Disclaimer- hey, hey, hey, guess what? ...none of the characters are mine! the plot kinda is tho...
CHAPTER FOUR- THE CRIMINAL
"Mimiru! Mimiru! We're over here, Mimiru!"
The dark-skinned girl turned her head at the sound of the familiar voice calling her. Subaru, Sukasa, and Ginkhan all sat in a semicircle, Subaru waving her head and nodding in her direction. Ginkhan fiddled with the emrald in his pocket uncomfortably.
"Ah! Sukasa, it's been a long time!" Mimiru squealed happily, clapping her hands once in a greeting. She moved to stand beside him and frowned. "Aree you ignoring me?"
Ginkhan shook his head in an almost regretful movement while Subaru winced and looked over at the still-muttering Wave Master. "Lady Subaru has discovered that Sukasa seems to have-"
"Do not say that, Ginkhan!" Subaru said quietly, interrupting the Knight. "To do so makes it almost seem true." She turned to Mimiru who was staring at Sukasa in confusion. "He has merely lost himself. He will soon return." With this statement, she nodded to herself as if she was trying to convince herself of the truth of her own words.
Mimiru's frown deepened. "Subaru, something is wrong with him. I think-" but she never got to voice what she thought- Ginkhan's forbidding stare silenced her. There was something very, very wrong about this entire picture.
Suddenly Sukasa's mutterings stopped and he seemed to come back to himself, his eyes darting alertly between the faces looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"...what are you all looking at?"
Subaru threw her arms around his neck in a relieved embrace while Mimiru and Ginkhan both stared. Sukasa, thoroughly confused at this point, pushed her away warily. He was not in his familiar sanctuary and he had no memory of leaving. His eyes narrowed and he stared at each of them angrily. "You took me from my own home?"
Mimiru shrugged helplessly and Subaru averted her gaze, embarassed. Ginkhan spoke for them. "Lady Subaru wanted it, though it was against my... reccomendations." He paused and thought again of the scene that he had found the two of them in. "...the Cathedral of Twilight is in no shape to work as a place to live, even for you."
Sukasa was on his feet in an instant, along with Ginkhan. "What did you do?!" he demanded of the Knight. "What right do you have to-"
His anger was cut short when Ginkhan pointedly slapped him across the face. The force of the blow sent his slight form stumbling backwards into the wall. Ginkhan winced then when he remembered what Subaru had taught him. Sukasa was not like other players in the world. He felt pain. Ginkhan wondered truely how strong he was when a trickle of blood slid down the side of Sukasa's pale face.
Sukasa stood leaning against the wall with a stunned look on his face for a minute or two. Then his chin lowered and he looked at the floor. "...I...I see," he said quietly. "A criminal again!" He looked back up at Ginkhan with hurt plain on his features. "I had thought that we had finished with that," he said simply. "I suppose I was wrong." And with that, he dissapeared.
CHAPTER FOUR- THE CRIMINAL
"Mimiru! Mimiru! We're over here, Mimiru!"
The dark-skinned girl turned her head at the sound of the familiar voice calling her. Subaru, Sukasa, and Ginkhan all sat in a semicircle, Subaru waving her head and nodding in her direction. Ginkhan fiddled with the emrald in his pocket uncomfortably.
"Ah! Sukasa, it's been a long time!" Mimiru squealed happily, clapping her hands once in a greeting. She moved to stand beside him and frowned. "Aree you ignoring me?"
Ginkhan shook his head in an almost regretful movement while Subaru winced and looked over at the still-muttering Wave Master. "Lady Subaru has discovered that Sukasa seems to have-"
"Do not say that, Ginkhan!" Subaru said quietly, interrupting the Knight. "To do so makes it almost seem true." She turned to Mimiru who was staring at Sukasa in confusion. "He has merely lost himself. He will soon return." With this statement, she nodded to herself as if she was trying to convince herself of the truth of her own words.
Mimiru's frown deepened. "Subaru, something is wrong with him. I think-" but she never got to voice what she thought- Ginkhan's forbidding stare silenced her. There was something very, very wrong about this entire picture.
Suddenly Sukasa's mutterings stopped and he seemed to come back to himself, his eyes darting alertly between the faces looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"...what are you all looking at?"
Subaru threw her arms around his neck in a relieved embrace while Mimiru and Ginkhan both stared. Sukasa, thoroughly confused at this point, pushed her away warily. He was not in his familiar sanctuary and he had no memory of leaving. His eyes narrowed and he stared at each of them angrily. "You took me from my own home?"
Mimiru shrugged helplessly and Subaru averted her gaze, embarassed. Ginkhan spoke for them. "Lady Subaru wanted it, though it was against my... reccomendations." He paused and thought again of the scene that he had found the two of them in. "...the Cathedral of Twilight is in no shape to work as a place to live, even for you."
Sukasa was on his feet in an instant, along with Ginkhan. "What did you do?!" he demanded of the Knight. "What right do you have to-"
His anger was cut short when Ginkhan pointedly slapped him across the face. The force of the blow sent his slight form stumbling backwards into the wall. Ginkhan winced then when he remembered what Subaru had taught him. Sukasa was not like other players in the world. He felt pain. Ginkhan wondered truely how strong he was when a trickle of blood slid down the side of Sukasa's pale face.
Sukasa stood leaning against the wall with a stunned look on his face for a minute or two. Then his chin lowered and he looked at the floor. "...I...I see," he said quietly. "A criminal again!" He looked back up at Ginkhan with hurt plain on his features. "I had thought that we had finished with that," he said simply. "I suppose I was wrong." And with that, he dissapeared.