Greetings to all readers, and authors of the fanfic world of BF! I guess that few have known me by my comments to your stories. I have followed the growth of this fanfiction for a long time but haven't got the guts to write it, until now…
Komaru threw out the most dangerous challenge of all, create a romance genre story! And I think that Code will stomp her feet on us and dance on our bodies…
But I think I would get away with this… somehow.
And, lastly, enjoy the story!
From T
CosmicHacker presents
Found
Ratings: T (for romance and some languages I think not suitable for children)
Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Disclaimer: I don't own any BF characters, except my OC Tatsu/ Korugami Shinihara
Warnings: OC x Stein (bad news for Layla x Stein fans), slight OOC, and maybe wrong use of character names
Through the dark halls of the Hell Lord's residence, a figure could be seen, along with the echoing, clicking sound of boots. The figure turns out to be a young man in his twenties, with receding chestnut hairline, and a pair of sharp ocean eyes. His attire usually is an ocean and magenta shirt , with a matching cape attached on the shoulder pads, light brown trousers and metallic boots. The costume is well-decorated with gold, silver, and garnets. The person we are talking about is no other than Stein, the 4th summoner chosen by Grahdens, one of the Elder Summoners. Said man is strolling around the dark halls, deep in thoughts about the recent conflict between him and his summoner.
Speaking of the summoner…
Stein admits that he prefers the "former" Summoner than this version. Before the battle with the God of Gate, she rarely talks, especially to him (because he is infamous with his disrespect treatment to people, except his Grahdens-*cough*idol-*cough*-sama) makes her the hard target to tease. And now, her activeness is his new annoyance. Always wear a sarcastic face, in addition, widen eyes full of craze and hatred that could kill with just a single glare, even blurt out something that aren't related to the topic people are talking about. He hates every single feature of his summoner, from the way of laughing to the way of wielding a weapon, because of some reasons (probably scars him for life or his jealousy of someone being a rookie, suddenly becomes a major threat to the enemies- ah I leaked out his secret, didn't I? Well too late for him to cover it now).
So what makes him thinking so deeply about that event? They fight each other usually, so what's the point to worry? Why not other events, but this? Our friend right now is very confused at the stream of question keep flowing in his brain. Well, before we continue this timeline, let's reverse back a bit to where that event happened.
It was close to dawn. You can hear the sound of crickets ringing through the forest. And here stands the residence of the Lord, old, and gloomy.
Ravens marks this place as their home, so black feathers scatter all over the rooftop of the castle. Below, crimson spider lilies bloom at the most glorious beauty that people can't find any other in other places. Which makes this place dreary, and mysterious to adventurers.
A faint sob could be heard inside one of the castle's towers. There lied Stein, tightened his grip on the picture of himself, his squad, and someone who is dear to him. Said person is standing between him and a dark skin man, with sharp yellow eyes. Her face bears the most binding smile that he's ever seen, orange hair that tied in a ponytail, as you can feel her energy and her willpower. After the sobs, there are curses, grumblings continuously echoed through the room. But those activities were halted by some knocks on the door.
"Can I come in?"- An oh-so-familiar voice ringing outside the wooden door.
Stein prepared himself for the next statement, such as: "I'll break the door if you don't!", but such miracle happened that the Summoner didn't said that, instead:
''I have something… to tell you.''
Silence filled in the air.
''Please.''
What in the Grand Gaia that he's just heard? Please? Maybe this was a dream, just a plain dream-he slaps himself, the pain is real. Oh. He quickly turned the doorknob, revealed glowing crimsons, white with light red hue on the tip. The figure frowned:
"Why didn't you go to sleep? It's nearly midnight."
The other person formed an anime-style shocking face. First wanting to get inside his room, then asking him why didn't he sleep, "This psychopath couldn't get anymore crazier…" he thought. Like a hound, the Summoner quickly adverted her eyes directly into his ocean orbs.
"Again… isn't it?"
His face slightly turned pink for some reason… Couldn't hide his doings, he mumbled a yes. But the next thing came so fast that he couldn't recognize what had just happened to him: he was tackled, into a nearby wall, by the other. A black and red knife was pointed into his neck.
"Why…?"
"What why?"
"Don't try to hide me, Stein, I know, everything…"
The Summoner raised her face, and what he could see (because there wasn't anything to light up the room) was crimson eye, and the other eye's ring-like scalera glowed brightly, and lips formed a twisted grin.
"It's her right? All these years… you… tried to hide… just to cry for your long lost lovely girlfriend? I know what you do, what you eat, what you hide in your deepest, darkest corner of your soul, because YOU are DEAD, Stein, YOU. ARE. DEAD. And I'm the new ruler of the underworld, well, most of. So I have the right to know everything related to the dead, got it?"
"..."
"But why her? Why did you… - she did some hand gesture with the free hand- her? And not someone else? It has been brazillian years since that day, and YOU still haven't moved on? Why do you have to cry for… that person, every night? Why didn't you choose someone else? You are such an idiot, a freaking idiot… I just want to kick you so hard that you will come back to your sense, I want to kill you, in a most, painful way to wake you up -"
"Why haven't you kill me yet?"
"Oh yes I would love to, I should have killed you before, but guess what? I haven't. And why is that? Because I, I… I love you, mister I'm-the-best-and-you-are-all-idiots!"
At this part, tears flowing from the widened red orbs as the Summoner stabs the knife into the hand which was pinning Stein stuck at the wall, blood was flowing non-stop from the wound, as to ease the pain deep inside her soul. He widened his eyes at her action:
"What have you just done to yourself you idiot! Stabbing yourself, that's crazy! Also, your blood ruined my robe!"
The summoner loosened her hand, give him a painful glance:
"Okay, you can go now, I won't interrupt you…"
"But…"
"Just go! Get out of my sight for some split seconds!"
The next thing he realized that he was standing in the hallway.
"There you are!" A white haired girl tied into pigtails, wearing a black dress decorated with dark purple feathers runs towards his direction.
"What are you up to, Ivris?" He frowned.
"Nothing. Just wondering where have you been."
"I'm here, and now would you stop making that smug face?"
"Nope. i wonder… how are you and nee-chan going?" - the dark mage mention himself and her sworn sister with an excited face.
"Nothing, she asked me strange questions, then pinned me into a wall, then… confessed." he blushes a little at the last part, and Ivris quickly catches the tension forming around him.
"I ask you: do you have a thing for Layla?"
"Err… yes?"
"Is it truly that you have a thing for her, or that's just guilt for treating her badly?"
"I don't know…"
"Remind you, love and admiration, or friendship… are different. You like her because she is nice, skillful,… but that isn't enough. Do you feel weird inside you when you see her, or do you feel happy when you fight alongside her, or sharing every moments with her?"
"..."
"Ehe, your emotions are too predictable~ She is at where Maxwell's castle stood, confess or she'll lock up her soul again!"
"I wonder if you are a kid or what…"
"That's my little secret!" She says while spinning on her floating orb.
Ivris's right. Maybe he started to feel like in love when Layla protected him from that killing blow, when she smiled, despite her critical condition. That was guilt, mixed with a little gratefulness that she saved a jerk himself… And the one he truly found serene is no other than his summoner… maybe she doesn't talk to him much often, but thinks of him in every actions she made, he remembers her small smile she made when the squad won a battle with the demons, her entertainments with the musical instruments on earth everytime she spend a visit back to her homeland, her cute blushing face when someone compliments her looks… he sighs, shaking his head from the heat rising up to his face. He dashes to the castle as fast as he could, and curses himself when he realized he has the key to the gate of Saint Lamia.
When he reaches to the destination, he sees his summoner, sitting the cliff, dazing at the breathtaking scenery.
"It's you right?"
"As expected from you…"
"You come all the way here to humiliate me because of the stupid confession right? Carry on. I'm ready to be showered with your teasing."
"You are always thinking of me as a person who likes teasing people and looking at people like they're idiots…"
"Because it's your nature. Everyone knows."
"I know but not all the time!"
"Ha… whatever…"
"Can I sit here?" he pats the area that next to the Summoner. She replies with a slight nod, then, she sighs, chuckles a little.
"Do you know… my name isn't Tatsu at the first place."
Stein tilts his head. Not bothering what he's doing, she continues her statement:
"My given name, by my biological parents, is Shinihara. Korugami Shinihara, or Shinihara Korugami, in the way that you "European/American" calls. When my father married my stepmother, they changed my name into Tatsu… just don't know why…(can you guess it? By Japanese meanings and a little puzzle with the pronunciation)"
"I see… Shin, it's way easier than your new name when it comes to spelling."
She chuckles at his statement, but turns serious later:
"About what I said last night, just forget it,okay? I know that you have feelings for Layla, I shouldn't force you to…"
The Summoner is halted by a finger placing on her lips.
"That one… I was blind those days, the feelings I have towards Layla is nothing more than admiration and gratefulness, thanks to Ivris, I finally know the truth… about what my heart desires."
Then he stares directly into the Lord's orbs. As if known his implications, he looks at him surprised, but later on her face changes into a more serious one.
"This is a joke right? The whole thing you said… I'm not easy to be fooled by those cheap jokes."
She stands up, turn her heels back to the grasslands, fortunately the former summoner is quicker, grabs a hold of her before his chance fly away. The two stand there for a brief moment, until the female breaks the silence by slightly turning her head, revealing a full alerted face, she lowers her voice:
"What do you think you're doing? Let go of me, or I'll make you feel sorry later."
"Sorry, but I can't let you get away from me anymore, but I realized… you're best thing I never knew I needed."
THUMP
She never expects that someone would say such words to her. She was fooled, humiliated, and treated badly to the point of breaking herself. Since that day, she trusted no one and vowed to turned herself into the fearsome person like what she has become today. But if she was the thing for people to fear, then who will have the guts to befriend with her, or become the one that she will share her life with? She confuses, then kneels down, lets the warm tears running down her cheeks.
"I… I have no words to say, in this situation…"
"Say no more, just let go of your emotions, no need to hide it anymore."
She feels a sudden warmth at the back, a pair of arms swing over to hold the lithe body of herself, which is shaking, trembling at the flow of negative emotions. The male just simply holds her close, as if scared of her running away, doesn't bother to look back at him, and get used to her scent, smells like blood mixed cinnamon, if you ask. The sky has became a picture painted with orange, pink, and slight crimson at the horizon, clouds float lazily, and there are also a few birds flying to the setting sun.
As simply as that, they find each other.
Fin
Challenge: Completed!
Kudos to Komaru to give out the very interesting challenge, for me to get out of my corner!
So tell me your thoughts to my story! Criticisms are highly recommended!