Chapter Text
Pain, that’s the first thing that flares up as soon as Inaho regains his consciousness. He remembers the rocket malfunctioning and crashing, Yuki’s terrified shouts, him trying the best to calm her down and then there’s nothing but darkness. There’s some light coming through the cracked side of the door and he can see his sister hanging limp beside him. Panic swells up inside and he tries to call out to her but what comes out is a hoarse whisper: “Yuki nee?” When there’s no response, he unbuckles his strap and opens the damaged door with a little difficulty. Pain shoots up his spine everytime he moves his right wrist and left leg, but he pays them no mind as he unbuckles Yuki’s strap too and moves her gently outside the rocket.
There’s a big gash on Yuki’s forehead and blood is flowing freely. Inaho presses his hands on the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding but to no avail. His throat clenches up as Yuki’s face gets paler and paler. He can’t just sit there and watch his sister bleeds out by his side. Just as Inaho’s trying to move Yuki onto his back so that he can get them to somewhere where medical help is possible, a hesitant voice interrupts him: “Hi, is that girl alright?” Inaho turns around to find a girl around his age, hair a brilliant shade of gold, dressed in an elegant gown. Based on her attire, she must be someone from the higher class of Martians. “No, my sister and I crashed into this place just now due to the malfunctioning of our rocket. She has a huge gash on her forehead and the bleeding hasn’t stop yet. Can you please get some medical help for her?” “Yes, of course! Please wait here, I’ll go back for help.” And with that, she scurries off. Within a moment, she’s back with some medical staff and as his sister is being treated and moved to the medical ward, he lets out a breath that he has been holding all this time unnoticeably.
“Thank you. I am Kaizuka Inaho and that’s my sister, Kaizuka Yuki. We are really grateful for your help.” “It’s fine! I am really glad that I manage to help you. I should have introduced myself earlier, I am Princess Asseylum vers Allusia.”
After eight years
“Do you ever miss the Earth?” Inaho ponders the princess’s question before answering: “Yes, sometimes.” “Yuki also misses Earth, she’s told me about some facts of it before. Your knowledge about Earth, however, is far more detailed. Where do you learn all that? You left Earth when you were young, didn’t you?” “Yes, I was interested so I looked up the books and internet.” “I heard that the sky and sea are beautiful shades of blue on Earth, why is that?” “It’s caused by the Rayleigh and Mie Scattering. Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere causes diffuse sky radiation, which is the reason for the blue color of the sky and sea.” Before Asseylum can ask any more questions, the door opens and Count Cruhteo walks in. “Princess, it’s time for your formal classes.” She nods: “Inaho, thank you for your class!” “You’re welcome, princess.”
As soon as Asseylum walks out of that door, Count Cruhteo strides up to Inaho and backhands him roughly. “I thought I already made it clear to you that the princess doesn’t need a filthy terran to teach her?” “I have tried declining her, but she insisted.” Inaho’s face is numb from the pain. He should be accustomed to it, since it accompanied him all these years when he grew up on Mars, but that doesn’t change the fact that it hurts everytime when Count Cruhteo inflicts his punishment. “Just make sure that you don’t bother the princess anymore. She’s going to Earth in two weeks’ time, she won’t have any time for you.” “Yes, I understand.” Going to Earth? He has tried analyzing the tense situation between the Earth and Mars to Asseylum and told her that it’s not safe for her to go there now. However, Asseylum was never very good at taking advices to begin with, she just gave him a bright smile and chided that he looked into it too much. Somehow he has a bad feeling that things would go horribly, horribly wrong.