Crimson Love

The water sparkled like diamonds in the sun as Mystel watched the river flow with most grace and beauty. He had never seen anything sparkle like that. It was pure beauty. Was he wrong to say this? No, he didn't think so. Even then, was it wrong for him to have allowed himself to fall to the wonders of the ocean?

You're an ass, Mystel thought to himself.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" came a voice. Mystel looked up the hill to see Brooklyn standing there, his red hair billowing slightly in the wind. Mystel smiled, his mask illuminating the sunlight into Brooklyn's blue eyes. Brooklyn shielded them by using his arm up. "That mask is going to make me go blind before I'm even twenty."

Mystel smirked, and turned his eyes back to the river. He heard Brooklyn approach him, and then Mystel took off his mask.

"You two make an interesting couple," he said. He sat next to Mystel and leaned back, looking up into the sky. "Two completely different people that end up making a perfect couple. I don't see how that's possible."

"Tell me what you're talking about, and I'll agree," Mystel spoke.

"You and FD. She's all dark, while you're all light. But then again, her bitbeast is of light and heat, while yours is of water and strength," Brooklyn said.

"So, are you saying we're not meant for each other?" Mystel asked.

"Oh, no, the complete opposite of that. I believe you guys make a perfect pairing. However, the most perfect of couples don't exactly last long. Like about a year, but that's it," Brooklyn said.

"What do you mean?" Mystel asked.

"Temptations, difficulties, frustrations, mourning, pain of all sorts. Temptation is the most common," Brooklyn said. "And almost everyone is victimized by it."

"So, if I am right, what you're saying is that me and FD might not last long, because we are so different that there's most likely to be temptations for others?" Mystel asked.

"You're definitely smarter than you look," Brooklyn said.

"Thanks…I think. But why are you telling me this? Are you interested in FD?" Mystel asked.

"I admit, she's beautiful. But I'm talking about Hitoshi. You know, they were best friends for quite awhile. And now that Hitoshi has seen her, I thinking he's falling over her like how she used to," Brooklyn explained.

"How do you know these things?" Mystel said.

"I have my sources," Brooklyn boasted. Mystel frowned at that, but then his happy-go-lucky smile crossed his face as he looked at the water. Brooklyn was right. He and FD were two completely different people. Yet, they made the most perfect couple. How quaint.

"You heading back any time soon?" Brooklyn asked. Mystel shook his head.

"I'm going to hang around here for a bit. Then I'll go say hi to FD, and then try some training before going back. I don't want to be stuffed up inside all day," Mystel complained. Brooklyn smirked, and then stood up.

"Just be careful, Mystel. Those woods surrounding the hot springs have some very interesting animals in it," Brooklyn spoke.

"Have you been stalking?" Mystel asked. Brooklyn's smile was smug.

"Maybe," he teased.


Though Brooklyn had teased Mystel, he was right. When Mystel returned to those woods, he had this weird feeling that someone was watching him. He entered it, and then a slight growl came from the thick bushes. He shivered. He approached the mansion, and found her father looking out at the woods, a serious look in his eyes. Mystel approached closer to the porch where he was, a smile on his face.

"Hello, sir, is FD home?" he asked. But immediately, Mystel was blinded by a vision of gray and white. Something heavy had pounced on him, sending him onto his back, sharp claws digging into his chest, drool dripping from amazingly sharp and bared teeth, a horrible growling sound escaping the throat of the beast. Mystel's mask had fallen away, and his azure blue were staring fearfully into a pair of animal silver.

"Fang, down, boy!" yelled Mr. Micamura, pulling the beast off Mystel, who was breathing in a terrified way. He had come so close to death. He took a better look at the beast and saw it was a silver and white wolf. Fully grown, too. Mystel coughed, breathing in, because he had lost his breath.

"Um, not to be rude, but isn't having a wolf for a pet a bit…dangerous?" Mystel asked.

"Oh, no. Fang is perfectly harmless, to my family, anyway. His kind have been exterminated from Japan, so when they built this mansion about thirty years ago, they trapped his pack beneath it, so, about five years ago, Rika was under the mansion and found them, healthy, but trapped. So, she let them all out. Fang's pack lives in the woods now thanks to Rika's rumor, unharmed, but Fang always lives nearby, protecting us. Makes a good watch dog," he spoke, rubbing the wolf's head.

Mystel looked around and saw FD coming out of the trees, accompanied by at least five wolves, some were cubs, others fully grown.

"Dad, look who I found," she said, gesturing to the wolves who approached Fang. Apparently, he was the alpha male because they began licking his chops for him, their tales between their legs. Mystel watched also as Fang approached another wolf, fully white and was lying on the ground. This wolf was beautiful, its eyes blue. It reminded of Mystel of someone.

"Oh, Mystel, hey, what's up?" FD asked, approaching him. "Did Dad tell you about our pet wolves?"

"Yeah, he just did. But, now I'm scared," Mystel confessed.

"Don't be. Fang and Alana can sense if someone is nice or bad. They'll get used to you. Trust me," FD assured. "Oh, Dad, Alana's going to have cubs again."

"I know, I can tell," her father spoke, watching the white wolf stand up and approach Mystel. He looked at FD for advice, but she just smiled at him.

"Hold your hand out," she said, allowing her hand to drift a few inches in front of her. Mystel mimicked her, and the white wolf, accompanied by Fang, first sniffed FD's hand and licked it once. Then Fang did the same thing. But then the white wolf was sniffing Mystel's hand. Trembling all over, he gulped, not wanting them to bite him. "Don't be afraid. They can sense it."

Mystel first looked at FD, and then felt the wet saliva on his hands as both wolves licked it. He smiled. Then a couple of cubs began running around his feet. One even pounced on him, sending him back to the ground, and began licking his face. He laughed playfully as he was piled with the cubs.

"FD, help me! It's attack of the wolf cubs!" he laughed as they began playing on top of him, playing with his braid, licking his face and hands, and running and tackling on his chest. IT was fun to have these little small creatures play with him. And as he looked up, he saw FD giggling sweetly.

"Okay, you guys, enough," she said, picking up each cub gently and placing him or her on the grass. Mystel stood up and wiped the saliva off his face and fixing his braid.

"Playful little guys," he said.

"They're like that when they like someone. In fact, every time they see me, the parents tackle me," she said with a smile, watching the cubs join the older wolves.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked.

"Nah, not really. You get used to it after five years," she said.

For the next hour, they played with the wolves, talked, and laughed. What surprised Mystel the most was to find out that FD was a total wolf fanatic. He never even thought about that, but it was true. How nice to know that.


The moon was high and the stars were glittering the clear blackness in the sky. A beautiful night. And what made it even more beautiful was skipping through the branches of the trees. That was, if he could. Mystel was stuck inside for the night thanks to Garland, who forbid him going out at night. What was his deal?

But to his surprise, as he sat alone in one of the training rooms, in came Hitoshi along with Brooklyn, who had another smug smile on his face. Hitoshi looked at Mystel, and Mystel smiled at him, but he got no response.

"So, if a cynical angel is killed, it can be born again?" Hitoshi asked Brooklyn, who was approaching a window. Brooklyn nodded.

"It's the same story with an Egyptian legend of Ra and Isis. They die, they are born again. Horus was the same way, but he never died, but considered the reborn son of Osiris," Brooklyn explained. He looked out at the window, and smiled. "The moon's gorgeous tonight."

"Wasn't there a god that the Egyptians believed in that was like a wolf?" Hitoshi asked.

"That would be Anubis, and he wasn't a wolf at all. He had the head of a jackal," Mystel spoke out of nowhere. Hitoshi looked at him, at first confused, then a smile. Mystel then noticed Brooklyn had disappeared all of a sudden. Just as he thought of where he was, he felt a painful tug on his braid and he yelped out of pain, turned around, and swung an arm out to throw Brooklyn off. The red head fell hard to the ground, letting out a small yelp before getting back up, rubbing his arm.

"You know, you should really get that cut," he teased, tugging playfully at it, but only to get hit once again, but this time in the gut. Brooklyn keeled over, gasping and laughing at the same time.

"You're an ass, Brooklyn," Mystel spat, rubbing the back of his head where it was in pain.

"I know I am," Brooklyn said with a smug smile. Mystel rolled his eyes at the response. A faint memory came to his mind of when he introduced Brooklyn to FD. Was he interested in her? Or was there more to it?

"You know, it's not me you should be worrying about," Brooklyn spoke suddenly. "It's Hitoshi. And Max."

"What does Max have to do with any of this!" Mystel asked, confused.

"He and FD were childhood friends," Brooklyn said with a pleased smile. Mystel now felt as if he was slapped across the face. This was a big hell of a surprise.