Broken Wings

Takumi let out a small sound of worry before he took a deep breath and opened the door. The old man glared at him as he settled down in front of the paper and brush. “Today we’ll be continuing hiragana. I want you to follow my lead, Prince Takumi.” The small prince shifted before he nodded and bowed his head. He hated this. He really did. He had already learned the symbols and stroke orders, but he had no choice. He just wanted to continue hs kanji studies, but the stupid teachers didn’t listen to him. He was just a dumb four-year-old; what did he know in comparison to masters of their craft? With a sigh, Takumi kept his eyes focused on the paper in front of him. His hand twitched as he fought to not give into the muscle memory. His mother had taught taught him this a year ago before she’d died. He could already read and write both hiragana and katakana. Why were they so rigid on it? He didn’t understand. The teacher’s voice droned on and on, telling him to practice the strokes he had perfected the year prior. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before the teacher snapped the filled-out chart, his eyes narrowed. “Prince Takumi, what is this?” He felt the blood drain from his cheeks, but he looked up, though he couldn’t meet the man’s eyes. “I-It’s hiragana…” He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the worst. “Why yes, it is. It’s good. Too good. What have I said about this?” Takumi felt the bile rise in his throat and he gripped his pants. He couldn’t answer, so silence hung in the air for several moments until the teacher’s hand slammed on the table. He jumped and clapped his hands over his ears, tears trailing down his face. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go ahead of the lesson plan? How many other teachers have told you this? You’re a prince of Hoshido; you’re supposed to represent and embody everything about it. By standing out like this, you’re nothing . You’re betraying everything Hoshido stands for! Prince Ryoma and Princess Hinoka don’t stand out! Your father eventually conformed! Your country bumpkin mother conformed! Hell, even that damnable bitch of a foreigner queen doesn’t stand out! Everybody but you conforms! You’ll never be good for anything aside from standing as a testament to how Hoshidans shouldn’t act if you continue down this path of cultural betrayal! And after losing King Sumeragi not long ago… What an utter disgrace !” Takumi’s body wracked with a barely contained sob and he ran out of the room, tears staining the wood below his feet. He ran out to the pasture and climbed on one of the pegasi. It took off without incident until landing in the forest. He fell into the dirt and curled into a tiny ball, entire body shaking as he tried to stem the tide of his fear and sadness. “Okaa-chan! Kaasan! Cami-nee!” He knew Ikona was gone and Mikoto would never be there for him again. He wanted his twin sister but she was in Nohr; he would never see her again. Everyone he loved would just die or leave him, wouldn’t they? He was destined to suffer forever. Nobody would love him again. Ryoma and Hinoka had abandoned him and everybody else was gone. Who could he trust now? The teachers hated and bullied him for things Ikona had taught him. Adults were nothing but bullies or would just leave him even if they did care for him. He couldn’t rely on anybody but himself… “Takumi.” A soft voice brushed his mind and he blinked, finding himself surrounded by the endless expanse of flowers. But he’d just been in the forest… The tears spilled anew when he saw the visage of his mother approach. “Okaa-chan…?” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, but I’m not Ikona. I’m the spirit inside of the Fuujin Yumi. Normally, I sleep but… I couldn’t leave you alone this time.” The voice wasn’t that of his mother, so it definitely wasn’t her. “I apologise for taking your mother’s image, but I have no form of my own. I was quite close to her, so this is the one I feel most comfortable in.” He nodded and closed his eyes, ragdolling against her as his tears landed on the beautiful kimono. “Where did you take me?” “Nowhere, Takumi. You passed out, so I came into your dreams before the nightmares started. Unfortunately, my ability to do that is rather limited, but I couldn’t leave you to suffer alone this time.” A dream? No wonder if twas so peaceful and he wasn’t so tired. But he just nodded as he crawled into her lap, curling into a ball. She ran a hand through his hair and he relaxed a little bit, leaning into the familiar gesture. It reminded him so much of his mother. “Sleep now, Takumi. I’ll guard  your night so the darkness won’t plague you for now. Just remember that things are always darkest before the dawn.”