Dragon Raja

37 - All Your Children

She had woken up and slipped out of her sheets at the crack of dawn. Careful not to disturb the sleeping presence on the other side of her bed.

It was a rare occurrence when she woke when the sun did so too, an unfamiliar meeting between two beings who fall when the moon rises every night. It's almost too early, where the sun only chose to shine her light upon the tips of the tallest trees, glimmering in the reflection of the highest buildings. Y/N stretched with a quiet groan, and for the first time, decided to take some time to treat herself to the cafe across the street.

It was easy to sneak out of Takamagahara without being questioned about where she was headed. As she passed the boys' room, she could hear both Luminous and Finger snoring like they were the coming of the next earthquake. Surely Caesar was awake, but he was smart enough to bring earplugs to drown out the catastrophic noise.

The morning air sent chills down her spine, and for once, she noticed that early mornings in Japan were quite peaceful.

If she weren't to include the crowd of people hurrying to their morning jobs.

But the bustle of the morning was so different from the chaos that came with the night. Almost as if she had stepped into a completely different version of Japan.

She crossed the street with a small crowd of people, and the smell of dawn wafts up her nose like a new scent discovered. It was fresh, dreamy—as if the phrase; "the coming of a brand new day" had a scent.

She seated herself at a small table at the outdoor cafe, where the waiter took her order quickly with top-notch customer service. Y/N waited patiently for her tea, all the while basking in the newfound feeling of being a 'morning person'.

"Y/N, there you are,"

The familiar voice instantly drew Y/N out of her trance. If anything, she expected to feel comforted with the new company that chose to approach her. But when she turned as she heard her name upon the lips of the man who said it, and the other man beside him, she felt a wave of dread wash over her.

Her smile faltered and turned into a defensive scowl.

"What do you two want?" she questioned fiercely. She stood abruptly from her seat, the metal legs scraped against the concrete from the quick tension.

"We're just here to talk," Chisei Gen raised his hands up in defense, a look of concern washed over his face, "please, let us sit with you,"

Chisei is speaking, but she keeps her icy glare trained on Masamune Tachibana.

"I have nothing to say to you," she directed sharply to the older man.

"Y/N," Chisei begged, "please,"

And she finally tore her gaze away from Tachibana to Chisei, whose amber eyes glistened from the light of the morning sun. In them, she could see no hidden intent, no reason for him to lure her into a trap. This was Chisei being his genuine self.

But still, she had to keep her guard up. She turned away from the duo and instead stared at the table, which Chisei took as an opportunity to quickly take a seat in front of her. Tachibana followed and sat beside Chisei. To no surprise, Y/N remained standing, hands balled into fists.

"Y/N, my father just wants to apologize," Chisei admitted. Though she could see the honesty in his eyes, she could feel nothing but emptiness in Tachibana's.

She scoffed, "Even after what you know, you still call him your father?"

Briefly, Chisei seemed taken back, as if Y/N's words had dealt a blow to his chest. But before he could reply, Tachibana raised his hand as a gesture to halt Chisei so he could speak in his place.