Chapter Twelve

"Rikuou, please set aside the newspaper. It hasn't changed since this morning and dinner is ready."

Rikuou swiftly closed the newspaper and set it off to the side of the dining table. His stomach was knotted slightly and he rubbed a hand over his face. After a moment he said, "I could have made dinner, Onee-san. It was my turn, after all."

"Oh, but you had a difficult day at school, didn't you?" Tsukiko turned away from the counter holding a plate in both hands. It looks like she had made tonkatsu.

"I wouldn't say it was difficult," Rikuou said as she set the plate down in front of him. "Just…tedious, is all."

Tsukiko giggled as she returned to the kitchenette. "Not many can say that receiving two love confessions in a single day is "tedious"."

Rikuou didn't ask how she knew. "A girl confessed to me to the morning," he confirmed. "And in the afternoon it was a boy. They both got the same response from me."

"Poor Rikuou being so popular." Tsukiko returned to the table with her own plate. "I hope you let them both down gently."

"Of course I did. I may not feel the same way, but there's no use being rude when I tell them I don't feel the same way."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Tsukiko spoke again. "Have you thought about dating again, Rikuou?"

"No," Rikuou quickly answered. "This pork is good, Onee-san."

"Thank you. But why not? You're quite popular with admirers amongst the girls and boys."

Rikuou shrugged. "You know I gave dating a try, but it…didn't feel right."

"'Didn't feel right'?"

"I didn't like being with someone who felt so strongly for me that I couldn't give the same feelings back," Rikuou clarified. "I liked them, sure. But I didn't love them. I don't know, I…" he shrugged stiffly. "It…didn't feel right. Being in a relationship. I can't really describe it."

"But you were dating a girl," Tsukiko pointed out. "Maybe—"

"And I dated a guy last year," Rikuou said. "From another high school. You know that, Onee-san. It didn't feel right, either."

"Hmm." Tsukiko smiled and leaned her elbow on the table. "Maybe it's because they weren't the person you were meant to be with."

"Don't." Rikuou pointed his chopsticks at her. "I don't want you looking at my future like that. I would rather figure everything out myself."

"I understand, Rikuou."

They continued to eat in silence again before Tsukiko again broke the silence. "Does it still hurt?"

"Haa?" Rikuou looked up.

"Your shoulder and back," she said. "From the tattoo. Do they still ache?"

Rikuou shook his head. "It's fully healed. And I'm able to change in the locker-room without anyone seeing it. I…" he hesitated briefly before continuing. "I hope it helps you, Onee-san."

Tsukiko's brow rose. "It may be on my body, but I know the power belongs to you," Rikuou said. "I hope—I hope your wish makes you happy."

Tsukiko smiled again. "It will, Rikuou."

The smile gave Rikuou pause, but it was quickly gone as Tsukiko resumed eating. It made his stomach turn. It hadn't been a happy smile. The smile had been one of…sadness.

…What?

Rikuou gaped at his older sister in shock. "'Soulmates'?" he echoed. "Onee-san, what are you talking—"

"'Soulmates'?!" Kei also echoed, though her tone was angrier and incredulous. "My Kazahaya and that thief?! Soulmates?!"

"You are twins," Tsukiko pointed out. "If I'm aware of it you should also be aware of it."

Kazahaya was also staring at Tsukiko stunned, his mouth hanging open in shock. Rikuou gave Kokuyo a hard look. He knew that his sister meant what she was saying and would not have said it if it weren't true. "How long have you known about this?"

Kokuyo scoffed quietly but not sarcastically. Hisui and him were leaning on each other for support. It was Hisui who responded. "We knew...before the two of you met."

Rikuou gasped harshly, and a tight sensation gripped his body. He didn't want to look at Kazahaya again for fear of seeing his reaction. "...What?" he breathed.

"Remember kid," Kokuyo said, looking at him. "I can see human souls. I can identify people from their souls. Comes with the territory being a demon and all. When I first located your soul, I saw your connection to Kazahaya. You were connected...because you two are meant to be together. Your red string of fate is tied to each other."

Rikuou abruptly felt like he was drenched in icy water. His heart was racing and the air burned when he took a breath. He looked at Kazahaya again, and the other young man was looking at him. When their gazes held, Rikuou couldn't look away. Somewhere deep in the core of his being he could sense the truth in what everyone was saying.

Soulmates. Kazahaya is my soulmate?

He had known his feelings towards Kazahaya evolved the longer he was with the other boy. In the beginning he couldn't go a day without arguing with him, but after a few months Rikuou had started to notice...changes. The anger and impatience faded, though it was still so much fun to tease Kazahaya. The longer they spent together, Rikuou started to realize that he was attracted to Kazahaya. It was easy to acknowledge the physical attraction aspect because Kazahaya did have attractive features. But Rikuou realized that no matter how annoying Kazahaya could be or how tactless he could be, Rikuou was also attracted to these features about him. Everything about Kazahaya was intriguing and appealing to Rikuou, and by the time they were en route to Suiryo Boarding School, he was forced to face the realization that it wasn't simply an attraction to the other young man that he felt.

Rikuou knew that he was in love.

But...But this love. These feelings, this natural connection we feel. Our deep mutual ties to our sisters...it's because we're soulmates?

Rikuou glared back at Hisui and Kokuyo. "Is this why you brought me to the Green Drugstore?!" he demanded. "You're both loyal to the Kudo bloodline! I'm not a Kudo, Kazahaya is! Did you two only save me and give me shelter because I'm Kazahaya's soulmate?! Did you only agree to help me find Tsukiko because of this?! Would you not have helped me otherwise?!"

Hisui looked at him. His face was full of sorrow, which was the confirmation that Rikuou needed. But when he looked into the fallen angel's eyes, he felt the anger inside of him dissipate and his emotions cooled. "…I am deeply sorry, Rikuou," Hisui said. "For everything that you have both suffered. But you must know…that we helped you look for Tsukiko-san for your sake. Not for Kazahaya-kun's sake."

"Rikuou," Tsukiko said softly, and Rikuou turned to look at her. Her expression was serene. "Does it truly matter why they came to you to help you? Meeting Kazahaya-kun was something you needed to do."

"H-How—Onee-san, how did you know—"

"I'm getting angry," Kei suddenly announced.

The ground beneath them started shaking violently. Rikuou grabbed Tsukiko but they both tumbled to the ground. He heard Hisui scream and he looked over his shoulder. The earth suddenly rose underneath the angel and demon and rolled backwards, like a tidal wave. It sent the two flying backwards away from Rikuou and Tsukiko, and before they could recover the earth opened underneath them and they sank like they were in water. They struggled, but the earth enclosed around them until only their heads were visible above the ground.

"Kei, STOP!" Kazahaya screamed.

Kei responded by slamming her free hand around Kazahaya's throat. Rage flooded Rikuou's mind and he surged to his feet. "LET HIM GO!" he shrieked.

The ground rose quickly and sharply beneath Tsukiko, creating a hill 6 meters high. Rikuou could see that the earth had swallowed Tsukiko's legs, and only her body above her hips was exposed. She screamed as she swayed precariously on the new hill. "Tsukiko!" Rikuou shouted. He threw himself at the hill and tried to climb it.

"Halt," Kei said coldly.

Rikuou froze, and let himself slide back down the hill. He turned to face Kei. He saw from her grip that she wasn't strangling Kazahaya, but the hold was obviously not comfortable for him. He had let go of Kei's other arm and was cupping the wrist of the arm that held his throat. "Let them both go," he said tersely. "This is pointless, Kei."

"'Pointless'?" Kei echoed.

"You don't need to do ANY of this!" Rikuou snapped. "You just destroyed Ship of the Moon! Kazahaya and you are both free of that cult! You can do whatever you want, live the life you want! You don't need to keep attacking us, hurting us!"

"The only thing I want is Kazahaya," Kei responded, glaring at him. "The only thing I will ever need is Kazahaya! Every person in the world can die and I will not care! Only so long as I Kazahaya remains with me forever! But it's impossible now! It's impossible, and it's YOUR FAULT!" she shrieked.

She sounded like a jilted lover and not a girl missing her twin brother. The realization made Rikuou ill, but he knew better than to say anything about it. "I—"

"It's your fault," Kei spat. "So you're going to fix it for me!"

Huh?! Rikuou blinked in confusion.

"K-Kei," Kazahaya sputtered, trying to push her hand away. He sounded helpless, and the tone angered Rikuou more. "T-This—I t-told you that I would stay with you! I—I won't leave you again! I swear it! J-Just…please let them go!"

Kei looked at him for a long moment. She suddenly lunged forward and kissed him on the mouth. Rikuou lurched and covered his mouth, bile rising as he got the visual confirmation of what he had suspected.

She doesn't love Kazahaya. She's obsessively IN love with her own brother!

Kazahaya wore an expression of horror and disgust as Kei pulled away from him. She didn't visibly react to his expression as she reached out and stroked his cheek. "Do you hear yourself, Kazahaya? You would stay with me…but not for me. But for HIM."

She squeezed her hand tighter around his throat and Kazahaya gagged. "NO!" Rikuou shouted.

"Stay where you are, thief," Kei snapped. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she glared at him. "You stole Kazahaya. You took his heart from me. So you are going to make this right."

"Let them go," Rikuou said. "Kazahaya, and Tsukiko, they—"

Kei laughed and shook her head. "You selfish bastard! Demanding so much from me! Well, you're not going to be a hog who gets everything! Choose!"

The anger dissipated, and a cold numbing feeling filled Rikuou's body. "'Choose'?"

"Kazahaya, or Tsukiko-san," Kei snapped. "You don't get to have both! I want you gone, but you will not win! If you want Kazahaya, say so! If you want Tsukiko-san, say so!"

"W—WHAT?!" Rikuou roared. "You—"

"But whoever you don't choose, you will never see again," Kei said. "As you've seen, I'm stronger than ALL of you! I will do everything I do to spirit the person you don't choose away and you will never see them again!"

"R-Rikuou, just take Tsukiko-san and run!" Kazahaya sputtered. "I'll be okay!"

"You're not going to let Kazahaya leave," Rikuou said sharply. "This ultimatum is utterly pointless."

"Kazahaya will never stay with me willingly unless you let him go," Kei shot back. "He loves you more than me—so you MUST push him away! It's not enough for you to take Tsukiko-san and those abominations away! Look at my Kazahaya and you tell him that you don't love him! That you reject him! That you HATE HIM! Only then will I believe that you don't choose him!"

"K-Kei, please—"

"'I hate you, Kazahaya'," Kei said to Rikuou. "'I hate you and I never want to see you again'. Say it! Say it right now and I will be satisfied!"

Rikuou gaped at her. It honestly shocked him that after everything he suffered to get his sister back—after everything that he had gone through with Kazahaya—that the endgame hinged on him rejecting the man he loved.

…But our final foe IS a teenage girl my own age. I guess it's not a surprise that her demands are so immature and insane. It would almost be funny if Kei wasn't so dangerous to them all.

"Kei, please let me—" Kazahaya tried to beg.

"You had your chance, my love," Kei told him. Her tone was mournful in the moment. "You showed me that you would stay with me because of your love for HIM, and not for your love for me. I'm not letting ANY of them leave until that boy that you love more than me abandons you! Until I hear him reject you once and for all. Now SAY IT!" she shrieked at Rikuou.

"Guys, hang on!" Kokuyo shouted behind them. "I-I'll get loose—"

"And what will you do?" Kei called to him. "Attack me to save Kazahaya and that thieving bastard and his sister?"

Hisui and Kokuyo could not attack Kei; they all knew that. That was what made this battle even worse for all of them. Kei looked back at Rikuou. "Now—"

"Rikuou."

Rikuou quickly looked up at Tsukiko. His older sister was looking down at him. She was crying, but her expression was calm and she was wearing a sad smile. "Rikuou," she said again. "You have nothing to worry about. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Please…my little brother, make the right choice. That is what you must do. If you do anything less…I will never forgive you."

Rikuou stared at her stunned. The cold feeling inside of him spread quickly. Tears suddenly filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He clicked his mouth shut.

The right choice…the right choice. If I do what Kei says, I will never see Kazahaya again. But if I don't…

Rikuou blinked, and more tears fell. Silence swept over the area as he turned to look at the twins once more. His eyes fell upon Kazahaya, who was in tears as well. He held his gaze once more, and…and a burning sensation hummed in his chest. The warmth made the cold retreat, but not by much.

"Kazahaya," he said quietly. He swallowed hard. "Kazahaya, I…" he let his voice trail off.

"Good," Kei said, smiling with cold satisfaction. "Tell Kazahaya that you hate him. Then I will be satisfied, and you can go."

He felt the words at the back of his throat, but even thinking the words made him feel ill. To say that he hated Kazahaya, and never wanted to see him again…it felt like a betrayal of his entire being.

Rikuou clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His fingernails drew blood on his palms. He inhaled loudly and exhaled loudly. He blinked again, and his vision cleared. No…he knew what to do.

Trapezoid.

Rikuou focused on Kei's wrist, and on the small bone in question. A small 'crack' filled the air and Kei screamed, letting Kazahaya go. Kazahaya quickly scrambled away from his twin and crawled on all fours towards Rikuou.

"I won't give you what you want," Rikuou rasped. "Not after everything you already took from me. You will NOT take Kazahaya away from me!"

"Rikuou!" Kazahaya cried out.

"You BASTARD!" Kei screamed. "You will PAY!"

Dark energy erupted from her body and launched at Rikuou. Rikuou didn't feel the blow; he only saw the dark blood that geysered from his body when the strike sliced him from throat to navel.