The Prince's Letters

“He looked as if he were about to cry. That chibi of yours. You certainly grew on each other in such a short while.” Atsushi glanced at his friend opposite him in the back of the car. He raised a slender eyebrow when Kazu simple shrugged.
“Maybe he was just in the mood since the brothers were all tears.”
Yuuta interjected then, holding up a gloved hand to ask for room to speak. “We were not crying, just so you know.”
“That was a sobfest and you’re denying it?”
Yuuta shrugged, changing his tune. “Well that was the first time we’ve seen each other in what was it…four years?”
“Four years? Really?”
He made a soft humming sound, then added a wry smile. “One doesn’t become Captain by taking family vacations whenever one feels like it.” He stood up, keeping his head down so he wouldn’t hit it against the low ceiling. “You two should sleep while you have the chance. Yuria-san has the right idea. You never know when you’ll next be safe.” He opened the door of the moving carriage, holding the door handle and stepping onto the rungs. The sound of the horses’ hooves beating the dry ground, which had only been soft background noise, suddenly became very prominent. “And before you ask, yes, you are safe here. I have a few of my subordinates following the carriage. I will be joining them though, so forgive me if I excuse myself here.”

The man doffed his hat, the picture of elegance. Kazu raised a hand to say goodbye, and Yuuta dropped out of sight, leaving the flimsy door banging against the frame as the carriage shifted its weight once more.
“Strange man,” Atsushi leaned forward, pulling the door shut securely and in the same motion, dropping the ties that held the small curtains back. He reclined in his seat, throwing his legs up on the cushions opposite, between Kazuhiko. “Goodnight then. Wake me up when we get there.”
Kazu gave a murmur of assent, watching his friend as the man’s features began to relax, growing neutral in sleep. Once he was certain Atsushi had disappeared to his personal dream world, Kazu let his thoughts wander.

They were going to the border under the cover of darkness. To go during the day would be safer, as blending in among the daily exodus of people leaving the country would undoubtedly be harder to spot for someone watching, but they would take the risk and spare the need for a background story.
And thus, here they were, rattling along a mountain road in an unmarked carriage pulled by four black horses.

How unsuspicious.

They had left the city far behind, traveling at a quick pace for the past hour and taking the quickest route into the cover of the mountain. It was an arduous path, and would likely take at least two days before they reached the border itself. By that time, Yuuta had informed them that he would be gone, returning to service to clean up the mess. There were things I need to take care of, he had said, and recalling the sight of those dead soldiers, Kazu agreed.
He couldn’t say he would be sad to see the man go. Yuuta was something mysterious and bizarre, something Kazu couldn’t place his finger on. There were too many secrets, and even if the man were willing to share, Kazu wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He was better with just Atsushi – best by himself, okay with Yuria tagging along – and was content with that fact.
Yuria was another blank slate. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she was a hundred different pictures. She seemed to change moods as quickly as the weather, first bright and forceful, then a giant gray cloud in human form. Not to mention she seemed to have a secret that only Yuuta was privy to.

Kazu glanced at her as she slept, tipping over and catching herself just barely before she hit the wall or fell onto Atsushi’s shoulder. Her hat was clenched in her hand and her bag still slung on her shoulder. More than anything, she seemed normal in her sleep, her brow furrowing every once in a while with an ugly thought that ran through her dream. Kazu reached out as she began to fall over once again, catching her by the shoulder and leaning her down to rest gently on Atsushi.
The blond, light-sleeper as always, cracked open an eye at that. Then, he shifted lower for her to rest more comfortably, scratching an itch on his neck and returning to a shallow dream.

Sleep for Kazu was difficult.
It had been difficult last night too, with thoughts of his sister running through his head, but he had managed in the end. And, since he had slept in to a comfortable hour, he had gotten more sleep than he was used to. Not to mention, it was a surprisingly deep sleep, dreamless and soporific. Now, even if he wanted, he doubted he would be able to close his eyes. Safe or not, Kazu would take his chances.

The storm of the horses hooves, rhythmic and steady, was calming, but every so often, he could hear something like a boot dragging in the hard dirt, a dull dry scuff amidst the metallic ring of horseshoes. And then voices, soft, but carrying in the thin nighttime air. Yuuta’s voice was not among them – they were too high-pitched for that. Not childlike, but certainly youthful.

Curiosity won out. He lifted a hand, pushing aside the curtain that hung over his window and peering out. The trees flashed by, their leaves glinting in the moonlight.
“Is something wrong, Kazuhiko-kun?”
Kazu shifted at the voice, getting a better vantage point so he could see. The man was hovering just barely out of sight, until only his chest and up was vsible. He seemed to float along, though his head bobbed as if he were running. “Yuu-…what are you doing?”
“Standing guard. Well, not standing, I suppose. Jogging guard.”
“You’re keeping up with a team of horses running. ‘Jogging’?”
Yuuta shrugged, the movement just barely visible in the soft glow from the moon. At that, Kazu burst into laughter, a sort of unflattering snort coming out before he pressed a hand to his lips and smothered the rest. Yuuta let Kazu’s laughter grow silent before he repeated his earlier question: “Is something wrong?”
“What was that? Oh, no. I just have a question. How many people are…guarding?”
“Three, not including myself or your driver.”
“So many?”
“Five is not much, Kazuhiko-kun.”
“Mmm…I wonder. You’re a captain. The third strongest man in Mabushii.”
Yuuta was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his words were tinged with an air of insight. A proverb: “’A frog in the well does not know the great sea’. Ah, that is not to say you are the frog, Kazuhiko-kun. Perhaps we’re all frogs.” He seemed to ponder his own words, even as Kazuhiko did the same, breathing in the fresh air kissing his cheeks.
Kazu exhaled softly, “’Ignorance is bliss,’ I suppose.”
There was a silent agreement from the captain. Then, “Would you like to meet the others? I suppose that would be fine, considering how much you place your life in their hands.”
“Alright,” Kazu agreed. But as an afterthought, he added, “Although I can fight for myself, just so you know.”
Yuuta laughed softly, “Yes, of course.” A pause, then, “Driving the carriage is Arata. So for obvious reasons, he can’t come to speak to you. Beside him is Nao-chan – don’t call her that to her face – but she’s not the talkative type. They get along well though, both very quiet. Ah, and Kazuhiko-kun, I don’t know if I need to tell you, but I trust these people with my life. You can as well.” Kazu listened intently, though a part of him was listening intently for any signs of weariness in the captain’s voice. There was none; more than that, there wasn’t even a distinguishable jilt in his words that would show he was running as he spoke. As always his voice was pleasantly calm. “The other two are a distance away, so I’ll fetch them. We’ll take turns running at the circumference, just in case.” He melted out of Kazu’s field of vision and Kazu settled back to wait. He made it sound as if they were quite a ways off.
He had only just shifted into a more comfortable position when a light blur caught his eye. He sat up, looking through the window at a new face bobbing just out of reach, a pale shadow beneath the treeline.
“You wanted to meet us?” This was the voice he recognized, sweet and high. A girl. Or two? She had said ‘us’, hadn’t she?
“Who are you?” He spoke a tad louder than he had with Yuuta, wondering if she could hear him from where she kept pace.
“We’re—I mean, I’m Hibiki. And my partner’s Toma, but he’s coming now—oh, here he is.”
Suddenly, there were two pale ghosts, flitting around each other, almost as if they were playing some game.
“Toma.” A soft voice said.
Masculine, but young.
“And like I said, Hibiki. They call us the Aikawa twins.”
“And are you? Twins, I mean.”
“No, not really. But Toma’s my best friend.”
“How old are you?”
“Our average is seventeen years old.”
“…”
“Something to say, Kazuhiko-kun?” The voice the girl used to name him was nothing like Yuuta’s, and it irritated Kazu.
“Brat, is what I was thinking.”
“Hey, you can’t call me that.” One of the blurs seemed to flicker closer, and Kazu made out a pair of brown eyes and soft brown hair. A boy, he would have guessed, but she was too slender to be a male.
“Oh yeah?” Kazu reclined against the seat, closing his eyes in something akin to peace. And when he leaned back, they couldn’t see him, or the faint smirk he wore.
“Yeah. Only your good-looking friend can call me that. Well, he can call me whatever he likes.” A soft sigh like a forlorn heart. “But not you. You ain’t so bad yourself, but you’re not my type.”
“Why would I want a little brat to have a crush on me?” Kazu gave a grunt of dismissal, and he took pleasure in the huff of annoyance from outside.
When she spoke again, this young girl who was somewhere around the average age of seventeen, she was closer. “Don’t get too comfortable, Kazuhiko-kun. And don’t fall aslee-“
“Aikawa.” A soft voice hissed from the darkness. Yuuta. “Something’s approaching. Fall back.”
Kazu sat up once more, staring into the darkness through the window. He held his silence, keeping from speaking lest it endanger them. He could see Yuuta now, overtaking the carriage to speak to the people in front. Their exchange drifted back on the wind.
“How many?”
“I don’t know. A small group. Nothing unmanageable.”
“How did they find us?”
“I’m not sure yet. Leave this path; go through the mountain instead. We’ll meet up with you later.”
“Understood.” Two voices, a male and a female.
“Take care,” Kazu could hear a smile on the captain’s words. And then, the voice was beside him, all affection gone and the courtesy returned. “Kazuhiko-kun, you heard? Don’t worry, we’ll stop them from following after you as you go through the mountain path. It’s a slight bit longer, and a great deal more unpleasant.”
“I take it you don’t mean it’s got a few bumps, do you?” Kazu responded drily.
Yuuta laughed softly. “Always a cool head, just like I was told. Good luck, Kazuhiko-kun. Take care now. Hopefully we’ll meet again soon.” The curtain hung between them, and it was impossible to see outside, but Kazu knew the man was gone. He settled himself back once more, running his thumb on the smooth hilt of his sword. Back and forth, back and forth.
Over and over, until the blackness of the mountain swallowed the carriage and they were lost in the inky blackness.