104 You Must Do Everything To Protect It
[TAMIKO]
Staring at each other in silence, the Hinata father and son held their gazes, one with the wish that he could run and hug the other, while the other was staring because of what he had heard.
A part of him wanted it to be true so desperately, and it was agonizing to say the least. Maybe there would come a day when they wouldn't both be grasping at straws, a day when they would hold onto each other and help each other find their paths together.
Or maybe it was too much to hope for, especially given they are a broken duo, ruined by the chances of a wolf that they had yet to deal with. Oh, how fate was a cruel thing for them.
"Don't worry too much, Tamiko. He will come back. Maybe in a thousand years or more but he definitely will. Lycans have extremely long lives so that won't be an issue. For now, won't you join us at the table then?" Lord Sadako said, seeing as the king was still trying to find the best words to get out of that conversation.
He wished his son so much happiness and he wanted to see the smile stay on his face for as long as Zaffuto was alive. The king wanted to shower his son with love and embrace him whenever he could.
Hell, he wanted to shout to the entire Kawai that his son with Liana was back and was handsome as him, but he couldn't do that yet. So, he stayed silent.
"Of course I will. Who am I to say no to a party with food? Besides, the king owes me," Tamiko said excitedly, surprising the three men who were there with him.
How the mood could change that fast was still a wonder, but the young prince's words got their attention. It was clear from the curious faces they were wearing, but not more than the lycan king's face.
He looked like he had heard his son wrong.
Surely he didn't owe his son anything right? Expectedly, Zaffuto began thinking back to all his interactions with his son and he could swear he didn't owe the kid anything. Or maybe there was and he had forgotten?
But that couldn't be.
He had been obsessing about everything his son did, and everything that his son was. If you asked him about the tiny dots at the back of Tamiko's neck, the Lycan king could tell you the count, because he really counted the black dots; thirteen in total.
They were the result of Grealor's pain, but the king didn't know that — yet.
"I owe you?" King Zaffuto asked, when he was unable to come up with a good answer for his son.
Deep down he hated that he owed his son anything. He always wanted to give Tamiko everything the boy wanted. If he wanted the kingdom, then the king would hand it over to him with no questions asked.
If he wanted the army to go have fun with, then the king would give him just that. To Zaffuto, his son was his world. And whatever Tamiko wanted Tamiko would get.
"Of course. You said you were my friend yet never gave me a tour of the palace. So much for friendships. Or maybe it was because you're scared I might actually lock you up in one of the rooms for your safety?" Tamiko teased and the king let out a laugh.
He had been so scared of what his son would say and now that he heard it, he couldn't believe that his son would think of him as a friend. Frankly, it was some of the best things he had heard since the morning began.
His son considering him as a friend was just one step closer to knowing him better, to understanding why his son was a prisoner from Grealor the first time they met, and understanding what the hell had happened.
One thing Zaffuto appreciated though, was that his son wasn't scared of him. It was the king's redeeming thought, because he wasn't sure what he would have done if his Kaito was scared of him and believed the rumors about him.
That would be another thing altogether.
"Well, you're here now and we have a celebration to get to. How about I give you the tour while we wait for good? Of course, if your Erasthai and uncle permit that," Zaffuto added smoothly like this was just another day for him.
It was impressive really and Tamiko wanted to hug his father. He wanted to let him know that no matter what anyone said, he would always be there for the king to brighten his day.
He had missed twenty-five years of having Zaffuto as his father and while he wasn't in a hurry to catch up with the years, Tamiko was more open to creating memories and living a life that saw the great dark brooding king smile more often.
"Kosta… Please… Please let me go along with him. I promise I won't lock him up… pretty please," Tamiko said to his Erasthai who was staring at the duo with a smile on his face.
Oh, the Lycan chief loved Tamiko so much.
He loved Tamiko to the point that he would give up the world for him. This kid deserved every ounce of joy that came his way and if his father wanted more time with him, Kosta wouldn't object to that.
He had seen first-hand how much the king had changed from the moment Tamiko stepped foot into Kawai.
"Only on the condition that you both keep your eyes on each other and take care of yourselves," Kosta said, igniting the fire of hope in Tamiko's eyes while the king watched the interaction like he could stand there and watch his beloved son over and over.
"Additionally, no fighting, no lockups, and no mischief, Hinata," Sadako said, even though he was addressing both the father and son.
These two were explosive enough on their own with their hunters and mischief. If they were together, the kingdom could literally burn because they are curious souls. That wasn't what they wanted for such a beautiful day.
"We will be good, we promise," Tamiko and the king said at the same time, making the Lycan chief and the cyan Lord stare at each other worriedly. They seemed to be allowing two unhinged children to wander off on their own without any supervision.
"If you both cause trouble, king or not, you both will be on hunting duty for an entire week, without any support, and you won't use your Lycan powers. Are we clear?" Lord Sadako said, even though this time it was directed at his brother.
The Lycan king was a nuisance, away from being the dark and dangerous brooding king. With Sadako, he was always a normal person, something that he was becoming with Tamiko and Kosta too.
They were creating a beautiful circle of friendship and love, and it was perfect, up until the part where the king and his son were known to be mischievous little shits around the people they cared about.
"Isn't that a little too harsh, Sadako?" the king asked and Sadako glared at him.
"The last time you caused trouble, I had to beg Liana for three hours not to kick us out of the palace. I am not going through that again. Hell, I get goosebumps thinking of how swollen my knees were in those three hours," Sadako reminded.
"Well, it was—" the king began and the Lycan lord knew where this would end up. So, he interrupted his brother instantly.
"After the hunting duty, you will be apart for a month. So go on ahead and cause trouble, you might as well memorize each other's faces as you won't see each other for that long," the Lycan lord said and the Hinatas gasped.
"Uncle is being cruel, don't you think?" Tamiko mouthed to the king, even though it came off as a low whisper. Then again, they all had super hearing here, so it wasn't shocking that Kosta and Sadako heard them.
"I know right… I guess we have to be on our best behavior. Goodness, that's going to be a little hard," the king responded in a matching voice and the chief and Lord were done with the both of them.
"Only if they catch us through," Tamiko added.
"Alright kids, you go take the tour in the place and Konstantin and I will take care of some things with the next bounty. Be careful… or you won't see each other for a month!" Sadako reminded, and the Hinatas gave him a thumbs up.
"Go love, have fun alright… the king would never hurt you, that much I can swear my life on. So don't be scared, alright?" Kosta said softly to his erasthai who had rushed to give him a hug before he left with the king.
When they pulled back from the hug, he held Tamiko's face delicately in his hands, like he was memorizing that face in case he came back with scars or new wounds. Sure, he knew the king and his son wouldn't hurt each other but Kosta was an erasthai.
He would always, always, worry for the love of his life.
"We'll take care of each other, Kosta. Besides, in case of anything, I'll call out to you or uncle with the amulet he gave me. We'll be fine," Tamiko assured Kosta, who just kissed him lightly on the lips, ignoring everyone around them.
This Lycan was his world… Prince or not.
"See you later, my beautiful," Kosta said before he pulled Tamiko into a gentle headlock and then let him go.
As they walked away, the Lycan king was proud and relieved.
His son was wholly loved, and as a father, there wasn't more he could ask from Kosta.
