Just some small changes again...

Let Me Be Your Smile

Volume One: You, My Comrade!

Chapter 2: Those Unavoidable Fights

"It's dusk already…" Yuki murmured. The sun was setting, casting an ominous ruby haze over Meteor City. Yuki leaned back on the truck of what seemed to be the only tree in Meteor City. His silver hair shone with a warm glow against the setting sun, his features seemed to give off a heavenly glow, and a feeling of benevolence. He looked like an angel, caught in the midst of the toils of the world. He tilted his head, basking in the warmth of the setting sun, his eye half closed, eyelids fluttering and eyelashes casting shadows down his porcelain skin. He sighed and slowly pulled himself up from the ground against his groaning muscles. His body strained with blood. He lifted his hand up towards the sky, letting the golden light seep through his fingers. He clenched his hands, in a desperate attempt to grasp something… Time, maybe? Or was it his lost innocence. "Maaa… I thought I had decided…" He ended in a soundless smile, or was it simply a soundless cry for help? He smiled again, an ironic smile of self-mockery. He looked around him; people dotted the ground, some dead, some unconscious and some, groaning in pain as they watched their life drain away. He could see his blood stained hands; this was the time to say good-bye to those innocent days. His soul has been tainted, and he now bore the burden of numerous lives on his back. His once pale, slender hands dyed a bloody red. He brought his hands to his face in a frantic attempt to shield himself form this world…

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me… I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see… " Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Yuki removed his hands, and a sweet melody escaped his lips. He brushed his silver hair back and turned around, a look of pity appeared in his eyes. He continued singing as he walked across the little yard of the refuge. He brushed his torn shirt down, and strolled across the yard, a carefree feeling emitting from him as he walked closer and closer to a boy. The boy was about nine or ten, most likely in his final year in the refuge. Pity, Yuki thought as he walked on, if only he kept to himself, but it was good for me. He taught me a lesson, did he not? There are no children in Meteor City, only people struggling to live. He over estimated his followers and underestimated me. Yuki stood over the boy, he looked down at him. He stopped singing and whispered a single word as he stepped down on the boy's throat, taking his life.

"Sorry" I don't even know his name…

"The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures… He will my shield and portion be. As long as life endures…."

"This is the end…"Yuki said, quietly, almost a whisper. He looked around at the children, dead and alive, littered around the ground and declared "I am 'King'!" And as if the last sentence has taken all of his strength, he fell back on the ground, landing lights and closed his eyes, feeling the dwindling heat of the day, disappearing slowly as the sun went down.

-OOO-

Yuki leaned back against the tree as he looked down at the scene through the thicket of branches and leaves of the tree. His eyes blank, and his mind drifting off. It had been a while since the little skirmish; he has fully healed from his wounds, and established his control over the refuge. He was the 'king' of this place, and he was getting bored. Not a single fight sparked his interest. He needed to get stronger and learn the strange power that many people was able to use. He needed to measure himself against an adult, an occupant of Meteor City. He needed to get out of the refuge. On that note, he jumped down from his perch up the tree, landing soundlessly on the balls of his feet and brought the fights to an abrupt stop, as the other children made way for him. He walked pass them, without any acknowledgment and entered the streets of the inside zone. He looked around at the rows of houses and the clean streets. This was largely different from the garbage filled, pest infested zone of the outer regions of the Meteor city. Well this is where the aristocracies of Meteor city lived as well as the mafia representatives lived. He thought to himself as he walked on.

Yuki could feel the lusty gaze bearing into his back, following his every move. A smile danced on his lips as he walked on, nearing the edge of the inside zone. He could hear the strained breaths of the men. They couldn't wait, not even bothering to hide their presence. Yuki's eyes filled with disgust. He never expected to become bait, nor did he wish to. Just then, the men drew back. Yuki's eye brow noted in confusion as he wondered what could have happened? Did they suddenly have a change of heart, and decided to become faithful followers of god? He questioned himself, but walked on. He slowed down a bit as if he was tired. He was nearing the Chaos zone, yet he could still not figure out where his new and powerful stalker could be. He searched around for one last time and stepped out into the Chaos zone and wandered near a secluded place. If the worst should happen, at least I'm not up for public viewing. Yuki thought to himself in a desperate attempt to quell his fears…

-OOO-

"Ha…ha…" Yuki sighed as he propped his back up against the garbage pile. He looked down, checking his wounds. He had a deep wound near his heart. It penetrated his chest, breaking a couple of his ribs, but left his heart and lungs intact. If he hadn't dodged the man's dying strike… Yuki shuddered at the thought. It's only been a couple of months into his new life. "I guess I'm still not strong enough…" He said, looking down at the dead men lying in front of him and turned to looke down at his wounds again. A wave of tiredness washed over him, and he realized that he was losing too much blood. I need to stop the bleeding he thought to himself. He ripped his pants into strips and bounded his wounds, biting his lips all the while. He checked over his body again, ignoring the minor wounds as he got up to leave this place. He needed the quiet and privacy of the refuge in order to heal himself. But just as he turned to leave a voice rang up behind him.

"I want to fight with you~~"

Yuki snapped his head around to find a boy no older than fifteen. He stood on top what seemed to be a wooden cabinet, protruding out of a garbage mountain, wounded, with a crazy, excited gleam in his eyes. "Fate has brought us together, let's fight~~~" The boy said. He had a head of fiery red hair, curling down the nape of his neck. His clothing, despite the gashes seemed to be well tailored and fit him perfectly. Yuki narrowed his eyes. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. This boy would make a strong foe.

"I'm wounded" Yuki said, calmly, trying to buy himself sometime.

"So am I" the boy replied with a cheerful gleam, turning slightly to the side, showing Yuki the untreated cut that ran down his back.

"I don't want to fight you."

"But I do"

"I'm wounded"

"So am I"

"…" Yuki was speechless, he wanted to smack himself. He could not believe that he just had this exchange with a potential enemy. But the boy just smiled, seemingly enjoying this little exchange.

"Fine" Yuki sighed as he slowly got up, he looked down at his chest again, making sure that the wound hasn't burst, he stood at his feet, his muscles flexing and his body tense, ready got the attack.

The boy laughed again and jumped down from the cabinet, landing softly on the floor and using the momentum to shoot out and raced towards Yuki, attempting to attack his wounded chest. Yuki quickly side stepped the linear attack and bent back to avoid the boy's hand that suddenly shot out from his side, heading straight for Yuki's face. Yuki was barely able to doge the boy's hand as it slid over his chest, the air ruffling Yuki's long silver strands. He whirled around, taking advantage of the boy's open back as the nails of his right hand grew and sharpen. His once graceful hand was grotesque as Yuki drove it towards the boy's wounded back.

The boy's body seemed to stop in midair, suddenly changing its direction, twisting out of Yuki's line of attack as if he had eyes on the back of his head. But not soon enough as Yuki's nails left a deep wound on his left side. They broke apart. Yuki grabbed on to his chest, his wounds has started bleeding again. He looked up and could see nothing but excitement in the boy's eyes. A bitter smile crossed his lip. This was not going to be an easy fight he thought as he tensed his body, readying himself for the real fight.

The boy chuckled as he touched his fresh wound, wiping the blood with his fingertips. He dropped his hand, and disappeared in a blur, racing towards Yuki. The two was entangled in a blur of silver and red, moving too fast for the eye to see. They broke apart again, this time with Yuki holding on to his right arm. He must have cracked his bones. The other boy wasn't that much better either. He looked down past his shirt, now in tatters, and examined his swelling sides. He seemed to be sporting some cracked ribs. He reached down, feeling the swelling with his fingertips.

"Hmm, you broke my ribs" The boy said plainly, a playful smile danced on his lips. "I think I'll…"An oppressive aura emitted from him closing down on Yuki.

Yuki sucked in a deep breath and tired to control his body which shook from this sudden pressure. Move he told himself MOVE. It was that mysterious power again, Yuki thought as he fought against it, he was not going to stand defenselessly, waiting for someone to come and kill him. He bit his lips, and drove his unwounded left hand deep into his left thigh, careful to avoid his arties and veins. After all he had no wish to die of blood loss. Blood splattered down on the earth. The pain helped him regain control of his body as he raced towards the other boy, determination in his eyes.

"Ha!" Yuki moaned and gasped out pain as he crashed into a garbage pile, thrown off by the boy. He convulsed in a coughing heap as blood drained out of his mouth, his internal organ have been badly wounded. He could not understand how this boy was able to become faster and how his body seemed to become impenetrable. He crawled up slowly, shaking his left hand, his bones cracked from that last punch. He got up, his head felt heavy and dizzy from the lack of blood and this malicious and repressive aura that constantly surrounded him did not help either. He felt as if he was treading around a thick honey. He fought back against it with all of his will yet the aura became stronger and stronger, and his body, heavier and heavier. Yuki bit down on his bloody lips, he can't go down like this. He needed to find a way to deal with this strange power. Yuki's mind became muddle and something snapped in his mind. He was about to give his all in one last attempt to win, pushing himself to his limits. Suddenly it was as if something suddenly clicked open and Yuki could feel a strange power coursing through his body. It seemed to be full of life, full of his life Yuki realized this shocking fact and tired to contain it. He calmed his breathing and let out a sigh of relief as the strange power slowly washed over his body and cycled through his body. This moment seemed have lasted an eternity.

Yuki looked down at his body, surprised that many of the minor wounds have healed and he no longer felt constricted by the malevolent aura emitting from the boy. Theboy! His mind seemed to shout out, he looked across at the boy who seemed to be frozen in shock or something close to it, and an idea jumped into his mind. He suddenly leapt up, and retreated, turning his body around in mid-air as he hurried off towards the refuge. He didn't dare look back, for fear of slowing down and encountering the boy again.

-OOO-

Back at the in the Chaos region, the red-haired boy slowly knelt down and pouted, toying around with the blood stained earth murmuring in a barely audible voice. "Maaa, he left. Why? So mean…" He seemed incredibly upset. Then suddenly, he leapt up and in an excited tone, and made a decision that would seal their fate. "Ah! I'll shall go and look for him! Siii...!" ending his cheerful outburst in a hiss of pain as his wounds burst. "But I'll have to heal myself first… See you later" He said out loud and left, leaving the carcass of the long forgotten man lying out in the open. A free for all as the scavengers slowly took over and fed upon it.