The cool early morning air blew against his bare back and tickled his exposed skin.
Scrape.
Flint paid no attention to the sweat dripping from his brow, and grunted in exertion as he plowed the rich soil. The soft dirt easily parted beneath him like water before a ship. Farm work was repetitive, intensive beyond mortal limits, but hard work and patience yielded fruitful results.
Dawn was when Flint tended to stew in his thoughts alone. He finished the last row of soil with a sigh, then propped himself against the tool shed to enjoy the glowing sunrise. The sleepy sun peeked over the horizon, lending a sliver of warmth to the the land.
"A man must tame his own farm and family," His own father had once told him back in the days, complete with his trademark southern drawl. As the man smoked his wood-carved pipe with gusto, he'd thrown Flint a pointed look. "A lazy man means a wild farm and wild wife. Never trust a woman, for she will ensnare you with her sly and wily charms."
"Of course, pops," Flint had said indignantly. "I'd never let a woman run the farm!"
His father had only laughed. "I know you won't, Flint. Yer a good kid."
But that was before Flint had met Hinawa.
Hinawa had melted his heart and introduced him to a new life outside of work. Meeting her was as if he'd finally opened his eyes, like a toddler experiencing the beauty of the world for the very first time. Memories of her voice slowly seeped into his thoughts, and Flint could relive each image like a living photograph.
On their honeymoon: "Take a look at the sunrise! Isn't it beautiful, Flint?" she'd turned to him with a beam, and while a part of Flint knew that his own dad would've rebuked him for sacrificing precious time for idleness, he couldn't seem to mind.
After the twins were born: "Flint, go and spend the day with your boys," she'd said disapprovingly, clutching a soup ladle in one hand. "You've spent the entire day working in the fields! What if they can't even recognize you as their own father?"
And then he remembered with a pang: "...I love you, Flint," Hinawa would whisper in that special, soft tone of hers that no angel could compare, head cocked curiously in a shadow of mischief Claus had clearly inherited. She used to tell him every single day...
Until her voice was brutally extinguished by a carelessly passing truck.
Flint stabbed the shovel roughly into the heart of the ground. It had dawned on him that Hinawa had always been the farmer to his field; when the farmer died, the seeds of his progeny that had sprouted under Hinawa's care had been subject to neglect. Flint had failed her. In bitterness and drowning sorrow, he had turned to drinking and left his growing sons to wither.
But to his astonishment, they hadn't. Lucas and Claus somehow coped like the toughest weeds despite crushing hardship. Flint might have done little to support them, but he hadn't been completely blind to his sons' struggles. In rare bouts of sobriety and insomnia, Flint had recognized subtle signs of their close trust: holding hands together, understanding each other without speaking a word, comforting the other when in distress.
Then again, Flint knew that he shouldn't have been surprised. His sons had inherited his own endurance and Hinawa's stubbornness after all.
Suddenly his train of thought was broken by a familiar chirp. "Wait, dad," Lucas called out as he left the house, Claus silently trailing behind him in tow. To Flint's surprise, his youngest son held out a paper bag. "Claus made some extra sandwiches today." When Flint turned his attention to him, Lucas's face fell. "...H-He thought you might have been hungry."
"Lucas helped too," Claus muttered. Looking equally uncomfortable, he avoided Flint's eyes.
His throat clogged up. Unable to speak, Flint gave a nod and took the paper bag. He studied his sons standing in front of him: one shrinking back in meek timidity, the other brimming with sullen resentment.
A grim determination seized him. No matter how hard it was, no matter how the odds were stacked against him, he'd never give up. Not by long shot. Overcome by a sudden bout of emotion, the Flint swept his sons into a rare embrace. He could feel them both stiffening in surprise, but he released them just as abruptly.
"Stay safe," Flint found himself saying.
"I'll try," Lucas said softly. Claus only nodded, but his shoulders noticeably relaxed.
"Promise me," Flint repeated after them with numb lips. He'd lost his wife, and he'd almost lost both his sons over the past few years. He couldn't let that happen, not again.
Both his sons looked surprised, but this time, simultaneously broke out into genuine smiles. "We will," they chimed in sync, before walking away and disappearing from his line of sight.
For a few more minutes, Flint stood alone.
Then his own mouth slowly twitched into a smile. A quiet sense of pride filled him as he hurried over to start weeding the field. There was much work to be done, but everything was going to be resolved, one way or another.
After all, was it not a father's intuition to care for his sons?
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~Chapter Twelve~
She was like a Sunflower
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Lucas blinked in surprise. "Er, Claus... What is this?"
Claus scowled before snatching his sketchbook back. "Stupid frickin art class is what. I have to finish assignment two. You know, draw a portrait of a family member."
"When's yours due?"
"Tomorrow. Are you done with yours?"
Lucas grimaced. "No, I'm only half-way there."
It was amusing to see how their contrasting personalities shone through their art styles. Claus's sketches were practical and down-to-earth. He drew exactly what he saw: neat straight lines and sharp corners dominated the page with an emphasis on logic. Most of the time, his impatience at shading clearly showed through; his work consisted of basic skeletons and bare blueprints of the object in question. Nothing more, nothing less.
On the other hand, Lucas's drawings seemed to evoke some form of human emotion from a viewer. If Claus was defined, then Lucas was abstract. Soft curves and an almost-surreal background lent his work life through careful contrast in lighting and shading. His sketches were nothing but raw expression.
But while art was a nice change from the academic curriculum, neither of them would have taken the course if it wasn't mandatory; Claus was more interested in tinkering in his solar car team, and Lucas preferred to devote his time to choir.
"So where's the portrait?" Lucas said curiously. "I didn't think that looked like one of your solar car blueprints either-"
Claus colored up. "...This was the portrait. It's you. Well, it's supposed to be you..."
Lucas stared at the drawing of what looked like a very crude blob. "Claus," he said weakly. "I'm sorry, but that looks nothing like my face-"
Before Claus could retort, Ninten popped up between the two brothers with a mischievous grin. "Hey, hey. What'cha you looking at?"
With a defeated sigh, Claus showed him the sketch. For a good second, Ninten frowned, studying the drawing with a furrowed squint. Then he brightened up, enthusiastically jabbed a finger at the blob. "Is that supposed to be a potato?"
Claus smacked his laughing friend in the head with his sketchbook. "I was half-asleep, okay?" he snapped, crossing his arms in a huff. "Try drawing a portrait in the dark at two in the morning."
"It's due tomorrow. You have plenty of time," Lucas reassured him, but Claus shook his head.
"I have detention with Giygas today, remember? He's going to give me work until hell. On top of that, I'm welding the Solar Car with Lloyd at Jeff's tonight-"
"Detention? With Giygas?" Ninten winced. "Bummer. Heads up, Giygas is definitely gonna assign you a lot of extra homework."
"Good to know," Claus said bitterly.
"Hey, at least you don't have a problem with math. That homework should be a doozy for you." Ninten's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, hey! Hey, Ness," He suddenly yelled, waving his arms around in glee. "Check out Claus's incredible masterpiece!"
Claus shot a withering scowl at Ninten, but it was already too late; Ness had already waltzed over and was now looking down at his demolished sketchbook. "Damn, Claus. Uh, is that supposed to be a potato?"
Ninten broke into another fit of mad giggles.
Claus sulked.
"Well, at least your head resembles a circle," Lucas tried to reassure his brother, pointing at the mutant tuber-like shape in his sketch.
"Gee thanks, Lucas," Claus grumbled, snatching his sketchbook back and triggering another onslaught of Ninten's laughter. "Buzz off, guys. I'd like to see you draw any better-"
A nasally voice interrupted them, "Hold up, loser!"
Lucas stiffened up.
His three friends reacted at once: Claus pushed himself protectively in front of his younger brother, a genuine scowl plastered onto his face. Ninten threw a look of equal distrust in the direction of the rude remark, and Ness silently shifted closer to all of them, ready to disperse a fight if necessary. All in all, they resembled a fierce brigade of bodyguards.
Lucas blinked in surprise at their response. "Guys? This is my problem, not yours," he said softly, while trying to push his brother aside. "Let me handle this on my own-"
"Nope, too bad," Ness interrupted. "This is our problem now."
Equally taken aback by their defensive formation, Pokey openly gaped at them and hastily backpedaled to a halt. "What the hell-?"
"What do you want, Porky?" Ninten said, crossing his arms in a "no-nonsense" manner. He cocked his head to the side - a sharp tilt that intensified the haughty, proud look in his hawkeyed glare.
Undeterred by the look, Pokey glowered, latching his eyes onto his sole target. He cracked his knuckles with a growing sneer on his face. "I still have some unfinished business with someone-"
"Drop it, Pokey. I won't fight you," Lucas said quietly.
"Don't tell me what to do, coward. Stop hiding behind your brother's shorts, and face my fist like a man-"
"All right, bring it, Porky!" Claus spat out, sizing Pokey up with a look of absolute loathing. "Lay one finger on my brother, and forget the damn rules - I'm punching you in the face!"
Claus, stop. There's something you don't understand-
No, I understand plenty.
Lucas looked frustrated. CLAUS! I said I can fend for myself!
Sure, if fending for yourself means scoring two black eyes and an arm cast, his brother said coolly without batting an eye. A muscle twitched in Claus's jaw from a twinge of annoyance. Stop pushing me, Lucas. You can't make me move.
Lucas made a noise of exasperation, then shoved his brother in the shoulder, but his efforts were in vain; Claus had stubbornly dug his heels into the tiled floor, refusing to budge even an inch.
Pokey unwisely stepped forward.
Baring his teeth, Claus pulled up his sleeves and-
In a bout of quick thinking, Ness stepped in between them.
Without keeping his glare off of Claus, Pokey planted himself in place. "Admit it, Ness. He's a coward-"
"Don't call him a coward."
"Oh yeah? Look at him and tell me that he doesn't have freaky hair then," Pokey blubbered, jabbing a finger in Lucas's direction, only to cower back when Claus's angry wildcat-like hiss rose in intensity. When Pokey took a step back, Claus stopped hissing to shift himself to better cover his brother. "Lucas looks like a freak, and he sings like a freak-"
Ness's eyes hardened. "Don't call him a freak."
"He's forcing you to fight, isn't he? What kind of friend does that? Aha, see! Only a freak would," Pokey cried scathingly, gesturing at the twins with his hands. "Not that I expect the loser to know any better. No wonder he and his brother are a twin freakshow. He's fame-hungry, girly, dirt poor, and grew up with no parents-"
"Lucas is none of those things. The only person trying to start the fight here is you."
"Only because he's a-"
"Get lost, Pokey."
"What do you see in him, huh? His blond hair? I have blond hair too," Pokey argued, almost sounding at wit's end. "Was that it, Ness? Were you that desperate for a friend to replace me?!"
"He never replaced you."
Pokey's breath hitched up a notch. "...What do you mean?"
"Lucas never replaced you," Ness repeated, resolutely meeting his eyes. "You did that yourself."
The penny dropped.
Hushed silence spread for miles.
Then Pokey whipped around with a broken ear-shattering howl and lunged for Lucas with extended hands. Kicking his brother back, Claus broke into a vicious snarl, ready to tackle the bully head-on, but before anyone could react, Ness had thrown himself in the way. Several girls shrieked as Pokey slammed Ness against the lockers. But excited onlookers were starting to form around the pair, eagerly waiting for a good show. Like a madhouse, the students hollered and egged them on.
"Whup his ass, Ness!"
"Fight, fight, fight!"
Two burly hands quickly yanked Ness up, twisting into the scruff of his shirt.
"I hate you!"
"Don't hurt my friends."
"Fine, if you like your friend so much, then you can take his place!"
Shouting his name in alarm, they hurried over to help, only to be caught by Ness's glare. Don't intervene, he seemed to be saying.
Enraged beyond his wits, Pokey raised a thick hand, pulling back to deliver a massive blow, but Ness didn't turn away. As if hypnotized, Pokey trembled, staring into his eyes.
"So it all comes down to this," Ness finally gritted out; his cap had fallen off in the midst of the fray. "Okay, you got me, Pokey. What are you gonna do now? Punch me? Beat me into pulp?"
"SHUT UP, NESS. I'M TRYING TO THINK!"
"Picky would hate to see that you've sunken so low."
Pokey's death grip on Ness's collar tightened so hard that his knuckles turned alabaster white from exertion. The cords in his hefty arms stood out, taut from tension, and for a teetering second, it looked like Ness was about to receive the beating of his life.
As if sensing this, Ness grimly wrapped his own hands over Pokey's grip to slacken the chokehold in a moment's notice.
Then Pokey slumped over, releasing the hold and letting Ness tumble onto the floor.
"âĶI hate you. I really do." Thick tears began to leak out of Pokey's eyes. "You used to ask me if I was okay. You used to ask if I was doing all right, if I needed an extra hand or two. But now, it's like you don't even care." There was a pause, then a choke. "You're so lucky, Ness. You can go home and cry to mommy, and mommy will make things better, but all my parents care about is money. I have no one. And it's not fair. I never asked to be born! I never asked to be made this way!" Pokey scrunched up his eyes. More tears escaped down his face. "I was wrong. You're no better than the rest of them. So stop pretending like you care, and I'll leave you and your friends alone. Sod off."
Roughly shoving Ness into the tiles, Pokey turned and marched away, disappearing around the corner.
The whispering grew around them as Ness slowly picked himself back up, surrounded by his appalled classmates.
"Ness, are you okay?"
"Bring him to Nurse Tessie-"
"We should report this to a teacher-"
"I'm okay. Don't tell the teachers. Minor misunderstanding." Ness forced a small smile. Raising his head, Ness caught Ninten's eye, then indicated to the side with a barely noticeable jerk of the head. Realization dawning on his features, Ninten poked the twins by the arm to grab their attention, then escaped from the crowd by veering outside.
Head hanging and staring at the ground, Ness was already waiting for them. He was leaning against the brick wall with both his hands stuffed in his pockets when they arrived.
"Ness," Ninten finally started in awe. "That was either an incredibly brave or an incredibly stupid thing you did."
In no mood to discuss what happened, Ness merely gave him a half-hearted shrug. "I knew that Pokey couldn't hurt me. There was nothing brave about that."
"Well, it's a good thing you stepped in," Claus said bluntly. "Or else, I would've gotten to Pokey first. What a creep."
Ninten laughed. "No kidding!"
Hesitant about what he would find, Ness absentmindedly took in their words, and instead, turned to the friend who had yet to speak.
Lucas wouldn't meet his eyes.
His heart plummeted. "Lucas-"
"I don't know," Lucas said quietly, still not raising his head. "What do you want me to say?"
When Lucas brushed past them with his bag, Claus rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question?"
"Yeah, Lucas. Lighten the fuck up," Ninten hooted after him. "If Pokey decides to bully you again, then we'll just beat him up for you!"
Lucas had stiffened up again, having lurched to a complete halt. He'd turned as frighteningly still as a statue. For an uncomfortable moment, they watched the younger twin struggle for a suitable response.
Finally, Lucas spoke. His voice sounded horribly lifeless. "...Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
Without another word, Lucas trudged off in the direction of the lockers.
Bewildered, Ninten stared after him, then at the accusatory looks of the other two boys aimed his way. "What? Was it something I said?"
Sensing his brother's disappointment stewing in his mind, Claus made a move to follow, only to be blocked by someone's arm.
Ness had stopped him in his tracks.
"Let's head to class," Ness said in a strangely hollow voice.
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~oO0Oo~
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Lost and confused by Lucas's behavior, Ninten had hoped to catch the twin in class, but that opportunity was never granted to him. As if reading his mind, Miss Marshmallow had volunteered Ninten and a couple of unlucky students to enact a long passage from Romeo and Juliet in their homeroom English class. After that debacle, Ninten had been set on cornering Lucas in the cafeteria, but a last-minute complication with borrowing books had forced Lucas to miss lunch. Upon hearing his whereabouts, Ninten had been ready to charge into the library before Ness startled him by clamping a hand onto his shoulder.
"I know that you meant well," Ness had muttered. "And I'm sure Lucas knows too. Don't take it to heart."
Yet, Ninten couldn't help but feel even worse. He had somehow managed to upset the quietest person in school.
Brilliant.
Sulking over his failure to reconciliate, Ninten made his way to History. Upon stepping over the threshold, Ninten found his eyes hesitantly flickering to the second row seats.
Waiting for the teacher to arrive, Lucas was already making himself busy by reading, deeply absorbed in his textbook. Sitting beside his brother, Claus awkwardly met Ninten's eyes with a grimace, looking vastly uncomfortable about how to react. Even he seemed uncertain about how to approach his brother. Taking the longer route around, Ninten threw Claus a sympathetic look of his own before dumping his bag onto the ground.
Oh well. At least Claus wasn't mad at him.
The bell rang once more, and Mr. Leder arrived shortly with his sixth cup of coffee in hand. After politely asking the class if they were prepared for lecture, the photographic genius began droning facts about Dalaam.
"Due to their strict immigration policy, Dalaam bars entry to non-native persons-"
Consumed by his thoughts, it took about half an hour for Ninten to realize that he 'd spaced out. Instinctively, he glanced down at his notes, then noticed that he'd written down absolutely nothing. Ninten groaned; Claus never took notes, and Ness was in an entirely different class period. In a wild stroke of genius, Ninten wondered if he could ask Lucas for his, but he instantly shot that down with a wince.
Lucas would probably share his notes if he asked.
And that was the worst part about it; Ninten didn't have the guts to ask him. It felt dirty, like he was taking advantage of his friend's kindness, and feeling incredibly guilty for even considering the option, Ninten cast his eyes to the front.
Mr. Leder had turned to face the blackboard.
Perfect.
Seizing his chance, Ninten wadded up a sheet of paper and threw it, expertly hitting Claus on the head.
Said target jerked his head up in alarm. Raising his eyebrows, Claus shot his assailant a look. Mouthing something, Ninten furiously pointed down at his desk. Bemused, Claus gave the droning teacher a side-glance before unfolding the scrunched ball of paper.
ððž ðąðŪ ðūðđðžðŪð―? ð ðŽðŠð·'ð― ð―ðŪðĩðĩ.
Claus spared a glimpse to the side. Oblivious to their shenanigans, Lucas had bent over his desk, jotting down notes in his usual diligence. Not in the mood to disrupt his brother's concentration, Claus turned around, giving Ninten a helpless shrug. I don't know, he mouthed back.
Ninten's head drooped over.
It was gonna be a long day.
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~oO0Oo~
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The rest of school passed excruciatingly slowly.
When dismissal finally came, it was with a general air of relief. Ness waved goodbye to a thoroughly miserable-looking Ninten, then headed off on foot. Along the way, the Onett teen ran his errands, stopping by to pick up some groceries before strolling down the familiar sidewalk home. Not many people passed by this side of town, preferring the more convenient road.
But Ness welcomed the silence.
It gave him the chance to think.
Claus and Ninten had every right to be prejudiced, especially after Pokey had viciously bullied Lucas too many times to count. Ness's stomach gave a nasty twinge when he recalled some unpleasant middle school memories. After all, a broken arm was nothing to trifle with.
Then as Ness shifted his glance to the cracked sidewalk, he couldn't help but think back to the stark expression on Porky's face, the words the bigger boy had spoken to him.
So stop pretending like you care, and I'll leave you and your friends alone.
Frustrated, Ness shook his head as if to rid himself of Pokey's voice. Ness did care. He genuinely did. Had. Used to. Angry, and not sure why, Ness kicked an empty soda can off the sidewalk. Really though, Pokey brought this upon himself. Pokey couldn't be condoned - not when he'd made Lucas's life a living hell - and this, Ness knew very well. Ness had tried, Ness had tried so hard to give Pokey a thousand chances and more... but now, Ness wondered if he'd gotten tired of trying. Maybe, there was no point in trying to mend a friendship that simply wasn't there at all.
Still, a small part of Ness had hoped that Pokey would mature and come around.
And bitterly, Ness supposed that he was proven wrong.
But what bothered Ness most, beyond broken friendships and dreams, was the simple fact that lay in the form of the fat bruise on Pokey's shoulder.
Aloysius was beating his son again.
Something clattered, and Ness recoiled instinctively, catching himself about to smash the discarded water bottle with his foot. Realizing that there was no threat around, Ness forced himself to relax, and took a deep breath.
If those Starmen get the jump on me, I might not be so lucky to fend them off.
A sour taste pervaded Ness's mouth. With all that had happened, Ninten had failed to track down their "mystery powerhouse," and Ness was worried for a good reason - They were still nowhere close to solving the mystery, and the blackmail deadline was tomorrow.
Ninten had said that he'd sensed two people who fit the bill.
Why couldn't he narrow them down to one?
Everyone's PSI core is different from person to person. Ninten should've had no problem isolating one of the PSI signatures from the other.
But if Ninten had trouble trying to distinguish the two PSI signatures from each other, then that meant that they had to be almost - if not completely - identical.
And that makes no sense, Ness mused, furrowing his eyebrows. No two PSI signatures are exactly the same, and we already ruled out the possibility of a core splitting into two.
But this was stuff they'd already known. Frustrated, Ness stomped a foot into a particularly large tree root, and shaking his head to clear his mind, started over from the start.
PSI was like DNA. The closer two psychics were related, the more similarities their PSI signatures shared. It explained how Ninten had been able to open Giygas's desk. Giygas was his adopted uncle. No doubt Ninten's PSI was influenced by parts of his. Their PSI must've been similar enough to fool the lock.
But even if two PSI signatures were similar, they couldn't be the same. Ninten should've been able to pick out the differences without a bat of his eye. It was like trying to tell apart two brothers or sisters by DNA; anyone could tell apart who was who.
There was absolutely no way two people could share the exact same DNA. It was genetically impossible...
...Unless they were twins.
Ness's breath hitched in his throat. Immediately, he flicked past his memories, desperately trying to prove himself wrong. But as if his eyes had been opened to the full picture, all the puzzle pieces suddenly clicked into place.
Ninten's constant headache, the weird looks the twins had thrown each other from time to time, Claus's guilty expression at the Halloween Dance... it makes sense. IT ALL MAKES SENSE.
Ninten had sensed two PSI cores... because there had been two people who could conjure PK Love.
Stumped by the obvious, Ness came to a halt. Wow. That mystery had been a LOT easier to solve than he'd expected.
How ironic, Ness thought wryly. That the people we had been searching for were literally in our faces the entire time.
Now that the case had been cracked, Ness had to protect them. Contrary to what Ninten had believed, Ness was highly suspicious of Giygas. Whatever Giygas had said had convinced Ninten in one night, and Ninten wasn't someone who changed his mind at the snap of a finger. And judging from what little Ninten had told him about the dinner party, Ness was uneasy. For someone uninvolved with the opposing side, Giygas knew too much.
Ana and Poo had disappeared from school.
Paula and Kumatora had disappeared near their homes.
Only a teacher could wander around school without suspicion. Only a teacher could know where all students lived.
And in all cases, each student had been cleverly isolated from their surroundings before their kidnappings.
His muscles failed him, so Ness steadied his grip on the groceries, but the plastic handles kept slipping through his sweaty fingers. An uneasy feeling flashed through his mind, as if Ness had forgotten something crucial, something important-
...no, that was impossible. Ness had solved the mystery. Ness had cracked the case.
Gritting his teeth, Ness shifted through his memories a second time. Giygas clearly knew what he was doing, and Ness didn't like the thought of leaving the twins alone with him, not one bit...
Alone...
Didn't Claus have detention today? Alone with Giygas?
Ness's eyes dilated in horror. Shit. Claus!
Ness whirled around, doubling back in the direction of the school. He plowed through the empty sidewalk, pumping his arms so wildly at his sides that his grocery bounced in their bags-
In his haste, Ness hadn't expected to crash into someone.
With a yelp, Ness rebounded off something hard and smacked himself against the ground with a painful thud. The grocery bags flew out of his hands, their contents whizzing through the air. A milk carton splattered the sidewalk in a sticky white mess. Several eggs smashed onto the concrete road in a crescendo of sickening cracks.
But that was the least of his worries.
Feeling an awful sense of growing dread, Ness's eyes slowly traveled up from the familiar silver feet, up a shiny metal torso, and finally on the emotionless gaze of a Starman. When several of its buddies stood stiffly behind it in attention, Ness's heart plummeted sharply.
Five expressionless faces studied him before breaking out into a groan.
"TARGET IDENTIFIED: NESS."
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~oO0Oo~
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To say that Ninten was frustrated was the understatement of the century.
He could tell that Ness was equally downhearted by their subsequent failures. As Ness threw him a weak smile and waved him off, Ninten could only stand stock-still in front of the school.
Then the freakout began.
Breaking into a sprint across the school courtyard, Ninten gripped his temples in frustration. Crap, crap, shit! No suspects, no hints... nothing! What now?
Well, at least nothing beat being stranded in school...
WHICH HE WAS.
Ninten wanted to cry.
School had canceled all extracurricular activities for an entire week due to bad weather conditions. Unfortunately, this extended to mocktrial... which Ninten had forgotten in his haste. At the thought, he forced a grin, remembering how Ness threw a hissy-fit today for not being able to schedule a last-minute baseball practice.
But the weather station had been completely wrong. Today the weather was gorgeous. The sun out with just the right touch of wind. The cool air felt pleasantly refreshing against his spiky hair. In short, it seemed like normal weather for a normal day.
That was before something moist grabbed his arm.
Emitting a girly shriek, Ninten jumped ten feet into the air. "Agh! Get-" His eyes widened at the unexpected sight. "Pokey?"
Sobbing grossly into his hands, Pokey was in no condition to respond in coherent English. In fact, the big bully was practically bawling. Tears dripped down his chubby cheeks from red-rimmed eyes, mixing in with the snot running freely from his nose.
Mildly disgusted, Ninten opened his mouth to crack a sarcastic remark, probably something along the lines of go the fuck away, but thinking back to Pokey's breakdown earlier in the hallway, the words died in his throat.
Damn it. What was Ninten supposed to do now? He was no Ness. He was no philanthropist. He didn't have the same compassion Ness had, the same patience to treat every single person like they were special.
But though he had no love for Pokey - and admittedly still felt very rueful at the way he'd treated Lucas like shit - Ninten was struck by a bizarre surprise at his alarming condition. He couldn't stand here and do nothing.
...Great, now Ness's conscience was rubbing off on him.
Uncertain, Ninten shuffled over. Maybe he could... start off with a greeting or something. "Um, hi. Can you like, stand five feet away from me? Thanks."
With a watery gurgle, Pokey stumbled, bumping straight into Ninten and sending the smaller boy sprawling onto the ground.
Understandably, Ninten was furious. "What the fuck is your problem?" he shouted, pushing himself back onto his feet, but Pokey latched onto him by tightly hugging his legs.
"Don't... Don't go," he blubbered.
"Let go of me, you big oaf," Ninten snapped.
"Help me, Ninten-!"
"Well gee, I don't know if I want to now."
"He knows!"
"Pokey, if you seriously don't let go of me in the next two seconds-"
"He's, he's after Ness..."
"Hold on, what? Who's he? And who's after Ness?" When Pokey let go, rolling away in fetal position to snivel under his breath, Ninten scowled, marching over and forcing him to look him in the eye. "Pokey. What. The heck. Are you saying. About Ness?"
Pokey only took one look at him before completely losing it. "I DON'T WANNA KNOW," he howled, breaking down uncontrollably. "Don't ask me, Giygas probably has him by now-"
"Giygas?" Ninten whispered, suddenly terrified. "What does Giygas have to do with... But he can't. He wouldn't know."
Paying no attention to Ninten seemingly talking to himself, Pokey began to bawl louder into an incoherent mess. "I didn't do it because I wanted to, h-he made me! I'm innocent, I'm not- I'm innocent..."
It all clicked.
"You were the spy," Ninten yelled, jumping away from him in disgust. "You've been working under Giygas. You're the reason everybody went missing!"
"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" Pokey screamed back like a wounded animal. "HE TOOK MY BROTHER!"
Ninten froze at the unexpected outburst. "He took...?"
"Giygas said that he'd return him if I cooperated," Pokey gasped, wet rivulets of tears flowing down his chubby chin. "He s-said that if I was good, he wouldn't take Ness too... but he lied." Pokey hiccuped, curling up into a pitiful ball. "He took everything away from m-me..."
Ninten had no idea what to say. For a split second, he could only stare the pitiful lump quivering against the ground. Then his feet caught up to his mind, and he shot away, tearing through the streets like never before. The sprint to the baseball field was nothing compared to the urgency he felt now. And run Ninten did, running harder than he ever had in his entire life. His feet pounded into sidewalk in a frantic, panicked tattoo. All the while, his chest heaved with the force of a thousand violent breaths, and Ninten retched, wheezing at the awful pain clawing at his sides.
Giygas's betrayal stung. It twisted a knife deeply into his heart, because all along, the perpetrator had been Giygas... Giygas, whom Ninten had dared to believe, whom he had even tried to trust...
And Ninten had stupidly fallen for it. He'd fallen for the biggest trick in history, and Ness was going to pay the price for his foolishness.
Choked helplessness clogged his throat, and Ninten mentally screamed out for his friend, calling out his name for any sign of a familiar response. Anything except for an awful silence.
Ness, where are you?
.
.
.
~oO0Oo~
.
.
.
Sullen-faced, Claus shouldered his bag and made his way through the hallways. Ever since Pokey's intervention, school was building up to be a lousy day. And now, he had detention on top of that.
Perfect. This was fucking PERFECT.
"Claus..."
Registering the soft voice, Claus turned around, trying to reassure his worried brother. "Lucas, I'll be fine. Look, why don't you go and catch the bus home?"
Lucas hesitated. "But-"
"Detention's going to last a while. You'll be here doing nothing for an hour if you wait. Go home. Seriously," he added with a frown when his brother didn't budge. "There's nothing you can do, Lucas." Claus suddenly smirked, "Unless you want to take my place in detention."
"I can take your place for you," Lucas said quietly. "It wasn't your fault-"
"-and you know that I would never let you," Claus finished firmly. He grinned, hiding his worries under a mischievous facade. "Relax, Lucas. It's only a detention. I'm not going to get mugged or anything."
"I know..." Lucas's lips quirked into a small smile, and at that moment, Claus knew he had succeeded in convincing his brother. "Okay, I guess I'll go home then."
"Good boy," Claus smirked, ruffling his brother's hair into messy curtains.
Lucas yelped and swatted his hand away. "Claus!"
Still smirking, Claus watched his twin disappear in higher spirits. Lucas's concern had never failed to brighten him up.
Mentally preparing himself for doom, Claus approached his destination and knocked. The sound echoed through the marble hallway. "Giygas?"
There was no response, and Claus frowned.
That's strange. Is Giygas not here?
"Hello?" Claus called out once more, rapping the door, before opening it with an ominous creaaaak.
The entire classroom was dark.
The lights were turned off. The blinds were shut all the way, lending a sinister undertone to the eerie silence. Claus swore that he could hear his own breath as he walked into the chilly classroom. Hugging himself in warmth, Claus concluded that the AC must be on at max. He flicked on the light switch in annoyance, but after a weak flicker, the bulb fizzled and died.
Great. I guess I'll have to wait for him in the dark.
But darkness had never bothered Claus before. With an indifferent shrug, Claus slumped down into one of the empty chairs, rummaging for his pencils in his bag. As his fingers scrabbled around the floor of his bag, he quickly realized that his calculator was missing. Oh right, I lent it to Lucas yesterday and forgot to ask him back for it...
Not that Claus needed a calculator, but Giygas was quite notorious for giving detention homework with ridiculous numbers from what Ninten had said. With a long sigh, Claus stretched his legs out and resigned himself for a tedious detention.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut.
Claus jumped in his seat.
Something's not right.
His blood ran cold.
"...Giygas?"
Then a pair of red eyes blinked back into his face.
.
.
.
~oO0Oo~
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.
.
As soon as he heard an ear-shattering whirr, Claus threw himself off his chair.
Not a moment too soon. A giant blast of energy hit the desk, obliterating it into a pile of matchsticks.
Coughing, Claus wasted no time to react. Whatever these... things were, two things were certain: they were a threat, and he was in trouble. Instinctively, Claus called upon his magic, feeling it hum through his body in a hot rush of energy. In a swift motion, he pointed at the Starmen with his sparking hands.
"PK Love!"
Nothing happened.
Claus couldn't help but throw his hands into the air. "Oh, come on," he complained before another beam almost fried his face.
This encouraged Claus to quickly switch tactics.
"PK Thunder," he yelled instead, sizzling one Starman and sending it flying into two others.
"PK THUNDER!" Another dazzling bolt of fluorescent silver slammed into the chest of another robot, imprinting an impressive mold into the wall.
"PSI BLOCK," one of them droned just as Claus tried to send out another bolt of crackling lightning. To his alarm, Claus felt a foreign force repress his PSI core, closing around it like a gloved hand.
BLAST!
Pairs of red eyes began to glow in sync at their intended target. Claus yelped, narrowly ducking behind a desk. With a crackling floom, the solid wood caught fire, causing deadly flames to dance across its surface like an odd birthday cake.
Squeezing his eyes tightly, Claus steadied his shaking hands. What are these things? Why are they attacking me? Claus felt a hysterical fear bubble up in his throat before he grimly quenched it. Well, at least Lucas went home. He should be safe-
Then the world must've seriously hated him, because as if on cue, his younger brother loudly burst into the classroom. "Sorry Claus, I realized I took your calculato-"
Dropping the calculator from his hands, Lucas froze as the Starmen focused their eyes on their new arrival.
Popping up from a desk, Claus shrieked without disregard for his own safety. "Lucas, DUCK!"
Flinching in alarm, Lucas barely avoided the deadly beams of light that soared over his head. "Claus, what-"
Overcoming his initial surprise, Claus darted over to seize his brother by the wrist, yanking him out of the classroom. "Don't ask," His older brother shrieked. "JUST FUCKING RUN!"
Something exploded at their feet.
Tremors rolled under their feet in a wave. Stumbling and staggering over their shoes with shouts of surprise, they managed to claw their way into an empty classroom. Heart pounding madly in his ribcage, Claus turned around, catching sight of Starmen groaning after them through a narrow slit of the door.
Lucas, shut the door!
Without question, Lucas bolted up and slammed the classroom door shut. Together, the twins dragged desk after desk over to barricade the entrance before desperately scanning the room for a way out like drowning rats trapped in a bottle.
Their only possible escape was the classroom door and windows. The door was definitely out of the question, and the windows had been bolted shut and barred - probably an addition of the new security measures. Claus wanted to laugh at the irony, but now was not the time to indulge in dark humor.
The door shuddered, its knob twisting madly in the fury of a thwarted predator. A vicious scratching erupted on the other side, as if a rabid animal was furiously trying to claw its way inside.
Lucas and Claus shared a glance. Their heavy, ragged breathing filled their ears, as if the very air they inhaled reeked of drowning dread.
Claus broke the silence with a feeble laugh. "...I guess detention's cancelled."
Claus...? Lucas's blue eyes flickered to his in fear. They flinched as the door rattled even more violently; a few chairs shook from the force of the Starmens' bodyslamming thunks. What's going on?
To heck if I know. Claus flicked his hands to no avail. Shit, I can't use my magic!
Lucas made a noise of alarm. What happened?
Then the door flew off its hinges with a gunshot-like bang. Lucas shrieked, diving to the floor as an army of Starmen barged in, their red eyes glowing. "TARGET UNCOOPERATIVE," they rasped in eerie synchronization, their eyes honing in on Claus. "USE FORCE."
For the second time that day, Claus was faced with another barrage of PK Beams. Several sizzling bolts narrowly missed his ears, singing the tips of his hair black. With a loud swear, Claus ducked under a desk before one beam grazed his right thigh.
Raw pain exploded across Claus's nerves.
Unable to hold his weight, his trembling leg collapsed underneath him, and Claus pitched into the ground. When the Starmen charged up another attack, Claus feebly raised an arm to defend himself-
"PK Love," Lucas cried, opening his arms in an expressive show of light. Beautiful blue hexagons shimmered through the air, and Claus looked on with awe at the display of color as the spell gently dissolved against his own skin like harmless snow.
Why couldn't he do that?
The Starmen weren't so lucky. Upon contact, Lucas's magical hexagons tore and shredded through their metallic skin like paper. Nearby, the printer exploded in a shower of sparks, and with an inhumane screech, a Starman fell to the onslaught of fury.
In a heartbeat, Lucas was at his brother's side, supporting him back onto his unsteady feet. Claus involuntarily hissed as the agonizing burn stretched over his thigh, flaring up with pain.
Lucas gripped his hand in concern. Are you hurt?
It's nothing. Just a small burn- Claus started, but Lucas had already placed a cool hand on top of his inflamed wound.
"PK Healing." Lucas's magic washed the stinging sensation away like paint, leaving Claus's skin unblemished once again.
At Lucas's display of magic, all the remaining Starmen had frozen. In eerie synchronization, they fixed their eyes upon Lucas, who looked unnerved by the sudden attention. "SECOND TARGET ACQUIRED."
Claus's stomach dropped. "Lucas," he whispered, but wide-eyed in fear, Lucas stood petrified in place. Claus raised his voice into a yell. "Lucas, RUN! Run before they-"
"PSI BLOCK," droned a Starman.
SHIT!
"PK Love!"
This time, nothing happened.
Realization dawned on Lucas's face, but as he hastily tried to correct for his mistake, one of the Starmen struck him on the skull. With the sound of metal hitting bone, Lucas collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
Erupting into an obnoxious whirr, the Starmen deconstructed their arms into tranquilizer guns. "TARGET PSI NEUTRALIZED."
"Goddammit," Claus shouted, dragging his dazed brother back just as several quivering tranquilizer darts punched the tiles where Lucas had been a second prior.
To his relief, a rough glimpse reassured him that Lucas was okay, but shaken. With no other choice left, Claus's eyes fumbled around for the classroom door, but his heart fell. Their one ticket out was blocked by Starmen. It was a hopeless case. Claus couldn't defend Lucas and avoid the Starmens' attacks at the same time. Gritting his teeth, Claus protectively pushed his brother behind him, throwing the Starmen a defiant glare despite the fear that threatened to bubble up his throat.
Claus was beyond terrified. They were about to be the next victims of a kidnapping, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Absolutely nothing.
Author's Note:
Hey guys!
There are three things I need to cover:
One: This is no mistake. I posted this chapter early on purpose. This is because...
Two: My final exams are starting. While I'll probably be able to answer any PMs during this time, I won't be able to update my stories for the next month or so. BUT I CAN DO IT ARGGHHH *Punches gen chem test out of the park*
Three: I will warn you that this is possibly the worst cliffhanger in the entire story. And with that one month-ish wait for the next chapter...Hoo boy, I really do feel sorry for ya'll.
But don't worry! I'll be back soon. :)
You know, I really love reading your reviews. Your conspiracy theories in the reviews totally make my day. Sometimes I wonder how many people I manage to bamboozle...or UNbamboozle...or bamboozle again...Bottom line is: Don't trust everything I write. Except the AN. Maybe. Who knows?
Now onto your reviews~
Paula-Ana: Haha I apologize if my story wasn't straightforward! I realized some parts were confusing, so I edited some mistakes to make some info easier to understand. :) Thank you! But the bottom line: Lucas and Claus individually have separate PSI cores. Ninten and Ness do not know there is more than 1 PSI user, so they're baffled to why one 1 PSI user would have 2 cores (unless if 1 PSI core was split in half, which we know is HIGHLY unlikely). ;) And hmm...who knows? Is Giygas innocent, or is he lying? No one knowssssss :D
SMF: Thanks! :D I just try my best with writing haha...And you came quite close to the purpose of the code! Also, whether Giygas is innocent or not, I'll leave that to you to decide ;)
KaguTheGreat: Yes, I did. :D I'm actually impressed you read my A.N; I was under the impression that my ANs are (1) boring and (2) horrendously long. But kudos to you! And I agree; it is amazing how the four boys haven't accidentally read each other's mind yet. :) But we'll explore the mechanics of telepathy in a future chapter (Chapter 13, 14ish? Haven't decided yet)!
My XD: AHHH Thank you! xD And yes, Claus is awesome! He'd totally win the award for "Best Brother in the Universe."
OXYD: I'm so sorry if my writing wasn't clear! xD But Giygas is revealed as Ninten's uncle in the end of chapter 9. And yeah, it is a bit bizarre...I'm a strange person. :) Hmmm, mysterious voice threatening Pokey, I wonder who that could be...? ;D
Angel-woof: Thanks so much! XD Honestly, I'm no English major, but I'll do my best to write some cool stuff/fluff/enough (haha rhymes). And yes, Lucas always seems to make everything a little better for Claus :) On the risk of copy-pasting: Is Giygas innocent, or is he lying? No one knowssssss :D Huh, I do wonder how long it'll take the four boys to learn PSI... ;D We may never find out. And NO! It is never too late to celebrate Lucas's return, my friend! :D Happiness and omelets for all! *Starts dancing next to you*
Guest: Yeah, I crammed in so much info! xD Ahhh I'm Sorry!
ConnorTheSpelingPro: ...And a special shout-out to you. :) This time, I took a leaf from your book and read the chapter out loud. I caught quite a few grammar mistakes that way (although my dorm mate was probably like WTF xD). Thanks! :D
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