My Lie, Your Ring, This Rose| Kamukoma

🥀 Chapter 14 🥀

Emotion or blankness. It's clear to me that Izuru doesn't have emotions, or it is the fact that he does, but he doesn't portray them. Emotion. It's you at an art gallery, examining each and every single piece of delicate art. Every single piece has different colours, different shapes, different figures, but most of all, different emotions portrayed. On the blank walls that hold the gallery stable, there are gold frames. In those gold frames are pictures, drawings. Majority of the paintings are very old, the dull colours of beige blending in with a lifeless blue shows that. Yet, they are unique. A simple painting of a girl, her neatly kept hair being strangled in a sturdy bun, looking at a rosy, wild flower lovingly. The way the flower looks is as tidy as her neat hair, showing that she cares for the flower. Not only that, she admires the flower she grew, with her large mikado yellow eyes that are overflowing with dainty joy. Her finger tips softly twirl around the plant, even though there are thorns, and it is as if her fingers are hugging the plant. Trapping it in a warm embrace, only true affection could possibly muster. Despite the fact that the painting is old, you can still see the warmth the artist had drawing it. The whole gallery is filled with paintings like theses. Ones that show love and happiness, sadness and corruption. Blankness. Those white walls that hold the gallery stable couldn't anymore. The gallery is shutting down, each painting removed, each light flicked off. No more paintings fill the room for the gallery can no longer be called a gallery but a space. A building with plain rooms that have plain walls. Izuru is stuck in that room, however, that is just his personality and I shouldn't change that. No, I shouldn't, his personality is his, and not for people to judge. I smiled at the man in front of me, I glanced at the back where multiple angles were frowning. I looked back at Izuru, who was patiently waiting with his arms folded. I looked at the suit he was wearing once again, it truly was spectacularly made and it fit him well. It must have been tailored for him.
"Are you alright?" he asked me, delicacy lacing his voice. I blinked a couple of times, I getting out of my current trance. I nodded.
"I'm alright, I'm so sorry," I shook my head and laughed a little. "You look nice."
Izuru tilted his head and tugged at his sleeve, perhaps he was itchy. The stitching looks like it not only travels from outside the sleeve, but also inside.
"Queen Kaede insisted that I should wear this," he sighed and let go of his sleeve. "She had gotten it tailored to fit me, after all."
I nodded and glanced at the other angels. They were dancing their hearts out, not caring if they were out of rhythm. Most of the angels were wearing pristine suits, or whatever fashionable attire they could find, handkerchiefs were kept in almost every male angel's suit. It was as if it were a custom.
"What would you like to do? I often find these kinds of celebrations boring. The people here are all trying to buy my attention and I have no interest in associating myself with them," Izuru spoke up once again. An angel with golden curls waved at him and he nodded in acknowledgment. He looked at me sighing. I darted my eyes across the room, where the double doors laid. The noise of the crowd and the violinist were quite hectic. I winced at the noise, piercing my ears.
"Do you want to go somewhere? The ball is lovely but it's quite...crowded and overwhelming," I started and Izuru nodded, getting the point immediately. The place was beautifully decorated, but maybe if only half of Heaven was invited, I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable. Izuru held my arm and started for the door. Kaede's voice was heard in the room as she replaced the violinist's music with her own and started playing a piano. She was certainly the entertainer. The noise blinding out and the doors shutting made me exhale a breath I didn't know I was keeping. Izuru walked down the corridors as if he controlled them. It was late at night and the moon was out, it's milky glow creating a song with the stars.
"You don't show many emotions, do you?" I asked without thinking. I made a short gasp, what if I offended him?

•🥀•

Blankness or emotion? Emotion. People feel emotions all the time. It affects their daily life, but I cannot relate. Blankness. What is the point in showing emotions anyways? I understand that people are happy and sad all the time, but why are you feeling like that? Even if I try to smile, I cannot even if I try. The reason is not being that I do not want to, it is the point that I have nothing to smile for. Everything is boring around me, I do not experience joy in the little things I do. I have been a prince all my life, I know nothing more or nothing less. A heavy silence lingered in the air, crowding my thoughts.
"The fact is not that I do not want to, it is the fact that I cannot for I have nothing to smile for yet," I answered finally. Nagito looked relieved that I had replied and smiled a little.
"So you can feel emotions," he asked like a question. I tilted my head, it was an interesting question to answer.
"Not exactly, you feel emotions when something happens correct? Nothing significant has ever happened where I felt the need to portray emotion. It has been so long keeping a straight face that I do not know what it feels like to feel something," I explained the best I could. I tucked my hair behind my ear and made a left down the corridor. The sudden action of a change of route made Nagito's feet scuffle against each other. He rushed up to me and carried on walking steadily. He stared at the wall before turning to me once again.
"I see," he muttered and put a hand to his chin.
He was clearly thinking about something.
"Tell me something Prince Izuru, you don't reveal emotions, but surely you can reveal your past," he insisted and stopped walking. I stopped in my tracks, too. I turned around and my suit slightly slid across the floor. I hummed.
"Why would you want to know about that?" I questioned him and he resumed walking, without looking at me. He gulped and carried on staring at the wall. I also resumed walking, awaiting an answer.
"I guess, it'll be nice to know you more. After all, we have free time," he smiled softly and glanced at me. His eyes dancing with wonder.
"Alright, although it is not as fascinating as you think," I insisted. He laughed.
"Don't worry, I don't need a fairytale," he giggled. I nodded, my hair waved around me as we made it to the palace's balcony. It was small and could only fit two people, three if you did not mind being squashed. The rails had ivy growing up them and the ivy had been there for so long, the stone was turning green itself. I pressed my hands against the rail, my nails lightly glazing over some scratches, and looked down. The flowers looked like tiny specks from above, as if they were sprinkles on a cake. I blinked slowly.
"When I was born, my mother and father were selfish. They were demons, and demons were rude at the time...and horribly boring. They never looked at me or acknowledged me. I was just a heir," I explained and I could already feel Nagito's sympathy waving off of him. I sighed and looked to the side.
"At the age of four, they realised that I had many talents. They were then proud of me, although it did not matter. I do not think of them as parents, more like revivers. They gave me life, that is all. However, after finally spending time with me, they realised that I was just bored of everything. I did not care for things," I squinted my eyes at the fireflies slowly coming our way. Nagito shuffled his shoes around, making a rough noise against the concrete and smiled at me, encouraging me to go on.
"I guess from a young age I did not care for things, I was always like that," I murmured. "My parents retired from the throne and I was meant to be crowned king, but then Kirumi insisted that we should do the competition and then crown me. After all, she wanted me to get married and then get crowned king," I spoke clearly and my words flowed like the cold wind that was brushing through my hair. "When I became the prince and soon to be king, I made Hell a more presentable place with all of the technology anyone could desire. Demons were also becoming more nice and now, most of them are nice. Although, I do not understand what happened to make them change their attitude," I finished explaining. Nagito tilted his head and looked to the side. He walked up the rail that I was holding on to and he leaned against it. His hair falling on his face and his eyes trapped in the beauty of the flowers below us.
"They changed their attitude because you actually tried to change Hell. If you didn't make Hell into what it was today, then the demons would still be rude," he nodded in content with his answer. That is a possibility, changing Hell, changed them. Well for whatever the reason is, what is done is done. For better or worse. A firefly flew up to me and landed on my nose. The light emanating from it made my nose turn a light yellow. I sighed, it was time for dinner. My eyes glanced at Nagito, a faint yellow light covering a little bit of my vision. A firefly had landed on his nose, too. He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion and directed his eyes to the tip of his nose. I turned around and walked away from the dusty rails and the luxury garden.
"It is time for dinner, are you coming?"  I questioned the boy, the fireflies still being on the tip of our noses. Nagito raised his eyebrow.
"What's with the firefly?" he muttered.
"Kaede sends fireflies around the palace when dinner is ready. It is almost like an announcement," I replied, Nagito nodded and walked towards me. His eyes were still focused on the firefly, he was going to trip if he did not look up.
"Izuru, about your childhood...I just want you to know that I'm always there for you. No matter what happens. You've never had someone to care for you before, I hope that changes," Nagito commented softly, choosing his words carefully as to not upset me.
"Is it necessary to be cared for?" I hummed. Nagito gasped and put a hand on his heart worryingly. His hand dug in his suit as he stared at me shocked and upset.
"Of course it is," he frowned. "It is important to be cared for so you know how to care for others. Being cared for is part of living, you'll need to once in your life."
I nodded and we carried on walking down the silent hallways, me walking in front of Nagito as he was not yet familiar with the palace.

•🥀•

I walked into the dining hall and smiled at the sight of multiple fireflies in the air. Some on people's noses and the other on the dining table. The huge opal dining table had a runner with a Celtic design woven in green and blue into the fabric itself. A smell of lilac and vanilla filled the room from a simple wax candle that was placed delicately on the runner. Heaps of austere high-backed chairs accompanied the table. The fireflies dancing around the room, gave the room a magical glow. Queen Kaede rushed up to Izuru and tugged his hand, her eyes were filled with joy as she had not had a party like this in a while.
"Izuru! Oh, Izuru! You have to see the cake, it has pink fondant musical notes," Kaede exclaimed while trying to pull Izuru closer to her, however, Izuru didn't move an inch as Kaede was much more weaker than him. Izuru sighed and glanced at me, annoyed.
"I am fairly sorry for Kaede's childishness, I'll be right back," he answered. I nodded.
"Don't call me childish," Kaede pouted and dragged Izuru to the near end of the dining hall. I smiled, I never expected that the queen would have such a fun personality. I stepped forward, only for some blunt nails to be dug in my skin and pull me back. I gasped as the dining hall doors flung open and I was brutally thrown out. I grumbled and clutched my head as I fell on the floor of the corridor. What was that? I looked up and a shadow towered over me. Chihiro? I scrambled on my feet as a timid looking Chihiro cowered away from me.
"I thought that I was just seeing things. Nagito, that's you isn't it?" Chihiro muttered sadly. I frowned, Chihiro was always helping me out in Heaven. With my so called talent, I tended to mess things up a lot and he would always help me out. It kind of hurts to see him so sad. He was the reason why I was able to talk to Fuyuhiko and Peko in the first place, with the portal he had made me.
"Chihiro, I can explain...I did this for the competition," I assured him. Chihiro gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.
"You're lying to the Prince of Hell! You...you can't do that," he muttered and bit his lip. Footsteps echoed in the hallway as another person slipped their way into our conversation. I turned around to see the newcomer. Junko?
"Our little angel programmer has figured out your little secret Nagito!" Junko laughed and patted my back.
"Junko what are you doing here? Weren't you meant to go through a portal back to Hell?" I questioned her and took her hand off of my back. She nodded and looked around.
"I made a bargain with that Mahiru girl. She let me stay one day more if I help her out with the ball, which I did," she briefly summed up and walked over to Chihiro. Chihiro gulped and looked at me.
"I-I won't tell anyone! I'm sorry that I found out Nagito!" Chihiro reasoned with me. Junko shook her head in displeasure.
"Nagito, you can go. I'll deal with this one," Junko grinned and cracked her neck. Chihiro's eyes widened as he stepped back. I furrowed my eyebrows. I'm not leaving Chihiro with Junko for my life. Who knows what she'll do to him? I stood there, rooted to my spot.
"Now what to do with you?" she muttered and tapped her finger on her chin.
"Leave me alone, I'm sorry! I won't tell anyone, I promise!" Chihiro ran away from us in fear, he turned a corner and was no longer in our sight. Junko rolled her eyes.
"I was hoping he'd stay for a bit longer. Oh well." Junko sighed and then turned to me. "Don't worry Nagito, he's not going to tell anyone. He's way too cowardly to do that," Junko commented and folded her arms. I frowned, she didn't have to scare him like that though. I shuffled my feet.
"Hopefully," I muttered and walked towards the dining hall doors. I pressed my hand on the door knob before turning around.
"Hey, Junko? Thank you for believing in me," I smiled at her and entered into the dining hall. I didn't hear her response due to the loud talking in the hall, but I'm pretty sure that she was pleased with the comment.