One week later...

For all of your life, since the very day you were brought into this world with a shimmering spoon of gold fixed between your lips, you have always – without fail or question – been the center of everyone's attention.

You are the youngest son of the revered Takarai Hideto, after all (the reigning Lord of a myriad of prefectures in Eastern Japan, and the primary source of funds and militia for the Emperor himself), so it goes without saying that you, as the eventual heir to your father's renowned legacy, are to always be blessed with the luxuries and gifts of a true royal.

You are educated by the land's most prestigious scholars, trained by the strongest of warriors, donned in the finest silks imported from foreign lands, and surrounded by the watchful eyes of countless servants sworn to perform your every bidding (no matter how outlandish they may be).

You are Takarai Min, the beloved second son of Tora no Shiro. And for the past five years of your life, you have been blissfully encompassed in a sparkling world of riches, of power, and of boundless worship. It is all you have ever known, all you have ever been exposed to, and it is what has formed you into the dignified and privileged child that you are now. You are venerated by those around you, honored without end. From your mother, your father, the servants and their children, to the villagers who reside beneath the hilltop where Tora no Shiro stands – everyone loves you.

Everyone...except for him.

Gakuto, your elder brother.

(Or half-brother, as he so perpetually reminds you).

He is the firstborn child of your father, Hideto, though the two of you do not share the same mother. And it is that very distinction between the two of you that probably explains why he hates you so much (with his disdainful looks and blatant dismissal of your very existence), though you really cannot tell. Gakuto is an enigmatic man, full of mystery and secrets that your attention-span is much too short to bother trying to decipher.

Save for his occasional insults and patronizing comments, Gakuto does not speak to you. He hardly even acknowledges your presence. And the fourteen year seperating the two of you only thickens the tension of your supposed brotherly relationship. The same noble blood runs through your veins, but that is where your connection ends.

It frustrates you to no end, this flippant attitude of his. You do not need his affection or regard, per se. Not really (your servants and parents give you enough of that). But it is still quite irksome that he is the only soul in this world who simply refuses to admire you. To kiss the ground you walk on and shower you with adoration. It is rude, borderline treacherous even, and if you were a bit older or maybe even just a bit bigger, you would have the guards he surrounds himself with slay him onsite for such misdeeds against the future head of the Takarai family.

It is only the rational thing to do, no? He may have been the initial heir prior to your birth, but you are the successor now. And why should he blame you for that? He only lost his right to the figurative throne because his mother decided to off herself with the length of her obi tied around her neck. She's the cause of his titleless status, not you. But again, you do not care. You absolutely do not care. You are too good for Gakuto anyways, too good for everyone.

You are Takarai Min. And you will repeat that fact to yourself (and the whole world if you have to) for as long as you live. Because you are the most precious being alive. And no one – no one – can or will ever change that.

No one...except for the other him.

Inko, your newest elder brother.

(And the most recent bane of your life).

It all began during a private meeting between your father and Gakuto, one you certainly had no business listening in on but your tendency to eavesdrop has always been a weakness of yours. With your ear pressed against the shoji doors leading to your father’s study, you willed yourself not to make a sound as Gakuto’s smooth voice filled the room.

“I have received news about her, you know,” he said with humor lacing his tone. “Aren’t you curious to know what it is?”

You could almost see the impatience on your father’s face as he grunted, “out with it, Gakuto. Who do you speak of?”

“Why, your beloved Yoomi-chan, of course.”

Silence enveloped the room, and you wondered if your father had thrown a blade fast enough to pierce Gakuto’s neck, killing him on the spot for daring to speak that name aloud. It would surely be a welcomed scene, something you would be more than willing to pull back the shoji doors to – despite your father’s displeasure at your untimely nosiness – just so you could laugh at Gakuto’s fallen and bleeding body. But, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. And the sound of your father’s feet marching across his study in quick, frantic steps kept you rooted firmly in place.

“You will not toy with me, Gakuto,” you heard him fume. You did not need to have the two of them in sight to know that your father was most likely holding Gakuto by his collar, faces but a breath apart as the older Takarai searched the younger’s for even a hint of a lie.

Gakuto laughed, “have you always had such little faith in me, chichi-ue?” He paused for a moment, before his voice picked back up. And it was all the more jovial as he continued, “she is back in her homeland. Probably ran there after you practically exiled her from Tora no Shiro.”

There was a loud banging noise. And suddenly, it was your father’s turn to speak. “Silence! I did not exile her, you know I would never...I only wanted—”

“Oh, I have heard this story a thousand times already, chichi-ue. Please, put it to rest,” Gakuto had the gall to interrupt, and you gave him about three more flips of the mouth before you bet your father would send him knocking at Death’s door (how excited you would be if he did). “All I wanted to tell you is a bit of information, that's all. Now let me see...how can I put this as gently as possible?" he hummed playfully.

"Ah, yes. Apologies, chichi-ue, but that Jung Yoomi is finally dead.”

You almost felt yourself the way your father's heart seemed to drop at those words. “Excuse me?” he breathed shakily. “She...s-she is dead?”

You had never heard your father stammer before. Let alone had you ever heard his normally booming voice tremble so feebly. He sounded like a lost child in that very moment. Woeful, small...and utterly pathetic. You almost rolled your eyes in disbelief.

Gakuto laughed for a second time, though the rough melody was more dry and forced. “It was a sickness, I heard. One that caused her body to rot away from the inside out. She supposedly suffered for a long time, without anyone around to truly help her. Oh, is it not positively wondrous how karma works so efficiently, chichi-ue?”

Their words became too faint for you to discern after that. And you had already grown bored as time seemed to tick by without a single telligible word reaching your ears. You were moments away from leaving, to going back to playing with the expensive toy Matsumoto-san had brought back for you on his latest journey. But it was an even louder thumping noise, the sound of your father cursi