Our Promise

Our Promise/5/Conflicts

A/N~I haven't had much motivation for this story but I'll try to update more often:/ Especially since I've just gotten out of schoolXD Yay!!!

Guys, I've been watching a new anime called Tsukigakirei. Give it a shot, it's sooooo adorable.

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"Mother? You called me?" The Prince taps on the frame of the door a late afternoon.

"Son... come in. I have plenty to tell you. Have a seat." She mutters as she sips at her tea. As he enters, he notices the way she is seated: a leg slugged over the other and she has a very serious atmosphere around her. This is what you'd call a talk between parent and child. The Prince gulps as he takes a seat across from her.

"Yes Mother?" He refers to her formally as a Prince should. 

"When are you going to marry?" She says, straight to the point. Natsume runs a heavy hand through his hair.

"Marry?" He doesn't like defying his mother like so but he hardly agrees with anything she ever suggests. Especially things concerning marriage because she is the one pulling all the strings. "I think that marriage is to be taken very seriously. For the future of the kingdom, of course. It takes a lot of time. For me, it is too soon. I want to focus on the kingdom and political affairs." He says carefully. She leans down on her knee and rests her chin on her hand. She narrows her eyes at him.

"Political... Affairs." She repeats as if she were processing it all. "You've rejected every offer I've made to you yet none of them interest you. Is it that you're quite picky?"

"Mother... " He sighed, "It's really just too soon for me. One day I'll marry... just not at this moment." he says informally.

"You know... I wasn't able to choose who I wanted to marry." She turns her head away quietly, "But I love your father. It will be for the best Natsume. You know that do you? You are a good child are you not?"

He observes his mother carefully. Unlike his father, he developed all of her physical traits. Hair the color of the night sky, eyes the color of rubies and they even had the same atmosphere about them. But he wasn't anything like his mother. He unfortunately got his father's spoiled attitude and immaturity. Even so, he acted more like his father in terms of overall character. When it came to, he acted serious and cold like his mother. But he really wasn't anything like her.

"I'm not a child anymore, Mother. I am a man and I can make my own decisions." He states and earns a shocking expression from his mother. She drops her cup of hot tea and pours it all over the carpet. Then her lips purse tightly like a tight rope. She crosses her arms and tightens her legs. He knows this expression well. He'd often see it whenever she was disappointed in his father.

"How dare you-"

"I don't ever want to speak about an arranged marriage proposal." He snaps. He didn't like talking this way to his mother but he had to. "It's annoying being paired up with a girl who only has riches going for her."

He likes Mikan anyways. He can't imagine marrying anyone else. He finally came to terms with the feelings when he thought of marrying a girl other than her. Definitely impossible. Outrageous. Unthinkable.

"Sorry Mother, I actually love someone." He smiles sadly, looking down. "I don't want to marry anyone else but her."

"Natsume... You don't know what's best for you..." She growls, digging her nails into her arms. "You don't know a thing about marriage."

"Who cares? It's not like you do either. You didn't have a choice in the matter."

He didn't want to think about it. But it came up in his mind. What if his mother could choose her own husband? What if she didn't want to marry his father?

"I love your father." She answers but doesn't deny his statement.

"I'm nothing like you mother." He says quietly. Her lips quiver in sadness. She's about to cry, but she doesn't.

"That's right. You're stupid like your father-"

"I'd rather be my father than you." He interrupts again, "I'm glad to be like my father. He's kind and although he's stupid he has courage and a strong desire to help others. All you care about is money. You are lucky to have someone like him."

"How dare you speak to me in that manner, child." She stands and extends her hand out, ready to slap him any second when...

"Onii-chan?" Aoi stands by the door. "Mother? What is happening?"

"Get to bed." She orders coldly. "Now."

"It's alright Aoi. I'll tuck you in soon. Get to your room."

"Why are you two yelling?"

"GET TO BED!" She yells once more, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. She wipes at her eyes angrily.

"Mother." Natsume says softly. "Calm yourself. You don't have to take it out on Aoi."

"She's just a child. She won't understand."

"This is precisely why you..." He places his head in his hands and sighs. He wants to run away as soon as possible. Run in the wind and feel the grass between his toes. He wants to get away from this. Whatever this is. He turns away on his heels and ignores her yelling. He takes Aoi into his arms and runs down the hall, then outside. Until the voices stop, he calmly places Aoi down. They stroll into their maze garden and settle down.

"Onee-chan?" Aoi clutches his shirt tightly and looks around frantically. "What's wrong?"

"Mother is angry. Don't worry... she'll say sorry to you sooner or later."

"Why is she angry?" He really didn't want to answer but he couldn't get annoyed at a child. Children were curious creatures, they always ask questions because they really want to know and Aoi was concerned for the two.

"She wants me to get married." he mumbled and Aoi stayed silent.

"Married? Why don't you? Don't you want to get married?" He really didn't want to talk about this anymore so he stayed silent even after she poked and pulled on his shirt all day long.

"It's not that I don't. It's just that I want to get married with the person I love." He says silently but Aoi doesn't hear him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Come on~ Tell me!!!"

"Let's go to bed."

"I bet you want to marry the maid."

"Hey, her name is Mikan."

"You didn't deny it."

"Shut up Aoi."

"Onee-chan likes Mikan!!!"

"Shut up." He mutters louder.

He growled as the little girl giggled. Man... children are sharp. How did she know? Natsume pondered about it the whole time and came to no conclusion but what most bothered him was his mother. How was he going to convince his mother that he could make his own decisions?