If Shouto hadn't forced himself to keep his eyes open for so long, he definitely would have been asleep hours ago, and that was proved through the way his tired eyes blinked for extended periods of time.

The castle was dead silent in the late hours of night, but he knew full well that guards were still roaming about at times like this, no matter how late it was. It was a minor setback, but it wasn't like he didn't know which ways the guards made their rounds. He knew this castle from left to right, and up to down, and spending many restless nights added all more to it.

Albeit, the fact that Katsuki wasn't here screwed him over for a number of reasons, starting from the fact that even if they got caught, the guards wouldn't have dared stop Katsuki, knowing full well that he would blow them to bits if so. Another reason that presented itself was that he couldn't make up some stupid excuse for as to why he was sneaking out in the middle of the night by himself, usually using his default 'Katsuki was sleep walking again, I have to go grab him.'

Of course, he could easily just walk out of his room, is what a fool would say. If even one of them saw him walking about by himself, they would immediately alert King Endeavor of the issue, and Shouto would be in for a good scolding.

In other words, he was fucked.

But was he going to let that stop him?

Definitely not.

Izuku was a priority, and he wouldn't give up until he got to the bottom of the issue. He would find his mother, regardless of his father's orders, and regardless of how many times his offers were rejected by the boy himself.

So, if your question was why Shouto was climbing out through his balcony window using stray cloth he had collected from his servants over the past week or so, then there's your answer.

Now, Shouto had actually spent years trying to sneak out of the castle, and the amount of skill he had gained from that had actually paid off in this scenario. The small amount of noise he made when he walked himself down the side of the wall was outstanding, and even when he stepped down into the rose garden.

He only took a few seconds to wipe off a few stray drops of sweat from his forehead, but immediately went back to work. He didn't bother to unwind the cloth, after all, they had been tied to the leg of his bed, so any effort he made to remove it from that height would come to be futile.

Instead, he took this moment to maneuver through the labyrinth that was the rose bushes, whipping past each studied area with ease. He was like an assassin, slipping past traps and guards flawlessly without making a single sound. It felt amazing, and the second he made it to the exit, he knew that his passage to the outside world had finally reached him.

He took in a deep breath, reaching for the vine-covered gate, just before he heard an all too familiar voice calling out his name in the softest, most concerned tone he had ever heard. "Shouto?"

The prince had a miniature heart attack, jumping almost immediately when he turned around to look at his sister, who had been sitting on one of the stone benches that was lined against the fountain in the dead center. Though it had small cracks, the stone chipping away little by little from its old age, it was still sturdy, being able to hold over a century's worth of people.

There sat Princess Fuyumi, her soft hair tied back into a mid-length ponytail, keeping it out of her field of vision. Overall, she looked calm, however, her tired eyes told a story, a story where Shouto knew exactly where this conversation was going.

Shouto tensed up, attempting to avoid eye contact with his sister, yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't avoid the conflicted gaze of Fuyumi. He stumbled slightly on his words, looking for a way out of this situation so he could get out of this wretched place as soon as possible. "Fuyumi, it's... interesting seeing you out here late at night. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She shook her head in a disappointed manner, looking back towards Shouto's room that still had the stray cloths swaying slightly along with the breeze. "You didn't even show up to dinner when the servants called, and when you eventually did come, you only came to collect Prince Katsuki. I got worried, I thought something was up, and it seems like my suspicions were correct... So tell me... what's going on?"

The prince scratched at the back of his head. He couldn't really explain why he was out here at such a dark hour, where the moon was already falling to the western side of the sky. He dragged his foot across the floor, looking for an excuse that seemed convincing enough to get her off his back. "Well I uh... Katsuki started sleepwa—"

"—lking so you came to collect him? Shouto, you've used that excuse so many times, and plus, Prince Katsuki left ten hours ago. Why are you really out here? What are you hoping to accomplish? Have the rumors been true? Have you been attempting to flee to the Crimson Kingdom after all these years?"

He made no comment as to whether or not he was doing just that, but he sort of wanted to go with that instead of saying that he was going to travel the woods with a stranger in order to find his mother, which sounded relatively suspicious in his head the harder he thought about it. Instead, he shook his head, "Katsuki has permitted me to leave the castle borders, and I have promised to meet with him within two weeks, as per our usual royal meeting schedule. I am... going out to... find something."

Fuyumi gave the 'go on' look, but could tell that her younger brother had no intention of following up from there unless she pushed him further. "To find what?"

"That information is confidential. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to attend to." He wanted to turn around, knowing that the more he looked at her face the more guilty he would feel.

She let out a sigh, holding onto something that looked like a blanket from first glance tighter. "Please, Shouto... I understand the situation all of us are in... Natsu doesn't like it either, and I definitely don't. But for the good of the kingdom, would you please consider staying longer to listen? I know that everything seems to be going wrong, but I'm sure there's some way we can have a normal family again." At this point, her lip began to tremble, causing her voice to falter.

Shouto sucked in a breath, watching as Fuyumi was on the verge of another breakdown. "Fuyumi, look, I can't be delayed any longer. I know that you want us to be functional, but after mom... have you considered that maybe it's not something you can count on? Maybe it's not meant to be? Especially with that bastard as the one who rules?"

"Maybe it can... starting with us. And even if we can't better our family, maybe we can better the kingdom. Mom always saw that you would be the one to liberate us. Someone with a pure heart such as yours... it doesn't seem too far-fetched..."

"Fuyumi."

"Please, please just listen. I just want to know where you're going. After Natsu and I lost Touya, and after we lost mom, I don't know how well I can fare if you're gone too."

"Fuyumi."

"What if you die out there? Then what happens to the Fire Kingdom? What happens to Prince Katsuki? What happens to us?"

"Fuyumi." The prince was now in front of the princess, both knees down on the floor as he grasped her shaking hands. He knew he couldn't stop the tears that had already begun to fall, but he could at least give her some assurance. "I promise I won't be long. I already told Katsuki that if I don't return in two weeks time for a meeting, then he could go after me.

If I die, then I die helping someone in need, but I find it doubtful that I'll let that happen."

She closed her eyes shut, the waterfall of emotions still not coming to a halt. Though she declined to say anything further, she took her hands out of her brother's hold, and pushed the thing in her hands towards his multicolored locks. Before she did anything else, her hands drew to her face, letting herself calm down even slightly. "This was from Katsuki. He told me to give it to you before you left..."

Shouto was slightly surprised that the ash blonde had decided to leave something behind for him, but was definitely pleased because he knew Katsuki would at least have one last thing to say about this. He took it from Fuyumi's arms, examining whatever it was just before he came to the conclusion that it was a crimson cape with heavy wool that rested at the shoulders, one that was identical to Katsuki's.

A small smile traced his face, just as he draped it over his shoulders. This was a gift from Katsuki alright, and the amount of thought he had put into it was outstanding.

"He said that it should keep you warm through the mountains, and would serve well on cold nights. And..."

"I want him to come back to my kingdom in this, just to show my parents I'm not messing around. And if you fucking tell him it's for the reason it really is for, I'll kill you, I don't care if you're his sister."

Fuyumi shuddered, the bitter words of the other prince leaving a nasty taste in her mouth. "On the behalf of both of us... please stay safe."

"Thank you, Fuyumi. I won't let either of you down."

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At last, the outside world was his once again. After a long confrontation with his sister, and a long break to say goodbye to the castle for who knows how long, Shouto had finally decided to take his departure, his only sense of home wrapped around his shoulders, and his only line of defense sheathed at his side.

It was a setback, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. After all, he was a little bit glad that he ran into Fuyumi back there, because he knew that if he hadn't said goodbye to her first, he would end up regretting leaving in the first place. Another plus to it was that now she could give Shouto a bit of leeway after their father wakes up, possibly giving him a solid 'alibi' for his absence.

Besides, at best, Enji wouldn't even notice he's been gone until they needed to make course to the Crimson Kingdom, considering how bad of a father he was, it didn't seem that unlikely. But for now, that wasn't an issue that he would like to think about, and instead set his sights back on the task at hand.

The palace walls should have been the most secure place in the kingdom, but after countless encounters with Prince Katsuki late at night, and how Shouto memorized the rounds of the guards, the king found it necessary to increase the wall security of the town that surrounded the castle. After long hours of training for years, the guards that protected the town practically made a simple stone wall into a stronghold, and with them a plan of ambush seemed to be impossible. After all, it had been ingrained into their brains that if anything happened to the palace, they would be punished for treason against the kingdom.

It was a bluff, of course, but it did seem to work in training the biggest military powerhouse in the entire world. King Endeavor knew what he was doing, and he was glad that he was more feared than any other Fire Kingdom ruler that came before him. It was a miracle that Shouto hadn't been like him, and it would prove to strengthen the kingdom's forces with a kinder soul.

But before he could prove a point, he still needed to slip himself past these skillful knights without getting caught and reported to the king. It was unfortunate that he didn't know their rounds, since the wall was too far from his balcony to make out. It wasn't enough to stop him though, since he suspected the wall would be the least reinforced at the entrance where the Scarlett River, the kingdom's main water source, ran right through the town.

The fastest route to said location was through the town's main street, where he found himself walking right through the drunk crowds and groups of playing children, worried mothers and stressed merchants, along with ordinary townsfolk who preferred to enjoy the entertainment of others rather than getting involved themselves. He noticed a couple of kids gasping and pointing in his direction, saying that he looked like the prince, but was only told by their mothers that they were crazy, and it was unheard of for royalty to be out where mere nobles dwelled.

Some of the children did wave in his direction, and he found it rude if he hadn't returned it, so he did end up waving back. He had hoped, however, that the attention wouldn't last long the deeper he travelled into town, because if normal townsfolk had actually recognized him, he feared that they might alert his father. But, at least the cape served as coverage because the adults seemed to disregard him.

As he approached the entrance with the waterway, his feet drew to a halt, staring off into what looked like the woods. You couldn't tell from his eyes, but he seemed a bit reluctant about heading off on his lonesome. His hand trailed up toward the wool on his shoulders, closing his eyes as he gripped onto it for comfort.

Then, the image of Izuku appeared in his mind, giving him a reminder as to why he decided to go here in the first place. The pain in his eyes, the tears that trailed down his freckled cheeks, and not to mention the cracks in his voice that made up all the sympathy Shouto had for him. It was all the reason he needed to take his steps forward, running off into the woods without a second thought.

There was no turning back now. So he ran, ran faster than ever, taking his first leap into the new life he'd chosen for himself. For once, he felt free, free to make any decisions away from his father, and he actually felt glad, delighted even, that he would finally see the world from an outside point of view, so when he felt that he was far enough away from the town, he slowed down, his running turning into mere walking.

He turned around, looking at how much distance he had gained in the past half an hour or so. By now, it would have had to have been over a mile or so from his home. He exhaled in triumph, catching his breath promptly.

Shouto whispered to himself, in awe, looking at how beautiful the castle looked from the distance. "Katsuki, would you look at that? It's beautiful... isn't it? I wish you could be here to see it with me."

Shouto slowly brought himself to his knees, admiring the sight before him, holding onto his cape as if it really was a piece of the ash blonde prince that was traveling with him. However, he was interrupted because he heard a rustling in the bushes, followed by an annoyed yelling. Since this was far off from any village he knew of, he was quite confused, so he looked over in that direction to find out what it had been, but hadn't actually stood up until a few moments of silence passed.

When he brought himself to his feet, he walked in the direction of the noise, although it was quite hard to see since it was really dark out. He watched his step, silently calling out to it. "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

More silence.

The prince pushed the leaves out of the way, following the still rushing river that rested along his path. That's when he found a small clearing, occupied by nothing but a small rabbit, one that seemed to be poking about at the grass.

He thought he was just hearing things, and shrugged it off, approaching the river to stick his hand into it. Maybe he had hoped that there was actually someone there, because he splashed a little bit of water onto his face to bring himself to his unfortunate senses. He sighed, "I guess not. Sorry, Katsuki. Guess It'll just be you and I tonight."

Backing away from the river, he sat himself down, looking up at the sea of stars that dotted the sky above. He frowned a bit, "Goodnight then, Katsuki. I hope you had a safe trip home." He then closed his eyes in a disappointed manner, using his hands as a pillow to rest on.

But, his silence was soon interrupted, because he was quickly tackled, sending both him and the unknown person rolling into the soft grass, and down into the water, causing him to be startled.

As he tried to stop himself from choking, the poor prince started to reach for his sword, that had been readily equipped at his side. However, when he opened his eyes and saw the face that accompanied the figure, he was pleasantly surprised, his eyebrows raising when he realized exactly who it was.

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