Entertaining the younger Rokens wasn’t hard; at the very least, they didn’t give any complaints, so Rei assumed they were satisfied. Their father came out to bring them somewhere else for the time being, and Kyoumi went on to fill Rei in a few minutes later.

The Hiroki family didn’t mind the idea, so the Roken trio returned home to confirm with Sólstaður’s people. If the other chiefs agreed—Roken Andreas said they would—then they’d all meet up at Hiroki territory. Regardless of the outcome, Kyoumi was asked to come go to the border to prepare for any attacks.

Rei knew what to expect a month after the Roken family left the capital; it helped that it was one of the few times where they ate together in the dining hall. He guessed this was his parents’ attempts to make it feel ‘normal.’ He just felt more aware of the missing person instead.

Just as he predicted, Kyoumi spoke up once all three of them were about done. She looked at Rei when she spoke. “Your father and I will both be going to Hiroki territory in the next few days.”

“Both of you?” Rei asked. “I knew you would have to, but I thought Father would stay here to help with work.”

“I need to keep your mother out of trouble,” Sorai explained. It sounded both genuine and joking.

Rei sighed; on to confirming what he already knew. “So I’m going to be stuck here, then?”

“You can pick if you want to be here with the Tsujihara family, or with Tezo and his kids,” Sorai offered.

“So it’s the distant family I don’t know, or the closer family that drives me insane?” Rei frowned, knowing this was how it would go, but he still wanted to protest. “How could I convince you to let me go with you?”

“It’s better for you to stay here,” Kyoumi replied firmly. “Or at least, somewhere that shouldn’t see much fighting. I don’t want to see you out there alongside us.”

“I don’t have to fight,” Rei maintained, growing impatient. “I just don’t want to stay here all day, knowingthat everyone else is doing something productive. There are other things I can do out there than fight.”

“You’re staying here or going to Tezo,” Sorai maintained. Kyoumi fell silent as he continued. “Things might be different if Taiyo were with us; you’d have someone you know close by, at least. As it stands now, you’re the only heir to the main royal line. On an official level, Gin’s annoyed enough at Kyoumi’s deeds that not trying to prevent your death might prompt them to look towards the Tsujihara family, and that’s if they don’t try to recreate the First Queen’s War.” He softened up a little, although it didn’t make Rei calm down any. “On a personal level, neither of us want to outlive our son.”

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Rei looked away. Quietly, he asked, “So you’d go out, fight, and possibly die just so I didn’t?” He took a second’s pause, then turned back towards them and continued a little louder. “That’s half of my point, you know. If you two die, then I’m as good as dead. And would I be wrong to guess that I wouldn’t even hear about it until the campaign is over? You wouldn’t be keeping me safe, just keeping me from fighting.”

Both of his parents went silent. That moment, without any sound at all, managed to calm him down a bit. He knew they were trying their best, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go along with their intentions.

“Just…think about it, please,” Rei murmured, looking away again. “None of us want anyone to die, but…I think I’d be better with it if I was with you. If you two leave, I don’t expect to be told anything—and, chances are, history will just repeat. You’re doing what you can to keep everyone safe; I know that much. And I wouldn’t be asking this either if Taiyo was here, but he’s not and at this point, he might never be here again. If you two die, I want the conclusion that would come from it—not this damn mix of guilt and hope that’s been around for almost a year in Taiyo’s place. I want to be there so I know what to expect—I’m all right with not fighting, at least in the beginning.”

He glanced at his parents; they were still quiet.

It was Kyoumi who spoke first, after taking a short breath. “If you don’t fight,” she reasoned, “You can go.”

“Kyoumi,” Sorai replied quietly, frowning. “He can stay out of harm’s way and still stay informed.”

“He wouldn’t if he’s with Tezo,” Kyoumi pointed out, looking at him. “I could ask whoever comes if they could let him see the battle reports if he stays here, but the Fujita family doesn’t have that authority. Even then, depending on how far the northern forces are willing to go, it’s possible we could even reach Kuro’s capital—at that point, it wouldn’t be practical to send reports of every battle.”

Sorai looked about ready to continue, but Kyoumi’s next words were close to a whisper. Rei could only barely hear the exchange. “Rei’s feelings aren’t too far from what mine were, Sorai. You know that.”

“It’s a matter of safety,” Sorai argued lightly. “He’s still in danger as long as he’s there; you wouldn’t be going if I could help it.”

“But you can’t. I, at least, would prefer not to have a second Kyoumi in this family; one’s hard enough as it is.”

Sorai frowned, then sighed after a short pause. He looked towards Rei, actually addressing him this time. “We’ll try to leave by the end of the week. You have to stay away from the fighting, and I will send you back home if it ever looks like you’re in serious danger.”

Rei knew that would be the closest he could get; he was able to offer a little smile. “Thank you. I’ll try to stay safe.”