Your faulty. Broken." He leaned in closely as he spoke.
"You have no right to even stand on the same ground as the princess. The name Kami, you aren't even worthy of speaking it right now. And you will never be. You aren't worthy of her gaze. Of her smile. Of her concern." The disgust in his tone was ramping up.
He then grabbed my wand from my hands. I tensed, but did not resist. He unsheathed it, taking a look at the entire length of the black blade. When his eyes reached the top, where the small heart was, he laughed cynically.
"Longing after things that you don't have and don't deserve. That is very bold for a weapon. For a shield." He held out the blade in front of me. "Like this sword. All it's meant for his protecting and fighting for its owner. Killing for its owner." He moved to stand in front of me, and then, he placed the tip of the blade directly atop the left half of my chest. Right where my heart was. A drop of blood was drawn.
"They don't have hearts. They don't feel. They don't need love. They don't expect love. That is what makes them so effective." At some point, he had stopped meeting my eyes.
"Kami Chisaki is your rightful owner. And you, her unworthy protector. Never forget. You can't help her in any way that isn't putting your life on the line." He leaned in closer. "Never forget that the times that you tired, you only ended up putting her in danger. Your emotional connection with her is a hindrance. A poison. A parasite." He pushed the tip of the blade a little bit further.
"Trash. Remember those words. Thats all you are. Your only use is to serve as Kami Chisaki's blade. Her shield. Nothing more." He finally pulled the blade away from my heart, allowing the blood to drip unto the floor.
"As of today, Kami Chisaki's brother has died." He seemed to become more relived as he spoke.
"No. that's not right." He turned back to me, before stomping on my blood which was on the floor.
"Raiden Chisaki, has died. Born, is a weapon. One who's only purpose is to kill and be a slave to its master."
He then used my sword to slash marks unto the side of my neck. When I looked down, it was in the shape of a shattered heart. He then let the blade which had my blood unto it, clatter to the floor.
And my resolve. My pride. My dignity. Fell along with it.