Chapter Text
"She could have anyone in the world." The sound of soft, barely echoing whispers collided with swishing water and bubbles sliding across the wooden floor.
Akiyama always hated rumors. The way they spread so quickly. The way they lost themselves in translation. The way the murmurs came from ones who swore they were being discreet, yet it spiraled out of anyone's control.
Her hand clenched around the mop that, ironically was rather filthy. She couldn't be any more grateful of her gloves, no matter how tacky they were.
She pressed the mop head back into the bucket of water, a bit more forcefully than she intended. Though, she barely paid it any mind.
She passed by the two whose mumbles held such an endlessly irritating noise, and clicked her tongue. With a flick of movement, she pushed into one of their side's a bit, "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm just a bit dizzy.." and trailed her hand away, with a small ring of keys following, clenched tightly in her palm in order to not clink nor clash.
She wasn't sorry. She hated anyone who spoke any rumors about her loved ones. Especially when they didn't deserve to be spoken of badly. These idiots in particular seemed to always be hung up on how charming Princess Yoisaki was and how fake they believed it to be. Maybe it was jealousy, perhaps a general hatred of positions of power. But whatever it was, Kanade didn't deserve that. She was the most lovely person Akiyama Mizuki knew. And trust and believe, Akiyama Mizuki knew Yoisaki Kanade.
She could leave those two to finish up the scrubbing for the day.
Mizuki continued to walk through the halls, a sudden pep in her step as she approached her favorite room in the whole kingdom. When she reached it, she knocked and leaned against the door. "Kanakay!~" Her sing-song voice rang just loud enough for the princess to hear her. "Ya in there? Decent?" And in return she heard a mumble that sounded like some sort of bridge between "come in" and incoherent humming. She hoped it was closer to the former as she pressed the key into the keyhole and turned it.
Her head tilted and peeked in. When she saw Kanade sitting in her window alcove with a handmade music box, she stepped in. "...Kanade? Are you okay?" At the sound of Mizuki's voice, Kanade perked up and set the music box aside as she stood up. Mizuki giggled a bit at her dishelved appearance. "Your Highness, are you not supposed to be up and ready by now? Your family has prepared a breakfast for you..."
She skipped her steps over, lightly crashed into Kanade and fell onto the alcove with her. Her hands pulled Kanade closer and played with her fingers. "You're really endearing this way, though. You don’t have to go to breakfast if you don’t want. I can get you food, but.. we can just hang out here, y'know? Getting in all those big poofy dresses must be kinda stuffy and uncomfortable, huh?" Mizuki closed her eyes and scooted closer to Kanade.
"...yeah. Actually, yeah. I'd like that." Mizuki opened her eyes again at the sound of Kanade's voice. Kanade's gaze towards Mizuki was lightly languid, and her lips were tilted upwards in a gentle smile. Mizuki lit up, all previous exhaustion fading in barely a moment. "Great! Just tell me when you want to eat, okay? And you are eating, no arguments." Mizuki moved her arms around Kanade, one arm slipping under her in order to hold her properly.
"I love you, Kanade. Don't ever forget that, okay? I love you." Mizuki sighed her words out dreamily, pressing a little kiss to the tip of Kanade's nose. Kanade's smile grew a little wider, and her face flushed up just a bit. "I love you too, Mizuki. I wont forget."
~~~
Kanade sat on the ground, her knees pressed firmy against the soft and fluffy carpet. She reached over the floor-seated table, requesting Mizuki to hand her the syrup for the pancakes Mizuki cooked. Mizuki happily obliged, not only giving the syrup to her, but also pouring her more milk into her glass. Grinning wide, she spoke up yet again, "This is really nice. We haven't gotten to just talk and hang out in a while." She leaned over the table a bit, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Kanade nodded in turn, pushing her finished plate aside. She tilted her head, ever so slightly, a habit that both of them had grown accustomed to. "Yes... I noticed that you hadn't been coming over as often and it kind-of worried me. but then I heard from Honami that you were assigned to another wing for a couple weeks. I'm... really happy you're back. I missed you, Mizuki." Kanade subtly pushed her hand a little closer to Mizuki on the table, a silent gesture that spoke volumes. Mizuki understoog the sign and giddily reached out both her hands to encapsulate Kanade's.
She had such a bright glint in her eyes, Kanade couldn't help but reciprocate her excitement. Mizuki scooted around the floor-level table and met Kanade on the other side of it, still holding onto her hand. "Let's just hang out in here all day! I'll tell everyone you weren't feeling well and I'm taking care of you for the day. Okay? Is that alright with you?" Kanade was a bit skeptical, wondering how easily that would slide with some of the others. But seeing how happy Mizuki was at the thought, she couldn't help but agree.
Squeezing Mizuki's hands a bit tighter, Kanade nodded. "Yes, that's alright with me. Actually, I'd like it a lot..." Mizuki leaned into Kanade's side as soon as she accepted her offer, using Kanade's shoulder as a pillow and closing her eyes with a blissful breath. "I'm gonna make sure you still get some exercise while we're in here, though. Maybe we can dance to one of your songs, or if not, we can always just do traditional exercises like running and sit-ups..." She spoke in a bit of a playful tone at the end, knowing just how much Kanade dreaded any type of intense activity. It was almost cute.
"N-no thank you, I'm okay with just some dancing. Just...not right now, I'm still pretty tired." Mizuki nodded at Kanade, taking her words carefully. "O..kay, do you wanna go back to sleep for just a bit? I'm good at waking up, I can get you up when needed!"
"That's not..." Kanade began, about to insist that it really wasn't necessary. But when she saw the glint in Mizuki's eyes again, she couldn't help but give in. "Ah...yeah, that's alright, if you want."
With a giddy yelp, Mizuki stood up and pulled Kanade with her. Kanade carefully walked over to her bedside, her bare feet padding against the hardwood floor quietly. Shrugging off her overly warm cardigan, she turned to Mizuki and gestured for her to follow as she sat down. The invitation confused Mizuki for a second, she didn't really get what Kanade was getting at. But then she realized that she was asking for her to join her in her bed for the nap they planned. Mizuki's misty, muddled expression faded into excitement as she hopped down onto the bed with Kanade.
She pulled out the sheets from under them and threw them over her and Kanade. She let the air resistance cause the sheets to float down slowly. Turning on her side, she faced Kanade with a grin. "Okay! Now, we're just gonna sleep for an hour or two... and you better sleep good! I'll wake you up then, deal?"
Kanade scooted closer and nodded. "Yep. Deal."