heavenlydecree | (no subject)

[If there was one thing Takatora was sure he should have learned by now, it would be how to keep his life in perfect running order. He had been the head of Yggdrasill's Research and Development branch from the moment he'd left high school and even before that, his father had kept him on a tight and strict schedule, never a second unaccounted for or left out of place. Unfortunately, with all of Takatora's scheduling and trying to squeeze an extra hour into every day, he still felt as though he never had time for anything, let alone everything. Even his weekends left little time for himself, though Takatora was also painfully aware of his obsession with triple-checking everything under his command and bringing such weight onto himself. He couldn't allow for errors.

His morning routine started a bit later on the weekends, if only because Takatora knew he had to catch up on sleep at some point to make up for running himself ragged. Getting sick was something he couldn't risk. The usual morning routine went by quickly: dragging himself out of bed (he'd never become a morning person, as much as he wanted to), showering, getting dressed, checking for any news or alerts while he had been sleeping. Thankfully, nothing important had happened during the night. Takatora always lived with the fear of something awful happening while he was asleep that he would be unprepared for, but every morning brought the same temporary relief. For now.

Takatora headed out of his room after an hour or so, still checking his phone as he made his way down the hall and towards the stairs. Ryouma already wanted to talk to him about something, which was mildly surprising as Ryouma rarely (never) got out of bed so early, which meant he'd been up all night again. Stepping past one of the maids, Takatora spoke a return greeting to her as he continued on, paying more attention to typing out messages than his surroundings.]

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[Takatora sighs heavily. Another thing to scold himself for, apparently.]

I was... immensely upset with myself. There's very little in this world that would make me upset with you.

There... why? You haven't done anything wrong.

[To have Mitsuzane say something like that to him... At first, Takatora couldn't believe it, or what the other was saying. Did Mitsuzane really not notice, somehow?]

I was upset for hiding things from you, for driving you into a position where you had to work to figure out what was going on rather than me telling you outright. ... I was upset for failing to properly protect you. It was... far too overwhelming to deal with everything at once last night, when I didn't believe you knew half that much.

[He lowers his head.]

I've always been a bit naive. I wanted to hope for the scenario that would cause you the least amount of pain. Instead, it backfired and I hurt you more in the end.

[At this, he pauses, biting at his lower lip and refusing to look at Mitsuzane again.]

... do you hate me, Mitsuzane?

... Sooner or later, you weren't going to be able to protect me, and that's not your fault. I'm not a child anymore. While I'm not happy you hid things from me, I think understand why you did.

We both have people we want to protect. You just started at somewhat of an advantage over me.

[He smiles a little, trying not to come on too strong. He doesn't want to push his brother too much. There can't be another situation like last night.]

I don't hate you. You're my brother. I could never hate you.

I understand that. Eventually, once I felt you were ready, I would have given you the position by my side and had you fight with me. ... I suppose you've already done that on your own. I only wanted to keep you safe and happy a little longer.

[At the next line, Takatora fidgets slightly. Really, yes, he wanted to save the world and as many people as possible because it was his responsibility and the right thing to do, but the only person he truly wanted to protect, as he had his entire life, was Mitsuzane.]

I wouldn't blame you if you did.

And I would understand if you hated me. I went behind your back. I subverted your authority. But I did it because I thought it was for the best.

I don't mind fighting if it's to keep my family and friends safe. I haven't told the others anything. They're older, but... they deserve to be happy for a while longer. To not have to worry.

[... Maybe he's more like his brother than he thought. He didn't quite think about that last bit before he said it, but it's true.]

That sounds familiar.

[The words were teasing, but Takatora's tone wasn't. He was still far from the man he'd been the day before, laughing with his brother for what seemed like the first time in years. Quietly, Takatora resumed eating for a few moments, poking at his food more than eating it.]

Even if they're not the type of people I would have imagined you being with... I'm glad you're happy.

... They're kind people. They help each other. Maybe they're not the sort of people you would have running a business, but they're the sort of people who would help someone in need, even if they were to have nothing themselves.

I can't... I don't mind studying hard. I don't mind doing what's needed to prepare to work at the company. I need to blow off steam somehow, though.

As long as you keep your grades up and don't tell Father I'm letting you get away with having fun, I'll allow it.

[It also wasn't until that moment that he realized Ryouma was probably spying on him again, since he'd made the mistake of speaking in a public area again. Oh, well. He'd have to deal with those consequences on his own later, if there were any to worry about. Also, Takatora still didn't seem entirely thrilled with the idea despite how much he seemed to approve of it, but not very much was working with his mood right now.]

[He actually managed to laugh a little bit at that.]

I won't. And whoever's listening to this won't, as well, I suspect.

[It's not that hard to figure out given what Takatora's said. And it's not like much could be done about it anyway. Even if he stopped dancing, they still had Kouta with them, and they were still his friends. Even their father couldn't bring down his displeasure enough to stop him from seeing them.]

Don't tempt him.

[It makes him feel a bit better to hear Mitsuzane laugh, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, before his attention is focused on his food again. He's run out of things to say now, but at least Mitsuzane feels better and the air seems a little less tense.]

[He's not sure that Ryouma needs tempting, because that's probably who's listening. He doesn't know the man well enough, but he gets the feeling that he's very focused on Takatora in a number of ways.]

I should go take a shower, and you should finish eating. We can talk later.

I'll be in my room if you find a topic you wish to discuss.

[Takatora was so exhausted at this point that he couldn't imagine talking about anything else, let alone find a topic he cared about enough to bring up. If anything, he could at least provide answers to Mitsuzane. If he had any more questions. Hopefully he would be able to handle them next time.]