A/N: So um...So far so good? Haha. It's been two months I think? Sorry, guys. Got banned for a while. And although I wanted to make this chapter longer...the scene just kinda cut there so I can't really do much about it. Expect the next chapter in at least a month's time. Got much to catch up on. And thank you all who read and supported this fic up until now. Thank you for reviewing as well. Please continue to leave comments! I greatly enjoy and appreciate them~ ;DD
Now Kuroro, show us what you think of this situation.
GLITCHED: Roundabout Logic
The breeze was mild, but hot when it came in contact with my exposed skin, sweaty and uncomfortable. The air was hot and oppressive, dropping low in the town and making people naturally sluggish and cranky. With the heat wave came the massive horde of cicadas singing their own slightly unique song. And although it was hot, there was also an element in the air that was fresh feeling. It was good. Summer was the only season in the year that I lived with.
Yes. Walking through the woods in outskirts of town was a pleasant thing. Just like the casual strolls I routinely took on previous summer nights. The only difference was today was on a morning. That was fine. Pushing the strands of my hair back, I continued forward. With my eyes landing on the slope that led to Goddess Pond, it was obvious my destination would be there. And that was the reason to my early walk.
When I got to the foot of the hill, colliding into someone was the least of what I had expected. But running into this boy...I was uncertain if it would be the-least-of-what-I-had-expected or I-totally-saw-that-coming, because I should. I definitely should. Whether we had the wickedest of coincidence or the ill most of fate, it was beginning to make me think. Whatever it was that we had going on, it was clicking us together. And this was not just my hunch talking. Because it was painfully obvious this will greatly impact the life between us. Not that we ever had that great of a relationship to being with, but even so.
He pulled himself away from me and furiously rubbed at his nose bridge groaning after the nosedive he did. Watching as his eyes water and the bridge of his nose begin to bruise, I sighed. Fingers massaging at my temples, a deja vu flashed in my head of a time when something like this happened long ago. It was years ago, when I was still somewhat new to this town and when he was still neutral about my existence—well at most he bothered to contain his contempt against me and not publicly display it. We had run into each other like this, at the bottom of the Goddess Pond hill. He had hurt his nose like just like today and I had only just stood by and watched as he writhed in pain. I didn't apologize for it, not that it was solely my fault, but because I never apologized for anything. That incident might have been the catalyst that made him into the person who proclaimed he was my enemy now.
Shaking my head in the flow of action, my eyes caught themselves and my mouth folded into a tight-lipped frown. This was just an hour or two after I had laid out my plan, but it was already lost with a turn of a corner. This had to be the quickest that any of my plans had failed. Though failing was a term that didn't often came along with my name, I acknowledged the failure this time and proceeded with a different attempt. One that I had not yet devised.
There was a soft whimper from him and then as the haze left his eyes and reality checked back with him, his eyes darted forth and sent me its usual cold bite. He questioned my presence with the enthusiasm he always bore with the subject. "Why is it always you?"
"I should be the one asking you," I said softly, lacking in energy. I took a few steps forward and I angled myself so that I was straight on the path up the hill, but I hesitated the moment I moved forward. An inkling grew inside me and there was just one possibility that I wanted to remove my doubt of. I hesitantly asked, "You're not playing with cursed tools are you?"
He gave me a queer look and a frown, a reaction reassuring me that possibility can be eliminated. His lips sputtered out the words derisively, "No, Kuroro. I haven't."
"Good," I said, turning up the hill slowly and surely I heard a hiss from behind me. No, not a snake or cat, just a boy. A really wild one that tended to hold grudges. As the trees around me thickened, I was obscured from his point of view as was he from mine and I remained focused on the path ahead. There is only one thing I did up in this place and that was to mine in the cave beside the Goddess Spring. But this time, I was not going to be looking for hidden treasures. I was here to obtain..."advice", in other words. Supposedly the Goddess that lived in this spring knew almost every detail about this town and she had magical powers that amazed all of the villager. What her powers actually were worth, I haven't witnessed yet, since she refused to tell when I had asked her once. She would only allow those who were "devoted" to her privilege.
Anyway, she would be the best person to seek information from, if anyone. And I stood expectantly at the edge of the pond with a flower handy already, I dropped it into the pond and waited for the appearance of the Goddess. Not even a few seconds after, the mirage of the mystic and majestic figure puzzled together with a wisp of wind. Over the surface of the pond her image was not reflected, rather it was more like her presence was but an illusion created by the spring water to serve the people without her physically showing up. That I understood, if she really was that important. Without legs or feet, the woman covered in sparkles and glitter held between her index finger and thumb the pale yellow flower I offered her. And as the breeze carried her long braided teal hair and silk shawl aside, the voices of cicadas returned singing again with their notes more gentle as though to honour the Queen of the forest. Said Queen spread her lips into a soft smile and gazed at me endearingly—ambiguously, might I add. Then, with a breath from her blessed lips, the flower disappeared from her thin fingers into a swirl of wind and a dance of petals.
She spoke, with serenity so clear in her lulling voice, "And that will go to my garden of flowers, dear Kuroro. I thank you for it."
There was the same awe I felt as of the first time I met her, it was to be expected with a character so majestic as the name would suggest. That's right, this was the Harvest Goddess. Behind the bright and captivating greens of her orbs, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read her thoughts. Yet she, this goddess, made me feel like she could flip through my thoughts and emotion like the pages of a child's picture book—everything so clearly displayed in images of what my mind and heart was. She was the sole being that ever made me feel intimidated. For that I, both admired her and felt the need to be wary of her.
She was different, that was for sure.
"No need to thank me, as I came here with questions." I paused, allowing her passage right into the windows of my soul. "You will give me answers, right?"
She cocked her head and laughed with a timid voice, always watchful. Holding onto a serene look, she permitted her eyes to close and she nodded slowly, knowingly. "Oh, why have I already an idea of what you should want, Kuroro Lucifer."
The corners of my lips tugged into a natural smirk and I hummed, "Hmm. That is good news to hear." The first piece of favourable news to hear this week.
"However, what I say in response might not be worth much to you. Seeing as our little blond didn't like much of what I said before." She tapped her finger against her chin and giggled.
By that, I assumed she meant Kurapika. That made sense, after all, he had been here before me and it seemed to be proved we had the same line of thinking. But I'm not so sure what she meant by "our" little blond. I didn't like the possessive ring to that. Dryly, I cleared my throat. Looking into her eyes, I inquired, "I will judge its worth after I have heard what you have to say."
Her gaze lightened and she pulled her arms into a crossed position. "Well then, I will say what I must. I understand what you have experienced yesterday was something...unusual and possibly 'wrong' in your way of thinking. Both you and little Kuruta. But alas, I must correct you two." She stopped, pondering, analyzing. Swinging her finger round and round in the air she came to a halt as something brightened in her eyes. She brought her hands forward and wrapped them around my face, much to my discomfort, and grinned. She began her lecture, "You children are much too narrow-minded. Although there is not much I can tell you to begin with, I can tell you this: fate cannot be changed. And your fate has already been decided. You and him—there is something more than just rivals. It was not mere coincidence, what happened in the beach. And I—I am not allowed to alter the roads of destiny, if that is what you wished to know. I may see all, but I have not the power or right to change the flow of nature. Though I am capable to bless those I favour wishes. And that is all."
I was, to an extent, speechless after the monologue she gave. I never really gave much of a thought to fate and all of its drama, but hearing this made me...well, speechless. What was I to expect of the future when she made my life story sound so cheesy and cliche. Albeit twisted in a way. Us being both of the male species. Then again, the meaning to her words are quite ambiguous. Things aren't always as it appears, this must also apply to what she said. "Something more than rivals" could mean many things. For example, being worst than rivals—arch nemesis. Or maybe being friends or partners. I didn't actually know what at this point, but eventually, the pieces will puzzle together if this fate thing actually worked out. When I looked at the whole picture, the consequences didn't seem so much negative than I originally thought. See, I didn't particularly care for a love life or anything. I didn't like the idea of being too attached to one place. Also, if things worked out, then great, one less person off my back. If by then I still feel indifferent, then the answer is simple. If by then I have changed then that answers to my questions now. It wasn't like I absolutely loathed the boy. Hating was much too troublesome. Anyway, this whole predicament was quite troublesome to deal with now.
Surely, the less I think about this matter, the less it would bother me. The brain was one mysterious superpower machine, after all.
"If you say so. I don't really want to bother with this right now, seems much too complicated to tangle with. If things are really as you say, why not let the knots untangle themselves? Don't you think so, too?" I shrugged it off casually. With a sneer, I looked up at her lightheartedly.
She returned my sneer with a smile upon her pale face. "Yes. I do think so. Now if only you would convince Kuruta to think alike."
Convince? I laughed at that. "That's a task I'd rather not take up."
"I see," she said with a pout. "Then I suppose I shall have to expect more flowers from him."
That I did not care and I assumed this was the end of conversation. With a sigh I picked up my feet and turned myself slightly before muttering a breathy, "Goodbye." Stalking back towards the beginning of the slope and the mass of forestry, I began my hike back down. But of course, I did not miss the humorous comment the Goddess made to herself even though she had meant for it to be heard by only herself. She had said with much—too much for my liking—amusement, "These ones will be fun to raise."
I hardly understood what she had said, but with the oddest timing once again, the cicadas arose again with their humming of harmonized laughter as if to mock me too.
As I marched midway down the slope, I stopped abruptly and laughed. A genuine laugh that produced a sound foreign to my vocal cords not by the force of obligation, but by human emotion. This was all starting to become amusing. Fun, huh?
I chuckled, "I see, nature got together to pull quite a prank." Now this was funny. Unintentionally, this made me change my mind. I guess a visit to the library was in order in the end.
"I'll have to show them what my name is built on."
This seems short on the eyes but there is at least 2.3k words! Microsoft words swears on that! Haha. Cookies for reviewing and have a nice day! (I lied, I'll give cookies for everyone. DD;)