So, I was trying to write something fluffy. It's my first time writing something like this, so I just merely hope it's not tragic.
I'm sorry for my horrible grammar, spelling and every other mistakes I've made. Hope it's readable.
„Elliot, I've found out about a new secret-passage! Let's skip tomorrow's classes and check it."
Leo's noisy attendance appeared before Elliot's eyes.
"Nobles do not skip classes." he answered. "But… we can do it on Sunday."
"Huh? Aren't you meeting with Vanessa on Sunday?" asked Les, puzzled.
He is. He also planned on going to a bookshop and buying the new volume of 'Holly Knight', which were released a few days ago. But checking a secret-passage sounds interesting. And Leo looks so excited about it…
"I can change my plans if I want to." He acclaimed.
Leo's smile is so lightfull … Elliot ran away with his sight onto textbook. "Now, can you help me with this one?"
Sunday came with a sunny, nice weather. The sky was almost completely fair, there were maybe two or three small clouds near the horizon. Both, Elliot and Leo were ready and waiting for their trip.
Leo leaded them to a dusty, narrow hall, which seemed not to have seen a human being for a lifetimes. Elliot observed in a silence as the smaller boy was manipulating with an old wall-candleholder, all covered with spider's nets. After a half of minute, the passage revealed itself to their eyes.
Leo made a step forward, carrying light from a single candle into its darkness. Elliot looked at a furry, rushy thing in the corner
"Is it a rat?" he asked with a weird tone.
"Could be. Are you afraid of rats, Elliot?~" asked Leo, carefully studying his friend's expression.
"N-no, of course I'm not!" acclaimed Elliot.
"Nobles do not fear rats." He added quietly, only for himself to hear.
The passage goes on and on. It seemed for them like an eternity has passed since they'd come into its tight space.
"You had to find the longest secret-passage that ever existed?" said Elliot, ready to start a fight with whatever around him.
"Looks like I really did." happily answered Leo.
Unexpected a weak light appeared in front of the path. It grown larger and larger, changing into a bright daylight, making them nearly blind, as they finally reached the end of the tunnel.
Once they came out of the passage, they could see a large, living forest, spread out in every direction.
"So that passage was actually a way out." said Elliot as he and Leo were glancing around.
"It's so peaceful. Like another, hermetical world, far away from the school, cities or everything else." said Leo with excitement.
"Yeah. It's beautiful." the young Nightray agreed. "Wanna take a walk?" he added with a wide smile.
How to survive in a forest in 5 steps
By Elliot N. and Leo B.
1. Do not interfere with wild animals.
"Who's the cutest, little" CLAW "You dared to attacked me! You dirty, furry… DIE!"
Bang.
The blade fell out from Elliot's hand.
"You can't slice an endangered species, Elliot. Apology to these poor mink." calmly said Leo, the still smoky gun laid in his palm.
"Can't you be on my side for once?!" Elliot gave a strange look to the furious animal. "But it'll bite me if I'd try…"
2. Find something to eat.
"Leo, look, I've found some mushrooms." Elliot proudly presented his discovery to the other boy.
"Elly, that's a Psilocybe semilanceata."
"Okay. Whatever."
"It's a psychedelic mushroom, you know~"
"…"
Two teenage boys were having some rest under a spreading tree. The wind pleasantly rustled with its leaves. One of the boys looked desirously at the tree's crown. The taller boy traced his sight up to a reddish apples.
"I could reach some if you would give me a leg-up…" offered Elliot, though stopped in the midd-word. "Ok, forget it. Climb up."
"Yummy." declared the dark-haired boy from above the former's shoulder. "Wanna some Elly?"
A weak cry, which could have been understood as "F-faster." was all he heard in respond.
3. Do not lose your way.
"We should be going or else we won't manage to came back before nightfall." Elliot stood up, throwing away some astray leaf from his fair hair. "Leo."
"Just a minute." muttered the latter.
"Leo…"
"Ok, I'm going." he replied in a little more angrier manner.
"But Leo… Which way?"
4. Do not split up.
"I've already told you! Here you puts a thicker branches and a thinner ones – there." Leo's expression clearly said, that he wasn't in mood for repeating himself.
"Who cares the heck about it!"
"I do! And maybe if you would be more concentrated about your actions, you wouldn't lost our way back!"
"Oh, so now it's my fault that we're lost?!" Elliot yelled back.
"Of course it's your fault! You're such a direction challenge!" Leo's forehead pulsated with big, red mark. But either was Elliot's.
"And where were you at that time, Mr. 'I know everything better'?!"
"I'm not your mother! Why don't you use that little brains you have and take care of yourself?!"
"Shut up, you mess-haired, noisy kid!"
Out of nowhere a branch after a branch flied straight into Elliot's direction.
"So stay here alone, you stubborn idiot!"
Elliot send a thick branch to chase Leo's back.
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Leo, where are you?!"
5. Set up a fire.
The night was growing dark pretty fast. Two teenagers have taken their places in front of a small bonfire.
"I thought it could be cold down there in that passage, so I brought them along." explained Leo, while putting some gray thing out of his bag.
Elliot's eyes grow wider, as he cried in surprise. "A blanket!"
"Yup. That one's for you, and here goes one for me." Leo smiled as he saw Elliot's joyful expression. He could bet, that the blonde-haired boy was freezing – Elliot always were horrible with low temperature.
Leo added some more branches into the fire and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Elliot noticed his movements.
"I'll bring more wood. If we go on like this, we won't have anything to burn within an hour." said Leo, sounding somewhat irritated. He shoot a look at a person, thanks to whom they've ran out of all the wood that fast.
Elliot decided to ignore noirette's gaze. He let out a sigh and stood up next to his friend.
"Go back, Elliot." said Leo in the manner that doesn't leave any space to quarrel.
"I'm not letting you alone! It's dark and it can be dangerous out there…" Elliot wasn't to give up so easily.
"I can see that you're shivering, Elliot. And I assure you that I know how to protect myself, so just sit down, cover yourself tightly with the blankets and watch the fire." instructed the noirette and disappeared into the forest, deciding not to wait till the other's respond.
Elliot was still sitting there, when Leo came back with a large pile of wood. Cold wind sang within leaves.
"You know, Leo, it's actually the first time we're really alone." he said, grinning.
"Elliot, the fire…" pointed Leo, futilely looking for a light.
"Who cares about the fire!"
"Well, you're the one, who is chattering his teeth out." he said.
"Just shut up and come here at least! I can promise I'll be warmed up in an instant."
Hearing that, Leo smiled with his most beautiful smile.
[Some time later…]
"Elly, can you climb off? Ugh, I can't sleep when you're lying on me."
"Stupid, it's cause I don't want you to sleep." He smiled evilly…
The rest is the silent~
The pair of blue eyes blinked and opened, when soft sunray tickled the boy's skin. Up above morning birds were praying the borning sun. The air was filled with a golden scent of autumn.
The flames were weakly licking a few thick branches – Leo must have woken up at the night and set up the fire again. It was still cold, but he was feeling the second boy's warm embracing all his body. A gentle smile sidled on his mouth for its own will while he was observing shining dewdrops lost within messy, dark hair. The noirette, still dreaming, muttered few words, making Elliot blush.
"Just what are you dreaming about?" He tried to cover embarrassment with anger.
He didn't dare to move, when the latter moved even closer to his side. He couldn't say how much time has passed like this, till Leo lazy opened his violets-like eyes and smiled on his nervous grumpy 'good morning'.
"Elliot" Leo muttered sleepily, still smiling "don't panic, but there's a spider in your hair~"
"You knew the way back and you didn't say a word?!" a strong yelling ran over the forest.
"I thought it'd be funny~" answered Leo.
"Hey, where are you going?! I'm still talking to you…!" The noirette ignored Elliot's voice behind his back and turned to a small thing lying in his hand.
"You see, if only Elliot stopped getting mad over everything for a while and looked around instead, he surely would have noticed these extremely specie of tree, which grows only in small area of this forest, north from the Academy." heard the black spider. "But that stumpheaded clearly prefers to yell at innocent an… Huh? What was that?"
"What was what?" Elliot stopped his lecture, rich in inventive utterances.
"I've heard something." answered Leo. Of course Elliot was making such a noise, that he wouldn't heard anything even if the whole world were breaking.
The red cloaks of three people appeared between green bushes.
"They're carrying something with them." coldly observed Leo.
"You're clearly out of luck today, Death Gods, cause I'm really pissed off right now." said Elliot in the same manner.
He ran, not waiting to discuss a plan. Not like they needed any, Leo knew what his master was about to do without words. He watched Elliot disappearing, then took his own position.
When Baskervilles found a boy standing in their way, at first they were stunned. Then they broke out in laugh. And that was something Elliot would never left behind.
"Hey, aren't you that kid from Latowidge?" asked a girl, grinning. "You're the friend of that Oz brat." she added with a slight of remembrance.
"And you're that silly girl, who likes to take what doesn't belong to her." responded Elliot.
"That 'silly' part wasn't nice, you know." said the girl with over-acted sorrow. The two men behind her stayed calm and quiet.
"I'm Elliot Nightray! And I'm not a friend with any Bessalius man." His voice were clear and loud enough for all of them to hear. "Better remember this." he added with smile as he charged at them, a sword in his hand.
He passed by the girl and attacked the bigger man, leaving a bleeding line on his arm.
"Boy, you're making a huge mistake. We don't have any interest in hurting you." Warned the man.
"You may not, but my duty is to have interest in sending you to hell, Baskervilles!"
With a 'whatever' expression the man accepted his challenge.
Elliot attacked him again. And again. His opponent was strong, though doesn't seem to be very familiar with that way of fighting. His swordsmanship was simple and intuitive, but his attacks were quite forceful and his protection was hard to break. Elliot saw with relief as the rest of Baskervilles took a few steps aside. He was clueless about how to deal with all the three of them, but it looked like the other two weren't to interfere in the duel.
At least as long as the girl hadn't became bored.
"Dug, stop playing with the kid." she shouted.
"Who's the kid here!" Elliot avoided the upcoming sabre. "Go play with your dirty toys in the Abyss, where you belong!"
"That's not the way you should address a lady." A big creature, which Elliot had seen once before, appeared at her side. "Maybe Leon should give you a lesson." She laughed. "Tell me, boy, did you really thought you can win against the Baskervilles?"
"There's no need for me to win" Elliot triumphed. "All I needed was to distract your attention."
All the Baskervilles immediately looked at the direction he had pointed, only to discover that the thing they carried was gone. The girl angrily gazed at two men, who were hopelessly staring at each other.
"Where did you…" she asked furiously, but Elliot had also already disappeared.
"So all that work was for nothing…" one of the men mumbled.
"It's…"
"A fairy. Yes."
Elliot was stunned. He helplessly gazed at the small figure flying around Leo's head.
"Elliot, you're bleeding."
"Oh, yeah." agreed Elliot, still staring at the glimpsy pair of wings.
"Elliot." Leo furrowed.
"Ok, ok." He tied some material, which he accidentally found in his hand, around his leg.
"Elliot, you shouldn't stare at a lady." Leo cautioned him with a sigh.
"Oh, right." Elliot, confused, turned his sight.
"Please, accept his apology." explained Leo. "He's…"
"Hey, I don't need a spokesperson!"
Elliot turned to a fairy. "I'm Elliot Nightray. It's an honor to meet you."
The fairy smiled in respond. "Nice to meet you, Elliot Nightray." Her voice was soft and melodic. "I would like to thank you for your help." She happily waved her wings. "As a return, I'll grant each of you a one wish."
Leo frozen.
This thing has bothered him since they'd met that Bessalius boy. Clear, melodic voice spread inside his head. "I can't fulfill that wish. Erasing the contract is far beyond my power in this world. I'm sorry, Leo."
So it's true. That thing really had happened. And Elliot…
His face shown no feelings.
Maybe illegal contractors don't have to die. Maybe if he doesn't use the power of chain, the seal won't move. Maybe he still can have a long, happy life. Maybe…
"I'm sorry…"
He wasn't listening anymore. Her soft voice had made his head ache. He is the weird one. He always was. So why, why Elliot?
"Can I have another request?"
I don't want to stay alone…
"Leo, is something wrong?" Elliot looked at his friend with concern.
The fairy had left to her own world and they were alone in the forest once again.
Leo forced himself to smile.
"No, it's nothing. I'm just tired. Let's go back, Elliot."
Elliot watched his friend's fake smile for a moment, but didn't say anything.
"Ok. Let's go back."
"You asked her to made me wear a cat ears?! And a tail!"
The next morning a loud shout spread across the Latowidge Academy.
"Yup. Calm down, Leo, you look really cute with'em. If I knew they'll fit you so well I'd have asked for much more than one day."
"Elliot!"
When Ada saw Leo that day, Elliot discovered the real face of jealousy.
Yuup. Side-stories ^^
1.
"Baskervilles actually were tricked by a two school-aged boys!"
"Calm down, Lottie. We just have a bad day. Still we're lucky that Glen-sama weren't there to see it…" said Fang.
"Cause he'd develop a new ways of painful death especially for us." the three of Baskervilles thought in unison.
2.
"He made me wear a cat ears and tail! Such an embarrassment…" thought Leo, pretending to be feverishly reading. "There's only one way to erase that memory from everybody's minds…" He turned a page. "Baskervilles, get ready! We've got a tragedy to perform!"
