Long Slumber
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|| Chapter 27 | Long Slumber ||
"For those who work day and night, every second, every minute, every hour–– just closing their eyes feel like a luxury they would never have in the future.
"Little one, there is a time where one must work hard with no end to achieve something that they terribly want–– even if that's according to their own volition.
"Though, as you probably know, one also needs rest.
"Balancing through life is a matter of importance and necessity you living souls must be able to take care of your own; scheduling through a busy, hectic season.
"When the time comes, perhaps, I'll show you one of the ancient places I like.
"With all the rain of cherry blossoms roofing us, you'll find yourself relaxed by the embrace of Mother Nature even within the business of life."
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"...!"
"You––"
"D-Did you––"
Looks of pure confusion spread across both the older males faces. They looked at each other before blinking in retaliation, unable to comprehend what made the little ones' eyes go wide.
"... I-Is there something wrong with our faces?" Ruka questioned with a bead of sweat threading down the side of his face.
The crooked curl up his lips he had on showed the slight discomfort he felt due to all the stares.
"Did you––?!"
"Did you guys just smile?!" little Fuyume cut Kishi's words as she ran towards Ruka and Kiryuu, sparkles in her eyes. "I mean, I know Ruka-san laughs from one time to another, but I've never seen you do so, Ryuu-niichan!"
"I was going to say that!!" Kishi interrupted.
"Hahaha, Kiryuu-san's smile is so rare, you could even say that they happen once in a lifetime," Mitsuru teased the Ichimori heir as the other agreed as well.
"Much less his laughter. Kiryuu-san almost never laugh!" Kazuto chimed in their conversation. Kaoru was beside him nodding as well, his straight face contrasting to what he was feeling.
"And Shizuka's the one who triggered them, eh?" Seiya also played along with Keita stayed quiet, glancing at the two males every once in a while.
"E-Eh?? Me...??"
"Nee-san did???" the Ichijou twins asked curiously. The two simultaneously bobbed their heads to where their older sister sat, eyeing her with doe eyes.
Their inquisitive gazes made Shizuka feel smaller than she was before.
It would be a lie to say she didn't understand how Kiryuu felt upon feeling the eyes of others tingling every sense and eyeing every movement they made.
"H-Hahaha..."
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Their teasing went on and on.
As time went by, some of them fell asleep on their respective beds. Some shared them, like the Ichijou twins. The only ones who stayed awake were Ruka, Kiryuu, and Kaoru. The three university students chatted quietly among themselves.
With the silver moon accompanying them in the dead of night, half of the world went silent.
"... Kaoru, I heard you've been investigating some forests lately?" Ruka asked the male who was the same age as him.
It was a light-hearted chat, away from the heavy topics that might've been brought up today.
From the few losses they earned, to the injuries they had attained, the older ones were doing great at not bringing up bickers related to Kyou's state. It was saddening, to say the least. But they couldn't just talk about him without worrying about their younger siblings.
"Yeah, for study purposes," Kaoru answered simply. "Coincidentally, they found out that herbs and other medicines exist in other places, so we'll go out to research them shortly."
"Really?" Ruka widened his eyes slightly in astonishment–– rather surprised that Kaoru's class had begun their stage to adventuring into the wild.
"This early?"
"Yes. Possibly in about a few months..."
"... I see."
Kaoru sighed. This was the most talkative he had been in the last few days. If Yuruzu and the other Ichijous were up, he was very sure that they would tease him about it for weeks. Months, possibly. However, that liveliness was one of the traits he loved about his siblings.
Silently grateful that none of his siblings was injured, his mind ran to Kyou instead.
It was unfortunate for the young Ichimori to get caught up in the demons' cruel act.
To think that one who wielded pure raw strength as much as Kyou would get heavily injured like that, he didn't dare to imagine what would've happened to his siblings if they were the ones fighting there.
Ruka seemed to notice Kaoru's frustration.
He smiled. Although Kyou was not related to the Ichijou in any way possible, it was heart-warming to see the oldest Ichijou worrying over his trouble-making self.
"Worry not about my younger brother, Kaoru," Ruka assured with a rare, genuine smile. "I am sure that he will be fine. He's Kyou, after all."
A stifle of a chuckle was heard. "Right. He wouldn't be Ichimori Kyou if he couldn't handle being injured. He's been way worse before."
"Hahaha, true that."
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They chatted until morning before a middle-aged man walked in quietly and raised his eyebrows. "Hmm? The children are asleep, I see..."
"Yes, they are." Ruka steadied himself and turned towards the man. "Do you need something, Doctor?"
"Ah, yes. I-It's about your younger brother, Ruka-sama... I have bad news..."
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As the ticking of the grandfather clock filled the room of silence, owls of the night cooed into the chilling cold air.
The stars blinked upon the sleeping souls of the Realm of the Livings, eyeing their every move. One time, a child blinked her eyes open when a feeling of curiosity took over her mind.
Shizuka woke up in the middle of the night.
When she looked at the clock, it indicated that it was '02.00 AM' in the morning, so scratch that 'night' part. She looked around the room only to find three missing people that a part of her hoped to not see upon waking up.
'Is it... that?'
She got off her bed quietly, not making any noises so that the others won't wake up. Of course, she hissed a little when silent creaking was heard upon moving ever-so-slightly on her bed. It was a bit nerve-wracking.
The double paper doors were slightly open as she reached them, so she figured they must have gone outside.
When the girl was about to open the doors, but another opened it first, beating her to it.
"Hmm? Oh, Shizu. You are awake, I see."
Kaoru appeared from the other side, looking albeit a bit tired.
"Yeah, I can't seem to sleep anymore," Shizuka admittingly spoke with a nervous chuckle at the end. She scratched her cheek groggily and asked, "Where are the other two?"
Kaoru was quiet for a minute, trying to process who Shizuka was talking about. It soon came to mind that she meant the other two Clan Heirs, so he heaved a small exhale.
"Ah, you mean Ruka and Kiryuu? They're in the next room."
"Next room? Isn't that Kyou-san's room?"
Just as the older male was about to answer, a certain Ichisaki came out of Kyou's temporary room. He walked to the infirmary, finally noticing the two.
"Oh? Shizuka? You're awake."
"I feel like Kao-niisan said that before, haha~ And yes, I'm awake. My mind is awake at least."
Kaoru deadpanned at the same statement Kiryuu said to his younger sister. Kiryuu guessed that it's Kaoru who said the same thing as him, but didn't voice it as the girl began to speak,
"Soooooo, what were you doing in Kyou-san room, Kiryuu-san?" she asked with her hands behind her.
"Ahh, did Kaoru-senpai not explain the situation to you?" the slightly younger male questioned in curiosity. A part of Kiryuu had hoped that she wouldn't have to worry about these things, but here she was, asking and awake.
The platinum-blonde-haired girl shook her head, staring at the two males in confusion.
Kiryuu cleared his throat awkwardly while Kaoru sighed. "... I was going to tell her, but you came out of Kyou's room and started talking with her."
'So, it's my fault now???' Kiryuu sweat-dropped and bowed his head a little at the older male as a sign of apology.
Kaoru was quiet for a second before beginning, "I'm going straight to the point. Kyou's not going to wake up any time soon–– he's in a coma, in a way."
"At least that's what the doctor said. We don't know when he'll wake up. The doctor said he had never seen anything like it, so it'll take time to search for the cure," Kiryuu added.
Kaoru stated to the girl, "Our prediction is that the only thing capable of healing him is probably the Light Magic possessed by the light elves combined with dark elves' magic."
"Can't we just combine mine with Kishi's magic? They're the same attribute," Shizuka queried the two, earning shakes from them.
"We need their Tribesmen's Magic."
"It's the only thing capable of healing anything and lift curses."
"Is there a time limit??" the girl asked again.
"Time limit?? What do you mean?" Kaoru asked cluelessly.
"You know... If there's any time limit to when we can get the cure... or something...!!" Shizuka ruffled her platinum-blonde hair in frustration, unable to explain what she was about to say.
"Ahh, I think I get what you mean. But, no. The doctor said he might be asleep forever, but nothing else is in effect," Kiryuu answered for Kaoru. A light bulb lighted up in the girl's head as she asked once more.
Yes, she asked a LOT of questions.
"So, he'll just be asleep for a long time and it won't affect him??"
"That sums it up," Kaoru replied his sister patiently. "The comatose state he's in won't affect his appearance nor his health. He will simply be 'sleeping' for eternity if we don't find the cure soon."
"Hmmm..." The female teenager put a hand under her chin, thinking hard about something. "When will we tell the others??"
"When dawn comes greeting. We also have school tomorrow, don't forget."
"Ahh... right... And I haven't been sleeping lately!!!" the girl whisper-shouted towards no one, in particular, causing Kiryuu to chuckle and Kaoru to ruffle her hair.
"I'll brew you some herbs to get you to sleep, don't worry," Kaoru assured the girl, telling her to go back into the room. He turned to the sky-blue-haired boy, seemingly remembering something before going to his workroom from a Magic Space.
"Kiryuu."
His usual calm voice stopped the younger male from going back into the infirmary. The younger male turned around and indigo orbs met with cerulean ones.
"Hmm? Do you need something, Kaoru-senpai?"
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"Do you need me to brew you one as well to help you sleep?"
It came to the younger male's mind that Kaoru was attempting to comfort him. Though Kyou wasn't related to any of the two, they worried for him like his own brothers. Of course, that included Ruka and the other Ichimoris who shared the same sentiment towards Kyou.
He was quite troublesome for making them worry badly for him like this.
All they could do was hope that they would either find the cure to his curse or wait upon his awakening self.
Kiryuu smiled in content with the thoughts hidden behind Kaoru's action. His senior wasn't as cold as he thought he was.
"Ahh, there's no need, Kaoru-senpai. I sleep perfectly fine, thank you for the offer."
The brunet nodded and disappeared into the Magic Space, with the indigo-eyed male going back to the infirmary.
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Tuesday, 14th of July, Lunar Year of 3020
That night, Shizuka slept peacefully and soundlessly after she drank the herbs that Kaoru brewed into a potion.
With the seemingly endless night replaced by the coming of dawn, the chirps of birds indicated that the Morning Glories were wide awake.
The children woke up in time, just right when the clock stroke seven that morning. The platinum-blonde-haired girl used her magic to fix the others' uniforms while Kaoru uses his spatial magic to get the rest of their uniforms.
They walk together to the dining room, which was admittingly HUGE. Kishi and Shizuka gaped at the spacious dining room.
Even they didn't have that big of a dining room.
No. Not one room in their home could compare to the spaciousness of the Ichimori's estate, to say the least.
'JUST WHAT IS THIS PLACE??!!' the two of them thought together as they got into their seats.
In the middle of their hectic, morning breakfast, the five Head Clans walked in.
Their breakfast was quite lively until Ruka asked for everyone's attention. Several claps of his hands and silence took over–– a tensioning one.
A second, then a minute had passed. He soon announced what had happened to Kyou, earning various reactions. Several were scared, some worried, others were just frowning with no one knowing what's on their minds.
Kiryuu and Kaoru also told them what they had told Shizuka last night.
And so, the Head Clans decided that they were going to take care of Kyou and that the children should go back to their normal lives.
Of course, Kishi and Kumo protested heavily while Shizuka and some others agreed with the two.
"We can't just let you kids venture out there alone. We will handle this alone," Kizuki spoke to them calmly, trying to pry them off of the topic.
"However, we were also responsible for Kyou-niisan's condition!!!" Kumo protested against the Head of the Ichisaki Clan bravely. "I can't just stand having nothing to do when Kyou-niisan is fighting to just... stay alive!"
None had anything to speak of afterwards.
It was completely heart-breaking to see how powerless they were upon encountering an enemy they never wished to have encountered–– that enemy... was the feeling of helplessness.
They were Spirit Wielders, for Gaia's sake! They were supposed to be one of the strongest beings in the realm! To think that they couldn't even help a boy...
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–– it was disheartening.
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"... Then, what do you say that we make a deal?" Kaien proposed to all of them.
"Deal? What kind of deal, if I may ask?" Kaoru inquired to the older man, still eyeing him for what he had said before about his sister being his daughter-in-law.
He was clearly NOT having any of that 'till this very second.
"You can help us in any way you can, but promise us that you won't go into impossible battles to win and such." That firm statement Kaien boldly made was continued with a condition, "You still have your school life, you can't just abandon them."
They thought about it for a while, and Ruka represented the children to answer the man's deal.
"... Deal. We'll try not to battle or get into physical fights. However, we cannot guarantee that we'll be able to hold ourselves back when the situation's dire."
"There's no need. You may fight when the situation's out of control. But, if it's still controllable, try to contact the adults if there's none there," Kaien told them whilst pushing up his glasses. Other Head Clans gave a shocked look while the children were cheering in the background.
"Now, are there any other complaints?"
The sunrays were reflected on his glasses, making him look more terrifying than usual.
Kizuki quickly closed their conversation with a 'nope,' actually afraid of the man himself. He was more scared of the older man than the children were.
They went out of their way after everything had been settled and the children went to school feeling tired. But despite that, they felt quite accomplished after being able to talk back to one of the scariest men on earth that was known to them.
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Also going by the name Ichinosuke Kaien.
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|| Chapter 27 | Long Slumber - To be continued... ||
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