ââŚNo. T-That canât beâŚâ Brown eyes widened in shock from the sheer horror of her brotherâs words, confirming her suspicion. Aoi couldnât possibly believe those court members would do something soâŚheartless, killing her and Akiraâs loving and kind parents for the sake of their own gain. What rotten souls headed the court of the Zaizen clan. If only her brother and her could do something about them! ButâŚthat would mean breaking the bylaws, and that wouldnât be good for either of themâŚ
When he mentions his failure and seems to be hiding himself from her, Aoi canât help but feel horrible. She didnât mean to upset him so much, just like he didnât mean to upset her. Communication was honestly their biggest issue besides the court. If they just talked more, then maybe things couldnât be going on as they were. In order to survive, the Zaizen siblings needed to work together, and Aoi was determined to make sure Akira wouldnât slip away again.
âAkiraâŚâ The vampire slowly approaches him, gently touching his cold hands and lowering them so he can see her face as she talks. Aoi needed him to see her sincerity. âItâs okayâŚI know now why you were doing it all, andâŚI understand your choices. While I donât outright agree with them, I know why you were so protectiveâŚItâs clear you just wanted to make sure I was okay, and not become a targetâŚâ
Aoi then wraps her arms around her brother in a gentle hug, resting her head on his chest as her eyes closed. âJustâŚjust promise me whatever happens, we will face it together, okay big brother?â
Akira was ashamed of himself, to be frank. Heâd ran them both into an inescapable situation, and hadnât even given Aoi the tools to protect herself should he ever be taken away. The court was a mess, yet a necessary evil with the system they had in place - there was no way they could overthrow the court without something going horribly, horribly wrong.
Aoi deserved much better than this life. So much more. He had thought for some time about maybe asking their closest neighbours to take her in, but selfishly he couldnât bare to see her leave. Likely she would have hated him even more for doing that. He just couldnât communicate.
Akira wanted to keep his face covered, but didnât resist when Aoi lowered his hands. Her words meant a lot to him, and he was just glad that at least... sheâd forgiven him. Even if it was only in part, she didnât hate him for it, truly. He didnât mind if she didnât like him for what he did, but he wouldnât be able to stand it if she actually, genuinely hated him for what he had done.
â...Thank you, Aoi.â Surprised at the hug, Akira gingerly held Aoi close. âOf course. From now on, Iâll be with you. I wonât abandon you again, I promise you. Weâll face whatever the future holds together.â