Akaito nudged the door crudely open with his foot with not as much gusto that evening. He had a tired and disgruntled expression upon his features. First of all, it had been freezing all day today, which didn't help his foul mood, and second of all he had to think of a way to get a REACTION out of ZEITO. Now that he looked back on it, he may have been a bit rash when jumping into that dare. He cursed himself for being so prideful. He was most certainly going to lose this bet.
As much as he hated to admit it to Kikaito, Akaito had been trying his hardest all day to get ANYTHING out of Zeito.

He had slipped hot chili sauce into Zeito's lunch that early afternoon. Zeito merely brought it to his lips before sensing something was off and brought it back to the kitchen to get another helping.

He had done the ice water hanging above the door trick. Akaito had been thrilled to hear the shriek of horror, but when he looked around the corner he found that his idiot twin brother Kaito had fallen for the trap instead.

He had even gone out of his way to get the largest tarantula he could find at the pet store and hid it in Zeito's room. Zeito's reaction could have not been the more OPPOSITE of what Akaito wanted. He freaking PICKED the hairy thing up and released it! Now there was an overly large spider on the Shion premises!

At present time, Akaito was fuming. He slammed the front door to the Shion estate closed, which only succeeding in bringing a reezing draft from outside to chill Akaito to the bone. Akaito swore up a storm at the cold weather, blaming it for all his current problems.

Sighing, Akaito crossed his arms in cold and headed deeper into the mansion hoping someone had lit the large fireplace. Upon entering the living room, he was pleasantly surprised by the sight of the crackling fire. What he WASN'T pleasantly surprised by was the one crouched by the fire, warming his hands. Akaito narrowed his eyes at the sight of Zeito. This guy was starting to anger him as much as he was angering Kikaito. There had to be a way for Akaito to win this stupid bet.

"Yo! Raccoon freak!" Akaito said waltzing the rest of the way into the room with confidence in his stride. Zeito merely looked up at the intrusion of silence, before acknowledging it's presence and looking back to the fire.

"Man! It's cold out there today, am I right?" Akaito laughed, also crouching to take a place next to Zeito. Akaito just barely caught the halfhearted nod that Zeito gave him, it was so tiny.

"Makes you wonder why Vocaloids are made with the ability to feel cold, huh? We're not human so I don't get why we need to be held back by human limitations." To this comment Zeito made no inclination that he had even heard Akaito. He just stared at the fire as if he was upholding a fixated conversation with it.
Akaito ground his teeth together and glared at Zeito resisting the urge to hit him.

"So…." Akaito said thinking of anything he could pull out of the air.

"Zatsune and I are dating again!" he said with a smirk, having heard the rumors that the two were something of an item now. "You should have heard her on the phone. She was fawning all over me, begging me to forgive her for breaking up with me last year"
Zeito's eyes lazily came to rest on Akaito. They stared at him. Read him. Bore into him. Suddenly Akaito felt uncomfortable. Zeito just blinked before looking to the fire again, as if determining that Akaito was lying to him.
How DARE he. Akaito had felt as if his personal space had just been violated with how Zeito had just seen through him like that! It was infuriating! Kikaito had a right to hate this jerk the way he did.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" Akaito exploaded, standing up violently. Zeito looked up at him, but not at all with any shock, or surprise. He merely just….looked at Akaito as his brother stood up.

"ALL YOU DO IS JUST STARE AT PEOPLE WITH YOUR CREEPY PALE FACE AND STUPID PANDA EYESHADOW! YOU STARE! THAT'S ALL YOU DO!"
Zeito only blinked slowly before standing up to reach eye level with Akaito. Akaito would have lied if he said he was surprised at what Zeito did next. He STARED at him!

"STOP LOOKING AT ME!" Akaito screamed! Zeito disobeyed and continued to do exactly that.

"I SAID STOP!" Akaito shoved Zeito back violently. Zeito stepped back to catch himself, but made no noise of pain or showed any signs of fear as Akaito had been hoping. Now Akaito was at his limit. This jerk had been doing nothing but ruining Akaito's once great day. Akaito had never been so mad. He grabbed Zeito by his stupid ripped and filthy scarf and lifted to eye level.

"Do you know what you are, you circus freak?!" His voice dripping with venom. "I'll tell you what you are. You're a mistake. You were never supposed to happen. You were a glitch in the system that Master never counted on. A virus How does that make you feel? Knowing you were an accident?! Knowing you were never supposed to exist!"

Akaito scanned Zeito's face, searching for anything. ANY sign of hurt, or anger. Zeito's eyes were unreadable. Akaito couldn't find a single thing in them. In a fit of fury, Akaito screamed at the top of his lungs before shoving Zeito as far away from him as he could.
Zeito toppled over and crashed to the floor beside the fireplace. There was no sound, no yell, just the dull thud of Zeito hitting the ground.
Akaito couldn't believe he was going to lose his first bet. Kikaito wasn't going to let him live this down. Akaito wasn't going to let HIMSELF live this down. But at this point in time, he seriously did NOT care. Zeito was causing him more stress than he thought was worth any bet.
Zeito picked himself off the ground and stood up slowly. Akaito just glared at him expecting that same dead stare Zeito always returned.

...

Akaito was wrong. Zeito extended his arm and held out his hand, motioning to Akaito to return something. Akaito blinked confused, before he looked down at his hands. He was still holding Zeito's scarf from when he had grabbed him.
Akaito snapped his head back up to look at Zeito connecting two and two together. Zeito made the motion again silently asking….no… demanding that Akaito return his scarf. Suddenly, an evil smirk materialized onto Akaito's features. This scarf was precious to Zeito. It was a wonder why Akaito hadn't thought of this earlier.

"Oh…..sorry Zeito. Did I accidentally take this from you?" Akaito said chuckling under his breath. "Here. You can have it back.".

He said tossing the scarf into the burning fireplace…

...

...

HORROR

Akaito blinked in disbelief. The sudden expression on Zeito's face was atone to that of pure terror. It suddenly struck Akaito that he didn't have a camera to PROVE to Kikaito that Zeito was displaying emotion! Right here! Right now! There was horror and fear pasted all over Zeito's face.

IT. WAS. PRICELESS.

Akaito was just about to point at Zeito and double over in laughter. In fact, he would have done exactly that if Zeito's next move hadn't put all the horror from Zeito's expression onto Akaito's face.

Zeito jumped for the fire…

"Zeito! What are you doi-?!"

Zeito made a horrific noise. It was not a scream, it was not a yell, it was just….a horrific sound of pain as he threw his hands right into the fire. The sound, whatever ungodly sound it was, made Akaito sick to his stomach. He stood rooted to the spot in horror and disbelief as Zeito rolled out of the fire with his burning piece of stupid fabric. The horrific looking piece of fabric was so ripped and tattered already. Why did it mean that much to him? He might as well have gotten a new one! All of the Shion brothers regularly replaced their clothes. Zeito's were disgusting and worn. Akaito wouldn't be surprised if someone told him Zeito didn't wash them either, even though he speculated he did. How the broken things survived washes he did not know. So he threw his filthy neck cloth in the fire. So what? What could have possibly possessed Zeito to-

RAGE

His hands burnt and shaking in pain, his scarf put out, Zeito faced rounded on Akaito. Tears threatening to tear from his eyes, his teeth clenched into a hard line. It was terrifying. Zeito was MAD. No….ENRAGED. Suddenly Akaito wanted to go back in time and make it so he never took this bet. This was not worth it. This was definitely not worth it. This was terrifying . Akaito felt terrible.

"Ze-…Zeito…I didn't mea-… I'm sorr-"

A pain greater than Akaito had ever experienced ripped through his body as a fist collided with the side of his face and he slammed, face first, into a wall. Akaito blinked in confusion and fear. He had not been expecting this. This is not what he had wanted.
Akaito whirled around, his back to the wall, only to see that Zeito had not moved from his spot.
Instead, the cause of his current throbbing head was the purple Shion Taito standing over him. When had Taito come in? Had he been in the room the entire time? When Akaito had seen Zeito sitting by the fireplace, he had not taken in the rest of the room. Taito could have very well just witnessed all of that. Every horrible thing Akaito has said and done to Zeito. Judging by Taito's features, he had. The rage on Taito's face was putting the rage Akaito had seen on Zeito's face moments before, to shame. Taito was seething, nearly snarling at Akaito.

"You…hurt…him" Taito could only pant out between his enraged hyperventilating.

"YOU! HURT! ZEITO!"

Taito screamed loud enough for the whole estate to hear. The ice-cold chill of fear was clutching at Akaito's heart as he watched Taito close his eyes in rage only for him to reopen them to reveal vibrant glowing red eyes, as opposed to his usual purple.

A small smile ghosted Taito's lips.

"I'm going to kill you"

The ice pick that Akaito had not taken notice of, came down to strike it's target.
Akaito screamed…

The cold wind howled outside chilling everything it touched. Akaito didn't know why he could hear it so loudly even though he was inside. He didn't how long he screamed for or how many times the ice pick had punged into him. Twice? Ten? He couldn't tell given it stopped hurting after the second strike.

Master had once told him that there was a reason Vocaloids had human limitations when Kaito had asked. Of course, Akaito hadn't cared for the answer at the time

"It reminds you that you are alive"
she had explained.
"You may not be human, but you are all alive to me"
"You should know that you are alive"
"You feel, cold, pain, heat, because it reminds you that you are as human as I am…"
"Remember that"

Tears fell free from Akaito's eyes as he laid in what was quite possibly a pool of his own blood, only now remembering his master's words. If he was still being stabbed, he couldn't feel it, and that was so terrifying. It mean that his life was slowly fading. The gift of life that his master had given him wasted. And over what? A stupid 20 dollars. He hated himself. He only hoped master would forgive him, even though he was only now learning his lesson.

ANGUISH

"STOP!"

Zeito's squeak of a voice rang out and snapped Akaito back to his senses. It was the first time Akaito could recall ever hearing Zeito's voice. It was so high, it nearly sounded like a girl. But as of right now, it was that high-pitched voice that was clinging Akaito to life.
Akaito forced his eyes open trying to stay awake.
Zeito was on Taito's back trying to wrestle the ice pick out of Taito's hand as Taito tried to continually stab Akaito. Taito was howling in rage trying to throw Zeito off of him. Zeito clung to Taito's back for dear life. Taito back handed Zeito off of him and rounded his fury on darker brother. Despite the fact that he had attacked Akaito for Zeito's sake, Taito was caught up in the blood lust. He wanted someone in that room dead tonight. He lunged at Zeito.

" You won't stop me this time!"
Taito bellowed.
It was hard to focus, the two kept blurring in and out of focus. Akaito noted all the blood on Taito's clothes and bandages. The bandages weren't an unusual sight. Most of the brothers were used to it. Don't ask, don't tell sort of thing. However, the blood soaking those bandages was fresh tonight. Akaito wondered vaguely if it was his own. He look down at himself. Red was his color, but tonight he thought even he was overdoing it. You could not see the white of his coat anymore. There was nothing but red.
Red….red…red.

The was a loud scream that snapped Akaito to focus again. It was an anguished scream of pain and sorrow as Zeito grabbed Taito by the face and rammed the back of his brother's head into the nearest wall.
There was a sickening crunch and blood splattered slightly behind Taito as Zeito slammed it with such force. Taito's limp form slumped to the ground as Zeito let him go.
No…this is not what Akaito wanted. Akaito would never want this. Akaito opened his mouth to speak, but nothing but blood came forth at first.
"I-is he dead?"
Zeito look over to Akaito

RELIEF

Zeito touched Taito's head as he stood up before shaking his head "no".

Zeito's still smoking scarf that had been left forgotten on the ground was picked up as Zeito made his way to Akaito. Akaito watched in disbelief as Zeito used his precious scarf... the scarf he had dived into a fire for, as a tourniquet to stop Akaito's bleeding. Akaito couldn't believe anything anymore. This night had been too much for him. He began to cry uncontrollably.
"…Zeito, I'm sorry"
he sobbed. Zeito checked his handiwork with his scarf before looking to Akaito. There was the smallest of smiles that felt warm as Zeito nodded, accepting the apology.

Akaito wasn't sure what happened next. Maybe the motion of being picked up? The shock of everything that happened? The blood loss? All he knew was things went black from there as he fainted.

00000000000000000000000

Akaito looked down at his hands the next day. There wasn't a scratch on him. Zeito had taken Akaito to their master who had patched him up flawlessly. He would need to receive another white coat though since it was ripped and covered in blood. He was wearing his black and red coat instead.

Akaito owed Zeito his life, and Akaito wasn't sure what feeling this brought on inside himself. All he knew is that he had been an inch from dying that night. And here he was, the very next day, as if nothing had happened. Despite this fact, Akaito felt more human than he had ever before. All his life he had been complaining about these "Human limitations" saying stuff like the held him back. But now, in this new light, Akaito suddenly realized what it truly meant to be alive. To be human, even if he wasn't.
And he owed this all to Zeito…

"Hey! Akaito!"
The red Shion looked up to see Kikaito enter the room.

"Oh….hey" Akaito said mellower than usual. Kikaito did not take notice as he came to stand beside Akaito with something of a smirk on his face.

"How's trying to get a reaction out of Zeito coming along?" He asked with a challenging smile "You given up yet?"

Images flashed in Akaito mind as Kikaito said this. Kikaito was the one who started all of this. All of this over a stupid bet. Akaito began to laugh much to Kikaito's surprise. Akaito laughed and laughed and laughed, making Kikaito wonder what exactly was so funny.

Akaito reached into his pocked and shoved the 20 credits into Kikaito's chest.

"Nah man. You were right. Zeito's not worth it. He's never going to change"

"HA! TOLD YOU!" Kikaito said with glee making sure Akaito's 20 was genuine. Akaito didn't wait to hear it. He headed out of the room laughing under his breath.

If only Kikaito knew that Zeito had taught Akaito how to be human.
It was Zeito who taught Akaito emotion.
Not the other way around.
Akaito just laughed and left a confused Kikaito with his money.