Chapter 8
Yusei stood in the bathroom, looking into the mirror. He couldn't remember why he was in there or what he was doing, but as an irritation made itself known on his shoulder, he pulled his jacket aside to scratch at it. He could see the marks on his skin, taunting him like they did every day. He began to scratch some more, pulling his jacket off to reach more skin, but the marks remained. He couldn't figure out why, but he continued to drag nails across his shoulder, collarbone, chest, over every mark he could find, leaving a sting as irritated skin turned red. He hadn't even realised that he had taken his shirt off as he stood in front of the mirror, scratching at his abdomen, skin burning red. He gritted his teeth as he dug his nails in more, but no matter what he did, they didn't go away.
He suddenly stopped, feeling his heart start to beat faster in his chest, as he noticed something. He knew there were marks on his neck, leading up into his hairline, but he was sure they didn't go that far up his neck. He turned his head to the side, eyes going wide as he pushed his hair aside. The marks were spreading. Suddenly, they weren't only on his neck, as they now lead up to his jaw. Yusei began to panic, turning his head again as dread filled him, they were covering his face!
His chest felt tight as he gripped the basin, staring wide eyed at himself in the mirror. No, this can't be happening. No, no no!
Atem was suddenly startled awake by the sound of someone yelling. He burst his eyes open to see Yusei sitting up in his bed, gripping his chest like a lifeline as ragged breaths tore from lips. Atem's mind suddenly exploded with thoughts, first on actually having Yusei within a few feet of him in almost a week, and then the concern he felt upon seeing Yusei's terrified expression.
The other man could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he tried to calm himself down, but upon noticing his partner sitting up in his own bed, Yusei's chest felt even tighter.
Atem's eyebrows were drawn together, "Yusei-"
His partner held up a hand, avoiding looking at him, "Don't." Calm down Yusei, there's nothing to-
Atem was already pulling his covers back, "But I just want to he-"
Yusei gripped the edge of the bed as he spun to face away from Atem, planting his feet on the ground, "You can't." His entire body felt both hot and cold at the same time, as sweat began to form on his brow. No not now, he begged, please not now. Everything's fi-
Atem was then on his feet, "Yusei-"
"SHUT UP!"
Atem stared at his partner, who was standing facing him now, wide eyed and chest heaving. He brought a trembling hand to his mouth, "I-" he swallowed with some difficulty, "I'm sorry." In a flash, he had disappeared into the bathroom. Atem stared at the closed door, jaw hanging open. He'd barely been able to take everything in. Yusei had looked disheveled, had bags under his eyes and a distinct cut on his cheek. But he had also been acting in a way that Atem had never seen before. This couldn't be what he thought it was, could it? He'd been breathing heavily, had sweat on his forehead, and his hand was trembling, all while having an extreme look of panic in his eyes. This couldn't just be a coincidence.
Atem had seen it all before, and he bit his lip, quickly moving over to the door. "Yusei?" he said, speaking softer than before, though he knew he would not get an answer.
On the other side of the door, Yusei had slid down to the floor, burying his head in his knees. I can't do this, he thought, why did I think I could do this?
"Yusei, please talk to me," Atem all but begged through the door, hand pressed flat against it. He was trying to think of ways to convince the man to open the door, though he knew the chance was slim.
Yusei took in the longest breath he could, "Leave...me." Having Atem there was making this so much worse, though Yusei didn't want to listen to the part of him that suggested he could also make it better. No, he could never think rationally when this was happening. He just needed to be alone.
Atem's hand moved into a fist where it sat on the door. He didn't know what he could do, Yusei was just so god damned stubborn. With much effort, Atem stepped away from the door, murmuring, "Fine."
Yusei relaxed ever so slightly as he heard Atem's bed squeak, the man falling back on top of it, gritting his teeth. Atem could still hear Yusei's breathing on the other side of the door, and he lay there, completely silent, watching the bathroom. A few minutes passed, and finally he seemed to calm down. Atem heard a thump, as the door rattled ever so slightly. Yusei had dropped his head back against it. Biting his lip, Atem began to speak.
"I don't care about what happened on Saturday," he said, now sitting up on his bed. "I understand it was a really stupid idea and I'm really sorry that I ruined your Birthday, but I'd rather forget it ever happened."
Yusei closed his eyes, You didn't ruin it, he thought, I did.
Atem continued to talk, "I'll be completely honest, this week has been pretty shitty without you around." He stood then, moving back over to the door. "I just...want to go back to how things were before." Reaching the door, he placed his hand against it once more, he felt like he was talking to a brick wall, or a door for that matter. "Yusei, can't you just tell me what's going on so this can all stop?"
There was silence once again. Atem was preparing to bang on the door just to get a noise from his partner, when Yusei finally replied.
"I can't. I'm sorry."
Atem dropped his head, hand still on the door. He shook his head, "I'm sorry too."
...
By the time Friday rolled around, Yusei was dreading his last class. So far, during Weapons and Combat, he hadn't needed to work with Atem for anything, though from what Mina had told them in their last class, today was going to be completely different.
On Wednesday night when Yusei had finally emerged from the bathroom, Atem had been lying in his bed, back to the door. Though despite his steady breathing, the man had known that he was still awake. Yusei knew that Atem was a very outspoken person, and after all of that, now he was choosing to stay quiet. That thought alone had bothered him, despite the fact that he was glad to finally be left alone.
Pushing the doors open to the training hall, Yusei spotted where Atem and team JACK were sitting in the stands, and moved to the other side. Even if he had to work with his partner during the class, he wanted to hold it off for as long as possible. He could see Crow trying to talk to Atem as he walked across the floor, as the pair glanced down to him. Quickly averting his gaze, Yusei looked to the floor, as he climbed the stairs and took his seat.
Crow was still looking at Atem's partner, "So he's been avoiding you all week?"
The man beside him was becoming annoyed, the whole week Crow had been pestering him for answers. Sure, the guy was simply concerned for his friends, but Atem just didn't want to talk about it. He was only answering now to get the guy off of his back. He knew Crow was just trying to help out, but Atem's current mood was not in a position to accept that.
Wait a minute...could that be...how Yusei feels?
Every chance Atem had gotten that week, he'd been pestering his partner. Sure, he certainly deserved answers, but if Yusei felt the same way as Atem did right now...
Yusei must have had a damn good reason for avoiding him, though, and Atem needed to find out why.
Crow suddenly clicked his fingers in front of Atem's face, "Hello? Remnant to Atem?" Blinking, he looked back to the red head, barely noticing he'd been staring at Yusei. The man asked his question again, and Atem nodded, sounding over the subject already.
"Yes, he's been avoiding me all week," he answered, lowering his voice. He didn't want their whole class to know about his problems.
"But why?" Aki then nudged Crow with her elbow, as Mina and Ushio began to address them. They was explaining that today they were going to split into their teams to form a simulation of a typical rescue mission.
"As Huntsmen and Huntresses, you will need to respond to distress signals, so we've set up a little scenario for you," Mina explained.
Crow leaned over to whisper to Atem, "Why is he avoiding you?"
Atem rolled his eyes, "Because I'm a fucking idiot, okay?"
Ushio explained that out in the Emerald Forest, they had placed a distress beacon for each team, which would emulate the same signal sent by their scrolls. They had to find the beacons, and bring them back.
"Each team will be timed, every beacon is as difficult to find as the other, and probably in a dangerous area. Your mission starts...now."
All the students suddenly stood up and banded into their teams, as Atem bit his lip. He followed team JACK as they made their way out of the stand, and Crow hung back to ask him one more question.
"You're not making any sense," he was saying, voice hushed ever so slightly, "Why do you think you're an idiot?"
Scores of students were walking past, as Atem stopped in his tracks, jaw clenched. "Because I kissed Yusei!" Crow had stopped as well, staring wide eyed at the man. "Alright? That's why he's avoiding me, that's why I'm an idiot, and that's why I'm probably going to fail this mission." He then saw the familiar blue jacket walk past, and he sighed, turning to follow, "I'll see you later..."
Atem hadn't specifically said to keep that bit of information a secret, but the look in his eyes sure did. Despite the fact that Crow was the centre of gossip, he decided this was probably something to keep to himself. So he ran after his team, as they all went out to the Emerald Forest, in search of the distress beacons.
Atem and Yusei were both looking straight ahead as they ran side by side, the teams slowly spreading out as they neared the cliffs. It was painfully silent, and Atem wasn't surprised when he was the first to speak. He had looked down at his scroll, seeing the location of the beacon.
"It's in the South-West of the forest. Best if we head around the cliffs a bit further before going in." Yusei simply nodded, as the pair ran along the edge of the cliff, watching teams jumping down, similar to their initiation. Now that it was daylight, Atem could clearly see the cut on Yusei's cheek, and a bruise on his jaw that was slowly turning a yellow-brown colour. He wanted to demand answers from the man, about what was going on, why he was avoiding him and what the hell he was doing on Saturday night. Despite his thirst for the truth though, they had a job to do, and he didn't want to make this mission any harder than it already was.
Tense minutes passed as they leapt into the forest, trying to keep an eye out for any Grimm as they headed towards the beacon. Once deep in the forest, Yusei was amazed that Atem hadn't tried to bug him yet. Maybe he'd finally given up. It was a nice thought, yet a sad one at the same time. He sighed as they began to slow down, catching their breath so they were ready when they need to fight. I should never have come to Beacon.
Atem looked at his scroll again, "We've got about a hundred meters left, though I don't know what we're going to find when we get there."
Yusei was chewing the inside of his cheek, pretending to be interested in the trees. Atem let out an annoyed sound, shoving the scroll back in his pocket. With Crows pestering this morning, and now this, Atem's patience was very slim. "Will you at least look at me?!"
Yusei almost jumped at Atem's outburst, as he finally turned to look at raging crimson eyes. "I-" he forced himself to take a deep breath. "Sorry."
Atem threw his hands into the air, "Holy shit, he speaks! I was beginning to think I was invisible." Atem had turned around to head towards the beacon, and Yusei stood there for a moment, biting his lip. A partner demanding answers was one thing, but an angry one was another. He decided he didn't like Atem when he was angry-it was moderately scary-so he followed, trying to think of a way to resolve the situation before it turned into an all out argument.
He stayed silent for a bit as they kept moving, honing in on the distress beacon rather quickly. What could he say? What Atem wanted to hear definitely wasn't on the cards, and Yusei was never all that good with people when it came to things like this. After a matter of minutes, Yusei opened his mouth. "I...don't really know what to say." He could feel his cheeks turning red from how silly he sounded, but he hoped it was something.
This apparently wasn't the best thing to say. Atem turned to him for a second, though kept walking. He was clearly aggravated. "You don't know? Alright let me help you, how about you start with why you've been avoiding me all week?"
Yusei could feel nausea creeping into his gut. Thank goodness he was used to it, though that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He looked at his scroll while trying to think of a response. They were almost at their destination.
"That's what I thought," Atem continued. "So with my brilliant deducting skills," he was sounding very sarcastic now, "This is all I can think of..." The forest had begun to thicken, as Atem hacked away at shrubbery with a sword. "You disappeared on Saturday night. What happened on Saturday night? I kissed you." Yusei was quite surprised with how straight forward Atem was being, but he supposed the man had always been like that. He began to chew the inside of his cheek again. "So yeah, I get that was a stupid idea, but at least I'm not a fucking coward. Why else would you run away and avoid me for the rest of the week?"
Yusei had stopped for a moment, as Atem continued to hack his way through the shrubbery. Okay, so that was true, but it still hurt. He closed his eyes for a moment, before pushing forwards again, catching up to his partner. "Atem, it's not...you." How the hell could he explain this without giving anything away?
Atem snorted, "Yeah, said every teenager ever." It wasn't until after he said it that he realised he sounded so much like his sister.
Yusei sighed, "Atem, I'm serious." This would be a lot easier if he didn't care. But that was his own damn fault for letting his guard down in the first place. If he'd kept to his original plan, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now. He pushed branches aside as he continued to follow his partner. "It's not...I don't..." he could barely start a sentence. "I'm..." He spoke his sentence slowly, as if thinking up the words as he was saying them, "...not the kind of person you want to associate yourself with."
Atem stopped, turning around to face him. The anger in his eyes had dissipated ever so slightly. "What are you talking about?" He was beyond confused now. "Yusei, you're my partner, I'm going to be 'associated' with you for a few more years, if you didn't know that already."
Yusei was fiddling with his arm guard, moving the fingers on his left hand so that different modes were activated one by one. "Well, yeah, but-um..."
Atem sighed, turning back around to continue hacking at the shrubbery. "You're not very good at talking to people, are you?"
Yusei looked at the ground as he followed, "I thought you knew that already." There was silence for a moment, before he spoke again, "You've always been really easy to talk to, though."
Atem finally got through to a small clearing, as he pushed the last few branches out of the way. "Yeah, until it gets to something you don't want to talk about." Yusei stayed silent as they examined the clearing. It seemed all too silent here, actually. Atem wanted to get to the bottom of this first. He turned back around, staring his partner dead in the eye. "Yusei, what is this really about?"
The taller man bit his lip, as his nausea increased, making him want to grab onto a tree for support. His problem was that he cared too much, and now he was going to ruin himself because of it. Well, it's not like this hasn't happened before. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "I'm not the kind of person you think I am, alright?"
Atem raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Then what kind of person do you think I think you are?" Yusei could hear a sound nearby, probably a Grimm coming to attack them.
Listening to the sound carefully, Yusei's face went blank. "Someone like you." Atem's eyes widened in confusion, but Yusei just looked straight behind him. "You may want to step to your right."
Seconds later, a growl tore through the trees as an Ursa burst into the clearing, and Yusei pulled his arm back, before flinging it across his body, the arm guard shooting a handful of small sharp objects. Atem stared wide eyed as a few sunk into the Ursa's eyes, the others in its fur. Atem was then suddenly pulling his other sword out as he darted forwards, slashing at its side so that it roared in anger. Yusei was then swinging in on his wire, as he delivered the finishing blow with his blade. The Ursa fell to the ground as Yusei landed back on his feet, eyes darting in all directions.
"Boarbatusk to your left!" He then announced, before turning in the opposite direction to face a Beowolf that had just appeared. Atem stared in confusion, just as he was rammed in the side by a Grimm. A Boarbatusk...? He skidded to the ground, before leaping to his feet, swords raised in a challenge. How did Yusei know that? The boarbatusk growled at him, before charging, and Atem took a page out of Yusei's book, jumping out of the way instead of trying to hold it off. As the Grimm tried to turn around, he drove his sword into its side, the beast shrieking in protest. The dead Ursa had already disappeared, and as Atem turned to look around for more, he saw Yusei, still fighting the Beowolf, as he tried to dodge its swipes. Looking around wildly, he then noticed a light blinking up in one of the trees.
"Yusei! The distress beacon!" he called out, pointing to it. Yusei was by far better at climbing trees, so Atem charged in at the Beowolf, distracting it for long enough so that Yusei could head for the beacon. This wolf was huge, he realised, staring up at it as it growled at him. It took a swipe at him, and Atem dodged it, before spinning his sword around and swiping it across the bones on it's arm with the handle. The bones shattered as Atem's semblance flowed through the sword, revealing more flesh for him to slice. The beast was then swiping at him with its other arm, and he only just had enough time to spin his sword around so that it ran the length of his arm, his usual defending move. It hit the sword and struggled against it, before Atem swung it back around, slicing off the Beowolf's arm in the process.
He took a quick glance over his shoulder. Yusei had just jumped down from the tree, holding the flashing beacon in his hand. He was about to turn and finish of the Beowolf, when another Grimm caught his eye.
"Yusei, look out!" he called out, but not quite in time. He didn't even get to see what happened because the Beowolf threw him backwards, and he heard Yusei cry out. Lifting himself off of the ground, Atem saw the Nevermore as its claws sunk into Yusei's shoulder, blood welling around them almost instantly. He then looked to the Beowolf that was charging at him, and Atem clenched his fist, before picking up his sword once more.
"Come and get it!" He growled, very aware that his partner was crying out in pain as the Nevermore tried to lift him off of the ground. The Beowolf charged at Atem, and he darted forwards, driving his swords into it, along with his semblance. The Beowolf howled as Atem wrenched his swords back out, and it fell to the ground. He didn't even spare a look at it, and was then darting over to Yusei as the Nevermore dragged him across the ground. Yusei had tried to swipe at it with his arm guard, but the very shoulder that the Nevermore had sunk its claws in was the one his blade was on, and every movement-whether his or the Nvermore's-was incredibly painful.
The next thing he knew, the bird screeched, as Atem killed it with one blow. It fell to the ground, head no longer attached to its body, and Yusei fell to his knees, gripping his right arm as tight as he could without hurting his shoulder more. Atem stared at Yusei as he breathed heavily, moving over to his partner. "Yusei, are you al-"
Atem's sentence stopped dead as he looked at Yusei's wound. His jacket was torn open at the shoulder, and Atem could see three deep lacerations where the Nevermore had sunk its claws, that had dragged back across skin when Atem killed it. Blood was welling in the wounds, staining his jacket and running down his sleeve, over Yusei's left hand where it was holding his arm.
But that wasn't what Atem was staring at. Where Yusei's jacket had torn, it hung down the side of his arm, revealing the bloody skin beneath, and Atem could see very distinct marks covering the exposed skin. They were the rosettes of a Leopard.
"You're...you're a Faunus..."
