Thank you Ariliii, for being such a dedicated and careful beta-reader for this story.:)
Disclaimer: The characters Soubi and Seimei do not belong to me.
Ever wondered what caused Seimei to lash out at his Fighter in "Long Night"? This story is set a few hours before the events in "Long Night". It can also be read on its own. Enjoy:)
The Evening Before - Part One
Evening. The settting sun cast a pale reddish glow over the Seven Moons Academy, seemingly foreshadowing the bloodbath that would soon occur. Metaphorically speaking of course.
A scene of mayhem greeted Agatsuma Soubi's eyes as he contemplated the usually clean, pristine and quiet corridors of the school. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but how else would one describe over fifty Fighters and Sacrifices rushing madly about, trying to find their companion, the other half of a pair?
It was the first training session of the new term and the students' spirits were abnormally high, eager for their first fight, eager to draw blood. Not so for Soubi however. If left to his own devices, Soubi would have absolutely no inclination to fight. However, this was not the case now; Soubi had a Sacrifice to protect, a Sacrifice to command him. And if fighting was the wish of his Sacrifice, then Agatsuma Soubi would willingly oblige.
But first, he had to find him. In the midst of the chaotic disorder, with students rushing left and right to search for their partner, Soubi closed his eyes and reached. He could feel it, pulsing strong and thick, the thread, representing the bond between them, that bound him to his Sacrifice and told him where his Sacrifice was.
Soubi opened his eyes and headed in the direction of the music room. It never occurred to him to call for his Sacrifice to come to him; it was as natural as breathing that Soubi should be the one to go to where his Sacrifice was, which he proceeded to do so with rapid speed, his long legs allowing him to move twice as quickly as compared to those who were not so blessed.
Arriving at the closed door of the music room, Soubi hesitated. Should he enter? After all, his Sacrifice had given no such order. As unpredictable as his Sacrifice was, Soubi was leery of arousing his anger. He decided that the most prudent course of action would be to knock on the door.
"Enter." The command given, Soubi relaxed and obeyed. Upon entering the brightly lit music room, his gaze was drawn to the lone person in the room. Black curly hair framed his sharp face and chiseled features and his soft, black cat ears were his crowning glory. Dressed in a black long sleeved t-shirt with a loose dark green tunic thrown over it and dark pants, he was currently lounging on the piano seat at the far end of the room. Yet, although shorter than Soubi, Aoyagi Seimei just had a way of dominating the room with his mere presence.
Aoyagi Seimei: the other half of the pair sharing the name 'Beloved', Sacrifice to his Fighter; his Master. Soubi moved towards Seimei hesitantly, unsure of his actions. Seimei's lips curved. "Come, sit by me." He tapped his foot on the ground once, indicating the spot he wanted Soubi to sit at. Soubi instantly complied, settling down to Seimei's right, with his long legs stretched out, head resting on the piano seat. Never mind the fact that they were supposed to be having a training session, that they were supposed to be battling against other students, Soubi was content to just sit by Seimei's feet; he was totally uninterested in any other interactions. After a moment, Seimei entwined Soubi's long golden strands of hair in his fingers, carelessly playing with them. Soubi tensed slightly at first – Seimei never touched him without causing pain of some form – but soon relaxed. Since there was absolutely nothing that he could or would do to stop Seimei, there was no point in worrying about it. Idly, Soubi wondered what form the first hit would take. Would it be a sharp yank to his hair? A blow across the face? Or a cut to his torso?
This momentary peace was soon shattered by the sound of the music room door creaking open. "See Yumi, I told you they would be here." Two figures entered the room. The first person was a youth of about the same age as Soubi, with curly dark brown hair and an impish grin, the second, a younger, bespectacled girl with a serious demeanor. Both still had their cat ears attached.
"Hey, Aoyagi and Agatsuma, aren't you going to greet your guests? Or am I interrupting your cosy get-together?" His tone and manner cocky, the youth swaggered over to stare down at the two sitting figures. Soubi glanced at the youth disinterestedly. He recognized him as Hanayama Jirou, one of his classmates in language class. Since Fighters had to battle using words, they had to have an extensive vocabulary; hence language class could be considered the most important class taught in school. Soubi remembered Hanayama as one of those obnoxious students who questioned the teacher's every word. Oh yes, he would not hesitate to take down Hanayama should the chance arise.
He shifted his glance to his Sacrifice, waiting for Seimei's orders. Seimei stared at the youth coolly, not even deigning to answer. His response instead, was directed to the girl. "Do you wish to battle us, Etou-san?" His smile was his usual deceptively gentle one.
The girl, Etou Yumi, pushed her spectacles higher with her forefinger, then turned her serious thoughtful eyes on Seimei. "Yes, Aoyagi-kun, I believe I will. Jirou-kun, please prepare for battle. Aoyagi-kun, do you accept our challenge?" Seimei's smile evolved into a predatory smirk. "Oh, I was waiting for it, Etou-san. Only a few people are qualified to challenge me and you happen to be one of them. I accept your challenge. Soubi, get up."
At that order, Soubi stood up from his sitting position with alacrity. He faced Hanayama and Eto, his stance one of readiness. Hanayama raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Just like a trained dog. Neh, don't you agree, Yumi?" Etou tilted her head slightly to one side and brought her thumb to her lips. Sucking slightly on it, she murmured. "His behaviour does seem to resemble one doesn't it?"
Seimei smirked at their blatant tactics. He rose from the piano seat and strolled to stand behind Soubi, confident that his Fighter would not rise to the bait. Sure enough, Soubi merely folded his arms and flipped his blonde hair over his shoulders, a small smile playing about his lips. Dog or tool, it did not matter – he belonged to Seimei and that was all that was important. From behind him, Seimei gave an order. "Defeat them." Soubi bowed his head in acknowledgment of the order.
Hanayama scowled when that failed to provoke a reaction from Soubi. Irritated, he stated, "Let's start. We are Enraged. We challenge you to a fight. Battle system, expand!" Reaching up to remove his spectacles, Soubi pronounced calmly, "We are Beloved and we accept your challenge. Battle system, expand." At those two statements, darkness enveloped the music room, bringing the four persons into a state of alternate reality. All the furnishings were still there; the piano stood quietly in the corner, the violins lay peacefully on the racks and the drum set squatted mutely beside the piano. Yet somehow, these furnishings seemed somewhat diminished, their colours not as vivid as before. For in this world, nothing mattered except words and the spells which they would form.
Names in Japanese
Original characters:
Hanayama Jirou - 花山治郎
Etou Yumi -江藤夕美
From wikipedia:
Aoyagi Seimei -青柳清明
Agatsuma Soubi - 我妻草灯 ,
I love playing with names...please read and review!