Hitachimaru (4)
In the middle of the night, the two of us had our cheeks treated, but when he returned to his room, he probably couldn’t sleep.
His face was pale, with sunken eyes and swollen cheeks, giving him a gaunt appearance. It was no surprise, considering it had been like a torture session.
When he tried to extend a hand to help his suffering friend, it only caused more pain. He couldn’t touch him, his voice wouldn’t reach him, and all he could do was wait for him to wake from the nightmare.
The despair of standing at the edge of an unreachable distance, waiting for consciousness to return, is something he will never want to experience again...
How many nights has His Highness been through nights like this...?
Such thought probably made him feel faint.
“Rikimaru.”
I pulled him out of the room and headed to the military training grounds. Skipping one or two meals won’t kill him. Early in the morning, the soldiers already training give us shocked looks, probably due to our swollen cheeks and casual clothes.
I ignored them and engaged my lifeless brother in a sparring match. It’s a routine we’ve done since we were kids as a warm-up. Even without thinking, Rikimaru’s body moved. That’s just how we are. As I gradually increase the speed, he started to keep up, as if snapping out of a daze.
Ah, my cheek hurts. I went easy on him, but His Highness didn’t hold back. I was prepared to take the full blow, but my body instinctively lessened the impact. It seems my bones didn’t break. At that moment, I thought I wouldn’t mind if they had, but later, considering the upcoming missions and Otoha’s feelings, I was thankful for my reflexes. Last night, Otoha had been so worried about me...
The speed increased. The movements became fast enough that a single mistake could lead to injury. The only thing I could focus on was the sparring match. Pushing to the limit of what I can handle, I signaled for the final move.
We stop perfectly, bowing to each other, and I hear gasps of admiration from around us. At some point, a crowd had gathered.
“B-brother...”
“Feeling a bit better?”
“... Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go home.”
We hadn’t brought anything to wipe off the sweat, so we used our sleeves to mop up the dripping perspiration as we walked.
“Is he asleep now...? I hope he got some sleep...”
“No idea.”
At the palace baths, we quickly rinsed off with just a shower. Feeling refreshed, we head to Ikumatsu’s room.
“Sorry about last night.”
“No worries.”
Ikumatsu quietly responded as he swiftly applied medicine to our swollen cheeks and places cooling patches on them.
“It’s my fault. I did something. But what did I...?”
Ikumatsu sat beside Rikimaru and looked him in the eye.
“What Naruhito experienced is called a flashback. It happens when someone has gone through something so terrible or painful that they become overwhelmed with fear that it might happen again, causing them to relive the experience as if it’s happening all over. It's said that unpleasant memories play back repeatedly. Not just mentally, but physically—the sensations are all felt again by the person. Triggers vary from person to person, and we thought Naruhito’s trigger was physical contact while he was in bed. At least, that's what we believed. He didn’t sleep last night. Do you remember the situation?”
“I... I called out to him, inviting him to the bath...”
“I see... The invitation to the bath as well. We’ll make sure no one ever asks him that again.”
“I’m sorry. I...”
“It’s not your fault, Lord Rikimaru. No one knew that was the trigger. No one could have known.”
A wave of pain flowed through me, not just from my cheek.
I suddenly remembered the droplets of blood that fell from His Highness’s clenched fist.
Summon me over, Hiiro...
Don’t cry alone.
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