Apocalyptic Strings
Don't
give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your
discipline
Saturday night's alright for fighting
Get a little
action in
(Saturday Night's Alright, The Long Road, Nickelback)
Having the rest of the night to themselves and no girl to baby sit, the twins were quite content with going about their business, the challenge left in the open for when they felt ready. Jonathan had used it to coax his brother in to staying out without Yui. Sure, he loved her too, but she was a burden and he wanted to be a moronic guy, and it was hard with a girl around who had zilch in terms of self-defence, other than screaming his brother's name!
Leaning against his twin as they wandered into the pub that they hadn't been to before, Jonathan smirked, addressing his brother in English. "Let's hold out on drinking you under the table… I want to know something. You've got to tell me this secret you and Miaka have. It's got to be fucking good if she's kept her mouth shut! She was always loud and secrecy is not what she was known for…"
"You're such an incorrigible brat!" Shannon growled, lightly punching his brother in the shoulder. "I'll tell you the basics. Nothing more. Otherwise, what good's a secret when other people know?"
"I could always try finding out telepathically…"
"And you'll get a massive headache if you."
Whining, Jonathan sat at the first available chair after they pushed through the door and the small crowd at the front, gathered around to watch the last bits of the late night news. He slumped in the chair. "I hate it when you act difficult…" he pouted.
Snickering, Shannon ran his fingers through his brother's hair before he sat down at the chair across, "stop acting indignant! Just because I'm not telling you, it doesn't mean a thing…"
Grunting cynically, Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you're being a real angel, Shan." He leaned forward, pouting. In a simpering voice, asked, "So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to take drastic measures when we get home?"
"You're a fucking hentai!" Shannon growled. He motioned for the waitress to come over.
"Good evening, what can I get you two?" she asked friendly.
Shannon pointed to himself, "I'll take a pint of Dunphys and…" he pointed to his twin. Jonathan smirked. "Give me the same thing."Nodding, the waitress left, as Shannon rolled his eyes at his twin. "You're so going to regret it. You passed out when I slugged Bourbon, what makes you think you won't have the same reaction with this stuff?"
The younger twin shrugged. "I'm in the mood for something different."
"Fine…but be prepared for a massive hangover. This stuff is so potent. I'm impressed that they carry it here. Then again, it appears to be foreign owned, so, that might be a reason why."
"I'm already going to have one… I might as well make it worthwhile…"
Shannon was about to make a snide remark but stopped as he glared at a group of ten young men who entered the pub, talking loudly. He knew that accent – they were Cambridge prep boys!
"God, I hate those bastards! They're not only fucking Protestants, but they're fucking English! And look at the way they move. They act like they own the fucking world…" Shannon snarled contemptuously.
Jonathan craned his neck to see who Shannon meant and nodded. He could understand; the group did have that air to them. "Who shoved a stick up their asses? These are the kind of asshole Protestants you got to deal with? No wonder you're in the IRA."
"No shit… These wankers are just asking for it…"
"What do you mean?"
Shannon paused as the waitress put the drinks down.
Picking his up, he lifted his glass. "Here's to kicking Protestant ass!" and upon clinking glasses with his brother, down his pint in two gulps, and strangely, Jonathan managed to do the same – though the effects were a lot more evident in the younger of the two.
"Yeah. They are asking for it…"
"…and so, I says to him, I says, 'so mate…"" one of the English boys loudly said, as he walked by the table the twins sat at. He paused and eyed the twins, and then gazed back at one of his friends. "Sullivan, didn't this lad give you a run for your money?"
"Fuck…it's the fucking Seanchill Nazi…" the Irish Protestant young man replied nastily. He had a refine accent – indicating he had spent a couple of years in the warm elitist embrace of Cambridge.
Shannon smirked. "Ah yes…I remember that. You gave me that title after I ran you and your prep school friends off my street, and all because you arrogant asses made a wrong turn."
He stood up, cracking his knuckles. "You didn't learn your lesson yet…did you?"
"HA! The question should be, did…" Sullivan went to retort, but instead found his jaw in connection with Shannon's fist, and was soon sprawled on his ass on the floor.
Shannon placed a foot on the boy's chest. "It feels good to be able to kick Protestant ass…haven't done it in ages…"
"Save a couple for me…" Jonathan requested standing up.
"There's two of 'em?" one of the others remarked, sounding surprised.
"Very good, the cocky wanker knows his math… How is your knowledge of physics?" Shannon drawled, as he lifted a hand and without touching the boy, lifted him effortlessly via telekinesis, and releasing him, sent him flying across the pub.
The other nine cleared a path, staring in shock at the one known as Sullivan went flying across the room, crashing into the table where a couple of local young men sat, trying to ignore what was going on behind them.
They couldn't ignore for long.
"ARGH! Not again! Why the hell didn't we leave when he came?"
"Tetsuya, calm down!" Keisuke took serviettes from the dispenser on the table and tried to help his friend wipe up the split beer, ignoring the moaning young man who lay on the other side of the table in pain.
Growling, Tetsuya tried to dry himself off more before he charged over to where Shannon and Jonathan were, semi surrounded by British prep school boys.
"YOU!!" he spat. "I can't ever have a peaceful drink without you wrecking it!"
Turning, Shannon replied in Japanese, "Watch it, Kajiwara, or I'll have to refresh your memory. Remember those months long past…the time when I first kicked your ass? Well, think hard because it'll happen again…but, not until after I finish here…"
He turned and punched the nearest Cambridge boy square in the jaw, while Jonathan had two at his feet begging for mercy.
Shannon then gazed back. "You know, instead of standing there either waiting to ambush me, or waiting to fight me…why don't you fight one of the other four? You might have a chance in winning – English boys are pansies."
"That other kid is with them…" one of the others not directly in the fight remarked to his chums. "I'll charge him from behind; you'll come up front… Catholics don't learn…"
Unaware of what the English boys were saying, Tetsuya rolled his eyes at Shannon. "Why the hell would I want to help you? You stole my girlfriend!"
"Because…" Shannon replied, looking up, as he bashed the heads of two prep school boy's together. "…you're about to be charge by one from behind and a couple in front…"
"That's such shit…" Tetsuya growled, turning to face one of the two. He then dodged and spun to face the three. 'What the hell is their problem?' He thought as he blocked a roundhouse punch that came in from his left.
The one who had fallen first came to his feet, and screaming a random obscenity charged back in, only to meet the full force of Jonathan's kick, as he discarded the two he was dealing with and turned to the first. The two he discarded, landed near two others who weren't yet in the fight.
From the back, at the table, Keisuke shook his head. He wasn't about to gent involved, especially when he saw the bartender pick up the phone and call the police. 'Oh man, Tetsuya and the other two are in deep shit because of those damned cocky foreigners who decided to pick a fight with him and the twins!'
He knew the twins would be fine – in fact, they seemed to be enjoying it, almost too much; especially Jonathan, who Keisuke never thought to be one to sink to the level of the crowd and submerse himself in the mindlessness of the ensuing violence.
Keisuke didn't move as a group of police officers charged in and went straight for the group, whom they immediately charged with disturbing the peace.
As the English boys were arrested and before an officer placed handcuffs on Shannon's wrists, while arresting his twin, he smirked evilly. He cleared his throat. "Sorry officers, but there seems to be some kind of mistake... You've arrested Agent Jonathan Anderson of the CIA. He was working with me to subdue these rowdy English lads who came in looking for a fight because of their little Protestant friend who has an unsettled score with me."
He flashed his badge. "Agent Shannon O'Kelly, British Interpol."
The arresting officer immediately unlocked the cuffs on Jonathan's wrist, giving the younger twin the liberty of movement so he could present his badge. He flashed it, "yes, we were just dealing with these rowdy English boys."
"And this one here?" an officer asked, holding a handcuffed Tetsuya in front of him.
"Let him go. He was a bystander in this who the Cambridge group provoked." Shannon replied coolly. He didn't like Tetsuya, but he hated the English more. He wanted to see the arrogant indignant looks upon their smug faces as the handcuffs were removed from the guy's wrists.
After the last of the ten English tourist were escorted out, one off the senior officers turned to Shannon and Jonathan. "Our English speaking officers don't have night shifts. We need a pair of translators."
Shannon shook his head. "I can't on principle. They attacked us because Agent Anderson and I are Catholic. So, it would be against our moral and ethical beliefs on a personal level. Further, we are off duty right now, and we don't have a need to help racists."
The other senior officer present blinked and leaned in and whispered something to his colleague.
The one who had been addressing Shannon tilted his head and nodded. He then requested, "Agent O'Kelly, would you and Agent Anderson might joining us at the local precinct. We would like to ask you two questions about something strange that happened here two years ago."
'Oh shit!'
'What the hell do you mean by 'oh shit', Shannon?' Jonathan snapped, picking up on his twin's line of thought.
'I mean – 'oh shit' is what I mean.' Shannon retorted, and sighed. 'I think I know what they want. I'll be going alone. This has nothing to do with you, and ironically, the me that was here isn't this mean…'
'You mean… How the hell did you get to come here then? Didn't it cause some disturbance in the balance of time and space? And if it was two years ago why did we all get our memories earlier?' Jonathan wondered, a frown of concern caressing his features.
'My only guess is preordained destiny. Now, go home and don't tell Yui about this.'
'Shannon, I'm not letting you go alone!'
Shannon shook his head and turned back to the officers. "Actually, I think you just want to talk to me, my brother wasn't here at that time. He was in America."
'But…Shannon! It wasn't you…you! That was here two years ago…'
Shannon smiled at his brother. "Actually, yes, I was here before they found the book. I looking for the book and finding it blank.'
'Blank? What do you mean blank?' Jonathan asked. He gazed at his twin quizzically, as his brother turned his back to him.
"In that case, Agent, we have no choice but to arrest you…"
"Wait, Mikage… We can't just arrest him. We have no warrant, and it seems that he not only looks like that kid, but he also has a twin, which means it is entirely possibly that it was a third guy we're dealing with!'
The elder officer objected with a shake of his head. "But he volunteered to come down."
Sighing sharply, Shannon snapped his fingered, summoning the Ryuuseisui. "Is this perhaps the weapon that you seek? Oh, and yes, there are only two of us, me and my brother, and yes, I was here two years ago; twice in two different forms. My first incarnation and now this form… Shall I refresh your memory or…"
He laughed softly, though quite evilly. "But, it seems asinine to arrest a dead guy, doesn't it? The courts won't buy it will they…especially if there was no warrant in the first place and evidence shows that there was nothing gathered from the crime scene, except for a touch of DNA and finger prints on the bow that remained."
Tetsuya glowered angrily. Shannon was such a manipulative bastard!
He decided to speak out. "You should arrest him! I was there; I was a witness to his attack on Sukanami Taka, Yuuki Miaka and your officers."
In a silkily angry tone, Shannon retorted, "Yes, you were, but you were cowering in fear, and you know, Kajiwara, it's not kind to bite the hand that does you a favour. I could very well get you arrested and sent to a nice overnight cell with those English boys…but I didn't. Now, stop being a pain in the ass and get the hell out of here! And Yui is mine!"
Tetsuya stepped back. He hated it when he was challenged like this. Shannon knew all too well how to get under his skin. He glared hatefully at him, only to have Shannon titter mockingly at him and pat him on the cheek before walking by him icily, Jonathan trailing loyally behind him.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Tetsuya spat angrily after a moment of silence.
Officer Mikage shook his head. "I know that expression too well. The last time I saw that look was when we made the arrest on that illegal religious cult. I knew there was something strange about that Agent…"
Going to protest again, Tetsuya found a hand over his mouth.
"Ah, sorry officers! My friend here has had too many drinks and one too many fights for the night. We'll be leaving you now." Keisuke remarked sweetly. "Come Tetsuya…"
Pulling Tetsuya out, Keisuke tried to prevent any more unnecessary publicity that might land them in the overnight custody cell. That's where all the unruly citizens were kept. He had nightmares about that place when he was a kid, and didn't want to spend any time there.
Further up the street and disappointed that their drink had been so rudely interrupted, the twins stood against the wall of a shop closed for the night, staring at each other, piss bored out of their minds.
Poking his brother, Jonathan whined, "What are we going to do now? I'm bored! And I'm not going into another pub tonight! God…I'm so fucking drunk!" He slumped against his brother, giggling madly, while Shannon sighed, refraining from telling his twin: "told you so".
His eyes lit up mischievously. "There's a cab there…we could go home…"
"And put you in the cold shower." Shannon replied flatly. "I'm not going to tonight; you're wasted and it'd be too easy for me to take severe advantage of you. Besides, you suck at sex when you're drunk. You giggle too much."
"No I don't…." Jonathan whined, draping himself over his twin, purring suggestively as his hand slipped down his twin's back.
"Not in public!"
"Then let's get a room!"
A low growl emitted from Shannon. "That's not the point! You're not getting any tonight! And no, don't even so sniffing around Yui – she's mine and I'm not sharing her out like a bike!"
"Perish the thought, brother. I was thinking I'd rather mess with you. I've been deprived lately, and you don't seem to be into commitment these days, so, it doesn't make a difference, does it? I'm screwed either way; so if I gotta be screwed, I want it to be a good one and not one of those mental ones." Jonathan whined, pressing himself quite suggestively against his twin, as he leaned on his brother, trying to stop himself from falling flat on his face because he was so piss drunk.
"The answer is still no!" Shannon retorted. He hated it when his brother was horny! It always meant Jonathan got his way! Well, not this time.
"But…you know you want to…"
"That isn't the point!"
He stepped away hastily, causing Jonathan to fall forward suddenly.
Luckily, Jonathan caught his balance, but not for long. He didn't fall forward; instead he fell back, landing very unceremoniously on his ass.
Rubbing his bruised back side, he stared up at his brother and wailed (his indignation shining through), "you're being such an ass! You're trying to kill me! You're so mean to me!"
"No. I just hate it when you get horny because then you're all touchy-feely!"
"So? I enjoy touching and feeling you…" he purred, forgetting momentarily about his ass.
"I said – no fucking way! How many ways to I have to tell you, not tonight!" Shannon growled, helping his pathetically incorrigible twin to his feet.
"We could twist those words around and…"
"And nothing! We're either getting you a girlfriend or porn. I'm so tired of you always being a horny bastard! You never want to when I want to, so why should I when you want to?"
"Because then your body will learn to be in sync with mine!"
"Get over yourself already, Jonathan!"
Shannon shoved his brother into the taxi that they had waved over, and then climbed in himself. Promptly giving the driver curt and simple instructions, he turned back and pushed Jonathan off him, and hissed, "Not here! Geez, you have absolutely no shame or discretion!"
"But…when we get home…" Jonathan whined, pouting.
Rolling his eyes, Shannon sighed. He hated it when his brother did this! 'He knows that I want to as much as he does! But, I can't encourage him when he's drunk. He always wants to be on top when he is, and there is no way that I'm letting it happen; only when hell freezes over will he ever get to be on top. I will not ever let him, come hell or high water!'
Jonathan was decently behaved (aside from being noisy and giddy), until they managed to get out of the taxi and into the studio flat that was shared.
Wasting no time, Jonathan cornered his brother, pressing him against the wall next to the entrance after they had closed the door behind them, kissing him deeply and passionately. Yes, he was drunk as hell, but that didn't make this any less meaningful.
"This sucks…I hate clothing. Let's pretend this is a nudist colony…" Jonathan purred against his brother's lips, his hands moving down Shannon's back greedily.
Shuddering a growl, Shannon nibbled on his brother's bottom lip. "Then stop talking about it, and let me move the hell out of the hall way. I can do a better job when I can attach you to something so you can't move."
Pushing his brother to the floor, Jonathan straddled him confidently. "You're always on top, and I'm sick of it! I'm riding this time, and you can't do anything about it!"
"Sure I can!" Shannon bucked, and successfully threw his twin off.
He stood up and winked. "If you want any; I'm on top, and you're the one who's screwed. Period."
Groaning, Jonathan pouted, sulking. "That is not fair! I want to ride!" He gazed up, giving his twin plaintive, simpering eyes.
He then got up and stumbled after his twin. 'Damn…why did he let me drink so much? Oh, I'm going to have such a fucking hangover tomorrow…but, at least the rest of the night will be productive…' he chuckled evilly.
Laying flat on his back, Shannon stared up at the dark ceiling. It felt good to lie on his back, even though he knew it wouldn't last long. His brother was in a relentless mood.
He was pounced within seconds of his thoughts transverse his psyche.
"So…you can't get away from me that easily! I don't want to play your mind games. Instead, we're playing my physical games, and you're the one being tied up, brother dear and there is nothing you can do about it…" Jonathan purred, holding his twin's hands down by bracing against his twin's wrists.
Shaking his head, Shannon winked at Jonathan quite suggestively.
"Little brother, you are sorely mistaken. You can't be getting your way…" he hissed.
Ignoring his brother, Jonathan nibbled on his brother's neck. "But, it's more fun for both of us when I can get my way, since it makes everything all the better…" He ran his hands down the straight firm lines of his twin's form. "The exploration is also…"
"It only works when you don't do anything on top…" Shannon sighed softly. He knew his twin was good at breaking down his resistance. He tilted his head back.
Giggling, Jonathan made himself at home, and quickly divested his twin of the offending shirt and pants (after taking care of his). He purred. "This is good… See, it's not so bad. You always screw me over…now you're on the business end of the cock…"
"You're a hentai…" Shannon whispered. He wanted top push his twin off and straddle him. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't like being on the bottom (unless he wasn't actually on the receiving end).
Nibbling, Jonathan nuzzled against his twin's neck. "What's the matter…you normally have thrown me off by now…and I'm getting screwed over…"
"I could…but…" Shannon whispered, dropping his head to the side. He never let his twin have his way; it was delightfully refreshing to not try and dominate the situation.
Appreciating the chance not to get stuck being tied down to serve his twin's bondage fetish, Jonathan then smirked. He reached over to the night table and pulled out a pair of handcuffs and fastened them around his twin's wrist.
Whispering he suggestively remarked, "It's nothing like the Ryuuseisui…but it does do the job quite well…"
Pulling on them, Shannon snorted. He didn't much care for them, but, it did seem to satisfy his love of bondage. He smirked to himself. 'So, this is what it's like on the other end…not bad. Though…I can't trust him to do this well when piss drunk.'
'Hmn, so he's not fighting me. This is a refreshing change. I like being on top. In fact, I could get used to this…' Jonathan thought, as he wordlessly made himself at home, after ridding his twin of the offending boxer shorts that sat between him and his mission objective.
He wasn't as experienced as his twin when it came to top behaviour, but if he had learned anything – which he had certainly had – it wasn't too difficult a task. Of course, Jonathan was assuming that his twin was responsive in the same erogenous zones.
In assuming, he made one mistake – his twin, despite being receptive to some of this, wasn't entirely receptive in the same way as Jonathan.
It was only a split second.
In Jonathan's mind, nothing was amiss. His twin wasn't squawking, which was a good sign; it meant he was doing something right.
But, his interpretation proved to be wrong. He didn't have a chance to register. Their lips had first met in a deep fiercely passionate kiss before Jonathan pulled away, and went to make the final move and push into his twin.
Penetrating, he nuzzled against his twin's neck, whispering something that didn't seem to make any sense in his more than slightly-drunken haze.
Unfortunately, something was triggered deep in the darkest regions of the forgotten, or wish-to-be forgotten memories that lay strewn about subterranean in the nether regions of Shannon's disturbed memory sector.
Panic sprung to life, sending electric pulses of alarm lancing his body.
His twin was immediately thrown across the room via telekinesis, and slammed with a resounding dull though sharp thud into the wall. He then crumpled to the floor.
Lying on his back, Shannon stared straight up at the ceiling through the dim room, his breathing rapid; fear and hate dancing in his eyes. Time didn't seem to move as he stared up, his chi flickering, filling with negative energy.
He flinched, and turned over onto his side, groaning. 'Fuck!' It hurt like hell. Time was no doctor! Pain knew no remorse, nor did it know when to give up.
Doing the only thing he could think of, he rolled off the bed and reached over for his jacket and pulled out his pen knife and drew it aggressively across his wrist. That evened out the anguish that cursed him.
Dropping it, he stood up, and seconds later, behind the locked door in the sanctuary of the cold embrace of the icy water that trickled down onto him, stood underneath the sheeting water. He didn't know what else to do. Self-induced mutilation and pain took away from that inflicted unto him by others.
Masochism was his solution to pain. He learned early on in life that no one will listen to you and even if they do, they either won't give a fuck or won't believe a single anguish filled word that poured from your mouth as you desperately tried to get help from someone you trusted and loved. No one cared and there was no one who would listen.
'Blood…blood…' he lift his wrist to his line of view. 'Cold water cleanses the impurities that pulse through my veins. The blood that pumps through my veins is cursed… the cursed blood that gives me life came from the one asshole who wanted to take it from me; take it from my brother. It's shared with those who have no compassion for life…'
He turned his face into the rush of cold water. 'They must die…they all must die… It is their fate. To be killed by me, or to suffer my wrath. Their blood will pay for their sins. Their blood will pool on the ground, cleansing them of all sin. Never again shall any of them breathe, or see the light of day. The only light they will see is that of hell when they are welcomed into the fiery embrace of Lucifer!'
Bloodlust – the taste lingered in his mouth like some sweet aftertaste. It polluted his mind, and as he looked up, the walls seemed to be dripping with blood. Where the drops of water once splattered and streaked from, crimson blood now graced.
He gazed at his hands. They too were covered in blood. 'Yes…it is their blood I will soon have on my hands, but, that blood will be the key to my freedom. No one ever listened to me…and now they will all pay.'
His eyes, dancing with untamed hatred caressed the wall. 'The walls weep blood for those who will soon bleed like the stuff pigs they are! They will not know what hit them!'
Laughing softly, though evilly to himself, he stepped out of the icy rush of water, he turned to the mirror, and glared at it hatefully. It reflected back at him the image of self-loathing.
Growling, he drove his fist straight into it, shattering the glass.
The shards fell to the floor, exploding into millions of tiny pieces as it rained around his fist, from which he bled.
He pulled his fist back and picked out the pieces of glass that were stuck, and dropped them to the floor, completely ignoring the pain. The pain was refreshing from that of his memories were alive and well proving that he was still trapped in the past no matter how much he believed he had escaped from it. He was still trapped.
He hated speaking of it; he believed that it would show he was still there, but, in reality, the suppression of it made it all the worse and it came out in the form of self-mutilation, which was more of a sport now.
His tongue lashed out, licking his index finger.
He smirked. 'Blood…it shall taste all the more sweeter when it is theirs…'