If Damian was being honest, he'd rather live in the mountains away from civilization than to take over the mantle as the head of the family business. It should be his adoptive sister! She's brave, smart, witty and caring. But at the same time she's also cold, merciless and calculative. The perfect heiress.
She's the legitimate heir to the family fortune too being the descendant of the main family bloodline. However the family, especially the elders, was still following old traditions and would never allow a woman to become the head of the family.
Mira, his adoptive older sister (whom he treats as a real sister blood relations be damned), of course did not mind. She was busy with her own affairs and gladly gave her shares of the fortune to him.
Damian was definitely in a dilemma.
"You should loosen up." he heard his adoptive father, Ricardo, say, cutting him off from his thoughts. "Should I send you on a vacation mission? Maybe you can start tending a garden, make it a hobby of sorts."
Damian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He already knew Ricardo was unusual, but at that moment he was just purely weird.
"It's not a mission of it's a vacation dad, and vice versa. Also, I don't think tending to a garden can help me convince the elders that I am to be the next don of the Corvo Famiglia, dad."
Did Damian ever mention that the family business he was supposed to inherit was a mafia group?
Damian saw Ricardo's worried look. The man may not be his biological dad, but he was definitely better than the last guy who claimed he was his father as well as his biological dad whom he never even met once in his life.
"I suppose, but Mira once told me that even in the most stressful situations, a getaway is always an option to be able to think clearly." Ricardo gave him a wink. "How about spending some time with your sister? I think she's somewhere in Japan right now, investigating some incident or something."
"Is that even okay? I don't think I should impose on her when she's... tending unto something. I'm pretty sure it's top secret too."
"Nah, it's something connected to her father and his family anyway."
"In Japan?"
"Dad is weird." Mira commented once Damian finished telling her the reason why he came to Japan. He arrived hours ago, and it took him a couple of hours to arrive at the island in Okinawa where Mira was staying.
"You think? How is he your dad?" Damian replied with a shrug.
"He slept with my mom, dumbass." she said with a chuckle and ruffled Damian's hair. "Anyway, I think this is good for you, since you're very stressed at the moment. At the tender age of five you witnessed your mom's death and was forced to become a lifeless assassin-in-training by the same man who killed her and claimed to be your father. Not to mention you had been training to be dad's heir after you got rescued from that place. Your responsibilities even grew after I gave you most of my inheritance."
"It's okay."
"It's actually not. You're still eighteen but you already have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. Therefore, I think this is a good thing for you."
Damian suddenly felt his energy zap, drained from him after hearing his sister's words. Perhaps he felt relieved at her words?
He was also taken aback once he felt arms around him, a finger making circular motions on his back, calming him down. He couldn't help but breathe deeply. The salty scent of the ocean permeated in his nose once he did. He was pretty sure it was not the ocean he was smelling, despite being near the sea at the moment. It was definitely his sister.
Ever since he met her, she had always smelled like the ocean, and he really liked that. He did wonder why when she lives in the mountains, but he never really asked.
"Just relax baby brother, this is your first vacation since forever. I promise this will be a very memorable one." he heard her say, letting him relax even more. Her soft voice was lulling him to sleep.
Soon, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, the sun was already way up in the sky. He checked his phone and saw that it was already noon. He groaned as he realized that he slept for more or less five hours.
Damian looked around and noticed that Mira was nowhere to be found. He heard an explosion nearby and it fully woke him up. He immediately ran to the direction where it came from, worried that it might had something to do with his older sister.
When he arrived at the sight, he saw his sister retract a pair of daggers in her hands. She was covered in ash and there was a crater in the sand.
"What happened?" he asked frantically.
"I was... tending unto something." Mira answered with a smile. "Hey, now that you're awake, wanna spar?"
Damian did not get the chance to answer since she lunged at him. The two of them exchanged blows after blows, injuring each other lightly since they used real weapons. By the time the sun had started setting and the sky was in deep orange color, Damian was out of breath as he laid on the sand. The sword he used for the impromptu sparring session laid by his side.
"You, okay?" he heard Mira ask. He saw her offer a hand, which he took, and used it to pull himself in a sitting position. He involuntarily hissed when it aggravated the cuts he received from their mock battle. "Ouch, I should get the first aid kit, wait for me here."
Damian watched as she walked away. He tried touching the biggest cut on his arm, but he only hissed in pain. It was definitely still tender to the touch and shouldn't be touched at all.
While waiting for his older sister to return, he watched the sky turned into hues of red, violet and orange. He had the perfect view of the empty beach and could hear the calming sound of the waves making its way to the sandy beach. The scenery and the breeze were something he really liked at that exact moment. He couldn't help but smile. He felt so relaxed and at peace.
Maybe Ricardo, his dad, had a point in sending him to a vacation. His stress had been reduced and he could think more clearly. Perhaps once he returns to Italy, he should do something about the meddling elders to relieve his stress and worries...
But that was something for the Damian of the future to think about. At the moment, he just wanted to enjoy what he has...
Damian realized; he actually just really needed a vacation.
~The End~
