Heart
of Steel
~*~
15th December 34XX~*~
I
don't know how important this will be for our researches about magic and
studies of ancient remains, but today, in a sealed ruin, my father's team
found the sparkle of a little life trying to hibernate. It's amazing the
enormous energy this little bundle carried. Such an enormous power… but it was
surely not hostile, and that's what permitted me to follow the main team
during the exploration.
When
we first explored the ruins, after detecting such high level of power, me and my
companions were expecting to find ourselves face to face with a machinery, or
–as the most pessimist of us kept suggesting- deep buried within the earth
could be nothing else but a mutated monster. The only thing I'm sure of is
that we weren't expecting what we found.
After
moving down a long series of winding passageways, we entered a dimly lighted
hall. As we first stepped inside, one of us, whose identity still has to be
discovered, touched something, activating some hidden mechanisms. A secret
engine pulled on the ropes and cables tangling above our heads and connected to
a crystal coffin in the middle of the room. We watched in awe as the cage of
glass was opened and… what was inside it reactivated, or awoken, struggling to
get out in a cloud of streaming vapour.
I
remember clearly rushing toward the coffin as the steam rose until its vapours
disappeared from sight. Something had been calling me there. Something
afterwards I realized to be a child's cry. Because that's what I was
gripping to my chest when I came out from the fog.
An
infant.
~*~
20th April 34XX~*~
The
little life we found in the ruin is surely a result of the battle of the One
Thousand Years, the one that decided the countries' borders and confines as we
know them.
This
boy is from the time of legends. From the realm of mist. From the ancient times
when scientists stepped in the realm of Gods…
He
uses the forbidden powers as they were toys. What people of centuries ago wanted
from this little boy? Why gift the innocents with the power of killing?
The
realm of Gods… we should have never tread…
~*~
20th January 34XX~*~
This human-looking child is growing up among us. Surprisingly, this child
knows what pain is, although he's surely been designed to be a weapon. If he
can learn pain, then I'm sure he can learn love as well. Compassion. Kindness.
He can be taught the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. I plan
to teach him the difference myself, for I find myself communicating with this
weapon child as if I'm his relative. Yes, this child, despite the reasons and
circumstances of his birth, is more human that anybody else I know. That's why
I came to a decision.
From this day forward, this boy will be my brother.
His name will be…
~*~
Hikari's POV~*~
"Damn them!" I shriek as Nefertimon dodges another one of the blasts
showering on us from the dozens of digimon chasing our little retreating group.
"They're still giving chase…" I whine. "We've entered Willow
territory, and they still don't give up!!" I scream, burying my face in the
snowy fur of the digiwomon's neck.
We
sneaked into the Slayelth Empire territories, in the southern hemisphere of our
world, due to a letter my brother Taichi received few days ago. None of us know
what was written on that letter. The only thing we know is that our leader
crumbled it and tossed it into the fire place, before announce that he would
have --- "Look out, Nefertimon!!!" pheeeeew… ---would have guided us out
to Axia's Castle -the residence of the Emperor- to find someone and bring them
with us. What neither of us was expecting was that Daisuke would lock Taichi
inside his room and take command of the mission in his place. In truth, I
expected Dai to do something like that to prevent Taichi from expose himself to
the risk but… now we've lost Dai. He is in the castle, somewhere, searching
for this someone none of us knows.
This
world, Gaia, under the protection of the four Guardianmon who guard the cardinal
points and govern the elements, used to be a Paradise covered with green fields
and lush woods. However, as a result of the war of One Thousand years, most of
the grasslands as been reduced to wastelands.
Legends
say that, to end the conflict, some scientists lead by a certain Yukio Oikawa
committed a sin in the eyes of God, and the fury of the Guardmon came to punish
them. No one know what such sin was, but they did perpetuate the memory of the
punishment. They say the trembling earth opened in two, erupting flames that
scorched the heavens; whirlwinds ragged the continents and waves high enough to
brush the sky inundated them. Mankind and monkind survived somehow, and now,
after one thousand year, people have built a new civilization on the wastelands.
Woods are back to cover the earth and Oceans and lakes aren't just a vague
remembrance anymore.
On
this, the largest continent of Gaia, a war has been raging between two countries
for the past centuries. In the southwest of the continent lies the Slayhelth
Empire. In the northeast lies the free country of Elenyak where our hometown,
Aria, is.
The
war has gone on for so long that the people have forgotten the cause, knowing
only the tremendous pain and rage it brings. But its circle of warfare
encountered a devastating change when Osamu Ichijoiji ascended to the throne at
the tender age of 11. He began using the tools and weapons excavated from the
ruins in order to increase Slayelth's military power and also encaged his own
brother inside the castle. The various weapons excavated from the ruins greatly
changed the form of warfare, since these weapons seems to work sucking dry our
Planet's vital energy.
Take
the Tear Orbs for example. Little spheres which have the power of the six
elements within themselves. They spring spontaneously out of the ground, blossom
from plants or condense from thin air or water. Once used they dissolve,
sometimes giving birth to another Orb. They're drops of this Planet's blood,
and we haven't had the certainty that –once used- they'd join again this
Planet's spirit for many years. Now we know their energy =does= come back to
the Planet eventually, but this process is very, very slow. Then again what's
really terrible is that Emperor Osamu has been building up factories of Orbs and
weapons that suck this world's energy at a rate Gaia can't keep for too
long.
This
world's dying. And we- the Rebels- are fighting to prevent such terrible fate
from happening.
This
is where it all begins.
~*~
Dai's POV~*~
"Let's get this over with…" I mutter to
myself, getting rid of the Slayhelth uniform a… bystander soldier has so
kindly lend to me. I chuckle to my self, throwing away the helmet that's
smoothening my hair. Here it goes my hair stile, I think, putting out a frown.
Oh well…
With
a shrug I begin exploring the castle, hoping with all my mind Taichi won't
hurt me =too much= once I come back. I don't think it's pretty to be
mock-seduced by one of the people you trust and care for the most only to end up
locked inside your bathroom with only your pants on. Err… thinking about it I
just hope he won't =kill= me.
I sustain to walk, my back pressed against the cold, slightly wet rock
wall, slowly heading upstairs. The corridors are dark, save
for the candles standing upon large candelabras bordering the path. I
got Taichi into telling me who I've to meet has a some sort of charm on, so
that I can recognize them. Problem is, I've no idea how this charm looks like…
I
slow down my pace as I reach upstairs, licking my lips as I round a corner…
only to be introduced to the most breathtaking pair of eyes I've ever seen in
my life. I reel back slightly, the breath getting caught in my throat. My whole
vision is filled with shining purple, for the eyes that seems to bore into mine
are huge and shiny, brighter than amethysts and deeper than the night sky. And
truly, I have to swallow several times before my mind reconnects with reality.
My
knees are getting week as we just stare at each other, and I fear I'm
trembling slightly. Slowly, I crane my neck, bending slightly forward to catch a
glimpse of the face where such unforgettable eyes are set. A face I can only
imagine to be beautiful, hidden under the violet cloak this angel wears.
What
seems to be a boy about my age brushes a silky tendril of dark hair out of his
face and swallows, fidgeting madly. "Could you… could you please let me
pass?" he asks shyly, holding closer the little bundle he carries. I shake my
head with a grin, eliciting a soft gasp from him.
"You're
too beautiful to let you go like this." I… that was =me=?! Oh my… I must
have gone crazy, talking to someone or, to be more accurate, to a stranger, like
that… "Tell me who you are first…" I whisper softly, my Ladies man
instinct kicking into action. Or better yet, my boys man instinct.
He
shakes his head frantically, hugging the bundle even closer, almost as if scared,
but the aura of nobility that seems to enclose him doesn't waver in the
slightest. His shoulders are thrown slightly back. Despite his shyness, his chin
is raised proudly. His chest moves slowly and rhythmically, as if moving it
quicker could somehow disturb this feeling of nobility he has. Then, he stops
his head, blinking his huge amethyst eyes at me, making my knees buckle… Damn,
where's Ladies Man Dai when you need him?!
"Ach'ra
Thras?" he whispers
in an exhalation, wide-eyes blinking quickly, mouth the slightest bit dry. And
I'm abruptly driven out my dreamland of violet eyes and dark hair.
"Uh?"
"Arhalma
thrat. Seeyujiu kreenoos-ne." A smile finds his way over his lips and soon
he's smiling broadly at me, giving me that kind of smile that makes my body
turn into jelly. "Ken jobu seenjo ne. Vee-pa
suriyokr."
"What?"
He giggles, and not caring for how mushy this can sound, I swear my Angel's
voice is just like his eyes: sweet and soft… divine…
"I'm
Ken…" he says, tipping his head to a side. "And I think you are the one
I've been waiting for." I cast a glimpse at the charm hanging around his
neck, and suddenly understand, but this is too much of a good chance to throw it
away like that.
"Really?"
I reach out to slid off his hood, revealing a painfully beautiful pale face.
"I knew you were the one I've been dreaming all my life, too…" He
blushes, retreating one step backward, and I can't help but grin at both my
boldness and his shyness.
A
stray tendril of silk falls loose on his shoulders and my hand is in it as I
realize I'm
moving closer to him also. Our lips slowly floats closer until they're
millimetres away from each other. He somehow feels…right,
in my arms. Perfect. Yeah,
I may feel flirty whenever I am around pretty girls… and boys, in Aria, but
mostly because no one in my hometown seems not to have fallen head-over-heels
for me. Of course, I love them all, but because they're my family. But… Ken…
Ken feels… different… not because for the first time someone's shyly
resisting me, but because… it feels like I've been created only to meet him.
To hold him… to… touch him. To feel his bare skin against mine… to tangle
my legs around his…to—
Since Lady Luck
really seems to dislike me when it comes down to romance, a guard comes running
toward us, bare teeth and killer eyes. A part of me thanks him silently for
snapping me out of such thoughts. I've never thought about =that= before. Not
even with Hikari… not even with Takeru… then why does Ken…
"Senhytle-pa!!"
The soldier rages. "Ken to seriuu ashtalmas siich!!"
"Yeah dude,
whatever." I shot back, grabbing Ken's wrist and dragging him downstairs.
"Motomiya Daisuke." I shout to him. And then after a minute of hesitation I
add, "Or better, Dai," while dashing downstairs madly. "TAKERU!!!" I
yell, looking around frantically. When, after dozens of calls, he doesn't
reply, I throw my head backward, yelling at the top of my lungs. "TAKE-CHAAAAAAAN!!!!
You specialized kind of idiot, where =are= you?!?!?!?!"
"At your service,
my beloved." I stare at him for a moment as he literally appears at my side
from thin air.
"What do we do, =now=?!"
"We finally have
our first time, since we're about to die?" I glare at the blonde now running
next to me, wondering how he could joke at a moment like this.
"TAKERU!!" I yell,
and sense Ken trying to struggle free from my grip. Not questioning why, I yank
the amethyst eyed boy toward me, holding him close to my chest as we keep
running.
My blonde companion gives
his shoulders a shrug as we walk past a window and leaps, two-footed, over the
metal railing that acts as a barrier between us and ocean below. He looks at me
over his shoulders, and with a mute kissing motion, jumps down.
"…shit…"
I murmur, climbing on the rail, and carefully tugging Ken up with me. He's
squirming openly now, and he would start shouting if he didn't knew that would
summon more guards. I wonder what's wrong for a moment, but don't let his
arms go. We just stand here, looking into the dark, blue oblivion below us. Then,
he roughly frees himself from my grip.
"You're
suicidal." He hisses callously, and I stumble backward for the coldness in his
voice. What…?
"Ken?!"
He
slaps the hand I'm tentatively raising toward him, his eyes burning a hole in
my face. "Don't. You. Dare. To touch. Me."
A
grunt escapes him, and he rubs his hands actively against his arms. The heel of
his left boot slides down the edge of the rail, and he wavers for a moment, then
takes a last, venomous, look at me before jumping down, pushed by the voices of
the guards coming quickly closer. With a blank stare, I look as he land
perfectly on Pegasosmon's back. Takeru waves at me, grinning openly, but for a
moment I can't move.
Ken…
seemed… disgusted, when I touched him.
Disgusted.
Repulsed. Horrified…
…by
…me?
~*~
Takeru's POV~*~
"Aw, SHIT!!" Daisuke yells when the fire
breaks out in the castle. The soldiers must be throwing Red Tear Orbs at him. A
very =huge= amount of those, I observe cynically. My tan skinned companion
leaps from the window, and then lands on one knee on my digimon's back. Don't
ask me how he did it. He simply did.
He
has been lucky, though. He got out before a beam fell in front of the window,
blocking off the only way out. The purple haired boy glares at my Dai venomously,
and I blink first at him and then at Daisuke. He seems to be lost in thought, a
look of hurt crossing his fine features. I open my mouth, intending to ask him
what's wrong, but he shakes his head at me pleadingly. I comply the mute plea,
closing my mouth and nodding back at him, unable to stop my mind from wondering
what could have happened since we split up to search the castle.
At
my side, the purple haired boy begins to shiver, and I don't understand why
until I lift my gaze to see billionths of Blue Orbs showering upon us.
Ice
Orbs.
This
means… I can't even end my thought that the rage of a storm hits us. Snow
lashes our skin. Cold wind bites our flesh. Ice scratches it, clinging to our
hair and clothes, our vision blurred by pouring water.
"The
wood!" Daisuke yells, gripping my shoulder. "To the west!"
"All
right!!" I shout back, digging my heels in Pegasosmon's sides, urging my
steed into a light gallop, and resting my face on his soft furry neck to shield
my face from the storm's rage. And soon enough, the snow and the wind aren't
the only things whipping our skin.
Arrows.
Thousands
of arrows are raining upon us.
The
winds tosses Pegasosmon around like a rag doll trapped in a washing machine.
Behind me, I hear Daisuke gasp and call out a name I soon understand to be the
purple haired boy's. Ken.
I
look at them over my shoulder, eyes squinted in the wind. Ken's collapsed on
Daisuke's shoulder. There's an arrow in Ken's side, and several others are
in Daisuke's shoulders, who obviously shielded Ken with his body. I widen my
eyes in mute horror, reaching out behind me to touch Daisuke's arm, but he
shrugs my hand away, shacking Ken frantically, rubbing his hands over his sides
to warm him up. But the last thing the purple haired =jerk= says before losing
consciousness is, "Don't… touch… me."
*
* * * *
By
the time the storm ends, we're in the middle of nowhere and carrying an
half-dead boy with us. When I finally move away from my digimon's neck, the
sun is just coming down on the horizon, brushes of mauve and deep orange running
through the velvet sky for some added effect. Exhausted, Pegasosmon lands into a
snowbank
to catch his breath, his huge wings wavering around his body. As he walks, I
turn around on his back to look at Daisuke and Ken, still gripping to each other
even through sleep.
I
reach out to shake them awake, knowing all too well how dangerous it is to sleep
in such a cold place, while my digimon slowly approaches a snowy hill and starts
to ascend it. When he reaches the top, I take a look at the half-frozen
territory around us. Few meters above and below us the snow disappears, to make
room to a green clearing. An half-frozen stream gurgles at my side, and the
trees ahead of us whisper in the breeze. Pegasosmon draws in a deep breath, the
cold air striking the insides of his mouth and nose. Grimacing to himself, he
starts his way down the incline, taking care to avoid the rocks that surface
from time to time through the snow and the crannies hiding underneath the white
blanket, making the walk downward treacherous.
My
digimon's legs quivers under Daisuke, Ken and my weight, a grunt escaping him.
Suddenly, quivering a little, Pegasosmon throws his head to a side in exhaustion,
eyes closed. He wavers for a moment, then lowers his head,
his hoofs skidding violently. For a split second, when he raises his head
again, I think he has saved us a tumble down the hillside, but then his ankles
sprain underneath him and send us rolling downhill.
A
series of screeches and muttered curses erupts from my mouth as I fall, smashing
parts of my anatomy I didn't even knew I had against the now bare ground,
bumping against stones and roots. When we finally land, I scramble to my feet
almost not feeling at all the bruises embellishing my skin due to my worry, and
hurry to cradle a weak Patamon to my chest, before dashing toward Daisuke,
that's still shielding Ken, even if they're both unconscious. Dai's on top
of the purple haired boy, his right arm crushing their bodies together, his left
one tangled in Ken's hair. The other boy's hands are both on Daisuke's
chest, and he's breathing with difficult, due to the wounds. And, to my
horror, I realize the snow around them is slowly tingeing with blood.
I
dash toward them madly, and I'm even more horrified -this time with myself-
when I let out a relieved sigh, aware that the blood isn't Daisuke's. I
cover my mouth with one hand, the other bolting downward to shake Daisuke. Chocolate brown eyes blink up at me after a second and he groans, wincing
at the pain the arrows in his shoulders inflict him.
I
run my fingers through his hair, clearing his forehead of the russet spikes. He
always has his hair in his face… and
his face is too beautiful to be hidden… I open my mouth to ask him how he's
feeling, but I'm cut off when he tightens his hold around Ken's waist,
hiding his face in his hair with a sob.
"Ken…"
he calls, a note of desperation lowering his voice. "Ken…
answer me, Ken…"
I'm
trembling even before I realize I'm. Dai keeps calling the purple haired boy
with a desperation that brings tears to my eyes. I feel one hot teardrop roll
down my check, and I catch it in a pale, quivering finger.
"Why
am I crying…?" I ask in a voice barely above a breath, not knowing what
answer I could give myself. Then, after pulling
the sleeve of my sweater over my hand and hastily drying
my face, I shake Daisuke again, resolutely. "Dai." I say evenly, my voice
strong and low. "Get up. We're taking Ken to the base."
~*~
Ken's POV~*~
I'm
alone.
Again.
Alone
in the darkness.
And
the glowing eyes are after me.
Skeletal
fingers are reaching out toward me from behind.
Sticky,
slimy ones erupt from the ground to hold my ankles.
I'm
suddenly trapped, sinking painfully in the wet mud. I scream with no voice, my
mouth trembling in the effort to let out a scream I know too well will never
come. The sticky mud streams around me as if moving calculatedly slowly, sucking
me down mercilessly, guiding me through its depths roughly and yet so slowly it
only amplifies the horror. I look up, and cold amethyst hued eyes look back at
me. They scan my pleading face for a moment, gazing blanking at my outstretched
hand, and then turn away, a noise of heels clicking on the ground resounding in
the black void.
Again,
I shout a mouth cry and then, suddenly, I'm falling. Falling right into the
arms of my brother. The sky is of peaceful azure above me. Clouds of sugar
racing through the crystalline blue. Endless,
grassy fields let themselves drown lazily in golden sunlight. The sound of
distant laughter mingles with the peaceful gurgle of nearby stream, sweet
whispered birdlullabies accompanying the sound.
Oniisan
smiles up at me, his blue and white suit gone. He's wearing a violet shirt,
legs clad in a modest pair of shorts. And… his smile is sincere, for once. My
fall slows down until I'm floating in mid-hair, looking down at Osamu with
watery eyes. I smile back at him, and when he opens his arms, I mirror his
gesture, floating slowly toward his smiling form, standing proud in the middle
of the green prairie, the sun wrapping both of us in a gentle embrace, almost a
soothing one. Tears of joy and forgiveness streak down my cheeks as I inch
closer to him and then…
Then…
Suddenly…
Everything's
dark. And cold. Osamu's eyes, closed with a smile, snap open, and they're
suddenly hid behind purple lenses. He cracks his whip to the ground, now nothing
but a cold bed of scattered rocks. The valley quickly transforms into a burned…
dead… desert. A cold wind rises and fans Osamu's cape around his slender
form madly. He grins at me, an evil glint burning in his dark purple orbs, now
deprived of the warm kindness they previously showed.
A
gloved finger rises to point at me, and a cold laugh resounds in the air as the
skeletal fingers seize my body yet again, pulling me backward toward a twisting
black hole.
"It
was me, Ken. I'm the responsible. No one else but me…"
I
scream, and the darkness swallows me, sliding inside my mouth and lungs to drown
me. Then… a brilliant light explodes in front of me. The liquid I seem to be
immersed in wavers, and quickly heats up. A large creature appears in front of
me. It is incredibly huge, with red wings quivering behind his back, his blue
head embellished with a crown of sorts, his black armour shining in the eldritch
light this creature itself emanates.
I
squeeze my eyes close against the hot brilliance and when I open them again…
I'm… surrounded by darkness. But this shadows are paler… welcoming. I feel
save, despite of the searing pain in my right side. And I feel warm too.
Something smooth and hot is pressed gently over my bare skin. Something…
something soft… that encloses me in a warm feeling of peacefulness. I force my
eyelids to flutter upward, and when I tip my head to a side, I finally see them.
Two
jewels, shining quietly in the pale obscurity. Untarnished and deep they burn,
flickering in golden. They are of the same colour as burned terra. As molten
chocolate. As russet sunsets. I tip my head toward the jewels, and they slowly
are hidden behind… something. I feel something burn in my chest the glimmering
sight is cruelly subtracted to my eyes, but whatever was covering the jewels
flutters up. A moist breeze his caressing my neck, spiky silkiness tickling the
side of my face. And gentle fingers are secured around my shoulder.
A
boy…
I
open my eyes slowly, immediately shutting them close when the light hits them. I
feel a little groggy; my head's light and heavy at the same time, and I can
feel my heart rush inside my ears. I arise in a seated position slowly, since my
throbbing head and burning side wouldn't allow it any other way. Upon checking
my surroundings, I notice I'm inside a little hut and that the wound in my
side is bandaged, not to mention glowing in pale green.
I
finger it softly, immediately acknowledging Healing Orbs must have been used
upon it. Looking around feeling a bit less uncomfortable than before, I scan the
darkness, notice I'm lying on a old ratty blanket placed on pile
of leaves, and that Wormmon is curled asleep beside me. It seems they found him
wrapped in that sheet I carried…
"…Wormmon?"
I whisper, and the digimon half
opens a pair of groggy sapphire eyes.
"Hm?"
"Where
are we?"
"Oh,
you're awake!" He yawns, eyes squeezing into little slits from which a
little tear spills out. He carefully jumps down my 'bed' and then crawls
outside.
"What,
might I ask, is going on?" I ask as the blonde boy from before enters the
room.
"You're
alive." He says, not sounding trilled at all. "That's a good sign." He
adds, dryly.
"Who
the hell are you?" I groan, fingering my throbbing forehead.
"Why,
aren't we polite…" he groans back, rolling his eyes before leaning against
the wall with his arms folded against his chest "…talking that way to the
guy who saved your life, isn't exactly…"
"Why,
let me thank you, then." I snap. "But, you see, escape your home, nearly
being frozen to death and killed by an arrow in the same night makes me a little
irritable." Again, the blonde rolls his eyes, muttering something that sound
suspiciously like, "What the hell does Dai find in this jerk."
I'm
hurt when I understand the jerk he's talking about is me, but my feeling of
discontentment is quickly drowned in a wave of disgust as I realize this Dai he
mentioned should be that tan
skinned boy from the castle, if I remember correctly.
"Motomiya?"
I exhale, hugging my blanket closer to me. The blonde blinks wide ocean blue
eyes, tipping his head to a side in a quizzical fashion.
"I
never thought you would ask of him." I open my mouth to deny, when Motomiya
enters the room with a grin, and immediately jumps down on my bed to feel my
forehead.
"Dude,
how are you--" My reaction is quick. And terrifying. I scream, curling up in a
trembling ball and clamping my palms over my ears. I'm shaking madly,
disgusted beyond belief. He tries to reach out toward me, but when his fingers
came into contact with my shoulder is like a current of electricity runs through
me, leaving me breathless.
"GO
AWAY!" I shout, drawing my legs closer to my chest, head snapping up with a
look of rage twisting my features. "How dare you to touch me, you freak?!"
Motomiya
backs away, his face pale and his eyes wide. He and the blonde share a look of
confusion, before both pair of disgusting eyes are one me again. "Don't look
at me!" I shout, hiding my face between my knees. "LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY!
GO AWAY!" I rock my body back and forth slowly, willing my breathing to slow
down. And still, Motomiya doesn't understand he must leave me alone. His hand
touches my arm again, and I scream, turning around so that all they can see is
my back. "GO AWAY! You disgusting freak, don't touch me! Don't!!"
Motomiya
retreats slowly, I can understand it from the noise of trembling leaves that
suddenly wavers in the air. I look at his hurt face over my shoulder, gripping
my arms madly, digging my nails in my flesh. The tan face twists in a pout, and
I keep quivering until he's left my bed. Then, I release my body, turning
slowly toward the pair.
"What
do you think you're doing?!" the blonde with the marine eyes shouts.
"Daisuke risked his life to find and bring you here and even got hurt to
shield you from the arrows! And that's how you thank him?!"
I
force my eyes to move up and down Motomiya's body without a gagging reaction,
and then they're back on the just-as-repelling blue orbs.
"He
doesn't seem hurt to me." The blonde furrows his brows for a moment, arms
shacking slightly, then steels himself, advancing a step. His eyes flash with
rage, and I take a deep, shuddering breath before looking up at him, raising my
chin proudly despite the shudders ragging my body.
"We
healed him, you… you…" He says, his voice hitting a high note on the last
few words, the shacking in his arms increasing.
A
tanned hand closing over his shoulder keeps him from going on and again I'm
shivering, backing toward a corner, but my voice is cold and even when I open my
mouth to talk.
"Well,
if you healed him so quickly, then the wound wasn't very bad."
"THAT'S
BEYOND THE POINT!" He shrieks, raising a fist toward me. I hug my knees
closer, and Motomiya jumps to take the blonde's fist in his hands, jerking it
closer to his chest, a soft whisper sliding out his lips.
"Take-chan…
please…" As he turns toward the russet haired boy, an expression of utter
hurt transforms his face, blue eyes now burning with only one emotion. Rage.
Pure, rampant rage, rimmed with burning indignation.
His muscles shakes, as he tries to decide which is greater, his fury or
his obvious affection for the other boy.
After
an eternity, he decides, his voice setting in a look of cold hatred.
"DON'T
TAKE-CHAN ME, YOU!" He shouts, eyes flashing in rage burning Motomiya's and
then –after a mere instant- my own face. "DAISUKE EVEN SPENT TWO DAYS AND
NIGHTS AT YOUR SIDE, KEEPING YOU WARM IN HIS ARMS SINCE YOUR BODY WAS GROWING
NUMB FOR THE LOSS OF BLOOD!!" he shrieks, glaring at me with primal rage.
As
this words leaves his mouth, the blonde calms down, Motomiya's eyes widen and
my stomach clenches.
Slowly, I arise from the bed, advancing on shaky legs
toward the pair. Once in front of them, the
blonde's blue eyes brims with unshed tears, and he whirls around to the wall,
unable to face me anymore. Motomiya frees the other
boy's hand, turning toward me almost shyly. I smile at him softly, and he
mirrors the gesture, before my hand connects with the side of his face
painfully. I break
into a new wave of tears, a faint guilt warring with repulsion and fury.
His
eyes widen again, and I cradle my hand to my chest, cleaning it over my shirt.
"How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU?! Only because I look slight effeminate, you
think this gives you the right to touch me? The right to suppose I'm a =freak=
like you?! Well, I'm not!" hot tears stream down my cheeks and several other
unknown faces enter the hut with shocked eyes, but I don't care. His is the
warm, bare body that kept me alive. His are the jewel eyes I remember from my
dream. His are the disgusting hands that were brushing my bare skin. He touched
me… he =touched= me… "I'm not a freak! I'm not a pansy-ass faggot! A
pervert who likes other boys! I'm normal! I'm normal!" I fall on my knees,
sobbing madly, the disgust and the shock covering me like a blanket. "I'm
not like you! NO! NOOO!!!I hate you! Go away! You... dirty freak! Go away! GO
AWAY!!"
A
hand sneaks over my shoulder but I shrug it away roughly, a growl escaping my
mouth. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY!!" I watch, numbly, as Motomiya complies, rising
slowly on shaky legs. He looks at me for a moment, my eyes burning in his with a
look of disgust. And I find it a little disturbing and odd that he isn't
showing hatred or loathing in his eyes. He lowers his face slowly to watch me as
the light in his eyes fades. There is no anger, no hatred.
They're dull, deprived of every fire he could have had. The only
feeling is showed is downcast hurt, a soft regret that leaves me to wonder.
Then, slowly, he turns. Sensing my eyes on his back he stops, mutters a low,
"I'm sorry," and takes a single step forward before, head ducked down and
hands clenched into fists, he breaks into a mad rush.
I
look at his retreating form and then, without a word, enclose my legs in a hug,
letting the burning tears cascade down my face.
~*~
End of chapter 01~*~
A
dying world… a boy hibernating in an ancient ruin… a boy with tremendous
powers… raised by a human boy that calls him 'brother'… Ken's a
clinical case of homophobia… Dai loves him… Takeru seems to love Dai… and
so does Tai… and… as Osamu himself said, it's all his fault.
…
…
… is this worth to be continued?
