Hit a major block with this. This chapter isn't even part of my outline. BUT the chapter I planned: About Mother is giving , me somewhat of a hard time. It's horrible, trust me. This chapter...it explains some stuff I guess. I figured do some damage control before I create an accidental plot hole. Covering my bases for the win! I'm also knee deep in summer work(I'm taking Honors English, History, Geometry. and a fast paced french class. Why couldn't I just take basic classes? I hate it.) Anyway, thank you to all who reviewed, favorite, and followed. I love you guys!
Also, sorry for the short chapter.
The Beginning
"Nea...?"
Nea looked up from his book, glancing at his brother. They were the only ones awake, it was late. Wisely and Road had been awake, writing essays for school, but when Road fell asleep Wisely carried her off. Now they were alone.
"Hm?"
They hadn't talked much. Nea had done his best to avoid Mana, and he supposed Mana was starting to notice. He'd humor him this time. After all, strange dreams...memories...whatever was no reason to ignore him. Mana was, after all, all he had at first.
"We awakened two years ago...right?"
"Yeah, just about."
Mana smiled, "It feels like so much longer don't you think? Maybe it's because it's as if we're raising a whole family?" Nea laughed, because in a way it was true. Sure, some of them were adults. However, a great deal of them were children.
Not to mention Lucy and Toraido bickered like children and Joido argued with Road...it was like they were raising family. Family was what they were, in truth. They weren't relates by blood...well most of them weren't. However, they were connected by something deeper.
It made Nea smile, because having such a huge family...it was sort of nice. If the antics didn't annoy him, that is.
"Yeah...I guess..."
"We were what? Seventeen when we awakened, our birthday was less than a month away. We were away from home, I think we visited the neighboring town."
He looked at Nea, "Don't you remember?"
Nea looked at him, "How can I not? A week later, Road awakened. Two weeks after that...we moved out." In turn, making Katerina so sad.
But Nea did remember, that day. It was the day he lost everything...he gained everything as well.
~insertlinebreak~
-Two years Earlier-
A Hotel-Evening
"Nea...I'm still not feeling well..."
"You're still feel sick?" Nea walked towards him, pressing his hand to his forehead, "Hm...you're fever hasn't gone down. I should call Mother."
"No!" Mana grabbed his hand, "Please don't...I'll be fine..."
Nea sighed, "Mana...disease kills humans everyday...I'll call the hotel for medicine." In truth, Nea hadn't felt well since the morning, but Mana was always more sensitive to things like this. Even if it was just a simple cold.
"That sounds good..." Mana grimaced from something-pain? He had already taken pain medicine for his headache, but people around this town make pretty potent medicine for fever.
Even when Nea brought it to him, and he drank it with tea, he didn't feel any better. The tea was bitter with the medicine, so Nea had to have put a lot in it. Still, he didn't feel any cooler.
Everything seemed like it was burning, his body, his mind. Mana couldn't breathe, and he felt like he was dying. His head was pounding, his vision was swimming.
Somebody was whispering to him.
Never...forgive...
He felt something wet drip down his head. His eyes widened.
Somebody was pleading'
Never...forgive... the...
"Nea?!"
...innocence...
"Hm?"
And then somebody was screaming.
The Earl of Millennium who endured seven thousand years...
He felt so much hatred...but for what he didn't know. It really hurt...when he thought about it...it was truly painful.
"My head is bleeding..." When Nea brushed his hair out of his face, he saw then. The stigmata. They were there the whole time, he supposed, hidden by his hair.
"M-Mana?"
Mana opened his eyes, and saw Nea's as well, "You...too..." They were on his head, as well.
"What?"
Mana started screaming then, from the fear and pain. Nea couldn't help, because moments after staring, he collasped as well.
The only thing was that with Nea, when he woke up, Mana was beside him. He was smiling, whispering to him. He felt so relieved, because he had been so worried then, hadn't he? He didn't ask Mana when he woke up, or how he was feeling because he knew.
It was like a connection, almost.
He woke on the bed, where Mana was lying before. Mana wasn't there, so he panicked. It was scary, to wake up with gray skin and golden eyes and not see your brother.
It was hard not to feel alone, when waking up like that.
When he finally saw him, he hadn't called him Mana, "Good Evening, my dear Earl."
"Good evening...my brother."
Mana smiled, "Y'know, we can't go back to church, right?"
"Yeah...thank goodness..."
They laughed, and everything seemed lighter.
That's basically what happened that day, when they awakened. There was of course, a lot of screaming but for the most part, that's all it was. The promise came a while back, after they fully understood.
But yeah, that's how it all really began. With the Earl and the Fourteenth.
~insertlinebreak~
Mana beamed, "I remember now! Then Road awakened...and then Joido."
Nea looked at him, "What brought this on?"
Mana shrugged, "I was playing the piano(I can play it too!) when I thought about it. It's weird but, our awakening really wasn't normal right?"
I'd been thinking the same way but...then again...
I don't think you want to know what I'm thinking of...
Nea shrugged.
"I guess not..." He hit him, "It's midnight, let's not talk about this."
They awakened together, as they were born together. Nea didn't dare say it, not out loud, but it made him think.
~insertlinebreal~
With a sigh, he shut the door to his room. Something flew towards him when he did, and rested on his shoulder.
"Hey, are you up for a road trip? I think it's time to question mother dearest," He looked at it,"What do you think, Tim?"
