Warning(s): Graphic depictions of violence, strong/explicit language, and possible explicit sexy times in the future (no promises though).
A/N (please read): Just to make it clear: though this story takes place in the Darker Than Black universe, the characters will not be meeting Hei, Yin, etc., nor will it in someway follow the anime's plot. Although there will be some influences from the anime here and there, it won't be much. That, and only the concepts of Contractors, Obeisance (a.k.a Contracts, which is what they'll be called in this story to make it less complicated), Regressors, and Moratoriums will be used (as I've decided that for those who haven't watched the anime, including Dolls to that list would've been too confusing and frankly, unnecessary).
The Sky Belongs to Us
The man in front of me is squirming in his chair, trying to free himself from his restraints. Hand shaped third-degree burns litter his exposed arms and chest, the restraining ropes cutting deeper into his skin the more he struggles, his blood now seeping through the ropes. I sigh as I look at the pudgy old thing. Couldn't this human comprehend that he was only making it worse for himself?
"Please! I'm beg-"
Dios mío, how I hate beggars...which is exactly why I don't even let him finish. His entire body becomes engulfed in flames before he can even finish uttering his pathetic plea, his screams echoing all around the deserted warehouse, the beautiful sounds not being able to reach a proper audience. I watch his flesh quickly crackle and turn black, the smell of burning flesh now pungent in the air. Reveling in the smell, I deeply inhale it with each breath I take.
It's marvelous...truly marvelous.
"Mon ami, don't you think you went a bit too far? We might've been able to get more information out of him."
I turn my head around to see my partner lighting a cigarette, his blue eyes watching me in what looks to be amusement. With a laugh I turn back to look at my masterpiece, watching as its skin begin to turn to ash and flake off.
"No...there was nothing else that we didn't already know. This was simply to verify the information that Prussia found and to give them a message from our superiors." My partner sighs half-heartedly before the sound of his footsteps can be heard, each step coming closer to me until they stop right next to me. Though I feel his presence, I don't bother to turn and look at him. A funny thought enters my mind though and I smile, immediately voicing it to him.
"Aren't you afraid of getting your pretty suit dirty, France?" I ask lightly.
I smile widely when I hear him respond with a laugh, before finally turning to face him. He's wearing a very expensive (at least that's what he told me) white suit, with a bright purple dress shirt underneath. Like always, the shirt has about three buttons open in order to show off a portion of his chest. His blond hair is a bit longer in length and he keeps some scruff on his chin. Something about how the men and women love the look, and how he always needed to be prepared for "l'amour." It doesn't make any sense to me but it doesn't matter, so long as his clothes don't compromise the Mission. He could be naked for all I care.
"Like what you see, mon ami?" he asks with a devilish smile on his lips. There's a glint of something else in his eyes but I don't bother to think twice about it. I'm long used to it by now. For some reason he always looks at me like that.
Suddenly, my chest starts to tighten and my mouth waters. Knowing that I can't go any longer without one, I reach into my specially-made leg holster to grab the one thing that makes the obsessive feeling go away. But more importantly, it allows me to make more beautiful masterpieces like the one in front of me. Putting it up to my mouth, I take a huge bite of the sweet fruit, not caring if the juice runs down my chin. I look towards my creation, now noticing how his screams have died down. Huh, what a shame...
...
I wonder if I could make it burn different colors if I tried.
Beside me, France makes a sound of disgust, the way he always does whenever I'm forced to follow my Contract.
"I can't believe that you actually enjoy eating those raw like that!" he exclaims dramatically, with what I'm assuming to be an equally dramatic pose. I roll my eyes playfully. I swear, if he could make himself sparkle I think he would.
"I happen to love my Contract, thank you," I reply before taking another huge bite of the fruit. France sighs before wrapping his arm around my shoulders, joining me in watching my masterpiece continue to burn.
"Only you would love to eat a tomato as part of your Contract, Espagne."
I smirk before plopping the rest of the tomato in my mouth.
"Do you think I can change the colors if I try?" I muse after finishing chewing, nodding my head towards the flames in front of us. I'm still itching to know if it's possible. France laughs, his body shaking my own with the force of it.
"Of course you can, mon ami. However...," he moves the wrist on my shoulder to get a better look at his watch. "We should be on our way now. I think we've been here long enough, don't you agree?" I sigh, he's right. We've already spent way too much time here.
"Let's go then," I relent, reluctant to leave my masterpiece so soon. I allow France to gently lead me away from the warehouse and towards the awaiting car that's outside, summoning the familiar warmth in my chest when we're a safe distance away. The building behind us explosively bursts into flames soon after and France laughs loudly besides me, turning to get a better look.
"You couldn't have waited until we were in the car to do that?"
When he looks back at me, I grin widely at him, allowing my teeth to show. I feel a small tremor go through his body as a result.
"Lo siento, I guess I did get carried away there, didn't I?" With that being said, I shrug his arm off so that I can properly get into the passenger seat of the car. Before getting in though, I glance over to where France is about to enter the driver's seat.
"Oi, France?"
France stops, looking at me over the top of the car with a puzzled look on his face.
"Don't forget, I am a Contractor," I say, smiling innocently at him, "I can assure you that they will have no problems identifying the body of Mr. Smith. I was simply trying to help the authorities find the place better. That's all." I barely catch the look of amusement on France's face before I slide into the car and close the door. Taking another tomato from my holster, I begin to eat it, watching the warehouse burn through tinted windows as I savor the flavor. Even after the sound of the driver's door closes and the engine starts up, I continue to watch in the review mirror until it's completely out of view. After a moment of silence France finally speaks, his tone hushed.
"How could I forget what you are, mon ami? After all, we Contractors don't have any emotions to get in the way of our decision making. We are rational beings to the core."
I don't respond as I lean my head against the cold glass, now looking up at stars in the night sky. Our sky...with our stars. I smile to myself. Yes, the sky belongs to us now, and it always will be.