Author's Note: Phew! Hi, guys! Long time no see! It's been, what...a month or so?
Alba: Where did you go, Shima?!
Shima: Sooooorry~! I'm so super busy that I've hardly had the time to do anything these days. I've been in the process of writing this chapter for a while. I usually added a little more to it each day, and now it's done! But, ah, it's really short this time. I apologize for that. -bows head-
I had a really tough time writing this chapter, because
1. It's super important. So a lot of pressure there.
2. I had a hard time writing down what I wanted to happen. I'm still really unsure about this one, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer, so...
Anyway, onto further news! Guess what, you guys? Somebody's asked to translate this story!
Alba: Really?!
Ros: Congrats.
Shima: YEEEEAH! It's the first time anybody's asked to translate my writing into another language before, so I'm really excited! AmiliaFloral-san, thank you for presenting me with this awesome opportunity! I can't wait to see it when it's all translated and done! It's going to be in Chinese (which, thankfully, I can read). So hooray!
Right, reviews, reviews! And then we can get this thing rolling!
BrokenEmpathy: Haha! People just love to freak out over this XD I'm so very happy that you like my writing so much! Lol you've been stalking it since the beginning huh? That's extremely flattering. In a way. Haaah, I agree with you about Elf, he's a buttface in this fic but I still love him dearly~ Ros is coming back really, really soon! I swear! And he's bringing Clare along, so he'll make an appearance as well! Thanks so much for your encouraging review!
Neko-dono: Lucky you, I'm updating on the same day you left a review! BE GRATEFUL! XD Nah, just kiddin'~ God what is with you people and your sadism? First people want to see Alba suffer, now Ros...poor dears aren't gonna be able to handle all of that malice! You can come out from under the tree now, haha! News flash: I like trees too, why do you think I put the apple tree in chapter five? Thanks for the review!
Okay, one last thing and then we can start!
...AHEM!
There's only two chapters left of this story!
Alba: WHAAAAT?!
Ros: Seriously?
Shima: I know! It snuck up on me kinda quick! I can't believe it, I'm so close to finishing my first multi-chapter fanfic! -starts crying- I thought this day would never come!
Ros: It might not.
Shima: SHHHH! I WILL FINISH AND THAT'S THAT!
Lesson learned: I need to COMPLETELY finish a fanfic before posting, otherwise I get lazy and stop updating. Next time, Shima. Next time.
Alba: We'll only get to be together for two more chapters...
Shima: Well, yes, and the bonus chapter (if I ever decide to put it in, which I probably will), so technically three! But these last upcoming chapters are very, very important to the story (duh, it's the climax, pretty much) so it'll take me longer to write them out since I really need to be more thoughtful about it. But if you leave me reviews and give me some encouragement, they should be out for you soon enough! I'm going to set a goal; I will finish writing this before the end of this summer, so you guys shouldn't have to wait TOO long. Hopefully.
Alright, enough rambling! I don't own Senyuu and I never will, much to my disappointment, and let the chapter begin~!
Also I apologize in advance to Teuffel and my fans. Al and Teuf might seem OOC this time around. Sorry! And no matter what, I still love you even though I put you through crap all the time, Teuf!
Teuffel: ...Ngggh.
Chapter 13
The Truth Is Out
Teuffel's hands constantly fidgeted with the soft blanket on the bed as he fought off a wave of nausea. This was it. This was the moment that would change everything. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he waited in silence for Alba to return from lunch. This could go in two directions; one: Alba would realize his mistake and accept it right off the bat, or two: Alba would think he was joking and completely break down once he was convinced of the truth. If Teuffel could convince him of the truth, that is. Option two was more likely to happen, knowing his luck.
He raised his head when he heard footsteps sound from down the hall. The nurse's office was in a somewhat secluded part of the school, so not that many students walked by unless they were there for a reason. Cheerful humming echoed near the doorway and he knew immediately that it was Alba.
Right on cue, the door opened and in stepped his destiny, holding a sandwich in one hand and an energy drink in the other, happy with the world and completely oblivious to what awaited him in only a few minutes.
Upon seeing him sitting rigid on the bed, Alba smiled brightly. Teuffel almost started crying when he realized he was going to be the cause of the light vanishing from Alba's eyes. His sun was going to fizzle out...
"Ros! I brought you food!" Alba peered around curiously. "Did the nurse leave?"
Teuffel swallowed and fought to keep his breathing under control. The world seemed to swim in front of his eyes. Get yourself together, Diabolos, he chided himself inwardly before he took a deep breath. He wasn't going to lose. Not to his narcolepsy, not to Ros, not to Alba, not to anyone!
"Alba."
Alba froze at his tone of voice. He sounded strangely serious. This almost reminded him of the last time he'd seen Ros serious, and that was right before...
Teuffel's lunch slipped from Alba's fingers and fell to the floor. The energy drink rolled out of sight.
"N-n-no," Alba gasped out, shaking. "Y-you're not...are you?"
Teuffel shook his head back and forth. He stared deep into Alba's eyes and, after steeling himself, gestured the brunette over. "Come on. I need to tell you something."
Alba visibly relaxed. "Oh. Is this what you were trying to tell me earlier?"
The black-haired teen nodded.
"Okay," Alba smiled and walked over, Teuffel's lunch forgotten. "What is it?"
Teuffel bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. "There's something...I haven't told you. About me."
Alba tilted his head to the side cutely. "What?"
Teuffel exhaled loudly. "Do you remember the night when...that happened, and I found you?" He worded carefully, not wanting to remind Alba too much of what happened. Everyone tended to avoid the subject as much as possible when he was around.
Alba made a face, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Yes, well," Teuffel's breath caught, and he forced himself to keep talking through it. His voice came out thick and wavering. "W-when I found you...you were very unstable. You lost a lot of blood and you didn't really know what was going on so I think you started hallucinating and—" He drew in a shuddering breath. "You...made a mistake, Alba. I—I didn't want to tell you right away because I was unsure of how you'd react but now you're better, so..."
Alba's eyes widened, and he looked as nervous as Teuffel felt. "What...?"
Come on, spit it out! He could almost hear Ares egging him on.
"I'm...not Ros."
Alba blinked. "Huh?"
"You thought I was Ros," Teuffel mumbled. "Look, you—you were really traumatized by that event and you really wanted to see Ros again so when I came in to save you, you...your body reacted automatically and your brain got me confused with Ros. You developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and your mentality was all jumbled so—" Teuffel was cut off by the sound of laughing.
Laughing. Alba was laughing!
Teuffel's stomach plummeted. Oh, no...
He knew this was going to happen!
"Ahaha!" Alba grabbed his sides and chuckled. "Aw, man! That's a good one, Ros!"
Teuffel grit his teeth and barked out, "I—I'm not joking, Alba! I'm being serious!"
Alba abruptly paused and shot him a frown. "That's not nice, Ros. You shouldn't make fun of my feelings like that."
"But I'm not," Teuffel stated, on the edge of tears. Couldn't Alba just see? "I'd never do that to you, I swear. I'm telling the truth."
Alba stared at him for a moment, speechless. Then he started to back away, shaking his head back and forth.
"You...liar," he squeaked, lip trembling.
"Alba, I'm not—"
"You liar!" Alba shouted, hugging himself tightly. "How could you make fun of my feelings like this?! I'm fine with you playing jokes on me, but this time you've taken it too far! You jerk!"
Teuffel almost started hyperventilating. He had to get the situation under control, and fast—otherwise Alba would run away and refuse to speak to him again.
"Alba, listen," Teuffel growled. It was time to start being serious. "I'm not playing a joke on you. I'm telling you the truth. I promise."
Alba clapped his hands to his ears and shook his head faster.
"Look at me!" Teuffel snapped, sitting up straight. Alba rose to attention, eyes brimming with tears.
"Look," Teuffel hissed. "I'm paler than he is. My hair is spikier. I'm shorter than him. His eyes are red. Mine are black! See? I'm not Ros. I'm Teuffel."
"T...euffel?" Alba whispered.
"Yes! Don't you find it strange that Teuffel suddenly went missing? That he wasn't there at the hospital or in any of your classes during school? But I was. I was just pretending to be Ros to protect you. But you're okay now, so I decided to tell you the truth."
Alba started crying, tears sliding down his face one after the other. "No...that can't...that can't be t-true..."
"I'm not him! Can't you see?! I'm just me!" Teuffel wailed, hands balling up into fists.
"N-n-no..." Alba sobbed. "Th-then Ros...Ros is...all this time, he's been..."
Teuffel's face softened.
"...Yeah. He hasn't come back since he left. I'm...I'm sorry, Alba."
"He...he...n-noooo..." Alba slumped down to the floor, cradling his head in his hands.
Teuffel let out a yelp of surprise and, narcolepsy conditions be damned, got out of bed and hurried over to the teen, who was now curled up into a ball and crying his eyes out.
"Al...Alba, it's gonna be okay...I-I know that Ros left, but...he'll come back eventually," he soothed, rubbing circles into the boy's back.
"N-no, no, that's not it," Alba whimpered. "I-I-I'm horrible...so horrible..."
"Huh...?"
"I c-can't believe...oh, I'm so awful!" Alba blubbered, rubbing at his face frantically. There seemed to be no end to his tears.
"Wh-what?! No, no, you're not awful," Teuffel fretted, unsure of what to do. This wasn't going as planned.
"N-no, I'm...I'm sorry! I'm sooooorry!" He bawled, flinging his arms around Teuffel without warning.
"H-hu—"
"I'm so sorry! So sorry...p-please forgive...oh, Teuffel!" Alba could hardly talk between hiccups.
Teuffel's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Alba...
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the brunette and smiled gratefully, burying his nose into the teen's hair.
"Finally," he breathed, unable to stop the tears from running down his own face. "Finally, you can see me..."
Alba simply sniffed and nodded against him.
"I'm so glad," Teuffel laughed joyfully. "I'm so glad you're okay, Alba."
"Why...? Why did you do it? Why?" Alba rasped, shaking in his hold.
"Because...I care about you. A lot. So I wanted to make sure you were happy," Teuffel admitted, blushing slightly. "Even if it meant I had to play pretend for a while."
"Sorry," Alba whimpered, "So sorry. Sorry...!"
Teuffel shook his head. "It's alright, Alba. All is forgiven."
"B-but...but I...I hurt you," Alba pulled away from him. "I was hurting you and I didn't even...oh, god. What have I done...?"
"Hey, hey," Teuffel smiled, brushing away the boy's tears. Alba's cheeks turned pink at the raw affection he was showing. "It's fine. Really. It's all over and done now. You couldn't help it, it was what your brain wanted to see. But now you know. So it's okay."
Alba shook his head, looking away. "No...I can't...forgive myself for this..."
Teuffel frowned. He was really taking this hard.
"Well then, how about this? We can both forgive me."
Alba looked at him, alarmed. "Wh—of course! No, none of this is your fault, please don't blame yourself. This is entirely on me."
Teuffel sighed. Perhaps this wouldn't be as easy as he thought. "Alba..."
Alba stood up and wiped his eyes. "I guess we should...er, I'll get back to class. You stay here and rest."
Teuffel stood up more slowly. "Alba...you're okay, right?"
Alba gave him an unsure smile in return. "I'll be fine. I think. I just...need some time to think this over."
Teuffel laid a hand on his shoulder, expression one of concern. "You sure?"
"Yeah," Alba laughed, though it sounded a bit hollow. "I'll...get through this."
"Alba." Alba looked into his eyes. "I just want you to know...I'm always gonna be here for you and back you up. So if you ever need anything...or anyone," his cheeks turned pink, "you can come to me."
Alba let out a shaky sigh and smiled. "Yeah, I know. Thank you, Teuffel."
He gave a half-hearted wave and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Teuffel stood there motionless for a few moments, and then he fell backwards. The bed caught him, the springs creaking, and Teuffel found he couldn't stop smiling.
I did it...! I finally did it! He cheered inwardly. Now maybe things can finally go back to normal...
He closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness, the stress of the day getting to him. As he faded away his thoughts were focused on Alba, and how grateful he was that the teen seemed to be doing better. Finally.
...Right?
On the other side of the door, a certain brunette had collapsed onto the tile below, holding his hands over his mouth to cover his quiet sobbing. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
What have I done...?
Shima: So? It wasn't too rushed, was it? I need your opinions, you guys! I'm really unsure about this chapter.
Ros: Hero, do you need a hug?
Alba: Kinda. But I think Teuffel needs one more. Come here! -hugs him-
Teuffel: !
Ros: !
Teuffel: -blushes- Eheh...um...thank you, Alba.
Ros: -glares furiously in the background-
Shima: Well, uh...I think that's all I have for you guys. But remember! Only two chapters left, which means the big stuff is gonna happen soon!
...Well, this chapter is a part of the big stuff. So more big stuff, then! Woo!
Teuffel: Not much longer until you get your equal share of suffering, Ros!
Ros: You bast—
Shima: AH AH AH! That's enough from you. Teuffel, stop pissing him off. Ros gets even more cranky when he's nervous.
Ros: I'M NOT—
Alba: Yes, you are. Your hands are shaking.
Ros: ...
Alba: Here, do you need a hug too? Come on, then. -hugs him-
Ros: ...! H-hmm. -relaxes-
Teuffel: ...Dammit.
Shima: Heheh. Until next time, then! :D