Escape from Ezon [CLOSED]

With winter on it's way, both Keisuke and Chizuru Yukimura decided this would be the best time to leave Ezon. Chizuru was tired of living under the strict rules of her parents, who only wanted to marry her off for the sake of boosting their own status. She did not understand the Ezonian beauty preferences completely, but did understand that she apparently met them very well. Her small figure, black hair, and green colored eyes stood out as gorgeous in her community, causing men to flock to her like flies to sugar. She did not like the attention and had made this clear many times, but her parents weren't exactly out for her benefit over their own. They would gladly use her until she broke.

However, her older brother was in it for Chizuru's well being. Keisuke had been secretly sabotaging meetings with potential husbands and suitors for a long time now. Their parents knew this was going on and tried to call him out on it, but with no evidence to prove them correct, their plans to convict him were destroyed. When Chizuru found out what they were trying to do, she told her brother that she wanted to leave. She couldn't stay with their parents anymore, especially if it meant the possibility of losing him. He was the only person she trusted and she'd rather die than have him go to prison. And so, the two of them made their plans to leave home without warning or even a small note of goodbye.

Keisuke and Chizuru made their way to the docks with two tickets in hand. Keisuke's work down on a family friend's farm had earned him enough money for this plan. He had been wanting to get Chizuru away for some time and was glad that she brought it up first. The ship was boarding and they were supposed to be the second group called. Keisuke spared no money to make sure this trip would be comfortable since Chizuru was scared of getting on a ship in the first place. "What if a storm comes in? O-Or I fall of the boat?" she asked him nervously, her shy eyes staring fearful at her brother. "If a storm comes, we'll stay in our room and if you fall off, I'll jump in after you." he explained sweetly, his smooth and caring tone accompanied by a smile. "And if the boat flips?" she asked and Keisuke chuckled at her, patting her head. "I know you're scared, but we'll be fine. Come on. Let's go."

History Amendment: Full Post

Chizuru was in the middle of asking her brother a lot of questions based off of her own fears. Keisuke was about to answer her questions with more comforting answers when an arm swooped around his shoulders and his sisters. Keisuke's immediate reaction was to pull Chizuru away from him, pretty much before the girl had a chance to really react. When she fully noticed the man, she just blinked. "Oh, hello." she said sweetly. Because of how protective Keisuke was, Chizuru never had to be wary of people trying to hurt her, only force her to marry them. She assumed most people, individually at least, were normally kind. It was a naive way of thinking, but Keisuke liked her positive outlook.

"Um, sure. We can help you out." Chizuru answered before Keisuke had the chance to reject the man's request. He did not feel comfortable with this and something about this man felt off. He glanced around for a possible "ex-girlfriend" and saw many that seemed around this man's age. Even his own sister could be compared to their ages, even though she looked younger. Keisuke sighed, "Fine." The two siblings followed the energetic man onto the boat. Keisuke's eyes were fixated on him. He didn't want the bastard disappearing with their luggage or getting to close to Chizuru. Once they were on the boat, Keisuke kept observing and Chizuru asked, "Is your ex-girlfriend on the boat too? Should you hide?"

Chizuru walked around with the grace of a swan. Even with her smallish and cute stature, she seemed elegant. She was wearing her normal clothing, which was high-class traditional Ezonian garb and her hair pulled back by a silk ribbon. "You are welcome." she spoke politely, her noble tone gliding within her voice like a gentle breeze, "I am sorry that your ex-girlfriend is stalking you, but would that not mean she misses you? Or did you do something to warrant such behavior?" Before Yuuhei got a chance to speak, Keisuke stepped forward and looked dully at Chizuru. "Stop it." he said. "Stop what?" she replied. "Talking like that. Enough." Keisuke explained and after a moment Chizuru understood.

"Okay, I'll try." Chizuru looked back to Yuuhei and smiled, "Sorry. What were you saying?" Yuuhei continued on and introduced himself. Chizuru was about to take his hand when Keisuke stepped up in between the two and glared at Yuuhei. "It's fine that you used us, but do not touch her again, understood?" he said and once Yuuhei agreed, Keisuke calmed down and sighed, "I am Keisuke Yukimura, she is Chizuru Yukimura." And then his question shocked them both. The siblings looked to each other after being accused of being married, not only that but newly weds. They looked back to Yuuhei and Chizuru began to giggle. Soon, Keisuke followed suit and shook his head. "He's my brother!"

Keisuke was not talking about the handshake. He was talking about the sudden arm-throwing shit this guy pulled before they got on the boat. However, the bastard seemed to understand and Keisuke left it at that. Chizuru was much more friendly than her brother. When he asked why they were here, Chizuru stepped excitedly forward and spoke up. "We're going to Arcadia! We're gonna start a new life there!" she explained with a cheerful smile. Keisuke raised an eyebrow at her and she could tell it was one of his annoyed expressions. Chizuru gave a saddened apologetic look, but Keisuke just smiled and pat her head. "It's okay, just be careful with what you tell people." he said and looked back to Yuuhei, "What she said is correct. We have a small amount of money that we will take and start up a nice life without certain issues back home. What about you? Was your ex-girlfriend that bad?" Keisuke asked with a tilt of his head, the smile he had showed Yuuhei that Keisuke had suspicions about this guy. He didn't know what it was, but something was strange about this guy. He wanted to protect his sister from him.

The three ended up in one of the few lounges that the ship had. It wasn't too fancy, but it was pretty nice. The trip wasn't going to be too long, they hoped. "You don't have a family at all?" Chizuru asked concerned. "Sometimes that's better than having a family like ours." Keisuke said and Chizuru's head lowered. She took that to heart because she knew she had been lots of trouble for her brother. He had even killed a man for her, so it was hard to shake her guilt. Keisuke saw the look at pat her head again. "Having one family member that cares about you is still better than none or a bad family, Chizuru." Keisuke explained to her with a small smile, "I wouldn't trade my little sister for anyone."

Chizuru perked up with a big smile and nodded, "Yep! I wouldn't trade my big brother either." Chizuru looked to Yuuhei again and poked his shoulder lightly so he would turn from the window and back to them. "If you want to, we can travel together for a while." Chizuru offered without thinking. Keisuke's eyes hardened at Yuuhei, but his expression remained indifferent. He was suspicious of this man, not hateful toward him. "Right, Keisuke?" Chizuru turned to her brother for confirmation, who raised an eyebrow at her. "If that's really what you want, sure. I know you're looking forward to making friends." he replied and Chizuru turned excitedly toward Yuuhei again. "So what do you think? Want to join us?"

Chizuru and Keisuke both were confused by his compliment. Once he explained it though, Keisuke just smiled and nodded. Chizuru, however, was blushy and happy and cheerful and cute and sweet and just kept giggling. "My big brother is my favorite person! I bet if you had him as a brother, you'd think so too." Chizuru's eyes widened and then she glared at him for a moment, "I'm not sharing though or giving Keisuke away. But we can be friends!" Keisuke was pleasantly surprised by Chizuru's little outburst. It was nice to see that she too was protective of him. And that's when Chizuru gave her offer.

Chizuru blinked and tilted her head to the side. "What's that mean?" she asked, but Keisuke raised an eyebrow, "The creep thing. The 'creeping on his sister' thing, what does it mean?" Chizuru's question came out extremely innocent. Keisuke stared at her for a moment and then looked to Yuuhei. He could only smile at her innocence; it was even cute to him. "Um... Flirting, wanting to date. It's a non-traditional way of saying you're trying to get to know someone enough to get into a relationship with them." Keisuke explained to the best of his abilities and Chizuru just nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, no."

Keisuke just laughed at the immediate rejection Chizuru tossed up there. Most men would have been insulted, and assuming that Yuuhei was normal, Keisuke decided to explain. "Don't take it personal. She doesn't have a good history with men who like her: too grabby, too forceful, too selfish... That kind of thing." Keisuke said as kindly as he could, his own suspicions of Yuuhei falling off a bit. "My brother protects me from them, so I know I'm safe no matter what." Chizuru said and then tugged on Keisuke's sleeve, "I'm kind of hungry. Can we get some food? Want to join us, Yuuhei?"

Keisuke confirmed that it was alright with him; Yuuhei could travel with the two. The group arrived at the galley and Chizuru looked around like a curious kitten that found a new box. Keisuke looked excitedly at the menu, but realized that most of it was in Arcadian. He was hungry as well and was a man who loved to eat, especially trying something new. "Chi." he held the menu up to her and she looked at it. A bright smile returned to her lips as she realized the issue. This was one of the few things that Chizuru could help him out on. There were other menus that actually were in Ezonian, but Keisuke ignored them. If Yuuhei noticed it, Keisuke put a finger in front of his lips and shook his head.

Soon, Yuuhei would realize why because Chizuru hopped over to her brother (not literally) and held the menu. "Okay, so Arcadian food consists of pastas, lots of pastas, which we both like, so... Is there a kind you might want?" Chizuru asked Keisuke and he thought of it for a moment. "He said seafood is safest every other day but the first, so I'm assuming the food is safer right now... Do they have anything with beef? Chicken would be okay too." Chizuru nodded, "Of course! Spaghetti is a very common dish, consisting of thin noodles, tomato sauce, and ground beef. You can top it wi-..." "No, not that one." "Chicken alfredo then? I've had that one before and it's actually pretty good."

Keisuke nodded, trusting his sisters judgement, "Get our new friend's order too." "Okay. Yuuhei, is there something specific you like, or can you read Arcadian like me?" she asked, "I get to go order it for everyone though! Just tell me what you want." Once Chizuru got Yuuhei's order, she went off to get it after she got their table number. While Chizuru was gone, Keisuke sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "She's like a child sometimes, less a sister and more a daughter at others." he brought up a few seconds into the silence, "She's very kind and smarter than people expect, but our parents have sheltered her. There are things she doesn't understand, like slang, but she's trying to learn..."

Keisuke saw the unrefined behavior of their dinner companion and decided he'd join along. He had no problem letting down that high-horse attitude when he wasn't around his parents. He just had to get used to it around guests as well. He needed to remember they weren't showing off anything anymore; his normal ways of behaving weren't needed or required. "I feel odd giving myself that much credit, but I think I had a part in it." Keisuke nodded a bit proudly, "Thank you for not flirting with her, by the way. Most Ezonian men take a look at her and immediately start their routine, thinking they could win her over. Obviously, that hasn't happened and I won't allow it. It's why we're leaving Ezon. Our parents treated her like nothing more than a trophy to be sold off to boost their status in the community."

"So, you're going to be traveling with us..." Keisuke said as more of a statement than question, "Do you know how to fight? I want my sister protected, so if I'm not around, I want to know I can trust you to have her back. As you said, she's innocent. She's someone who needs to be protected and deserves it. Can I rely on you for that?" Keisuke realized what he was saying sounded a little heavy. He sat up and waved his hands. "Wait, wait... This sounds like you're required to. I don't mean it that way." he explained quickly, "I just need to know whether we have an extra sword by our side. It will help me know how I am supposed to react and fight when and if something happens. We'll be traveling for a while before we find anything stable, so it's kind of important. Am I making this clear enough or...?"

"Hm..." Keisuke was intrigued by this guy. He nodded along while Yuuhei talked as well and actually liked the way the man thought. "Anything to stay alive right?" Keisuke chuckled, "Yeah, the honorable Ezonian thing isn't for everyone. I can't blame you. Sometimes survival is more important. If you can get my sister as far away from a problem as possible, I'll have your back. You stay true to what you've just told me here, I know how I'll have to fight. It won't just be for her, but for you as well, so... stick to your word." Keisuke nodded and then sat up in his chair a bit more. He eyes Yuuhei curiously and suddenly froze for a short second. His demeanor changed and Keisuke looked away from Yuuhei for a moment. He looked guilty and like he just saw a ghost all in one. He did his best to push it off quickly.

"You said you aren't formally trained." Keisuke cleared his throat and looked back to Yuuhei, "How would you like to be? During times we settle down or take a break from traveling for too long, I can teach you how to wield a blade. It'll give you an extra skill, help you defend yourself and Chizuru if needed... And later down the line, if you choose to be part of our little family, it can help you get certain jobs. If you don't want to get a job using a sword, I can teach you to farm as well. Up to you, but the offer is there and it benefits us both, so..." Keisuke just smiled a more genuine smile than has come from his since they met. He had a piece of Yuuhei's history now. Having seen what his Mother had told him, Keisuke wouldn't mind him sticking around. "What do you say? Chi'd like it."

Keisuke chuckled and shook his head. No, he did not see an ex. He kept what he did see a secret though. It was just good that this time he knew when it was happening. It was more of a clip playing in his mind instead of a flood of sudden information that made him think he knew Yuuhei more than he did. He thanked whatever god was watching out for him for that one. He gave his offer and Yuuhei rejected half of it. "I get that." Keisuke nodded. Not everyone liked fighting or wanted to know how. Keisuke had hoped for an extra hand in protecting Chizuru, but he wouldn't force it on the guy. "I can do that. Feed yourself, your family, and the town next to you if you get good at it. It's hard work, but a damn good living." Keisuke realized that Chizuru was taking a while. "Where the he-..."

Keisuke looked over to see Chizuru sitting alone at an empty table. She was watching them and Keisuke sighed, looking pitifully at her. He waved her over and Chizuru's smile popped up. She hurried over to the two and sat down. "Are you guys done talking now? I don't want to interrupt." Chizuru asked politely. Keisuke just grabbed her head, pulled her toward him, and laid his cheek there for a mini-hug. "You don't have to do that anymore. I don't care who I'm talking to, don't stand far away just to give us our space. Instead, just politely come up, tap me on the shoulder, or... hell, just interrupt us. We don't care." Chizuru had actually stayed away from the table because she noticed they were talking. In her home, it would have been impolite and dishonorable to interrupt that. "Okay." Chizuru nodded and smiled. Keisuke looked at Yuuhei like "see what I mean." "The food will be here shortly."

Chizuru felt better being included. When Yuuhei handed her the coin, she was confused at first. After a moment, she seemed to draw the conclusion on her own and took it. "I'm pretty hungry too." Chizuru said, her stomach growling as if in queue. Her eyes widened and her face turned redder than red. "How embarrassing." she mumbled, hiding behind her hands. Yuuhei asked his question and Chizuru shook her head. "I ordered the Salmon and Spinach Fettuccine." she said and Keisuke's face went sour. Keisuke looked to Yuuhei to see his reaction and then shook his head no. There was no way he could eat that. "Heeey..." she whined playfully, "It sounded gross the first time I tried it too, but it's not as bad as you think! I swear! You can try some if yo-..." Chizuru turned to Yuuhei, "You can try some if you want. Keisuke doesn't like spinach, never has." "It will never touch my tongue again, I promise you." "What if I figure out a new way to make it that you might really, really really like?" "Then you have sabotaged an entire meal just to get me to eat something horrifyingly grotesque." Chizuru just smiled and turned to Yuuhei, "So is there any types of food you like and don't like, Yuuhei?"

"I am eating both things that you don't like?" Chizuru looked away from Yuuhei and at the wall. That was strangely coincidental. She looked back at him as he continued on. She noted his dislikes, but moreso his likes. If they were traveling together, she'd avoid the bad stuff and had to remember the good. When he kept going, Chizuru pulled out a little notebook and began writing things down. With a big title "Yuuhei's Likes and Dislikes", she wrote his likes on one side and his dislikes on the other. "Cheese with peppers cut in it..." she mumbled while writing and looked up to him, "What was the other one?" When he reminded her of the crayfish, she nodded and wrote that down too, including on how he liked them made and how they were eaten.

Keisuke did indeed give Yuuhei a strange look when he mentioned sucking the head. As Yuuhei explained though, Keisuke understood a bit better and just chuckled. Men and their dirty minds had to walk on eggshells around an innocent little woman like Chizuru. Soon, the food came and Chizuru told the waiter who got what. "Thank you!" Chizuru tipped the waiter with two silver and then began eating. Throughout the meal, Chizuru was completely silent. Keisuke would talk a bit with Yuuhei, knowing Chizuru did not like eating and talking at the same time. If Yuuhei tried talking to her, she'd look up from her plate with her mouth full and continue to slowly chew. Once she finished that bite, she'd pout, "I'm eating." and then continue on with the delicious spinach and shrimp meal in front of her.

"So how long is this trip going to take? So far I'm not sea sick, but I'm worried I might get it later." Chizuru finally spoke up after completely finishing her meal. She wiped her mouth and set her forks on the empty plate and then spread the mostly clean napkin over it to prevent a dirty plate from being so obvious. Her question was directed toward her brother who actually didn't know. "I assume a few hours? I've never been on a boat before." Keisuke looked to Yuuhei, "Do you happen to know?"

Hearing Yuuhei's time table made Keisuke ready to flip his shit. Chizuru looked at Keisuke and immediately began patting his back. Keisuke started to sweat and put his hand over his mouth like he would throw up. He didn't, but it looked like he could. "It'll be fine. I've been stuck in rooms smaller than this entire boat before, I know someone as strong as you can handle this." Chizuru did her best to reassure him, her voice a little worried. Keisuke was able to glance out the window and over the sea when Chizuru's hand covered his eyes. "No, no. You're gonna make it worse!" Chizuru said and walked around him so she could block the window. She removed her hand from his eyes.

"If you wanna look out at the water, you have to calm down first, okay?" Chizuru gave her brother a tight hug and then motioned for him to stand up, "Now come on. Let's get to our rooms and see where Yuuhei's is too. Maybe we're all close to each other." Keisuke took a deep breath and nodded before standing up. The two picked up their luggage and looked to Yuuhei. "So what is your room number?" Keisuke asked, his voice a little strained. He still had a few beads of sweat on his forehead, but he was mostly better. "Ours is 12A, so we're on the second floor. B is below us and C is below that... I don't think there are anymore floors than that though. Our room is supposed to be huge." "Well, mine seems to be..." Yuuhei looked at his ticket and nodded. "4B. Shame we're not on the same floor, but we'll see one another along this trip." Yuuhei waved, smiling as he walked towards the stairs heading down. "Take care!"