His hands finally unwrapped, falling back to his sides before he turned the tap, allowing the water to flow right out. He washed his face. Water, if not the touch of it, at least he liked the sound of it gushing out, a beautifully purifying melody, or so he said.
The door's hinges moaned slightly as he opened them. He knew his own appearance; bloodshot eyes from crying and lips still rather stiff in a downward curve. He must've been in there for quite long, because the others had already left the upstairs, probably having a silent breakfast at the dining table.
Sighing, he shut his door and put on some clothes. His entire body felt quite heavy, but at least that gave him an excuse to sit in his room and think.
Tasuku wouldn't have wanted to hurt him on his own, so he knew Yusaka was still behind it. But he clearly remembered that she wanted him and Akatsuki to be safe, without anything tying them down, so why the heck would she want to harm him? It didn't make sense, but soon it would, because things just went even further downhill.
(Sorry about this, but I'm time-skipping to night time, where I'll end my story. There's nothing to say about the day anyway.)
Staring out into the bright reddish evening sky, he constantly twirled his glasses in a circular motion in his right hand, thinking about and calculating the possibilities. The third night was coming, very soon in fact, and he could feel something ultimately unpleasant churning within him. Everyone was far too shaken up about the night before that they all stayed in the house, leaving the beach empty for the day.
He was an idiot for giving in to their pestering about going to a place they didn't know had a past; now look where it's gotten them. If only he had a strong will Tasuku wouldn't be at risk.
Damn his perseverance.
Just as he sighed to himself, soft knocks were heard on his door.
"Zanya, dinner's ready," Kuguru told him from outside. He put on his glasses.
"Come in. Is Tasuku alright?" he asked without looking at her. She muffled a soft, slightly unsure yes to answer him. He nodded.
"I suppose everyone's worried." Kuguru told him to go down soon before she left.
"Please, Yusaka." He sighed and crossed his fingers at the setting sun.
Tasuku felt uneasy with all the attention he was given. Throughout the meal, he silently hoped that they -his friends- would give him a little space and freedom. He was still in his right mind then.
"Guys, your stares are obvious," he pointed out. They didn't seem bothered by his statement though.
"We know, Tasuku. But do you think we're going to let you out of our sight?" they shot back at him.
Outside, she stared into them, burning her eyes into Tasuku. Under her breath, she repeated, "Give in to me. You're only going to hurt them if you stay. Give in to me. You're only going to hurt them if you stay. Give in to me. You're only going to hurt them if you stay…" Faster and faster she spoke, to the point where it became nothing more than a soft murmur, that Tasuku slowly lost it.
'Ugh, what's this feeling in my head?' he thought. He felt tired and his head felt heavy. A sudden urge overtook him and he started to eat almost twice as fast, dying to get away from his friends. As if he heard her calling.
"I'll be doing my dishes now…" he told them, taking his plate and soup bowl to the kitchen. The thing was, he never intended to wash them. All he did was leave them in the sink. Silently, he slipped out the back door, got out of the fence and started walking. What was scary was that his eyes turned dull; they lost their crimson shade, replaced with a monotonous black. The cliff was merely up ahead.
Zanya's left hand propped up his face while his right fed him. The bites he took out of the food before him were gradually becoming smaller, and he seemed to slow down. His gaze was fixed out the window, and he saw a shade of light-blue. He used the lens on his glasses to zoom in.
Tasuku!
Instinctively, he turned to look at the kitchen. Sure Tasuku had left the lights on, but his dishes were still in the sink and he was gone. Zanya immediately rose from his seat at the table and started running. The others noticed after him, but Yusaka seemed to have them trapped in the house, as if an invisible wall was preventing them from stepping out.
"Shit!"
"What the heck is this?!"
"We're trapped! Trapped I tell you!"
"F*** this…"
"Tasuku-senpai!"
"If this is some kind of a joke, it's not a single damn bit funny."
Comments were thrown around, some more… mature than the others, but Kuguru kept silent, her fingers crossed.
"Tasuku… snap out of it… please... for all of us."
Zanya ran.
Tasuku walked.
Tasuku had a head start.
Who was faster?
(Think about it and keep the answer in your head. Then, continue on.)
Zanya was running to catch up.
Tasuku was walking like a captured prisoner forced to walk the plank.
Tasuku had a major head start.
Of course, Zanya was faster than the boy, but he found himself struggling to reach the other before he stepped a step too far.
'Ugh, dammit… And I thought I was fast,' he thought, only a few metres away from Tasuku. Well, Tasuku was also a few metres from the edge.
Zanya picked up his pace just a little more and grabbed Tasuku's left arm, jerking him from his course. Of course, he needed a little more distance to stop, therefore pulling Tasuku closer to the edge. Right now, he was standing in between Tasuku and the other side, teetering on the fine edge that separated them.
"It's no use. You can't stop him."
Zanya jolted from that, a shiver sent down his spine. The sky became darker all of a sudden; the sun had finished its daily routine. His eyes darted all around, looking for that certain someone. Then, he laid eyes on the police officer and noticed his eyes a dull grey, stiff as a statue. He placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.
"Tasuku, wake up…" he muttered, voice going soft. The other, however, had no response at all.
"You don't get it, do you? He's my mindless puppet."
Zanya felt weak when he heard those harsh words.
"Please… don't say things like that about Tasuku…"
"Face it, little brother." A figure appeared beside them both, her arms crossed. Zanya gave her a pleading look.
"Don't take him away from us…" She sighed in the harshest way possible.
"Why can't you understand? He is mine and mine alone."
Zanya shut his lips bitterly. Was he really just going to give Tasuku over? Give up? At that moment, a question came to his mind.
"If you were after him all along, then why did you harm me?" She sighed.
"Do you know what is 'cracking under pressure'?" He nodded.
"Good. Then you know what I'm talking about. Your friend, or should I say idol, is quite strong willed. I must compliment him for that. But because of his will, I think he's the most suited to help me with what I need."
Zanya stared at her.
"I need his help because something I wasn't expecting happened. Remember a few years back, I told you that you had some kind of demon spirit or whatever? Yeah, turns out Akatsuki had one too. So when I jumped, both of them came at me at the same time. One sacrifice isn't enough for two, is it now?"
Zanya shook his head.
"Looks like you can take in information rather well without freaking out. Let's see a little more of this… could I say, ability?"
Zanya shook his head again. He didn't want to know anymore. Still, she continued.
"I just need Tasuku's help with one, that's all. I'm not going to do anything else. Enjoy the rest of your life, I won't bother you."
"You can't… you can't take him!"
"Then what the hell do you want me to do?!"
Zanya stayed silent like a child that just got scolded by his teacher. She shook her head. They both had no idea what to do or say anymore.
"Good bye, brother," she finally said, breaking the silence. Tasuku started to take steps forward. Zanya had his head facing the ground, silently clinging onto Tasuku's arm, still unwilling to let go. At that moment, the colour in the buddy cop's eyes turned back to their beautiful crimson shade slightly. He whispered to the other.
"Just let go, it'll be alright." Zanya shook his head.
"Not without you," he managed, tears gathering. Couldn't Tasuku see that they needed him? The crimson in his eyes seemed to be fading slowly, the grey returning. Zanya couldn't hold back.
"Could you not leave…?" That sounded too innocent, of course Yusaka wouldn't let go. But he had to ask.
"Zanya…"
And that was it. Zanya forced himself to forget what happened next. His selective memory remembered that the last thing Tasuku said to him was his name.
I feel like this is where I should end it, feels good to me in a way. And I bet, without me having to say it, you can figure how it ended. So sorry about being so late on updating, but I couldn't find time at all with the monthly tests happening all at once, and I'm in a competitive class T-T Still I had to find time to write this. Thanks for reading, tell me what you think if you'd like, and happy Chinese New Year everyone!
