Chapter 32
- What's his problem?! - Anna muttered, glaring at Claire who was giggling along with Laito as he was telling everyone Ayato's bloops during their city tour, while Yui was blushing and holding back a laugh from time to time and Kanato giggling sadistically.
- Sister complex - Morten hissed as he was already preparing dinner; Theo entered the kitchen and heard his words.
- Oooh, are you talking about Markucchi? Poor boy, he's still sobbing because Shuu-san stole his Aneki - he sighed with a smile amused and at the same time sorry.
The blonde raised her eyes to the sky, letting out an annoyed grunt.
- I thought I heard a sow - Yuuma grinned leaning against the wall enclosing the kitchen, his eyes focused on the very witch who blushed and instantly approached him to protest.
Theo and Morten watched them arguing.
- Since when do they get along? - the second asked looking at the friend with a puzzled and horrified expression.
- "The course of true love never did run smooth~" - the other hummed, munching a piece of bread and heading into the living room to join the others.
The smiling wizard examined the group, at first silently: Azusa and Finn were quietly sitting next to each other, watching the others; Reiji and Lily were murmuring to each other negative comments about those who were too flashy; Martha was laughing loudly at Laito's jokes, before giving Theo a sweet smile as he reached her on the couch, sitting next to her; Subaru was hiding a smile, holding his head down, and Isa was giggling, satisfied (after all, she had managed to stay close to him all day and make him feel at ease: she should have noted this victory in her diary!); Yui was looking at everyone with bright and happy eyes, relieved by the new peaceful atmosphere; Yuuma and Anna joined in while exchanging dirty looks and throwing snide remarks to Kou and Claire who were mocking them; Kanato was whispering something to Teddy, sulking a little, probably because he didn't consider any of them worthy to keep him company.
Ruki stood a little apart in front of the shelves full of books, overwhelmed by thoughts which nobody, except one, knew about; he only approached them as soon as he noticed on his wristwatch that it was time to go: the Mukami brothers had been invited to stay at the Flyer spouses' house for dinner.
- Kou, Yuuma, Azusa. It's time - he simply called them, nodding at the others to bid farewell, ignoring Laito and Kou's confused comments about how strange he seemed that day; Azusa stared at him worriedly and got up to follow him, not after having Finn crush his arms affectionately.
As soon as they left, everyone (but Azusa) stiffened and slowly turned to the door behind them.
- Momo-kun. Fu-...!
- Hey~ Mark-kun, stop popping out so suddenly, we're vampires, but you could give us a heart attack...! - Kou complained, shaking his arms at the half wizard who murmured a feeble apologize, his eyes swollen and red from crying: the four brothers widened their eyes and Azusa asked him if he was okay.
- Aneki... - the dark eyes of the young man watered again, making them stiffen; the blond and the giant immediately tried to console him or distract him by changing the subject, as Ruki observed him, speechless.
I can relate, though, he thought, unaware that the younger brother was staring at him.
They called Yuuma several times from the trance which he had fallen into at seeing the garden of the Flyers' house: large, surrounded by trees including a cherry tree, a hazelnut tree, a pine and a weeping willow; at the bottom there was a greenhouse and in front there were well-organized flowerbeds and all sorts of imaginable vegetables and plants (or so was written on cards anchored in the ground: few seedlings were left and others were to be planted later, since the winter season was approaching). He pondered what wonders could have been in the greenhouse, but his imagination was interrupted in time Mr Flyer's voice, who had exited the house to open the gate.
The man had said to himself that they could have comfortably teleported into their house, and thus avoiding going out; however, the wife wouldn't have appreciated such an attitude at all, and it was better to keep her in a good mood, after all the negative stuff that was happening, that is the bad news exchanged with Karlheinz about the Demon World, but also the positive news, like their daughter's marriage - which he had accepted with heartbreak. His baby daughter...!
Mr Flyer shook that set of thoughts from his head, greeting back the Mukami brothers through the gate; he patted Mark on his head and led the boys to the entrance, inviting them to move forward and asking how the trip had been.
- A bit tiring since we walked... for an hour... - Kou choked with his own words, perceiving Ruki's glare on his head, and fell silent.
- Oh, of course - the man said, crossing his arms, impassive - You can reach this place only by foot, at most by bike or motorbike.
- As Aneki used to... - Mark murmured, heading for a room where a delicious scent came from; the vampires heard him greeting his mother and her sweet voice reciprocating, hinting at something about the rooms.
- Are you very far from the city? - Ruki asked.
- A twenty-minute walk from here – Mr Flyer simply replied - Come, I'll take you to the living room to drink some hot tea.
- I'd love to... - Azusa murmured, smiling, as they followed him into a room with a couch for three people, two armchairs, a wooden table in the middle, a lit fireplace and a rocking chair in front of the window whose shutters had been pulled down.
Kou, sitting between Ruki and Azusa, had looked around, observing how rustic and simple that house was, though rich of elements: some paintings were hung on the walls, vases and books placed on some shelves and dried flowers and herbs hung from the ceiling lintels; the walls were painted with a very light blue fading to white at the top, the upholstery of the couch and armchairs were the colour of sand and the table was white, matching the door and the window frames. What surprised the four of them was the atmosphere: comforting, welcoming, warm, as if it had been their own home.
Yuuma, who sat in one of the armchairs, stared curiously at the plants that had been hung with strings and pins on the ceiling, wondering whether they had the purpose of perfuming the rooms or they were used for food or curative purposes.
Mr Flyer, who had been absent to take the tray with the tea set, returned and poured the aromatic drink in the cups and handed them to each of them, whose nerves relaxed thanks to the teas scent as soon as it reached their nostrils.
- What's this tea...?! - the blond tried it – IT'S DELICIOUS! – he exclaimed loudly and enthusiastic, his taste buds overwhelmed by a sweet taste, albeit slightly sour, and spicy, as Azusa sipped the tea, delighted, and Ruki reproached him to compose himself.
- I'm glad you like it, Kou-kun - the Glass Lady's voice made them jump up and bow their head in a respectful nod towards her, who greeted them back in the same way while smiling and sat down on the rocking chair, fixing the purple shawl covering her along with the ultramarine blue dress - And I'm even more pleased to see you again, all of you.
The vampires sat down, cracking a smile.
- It's simple black tea, I just add some of the herbs grown by my husband - she explained, glancing at the man who had sat on the armchair near her, on the opposite side of Yuuma, who felt a bit uneasy being in front of them.
- Mh? Where is Mark-kun? - Kou asked looking around and sniffing the air, after Ruki had thanked her for the information; the Glass Lady pointed her forefinger upward.
- He has retired to his old room - she said, resting her hand on the other - He will join us for dinner. How are you? How are you doing here, on this island?
The four brothers exchanged a knowing look: in order not to delay the dinner too much, they would have to sum many things up, because they had too much to tell.
- Thanks for your help, Ruki-kun.
- Don't mention it, Glass Lady - the vampire smiled as he dried some of the dishes he had just washed, helping the woman who was storing the dry tableware in the blue painted wooden sideboards - Anything to return your hospitality .
- Oh, don't talk nonsense, dear - the demon gave him an amused look - Or if you really want to thank me, it's enough for me if you accept to stay here for the night.
Ruki had tried to refuse but her severe and intimidating look, emphasized by her usual smile that at that moment looked also rather disturbing, made him desist: about twenty minutes later, he had recalled Kou and Azusa, who had begun to chat brightly with Mark, and Yuuma, who had gone into the greenhouse with Mr Flyer, to see his plants and also to talk about family matters; in particular, it was uncertain whether if the giant was glad or still slightly confused, as he had seen some very old photos of his presumed relatives and Abel in particular, the one who had probably been the only brother surviving the fire which had destroyed the village and his family.
The available rooms (including the twins' one) had two single beds each, and in a short time, albeit with many complaints by Kou, they agreed that Ruki and Yuuma would have slept with the half-wizard, and the other two would have rested in the guest room, with walls painted with ochre yellow and white and brown floral patterns, the same colour as the dried flowers filling the green vases lying on the two oak chest of drawers.
Although it had been established from the beginning that Mark would have slept on a futon, the wizard changed his mind as he realized that one of the two would have slept on his sister's bed; and while reflecting on this very important and vital question, the two brothers were examining the room: Ruki was struck that there were other shelves with books and sheets full of cluttered notes, certainly owned by Mary; the giant, was grinning, amused by the several trinkets abandoned on the furniture, the photos hanging on the walls portraying the twins and that idiotic face, the scribbles on the walls (who knows how much the mother had tell the daughter off...) and some closed mysterious boxes.
Here the essence of those twins was totally evident, represented by the objects.
- Yuuma-kun, sleep on the floor.
- Hah?! – he snapped, giving him a shocked look, more for the sudden change of idea than for the idea of using a futon; he had slept in worse conditions, after all...
- I don't want any of you taking Aneki's bed.
Ruki and Yuuma widened their eyes at Mark's curled lips, sulking like a child.
- Momo-kun, I didn't think you really had a sister complex! Aren't you crazy about one of those blond sisters? – the giant shouted, as the other let out an exasperated sigh and brushed his hair in that so typical and melodramatic gesture; at first the wizard blushed at hearing about Ellen, then mumbled something incomprehensible and his eyes watered again, alarming Yuuma who proceeded to give him a little pat on the shoulder, a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, mentally looking for a few encouraging sentences.
- Come on... it's life, no...? - his eyes then fell on his older brother's figure who had suddenly darkened and was emitting vibes of depression; the giant snorted annoyed.
Why do I have to deal with these two mopers, WHY, he thought, pulling away and letting the two curl up on themselves, next to each other, confessing all their thoughts through grumblings, Surely it's big news to see Ruki in this state...
The giant stopped for a moment in front of a portion of the wall, observing the hanged drawings: he chuckled at reading the irregular signature "mARy" with stars around it (or at least they looked like stars, maybe they were flowers?), then rubbed his chin, confused while trying to identify the strange spots recurring in a lot of drawings, around what looked like a child, probably Mary herself.
- Momo-kun – he called, taking advantage of that occasion to both find an answer to his curiosity and divert the two's attention from their love problems - What are all of these strange things in chubby's drawings? I mean, I can recognize trees and houses, more or less, but these things... they look like little monsters?!
The twin sobbed a moment before pondering about the question and the answer; in the meantime Ruki had also gotten interested and, once standing, he looked at those doodles, adding that they were certainly bizarre creatures, judging by what he recognized as eyes.
Mark stood up to sit on his sister's bed and finally spoke, keeping his head down.
- As you know, I am blind. But I have such a fine hearing that I can hear the voices of the dead, the noises that nobody else can hear and... in short, everything you could never hear - at these words the vampires exchanged glances, frowning at the bitter expression that had appeared on half-wizard's face – Whereas, we can say that Aneki has the gift of sight.
The two brothers, especially Yuuma, took a while to grasp the concept.
- Do you mean she sees things that others can't see? - Ruki asked; the other nodded, sighing.
- It's terrifying at first, you know. I had no idea about what was happening, in the midst of all those voices and sounds - he covered his ears, remembering the anguish he had felt during the early years when he had begun to become aware of what was around him, in the total darkness - and who could have believed my little sister, when she was screaming that there was a black monster about to kidnap me? Many people know that children may see figments of their imagination, but this wasn't the case... Few people believed her, obviously because they knew what was the truth about Izanami.
- Wait, there's something I don't understand: what do you have to do with all of this? - Yuuma snapped, irritated by the chaos in his head caused by all that informations - I mean, chubby is Izanami and has all the mess to deal with; but you? What's your role?!
Mark seemed to move his face to stare at him; if he had raised his face a little more, he would have succeeded in giving the impression of looking at him in the eye.
- The first Izanami and Izanagi were twin brother and sister.
- That was unexpected... - Shuu thoughtfully whispered, stroking the back of the half-witch lying next to him, both wrapped in the warm quilt, in the tree house they had chosen as their temporary home.
Mary bit her lower lip, nodding.
- It seems Izanagi was blind, mute and even deaf; he could only rely on tactile perception and smell. And Izanami was his only relative who could have taken care of him, so they shared a very strong bond - she added, trying in every way to prevent her emotions from leaking through her voice or facial expression, in vain - They were alone, and, moreover, Izanami could see the creatures hiding from other eyes, and they were often pursued by the most malignant ones, eager to feed on their flesh as it concealed enormous powers within. She always sacrificed herself to protect her dear brother.
The vampire frowned and squeezed the witch against his chest, stroking her head as she burst into tears; it was difficult to put together the disconnected words that she was saying between a sob and the other, but he managed to get the ending of that story.
After incessant escapes, fleeting shelters and several injuries, Izanagi, tired of not being able to keep his sister safe, had protected her when she had been herself in danger, exhausted and gravely wounded; however, he had been killed by the umpteenth creature which had attacked them: Izanami's pain had been so intense that her powers, awakened, had destroyed everything within a very long distance.
- S-Shuu... the same thing happened... a year and a half ago... - the girl whined in a broken voice, clinging to her beloved's body.
- Shhh, sleep... you'll tell me tomorrow - he murmured in her ear, kissing her earlobe and closing his eyes.
Mary fell asleep shortly thereafter; and the vampire, caressing the cold and transparent skin of his beloved, looked up at the ceiling, thoughtful.
He couldn't imagine that the next day would have been the first of a series of unpleasant events.
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