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| semper memento |
she is not living in lies, not living a phantasm,
or so she thinks
he is not living a lie, not living in phantasm,
or so he says
both of them, are broken, are incomplete,
are forgotten
they are not really different,
aren't they?
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will you remember to—
always remember to remember?
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author's babbling and a little bit warnings:
Hello~ I'm back with a fresh Yuunoa minna-san. Just yesterday, I'd finished my first university's entrance examination and I literally felt like shit after answering those damned 150 questions, so I ran (not surprising) again from my preparations for the second test days later to clear my mind with Yuunoa XD. This is quite a long one, isn't it? My first multi-chapters really, because after I managed to finish my other hellhole I'm going to enjoy my long awaited two months holiday so I thought, why not? But I'm going hiatus again though after this chapter. Don't worry, I have been writing the second chapter, but it needs a long way to go before it reach 10k+ words like this one. (Yeah it's going to be 10k+ for each chapter, just because :D)
I don't think I can update this story really fast like my one shots, because well, writer's always connected with author's block, am I right? But I will try my best if there are many of you who really want an update. And I will occasionally write some one shots or a multi-one shots, if I'm in the mood~
This is going to be my very first multi-chapter story, so please be patient with me okay? I would be pleased to hear your opinions, so don't hesitate to tell me anything, alright? This story will focus at Yuichiro and Shinoa (obviously) but Shinoa is going to be the center of this story because the light novel really, really left a lot to imagine. Just read it, it's really good! :D
I really hope you're going like this story though. It's going to be a long one, after all. Shinoa past is totally dark and angst-y but Yuu will be there to cheer her up. This story is a mix of angst, fluff, romance, tragedy—well, almost all the genre is mixed inside this one. The title of this story is once again came from a latin phrase "semper memento" which means "always remember" which is kind of a spoiler, I think XD. I have been planning this story for a week and it was like, insanely long. Still, I'm still a beginner, and english is not my mother language, so I'm sorry if there's any mistakes or errors and such. Enjoy reading minna-san~
disclaimer:
I do not own owari no seraph (if I do, there's going to be a lot of yuunoa moments to fangirl about.)
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"Noa-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want to hear a story?"
"About what? Please not another princess-sy tales. I hate clichés, remember?"
"I know, I know. You're just weird like that."
"I thought all little girls love fairy tales."
"Not me."
"You're looking at the wrong little girl. I'm not that childish."
"It's not childish, Noa-chan. It's pretty normal."
"Why do you hate it so much anyway?"
"Just... because."
"Really? Just because?"
"…..yep."
"I can detect some lies. Ne, spill."
—
"…fine. I don't like fairy tales, okay?"
"It's sickening, and revolting, and – and…. not real."
"It's fake. A child's play."
"A dream."
"A dream… huh?"
"What makes you think that it's not real?"
"Because, there's no such thing as happily ever after."
"There's no true love."
"There's no fate."
"No princesses in beautiful gowns twirling on the dance floor."
"Nor princes charming kissing them awake."
—
"In our world, real world,"
"There's no peace."
"Shinoa—"
"There's no happiness. You know that better than anyone."
"It's not—"
"The world is cruel."
"Yes it is."
"I know you would understand."
—
"But there is hope."
"….what?"
—
"You can still hope, Noa-chan."
"Perhaps your life would be like that of a fairy tale."
"Who knows, really."
.prologus.
—semper memento—
always remember
"She has grown, hasn't she?
I still remember those pudgy little fingers and chubby cheeks,
those sweet smiles and grins and I wonder
just how much of the world has changed since I was gone."
-that boy-
the first memory
[when devil gets desperate]
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The horizon above her head was flaming bright blue, painted in a shade of a blooming morning glory. Lapis cerulean sky washed over her tired eyes, azure to pools of coppers, and she blinked out the dust from tainting her vision. The sun was high, scorching hot upon her ivory skin and warm against her eyelids. And everything around her was burning heat.
It was summer.
Or, it used to be summer.
In this broken world she was living in, the seasons didn't matter anymore, just like lives worth less and deaths being thrown around decapitated bodies and discarded feelings. Just like those nightmares left forgotten behind her eyelids. She was used to this indifference, though. It'd been years – years – and at least it spared her from the never-ending pain.
(Ignorance's a bliss, after all.)
But today, she was living again. When she woke up this morning, nothing had changed. Everything was the same.
(Same stillness. Same loneliness. Same solitary. And she was on mission again. Killing again. She'd lost count at how many souls she'd robbed, how many breaths she'd stopped, how many live she'd ruined, how many times she'd killed.)
And killed.
And killed.
Even though she despised those beings so much, even though it felt right, killing was killing. It didn't matter who, or when, or what, killing was count for killing, and that's it—she'd killed.
Shinoa held her breath and waited for another day to pass.
(She wondered who she was going to kill today.)
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"Your mission is simple." Guren said, flicking a strand of stubborn raven hair out from his eyes. "Recently, there are some reports stating that our soldiers had witnessed a few abnormal activities in Harajuku. But the thing is; they're not quite sure about the cause. Perhaps, you can say that they can't be sure, because whatever it is, it always managed to escape at the last moment and left destruction on its wake."
Beside him, the jade-eyed boy frowned. "Is it a—"
"For god's sake, I'm not finished." The Lieutenant general warned him with a glare. "The Central Base is still in the dark about the situation on the ground, for they haven't checked the perimeter yet; but from the information we managed to collect, the being is most likely to be an independent vampire or," his eyes darkened into molten violet, "—an abnormal one."
The wind suddenly blew ferociously from the western sky, drifting by their naked skin and between their hairs. There was something wrong, perhaps even peculiar with his connotation. Soemthing they couldn't put their fingers on. But they tried to trust Guren even though they could feel cold slowly creeping up their arms.
Perhaps It was fear. Fear of knowing, fear of something unknown. Fear, because it sounded like they weren't supposed to know this information. Fear, because it sounded like he was hiding something from them.
(Like he was going to send them off into death's door.)
Shinoa swallowed a lump which formed behind her throat and pushed the thoughts away when Yuichiro open his mouth.
"Abnormal?" he murmured. "What do you mean by that?"
"Yes. An abnormal vampire, to be precise." he nodded, shifting his eyes to meet a pair of greenish aqua orbs. "It didn't play'with any of our people, you see." Guren said, violets orbs darkening ever so slightly. "The creature instead ignored them. Isn't that weird?" he said rhetorically. "I want you brats to check that place for us."
Shinoa narrowed her eyes.
No, that can't do.
"Chūsa?" she called, stilling her thumping hearts into a steady beat. "I have a question."
Guren nodded and dipped his head a little, giving her an opportunity to talk.
"Isn't it dangerous for us to venture out with just five members?" she said slowly, each word coated with lucid doubts. "The situation is not determined by all means. Isn't it better for us to observe first, rather than jump into the place directly?"
And besides, Shinoa thought, with this particular squad, she didn't dare to wager that they could come back unscratched.
"Yeah." from behind, Kimizuki agreed. "She's right. It's not like I'm underestimating our power—because I'm not, seriously—but what makes you think that we can caught it for certain, when you know the others didn't even catch a glimpse of that thing?"
The lieutenant colonel smiled, quite amused by the boy's reasonable suspicion. "That's true, and I do understand that you're concerned, but I have a valid reason of why I choose this team to carry out this mission." Guren turned around to face Shinoa, "This," he emphasized, "Is where your demon's ability is required." then he turned his gaze to Yuichiro and Kimizuki, "And your ability to hold a good fight in a close range would help also."
"My demon…?" The girl in question narrowed her eyes as the two special privates frowned a little. "What do you—"
"Believe it or not, this team is one of the best for any type of mission invented. Not counting when your idiocies start to kick out, of course." he pointed at Yuichiro, snorting. "Especially for undercover mission, I think Shinoa's demon ability is the best out of everyone. I know that you like it better to be in the front lines, but this type of mission is important too."
"Wait, you still haven't answered my question." Shinoa glared at him. "What do you mean by—"
"Now," interrupted Guren, the corner of his mouth lifted a little, forming a wry grin. "This is the plan—"
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The plan, to put it simply, was totally easy to follow. Head straight to Harajuku, find their target, and finish their job marvelously.
Easy.
But sadly, things didn't go as planned.
Honestly, they didn't know when it happened. Or how, or even why it happened in the first place; why now of all times. They had been walking with their usual safe route, deeming it important to avoid any possible enemies along the way, when droplets of fat water suddenly prickled their clothed skin, staining the black materials wet. At first, it was just a drizzle, no harm done, and they'd foolishly thought that it would be over in a count of minutes. But apparently, fate loved it to mess with their life, so just imagine their shock when torrents of rain began to pour even harder, even harsher, onto the dry earth below.
It was not exaggerating to say that they looked like a bunch of wet dogs with their hairs clinging to their scalps and faces like a second skin.
"Seriously?" The black-haired boy muttered as he cursed inside his mind. "Of all time…."
Damn it, he thought, it would take forever before it'd stopped for real, and night was silently approaching. They couldn't wait that long.
But it couldn't be helped, Yuichiro thought as he stared blankly at his now soppy boots. He was such a mess. The damp, ebony hair which clung on his face was uncomfortable, and he blamed the rain for its bad timing. From the corner of his eyes, he watched his comrades drying themselves off with some towels they'd found, ruffling their heads continuously.
But sadly, a towel or two weren't enough, and after a few curses being thrown here and there plus several unsuccessful attempts to fix their messed up state, Mitsuba and Kimizuki stood up from their respective corner to fetch any kind of thing that, hopefully, could help them up. It didn't take long before Yoichi left his side to join the two in their little hunt around the barren building.
As the trio were busy scavenging around, Yuichiro sat quietly near the glassless window, perched on its steel hinges as he gazed at the pelting rain. It was only him and his little leader now, and he couldn't help but stare at the short girl as she struggled with her hair ribbon. Her periwinkle colored tresses was half-tied, half down to her back as her hands clumsily tried to get the thing off of her hair.
Yuichiro squinted his eyes a little sharper, a frown on his face.
Hair. Shinoa's hair.
Now that he thought about it, she always wore the same hairstyle every single day; same twin braids, same bun, same ribbon. The only time he'd ever seen her hair down was that time in Shinjuku, and it was only for a moment before she'd tied it back again.
Oh well, it's not really his problem anyway. But he had to admit; her hair color was a bit fascinating. Just a little though. He didn't know why, but he liked the color. At first glance it's just a simple shade of royal purple, soft and calm just like violet, but there was a noticeable hint of blue that made it different when it was sun kissed. He couldn't explain it by words, but he liked the color.
And, by some kind of weird fascination, he suddenly wanted to feel it between his fingers.
(So he did.)
"Oi Shinoa." he called the maiden over as he watched her struggled even more. "Shinoa!" he raised his voice a little when she didn't respond his call.
"W-What it – is, Yuu-san?" she managed to answer between gritted teeth. "Can't–you see that—" she gasped when she accidentally pulled one of her braids a little too strong. "—I'm try–ing to get… this thing… off… of m-me?"
Yuichiro sweatdropped when the girl almost tore her hair off in frustration.
"I know." he deadpanned, aquamarine-green eyes shining bright with amusement. "That's why, come here."
Shinoa stopped for a moment to stare at him from her shoulder, titling her face a little. "Huh? For what?"
The green-eyed boy only watched her blankly for a moment, shuffled on his feet, before he walked straight at her. After he was only a breath away, he began eyeing her messy knots of violet tresses with contemplative gaze, and the next thing he did made her eyes widen in disbelief.
He touched her hair.
He touched her hair and ran his fingers through it. After a few fleeting caress he untied the ribbon from the mess she called hair, parting her silky damp tresses gently with his long digits before he dried it with a towel she didn't notice he brought. His movements were careful, and perhaps even flaccid, nothing like his usual boisterous way of handling things. She didn't feel any discomfort at all when he unfolded her bizarre knots, and she'd to suppress a moan of satisfaction when his cold fingertips ran against her sweltering scalp.
Shinoa didn't even know that he could be so gentle and considerate. He seemed like a different person now. Like—well, she didn't really sure. But she sure liked this side of him. A smile unconsciously bloomed on her face at the thought.
Wait a moment.
What's wrong with her?
Why her heart beating so fast? And her cheeks, they were burning.
What happened to me?
"Y-Yuu-san…" she said nervously, her heat beating against her rib cage like a drum. Without knowing, she bit her lower lip hard until her teeth dugs into the soft flesh. "W-What are you…?"
"Lunaria." she heard him whispered, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of her neck which forced her to shudder a bit.
Shinoa blinked her eyes in confusion, cheeks still flushing red. "Huh?"
"Your hair color is a shade of lunaria." he said, tangling his long digits between her hair. "Or perhaps monkshood. I dunno, you have a very weird colored hair."
"What's with that?" Shinoa snorted, a wry smile blooming on her flushed face. His innocence and bluntness calmed her a little though. How silly of her to get this worked up about his weirdness? "I hope it's a compliment." she said playfully, finally regained her composure.
"It is." he agreed, albeit a little awkward. "Now stand still."
Yuichiro brought his eyes into her head again, his fingers swimming between her soft hair. Just like what he'd imagined, it was soft and silky and when he sank his digits deeper into the sea of lunarias, parting it a little, he could even smell the faint fragrance of said flower from it. "Oi, can't you keep still?" he grunted when he felt her changing her position. He didn't like it when her hair slipped away from his hand.
"Uh…" The short girl was truly at lost, didn't sure what to do (or think) in a peculiar situation such as this. Well, it's not like she was not enjoying the feeling of his fingers between her hair, but it wouldn't be long before the others come back from whatever they'd been doing—
And if they find us in this position, Shinoa mused. They certainly would have the wrong idea—especially Mitsuba. With that thought in mind, she titled her head a little to meet his eyes. "Ano, Yuu-san, you know I…."
She faltered when their eyes met, and then everything was suddenly still. Why did she suddenly feel like drowning when she saw those viridian orbs?
Why I'm behaving like this?
Shinoa shook her head and forced a smile on her face. "I—Um, I can do it by myself, really."
"Like hell you could." he only snorted, mockingly, as he carefully combed her hair with his fingers. "Just a moment ago you were wrestling with your own ribbon, you know. And now you tell me that you can handle this by your own? Don't make me laugh."
What.
Okay. That was totally uncalled for.
That crossed the line, Shinoa thought, the sharp words stabbed her right in the heart. Her eyes twitched, lips formed a half-homicidal, half-dark what-supposed-to-be-a smile. Gone was the previous embarrassment as she watched him from the corner of her eyes.
"Hee~" she lifted an eyebrow, a patch of skin at corner of her eyes ceasing slightly. "What was that Yuu-san?" she said with a very sweet, very fake, shrilly voice.
"What?" The emerald eyed boy stopped combing her hair abruptly when he saw her flashing her infamous plastic smile which always meant trouble. "What have I done this time?" he asked incredulously, raising his hands up like a criminal got caught in the act.
Shinoa rolled her eyes. "You ins—"
Before she could even form a coherent sentence, a loud, booming voice interrupted their little moments with a holler of;
"OI. FREAKING DEAF GIRL AND BOY OVER THERE—ARE YOU TWO BARKING MAD?!"
Speak of the devil and here she comes, Shinoa mused. She knew that this would happen.
"We've been calling the two of you nicely for five freaking minutes, FIVE!" Mitsuba glared, but when she saw them blinked at her, genuinely confused, she snapped. "For the love of—ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Both of you seriously didn't hear our calls, all this time?!"
They shook their head and the girl's jaws hanged open, widely, just like that of a black hole.
Mitsuba seethed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS—"
"Can you please shut up?!" and now they could see their bespectacled and timid comrades from afar, fruitlessly trying to cover their ears up from the barrage of ear-assaults. "Are you planning to blast my and Yoichi's ears off?!"
"WHAT IS YOU PROBLEM YOU JERK! I'M TRYING TO MAKE A POINT HERE FOR SHOUTING OUT LOUD!" she screamed back, face flaming red with unrestrained anger.
"You are shouting." Kimizuki mumbled under his breath, irritated by another outburst yet again, before he glared menacingly at the two lovebirds. "And YOU." he snapped, pointing his index finger at them, "You better come here before I drag your body with my bare hands." It was a threat indeed, but it was mostly directed at the dark haired boy rather the two of them. "We're going. Now."
Yuichiro snarled at him. "The hell Kimizuki—"
"The rain had long stopped but you're too busy dilly dallying to even notice the freaking weather." Kimizuki cut him off, snarling back.
"WHA–WHAT?" Yuichiro squeaked loudly, his face flaming red like apple. "We're not—I mean–Shinoa and I–we—"
"I don't care." he deadpanned. "Now get your ass right here you idiot."
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Their previous disputes gladly ended with another of Shinoa's homicidal grin and unsaid promises of pain. No one dared to utter a thing as they walked into the now dry road. After a few insults and profanities hurled between the two sword users, they finally got back on their track and reached their designated place; Harajuku.
Or perhaps not.
"Hey, you sure this is the right place?" Yuichiro frowned as he looked at his surroundings. "Doesn't look like a battlefield for me…"
The ground beneath him was indeed crumpled, like a paper would when it's kneaded inside a palm. Blocks of stones and bricks were scattered around the damaged place. Remnants of decaying woods and rusted metals were also noticeable, but beside that, it was – dare he say – normal. He was used to watch such a scene since he was a child, after all.
But this kind of state, it didn't seem like there was any fight truly happened in this forsaken place, for there was no blood; no cursed gears; no corpses.
It's too normal to be real, he thought.
"Eh~" Shinoa grinned from his right. "What were you expecting? A ruin of abandoned tower, with bloods and innards splattered over its ground? Really Yuu-san, you're such a child~" she said teasingly.
"Shinoa you—" The boy blushed when a wave of embarrassment swept through him. "That's disgusting. I didn't mean it like that, I just thought when Guren said destruction.…" he trailed off, searching for a word to describe his earlier expectation.
"A wrecked earth and bloodbath?" Kimizuki supplied blankly.
"Exactly." Yuichiro nodded his head, strands of ebony hairs floated around. "It's… I don't know? Too… normal?"
From the back of the group Mitsuba scoffed standoffishly. "Remember what Guren-chūsa said? That thing was—"
"—not prone to massacre. I know, I know." Yuichiro cut her over. "Just a big baby who loves to play around and mess up things, I know, okay?"
"Well, it doesn't matter now." they stopped talking when Shinoa put her scythe on the ground. "Let's proceed to the plan."
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So, brattlings, I'm going to summarize the whole thing so you all better listen, alright?
The Central had been trying to locate the unidentified being several times, with various types of radars, the bureau's security systems, our best security threat management system, you name it. But still, no noticeable incident reported between the notification date and the release of exploit code.
There was nothing.
No response, no feedback, just an abandoned ruins and buildings.
With our last hope turned into dust, the only thing that we could think about was another form of detection. We have a few hunches of why the systems didn't work as we expected, and The Central decided that electromagnetic waves is useless, for the being we're trying to caught is not even human.
This is where you squad came into the picture.
Shinoa, your demon's special ability is to scout and detect, am I right? And it may work to locate the beast exact coordinate. So I would like for you to use it, and if you find any signs of disturbance, don't hesitate to fight back. Just went with a little resistance—especially the two of you, Yuu and Kimizuki, who's good at close range battle. Mitsuba and Yoichi will stay at the back to support the three of you when it's needed.
I need to remind you though, caught it alive.
But if the situation is dire, just eliminate it and if you could, bring some remnants of its parts for our laboratory.
That's your mission.
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"You caught something?" Yuichiro whispered to his side, where the lavender haired girl stood on her ground, eyes closed briefly in concentration as her demon's black aura licked her lithe body with dark flames.
"No." she said between even breaths. "But stay alert, if I feel something I need you to act fast."
"Noted." they nodded their head, hands already full with their own respective cursed gears. The air around them began to feel heavy, it was hard to breathe, and they'd to struggle from leaping into the enemy. After two weeks of lazing around the base, they were itching to get some actions done, especially the two knuckle heads in the squad.
"Good." Shinoa whispered, her eyes kept flickering around. "Now keep quiet."
The four of them obeyed their leader and sealed their mouth shut. There was silence as the wind slapped their face harshly, that they'd shivered from the sudden unpleasant contact. The leader of their little squad was still waiting for any signs, and it lasted for a few seconds, before she puffed out a breath and tucked her scythe down near her knees.
"I can't feel anything." she said blankly. "I think we need to observe this place first. Or get a little further inside, maybe I can detect it then."
Yuichiro frowned when he felt her distressed tone seeping into his bones. "Should we separate then?" he asked, "It would be more efficient."
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for them to hear. "Now, let's—"
But before they could even move, there was a static sounds rumbling from beneath them, shaking their footfalls. Eveything was still and quiet before they felt the chills.
Shinoa stopped breathing, stopped moving for a moment, her lungs failing her and the others began to worry when they saw her scrunched up face. Her breaths became labored as her grip tightened around her scythe. But she didn't say a thing, and it made the silence even more deafening than before. Their hands instinctively curled around their gears a little bit tighter, waiting.
"What is it?" The bespectacled boy murmured from her side, asking for confirmation, but the girl only stilled on her place, barely breathing and he began to feel the cold crawled on his skin.
She didn't answer him.
Yuichiro put his palm over her trembling one. "Oi, Shinoa—"
"No—" Shinoa gasped suddenly, cutting his sentence off in the process as her eyes grew wide. "Everyone we need to move now—"
It was unusual for her to panic, very unusual, and it made the situation even more concerning as they searched for any kind of threat from their peripheral visions. Their surrounding was bare and still, there was nothing there. But then, suddenly, before they could even move a foot, the ground started to rumble beneath their feet and they realized that it was already too late to run.
Crack.
It was barely a second before their foothold cracked and broke down into nothing.
And they fell.
And fell.
(The last thing that they could remember was a blinding light as gravity pulled them into the ground below. )
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"Oi. Shinoa—Shinoa, wake up."
His voice was deep and rough as he patted her cheek gently, trying to wake her up, but the girl only mumbled incoherent words back, clearly still unconscious. He tried again, the back of his palm connected with her face several times, and finally she began to show a slight response at his touch. It took him a couple of minutes of prodding before she finally opened her eyelids and blinked her beautiful pair of chocolate-crimson eyes, only to stare at his worried ones.
"Yuu… –san..?" Shinoa whispered softly when his eyes connected with hers, and weakly asked; "What… happened?"
"I'm the one who should say that. What was that?" Yuichiro frowned, holding her body against his to keep her upright. "You certainly knew what would happen, even though it's too late, so what exactly you felt back then?"
"I'm…" her eyes blurred a little when she tried to recall the previous aura she had sensed. "It's… It was awful... I don't think that any kind of person—or even a monster—could produce such a dark and raw powerful energy..." she paused, "But it did, apparently. And I was caught off guard."
Yuichiro frowned even deeper when he watched her unconsciously bit her bleeding lips from the nervousness until it drew blood again. This is bad, he thought as he watched her bruised form. Not only they were separated from the rest but the enemy was quite powerful too.
"Y-Yuu–san?" she called him over, noting his quietness. "Uh—Eto… you could let go of me now…" she mumbled, a little embarrassed by their close proximity.
"Huh?" Yuichiro stared blankly at her for a while before his eyes suddenly opened wide. "O-Oh, s–sorry." he muttered, releasing his hold from her. He didn't even notice that he was holding her all this time. He did flush a little when his arms accidentally brushed against hers when he was untangling his body from her small frame. This is so awkward, he grimaced, looking away from her.
After then, a moment of silence passed on as Shinoa rose up to sit beside him. They roamed their eyes around the place desperately, hoping to catch a glimpse of their comrades. But it was no avail, as the only thing reflected on their bleary eyes was only an empty underground filled with countless of ruins.
"What do you think happened to the rest?" Shinoa asked as she tucked her head above her knees. "Do you think they are safe?"
"They have to." he said, firmly. "They have to, you know they are not weak."
"Yeah." The girl paused, "Maybe I'm just a little paranoid. We have to move from this place as soon as possible. It would be better to walk around than being copped up in this place any longer." she dusted off her uniform before she stood over the ground.
"Yuu-san?" she held out a hand for him to grip, smiling a little, but Yuichiro only blinked at the hand extended to him; confused as what to do.
"Huh?" he blinked again, "What?"
The petite girl titled her head in a confused manner before she laughed, a little amused by his antics.
"Come on, Yuu-san, just take my hand. We should get going now."
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"Damn. Where the heck is the freaking exit from this place?" Yuichiro grumbled as he walked through the long, narrow corridor. "We have been walking for what? Two hours? And still no exit?"
The lilac haired girl could only sweatdropped when she saw him comically kicking some unfortunate stones upon his feet. It looked so clear that he was already fed up with their current situation.
"The poor thing~" Shinoa humored him with a little pout. "You shouldn't let your anger cloud your minds, Yuu-san. Look at the little guy, he's hurting."
"Huh?" Yuichiro just knew that his eyes were twitching badly. "The hell are you talking about?"
"Ahaha~ Nothing~" she whistled when he glared at her. "Come on, it's just a joke~ You're such a boring person, aren't you Yuu-san?"
Why she was being such a—
Yuichiro snapped.
He didn't need this okay. He couldn't take any more of this shit.
"Shinoa you little—" he seethed, grinding his teeth hard. "How could you be so calm after all of this—this bullshit?!" he screamed in frustration. "Isn't worrying supposed to be your job? I mean… you–you are the squad leader! So shouldn't you… I don't know, pay more attention of our predicament? It's… it's been two hours Shinoa! And... and we—we haven't… we haven't found the others yet!"
After the loud outburst, Yuichiro was left gasping for air as he calmed himself down. Seconds passed before colors drained from his face. It was finally dawned on him, what he had done.
(What he had said.)
That's… that's too far, he cringed when he recalled his harsh words. He felt a little guilty, no, scratch that, he felt like an asshole. No matter what the situation, and no matter how frustrated he was, he shouldn't have taken it out on her. Damn it, now he felt like a total jerk for being an ass just because he was afraid—
He paused.
Afraid, huh? He thought as his mind was filled with memories he should have forgotten but didn't.
(It's been a long time since he felt that.)
"Feeling better?" hearing her melodic voice made him still for a moment, before he woke up from the images of his past and raised his head up. She was smiling at him, that girl, albeit a little tired, but it was a smile nonetheless.
Why she was smiling at him after all he'd done to her?
"….what?" he murmured meekly, his eyes stretched wide in disbelief.
"You've been so tense." Shinoa offered him another smile. "And~ As a good comrade that I am, I thought I should cheer you up!"
Cheer… him up? She was trying to cheer him up? All this time? With those ridiculous comments and half-jokes? All of it, for him? Yuichiro couldn't say a thing. He couldn't talk, couldn't move, couldn't answer as he stared at her sincere smile. All this time, when he was so busy with his own little world, when he was so selfish with his own problems and worries, she had been looking out for his well-being, not minding her own. He knew that deep down, she must have felt a lot worse than he could ever imagine. Shinoa was like the squad's mother, after all.
And yet, she'd put himself over everything. She'd put himself first. No one had done that for him before.
"…sorry." The green eyed boy mumbled guiltily, but sincerely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay." she interjected him, shrugging her shoulders. "I know you're frustrated, who wouldn't when faced with a situation like this? So you don't have to feel bad okay? I don't mind."
"Even so, I shouldn't have taken it out on you." he flinched when his own words echoed inside his mind. "I shouldn't have screamed like that. I should have restrained myself better." he paused, "I was selfish. And… and for that, I'm… sorry."
Silence fell between them as the girl watched her comrade bowing his head deeper, hiding his viridian eyes as he refused to meet her pair of bronze ones. Shinoa knew that he was frustrated, and so did she, she really did. But she had always been the calm one, the reasonable one, so she shouldn't – couldn't – afford to be so selfish like he was. It was not hers to feel, and should not feel, that human feeling.
It'd been a long time since she'd felt this way. This human, and honestly, she didn't know what to do. It confused her, the feeling. The warmth which settled beneath her skin was foreign too, but she knew that little by little this person before her changed her world. He changed her, he fixed her, he made her feel again.
Shinoa didn't sure whether to feel grateful or mad with him, really.
(But she knew that she owed him one.)
"You know Yuu-san," she squatted in front of his hunched body, sad eyes staring up at him. "Being selfish is a good thing. I'm not being sarcastic but… once in a while—no, every single time…. you have to be selfish every single time because that's how we – us – humans, survive." the smile she gave him was bitter and askew, jagged on the edges. "You don't have to apologize for being selfish. I like it better if you're selfish Yuu-san, if it means you're going to survive, if it means you're going to live in a twisted world like this."
His eyes softened. "Shinoa…"
"Don't keep things to yourself, okay? If you need to vent up, I will always be here, by your side. If you bottled it up, you'll drive yourself crazy just hoping that someone will ask if you're doing okay or wondering if anyone can see that you're aren't happy as you're acting." she said, her smile turned wistful as her gaze dropped to the ground. "And I'm not saying to wear your feelings like a new pair of shoes, but it's important to know that you can open up, and it doesn't make you weak."
She suddenly paused, raising her head to stare into his eyes.
"It just makes you human."
Yuichiro didn't raise his head, still bowing down into the earth, but she knew for sure that he listened to her every word, and she was fine with that. Satisfied, she settled herself down beside him, their shoulders and arms touching, and she unconsciously smiled when she felt him instinctively moved closer. The night had almost reached its end and she watched as the moon shone through the creaks of the bricks wall, creating an eerie picture when it clashed badly with the darkness inside.
"Na, Shinoa." he called her out of the blue, and she noted that he finally had enough courage to meet her straight in the eyes.
"Hm?" she hummed softly, a little bit pleased that he was finally talking to her again. "What is it?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, as if considering something, then sighed. "What I am doing, really?" he mumbled to himself before he put his palm awkwardly on top her smaller one.
"Yuu-san?" Shinoa didn't bother to hide the crimson blush when she felt his hand curled around her, their fingers tangled with each other. "Wh-What are you—?"
"You don't mind, don't you?" Yuichiro cut her over as he tightened his grip. "If you do, just say it. I'm going to stop."
There was a little shade of pink on his cheeks, dusting its pale white complexion, and Shinoa couldn't help herself but laugh a little when she saw his embarrassed face. Here he was the one who started it, and yet, he was also the one who was blushing even harder than her.
"No~ Not at all~" the pretty grin was still etched on her face, wide and teasing. "You sure are a sweet boy when you want to be, ne, Yuu-san?"
"S-Shut it." Shinoa giggled even harder when he fixed her a heated glare, his face almost resembled that of a ripe tomato.
This is the usual Yuu-san, she thought.
Finally, he was back.
They were back.
She teased him again and he scowled at her, but their hands still linked, never apart.
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The moon hanged across the sky, just enough to illuminate the cold ground where they were standing. One of them raised his hand upwards, watching as the silverly light bathed his skin into a shade of purple and ivory. He sighed, turning back in time to watch another person lagging behind him.
"Oi, Yoichi," he called over his shoulder as he continued to walk ahead, long strides stretched upon the ground. "Do you think they're safe?"
It was only him and the timid boy, walking along the river bend near their campsite. Moonlight shone brightly, its full ratio reflected on the still water below. Time has passed too fast, he thought, and they didn't know what to expect anymore, beside another grim report or negative shakes of heads from yet another research team. But before he could voice his cynical doubts, Yoichi opened his mouth in a hushed voice.
"They are."
To put it bluntly, Kimizuki was quite surprised when he heard his firm tone. He wondered just when he'd change when he was watching after him all this time.
This boy behind him, when he'd grown so strong?
"What makes you so sure?" he stopped walking altogether, and turned on his heels to face him head on. "What makes you think that they're not bleeding somewhere, waiting for death to claim them?"
"They are fine, okay?" Yoichi said sharply, avoiding his question. "They have to be. They—Yuu-kun and Shinoa-san, they are strong. Strong enough to survive for a few days. We will find them soon, and they are going to be safe by the time we found them. We will be complete again, just wait."
"Yoichi, you—" Kimizuki contemplated when he saw the boy's blank gaze. "It's been five days. Almost a week since that incident. We're… We were lucky enough to get swept away down the river, and they found our unconscious bodies—but them… the two of them…" he hated to be frank but the boy needed to understand. "I'm—" he paused, "I'm not saying that they're…. not safe… but—" he refused to use the word dead. "It's been five days, and still no reports, no signs—nothing."
His comrade didn't respond, he didn't even sure if the boy even listened as he crouched over the river, staring at his hazy reflections on its blurred surface with an almost religious intensity. Kimizuki looked at him again, a little bit worried of his weak state. The peach haired boy called him softly then, just a whisper, but Yoichi didn't move, didn't budge over his position as he was too focused at the twin reflection beneath him to even hear his desperate calls.
"Yoichi?" Kimizuki tried again, this time louder. "Are you—"
"Stop it." it was just a mere whisper, but for him it was painfully loud.
Damn, he had done it, hadn't he? "I didn't—"
"Save it."
The peach haired boy groaned. That child, he was being difficult. "Please stop being so stubborn, you kn—"
"I know what?!" The green eyed boy snapped, his body trembling from his overflowing emotions. "I know what, huh? Tell me Kimizuki-kun, I know what?" he chocked on his own voice. "That there's no chance to find them? That there's no chance to save them? Or that they're as good as dead?" he laughed bitterly. "Tell me already, what do I know?"
Kimizuki flinched at his accusing tone, his heart crumpled beneath his skin as he felt the boy despair reached his own. He didn't mean it like that, he also wanted to believe, like he did. But it was hard, and on top it all, it hurt to hope when there was nothing to grip on besides false promises and an illusion that they were alright. Because they were not. They were not.
"The truth hurts, okay?" he whispered harshly. "It stings and burn like flames, engulfing you in pain so awful it doesn't seem real. The truth kills, and I hate it. And even though I'd rather live in a world full of lies rather than be drowned by the words of one truth, I need to wake up. I need to acknowledge it. For my sake or theirs—I, you, we… we need to say it with our mouth before it's too late to come back. Am I wrong, Yoichi? Am I wrong?"
"I'm…" Yoichi muttered between harsh breaths, "I'm not… I'm not an idiot. At least… at least I know that… t-that—" he chocked down a sob, his heart refused to acknowledge the truth. "….I'm… I just want them back… I w-want Yuu-kun and Shinoa-san back. I want them to be alright, I want them back. I want them back…" his eyes blurred as the tears keep on coming. "I want them…. b-back…"
And just like that, the brown haired boy crumpled into the ground, bawling to his heart's contents. His desperate cries and painful sobs made Kimizuki clutch his chest a little, feeling the hurt that stabbed into his heart as his every word embed itself into his very soul.
He knew this is a soldier's life, but he didn't know that it would be like this.
Sound of chocked sobs and half-cries echoed around the vast landscape, and Kimizuki prayed to a god he'd long forgotten, to protect them wherever they were, to keep them safe.
Please, please god. I beg you, just this once. Don't take anyone from me again. My sister was enough. Mirai was enough so please—
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"Really, just how long is this freaking corridor…? How could they create this freaking underground anyway?" a voice faintly echoed inside the bunged up place. "Stupid… tunnels… stupid... underground-makers… stupid…. Guren….." Yuichiro mumbled as he dragged his feet on the ground. His companion beside him could only smile wryly when she heard him nagging to thin, empty air. She wasn't really sure why their Lieutenant Colonel's name had been brought up, but perhaps it was just Yuu-san being Yuu-san.
"I didn't know that staying inside an enclosed place for too long could bring damage to head." Shinoa mused as she walked along with him, her short strides barely keeping up with his longer ones. "You should get that brain of yours checked when we're back, okay?"
"Shut it." Yuichiro glared at his apparently amused friend. "Not funny." then he pouted.
"Ahaha~ Of course it's funny~" The short girl grinned from teeth to teeth, imitating that of a cheshire cat. "Don't be such a grumpy head Yuu-san, or you're going to get an early wrinkle." she smiled again, trying to hold her snickers at bay, but alas she giggled when he glared even harder.
"You really, really love it to tease me, don't you?" he said exasperatedly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Of course~ Of course~" Shinoa chimed from her place. "Making your life totally miserable is one of my purposes of life, after all." she nodded to herself with a smile on her face.
Yuichiro stared at the girl blankly for a few seconds before he sighed. "Whatever, I shouldn't have asked…."
Really, sometimes this girl beside him could be totally irritating at times that he wanted to tear his hair out in agony. He didn't know why, and he didn't want to know, but apparently she found it amusing to tease him relentless for some reason. Sometimes her jokes were annoying, enough to aggravate him in many occasions, but she'd never got too carried away, never got too far and he wondered if she was playing it safe with him.
But, it was okay. It was okay. It was enough.
If it weren't for her odd jokes, he wouldn't be this content after all. This calm, and deep down he thanked her for such reassurance had brought him up to his feet again.
As Yuichiro was busy with his melancholy thoughts, the object of his musings was occupying herself with her new favorite hobby – since a few hours ago – which was staring at the moon. It wasn't like she could saw its full body or what, but at least the little ray of dim light was enough to keep her distracted.
Moon…. light?
Wait a minute.
"Ne, Yuu-san…." he furrowed his eyebrows when her lips formed a frown on her face. "You… do you feel a little bit strange?"
"What?" he met her squinted eyes, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not…. really sure." her frown deepened, there was something… something which missing from their eyes. "But I—Yuu-san," she gasped. "How—how long we've been walking along this underground?" her tone turned firm and hurried when she faced him, colors began to fade from her face entirely. "How long?!"
He blinked his eyes in confusion. "What's wrong with y—"
"Yuu-san!" she shook his shoulders. "How long?!"
Yuichiro scrunched his forehead, thinking. "M-Maybe.. five hours or so?"
"That's… weird." she mumbled as she thought about their current predicament. "We—When we arrived here, if I'm not mistaken, it was almost midnight." Shinoa began, each words grew even more worried than the last. "And if we have been walking around this place for almost five hours then—"
If they have been walking around… for.. five… hours—shit.
"Are you saying—!"
ScrEEeeeCh!
Shinoa gasped loudly when she felt the same dark killing intent from before. The very same aura, the very same intent. She could faintly hear Shii-chan whined inside her mind as her body shook from the nervousness. The killing intent—it was so dark, so powerful and she honestly didn't want to know just what kind of monster it was, if it could emit such vivid and thick thirst of blood when it was barely ten meters from their place.
This is not good. We must run. We must freaking run, she thought, like—now. Whatever it was, it was walking towards them.
scre-eeEEe—seCheEr–ch!
"Yuu-san!" she didn't mean to scream quite loudly, but the pressure was too much to handle. "D-don't—don't talk! You can't—just ke—"
scrEeee—eeer-ceRRc-eERrrcHh!
But before she could warn him further, a hand appeared out of nowhere and dragged her into the darkness.
sCrEeee—eEer-ceRRc-eer—ERhh!
Then, everything was suddenly still, before a scream tore the thick silence into halves.
"SHINOA—!"
(Too late.)
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"How's the situation?" The white-haired man tapped on his clipboard with his long, boned fingers, eyes looking straight to the owner of the office he was apparently trespassing on. "Still no news?"
The Lieutenant Colonel only sighed, long and bitter, and perhaps also a little bit worn out. "Nothing. There is nothing. Zero. Nix. Yada." he deadpanned. "Now get out from my office, I hate seeing your face."
"Oh come on Guren~" Shinya whined when the black haired man glared at him. "And here I am, trying to make a civil, good conversation between us men, and yet you refused my heartfelt hospitality with a cold shoulder." he wiped an imaginary tear from his face quite dramatically, imitating an actress he had seen in tv a long time ago. "How cruel can you be to you own best friend?" he faked a sniffle to add on the effects.
"Heartfelt hospitality my ass… Best friend my ass..." Guren muttered under his breath, ignoring the ever-so-jolly man in front of his desk. "Get out."
"Guren," Shinya said sharply, his eyes darkening into molten blue. Guren flinched a little. That look was familiar. He was playing serious now, and he knew that look was problem. "Are you alright?"
Do you have to ask? Guren thought bitterly as once again he ignored his companion.
"Oi Guren." Shinya Hiiragi, for once glared at the moping man.
"What is it Shinya? Can't you see that I'm quite busy here?" he said nonchalantly as he skimmed over a few documents. "If you can then please get the hell out my office." he paused before a moment. "Thank you." he added, just to mock him.
It was still for a moment, and then suddenly;
"She is my sister too."
Guren stopped breathing.
His voice was barely a whisper and hearing that sentence uttered from the same mouth of the man he had known since childhood froze him for a second, his hand paused its troublesome task, before he smiled sardonically at him.
I don't need your pity.
"Was." Guren corrected the man, eyes blank but Shinya saw another inside those bleak orbs. "She was your adopted sister."
It was too cruel. It was uncalled off. Guren knew that. He saw him flinched, hurt filled his pair of clear blue eyes and honestly, Guren felt like a total arsehole for saying such a thing, but he didn't need his pity-party. He didn't need to be coddled like a freaking toddler all the time just because he couldn't handle death better than his peers.
He didn't need pity. He didn't need his pity. He didn't need it.
"Why?" Shinya asked then, hurt still visible on his face, even only for a moment. "Why are you always—" he bit his lips until he could taste the bitter metal between his teeth. "Always... always trying to shoulder everything… every damn thing on your own? You don't – you never—" he paused to catch his breath. "Why Guren? You are angry at yourself because you miss her too, don't you?" he gave him a little smile. "And him too—he is like a little brother you never have, isn't he? Or maybe he is like your own child? I don't really sure when it comes to you."
Why he's so—
Guren had enough. Why that idiot had to talk as if they're still here? Why he talked as if they're still alive? It made him sick. He was so sick of it all.
(It was enough.)
"Get out." his grips on the documents was forceful, his knuckles turned into a ghastly color of pale white as he gritted his teeth. "Get the hell out."
Shinya could only stare at his trembling form for a second, before he headed to the polished door with even steps.
"You know Guren," he stopped for a while, tilting his head a little and gave him a smile. "She is still your little sister. And he is—I think he is more like your child. A son, perhaps." he chuckled a little before he smiled again. "They're going to be back. I'm going to make sure of it."
He closed the door behind him, its jagged edge scratched against the tiled floor and it created a painful wail inside Guren's ears.
Why? Why would you promise something you can't keep?
Shinya didn't look back, he never did, not even once. But if he did, even only just for a moment, he would catch a pair of moist eyes behind the curtain of midnight colored bangs, staring after his fading form in silence.
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"Hee~ Look at what I found~ Two puny humans wandering alone at night?" Shinoa could smell his foul breath as he held her inside a tight-lock grip, one of his palms covered her mouth and she had to choke back the urge to vomit all over him. "Aw~ aren't you two so sweet~" he cooed.
"LET HER GO YOU SCUM!" Yuichiro snarled at the monster, baring his gritted teeth as his hands shook uncontrollably from the fury he was feeling. How dare that lowlife touch her? How dare he fucking touch her?!
"Heh." The being snorted, before he sniffled his prey a bit. "This one sure smell tasty~ Why you smell so different, dear? Not like those human I've met before. Even though I like vampire's meat better, yours is not bad~"
Shinoa gagged when she smelled stench of blood and rotten meat from his mouth and body. This was the being that Guren-chūsa had told them about. He was right, he was totally right, this one was indeed an abnormal. It was not like a normal vampire, as he looked more like a savage with that unruly hair and tattered cloak rather than the usually noble-like vampire she had seen most of the time. And on top it all, he was a cannibal. He ate his own kind for dinner.
They were really in a deep shit right now.
"You fucking bastard—" Yuichiro sheathed his black sword and pointed it out to the thing – he refused to acknowledge it – and Shinoa began to panic because he couldn't have even think about leaping into the enemy just like that.
But she couldn't speak as she watched her hot headed comrade glared hole into the vampire's face, ready to swing another attack.
"You should keep that pointy little thing away." The vampire suggested with a rueful grin. "This place is my domain. My playground. I don't usually play with human, as my own taste is only that of my kind. If you back down now, I'm going to leave you unscratched."
"You think I care?!" Yuichiro snarled as he leveled his sword onward. "I said let her go you piece of shit!"
The abnormal only gazed blankly at his prey's fuming form, not quite taken by the bloodlust he was leaking out. "You should. If you haven't notice it, this place—" he gestured at the space around him. "Is my territory, my own space, my own time." he smirked wickedly, "Hey, little livestock—"
Bright crimson eyes with a tint of violet suddenly zeroed him inside a terrifying gaze
"—have you ever wondered why it's only night in here?"
A moment of silence passed them. That explain everything, Shinoa thought as she cringed from the stinging pain on her chest. This vampire—this monster who held her hostage was an abnormal. He had a special ability, just like that of a demon. No, maybe he was a demon. He could control the space and time around this place, that's why The Central couldn't detect him, this was his district, his domain, which was off-limits to a mere human.
But… from where he got this kind of power?
She gasped when she remembered one little fact about this abnormal. He ate his own kind. It must be because of that. He ate other vampires to get their lifespan and also their ability. This was bad, he was certainly on a whole new level away from them. She turned her head to look at her comrade desperately, trying to convey her message, but Yuichiro didn't meet her in the eyes and instead he glared even harder at the being in front of him.
"I said—" he seethed. "Let. Her. GO!" he let out a loud battle cry as he leaped forward. But the vampire only stepped on his side, missing the blade strike only by a few centimeters as he kept on ignoring the furious boy to play with his prey's hair.
"Let's have a lots of fun~" he smiled crookedly as he pulled her ribbon from her lavender locks. "Just ignore the boy, okay? He's so boring after all." he leaned closer, "You're going to ha—" he tsked again as he evaded yet another strike aimed to his head. "Hey~ That was so close. Are you trying to kill your sweetheart too?"
Silence.
The abnormal vampire narrowed his eyes when the black haired boy suddenly disappeared from his sight. "Hooo~ Playing hide and seek aren't we?" he snickered loudly, "Fine! I will join this childish game of yours!"
There was a deafening silence before sounds of screeching metal pierced the air.
"Rot in hell, you piece of trash."
Yuichiro thrust his sword forward.
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Shinya turned around when he saw a speck of golden passed him in such a hurry. He knew who she was, well, he had to, she was his little sister's squad mates after all. And most importantly, he knew where she was heading.
"Mitsuba-san?" Shinya called as the girl was walking ahead of him. "Mitsuba-san, please wait for a moment." he jogged a little to meet her.
As she heard her name being called by someone, Mitsuba stopped on her track to saw a white-haired man that seemed so familiar. Where did she have seen him before? She was certain that she knew this person.
(You see that white haired man? The one in that totally cool sport car over there?)
A distant memory passed across her mind, her tiny friend's chirpy voice echoing inside her head repeatedly like a broken record.
(Do you know him? He is quite known within our peers for his status in the army. Though it's uncommon to hear, he is my older brother. Step brother, to be precise. Unlike me, he was adopted by the Hiiragi family, his name is—)
Mitsuba swallowed hard.
"…Major General Hiiragi Shinya-sama….."
"Halo, Mitsuba-san." he smiled brightly at her, sky-eyes twinkling with warmth. Mistuba raised her eyebrow at the casual greeting. He wasn't like what she'd expected. "You're going to Guren's office, aren't you?"
Busted.
"E-Eh, uh… yes. I'm… I'm well…" she trailed off, didn't sure what to say to this man in front of her. "I'm just…."
"Nah, you don't have to be so nervous in front of me." Shinya laughed when he saw the girl fidgeted over her skirt, eyes refused to meet his welcoming ones. "I don't bite, promise." he said playfully, quite amused by her antics.
"U-Uh, I'm sorry. It's just—I'm…" she paused, a blank expression upon her face as she asked herself;
What I want to say again?
Shinya only smiled when he watched her fumbling with her words. "You want to ask for the permission to move on your own, don't you? To search for them by yourself."
Bullseye.
Mitsuba cringed at the blunt truths uttered about, seeing how much it sounded like a stupid idea when she heard it from other people's mouth. But she needed this, she really needed this closure, at least before they'd forced her to give up forever. She had to see it with her own eyes, at least, not from some stranger that she didn't know of.
"I'm not going to stop you." his voice snapped her out from her thoughts. "But I'm afraid to say that today is not the best time to ask him. Guren is…. a little bit preoccupied right now." he said sheepishly, his eyes crinkled into crescent moon.
"Oh…" Mitsuba didn't know what to say, it was all confusing for her as hordes of memories came crashing down into her mind. She wanted to be mad, to crawl and vomit all over the floor, to rip her hair out in frustration, to hurt herself; because—because above all shits she had to put through, this was the worst. Because hell, she didn't need another grim remainder.
But she guessed that it couldn't be helped, could it?
Shinya sighed tiredly, sweeping his stubborn hair out from his face. He was pretty sure that the girl was going to flip him over if he was another unfortunate soul. It was her nature, and he couldn't really blame her. If he was banned from saving a person he cared dearly, he would have felt the same like her.
Shinya smiled sympathetically at the girl's hunched form, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah." she paused, biting her lower lip. "Yeah. I'm okay."
"You can go back tomorrow." he offered with another smile.
Mitsuba bit her lip harder.
She knew that. She knew that much.
(But she didn't know for sure if they were going to be alive tomorrow.)
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Yuichiro was seeing red.
There was blood everywhere. On his hair. On his face. On his arms.
It was practically bathed him in a nauseating layer of crimson as his heart began to hammer quickly inside his rib cage. He didn't know just how much time had passed – he didn't dare to breathe, didn't dare to avert his eyes – and he didn't care because the only thing that matter to him right now was fucking bleeding all over the ground as she gasped for breath.
She was dying.
Shinoa was dying.
(No. No. No. No. No. No—)
Yuichiro chocked back a scream as he watched her blinked her blurry eyes, beads of crystal tears formed at the corner of her tangerine orbs and she was beautiful, so beautiful but she was dying. She was dying and he couldn't – he couldn't – do a damned thing beside watching her struggled with her lifeline. He could only watch as she fought with her own heart.
"Y-Yuu –s-san…." the long gash upon her stomach was bleeding continuously, but she ignored the aching pain to look at his pair of desperate eyes. She didn't speak, she couldn't, and he knew that, but her message was loud and clear.
(Run. Please get away from here. Save yourself. Just leave me here, because I'm going to—)
"He~ That was close." Yuichiro heard that – disgusting, detestable, hideous – monster laughed tauntingly from behind. "It's such a pity that she's going to die though. And here I thought we're going to have some fun~"
How dare he?
How dare that son of a bitch talks about her in such a manner? How dare he fucking insults her like she's nothing but trash? HOW DARE HE TOUCHED HER? HE MADE HIM HURT HER. HE MADE HIM HURT HER. HE MADE HER BLEED. HE HURT HER.
Kill—he needed to kill him.
KILL THE BASTARD.
"Then call me." Yuichiro could hear his demon whispered sweetly inside his head, "Call my name and I'm going to give you the power to save her. You want to save her, don't you?"
"Yes." he said. "Give me the fucking power now!"
"Then, give me your blood in return—and I will give you heaven."
"I'll give you anything, just save her!"
He felt a stinging pain at his neck as a pair of sharp fangs embed their way into his vein, sucking on his blood so quickly that he could feel his consciousness began to fade little by little. His body was hurt all over the place as if he was being pierced by invisible force but then the pain was gone as quickly as it came, leaving him gasping for air as dark flames licked his skin and burned his wounds away.
Yuichiro laughed with a crazed smile upon his lips, the mark of his curse scattered over his ghastly skin like plague as black smokes encase him in a thick killing intent. A smirk stretched on his eerily pale face when he felt power surged through his veins, mind was blank as he gazed at his prey. Feeling a dark bloodlust coming from the boy, the vampire backed away from his place, a little put off with the turn of event.
"Hey~ Hey~" he tsked before he pulled out a silver dagger from his cloak. "Are you really human? What's up with that fancy mark on your skin?"
Yuichiro didn't answer, another smirk split his face to halves as he leaped towards the unsuspecting vampire. They met in the middle, sword clashed with dagger, but now the situation was reversed. Instead of the vampire overpowering him, it was him who cornered that monster with his frightening strength. He was invincible. He was strong, too strong as an immeasurable power kept on pulsing inside his every nerve and he smiled mockingly at the creature in front of him.
"Are you afraid?" his voice was rough and deep with malice, it was tantalizing and the vampire gritted his teeth from the fear that began to overwhelm him.
"Like hell I am." he spat the words with venom. "You're no human, aren't you? What kind of human could bring out such a dark killing intent?" he laughed out loud. "If you think about it, we are not really different, are we not?"
The vampire smirked when he saw his narrowed eyes. "It doesn't matter though, prepare to die, livestock."
He leaped forward.
If there was a word that Yuichiro hated the most, it must be that godforsaken brand on his peers. He lifted his sword then, preparing to tear the enemy down. There was a screeching sound when metal met metal once again, and Yuichiro had to smother another laugh when he saw the shock and fear that visible in his opponent every move. He was dominating this fight, and when he felt the monster faltered, Yuichiro didn't wait long to thrust his sword straight into the creature's heart.
"Die, you bloodsucker." he spat maliciously, eyes glowing slightly crimson. "See you in hell." Yuichiro yanked his sword back, blood splattered on its sharp edge.
"Y-You… de–mon…." The vampire chocked out bloods as his body began to burn into ashes, "Y-You a-re…. and that… g-girl also… y-you—"
His body vanished into thin air, dusts and ashes alike swept by the unkind wind. Yuichiro laughed then, throaty and raucous, when he realized that he'd killed that thing. He'd killed that fucking bastard. This power is great! He thought happily. With this kind of power he could kill those bloodsuckers in a blink of eye, he could kill any vampire—
He paused.
But I still couldn't save her.
With that thought passed in his mind, the hatred and loathing, and that sick kind of happiness that he's currently feeling were replaced with regret and despair. That satisfaction faded into bitter feelings as he remembered her. It was finally dawned on him that she was dying right now. Power left his body as the curse began to retreat into the darkest part of his skin before it disappeared completely into nothing. It was horrible, the pain that pierced his body, but he ignored it to crawl desperately towards her still form.
Yuichiro didn't need any power if it meant that he had to lose her.
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Shinoa didn't know what was this place. It was, simply put, a dome of nothingness.
The place was barren and void like the desert, except it was painted in a shade of washed-out white that she kept on seeing in her childhood rather than the gold sand scattered about. She wondered, where is she? The only thing she could remember was his crushed face and pain which pricked her stomach, but beside that, she remembered nothing.
What happened to her, exactly? What's this place?
"This is your mindscape." a voice echoed faintly, and she turned her head abruptly to see a figure sitting on a lone chair—the only chair existed inside this place. "Nice to see you again, princess."
"What did you say?" she squinted her eyes, but she still couldn't make out the figure's face, only a few black and white dots visible to her blurry eyes, but she knew it was not her demon. It couldn't be her demon. "You're… I know you're not Shii-chan." she said evenly, "If you're saying that this is my mind… then who are you?"
The person – was it? – paused for a moment, weaving silence between them. "Who am I, huh?" it muttered. "Looks like you still can't remember… I guess I need to wait a little longer…."
"What?" she asked, confused with it choice of words. She didn't understand what he was talking about. "What do you mean? Who are you exactly? What do you want from me?"
"You are useless now, and here I thought that I'm going to have some fun." she saw the figure shifted from it slouching posture. "Meh, whatever. Just go back to that boyfriend of yours, I'm sure he is feeling a lot worse by now."
"W-Wait!" Shinoa shouted desperately at the fading figure as the washed-out dome began to fade away from her eyes. "Don't—Wait! What are you doing?!" she gritted her teeth, "Answer my question first, who are you?!"
"Ask that when you finally remember, little one."
The figure and the dome, the blinding light, everything flashed in front of her eyes before it was replaced by a total darkness.
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It was gone. The blank world was gone.
It disappeared completely before her eyes as she felt droplets of water continuously hitting her face.
Who?
They were warm and bitter, the tears, when they touched her lips. She wondered where she's now. Shinoa fluttered her eyes open then, blinking them up several times to clear her sight, and saw him looming above her.
Crying.
"…please wake up," a chocked sob echoed inside her ears. "I... Shinoa I'm… please…"
He – that reckless, hot headed, but caring, ridiculously kind, strong, strong boy – was crying.
For her.
Shinoa felt like the heart beneath her skin was about to shatter in million pieces. Like a glass vase being dropped to the floor, like she was a brick wall about to crumble, like she was about to collapse on herself and fall into the harsh ground. The image of him crying was forever embed into her memories. It certainly wasn't something she wanted to remember for the rest of her life.
"Y-Yuu-san…?" she called, voice small and raspy. "I'm….." she licked her dry lips, searching for suitable words to say, and yet found none. "I'm… I'm okay now…"
That was true. She was fine. The hole that previously tore the skin on her stomach was gone, only specks of blood left, and she didn't know what to think about because it was weird, it was—
Impossible.
Her thought was cut short when she felt him stiffened, it looked like he'd finally realized that she'd awakened from her brief sleep. He sucked in a breath, his pair of clear viridian orbs widened as he gripped her body instinctively, eyes glistened with what should be unshed tears.
"…Shinoa?" his tone was that of disbelief, pools of emerald gaping wide and boring into her half lidded ones as a lone tear escaped and fell across his cheek. "You're… you're.." he gulped down the lump which formed behind his throat, "…alive?"
That moment, Shinoa realized that she hated tears.
(And she hated it more when it came from him.)
"Of course I am…" she pouted a little, trying to put a smile on her face. "You're so cruel… do you want to get rid of me that much?"
Yuichiro couldn't talk as he stared at her disbelievingly, before he suddenly brought her petite body into his larger one in a desperate hug, sobbing nosily on her shoulder.
Shinoa blinked her eyes as blood rushed in her cheeks. "Y-Yuu-san?"
He stopped breathing for a moment when he heard her voice. That sweet and even pitch, he missed it so much. Feeling her soft breath upon his face, another batch of fat tears escaped from his eyes, because he was truly, utterly happy, so damn happy that she was— that Shinoa was alive and well and she's… Shinoa—
God, thank you.
"I'm sorry Yuu-san…" The girl whispered softly into his ear. "I made you worry…. forgive me?" her voice was tender and sweet as she stroked his back gently, offering him a subtle comfort as if she were calming a child.
"You… Shinoa you… stupid—I'm–" his lips faltered as the words died on the plane of his tongue, but his embrace didn't, and instead he drew her even deeper against his trembling body. Seeking comfort. Seeking warmth. "I'm glad that you're alive…"
The girl smiled as she wrapped her arms around his built form.
"So am I," she murmured, soft and tender. "So am I, Yuu-san…."
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The black haired boy frowned when he saw her messy state; hair undone, uniform tattered, and don't forget the large blotch of blood still visible on her stomach. Now that he thought about it, did her wound healed completely? But it was impossible right? It couldn't heal that fast. She did say something about her demon power and all, but even so…
It was weird.
No wound supposed to heal that fast.
Yuichiro frowned even more. "Hey? Are you sure that you're okay?"
"Nah. I'm fine, I'm fine~" she chortled happily. "No need to worry. It's already healed after all. Now we need to go back to our base as fast as possible." she put a hand under her chin. "If I remember correctly, that vampire from before had some sort of time manipulation ability, right? The thing is, I'm afraid that our time perception and the real world didn't match at all when we were trapped inside that underground."
Yuichiro sighed tiredly when he remembered that particular abnormal vampire. It sure had such a troublesome power. When they were trapped inside that forsaken tunnel, even though five hours had passed from midnight, the scenery outside didn't change even a bit; the same full moon loomed in the sky. To think that such power existed was quite mind-blogging.
"Alright, I guess we need to start hitting the road then." Yuichiro raked a hand through his messy raven crown. "For all we know, it's already days or even weeks since that time."
Shinoa nodded her head, locks of lavender bouncing on her shoulder blades. "Yes. Let's go then."
"Wait."
She stopped walking when she felt his hand on her arms.
"Yuu-san? Is something wrong?"
The boy looked conflicted for a moment before his eyes met her. "Do you… do you want me to carry you?"
"E-Eh?" Shinoa squeaked, face a little flushed. "H-huh? What are you saying Yuu-san... Ahaha..." she laughed nervously.
"I'm asking you if you want me to carry you back home." he deadpanned, a little blush colored his cheeks. "I'm serious. That wound on your stomach…" he flinched when he remembered that he was the one who gave it to her. "It couldn't heal that fast, you don't have to force yourself..."
That again.
"I'm okay." Shinoa replied firmly. "I can walk, you know?" she humored him with a smile, but he didn't smile back. "It's okay Yuu-san, if I feel something then I will not hesitate to tell you. I promise." she said softly, giving him a squeeze of a hand.
Yuichiro gave her another look before he smiled tiredly at her. "Fine. You promised."
"You're really such a worrywart aren't you?" she laughed when he saw him scowling. "Really Yuu-san, you should—" the short girl stilled for a moment, eyes flickered around as if she was searching for something.
"Shinoa?" Yuichiro said worriedly. "Is something wrong? Is your wound hurting?"
"Ssst," she shushed him, "Please keep quiet for a moment Yuu-san."
"What are you talking—" his eyes turned sharp. "Is it an enemy?"
"No." she bit out. "In fact, I knew whose aura I'm feeling. He's familiar. But I don't know for certain, for my power is not fully back and I didn't want to jump into conclusion."
"Then we should hide. Watch from afar." he suggested. "It would be better for us, right?"
She nodded her head at him, and they began to head to the nearby buildings to camouflage themselves. But before they could even move from their place, a figure emerged from their back with a loud crash.
"Shinoa-chan?!"
—tbc—
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author's note:
Okay, this is such a looooooong story, 40 pages, for shouting out loud….. This story is going to be long and hard and painful as their relationship grew overtime. But alas, there's also a lot of fluff and such and maybe a little bit spoilers from the light novel because I just adore the idea of chibi Shinoa. Her past is dark though, especially about her sister and the whole Hiiragi's business, and I will try my best in writing it. Though I didn't read the whole LN but at least it gave me some ideas. And also, her relationship with Guren and Shinya is beautiful and I'm okay with the idea of her being the two's daughter.
They're so sweet together after all XD
This one ended with a cliffhanger, but I'm certain that you all know who is that person, right? It's pretty obvious after all the only one who call her with –chan suffix is only him (as far as I know from the LN and DC, though). ANYWAY, this is the first chapter from me. The very first multi-chapter and my first attempt ever at writing an action scene (god I don't know what to say, it was hard), so I hope this is up to your standard. Please don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts, alright? Okay then, I guess this is it. Until we meet again in the next chapter~
-Hinoiri Lwin-