───── ❝ THE KINGDOM WE BUILT THAT DAY ❞ ─────

mahal kita

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"Everybody, gather around!"

At the sound of their head mistress' call, all the children at the orphanage gathered in the main hallway and stood in their orderly line. They were used to this, as they often did this when a family was over.

The children stared at the figures in front of them. They looked rich. They were dressed in such fancy clothing and looked well-put. Behind them stood two younger-looking girls dressed in maid uniforms and they seemed to be holding the belongings of the rich folk.

"Children, say hello to the [surname] family." Their headmistress, Kyoka, instructed.

In unison, all the children said their greetings. "Good morning!" In an orderly fashion, they bowed down 90 degrees just as they were taught.

The older female of the group gushed at the sight as she turned to her husband, "Look at how adorable they are, dear!"

Her husband laughed before turning to Kyoka. "You have raised them very well." He then took his wife's hand in his and they both bowed.

"Children, we must thank the [surname] family." Kyoka began, "Due to their generous donation, we can provide you all with new and comfier beds, new clothes as well as delicious food!"

The light in each child's eyes lit up as they heard that. It felt like it's been ages since they've had anything nice. In unison, they bowed once again and yelled out a heartfelt "Thank you so much!"

The couple smiled while the wife clapped her hands. The husband turned to look at the headmistress, "Kyoka-san, there are things that we wanted to further discuss with you, if possible?"

Kyoka tilted her head in surprise, her red hair flowing alongside her. "Oh?"

The wife smiled and nodded her head, "Yes. We have been thinking of setting up a possible contract of some sort — to ensure the children will always have something nice to eat."

Kyoka's eyes widened and a bright smile was placed on her face, "Of course! We can discuss it in my office! Children, go on and play!"

The husband smiled and nodded her head. While his wife and Kyoka headed toward the office, he turned around and squatted to fall into eye-level with the child hiding behind him.

"[name]-chan, mama and papa will be back, okay? Why don't you go play with the kids while you wait?" Your father asked as he ruffled your hair.

"Uhm... okay..." You muttered, glancing at the orphanage kids as they stared at you curiously. Your father smiled before getting up to face Hanami and Hanako.

"Hanako, Hanami, please keep a careful eye on [name]. I trust her to you." Your father instructed them.

The elder of the sisters, Hanako, bowed, "Yes, Lord [father]." Contented with their compliance, your father gave you one last ruffle on the head before he made his way to the head mistress' office.

Once he was out of sight, the sisters turned to look at you. Hanako held her hand out to you and you took two of her fingers in one of your hands. "Let's go, Miss [name]. " Hanako was about to pull you along, but your strong grip held her back and she looked down at you.

Hanami chuckled nervously at your state before gazing over at the kids. Some had left but the few that stayed in the area stood off in the corner. They seemed to be murmuring to one another while they gave you glances and it quickly dawned on her the awkwardness of the situation.

"Nee-chan, how about we take Miss [name] out to the playground first? Let her become comfortable." Hanami suggested to her older sister.

Hanako smiled and nodded her head, "Mhm, good idea." She turned back to you, "Come on, Miss [name]. I heard there's a playground outside!"

The sound of a playground outside was instantly intriguing to you. You were mostly stuck at your house so you were barely at a playground. Even less a playground with other kids! "L-let's go, nee-chan!" You cutely chirped as you began dragging her out.

The sisters laughed as they let you drag them. Even though you had no idea where the playground was, it seems your kid instincts were at work as you led them straight to the area.

Your eyes brightened as you gazed at the play area. There were a bunch of kids playing around, screaming and laughing. With excitement coursing through your little body, you let go of Hanako and ran to the closest structure near you.

"Hello!" You chirped at the kids playing on the seesaw. The instant you did, their laughter died down and they stopped playing. "Can I play with you?" You asked happily.

The two kids glanced at each other awkwardly, slowly bouncing each other on the seesaw. You waited patiently for their response when one suddenly spoke up. "Oh look, let's go on the swings, Tami-chan!" One said to the other. Tami-chan nodded her head before they quickly got off the seesaw and ran to the swings, leaving you behind.

You frowned at their action and titled your head. 'Did they not hear me?' Scanning the area, you found another group of children playing tag and made your way to them. "Hi! Can I play with you?"

The one closest to you stopped and looked at you. He eyed you up and down before awkwardly looking over at his friends. "Uh... sorry, we already have enough people playing... maybe next time!"

"Oh... okay..." You muttered out with disappointment but said nothing else as you watched the kid run off the continue playing. With a frown on your face, you looked at the rest of the kids on the playground in search of your new target.

Two pairs of eyes followed the young girl as she ran around. They hid at the top of the slide behind the covers, eyes peeking over the wooden wall. "Kakucho."

"Yes, sir?"

"What do you think about that girl?"

Kakucho hummed as he watched the girl run around. She was wearing a cute, lemon summer dress with sandals to match. On her head was a wide-brimmed sun hat. The outfit was quite casual but it still screamed expensive. And considering her parents, there were no doubts that she came from money.

"I think she's spoiled." Kakucho simply stated.

"Why's that?" Izana asked.

"Well... her parents have a lot of money and she looks like she's the only child. She definitely gets everything she wants." Kakucho began, watching [name] closely as she approached another group of kids. "And she has those two maids following her around everywhere. They probably do everything for her..."

Izana hummed, "It's like she has everything us orphan kids want."

"Yeah... no wonder the others don't want to play with her." Kakucho sighed, "I kind of feel bad."

The boy beside him remained silent before nodding his head. "Let's go." Izana simply stated before going down the slide, much to Kakucho's surprise. He quickly followed behind, and as he got back on stable footing, Kakucho was taken aback to see the rich girl waiting for them at the bottom of the slide.

She had her cheeks adorably puffed out as she glared at them with teary eyes. With her tiny hands in fists, she slammed them down on her dress. "Play with me!"

Kakucho was taken aback by her sudden aggressiveness, considering how passive she was when talking to the others. "W-what?"

The small girl held her hands in front of her as she fiddled with her thumbs and her gaze fell to the ground, "Please... let me play with you!"

"And why should we do that?!" Kakucho continued to ask, doing his best to ignore the sudden warmness in his cheeks.

"No one ever wants to play with me..." The girl muttered out, her mouth quivering as she held her head down, holding back tears. "Please let me play with you! I promise I won't cry..."

Despite her words, it looked like the girl was on the verge of tears. It would seem that getting rejected countless times and pushed away by playmates does that to a child.

Izana's heart melted at the adorable sight, and he couldn't help himself from his next actions. Lifting his hand, he placed it atop the shorter girl's head and gave her gentle pats. "There, there. Don't cry, of course, you can play with us!"

The girl's eyes widened at his words and her face instantly lit up. "R-really?!"

Izana smiled gently at the girl, a rare sight for his raven-haired friend. "Mhm! I'm Kurokawa Izana, that's Kakucho." He pointed towards his friend. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled brightly, "[surname] [name]!"

You paused in your steps, your eyes wide with shock as you gazed at the ground in front of you.

'W-... what the hell was that?'

Placing a hand to your head, you quickly blinked. A vision? Your imagination? Or a lost memory?

You felt your heartbeat quicken as all these memories suddenly filled your mind.

"[name]?" Izana tilted his head as he looked back at you, realizing you were no longer by his side.

Looking up to meet his gaze, you felt your mouth go dry. You thought it was weird when Izana suddenly showed up at your front door asking if you wanted to go for a walk. How did he even know where you lived in the first place? He simply explained that you had told him and probably just didn't remember.

It was creepy, of course. You always thought there was something off with the white-haired male. Izana always seemed so comfortable with you, too comfortable even. It was like he didn't know what personal space was, even when you had only known him for a few days.

But despite that, you always found it odd the way the two would often act around you.

As if you had known each other for years.

"Iza—... Kurokawa-san." Your little stutter didn't go unnoticed by the male and he stiffened up, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Yeah?"

It took a bit of courage to gaze up at the male, and when you locked eyes with his lavender gaze, you felt any ounce of bravery suddenly leave you.

"We... we've met before, haven't we?"

"AH! Run away from the dragon!" You screamed at the top of your lungs, your screams of terror accompanied by laughter.

Kakucho, who had a blanket over his body and his arms out, roared and growled as he stalked his way toward you and Izana. With a shrill voice, you let out a scream and clung onto Izana's arm.

The white-haired boy laughed and let out his own scream. Instinctively, his hand clutched onto your own that held onto his arm.

"Don't worry, I will protect you, my queen!" Izana bravely proclaimed, whipping out a wooden sword from his belt and holding it toward Kakucho. Taking a step closer to his friend, Izana bonked Kakucho on the head with the sword.

"Ey, ow!" Kakucho groaned before throwing the blanket off his head, "Izana, how come I always have to be the dragon? I want to be the knight too!"

Izana blinked at his friend before glancing over at an innocent-looking you. You blinked at Izana, your head tilted as you waited for his answer. The boy simply smiled before turning back toward his friend, "You just make a good dragon! We all play the roles that we fit the best, right?"

His hand never left yours as he spoke.

You stared blankly at the ground in front of you as you listened to Izana talk. He had admitted the truth. He and Kakucho were your lost childhood friends.

Thinking back on it now, you felt stupid. How could you not have realized? It's not like they didn't have any distinctive features. How could you forget their names? How could you forget who they were?

"How long have you guys known?" You muttered softly, eyes refusing to look into Izana's.

The boy hummed before answering coolly. "I knew the second I laid eyes on you again. That day when you took my picture at the lake..." You didn't see it, but Izana sent a gentle smile your way as he spoke. "When I saw your teary eyes, I instantly remembered how you looked when we first met and I just knew it was you. I'm more surprised you didn't recognize us."

You blushed out of embarrassment and looked away from the male, "H-hey... I can be a little forgetful sometimes, okay?"

"But forgetting your friends?" Izana chuckled, and you took note of how soft and gentle it was. Everything that Izana seemed to not be — at least not what he usually displayed. It almost made you forget that this man was your enemy. As a Toman member, Izana and Kakucho were your enemies.

They were your enemies.

These people who you've known since you were young are your... enemies.

"Woah! Izana, you know how to speak, uh... what was it... Tagalog? That's so cool!" You gazed in awe up at the boy.

Izana held his head high, a condescending smirk on his face. "Mhm! Pretty cool, right?"

The two of you sat next to each other at the park, waiting for Kakucho to arrive. The headmistress  had to talk to him, so you and Izana were just waiting for him before you could play again.

"How'd you learn?" You asked with pure curiosity, tilting your head up at the taller boy.

"My older brother has been teaching me some terms." Izana began with a shrug, "I don't know why though, he just suddenly suggested it when he visited me one day!"

You gazed up at him in awe, which Izana found to be the most adorable thing. "Does that mean you can speak it perfectly?"

Izana laughed and shook his head, "No, I only know how to say some basic words and phrases."

"Oh! How do you say..." You paused and hummed in thought, placing your index finger to your chin, "I'm hungry!"

"Uhm... 'gutom ako'." Izana replied with a cheeky grin.

"Gu-tome ay-ko..." You did your best to pronounce it, but you couldn't help the accent that came with it, earning a laugh from Izana. "Okay! What about... 'you're cool'!"

Izana stared at you for a brief moment before answering.

"Mahal kita."

You looked in awe at his words and repeated the phrase quietly to yourself. After a while, you turned to Izana with a wide grin, "Mahal kita, Izana!"

Izana paused upon hearing your words. His heart skipped a beat and he could feel his face heat up. He couldn't help but just stare at you as you smiled widely at him. You just looked so cute.

Letting out a soft grin, Izana nodded his head. "Mahal din kita." You tilted your head in confusion, "That means 'you're cool too.'"

Little you were easily impressed by Izana's knowledge and you got up, jumping in excitement. When Kakucho arrived, you ran up to the male and repeated exactly what Izana had taught you.

Izana watched you from where he sat and a smile placed itself on his face. Even though you said the same words to Kakucho, Izana was happy with the fact that he was the first.

"Why didn't you guys say anything?" You questioned, your gaze falling to the sky. The sun had set and the stars were shining brightly. Your mind suddenly went to Aiko and you wondered if she was looking up at them too. You smiled at the thought.

Izana looked over at you and his gaze fell to every feature of your face. Your beautiful [e/c] eyes that looked at the world with such awe and curiosity. Your smooth [s/c] skin that felt like clouds under his calloused touch. And finally, your lips that gave him his most favourite sight in the world: Your smile.

Your lips that he would love to feel on his own.

But he had to hold himself back. As much as he wanted to grab you by the shoulders and kiss you, Izana knew that was something he shouldn't do. Kakucho has spoken to him multiple times and as much as he hated being told what to do by someone lower rank than him, he had to admit his servant was right.

Letting out a sigh, Izana tore his gaze away from you. "Kakucho advised me not to. He said that if you didn't remember that first day, we should just let you remember on your own."

Raising a brow, you turned to look at him. "What? What was his reasoning behind that?"

Izana chuckled as he shook his head, "He was scared to reintroduce ourselves now that we're gang members. He thought you would see us differently and might even be terrified of us." He let out a sigh, "But turns out that there was nothing of you to be scared of. Isn't that right, Toman's princess?"

"How about we build a kingdom?" Izana quietly suggested to the two other children, the three of them crouched down and huddled together.

You and Kakucho exchanged glances before looking back at the older male, "Kingdom?"

Izana smiled brightly while he vigorously nodded his head.  His gaze fell over to the snow castle that the three of them worked together to build before he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

Unfolding it, he revealed the paper to his two companions. On it was a written out plan for building Izana's vision of a kingdom. You and Kakucho leaned in with awe, eyes reading through what was written on the paper.

"When we get older, we'll work to build the greatest kingdom!" He began, "It'll be a place where the kids who have nowhere can go to. We'll make a home for them." With a gentle smile on his face, Izana looked forward as if he was lost in his thoughts. He already imagined his dream.

Laying on the snow, the three of them continued to discuss their plans for their kingdom. "What will we name it?" Kakucho asked, eyes looking over to the side. He had quickly glanced at you but you were too entranced with the falling snow to notice.

"Hm... [name], what do you think?" Izana turned his attention to you, and you looked at the two of them with slight shock.

You hummed in thought, "Hm... Don't you like 'Journey to the West', Izana?" You brought up, causing the male to look at you in surprise.

It was something he briefly mentioned only once. For you to remember such a small detail about him caused his heart to skip a beat and his face to heat up. "Y-yeah."

"How about 'Tenjiku'!"

"Tenjiku... I like the sound of that." Izana breathed out, a bright smile on his face. He suddenly shot up and began laughing boisterously, "I shall be the king of Tenjiku! Citizens, I command you to pay your taxes, mwahahahah!" He ordered to no one in particular.

Turning to Kakucho, he pointed down at him. "You can be like a servant... or OR part of the troop squad!"

Kakucho raised a brow, "What's that?"

"You'll be fighting for our kingdom!" Izana explained, earning an amused look from Kakucho. Springing up, the two boys began to play around, fighting and ordering the air around them.

You pouted as you watched them, staying seated in your spot. Izana quickly noticed the absence of your presence by his side and made his way to you. "[name], what's wrong? Why aren't you playing?"

You seemed unsure as your gaze fell over to the side before looking back at the two males. They stared at you with concerned gazes. "Well... you say that Tenjiku will be a place for people who have nowhere to go but... I have a family. I don't think I'll fit in..."

Izana blinked at you, surprised, before letting out a hearty laughter. "What do you mean you won't fit in? You have one of the most important roles in the kingdom!"

With pouted lips, you looked up at Izana. The boy had to hold in a squeal at how adorable you looked. "What's that?"

"The one who supports the king. The one who stays by his side through ups and downs. The one that will bring peace to the king whenever he's in trouble." Izana smiled gently down at you, holding out a hand to you.

"[name], you will be the queen of Tenjiku."

You stared at Izana in disbelief, looking at his outstretched hand. "I-Izana, I... I don't know."

Izana smiled at you before dropping his hands and shoving them into his pockets. "I've made our dreams a reality, [name]. Tenjiku is no longer a plan made by three children, but a real thing."

"But is it what it was meant to be?" You questioned, avoiding his gaze. "To think Tenjiku became a violent gang, and that you and Kaku-chan are the leaders..."

Izana was quiet. His smile dropped and his gaze fell over to the ground. "Tenjiku may not be exactly what we thought it would be, but it's still a home for those who have nowhere to go to."

"... So you've achieved your dreams?"

The male shook his head, his soft smile never leaving his face as he looked at you. "I could have a million dreams fulfilled and none of it would matter."

You tilted your head, "How come?"

"Because the only dream that matters wouldn't be true." Izana sighed.

"And that is...?"

"My dream to have my queen by my side through it all."

Your breath hitched upon hearing his words. It suddenly became harder to breathe and looking into Izana's eyes became difficult. The boy only smiled and held his hand out to you once more.

"Tenjiku is built. It stands strong. The only thing missing now is its queen." Izana began, "Tenjiku needs its queen to come home and take her rightful place."

Finally building up the confidence, you looked up and met eyes with Izana. His lavender gaze stared at you with such emotion that it nearly became overwhelming.

"So, [name], won't you fulfill my dreams with me?" Izana sent a smile your way, his gaze looking down at you longingly.

Your mouth went agape as you struggled to find the words to say. "I... I don't know."

"You don't know...?" Izana seemed taken aback by your answer, and for a split second his gaze darkened. He then shut his eyes and let out a sigh before turning around. "I understand. Toman's become a home for you, huh? I hate that it would come to this... for us to fight."

"Izana, we don't have to—"

"My — Tenjiku's battle against Toman has long been decided." Izana interrupted, his tone audibly colder than before. "You have taken your seat as Tenjiku's queen long ago, but your loyalty lies elsewhere today." He craned his head to look at you, "Where you decide to stand on the day of the battle is up to you. Whether you stand with us or not, this fight will happen."

With clenched fists, Izana whipped his head around and walked off, leaving you behind to stare dumbfounded at his figure. You wanted to speak up. Grab him by the arm and tell him to wait until you can figure out what to say to the male, but you were unable to. Instead, you watched him walk away as you were left with suddenly a million things to think about.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

its still early but i dont think ill be able to upload a chapter during those days so ill say my greetings now ^^

sorry for taking so long witb this chap, i went on vacation for a week and coming back i was just really busy and wasn't able to just sit down and write properly p.p

another chapter with one of our bois acting a bit ooc but thats okay because its cute and als this is a fanfiction i can do whatever i want >:C btw is it obvious i didnt know how to end this chapter? LOL

also remember in chap 27 when MC said she never got the names of her childhood friends? yeah well due to plot and cuteness we're gonna forget that, mkay? thanks

anyways, i hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

dont forget to vote and comment <3