Disclaimer : I do not own Heta. Or its characters. End of story.
Prologue
Okay, to begin with, my name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland to be precise. I was sixteen when the biggest change in my life happened. Oh, and not to mention, I'm a wizard too.
I had never intended to end my single life so fast. As a wizard, I'm practically forbidden to do that. At least, there was an unspoken norm that wizards should throw away their single status with extreme caution. Therefore, nobody ever wanted to do it anyway. Well, maybe my mother did, but me? No way, thank you very much!
I swear, when I first heard from my brother about the whole 'Eternal Binding' thing, I nearly threw up. And I swore to myself that instant that I would never... Oh, I guess I'd better explain it first.
When a wizard kisses somebody, whether that someone's a human or a wizard, the two shall be bound together. Forever. And ever. The thought of having someone attached to you with such a bond made me shudder ever since the first time I heard about it.
I mean, why should we ever sacrifice our freedom just for the one we love? It's just plain stupid, I think. I would never do something like that. At least, I would never do it on purpose. This entire 'lovey-dovey' thing is just too much for me to comprehend; it makes me sick. This entire sentimental bond just doesn't fit my taste at all.
Of course, it's not like I'm disgusted with the whole idea though. I'm still grateful that this thing existed in the first place; because if it's not, I wouldn't even exist in this world. It's just that I think that this thing fits more for humans. Not wizards. Wizards are not supposed to be sentimental. Our dark history over hundreds of years forged us into a strong creature mentally and physically. We live our life for ourselves, and not for others. We do not love, until the situation lets us to. We've gained full control of our emotions, our behaviour, and our way of life.
Well, although sometimes I scorned those petty humans with their easily changeable mind, sometimes I can't help not to envy them a bit. They're free to love; free to do practically anything. Although they're practically weaker than us wizards, they actually have the ability to tamper with our temperaments. They can change us from the icy, heartless creature into a warmer, nicer person.
Actually, that's what happened to my birthmother. She got herself tangled with some human and she got pregnant with me. Then, she left me with her brother to take care of, and she went off with her goddamn boyfriend.
Well, enough of my introduction. Let's just get into the story.
Raindrops poured endlessly from the gray sky. Heavy clouds hung over the sky like death looming over the whole town. Although it was still summer, these days the rain just wouldn't stop pouring. The endless stream of rain cooled down the temperature; it actually made the air felt like autumn instead of summer. I didn't complain though; it felt kind of nice. I liked the chilly breeze when it was raining, and I loved the smell of the rain water.
But today, it felt too cold. Way too cold. I took it as a sign. As a wizard, I have what humans called 'The Sixth Sense'; I can sense when bad things are about to strike. So, after a period of sulking, I prepared myself for whatever that might be coming today. I just hoped that whatever it was, it won't hurt too bad.
As I walked in the sidewalk that led to my school, I contemplated with various possibilities of what might be coming. Maybe there will be a surprise test today; or perhaps the rain will got worse that I won't be able to get home without soaking myself like hell.
After ten minutes or so, I finally arrived at my school; its white painted walls completely washed over by rain water. A few of fellow students walk huddled together toward the school entrance; each of them using an umbrella. The rain only got worse as every minute passed, so I hurried along and ran to the entrance at once.
What had completely crushed my mood was the fact that when I entered the school through the doors, the cold actually got worse. So, it must mean that whatever bad luck waiting for me today, it had settled itself nice and comfortable in my school, ready to jump at me when it feels like it. Oh, this day just keeps on getting better and better.
Trying to ignore my bad feelings, I walked briskly toward my shoes locker near the entrance. I opened the lock and pulled out a fresh pair of indoor shoes, and then I jammed my own shoes inside the locker. That's when suddenly an unfamiliar voice greeted me.
"Hey, are you a freshman too?"
I turned my head to see who it was; only to meet an unfamiliar blond boy about the same age as I was. His hair was a deep shade of honey blond; with a tuft of hair that stuck up awkwardly from his bangs. His eyes were a startling shade of blue, gazing in a friendly manner at me.
The first thought that strike into my head, however, was, "I don't like him." Not a very encouraging thought for me to get all warm and friendly with him, of course. Oh, and what was worse? When I saw him, a sudden stroke of cold wave hit me.
So, instead of answering the boy's question, I turned away from him and walked briskly toward the hallway that led to the classrooms.
"Hey!" he actually had the guts to call after me. I ignored him pointedly and instead sped up to get into my class.
After walking for five minutes or so, I finally sighed with relief. Bad lucks must be avoided; I'd rather got into an early state of antagonism with the kid than having to face my own destruction by mingling with him. When I finally arrived in my classroom, class X-D, I dropped my bag onto my seat by the windows. The class was still empty; the windows opened to let soft breeze blew into the room.
After I swept my gaze over the entire classroom, I stormed off to the library, as I always did.
"Arthur-kun? Arthur-kun, don't sleep in the library!"
My eyelids fluttered reluctantly as I opened my eyes. Oops. It looks like I had accidentally fallen asleep while I was reading in the library. The soft sofa I sat on combined with the cool breeze that blew into the library had successfully lulled me to sleep. In front of my sofa, stood my classmate and my best friend, Kiku Honda. His jet black hair fell smoothly like dark silk, and his dark brown eyes were staring with concern at me.
"Are you alright, Arthur-kun?" he asked, gazing intently at me.
"Yeah. Just fallen asleep accidentally, that's all," I grinned weakly.
Although he still seemed to be worried, Kiku said to me, "Arthur-kun, I just heard a startling news from Heracles-sensei."
"Oh, really? What is it?" I glanced curiously at Kiku.
"It seems we're gonna have a new transfer student," Kiku replied absentmindedly as he gazed outside through the opened windows. "And they said that he's someone famous."
I yawned disinterestedly and said, "What is it this time? A singer?"
"I have no idea. The teacher wouldn't tell me," Kiku frowned with slight irritation. "But apparently, it must be a boy, because the girls in our class had practically gone wild over it."
I groaned and closed my eyes. I could just imagine those girls, screaming and sighing over the new student. Just the perfect recipe for a morning headache.
Oh my dear God in Heaven. It was that boy I met near the lockers. The one with honey blond hair and blue eyes. The teacher said that he was a singer or something like that. All the female students had gone all 'aww' when he introduced himself. His name was Alfred F. Jones. Hah! As if a singer would ever wear a name as plain as Alfred.
Well, I was too busy holding the content of my stomach to actually pay any attention to the introduction. The girls in my class had successfully made me gag like hell! They all wore the same puppy-dog expression as they stared at the blond that was introducing himself; the fool was completely oblivious to the ruckus he had created. I guess all the girls hoped that there'll be a big bada-bing, bada-boom, and the boy would fall in love with them. Yeah, right.
Anyway, when I got back into class with Kiku, the girls were chatting loudly about useless stuff such as lip gloss and make-up. I thought they were all planning to look like a hooker to welcome the new kid. Ignoring the loud chats that floated around us, me and Kiku walked briskly to our chair. Kiku's seat was actually located right behind mine. While I was frowning with distaste, Kiku's expression was actually quite amused. How he could feel amused by this whole mess, I absolutely had no idea.
Oh, anyway, after the whole introduction mess was done, Heracles-sensei woke up and said, "Okay then, Alfred. You can sit right there in that empty seat beside Arthur."
My eyes widened in disbelief. Sitting right next to that national molester? No way in hell I would just accept that! Immediately, I raised my hand.
"Yes, Arthur?" Heracles nodded to me.
"Must he sit next to me? I refuse to sit beside a fag like that, thank you!" I said sharply to him; earning dozens of deadly glares from the girls in the class. I bet they would kill to be able to sit next to the faggy pop star. Well, I'm not a fag, so I will not sit next to one.
"I'm sorry, Arthur, but there are no other seat left. I'm afraid that he has to sit there," Heracles replied sleepily, scratching the back of his head.
"Why don't you just swap his seat with other guy's seat? Besides, I'm sure there are a dozen of other girls who'd love to sit next to him," I continued.
"Sorry, but no, Arthur, and that's the end of it. We should continue our lesson now," said Heracles-sensei. Great, now, I gotta sit next to that blonde playboy until god knows when.
While Heracles-sensei fumbled with his books, Alfred walked straight toward his new seat. He dropped his bag and stared at me with a weird gaze. It seemed like an interested gaze, but there was something else in it, and whatever it is, it made me feel uncomfortable. He continued to scrutiny me with his gaze before he finally said cheerfully, "So, we meet again, huh?" It seemed that he was completely ignoring the fact that I had just called him a fag minutes ago.
I chose not to say anything to him. Besides, I could feel that there was a lot pair of eyes gazing at us. I just sat calmly, and ignore him. However, he continued to babble, completely ignoring the fact that I was ignoring him. God, I didn't know that boys are this tough. At least I'm way tougher than he is. I can endure it until… Well, until I graduated from high school, at least.
Time passed by pretty fast, and suddenly, it was twelve already. The bell rang loud and clear, and I grabbed my lunch to eat with Kiku. Beside me, Alfred stood up and grabbed his wallet from his bag. "Hey, Artie, would you like to have lunch with me?" he asked cheerfully.
Artie? What the heck...
Okay, I know I can endure it, but I just couldn't stand having him bugging me again and again and again! I wished I could just use magic to kick this brat's arse, but I knew full well that I could not do that. So I merely snorted in distaste and followed Kiku to the door. That Jones kid was still gazing at me with a weird interest as me and Kiku left the class to have some lunch together.
I didn't notice that the boy saw something on the floor behind me as I left. A necklace with an emerald pendant hanging from its delicate chain.
The bell rang again; signaling that lunch time was over. I had just finished my lunch when Kiku noticed something.
"Arthur-kun? Where is your necklace?" he asked curiously.
"My necklace?" I replied, still munching on bits of scone as we walked to our classroom.
"Yeah, the one you're always wearing, with that emerald stone?" she asked again. I rubbed my neck cautiously, searching for the necklace. I totally panicked when I realized that the necklace wasn't there.
That necklace wasn't just any necklace. It was a kekkai necklace, and it was used to control an under-aged wizard's power. Without that thing, an under-aged wizards' unstable power could blow up anytime like a time bomb. This is definitely a bad situation. I ran to class, totally panicked. I searched at my desk, my bag, my chair, everywhere, but I just couldn't find it.
"Have you found it yet?" asked Kiku worriedly.
"No! I just can't find it anywhere!" I hissed frantically. This is so bad. With my current emotional condition, I could blow up at any moment! Well, I still wanted to search for that damn necklace, when Ludwig-sensei entered the class. I groaned and forced myself to sit down.
I was preparing my books when that blonde playboy sitting in his chair beside me whispered something mockingly. "Lost something, huh?" he whispered. I turned my head slowly, and my eyes narrowed slowly. What did he just say to me? Lost something?
"What did you just say?" I hissed.
"Nothing, really. It's just that, if you still want that thing of yours, please meet me after school," he said mockingly. I froze mid-air as I realized what he had just said. Oh no. That necklace. That damn boy got it. Obviously, he won't just give it to me. What will he ask for it? Money? That was the only thing that I could think of. Obviously, he was aiming for money! All those singer brats are always aiming for money! Well, it was not like I didn't have any money, though. I had plenty of them, in fact. I just won't give them away so easily.
For the rest of the lesson, I just gazed outside the window, thinking about every possible way to shut that damn boy's mouth before he can blabber anymore shit from his mouth. Obviously, Ludwig-sensei became angry, and he told me to do some math questions at the blackboard. But for us wizards, science and other human's stuff are a cinch. Our brain capacity is about five times human's.
So, in the end of school, Ludwig-sensei already looked so irritated, but he couldn't be angry to me, since I had done all the questions all right. I grabbed my bag, and stuffed all my books into it. "Arthur-kun, wanna go to that ice cream store after this?" asked Kiku cheerfully from her chair.
"Err, no, thanks. Maybe tomorrow. I'm still looking for that necklace," I refused.
"Oh, okay then. Tomorrow, okay?" she replied. Then, he grabbed his bag and left the class. Now, it was just me and that Blondie inside.
"Okay, mongrel," I barked. "Give me my necklace if you don't want me to kick your butt."
He grinned slightly after seeing my reaction. "Whoa, slow down a little bit. Let's just go to the rooftop. It's more… comfortable there," he said, still cheerfully.
So, we went to the rooftop. Actually, the view there was quite nice, since my school was located near the beach. The sunset view there is pretty amazing. But with my condition right now, I just couldn't recognize them at all. After we arrived there, I put my bag down and stood stiffly. That blond playboy also put his bag down, and he grabbed something from his bag. My necklace, that is. My eyes narrowed at him immediately.
"Is this what you're looking for?" he asked me mockingly. "I found it at lunch time a few hours ago." I stiffened even more.
"Okay, you shit. Now you got it, and what do you want for it?" I hissed. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked me confusedly.
"Well, obviously you won't just give it back to me, won't you?" I replied rhetorically.
"Well, I had meant to just give it back, but if you thought I'd do such a thing, okay then!" he frowned as he replied. Oh, for god's effing sake, now I had provoked him! That's it; I'm so tired of this darn game. I want that necklace RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW! I dashed immediately, forgetting everything around me. Forgetting that this boy in front of me is a human, whom I could crush in just one punch. I had only one thing in my eyes. My necklace, sparkling in the sunlight.
Suddenly, without any caution, he grabbed my right hand. It was not strong enough to stop me, but it was enough to make me lost control of my balance. I crashed immediately to his body, nearly making him fell down. "Damn it, you…" I couldn't finish my sentence, because suddenly he leaned his body forward to me, and kissed me.
The effect totally hypnotized me. Even though I wanted to struggle off, it felt like I have no power to resist at all. His lips were so soft against mine, but at the same time it was also so forceful. And my head was really… empty. I couldn't think of anything at all. Well, at least until a second ago. Now, I regained my own consciousness, and immediately I pushed him away using all my power. I pushed him away so strong that he fell backwards immediately.
Then, it happened. As I panted for breath after the whole kiss, suddenly a magical circle appeared beneath us; glowing in a wicked blue glow. I recognized the patterns in the circle immediately. I've read it so many times in so many books; so many times that I could actually draw it without any difficulty.
It was the magical circle that only appeared when a wizard committed the highest taboo. It was the life binding circle.
A/N: This was actually an original fiction idea I made in 2008, but I decided to just kill it. Now, I tried to make it into a fanfiction, and you can see how awful it came out. Curse my damn writing skill! ; A ;