He could hear distantly the sounds of his mother training Shizuka, but eventually even those fell quiet, presumably as the girl left to take a break or something. He could smell her getting further away, and knew that she was headed in the direction of his sanctuary. Well⊠he supposed she was welcome to it, if indeed she happened upon it. His other side could be very territorial, but it wasnât all there was to him. She would never know of his concession, because he would never reveal that one had been made. Keeping oneâs intentions and mercies obscured was often the best way to get the end one desired when all was said and done.
He could smell that his brotherâs woman was in the library, but he did not allow this to dissuade him from entering, certainly. She sat in one of the armchairs by the fire place, though the flames were not currently lit. It wasnât cold enough for that, quite yet. A few of his motherâs lights served as the illumination in the room, the warm yellow glow speaking to her contentedness at the moment. At this time of day, she was usually either exercising or maintaining her ancestral blades. He thought of seeking her out, but he would leave it for now. He had come to the library for a reason, after allâhe sought some of his books on vampiric ability inheritance. His mother seemed confident that there was only one likely way to break the seal Esaias had placed on Shizuka, than they both knew he would not, could not, do it. That didnât mean he intended to leave her to her fate. Sheâd been stupid to allow it, or maybe just unwary, but everyone made mistakes. One of the things his mother had taught him was that nobody deserved to suffer so much forever. If there was another way, he intended to find it.
Taking several tomes from the shelf, he stacked them beside another armchair and took up residence in it. His posture was a little oddâHikaru crossed his legs underneath him, opening the first of the thick books over his lap, but not before he noticed what she was reading. He wondered if she knew the copy was his. âAll warfare is based on deception,â he said aloud, quoting a passage from the book. A brow ascended his forehead slightly, though his facial expression was still mild. âReading that does not give the highest impression of your honesty.â Despite the words, the tone in which he spoke indicated nothing about whether he favored or was suspicious of her because of this fact. He was curious as to why she thought to read, of all the books in the library, a volume on warfare. Their world had been at peace for centuries, after all, and families like hers were rarely touched by such conflicts even when they did appear.
Nicole glanced up from her book as Hikaru entered, but otherwise paid him little heed. However, when he spoke to her, she sighed, closing the book. It would seem that she would not, after all, get any reading done that day. "One could call it a misguided attempt at understanding the motives that drive my father, or you could simply say it was habit. I've read this book in particular somewhere around eight times in my lifetime. There is no such thing as 'peace' in my family. My father almost killed me simply because I refused to accept the first male he threw at me for a betrothed. My mother is nothing more than a simpering shadow of a woman tied to her husband like a dog on a leash. That is not something I wish to see my children grow into. My father is also not a man to simply throw something away. His disownment of me is...uncharacteristic of him. I am suspicious, to say the least." She surprised herself with the long-winded answer. Yet, once she had started speaking, she had found it difficult to stop.
To his credit, Hikaru was patient while she spoke. He hadnât really expected much of a reply to his words, but he wasnât going to be upset that heâd received one. In the end, he shruggedâpurebloods were notoriously assholes about things like this. Hers wasnât the first such story heâd heard, and it would likely not be the last. In the end, he offered to Nicole the same advice he always offered to the people that recounted such stories. âWhatâs stopping you from killing him, then?â There was obviously no love lost there, and if she tried to feed him nonsense about familial loyalty, he was going to leave. Loyalty was doing what needed to be done for the sake of the people that actually mattered in your life, and it sounded as though Nicole had thus far failed to do just that.
A harsh thought, but then⊠Hikaru was not a gentle person. His own experiences with family had taught him well that blood was not the thing that made the difference. If his father had still been alive, Hikaru might have killed him, just for all heâd done to Reiko. It was irrelevant that he himself would not be alive if his father had been a better manâhe should have been a better man. Instead, heâd betrayed his wife, left her heartbroken and cold when he ran off to be with some wench who was honestly probably too naĂŻve to understand what was really going to happen to her. To them. To him.
Nicole regarded him silently for a few seconds. "My father is a man who prides strength. First of all, I know that I am not strong enough to kill him on my own. And second, killing him simply because I don't agree with how he does things would make me no better than him. I will not become my father." She said this rather harshly. It had been something the had long thought of.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to one side. âPerhaps, if your disagreeing was the only reason, you would be,â he conceded readily enough. âBut there is no shame in killing a cruel person for the sake of protecting the ones you love. What if he were to threaten your motherâs life? Your own? How about my brotherâs? Would you stand by and do nothing, because you fear becoming like him?â his eyes narrowed to violet slits, and for a moment, they reddened just a little bit. âI am not a chauvinist, Nicole. If you are to marry my brother, it will be your responsibility to protect him as much as it is his to protect you. If you are not willing to do that, whatever the cost, then you do not deserve him.â
It might have been a bit strange, coming from someone like him, but the unusual combination of what he was and how he had been raised made him consider romantic bonds to be sacred and absolute. Family was the sameâbut not blood. Family was the people you chose to care for and protect, and people who protected you in turn. Given how important he took those relationships to be, it was perhaps unsurprising that heâd never been either betrothed or married himself, though he was long of an age. He refused to make something political out of it. And if he ever did find himself in a situation like that, his loyalty would be absolute as well. It might be a high standard to hold others to, but his brother was worthy of such a standard, and deserved nothing less. If she could not give it, then she did not have a right to be here, to accept their protection.
To say that he had touched a nerve was possibly an understatement. It was too soon after her sister's death... her own eyes flashed. She didn't actually glare at him, but her eyes conveyed quite a bit of anger. "If he so much as even thinks of hurting Sora, I would not hesitate in any way, just as I did not the day he tried to strangle my sister. As for if he threatened my mother...my mother is no better than he is. My entire life, I was always the one who protected Naya, and who took the brunt of my father's anger. My mother never so much as lifted a finger to help either of us. Frankly, I don't honestly care what happens to her. But I myself would die before he hurts anyone here. And that does include you, whether you intend to be included or not."
Hikaru gave that a momentâs thoughtâher words were pretty, but they were false. If she had truly not hesitated when the man attempted to kill her sister, he would be dead. Had someone tried to kill Sora, Hikaru would not stop until that person was dead. It was why Esaias was marked for death, why the moment Hikaru caught even the faintest whiff of his scent, there would be no words, no attempts to bargain, only teeth and claws and blood. âYou know the right things to say,â he said, though his tone remained flat and unimpressed. âBut your father yet lives, and your sister does not. One day, you will have the opportunity to show me that I am wrong. I hope that you will take it.â Closing the book he had opened, he stood in a fluid, smooth motion, and tucked it under his arm. He would leave her for nowâhe did not expect that she found this conversation pleasant, but he had said what Sora was too soft to say, and his point was made.
He was hash, but not cruel. He would not inflict misery upon her for its own sake. It wasnât in his nature to tortureâonly to cut as precisely as needed to be done to impress the things he needed to. For everyoneâs sake. âShe who hesitates is lost.â He said by way of parting, and then he took his leave.
Nicole sighed once Hikaru left. It was almost uncanny, how similar their trains of thought were. He was right, of course. Knowing the right things to say had become something she had had to learn, in order to please her father. She smiled slightly. It would seem fate would not let her put her sister's memory to rest until her father had been dealt with. She looked at the cover of the book she had been reading, and then she returned it to the shelf. She would not openly seek out her father. But she would kill him if he set foot anywhere near where she was. Be it here, or the Academy.
He could smell that his brotherâs woman was in the library, but he did not allow this to dissuade him from entering, certainly. She sat in one of the armchairs by the fire place, though the flames were not currently lit. It wasnât cold enough for that, quite yet. A few of his motherâs lights served as the illumination in the room, the warm yellow glow speaking to her contentedness at the moment. At this time of day, she was usually either exercising or maintaining her ancestral blades. He thought of seeking her out, but he would leave it for now. He had come to the library for a reason, after allâhe sought some of his books on vampiric ability inheritance. His mother seemed confident that there was only one likely way to break the seal Esaias had placed on Shizuka, than they both knew he would not, could not, do it. That didnât mean he intended to leave her to her fate. Sheâd been stupid to allow it, or maybe just unwary, but everyone made mistakes. One of the things his mother had taught him was that nobody deserved to suffer so much forever. If there was another way, he intended to find it.
Taking several tomes from the shelf, he stacked them beside another armchair and took up residence in it. His posture was a little oddâHikaru crossed his legs underneath him, opening the first of the thick books over his lap, but not before he noticed what she was reading. He wondered if she knew the copy was his. âAll warfare is based on deception,â he said aloud, quoting a passage from the book. A brow ascended his forehead slightly, though his facial expression was still mild. âReading that does not give the highest impression of your honesty.â Despite the words, the tone in which he spoke indicated nothing about whether he favored or was suspicious of her because of this fact. He was curious as to why she thought to read, of all the books in the library, a volume on warfare. Their world had been at peace for centuries, after all, and families like hers were rarely touched by such conflicts even when they did appear.
Nicole glanced up from her book as Hikaru entered, but otherwise paid him little heed. However, when he spoke to her, she sighed, closing the book. It would seem that she would not, after all, get any reading done that day. "One could call it a misguided attempt at understanding the motives that drive my father, or you could simply say it was habit. I've read this book in particular somewhere around eight times in my lifetime. There is no such thing as 'peace' in my family. My father almost killed me simply because I refused to accept the first male he threw at me for a betrothed. My mother is nothing more than a simpering shadow of a woman tied to her husband like a dog on a leash. That is not something I wish to see my children grow into. My father is also not a man to simply throw something away. His disownment of me is...uncharacteristic of him. I am suspicious, to say the least." She surprised herself with the long-winded answer. Yet, once she had started speaking, she had found it difficult to stop.
To his credit, Hikaru was patient while she spoke. He hadnât really expected much of a reply to his words, but he wasnât going to be upset that heâd received one. In the end, he shruggedâpurebloods were notoriously assholes about things like this. Hers wasnât the first such story heâd heard, and it would likely not be the last. In the end, he offered to Nicole the same advice he always offered to the people that recounted such stories. âWhatâs stopping you from killing him, then?â There was obviously no love lost there, and if she tried to feed him nonsense about familial loyalty, he was going to leave. Loyalty was doing what needed to be done for the sake of the people that actually mattered in your life, and it sounded as though Nicole had thus far failed to do just that.
A harsh thought, but then⊠Hikaru was not a gentle person. His own experiences with family had taught him well that blood was not the thing that made the difference. If his father had still been alive, Hikaru might have killed him, just for all heâd done to Reiko. It was irrelevant that he himself would not be alive if his father had been a better manâhe should have been a better man. Instead, heâd betrayed his wife, left her heartbroken and cold when he ran off to be with some wench who was honestly probably too naĂŻve to understand what was really going to happen to her. To them. To him.
Nicole regarded him silently for a few seconds. "My father is a man who prides strength. First of all, I know that I am not strong enough to kill him on my own. And second, killing him simply because I don't agree with how he does things would make me no better than him. I will not become my father." She said this rather harshly. It had been something the had long thought of.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to one side. âPerhaps, if your disagreeing was the only reason, you would be,â he conceded readily enough. âBut there is no shame in killing a cruel person for the sake of protecting the ones you love. What if he were to threaten your motherâs life? Your own? How about my brotherâs? Would you stand by and do nothing, because you fear becoming like him?â his eyes narrowed to violet slits, and for a moment, they reddened just a little bit. âI am not a chauvinist, Nicole. If you are to marry my brother, it will be your responsibility to protect him as much as it is his to protect you. If you are not willing to do that, whatever the cost, then you do not deserve him.â
It might have been a bit strange, coming from someone like him, but the unusual combination of what he was and how he had been raised made him consider romantic bonds to be sacred and absolute. Family was the sameâbut not blood. Family was the people you chose to care for and protect, and people who protected you in turn. Given how important he took those relationships to be, it was perhaps unsurprising that heâd never been either betrothed or married himself, though he was long of an age. He refused to make something political out of it. And if he ever did find himself in a situation like that, his loyalty would be absolute as well. It might be a high standard to hold others to, but his brother was worthy of such a standard, and deserved nothing less. If she could not give it, then she did not have a right to be here, to accept their protection.
To say that he had touched a nerve was possibly an understatement. It was too soon after her sister's death... her own eyes flashed. She didn't actually glare at him, but her eyes conveyed quite a bit of anger. "If he so much as even thinks of hurting Sora, I would not hesitate in any way, just as I did not the day he tried to strangle my sister. As for if he threatened my mother...my mother is no better than he is. My entire life, I was always the one who protected Naya, and who took the brunt of my father's anger. My mother never so much as lifted a finger to help either of us. Frankly, I don't honestly care what happens to her. But I myself would die before he hurts anyone here. And that does include you, whether you intend to be included or not."
Hikaru gave that a momentâs thoughtâher words were pretty, but they were false. If she had truly not hesitated when the man attempted to kill her sister, he would be dead. Had someone tried to kill Sora, Hikaru would not stop until that person was dead. It was why Esaias was marked for death, why the moment Hikaru caught even the faintest whiff of his scent, there would be no words, no attempts to bargain, only teeth and claws and blood. âYou know the right things to say,â he said, though his tone remained flat and unimpressed. âBut your father yet lives, and your sister does not. One day, you will have the opportunity to show me that I am wrong. I hope that you will take it.â Closing the book he had opened, he stood in a fluid, smooth motion, and tucked it under his arm. He would leave her for nowâhe did not expect that she found this conversation pleasant, but he had said what Sora was too soft to say, and his point was made.
He was hash, but not cruel. He would not inflict misery upon her for its own sake. It wasnât in his nature to tortureâonly to cut as precisely as needed to be done to impress the things he needed to. For everyoneâs sake. âShe who hesitates is lost.â He said by way of parting, and then he took his leave.
Nicole sighed once Hikaru left. It was almost uncanny, how similar their trains of thought were. He was right, of course. Knowing the right things to say had become something she had had to learn, in order to please her father. She smiled slightly. It would seem fate would not let her put her sister's memory to rest until her father had been dealt with. She looked at the cover of the book she had been reading, and then she returned it to the shelf. She would not openly seek out her father. But she would kill him if he set foot anywhere near where she was. Be it here, or the Academy.