Tears to Shed
Note: Takes place during VI Master Hand and VII Handmaiden of "Horseshoes and Hand-grenades"
VI: 8-21-9-12-4-5-14-19-20-5-18-14
"A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense to himself."
-Guildenstern, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Tom Stoppard play)
Gentaro sat in Kengo's living room, looking at his two newest subjects bowing at him. He frowned and shook his head. While it was fun transform both Kengo and Jiro—or as he named them, Apep and the Serpent of Obsidian Knives—into a pair of mindless marionettes, there was just something so off about it. The way they would just speak, their movements, the expressions on their faces...it was like looking and watching two dull robots tending to his every needs. It was, if he can put it in one single word, boring.
"Is something the matter, Serpent-bearer?" Ophiuchus hissed. "I have never seen you so distraught before."
"Master Ophiuchus," Gentaro began, staring at his unmoving subjects. "I have a question that I would like to be answered immediately."
"And what would that be?"
"Would it be wrong to manipulate both Apep and Serpent of Obsidian Knives to have different personalities?" Gentaro stood up and knelt near Kengo's side. He placed a hand on Kengo's shoulder, but he found no response. "I wish to have other serpents, not dolls."
"You mean you desire friends?" Ophiuchus hissed.
"No, I just want company. Being surrounded with company is not synonymous to being around friends." Gentaro hissed at that last word. "I just don't like looking at these marionettes that only respond with 'Yes, master. No, master.' every single time I wish to say something to them."
"If you want to give them a personality, what would you want to give them? As their master and the one who controls the serpents, you are the one who decide what they should feel."
"You are right, as always, master." Gentaro then approached Jiro, waving a hand in front of his face. There was no response there either. "I want these two to become my generals—the ones who can order the other serpents to get into action should the time come. The two must be dedicated to the mission—doing whatever they need to do in order to fulfill their purpose. More than that, I want…talking companions. I want people who can at least make the time go by faster."
"What do you suggest that we give them?"
Gentaro thought about it for a minute, a finger on his forehead tapping away for ideas. Then, his eyes lit up and a smile was on his face.
"I think I know just what to do with them, Master," he hissed.
0-0-0-0-0-
Ten minutes later, Gentaro snapped his fingers.
The snap slowly woke Jiro up and he soon found himself resting on a bed with white sheets. He turned to see Gentaro leaning against a wall, arms folded across his chest. Gentaro smiled and chuckled at the look of confusion on Jiro's face.
"Serpent-bearer," Jiro whispered. "What are you doing? And where am I?"
"You fell asleep while you were worshipping me," Gentaro answered. "So I took you here so you can rest and think about the things that just piss you off. Well? Is there anything or anyone that just gets under your nerves?"
"Am I supposed to have something like that?" Jiro replied, tilting his head. "All I know is that I must worship you, my Serpent-bearer. I must obey your every command."
"And I'm giving you a command. Tell me if there's anything that makes you burn with hatred." Gentaro hissed. "There has to be one, right?"
Jiro thought long and hard, but his mind was so foggy. He couldn't think of anything that was bothering him at all. His mind was filled with peace and happiness; nothing to suggest that he could be angry at something at all. He just shook his head.
"I'm sorry," he replied. "I don't feel angry at anything. I feel so much peace inside me...is that bad?"
"No, it's all right. However, you need to think deeper. Wasn't there someone you were so close to back when you were still alive? Someone you just want to see die by your hands? Someone who went by the name of, I don't know, Ryusei Sakuta?"
"S-Sakuta," Jiro whispered, a hand on his forehead. "Sakuta?"
"You don't remember him?" Gentaro sat near Jiro's bedside and stared into his eyes. "He was the one who caused all of this madness. He killed the two of us because he hated our guts more than anything. He hated us because we were better than him, and so he thought to rid the competition by eliminating us both." Gentaro leaned closer to Jiro and whispered, "Don't you remember now?"
Jiro winced as he remembered his bedridden state. Ryusei was there, and he was happy. The Zodiarts Switch was turned off, freeing him from the side-effects of its malfunctioning, and then Jiro asked what Ryusei was thinking. He remembered the response.
"I was a traitor, but that doesn't matter anymore as long as you're better."
"He said he was a traitor," Jiro whispered. "But...why would he say that? What did he do?"
"He betrayed me," Gentaro hissed, his eyes glowing red. "He used me as a scapegoat in order to make a deal with the Aries Zodiarts. You were revived because of my sacrifice."
"No, that can't be true! Serpent-bearer, how could someone like Sakuta kill you like that?" Jiro felt his eyes brim with tears. "You've been so good to me."
"Which is why it pains me to tell you that your so-called 'best friend' did the deed," Gentaro stared into Jiro's eyes once more. "He must die for what he caused the two of us. Just thinking about Sakuta makes you feel angry, just like how I was angry when he killed me. Ryusei Sakuta is our enemy, and you want nothing more than to stab him through the heart!"
Jiro saw those red eyes glowing and kept staring at them. With each mention of the words 'Ryusei Sakuta', he narrowed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows into an expression of rage. This man caused so much sadness all for the sake of jealousy and anger burning through his mind. He curled his hands into fists and his whole body trembled with rage.
"That's right," Gentaro and Ophiuchus hissed. "Know that you must kill Ryusei Sakuta. Know that you must hate Ryusei Sakuta for the rest of your days. He must die."
"Yes," Jiro replied, nodding his head. "He must die."
"And as the Serpent of Obsidian Knives, you are able to create the weapons needed for sacrifice. Summon them now by channeling all of your newfound hatred."
Jiro nodded his head as he brought his hand out. Concentrating on his anger and hatred for his former friend, a dagger appeared. Its hilt was the color of silver, but its blade was as black as his heart. Seeing his weapon's dark blade, Jiro shivered in delight as he raised it to his wrist, swiping a thin line down his flesh. Fortunately, since he was dead, no blood fell onto the bed sheets and he did not feel any pain at all. He just smiled at his newfound toy and continued hacking away at his arm.
"Sakuta," Jiro giggled. "I'm gonna kill you for all that you did to me! You're going to pay for what you've done!" He let out a laugh as he continued to make multiple cuts up and down his arm, his smile turning malicious and crooked.
Gentaro smiled as another devious thought entered his mind. He placed his hand over Jiro's and forced him to look into his red eyes. Jiro's face calmed down as Gentaro and Ophiuchus spoke once more.
"You like something other than just wanting to hurt Ryusei Sakuta," They hissed, their forked tongue lightly tickling Jiro's ear. "You have another like, a like so strong that it burns throughout your entire body."
"What is that like?" Jiro asked softly.
"Your fellow serpent, Apep. He knows what it's like to be so alone without somewhere there to comfort him. He has been through so many troubled times and seeing me dead has made him so broken. Of course, he won't tell anyone about that since he's supposed to be such a stoic, little Serpent of Chaos. I know what he feels though, but I cannot give him the…ministrations needed to subjugate him into opening up. You must comfort him in any way that you can. He must understand that you mean to take care of him and to erase all of his troubles."
"Yes," Jiro's smile was now sweet and gentle. "Anything for my beloved Apep. I will ensure that he will be protected."
"And in return, he shall protect you. He also wants your company. Go to him now. Show him that you care."
"As you wish," Jiro left the bedside and closed the door when he left. Gentaro smiled and smoothed his hair back.
"You are a very devious person, Serpent-bearer." Ophiuchus hissed in Gentaro's mind. "I had no idea that you knew so much about the human mind….maybe that's why you were able to make all of those 'friends'."
"I was stupid to see what I was capable of," Gentaro replied. "Why befriend when you can control? Why see them smile when you can break them? I just wasted so much potential those past ten years, but I will never make that mistake again."
"Shall we see how Apep is doing in his isolation? I never knew you could be so cruel as to make him believe that he was trapped in solitary confinement, making him hoarse and obscuring his vision to make him believe that he's actually in a void, rather than in his own bedroom. And the cure to free him would have to be the Serpent of Obsidian Knife's physical touch. You are such an evil person, Serpent-bearer."
"It'll be for the greater good in the end, Master," Gentaro crossed his hands over his chest. "And besides, it'll be a good way to kill a few hours. Don't you think?"
Ophiuchus just laughed as Gentaro muttered his snake-transformation spell. Then, he found himself wrapped in shadows.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Kengo hated isolation. He hated being alone.
So when he found his arms bound and trapped in the white void he woke up in days ago, he felt panic crawling all over his body. He wanted to scream something, but his throat was hoarse. He felt the tears trickling down his face as he begged for someone to help him. He was going to die all alone without anyone to free him from his misery. This wasn't how it was supposed to end.
Still, he kept opening his mouth in a silent scream, begging that with enough effort, something was bound to escape his throat. The tears continued to fall down as he prayed for someone to free him from the madness. The only thing that he heard was his own panicked breathing and the soft sobs that came after his failed attempts to call for help.
"Apep…"
There was a voice calling out from the emptiness. Kengo looked up and found someone already by his side, hugging him and soothing his soul with words of hope and kindness. If he wasn't bound, Kengo wanted to hug whoever was comforting him, but he could only reply with soft sobs. The person ran his hands over his back and chest, kissing his ear and cheek as if he was someone's lover. Maybe he was.
"It's all right, Apep," the voice whispered. "It's me, Jiro, the Serpent of the Obsidian Knives. Tell me your troubles."
Kengo wanted to open his mouth, but then shook his head, knowing that his attempts would be in vain. This didn't stop Jiro from kissing him on the lips too make him relax.
"Don't worry yourself," he said. "Everything will be all right." Jiro lowered his hands until they touched the ones bound behind Kengo's back. Kengo felt the shackles binding him loosen as Jiro wiped the tears out of his eyes.
"J-Jiro…" he croaked, finally able to speak once more. "Thank you…"
Jiro then placed a kiss each over Kengo's closed eyes and stepped back. Kengo slowly opened his eyes, the white void fading away to reveal his bedroom. He found himself resting on his bed in disbelief. He was imagining things the whole time.
"I want to be by your side so you will never be lonely," Jiro whispered. "It's all because of Sakuta that you're in so much despair."
"Sakuta," Kengo hissed, curling his hands into fists. "He caused all of this pain! He made me lose my best friend and took away my happiness! I can never forgive him!"
"Neither can I. That's why we're going to destroy him and let the Serpent-bearer and Master Ophiuchus rise into power. As long as we're on his side, nothing can stand in our way."
Kengo smiled and hugged Jiro back, glad to have someone who could truly care for him. However, the two never noticed the black serpent that entered the room, smiling at his own success.
Next time: Kouhei Hayami's slow descent into becoming Ecydsis all started with a meeting, a bowl of Ramen, and temper. But the transformation didn't happen all by his own. Gentaro and Ophiuchus stepped in every now and then to ensure that they had a mole on the team. The next couple of days are spent breaking Hayami's defenses to ensure that the Zodiarts of the Scales belongs to Ophiuchus alone.
To be continued in Tears-7 "Skin"