Title: One Moment in Time
Author: Novalight
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Genre: Angst
Rating: T
Summary: In just one moment in time, they had vanished from his life.
Pairings: Slight Hao x Lyserg
Warnings: Language, shonen-ai, slight OOC.
A/N: If you do not approve of any of the circumstances mentioned above then go back. Otherwise, enjoy reading! And constructive criticism and non-flame reviews will be greatly appreciated.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
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Coldness.
The feeling of coldness.
Freezing.
Numbing.
Burning.
Like ice.
Like fire.
Fire as cold as ice.
Breath of ice.
Veins of fire.
Raging fire.
Whipping ice.
Shards of ice that cut through the fragile skin.
Flames of fire that burn through the strenuous heart.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
Burning.
Numb fire.
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'They're gone.'
In just one moment in time, they had vanished from his life.
'They're all gone.'
The one moment that he had stumbled, they had left him.
'…Why?'
They had been searching the area for clues to the demon's whereabouts only hours ago. One of them had suddenly caught the scent of smoke and set off. Abruptly after, the others had followed, leaving the newest member of the X-laws to trail after their footsteps frantically. After scrambling after them for a few blocks, he decided to stop for just a few seconds to catch his breath. Only then did he start to notice his surroundings. There were houses- many houses that lay in ruins- scattered across the streets with wisps of old, charred wood clinging onto the remains, stirring up memories. He felt bile rise in his mouth every time he came to mind.
That was when he had lost them. Standing there, taking in the scenes of his childhood.
He smashed his fists into the pavement, wincing a bit as shocks of pain spread up his arms.
'Why?'
Why did he not just keep on following them, instead of stopping?
Why did they not come back for him?
Why did he forget which direction he had come?
'Why the hell did they leave me?'
He scraped his fingers harshly across the cold, stained ground.
'Why?'
Bitterness encased his being in a veil of fury.
'They said that they wouldn't leave me!'
He clenched his teeth together, unable to feel the warmth of his frozen lips.
'They left me...'
Out here, in this abandoned town.
'They left me all alone!'
Anger flooded through his veins.
Taking in a deep breath, he tried to calm himself-
This feeling… it was exactly like before…when his parents had been killed-
And screamed.
Silence.
It was like before… when he had lost the people that he had cared about in an instant.
'Why...?'
He felt tears prickle his eyes.
'Why?'
Tears clotted with pain and sorrow.
'...why?'
Pain and sorrow streaming down his face.
'Why did they leave me?'
He sat there in the barren alley, feeling not the pain of the cold, biting wind, nor the rough, jabbing wall that he leaned heavily against.
'I don't want to be alone...'
He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, making himself smaller.
'Maybe they left because they couldn't stand me…?'
He stared sadly at his clasped hands through a watery veil of tears.
'Maybe they left because they had to hurry and catch up to that demon. Or maybe, they came back, but didn't see me. Or maybe, they are searching desperately for me right now.'
A tiny smile forced its way onto his face.
'Maybe… they miss me.'
"Pathetic."
His head snapped up at the sound.
There stood a figure, clothed in a robe of darkness, with long black hair streaked in auburn that illuminated in the faint, yet steady glow of the streetlight, and a face with shadows, yet two infinite eyes filled with a calm tinge of superiority.
Even with the low lighting and the tears that filled his eyes, he could still tell who stood before him. He would never forget that face.
Hao.
Great.
Perfect timing.
He quickly wiped away his tears, feeling slightly embarrassed that that demon had caught him crying and in such a miserable state.
"What the hell do you want?" The boy yelled, suppressing the harsh, raw pain that welled up in his dry throat.
An amused chuckle answered him, causing his anger to flare up.
"What so funny?"
"My, my, Lyserg. Don't be so mean. I only wanted to say hello to you."
"Bastard! Like hell you only wanted to say hello!"
He eyed the demon in caution, trying to catch any sudden movements that Hao would make.
"What do you want anyways? Is it the pleasure of seeing me like this?"
The other boy shook his head slightly, and grinned.
"Now, why would I enjoy watching such a pitiful creature as you like this? It only makes you look more pathetic then you already are."
Lyserg growled.
"Besides, I have better things to do with my time then watch some pathetic weakling make a fool of themselves."
"Shut up!"
Green eyes narrowed in pure anger, and the boy leaped up from his slouched position against the wall and swept his fist through the stale air, intending to stop the other boy from voicing out another sound.
Black eyes narrowed in amusement, and the boy moved slightly to the left, dodging the fist. Then, grabbing the offending wrist, he pulled the younger boy nearer and rammed his knee harshly in his stomach.
At the sudden flare of pain, the green-haired boy hunched over in pain and slipped backwards, landing roughly against the brick wall. Clutching his throbbing stomach with his hands, he hissed out,
"Bastard."
The demon merely laughed at his remark.
"You really are pathetic."
Grabbing a handful of green hair, the older boy yanked his head up roughly, forcing him to snap his gaze away from the ground.
Lyserg stared defiantly up into the other's eyes, glowering at the other's apparent smugness.
The other's eyes glittered in amusement and a smirk wound its way onto the demon's face.
"You know what you remind me of right now? A tiny insect- helpless, yet determined to not die even though they've already passed their limits. Hm… or maybe a pathetic child. Yes. A pathetic child that walks an empty life, only to avenge the deaths of traitors."
Traitors.
His blood turned cold.
The demon appeared nonchalant to the boy's horrified expression and continued on.
"But you know… I think that even though you are an insignificant human being, you are quite persistent. A pest, more like it. Some nagging bug that keeps on pestering me."
The demon yanked on the boy's hair harder, causing said boy to wince.
"No one's coming back to find you. Don't you find that a bit odd?"
The boy suddenly felt all the warmth from his body drain away leaving a shell of skin to fend for itself against the cold air that whipped through the narrow alley; leaving a broken storm to lie amidst the looming walls that seemed to rise infinitely upwards, enclosing those inside; leaving a small child to gaze frighteningly into his parents' murderer's eyes, feeling any hope of being saved slip away from him.
"S-stop it." he stuttered.
"Hm? Stop what?" the demon replied amusedly.
It was too much, too much to take. Tears rose up to his eyes, coating the once bright green with a dull grey. He closed his eyelids slowly, feeling each tear that leaked out roll down his face. It wasn't tears of anger, or pain, or sadness. It was tears of loneliness. Tears that you shed only when you feel as though there is no one left to save you. Not a heart-wracking sobs either, but merely an embracing silence.
His hands reached out shakily for anything to cling onto. Anything at all that could stop them from shaking so badly. Eventually, he felt a soft, almost welcoming cloth brush his fingertips, and he grabbed onto it immediately.
The boy leaned his head forward and rested it against the surface that was hidden underneath the blanket of security that he had clutched onto, not noticing that hands no longer restricted his hair.
He didn't care if he was making a fool of himself right now. All that mattered was that there was something to hold onto.
But, as his tears dripped steadily down his face, he felt a slight twinge in his mind, as though there was something that was still missing.
After more moments of silence, warmth suddenly enveloped him in a loose hug.
Feeling the sudden warmth that drove away the biting cold, his tense body relaxed under the comfort.
Content, a small smile flickered across his face.
The boy stayed like that for a while, leaning into an embrace that he hadn't felt for such a long time.
He didn't want to have such attention from the demon, but right now, he didn't care. As long as there was somebody there, it was okay.
The sky wasn't dark and dreary, and no rain came pouring down.
People didn't arrive at the last moment to save him, and his hatred for Hao didn't diminish.
But one thing was for sure- In just one moment in time, he was truly happy.
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The End.