Unholy Trinity

. o .

ii. Itsuki

. o .

Absently tracing the petals of a beautiful violet blossom, Itsuki looked out at the horizon. He had always appreciated the quiet beauty to the seaside; thought that there was something magical about the blend of sea and sky. There was something inexplicably fascinating about how the two elements touched without touching in this world where everything was compartmentalized to the tiniest degree.

Thoughts of Haruka swept to his mind unbidden; thoughts of her had been more prominent as of late, ever since she had brought a young stranger upon these shores, effectively deconstructing Itsuki's insular lifestyle. A stranger that was no stranger to either Haruka or himself, though it seemed that Ayato hadn't put all the pieces together yet. In any case, there was a reason that Haruka was keeping her identity a secret from the younger man, but Itsuki was in no position to ask why. He had learned at a very early age the immeasurable price and advantage of silence.

Slipping off his shoes and letting the sand run through his toes as he stood and started to pace along the length of the beach, he wondered bitterly why silence was all that he was holding, these days…

Remembering the last dance that they had shared, an awkward, beautiful waltz at his Christmas party the previous year, he smiled absently. She had danced a lively swing this year with Ayato, swinging skirts and shining hair and this time she'd been the awkward one as his brother – his brother! – smiled down at the woman that he loved with youthful certainty and affection.

Cursing softly at the direction of his thoughts, Itsuki cast his gaze once more to the horizon. Storm clouds were gathering; it would be time to head back soon.

Yet he lingered, eyes seeking something he couldn't quite name.

Itsuki had read as a child that the sea had the power to steal and soothe one's painful memories. It was one of the few beliefs he chose to hold on to in the wake of his disappointed boyhood and those frantic, fateful days that led to the creation of Tokyo Jupiter and the carefully cloistered years which followed.

Convenient, then, that Nirai Kanai was an island.

. o .

fin the second.

. o .