A/N: Okay warning: lots of dialogue + explanation . Think of it as the calm before the storm . A bit more detail to things because Yuu is slowly developing and sorting out his feelings for Shinoa . I'm sorry for the short and ridiculous chapter . I've been sick for one and a half week and my mind was numb with painkillers so, this is all I could pump out .
I think some misunderstood . Yuu addressed Sayoran as a thing or the way you'd address some new unknown creature and he replied in the same sense . Oh, and he will be weirder in this chapter and I will explain his behavior in later chapters . Okay?
I have something very important to say at the end . At least to the ones who want to continue reading .
"So she's not your girlfriend? ", he whispered .
"For the last time , no .",
"So, she's open ?",
"I guess .", he felt uncomfortable answering .
"Okay then .",
"Why ask?",
This had been the absurd conversation between the two males but that was over as soon as the topic of their discussion asked what were they whispering about .
Right now ,Shinoa and Yuu sat in the corner of the passengers lounge. Both of them still shivering , despite the small electric heater Sayoran had turned on .
At first Yuu had been reluctant to be in close proximity to the girl, he was tired of being embarrassed and his heart was tired of beating so fast. He tried his best to avoid her and sat in the farthest corner but as luck would have it, Shinoa was also thinking the same thing and both ended up being close enough to feel the heat radiate from the other's body .
They had introduced themselves and their situation to the red head . He told them his full name ; Aki Sayoran .They were surprised to know that he was just 18 years old . As Aki lead them to the lounge the conversation (which Yuu refused to ponder upon ) played out . Soon after, all three were sitting quietly . Sayoran had his eyes trained on the only female in the room . Shinoa continued to look at the glowing red in the heater , the stare gone unnoticed .
Yuu normally wouldn't even bother with something like this but right then, he felt oddly irritated . In order to find what was so interesting on her face, he stared at her too .
He had to admit it . She looked...a bit different than usual ... ...a good different . Her wet hair was loose , the ribbon lost in the lake probably . Her half lidded eyes reflected the bright red . They resembled rubies . He couldn't help but think that the color was attractive .
*Do electric heaters act like beauty potions or something? *
he thought .
He was busy admiring the twin set of crimson jewels , when Shinoa lifted her gaze forcing the both of them to turn away .
He was frustrated . What was wrong with him? Thinking about such unimportant details when he should be worrying about getting back on track . He distracted himself , hoping to think about something else .
Unfortunately all he could think of, was how deafening the silence was . It made Yuu think of the way graveyards and the dead were silent .
Trying to rid himself of these thoughts as well, he observed his surroundings . Not a single crack nor wild plants nor fungus adorned the walls .Unlike the many buildings that had basically become mini rainforests harboring an appreciable diversity of wildlife .
And it had electricity .
It was barely enough to power the electric heater and the tube lights above . But even so, it was a shock in itself . Only the most important bases of the Japanese Imperial army had that . It was strangely...well, it was too ... ...how should he put it?...average, Unharmed, spotless, in a word; normal . But in that twisted world the ordinary was extraordinary .
And he didn't like it one bit.
This disturbed him very much .Which led him to the other things that disturbed him very much. He wanted the hooligan ( he didn't like him for some reason ) to shed some light on his confusion . *And stop staring at Shinoa* a small voice said in his mind . He banished it immediately . The orphan focused on the questions in his mind , and whether Sayoran would answer them without him asking another time .
But he didn't .
Turning towards the grinning idiot in front of him . He waited patiently...for half a minute . Reaching the end of his (very short) limit he stood up .
" That's it , you bastard! . Stop messing around and answer me, just what the hell is happening here? And why doesn't the Moon demon company know?", he said .
His green eyes threatening enough to make anyone feel a shiver run up their spine . Shinoa shot him a disapproving look.
"Yuu-San, that was really impolite. You should-",
The boy interrupted her .
"Shinoa! If you're not going to do your job and do something about this then I have to . And I am not willing to waste time anymore. Everyone will be searching for us . And I can't even imagine how much Yoichi must have cried .", he said , bluntly .
If she hadn't had time to calm down from the emotional stress, this could have turned into a huge dramatical scene . But fortunately she had, so instead, she just looked apologetically at the blue eyed man in front of her .
Sayoran simply smiled nonchalantly and said"Oh but they do know. They send people all the time . In fact, I am also part of the Vampire extermination unit . See? ",
He stood up and summoned a large Axe from a burst of black flames . Yuu grunted, reluctantly convinced. His weapon disappeared into nothing as he sat down again.
"Your not - girlfriend looks intelligent . She must know something about the situation here for sure . ", He put emphasis on ' not - girlfriend '. What vague feeling this stirred in Yuu, he didn't want to know . Or acknowledge for that matter .
Shinoa racked her brain and after a while her crimson eyes lit up as she remembered Guren talking about it once.
"Ah yes, I heard some abnormal monstrosity was prancing around in Gotemba . Killed lots of soldiers . Even the vampires don't go near the place . Same with all the other five cities around Fuji .",
" My dear Shinoa-chan . I knew you were more intelligent than the uncivilized ruffian . But unfortunately, that is only half of the story .",
Sayoran nodded approvingly and then ,strangely, directed a sly smirk towards the younger male. Yuu's uneasiness increased. And not just because of the smirk or the insult but also because of the way he addressed the girl beside him .
He called her ' my dear Shinoa - chan ' as if they were close enough for him to call her by name . As if he had the right .And that suffix?. Only Shinya called her that and he solely allowed it because he was her older (albeit adopted but still ) brother .
And yet this man,had the gall to call her that . As if she belonged to him . As if she were his . *But she isn't* he wanted to say *because she is...*
"Yours ?", It was Ashuramaru .
His train of thought stopped short. His face going red .
*No!, no ! no !no ! ,s-she belongs to no one . Definitely not me * he denied it again and again . *Besides what makes you think I want her ?*.
" Oh?, but you don't like the idea of her being someone else's either . ",
*I ...I...* he stammered out . It was difficult for him to think up a reason to explain himself .
* Y-your misunderstanding . He ... he's just creepy . And...uh ... and as a comrade I don't like the idea of someone creepy being over friendly with my friend.*
"Right, and I'm a monkey",
*Shut up ! , and why are you talking in the first place? Usually it's in my sleep and it's mostly about power. *
"Well, I think that it's because you're near a demon's domain",
*What do-*
"Oh look you're ' friend ' calls.",
He became suddenly aware of a hand tapping his shoulder . Just as he turned his head , a finger poked his lips making him jolt and topple sideways .
"Ahh!, Shinoa what were you doing?! .", he demanded as he got up and tried to gather his composure .
He attempted to act as if it didn't bother him but his rose colored face said otherwise .
Shinoa smirked .
" I didn't intend to do that at all . You were the one who turned his head when I tried to poke your face . ",
Yuu glared at her, unconvinced . With Shinoa you could never be sure ."Anyway ,Sayoran-Sama asked you a question. ",
" Huh?...uh...uhm...the answer to your question is...uh..Guren ?",
Sayoran laughed . Yuu was mortified .Shinoa sighed .
"Sayoran-sama asked if you knew anything about Aokigahara",
Yuu looked like he wanted to bash his skull . He heard a distant crackle and then the drops of rain falling on the roof .The light in the room dimmed .
Sayoran decided to spare him and continued.
"I assume that you do not . Aokigahara.", he paused for effect "Aokigahara, the forest associated with suicide, is the home of the many uncursed demons who were once humans . A few once vampires live there too .",
The light went out . Shinoa bit her lip. Another crackle as lightning briefly illuminated the room .
"Like Mahiru", Shinoa whispered.
Sayoran stated one fact after the other , as the light slowly came back on.
" As you know, demons are marvelous shape shifters . Huge posers . They don't care if someone is a vampire or human they just trick both into being dinner. They can't be killed by cursed gears . ",
"Why not? .", Yuu asked .
"Because they're already dead . They have to be chained by curses into a weapon or a living body or some other medium, in order to do that . ", he answered
Shinoa decided to pipe in "Yeah, If my memory serves me right, you'd have to draw a huge curse circle , lure them in ,and keep them there without getting ripped to shreds until the curse starts working .",
Outside the rain intensified . Shinoa felt a drop fall on her. Must be a crack in the roof.
" Something like that . Oh yes, they won't go very far from Aokigahara . Even if they wanted to they can't . We destroyed the bridge, just in case . And lastly they cannot enter a room that has a charm or spell to ward off evil . Each room needs a separate one .",
The teenagers digested the new information . Yuu suddenly took note of a detail .*But you said you didn't know why they wouldn't enter * he thought suspiciously .
Okay , agreed, he was never one to pay attention to the small things but he admitted that maybe his mind was a little eager to get hold of any reason to chop Sayoran's head off . A little .
Shinoa shook slightly , obviously frightened of some past, resurfaced memory . Sayoran looked like he was about to reach out to comfort her .
He wasn't being possessive , alright ? . Yuu just happened to beat him to it when he placed his hand over her own, intertwining his fingers with hers . She turned to him .
And for her, just for her,he smiled softly .
"Relax, I'll always be right beside you , as long as I'm alive nothing can harm a hair on your head . Promise .",
The Hiragi was confused . Why was he suddenly so considerate? And to her,no less . Alright, it was understandable when she was crying . But why now? .
People got rightfully scared all the time in this apocalyptic age . And Yuu always responded in a harsh manner . Maybe he hit his head ?
In the end she just accepted it . She nodded and a genuine , grateful smile graced her face.
"I'll hold you to that .",
Suddenly she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen . He realized that his favorite color was now a gorgeous chocolatey crimson . He struggled to think up something cool to say, to make up for the rather cliche speech he gave .
Unfortunately the thorn in his side coughed before he could . He really wanted to punch the guy's lights out there and then .
"Shinoa-chan, would you like a change of clothes? We have a few in the shops for the tourists.", Sayoran said . Then as an afterthought he said "and maybe Hyakiko-San would like some as well",
"It's Hyakuya, you twit ",
He just waved him off . The nerve of some people .
Shinoa tore her gaze from the raven and directed a smile towards Sayoran . Yuu really hated him now .
"Yes, please.", she said .The 18 year old stood up .
"Come with me then", he said he held out his hand . The violet haired girl was about to stand up as well , when the Hyakuya abruptly pulled her back . His hold tightening .
"I want to talk to her", the teenager said ,his voice dripping venom . "Alone", he dragged her to another corner of the lounge .
"Are you insane? . You can't just go with some random idiot .", he whispered .
"There's a random idiot talking to me right now .",she teased .
"Quit messing around!",
" Excuse me, I have Shi-Chan . I'll be fine .",
"Really?, says the shorty who was soaking my shirt with tears, just a few moments ago .", he scoffed .
Her hair covered her eyes as she smiled maliciously at him .
" Shorty? ",
Yuu cursed as he stared at the heater . He touched the new injuries on his face and winced .
"Change in there , dear . ", he heard Sayoran's voice echo across the empty station . He had led her to the room . Yuu had seen them disappear round the corner .
He wanted to go to ensure his comrade's safety but Sayoran said he'd be back as soon as he showed her the way to the solitary trying room . As if he'd believe him . But then, Shinoa was still pissed off at him . So, he stayed where he was .
He closed his eyes . He was so tired, so hungry . He'd ask Shinoa for some rations . He sighed . Nothing like soggy bread at two in the morning .
He brought his hand to his lips, where Shinoa had touched him . He was horrified as he felt his mouth stretch into a goofy, uncontrollable smile at the memory . This new sensation in his heart both excited and scared him . He wasn't sure if he wanted it . Being giddy wasn't really his style .
A sudden cold chill had made him open his eyes to darkness . He wasn't worried about that . The damned light wouldn't stay still anyways .The electric heater had also shut down . He called out to Sayoran .
"Really long time you're taking .",
No answer .
"Hey! you better not be doing something perverted! .",
Only the sound of lightning reached his ears .
Now he was worried . He unsheathed his weapon . He tried walking up to the room but he knocked his knee on something . Real hard . He rubbed his injured knee . He tried to ask Ashuramaru if he could sense something was wrong . But he was silent .
Yuu gave up and crawled his way to where his comrade was . He whispered "Sayoran? .", Where the hell was the idiot ?
He hesitated to open the door . She could still be changing . But then it was dark so , he decided to just suck it up . He opened the door .
"Shinoa ?",
Just then the lights came on . He closed his eyes tightly .
"Sorry!", he exclaimed .
...
...
...
Yuu frowned . No scream . No flying shoe . Not a single word .
He prepared himself as he slowly opened his eyes . He'd deal with being called a pervert later . All that mattered right now was Shinoa .
He gasped.
The room was empty . He looked back into the hallway . Nothing .
He dashed back to the lounge and despaired . There was no one . Whatever had happened, he decided Aki was at fault .
" If he did something to her...if he touched a single hair on her head...I'll kill him...I'll kill him .", he swore to himself .
He searched frantically . Any trace, any clue, even her teasing voice saying "Ha! Fooled you, Yuu-San is such a worry wart .", would have consoled him . Just as long as it were hers .
When the light blinked and then went out completely it didn't turn back on .
Leaving the boy in the cold darkness .
He was about to call her name another time when, a sudden ,loud sound hurt his ears and made his eyes widen...
...
...
...
It was the piercing sound of a girl screaming in pain .
A\N:
I wasn't going to end it here, originally . Okay I need to ask ; Do I get rid of Sayoran or continue with a jealous Yuu? .
I have both scenarios in my mind . But I'm not the one reading so I wanted to ask the one who is reading right now . Please, voice your opinion before Monday because then I have to start the new chapter . If no one answers I'll go with the one my younger sister likes .
Skip the rest if you want .
Sorry for my rather childish writing . I am a 16 year old who refuses to grow up .
Well thank you my readers . I really want to blab some more but mom is gonna kick the computer out of the house . As always reviews are very much loved . Thank you