Disclaimer: Disclaimed
Dum dum dum! Behold, loveless chapter 9 is here! Rest assured, the author is still alive and typing :D
Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter~
LoveLess
Chapter 9: Worries
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His steps were light as he was in no hurry. A hectic day as a full-fledged exorcist had thoroughly sapped the brunette's energy, yet he didn't want to use the transportation keys in hope of running into his twin, a new habit he bore since days before.
The stream of sunset's light, which steadily rained down upon him from the western horizon, was suddenly blocked. Feeling something was amiss, Yukio ceased his lone walking.
Green eyes looked up and locked gazes with smug brown ones.
"Ohgya? What do we have here? Is it not the little brother of that Okumura bastard?"
Several figures appeared and circled the young teenager, completely blocking off his exits. They're of different body-built, but one thing was the same, their clean-white martial-arts clothing.
"Let us return our dearest kouhai's warm greeting the other day back"
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Days had passed like a blur since his twin's first disappearance right after the cram class. Since then, he tried to keep stricter track of him, but to no avail.
Rin was as elusive as an eel, one time Yukio was positive he had all eyes and ears on him, next thing his quirky brother had simply slid off his fingers. Vanished.
'But today...'
Yukio peered an inquisitive eye from behind a pillar. He adjusted his glasses, the reflection of his conversing brother glinted off the clear spectacles.
Rin was strolling alongside a fair girl as they were engaged comfortably in a merry chat. It seemed that since his 'tenacious and heart-throbbing' encounter with the most fearsome male in the whole school, his profile had risen in popularity.
'... I'll definitely find out this 'business' you attend to every day!'
"Hahaha so you join the women Karate club because of me?", Rin asked in a benevolent manner, his amiable eyes glanced amusedly at the shorter girl beside him.
The girl answered ardently, "Yes! When I saw you saved the first-year from before, I got this push to also train martial arts. Maybe if I do, I can be stronger than I am no-
Rin listened quietly before he felt a tug at the corner of his mind, something he experienced when Shiki wished to talk to him.
"Rin, you have someone tailing you, a certain brother to be exact"
'Yeah I know', his sapphire eyes leered, a hem of black clothing poked out at the pillar's side, just barely visible for his inhumanly superior sight, 'He's getting impatient'
"Well we can't leave it at that, can we?"
'Sure, leave it to me'
"-so that's why I hope other people will someday see me as a stronger person if I join Karate club, like you!", the girl finished her enthusiastic rant and looked expectantly at Rin.
Rin smiled a little, "Oh, but I don't join the Karate club"
"You don't?", she sounded bewildered, "Why not? If you join such an awesome club, you'll be popular and everyone will be forever reminded that you're a hero!"
The female student waited for Rin's response but, unexpectedly, an arm strongly pulled her into a dark and narrow alley. A gasp escaped her as her back was pressed to the teen's chest, then his available palm was placed on her mouth. For a while, she could do nothing other than quivering in shock. As a normal girl, to be wrapped in the arms of a very attractive male in a dimly-lit secluded place, it was highly understandable.
She took a sharp intake of breath and with a heart drumming furiously against her ribcage, she glanced upwards.
Rin's gaze was fixed to a certain direction she couldn't pinpoint, his expression stern and hard. But the tense muscle holding her relaxed after a while and Rin smiled down at her easily again.
"I don't care about popularity. And I'm not everyone's hero as well", he released her. The girl locked gazes and found she couldn't look away from the eerily shining blue orbs.
"I just wish to be one, only for my most beloved person. Nothing else matters to me" Silent seconds past, then his serious expression broke and a grin swiftly replaced it.
"Well", Rin easily leaped out and waved to her, "Sorry 'bout that, see ya!"
The girl stared dazedly at Rin's retreating form before she blinked rapidly into focus. She blushed heavily as the recalled event came rushing back into her in a heightened sense of self-consciousness.
The female student timidly fixed her appearance before walking out. All the while she couldn't help but wondering who was the-suddenly-popular-bad-boy-type guy's most 'beloved' one.
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Rin whistled as he walked down the road leading towards the forest.
"Well that's lucky of us. Now your brother is probably cursing you a painful constipation somewhere"
"Nah...", Rin smiled as a snow-white butterfly glided above his head and shrugged, "That's unlike him. He probably will just make a mess of his hair and go stomping a foot down like a child"
Shiki rolled his eyes, "Oooh the mental image~"
"Hey it's true!"
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Yukio fell into a stop from his mild run as he whipped his head wildly from side to side, hoping to catch sight of a blue-black head. He scowled when nothing useful came into sight.
'Damn I lost him!'
He ruffled his hair in frustration and jammed a foot down angrily. Of course, after making sure the school ground was vacant of watchful eyes.
He was about to give up when a voice amusedly greeted him.
"Well, well, Yukio-kun~ Quite a stalker aren't you?"
Yukio's scowl deepened as he calmly faced the man who was gallantly posing behind him. With his trademark fluffy umbrella.
"What do you want... Pheles-san?"
Mephisto smirked, his slanted eyes were ever emotionless unlike the rest of his facial muscle, "Ouch, don't be so hostile Yukio-kun. I can see that you shamelessly stalk a certain person across the whole school ground, even though he clearly doesn't wish any person intruding his business, what with him basically circled the long way around to lose you. But fear not, I'll keep the knowledge of this unsightly behavior as my own privilege~"
Yukio gritted his teeth in annoyance at hearing the deliberate mocking tone of sarcasm laced in the demon's voice.
"I don't 'want' anything by the way, this humble school principal just wish to help you~", Mephisto winked knowingly, his eyes, which seemed apathetic to most people, were strangely unnerving for the teacher.
Yukio frowned, confusion shone through his eyes, "Help… me?"
"Exactly! I'll show you what you want to know the most..."
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CRASH!
The teen gasped when his back slammed to the rough brick wall, his glasses were thrown off the bridge of his nose from the impact.
"Hm, not so tough like your brother aren't you? Prissy four eyes..."
Laughers rang sonorously in his ears as the cornered teenager frowned disdainfully. His hand sneaked into his uniform, debating his next move while his fingers danced doubtfully on the metal texture of his hidden gun.
But then decided otherwise.
He retracted his hand as green eyes glared defiantly.
"You still have the guts to glare back at us?!", the inimical male growled, "I'll beat you to sludge teme!"
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Orange and red leaves gently fluttered down from the mourning branches. They twirled uncoordinatedly as wind particles guided them to dance gracefully about their mother-tree, before landing soundlessly on the spacious leaves bed.
The area was undisturbed until a foot slammed down on it, staggering several paces behind.
Ragged breathing could be heard puffing out a pair of fanged lips, "How can you do that?" He cursed when he parried another strike with his *boken
(Translation: wooden sword for training)
Kaga, the lilac-haired demon, smiled, "Do what?"
As he went to strike, Rin quickly flex his sword, but once again, becoming bewildered by his sparring partner's speed. The falling autumn leaves seemed to stall in movement, flowing slowly around the dark-green-eyed demon as if they're sinking into dense mercury.
Rin leaped away, panting as a trail of blood streamed down his cheek, "That. You couldn't be that fast. I've assessed your speed before, but somehow I can only keep up with you with my eyes. Is that a demonic trick?"
Kaga shook his head. They're carefully circling each other in a small clearing surrounded by deciduous trees, whilst keeping attentive eyes to the other's movement, "This is my ability. I am a quartz demon, I can slow things around me or make them go faster. In otherwords-", he parried Rin's oncoming attack, "-I control time"
Rin cursed when his attack failed, "Mind to tell me how's this training supposed to help me? 'coz, for your information, not every demon has this ability like you do"
"You're right. In normal occurrence, my speed is far behind you. But by controlling the time, I can slow you down significantly. *clang* Thus to overcome it, you need to just simply move faster which simultaneously trains you to be more reflexive, even if the teacher is lacking in speed than you. It is highly convenient, hm?"
Rin grumbled, then went swinging a half-arc of his faux sword. They exchanged blows and stabs, the half-demon did what he's told to by pushing his muscle to exceed its limits, fully intending on bringing his teacher down even against a powerful but unfair handicap.
"Now that we're talking about time", Rin's eyes flicked briefly to the brightly-colored-crowned trees, "Isn't this a little too early for fall?"
Kaga blinked his moss-colored eyes, "Early? Certainly not. We've gone past three months of summer before reverting to autumn"
"But I've only been here *clang* for about two weeks. And back in the Assiah, it's still spring"
"*chuckle* that's because time is different between here and there *clang*. In Ei no Sumai, time moves faster"
Rin furrowed his eyebrows. Time moves faster? "Why is that?"
"Mephisto-sama made it that way"
Throb. Rin widened his eyes as his steel grip on his boken was unconsciously loosened. The clown-like principal purposefully did that? A clenching feeling assaulted his guts as his earlier memory of doubting the cunning demon's claimed intention rushed through his mind in a myriad of emotions. The autumn mild breeze suddenly felt cold on his skin as a droplet of sweat trickled down his chin.
"Mephisto?", he whispered disbelievingly, "But why would he-
"Nii-san?"
Rin choked on his word, he certainly didn't expect to hear such a familial call on him, which was reserved only for a single person, in this secluded area of vile Gehenna. Impossible... He slowly, almost fearfully, faced the newcomer that accosted him. There stood his little brother, blinking at him with a bewildered expression on his face which he almost had never worn.
"Yu-yukio"
Rin traveled his gaze behind his twin's body and it landed on a smirking figure behind. Rin clamped his jaw as his sapphire eyes bore hatefully to grinning violet ones, "Mephisto..."
Mephisto winked and gave him a peace sign. Then his form poofed out of existence along with puffy pink cloud.
Now only three figures were left in the clearing. Rin had his bangs covering his upper face and eyes, Yukio kept an unfaltering gaze on his brother, and Kaga was nervously staring at both brothers with confused doe-like green eyes.
"U..um", he stuttered out, suddenly feeling out of place in the heavy atmosphere, "I have something I need to at-attend to, please excuse me"
No twin even bothered to pay the retreating demon a glance.
Rin truly didn't know what Yukio was thinking right now as he fidgeted uncomfortably under his little brother's steady stare. His tail swung agitatedly from side to side in hope to somehow wind down his nervousness. He knew that his little brother was not nosy but he wasn't that dense to even attempt feigning innocence right now. After all, he had been avoiding him too much lately.
"Sorry Yukio", Rin murmured, "Are you... mad?"
The emerald eyes continued assessing him with scrutinizing intensity, swirling with an emotion unperceived to Rin. Rin gulped.
Yukio then sighed and closed his eyes, thankfully breaking his intimidating staring, "I'm not angry. But... why?"
Rin's eyes flew away from his twin to gaze at the balding trees, "I'm not strong enough..."
Okumura Yukio was not one to make assumptions, he always disregard misleading information or personal feelings in order to see the ambivalent world objectively. But as a brother of a very unpredictable teen, it wasn't plausible for him to continue ignoring the blatant emotional barrier his brother had, powerfully but desperately, cast up against him. A year was too lengthy already...
"Are you still feeling guilty about that night nii-san?", Rin froze up at that as his boken slid off his tranquilized fingers, "From your reaction, it's true is it not?"
When no reaction was heard, he sighed, "I've forgiven you for that, you of all people should know that. I understand that you're trying to fix that 'mistake' by becoming stronger, but I don't want you to endanger yourself by learning under these unknown demons that Pheles-san claimed to be his 'wards'. He is a good man but is not one to be trusted", Yukio pointed out, his tone was monotone but Rin could faintly detect the concern laced in his brother's voice, "Please stop coming to this place"
Rin bit the inside of his mouth, his restless tail was curled around his shin despite the persistent urging to just lash it out in maddened swings. He debated mentally, mind a turbulent swirl of turmoil, before answering, "I couldn't do that Yukio... I know that I've defied you many times than I can count but I can't give this up. It's not that I want to 'punish' myself, I just want to gain power. Power to protect...", Rin's sapphire eyes locked with Yukio's green ones with uncanny seriousness, rare to be shown from such a normally jovial face, "To protect you from myself..."
That's it. He said it.
Yukio didn't say anything, only keeping an intense gaze on him. Several choking seconds later, his little brother's face softened as he smiled, "Let's go home nii-san. You're tired and drenched with sweat, a bath is definitely in order"
Rin gave back a warm smile. As soon as Yukio broke their eye-contact, Rin's smile faltered as his sapphire eyes dimmed.
To protect you from myself... It was the kind of chivalrous lines that a main character normally says, the kind of shocking but happy revelation spoken in the climax of an ironic story.
So, it should be... believable enough, right?
He truly meant what he said, but that's not the main push. Not his main drive. Not his main aim. Not his ultimate desire.
Shiki snickered, "Yes, your intention is not that shallow. It's far dirtier and intolerable even in demons' world standard, is it not *Satan no musuko?", he purred sultrily in their shared mindscape.
(Translations: Son of Satan)
"..."
Yukio walked in silence, as he leered an eye over his shoulder. He clenched his jaws at the sight of his not normally brooding brother. He's been like that a lot of times...
Once again, he was not nosy and he knew Rin preferred him that way.
Although...
"AAARGH! Please forgive us! Please-
The pleading sentence was cut short as the man's face was slammed viciously to the pastel-bricked road. A sickening crack of what most likely to be facial bone rang solemnly.
Yukio gaped. His savior had beaten half a dozen men twice his size mercilessly, bare-handed. He rammed them brutally with raw strength and vile vengeance, reducing them from proud strong men to bloody-covered stationary heaps on the ground. Their uniforms were no longer pristine as the fabric was painted heavy scarlet.
"Ni-nii-san..."
His silhouette was pronounced from the glare of fiery sunset blaze as he stood impassively among the piles of bodies littering around him. It was frightening. The figure didn't even pant or shook in fatigue, for he was unmoving, despite having exerted such monstrous strength.
Then when he finally moved, turning his head subtly to glance at him, Yukio had to keep himself from voicing his shock.
They were there. A sight that he didn't see since a long year ago, the color that often stained his dreams with both fascination and fear.
A pair of red gleaming eyes.
"Are you ok Yukio?"
His older brother was suddenly kneeling in front of him, staring at him worriedly with his familiar bright-blue eyes. Yukio blinked and nodded dazedly.
It was gone. But he was sure that it wasn't his imagination. The color was real...
Yukio clenched both of his fists, his emerald eyes gleaming with uncertainty as they flicked to observe the falling red leaves. They were red, but it was not his brother's red.
'I'm... worried nii-san...'
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TBC
Lalala I decided to put up the OC's small profile so you would know him better and hopefully won't forget him~ Don't skip this! *glare*
Kaga Hashiyama
Gender: Male
Race: Quartz demon
Ability: Can control time, slowing the enemies time or increasing self's speed
Weapon: unknown
Physical appearance: Moss colored doe-like eyes. Lilac hair.
Personality: Likes children very much thus the nickname kaa-chan/mother. Friendly and lenient. But very strict when it comes to training.
Stay tuned for the next chappie. I'll try to update faster mate, I know the irritation at waiting a chapter from a slow author because you would most likely forget the storyline from the chapters before... Well, I'll TRY! XD
Things you might want to think or guess about:
1. Why did Mephisto make the time go faster in Ei no Sumai?
2. What was Rin's true intention to become stronger other than protecting Yukio from himself?
3. The second appearance of red eyes means...?
Well, that's about it :3
Review!
~Golden Mist Fox