Taiyo sat in his and Rei’s shared tent, still on the makeshift bed that Rei offered when they first found him. The twins hadn’t shared a room since they were toddlers—the voices wanted to twist it into something negative.
They don’t trust you on your own.
But Taiyo didn’t trust himself either, so he couldn’t blame them.
The one witness could easily be taken out of the picture…it wouldn’t be very difficult…
Taiyo shook off the darker murmurs and looked around for something to focus on instead. His eyes fell on the entrance of the tent as someone approached.
Kyoumi pulled back the fabric to let in a little more light. Taiyo attempted a little smile; some voices quieted, others—the one that wanted violence, annoyingly—got louder.
“Rei said you had a migraine,” Kyoumi said softly, taking half a step in. “Would it be too much trouble if I talked to you?”
“Is it about my time in Kuro..?”
“No, not exactly.” She hesitated a second, then fully came inside. “Are you comfortable talking to me about that night you left?”
Taiyo bit his lip and held his hands behind his back. Pinching his wrist helped the voices get slightly more tolerable, thus dulling the headache a little.
“It depends,” Taiyo murmured.
“I won’t tell anyone else, if that helps.”
“...Even Father and Rei?”
Kyoumi hesitantly came a little further in. “Depending on the circumstances, honestly, it would be better to keep it from them. I just want to confirm something—I’ll worry either way, but then I’ll know.”
Taiyo quickly gestured for her to take a seat and then folded his hands back again. He hated that she noticed—that it only made her frown a little more.
“You had a migraine the day before,” Kyoumi recalled. “I only saw you for the ceremony, then you disappeared.”
“It was really bad,” Taiyo admitted. “Nothing we had helped.”
“Do you have an idea about what causes them?” Kyoumi asked. It looked like she had her own answer, but she didn’t want to hear it coming from him.
You can tell her, Tsujihara Seiko’s voice said.
And what if you do? the rest added, hissing at Tsujihara Seiko for speaking out of turn. Do you really think it would be best?
Taiyo dug his nails into his palm and looked away.
“No. Probably just the weather or something.”
Kyoumi wasn’t a good person to tell; what if it sent her spiraling? Taiyo was supposed to be the happy one. The one that wasn’t bothered or sad and encouraged the others to do their best. He took up that role even while they were outside a battlefield, for crying out loud. She wouldn’t—The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Kyoumi reached behind him and pulled out his arms quicker than he could react, letting go of the uninjured hand and holding up the hand with the marks from his nails.
“Please don’t try to hide this from me,” Kyoumi said, kind but firm. “You have the wrong mother and brother to get away with hurting yourself. And please don’t lie to me, either.”
“S-sorry,” Taiyo replied, taken aback.
She let go of his hand so he could wrap them around himself, making sure she could see it.
“How long have you been doing this?”
“...About since I left.”
Kyoumi pulled back, but kept herself positioned to stop him again if she had to. “Did something happen that night?”
He kept silent. She sighed and gave him a softer look.
“...You heard voices, didn’t you?”
Taiyo’s first response was a laugh, humorless and empty. He glanced up at her and forced a smile to try to recover it.
“That’s not possible, Mother. I mean, how could—”
“Taiyo. I can see through a lie.”
He fidgeted a little, then met her eyes again.
“I did,” he said, speaking against their screams. Only Tsujihara Seiko thought it was a good idea.
“Are you hearing them now?” Kyoumi guessed.
“Yeah.” He paused, then gave her a curious look. “How did you know?”
“I’ve heard them before,” Kyoumi explained. “Albeit only when I was already distressed. It’s a…family condition, for lack of a better word.”
“I gathered that much,” Taiyo admitted, getting himself to relax a little. “I can hear Tsujihara Seiko pretty clearly—she’s kind of mentioned it.”
“You can recognize who the speaker is?” Kyoumi asked, surprised.
“Only the first queen,” Taiyo replied. “The rest are just…voices.”
Kyoumi leaned forward to gently lay her hand on his shoulder. “How long have they been with you?”
“They didn’t bother me until that night I left,” Taiyo said honestly. “Tsujihara Seiko has always been nice, though.”
“If only I could thank her,” Kyoumi murmured. “I’ve never had pleasant experiences with them.”
“Don’t worry.” Taiyo offered a genuine smile. “She was happy to watch over me. She can’t stop them, but she does what she can.”
Kyoumi smiled back, opening her mouth to say something else before Taiyo perked up at the sight of Sorai at the entrance. It caught her attention as well.
“Sir Hiroki is ready for the meeting,” Sorai announced, apologizing in his expression and tone. “Are you ready?”
“For now, yes,” Kyoumi replied. She stood up and gave Taiyo one last look. “Let me know if anything comes up, all right? Especially if it gets worse.”
“I will.”
“Try to make it to dinner?” Sorai requested nicely.
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all we ask,” Kyoumi reasoned.
Kyoumi waved goodbye and Sorai gave a quick smile to part with. Taiyo let out a deep breath after they disappeared outside the tent, wincing at the return of the voices’ shouts.
We won’t stop, the voices warned. You still have a choice to make.
“Could I get more time..?”
That’s what Tsujihara Seiko asked before we made the choice for her.
The picture of that night flashed in his mind and he shivered.
It has to be your choice—your sacrifice. Otherwise, we might as well wait for ages until the gods finally take pity on us…
“I’ll think about it,” Taiyo promised quietly.
They grew a little quieter in response. He took the chance to reach for a book and read, but he couldn’t focus on it.
…He already leaned towards one side. It would be for the best, wouldn’t it? Even if it scared him…