He had brushed off the comment, and that was fine. Akio had not meant it to harm, so he allowed it to drop. Darius had said that he looked forward to his thoughts on the book, which made a smile tug at his lips. The other looking forward to the opinion of a human on a matter? He found this slightly amusing, due to the way the other had approached all things human not long before. He was thankful for the change in demeanor however, the other no longer referring to him as little prince, or twisting his name in some aspect. He had grown tired rather quickly of the poking and prodding, though he was still careful around the man. It had not been long, and the other was still holding him prisoner for his amusement. There was no stopping him from returning to how he had been moments before.

At the same time, there was no saying that this was not merely a ploy to get information, or to get Akio to let his guard down. Either way, he was still a bit wary. The other moved to his side, sitting by him upon the bench. It seemed he did not mind being close at the moment, almost preferring it in a way. He allowed it, but made no comment at the closeness or anything about it. When he said it had been awhile since he had had an audience to his music, Akio allowed his eyes to move to the demon next to him. He was curious as to why this was, though he supposed that this was another thing that demons did not partake in, to human in nature. “So you have been playing for quite some time yourself then” he said, almost casually, as he watched the other’s hands on the keys.

He had asked if Akio stilled played, and for a moment he paused. There were a few ways he could answer it, all of them would hold truth within. Finally he simply spoke. “I do when I can…my father does not enjoy music as he once did, and since I have become a Samurai, most of my time is spent there” he said. The other could take it as a tie back to his earlier teasing about life at home being hard. Though he did not know the truth, it was in many senses. Now that he was able to branch out and explore, to be free from the gates and walls of the castle, he took all opportunities he could to be out in the kingdom or out training. The castle had become very unpleasant to him, it was his prison, a place he was to be because it was chosen for him, not by his own will. Again, he understood that he did have privileges, but at the same time, he was stricter kept than those who lived lesser lives.

Every aspect planned out, who you saw, what you did, where you went…Everything was chosen, everything was planned and decided for him. He was never allowed to have a will of his own, never allowed to have a voice. He was supposed to be the perfect image, perfect manners, perfect look, and perfect speech, perfect everything. One hair out of line could draw negative consequences that he and his father did not need. He blinked a bit, before looking at the piano as the other began to play. He watched his fingers a bit, as they moved over the keys, getting lost in the music and the melody. It was nice, the other indeed talented. He listened in silence, allowing the other his peace as he played. As he did though, Akio’s eyes were drawn slightly to his face as well, taking in the features and such that passed over it as the demon played.

When he finished, Akio smiled warmly “that was beautiful.” The demon asked then if he was a sucker for such a thing, and Akio shook his head. “Not at all…have many taken comfort in music, as many do in books...”his eyes turning to the music sheets. “Music can tell a story just as well, invoke feelings, or tell one of your personality…music can be quite the communication tool.” He slowly pressed a finger down on one of the keys, allowing the sound to echo through the room, before lightly pressing another. His mind in thought for a few moments, he paused to look at Darius again. “How did you begin playing?” he asked, wondering how music had come into the demon’s life. Akio had told him that his mother was the one to teach and interest him, but it was different for many people. Had Darius’ mother taught him? Had a friend? Some even taught themselves, so there was no telling just from guessing, how the other had learned.

Everyone had their favorite type as well, just how everyone had their favorite type of books. It was like a fingerprint for a person, you could learn quite a bit from someone’s tastes. So far he was being confirmed that there was two sides to this demon, more than met the eye. The question then arose, which was the real one? The main face that he was truly proud of, and wanted to be. Such a question could not be asked at this point, it would most likely only succeed in insulting the other, or gaining a jest back at him. In honesty, Akio could ask himself the same thing. The proper prince, or the samurai full of heart. Both were aspects of him, sides of him. But which was him more? Which did he desire to be, which did he want to take as a path in life? He pondered this thought for a moment, as he waited for a response.

People had hundreds of aspects to them, quirks and sides. They all made them who they were, but it was never simply as easy as that. There were so many influences around, the world, friends and family. It was often easy to lose one’s self, to get lost and become something one did not wish to be. Perhaps that had happened to Darius…perhaps it had happened to Akio. Maybe it was something they shared, that brought them closer together. He wondered for a moment what would happen, if all guises were dropped, and the two were allowed to purely just…be for a change. Now it was his turn to push such thoughts from his mind, calling himself foolish for allowing them in. Such a thing would never happen. Any way one sliced the situation, the facts still remained. He was a prisoner of the demon, nothing more.

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