𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 || Sᴄᴀʀᴀᴍᴏᴜᴄʜᴇ x Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

~ Chapter 04 ~

Kokomi left soon after giving Y/n some painkillers and sternly reminding her to play asleep as soon as footsteps were heard from outside. The traveling doctor had around the end of today until she would likely be forced to face him again, but 'awake.' Did Inazumans have different etiquettes when facing higher class? Guess she would ask Kokomi sometime later.

That is, if she could make it out alive.

~

Yet another expensive vase was thrown against the wall. It was time for the almighty shogun's daily tantrums once again.

"Absolutely unsightly. How long have you been working here, five? Six years? Not even the circus shows in Fontaine compares to this clown show. You pigs somehow manage to mess up this big?" The shogun spoke in an unsettlingly calm tone, making the already silent atmosphere choking. Everyone looked down at their feet in fear they would be the next victim upon catching the attention of the shogun.

Kunikuzushi scoffed down and stood up. "Tch, it doesn't matter anymore. Kaedehara, bring out my sword." Kazuha could only nod and offer the sheathed katana to the king with both hands. His family were known to be the royal advisors and skilled martial artists for many generations. He himself wasn't an exception. As someone with the job to assist the shogun on a daily basis, he had front row view to his glorious executions. But he seemed to be in a worse mood today.

In a flash, the head of one of the many workers at the Tensukaku rolled onto the ground with a sickening crack. The man didn't even have time to utter a squeak as his head tumbled down. Almost no one was too phased by this. It had become a daily occerance for the shogun to kill or fire at least one person in the palace each day. The guards and workers merely thanked the poor person for their sacrifice, for they would be able to see another tomorrow a little longer.

Watching the trail of crimson on the ground with utter disgust despite being the one who created it, Kunikuzushi wiped the excess blood off his clothes. "Clean this all up by the time I'm back. Advisor, come with me to the gardens."
Tossing the blade onto the ground, he padded through the throne room. For a good portion of the day, he would sit there and listen to the mistakes those useless insects had made and dealt with greedy merchants looking for business. Kazuha trailed closely, but not completely beside him. He knew the shogun better than any other workers, and was aware how much he hated when others walked hip-to-hip or in front of him.

No one knew the true reason for it. But little did they know, the simple action reminded the shogun a little too much of a certain someone back then..

Guards flooded the corridors, all bowing once seeing their superior and only proceeding to what they were doing before once he had completely passed them. The white haired general sweatdropped while following his companion to the palace gardens, where they usually went to spar whenever Kunikuzushi was frustrated about something.
Many would call him insane, but he couldn't bring himself to hate the figure in front of him. Despite insults and vulgar comments being his native tongue, Kazuha couldn't see the emperor as anything more or less than a child.

Children often failed to understand how to handle foreign emotions, and threw a tantrum when things didn't go the way they wanted it to. They often don't know how or when to ask for help when facing problems. The shogun miraculously fit into all these descriptions. Kunikuzushi too, was as simple as a neglected child craving for attention even now. Never having known the taste of the reasonless and limitless love of a mother every child should have experienced, nor having loved someone.

Or did he?

They had reached the gardens. The advisor got ready to pull out the wooden blades, but none other than the shogun stopped him.