Disclaimer: KUMAGORO BEAM!
Yay! An update! Sorry it took so long. So yeah, I'm officially in love with Yamato now XD And every other Loveless characters, too. Such infidelity!
So anyway, I started my summer project, which is a futuristic yaoi novel called "Solid Blue". There a link to it at the bottom of my link list in my profile :puppy eyes: I'd really love if you guys gave me some honest opinions on it…
So, I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's dedicated to Muzatsu for being such an awesome friend! 8D
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"Kouya, you wanted diet, right?"
As Yamato bounded into the room, her blonde hair still damp from the shower, the black-haired girl on the bed looked up from the textbook she was reading and gave her a look that was quite plainly disapproving.
"Yamato, where have you been?"
"Relax!" Yamato flopped down onto the bed beside her Fighter and handed her a can of diet cola, opening a regular one for herself and taking a long, deep swig. "I was just off getting some sodas. Is that a crime nowadays?"
Kouya rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses up her nose. "I really wish you wouldn't be so reckless."
"Pfft…" Yamato dismissed Kouya's worries with an airy wave of her hand, shaking out her wet hair and taking another long drink. "What's reckless about getting soda?"
"Not that. Honestly, Yamato," the Sentouki shook her head, causing waves of long black hair to ripple across her back. "I'm talking about going to an outside school when you're in the middle of training! What are you thinking? I'm surprised Nagisa-sensei's letting you do something like that!"
"It's fun, Kouya. Much better than going to this dull old school for our normal classes. And besides, we'd be getting sent off for school next year after our training's done anyway! I'm just getting a head start. And you know Nagisa let me go so I'd be around less. You know how I piss her off because you're the favorite," rather than sounding bitter as she said this, Yamato's voice rang with amusement. She wiggled her toes contentedly and took another long drink. Kouya watched her Sacrifice as she hummed the tune to a popular song that had been on the radio that morning and tapped her pencil distractedly, glancing around the room.
This room in Nagisa's apartments in Shichisei Gakuin was the place they had called home for as long as they had known each other. They'd slept in the two single beds night after night for so long that being anywhere else was unthinkable. Kouya was a sensible girl, and she knew that change was inevitable. But some things, like stability, she didn't want to see change. She just wanted things to stay the way they were. Yamato seemed excited to get out of the school and begin life anew, but to Kouya it seemed unnecessary and intimidating. The thought of adoptive parents and a new life outside of the one to which she had become accustomed was frightening to say the least. But she kept her concerns quiet and watched Yamato sprawl herself more comfortably across the bed beside her.
"So, are you looking forward to the battle?" the blonde asked idly.
"Of course," Kouya answered truthfully. The first spell battle was the single most important moment of a fighting team's life, and it was something she and Yamato had strived for since they had been introduced and bonded together as Sentouki and Sacrifice.
"It's against Beloved," Yamato played with a loose thread on the bedspread. "I heard they're really good. I wonder why Nagisa would pit us against them in our first battle…"
"It's because of Ritsu-sensei," Kouya told her, sitting up and abandoning the notion that Yamato would let her get any homework done at the moment. "Agatsuma Soubi… he's Beloved's Fighter. He was Ritsu-sensei's star pupil. And you know how Nagisa-sensei wants to prove we're better than his teams."
"But he's not even Beloved's real Fighter," Yamato muttered thoughtfully. "I wonder what makes Ritsu think he can win against you, when he and Aoyagi Seimei aren't even bonded. When they don't share a Name like we do…" she reached across the gap between them and laced her fingers with Kouya's. The black-haired girl blushed.
"Yamato…"
Yamato didn't reply, instead moving her other hand to Kouya's long hair, stroking it tenderly. She ran her fingertips across the softness of Kouya's black ears, still intact, and smirked lightly. "When are you going to let me get rid of these, Kouya?" she asked playfully.
The blush on Kouya's face deepened, and she stared at her own knees. "Let's just concentrate on beating Beloved, okay?"
Yamato giggled. "You're so serious," she marveled, and then smiled and drew her Sentouki closer. "Well okay, I guess just a kiss will do for now," the blonde whispered as she brought their lips together tenderly. "This time."
XXX
The evening air was cooler than it should have been when Seimei appeared, slipping out of the shadows of the trees and making his way to his Sentouki. Soubi looked up as he approached him, and their eyes met for a moment. An ominous chill ran down his spine; there was something in those eyes that shouldn't be there.
"Seimei?" the word hung in the air for a moment as the night shimmered with stillness, the heavy hush before a battle that was always the same. A tiny prick of fear slid down his throat and he shivered.
"Yes, Soubi?"
"Zero… no one's ever fought them before."
"Correct. You're worried because you don't know what to expect?"
Soubi's eyes raised up to scan the sky through the gaps between tree branches. "In a way," he answered slowly. "But I'm more worried because they don't know what to expect."
"What are you talking about?" Seimei raised an eyebrow.
"It's easier to make harmful mistakes when you haven't done something before. I have a feeling that something is going to go wrong, Seimei. It's a feeling I can't shake," Soubi was squinting at his Sacrifice now.
"Everything is going to be fine, Soubi," Seimei assured him in a voice that was far more comforting than any that had come out of the raven-haired man before. Soubi could feel a tiny flutter of solace in his stomach. "You really shouldn't worry so much. True, they are Zero, but as an undefeated team I don't think we have much to worry about in terms of losing to a team waging their first battle."
"I'm sorry for worrying, Seimei," Soubi said apologetically, inexplicably bowing to his Master's will. "I'll try to calm down."
"Good," Seimei replied with a slight nod, keeping his eyes on the darkness between the trees in front of them. The air was heavy with that distinct feeling that could only come from waiting for something that was truly troubling. Soubi tried to focus on the millions of tiny diamond stars that speckled the sky above and on the bright, full moon. He had never been superstitious, but at the moment he found himself wondering if maybe a full moon really was unlucky. He sighed softly, the cool breeze across his face doing little to calm his nerves.
"Hey, Beloved!" came a sudden voice cutting through the quiet darkness, and Soubi looked up to see a pair of girls approaching them. One had short blonde hair and a confident expression, and was offering them a friendly wave. The other had long black hair and looked determined. They both still had their ears quite visibly intact, and Soubi was surprised
"We're fighting a team this young?"
"Are you guys ready?" the blonde asked, shaking locks of hair from her face and giving them a daring smile.
"You two are Zero?" Soubi asked, slightly incredulous as he looked on at them with some disbelief.
"You better believe it," the blonde replied with an amused grin. "I'm Yamato Nakano and this is Sakagami Kouya. You see surprised."
"You're so young…" Soubi let it slip without meaning to, and Yamato dismissed his words with a wave of her hand and gave a small 'pfft' sound.
"There are plenty of teams out there these days who're younger," she reminded him. "We just happened to finish basic training fast. Now, are you two ready to fight? I'm freezing, and this small talk isn't helping."
"Exactly. We came here prepared," Kouya agreed.
"Then let's start," Soubi told the girls without a hint of hesitation. If they wanted a battle, he wasn't going to cringe because of their age. He was going to give it everything as he always did, and he was going to win this thing in yet another desperate attempt to make Seimei proud of him. It was a neverending cycle, and it made him vaguely sick to his stomach. As the four of them moved into position, he shook aside his doubt and immediately slid his mind into battle mode, where everything became a weapon and his senses were as sharp as dagger. "We're ready."
"Soubi, take the first strike," Seimei commanded, and Soubi instantly flew into action, feeling the breeze tickle his cheeks and turning it upon their opponents.
"North wind, blow away their ability to defend. Render them helpless!" he shouted, and the cold wind slid from over his shoulder and pelted the Zeroes with its gale force.
"Maintain body temperature!" Kouya shouted over the noise. "South win, retaliate! Blind them with intensity!"
"Soubi, defend and retaliate!"
"Defense! Damage is zero, your wind has no effect. Stars, turn your jagged edges against them! Cut away their desire to win!"
A thousand tiny, sparkling points of light flew toward the Zeroes, and in several flashes of movement they cut into their skin shallowly, provoking the running of thick crimson blood that fell in small droplets onto the pavement and steamed in the cold. The places where they cut were instantly covered with thick metal cuffs. They seemed undaunted, however. Yamato giggled.
"We're Zero. You really expect to win by relying on pain? Show them how it's really done, Kouya," she said jovially, wiping away a bit of fresh blood from her shoulder.
"Darkness, envelope them with your gloomy blanket! Wrap them in tendrils of confusion! Decrease the power of the next attack by forty percent!" Kouya shouted fervently. Soubi made a move to defend, but was a split second too late. Instantly, he felt disoriented and could barely see a foot in front of his face, much less see the Zeroes. As dizziness turned his head, he struggled to maintain his tact and took several deep breaths, managing to remain on his feet. He could feel the weight of the cuffs and chains the damage had conjured on his neck and wrists. These Zeroes were skilled. They were actually a match for them, something that hadn't happened in a long while. Still dizzy, he fumbled to make his next attack, desperate to end the effects of theirs.
"Water, turn to sabers of ice. Penetrate and eliminate!" he croaked, waving his left hand in what he hoped was the direction of the ornate stone fountain. As he spoke, the darkness lifted and he was able to see the water rise up from the fountain's basin and freeze into razor-sharp knives before flying in the direction of the opposing team. But since the attack was only at sixty percent of its usual power, it was easily stopped.
"Defend! No ice can touch us, for we are as the surface of the sun!" Kouya retaliated, and the ice melted into nothing and fell like rain to the ground before her outstretched hand. She turned to Yamato for a moment as Soubi looked on helplessly. "Should I try that new spell?"
"Well, we have no idea how strong it is…" Yamato said thoughtfully. "And we're not sure exactly what its effects will be."
"But these two are an expert team. They should be able to handle it."
"I have always wanted to test it out," Yamato said, appearing to be deep in thought as she tapped her chin. "You can do whatever you'd like."
Kouya took several deep breaths. "Turn his words against him!" she recited. "And choke him with the very words he has spoken! Make his own abilities his enemy!"
Soubi felt no effect for a moment, and as relief began to settle in suddenly he was caught off-guard. He could feel a tightening around his throat, and warm blood began to pour down his front as the Name carved there bled profusely. He could feel a tightening as though invisible chains wrapped around every inch of his body, though he knew they weren't there. He struggled to keep breathing as the pressure became more and more intense, and finally fell to his knees, clutching at his throat as blood poured from behind his hands.
"Are you okay?" he was surprised to see Kouya and Yamato before him, both looking horrified and completely at a loss as to what to do. He opened his mouth to assure them that he was alright, but to his own horror warm blood ran out over his lips and no words followed.
"Soubi!" Seimei's voice cut through the night, music to his ears.
By now Soubi could see that it was no longer minor discomfort. This was getting serious. Every inch of his body was being squeezed painfully, and as he struggled to breathe he began to shake violently. This was surely the end. He couldn't survive this. It was like white-hot fire closing in on every square inch of his flesh, and he began to quake with small spasms as though it might help alleviate the agony. He toppled over onto his side and lay twitching on the ground, afraid to scream, to cry, to do anything. This was it. This must be what it felt like to die.
"We forfeit!"
Soubi almost couldn't comprehend the words. But it was Seimei's voice, much to his own surprise, and it rang true in his ears as he lay in absolute agony for another few seconds. "We forfeit! This battle is ended!"
Instantly, the pain subsided. Relief flooded Soubi as he began to breathe once more, gasping slightly from the release with every ragged breath. He blinked back tears he hadn't realized he'd been crying. Though he couldn't sit up, he could finally breathe and function slightly, which was far more than enough.
"Oh my God…" Kouya said quietly, her face pale. She looked shaken. "I must have done the spell wrong! It was only supposed to turn the next spell you cast back against you before it could hit us! I'm sorry…"
"We have nothing more to say to you," Seimei replied as he bent down in front of Soubi, sliding his arms under him and lifting him in a way that was surprisingly gentle, cradling him against his chest. Soubi tried to say his name, but not a sound came out. Whatever effects the spell had caused were still with him. Nevertheless, he was content. He rested his head listlessly against Seimei's chest. He was vaguely aware of Seimei saying his name softly as they moved away from the park, but could process little else and kept his eyes closed, trying to retain consciousness.
The next thing he was aware of was Seimei placing him somewhere soft, and when his eyes fluttered open he was met with the sight of his own bedroom ceiling and the sensation of a hand on his hair. His eyes found Seimei, who sat beside him on the bed looking far guiltier than he had ever seen him. He tried to say Seimei's name again, but he was still too weak and settled for lying like an invalid among his own pillows as Seimei pulled his blanket over him.
"Soubi," the Sacrifice muttered softly, that surprisingly gentle hand still sliding across his hair. "Soubi…" the teenager leaned down so his face was nearly touching Soubi's, and the Sentouki looked up at him with wide eyes, unsure of whether to believe the tenderness of this moment. "I'm so sorry."
Seimei was not one to apologize, and Soubi marveled at the sound of the words coming from his mouth as he looked up at the boy who usually caused him such harm. He wished he could speak. He wished he could tell Seimei that he could never be angry with him and that all was of course forgiven. But all he could do was stare up into those beautifully dark eyes. Seimei was close, he was here, and for the moment, Soubi was safe. He could find no word to describe the tiny stab of happiness that was his for that moment.
And then finally, all conscious thought was chased from his mind at the feeling of Seimei's lips pressing shyly against his own.
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Woo, Seimei! :catcalls: Anyway, I'm really sorry if updates get slow! My little sister is off of school for the summer, so I'll be spending most of my time with her. I promise to update this whenever I can, though. Please don't give up on me?