Prologue Title: Chronicles of Time
“She’s dead!” The girl screamed. Tears fell out her eyes, and her shoulders shook uncontrollably. “Natsumi’s dead! Yuu, do something! Anything! Please...I beg you! S-save her!”
She shook the arm of the boy next to her who had a dark expression twisted with pain. “She’s...not dead.”
“H-huh?” The girl’s liquid golden eyes wavered. “W-what..do you mean?”
“Himari, Natsumi isn’t dead.” Another boy who looked almost identical to her gritted his teeth. Just why did the situation have to take a turn for the worst? If only they arrived earlier, then this wouldn’t have happened! Natsumi wouldn’t have been… No! Even if they had come earlier, what could they even do?!
He looked at the body of another girl who rested in his sister’s arms. Her face looked peaceful while the people who stood near her were in a somber mood.
“S-so...what...should w-we do now?” Himari sniffled, and tightened her grip around her precious friend.
“Now...we wait.” The black haired boy said, jamming his eyes shut regrettably. “That’s...all we can do now.”
“...huh? What are you talking about?” Himari screamed bizarrely. They’re supposed to just wait patiently? Until when? Until her friend wakes up from her sleep?! “Are we supposed to just leave her like this? Aren’t we her friends?”
“Himari, Yuu is just–!”
“Shut up, Sora!” Her sharp refute silenced her brother. “Why? Why are you not worried about Natsumi’s condition? Why? We’ve been with her since childhood! She’s like a sibling to us!”
“Himari–!”
“No, you don’t get to tell me to stop, Sora!” She spat out viciously. Why? Why is her brother not on her side? Why is it that she’s the only one who is actually concerned about her sleeping friend? Why don’t they get it? Why can’t they understand her feelings and her strong commitment towards her best friend?!
“Himari.”
“Why are you so calm, Yuu?!” She hissed at his words. “Natsumi...Natsumi poured her whole heart to you, you know? S-she...she loved you! So...why can’t you…? Why…?”
Fat droplets fell again from her eyes.
“...do you think...that I’m not conscious of that fact?” It was a bare whisper but she could hear his words so clearly. His voice was hoarse, which shocked her. “Do you...think that...I don’t know that?”
“Yuu…” Sensing that she pushed it too far, she wanted to reach out to him, to hug her other friend as well, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t able to move her hands.
“Do you think that...I didn’t...feel the same way?” Her eyes widened with disbelief. Her indifferent friend who never cried during emotional moments in movies, who always comforted them with haughty and heartless words–was shedding tears for someone else.
His usual cold ruby eyes blurred with thick salty tears.
“Yuu...why...why didn’t you tell her earlier?” Himari asked softly, her anger subsided. “You had plenty of time…!”
He stayed quiet, keeping his gaze on the dark damp road beneath him. Clenching his fists wasn’t enough! He committed one of the worst mistakes of his life–no, it wasn’t a mistake, it was a sin. Why...just why did he have to develop feelings? He wanted to destroy something. Anything. His insides were boiling with ire and drowning in the sadness of losing a loved one. Pathetic.
The pain was toxic.
He wanted to turn over the whole world! Destroy everything in his sight, and go on a rampage until he releases all his grief onto all the existing things on this planet–including himself. If only there was someone to stop him, to quell the negative emotions and thoughts bubbling inside him, threatening to take over his whole body!
It was so hard to scream! The only thing that came out of his mouth whenever he opened it were inaudible gasps and cries. It felt like the world didn’t want him to speak, and didn’t want others to hear him crying. Was that a good thing or not? He didn’t know!
A golden flash and a boy stepped out of the light and ran towards them after spotting their familiar figures.
“Wha–?” He stopped in the middle of his steps.
“It’s too late.” Yuu managed to squeak out. “You arrived...too late.”
The next second, he was pushed to the ground. He didn’t retaliate but just let it happen.
“You–!” The boy’s clear aqua blue eyes formed a deep glare. His palm radiated explosive energy, ready to kill.
“Go ahead. I deserve it either way. If I continue existing, I’ll just harm more people. I’m detrimental...no–my whole existence is.”
“You little–!” He reluctantly lowered his hands and got off him but not after giving a good kick to his shin. “At least take responsibility for something you did. And plus...you guys aren’t at fault.” He looked at the pitiful kids surrounding him with their eyes watering. “It was meant to happen either way. There’s no way to stop fate - though you tried your best, I’ll give you that….Where’s Akira?”
“He’s with Natsumi’s soul, protecting it from evil.” Yuu replied, standing up.
He nodded toward a white marble pendant hooked around the sleeping girl’s neck with a small tiny ruby planted in the middle.
The blonde haired boy nodded understandably. “For now, let’s leave this place. It’s not appropriate for her to continue resting here, Natsumi-chan wouldn’t like that either.”
He glanced at the dark haired siblings who looked at him with anticipation.
He sighed, exhausted. “I rushed when I heard the sound of her chain breaking, so I can’t do anything about this right now. And I can’t interfere much either, since gods could be removed from their positions if they get involved in human matters and twist fate too much.”
“But–!” Himari began to plead only to be cut off.
“Mortal, I understand that you are devastated over the loss of a friend, but this is a personal matter.” The boy said sternly, exuding a pressuring aura that made her clamp her mouth shut. “Natsumi shall wake, so don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure of that even if I have to destroy the string of fate itself; along with the blood flowing inside her. Now stop mourning, she’s not dead yet.”
“Himari.” Her brother gave her a comforting pat and she nodded. “Yuu, here. Take Natsumi.”
Yuu flinched when he heard his words, but raised his fingers with hesitation and the girl’s body rose into the air and drifted towards him. Her light purple hair now dark, and her shining crystal blue eyes which used to steal his gaze were now hidden behind a curtain. Ah, how painful it was to even look at her. Now in his arms carried the girl who he loved...and who he brought harm to.
“...let’s go,” he released the barrier around them.
With a snap of his fingers, they all disappeared.
***
“Where’s Natsumi?” Himari asked her brother who sat on the couch, filled with misery. “Where did Yuu take her?”
“To her room.” He replied monotonously. “He added an invisibility spell on her so she can’t be seen resting to other people besides us–otherwise if anyone comes to visit, they’ll think that we have killed someone.”
“Oh,” she nodded. “So, where did Takuma-san go?”
“Right here.” The blonde haired boy raised his hands and appeared out of a gold shower in thin air. “I just came back. I had to verify something.”
“I’ll go call Yuu down.” Himari said slowly. He’s been moping around upstairs ever since they arrived back in their home–Natsumi’s home. They inhabited her house ever since he appeared, and now just being in this place was suffocating since it held so many dear memories of their sleeping friend when she was awake and brimming with energy.
Once she arrived upstairs, she found herself frozen in front of the door. In Natsumi’s room was Yuu, who sat beside her bed and held onto her lifeless hands.
“You idiot...I’m sorry.” He whispered silently. His hand held onto hers, and the light in his eyes flickered as small water droplets formed. “Come back…”
Not able to hear his words, Himari walked over to him quietly when she saw him tearing up. Her heart was heavy, filled with emotions that even she couldn’t handle, so she could comprehend how Yuu felt. Since they both treasured Natsumi, and loved her.
“Yuu...Takuma-san, is calling for us.” Was all that she could say to his depressed state, then she left him alone in the tranquil room.
“How’s Yuu?” Sora asked when he saw his sister trudging down the steps.
“Sad.” Is all she said as she headed to the kitchen to make tea. Her eyes were red from crying, but the feelings of longing for her friend still hadn’t simmered down. Her hands trembled as she arranged the cups and poured the boiling water from the steaming kettle into the teapot.
“I’ll handle this.” A strong hand took the tray from her shaky hands. She looked up to find her brother’s warm smile with cracks in it. “You can just...sit down for now.”
“...okay.” After a while, her brother came out of the kitchen with the tea. His eyes had a hint of redness but she pretended to not notice as she picked up her cup, trying to be her usual confident self.
The blonde boy, whom she called Takuma-san, examined the two with keen eyes, and sighed. “She’ll be alright, so don’t worry. You’re really close to her, aren’t you?”
She bit her lip and attempted to stop the tears from spilling again.
“Natsumi-chan would be disappointed if she saw you guys cry about her, wouldn’t she?”
“Mmm…”
“So, don’t cry anymore. And you–you have to toughen up.” He spoke loudly and shot a mean look towards Yuu who teleported into the same room with his eyes hidden underneath his unruly hair.
“...got it.”
“What if...she never opens her eyes?” Himari murmured, fidgeting with the side of her cup.
“Right now, I’m trying to find the person who she imprinted her other half on.” Takuma-san said calmly, taking up a cup of tea. “It’ll be difficult, but if we find her other half, we can revive her. As long as that person is easy to coax, then we can get our precious person back.”
“And how will you do the search?” questioned Sora who looked at him with serious eyes. “We’ll help as well since just one person isn’t enough. Natsumi’s other half could be on the other side of the planet for all we know.”
“No, I’ve pinned them down to this country.” He shook his head. “They are residing somewhere in this country. I’ll contact you all when I find them, otherwise, I’ll continue searching independently.”
“How will you search alone?” Himari plucked up her courage to ask.
“I have my ways.” He said with a mysterious smile. “I’m a mountain god. God of felines and bravery. I’ll manage by myself.”
#novel #fiction #fantasy
Chapter One: The Encounter Title: The Chronicles of Time (Book 1)
Natsumi trudged down the heated road, the asphalt about to burn the soles off her shoes. Her book bag slung over her shoulders and her hair messy and dampened with sweat.
“Why...is it...so hot?” She panted. As she arrived at the gates of her house, her exhausted mood instantly vanished the second she saw a giant furball rushing toward the other side of the gate. “Koru!”
“Ruff! Ruff!” Her giant dog barked and danced around, waiting for her to enter and hug him.
“Back down,” she pressed his head down and shooed him away so she could step inside. After closing the gates, she immediately headed towards her dog who laid down patiently for her to approach. “Who’s a good doggo?”
He rubbed his head in her hands as she laughed and kissed him all over.
“I’m going to go inside now since it's so hot. You stay out here, alright?” She gave him a pat on the head then walked inside her cool house, locking the door behind her. Her hands were sticky with sweat, and she reeked! She headed straight to the bath, and made sure to scrub herself real good with her favorite soap and changed into comfortable clothes.
“Hahh...I’m starving...when will Sachi-san arrive with the goodies?” Her mother’s friend, Sachi-san had always treated her like her own daughter. Ever since her parents died in an unknown accident, her grandmother moved in with her at the age of seven. Her grandmother was strict, but also kind; however, she wasn’t the adult that a seven year old child needed. Sachi-san, on the other hand, is always there for her, including her children: a girl and a boy who look almost identical to each other besides their age and eyes.
She provided her with food and comfort, always checking up on her until she started a shop and became much busier as Natsumi grew older.
As she drowned in the cold air that circulated her room, her eyelids grew heavy until she heard a loud thud. Her blankets rustled as she moved around, too tired to move from her bed.
“Wha–?” She mumbled sleepily. “Whazzat?”
Another thud woke her up completely, and she got up, and looked around the house. She couldn’t spot where the sound was coming from which made her confused. She searched only to walk in circles. She walked on her toes, perching and peeking around the house holding her slippers. It was only when her shoulders relaxed she set down her slippers again.
Small pounding drew her attention to her parent’s room, and she turned the doorknob slowly. She coughed when dust greeted her the second she stepped inside.
“Ugh! It’s so...dusty!” She fanned the air, and covered her mouth to not breathe in dust. She opened the window and took a deep breath of fresh air, then coughed again. “We should’ve ventilated this room more.”
No one dared to enter this room ever since the day of the accident as if they were trying to preserve it. Dust eddied every step she took. Her mind was lost elsewhere as she observed the messy room that was unoccupied for the last nine years of her life. Her fingers reached for the surface of the old desk her father used to write on. The deep pencil marks that were dug into the surface of the hard wood from the times when they would write their names down and draw themselves still could be seen.
“Ah, right. Me and dad used to scribble here,” she reminisced. “It was...very fun.”
At every turn, hazy childhood memories popped up, and she smiled.
“I should’ve come back here from time to time.” A sudden noise snapped her out of her trance. “Oh right, that sound.”
The sound was located in this room, but she found herself unable to find the medium. An idea lit up in her mind and she flattened herself on the ground and started patting it down like a maniac.
“You may think of me as mad...but you never know unless you try.” She said enthusiastically underneath her breath with her cheeks pressed against the floorboards. “If this is a movie, then there’ll be a secret compartment underneath the floor…”
A tiny click and she scooched back to find a secret compartment revealing itself. The floorboards slid away to unveil a stone safe with only a key hole on top. She gasped dramatically.
“Two hundred IQ!” Natsumi yelled, pumping her fist into the air. “I knew it! Watching all those dramas paid off! I’ll have to tell this to Sora-san, now he can’t make fun of me!”
Natsumi moved closer to the safe and frowned. “A key…? Is this some kind of treasure hunt dad created for fun? A key…? Where could it be? Ah!”
Her hands fumbled around her neck and she pulled out a necklace buried deep in her clothes and a small key dangled at the center. After removing the necklace from her neck, she inserted the key into its rightful place, praying that it'd fit. It slid in without a fight, and she turned the key with hesitation.
Who would’ve thought that the key her parents handed to her on her fifth birthday would play such an important role? They did say to keep it safe, but at that time she didn’t know what they meant.
’What if there’s something weird in there?” she thought, creeped out. But it was too late. The lid of the safe opened automatically and darkness occupied the interior.
“What? So there was nothing at all?” She pouted disappointedly. “What a let down.”
She regretted saying that. The next second, she jumped back as something shot out of the darkness. A small child’s hand reached out into the air, and moved around slowly, patting the sides of the safe. Natsumi, frightened, kept quiet and looked at the hand in wonder.
Why was there a moving hand in the safe? What was going on? Questions ran through her confused mind. Natsumi was so shocked that she couldn’t budge. But filled with curiosity, she finally approached the safe cautiously, and touched the hand that was groping its surroundings.
“Hello–? Ah!” She shrieked as the hand took hold of her, and grabbed onto her tightly, refusing to release her. She squirmed around, trying to pull her hand away but the grip on her was just too strong.
Out came a young boy wearing an oversized shirt, dragging across the floor. He yawned sleepily, and rubbed his eyes, the long sleeves dangling in the air.
“W-who are you?” She asked, awestruck. He let go of her hand and looked down at her. His beauty was captivating, and with his smooth long black hair and his ruby red eyes, he could be a child model if he wished to.
“What’s this? A girl?” He bent down so suddenly that Natsumi was pushed back against the wall, startled. He stared at her with interested eyes. “...I feel like I’m forgetting something ...hmmm...ah! You must be their daughter! Izanami Natsumi, right? The one I’m engaged with.”
“Yes, I’m–” she stopped short, belatedly noticing his last sentence. “What? What do you mean “engaged with”?”
“It means exactly that,” he said while dusting himself off although his shirt was already–surprisingly–crystal clean. His clear red eyes swept over her, and looked at her closely. “You’re...all right. Didn’t meet my standards, but you’re fine. I’m just glad that I didn’t end up with an obese woman. Your parents told me we're to be married.”
“...huh?” she couldn’t help but feel pissed off. She didn't expect such a haughty kid. Was he insulting her or complimenting her? And in his arrogant tone too? That just fanned her flames. “Well, excuse me, but I never thought that I would have such a tiny partner.”
She grinned at the big height differences.
“Are you mocking me?” He glared at her, offended. He grabbed her face rudely and she found herself leaning forward, their faces so close to each other.
“Urgh!”
“You know that I’m your fiance, right?” He said angrily. He rummaged through his pocket with his other hand and threw a document onto her lap and continued to talk. “I only became short so I could fit in the goddamn box and conserve my energy. It wasn’t so that you could make fun of my height. If anything, just wait till I go back to my original form; we’ll see who’s going to be the short one.”
He shook off his hands and she rubbed her red cheeks. How rude!
She blinked, puzzled. “What do you mean “original form”?”
“It means exactly that.” He snapped his fingers and the safe behind them vanished and the floorboards returned back to their original position. “First, let’s–”
“Whoa!” she exclaimed excitedly. “How did you do that, kid? Some kind of magic trick?”
He gave her a are-you-serious? look. “No? Of course not! This is magic! Real magic! Would you like me to explode that tiny mind of yours so you could understand that what I’m doing is magic?”
Her hair stood up, and she felt provoked. Just why was this kid so riled up by a single question? He sounded so...haughty and toxic.
“Well, I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to tell that you are a magic-wielder that only belongs in the fantasy world.” She said sarcastically, expecting him to retaliate back.
“Magic-wielder huh?” He pondered about the word for a bit then nodded firmly. “Sounds about right. I’m a magic-wielder, a very powerful one at that.”
She almost choked on her spit. Why was this child so serious about this? Is that how she was like when she was younger, role-playing as magical girls who saved the world? It made her shiver in cringe. But what made her feel embarrassed the most was his confident tone.
“R-really?” She looked away from his shining eyes.
“Of course. I’m a genius.” He boasted. It was hard to tell whether he was joking around, or just deluding himself. “I’m the most advanced and powerful magician in this entire world. I can blow up cities in just one wave, and destroy a whole continent with just one snap. How awesome am I? And yet, you dared to call me tiny?”
“...yes, you are the most powerful, oh great magician, and I am your humble servant,” she rolled her eyes. “So, will the most extravagant lord of all magic do me the favor and show me more proof? Pardon my rude request, it's not like I’m doubtful about your words or anything.”
In other words–she just wanted to have an excuse to see more “magic”.
“...okay, you can stop making fun of me now, and treating me as a deluded child.” His mouth formed a straight line, making it obvious that he wasn’t going to deal with her taunts. With a flick of his fingers, fire danced on the tip of his fingers, and he waved it around boldly. His expression was indifferent, and no pain was shown on his face.
“How did you do that?” She reached out to touch the flamed, awestruck, but the fire vanished when he closed his hands suddenly and she withdrew her hands. “What was that for? I wanted to–”
“Ah~! I’m hungry~!” He said with a bored tone, smirking. “I feel like dying~! My head feels dizzy due to my lack of nutrients; after all, I’ve been locked up in that safe for eight years~!”
Eight years? Those words blew her mind, and she was in a daze. Eight years?! Which human could live for that long in a dark box like that without starving or dying of dehydration? Unless...he isn’t human like he claimed to be? She immediately turned towards him, sweating inside. She wasn’t sure whether to be glad or not that she didn’t find a corpse inside the safe and received a snobby child instead.
'Ah, what am I supposed to do with this nonhuman, dramatic, and aggravating child?' She had a strong urge to whack him so he could get off his high horse, but he was just a child which made her control herself.
“Okay...let’s get you some food first, yeah?” She said slowly, still shocked by her new guest. She grabbed the piece of paper off of her lap and stuffed it into her pocket. “Let’s head this way.”
#fantasy #novel #fiction
Chapter Two: The Siblings Title: Chronicles of Time (Book One)
“So, what is up with your...um...plain cooking?” The boy looked at the dishes in front of him with distaste. “It’s so...basic.”
The scrambled eggs tasted so bland, it made him feel peeved. Why was this girl so useless? First she started teasing him, and now she serves this tasteless dish. Is she trying to make him pissed off?
‘Is this the best she could cook?’ One look at her depressed expression made him sigh. ‘They engaged me with a horrible chef.’
“Well...I can’t cook anything else besides scrambled eggs, and I forgot to buy groceries yesterday.” She said with a small “te-he!” which just made him even more irritated. “It’s not that bad!”
She took the chopsticks from him and picked up some of the dish and placed it in her mouth.
“Does it not taste flavorless to you?” He let out a deep breath.
She gulped it down and averted his eyes. “I-it tastes fine. Besides, children shouldn’t be too picky!”
He groaned, tired of her calling him a child. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not a child!”
“Alright, alright,” she rolled her eyes, “if you’re not going to eat then go take a bath.”
“What? Why–?” He was pushed into the bath before he could even finish his sentence and he was left alone to strip off his own clothes. “I-I think I’ve just lost my sanity.”
***
Natsumi went to fetch extra clothes for him, and dug around her drawers for a “cool shirt” as the commanding boy ordered before he was left deserted in the bathroom. She pulled out a large hoodie that was hidden all the way underneath her clothes and she nodded with satisfaction to herself.
The hoodie itself was cool(?), with its dark black color and small red mist hovering at the bottom. It seemed awfully large, but since there were no pants available for him due to his small size, having him wear an oversized shirt was fine.
She quietly entered the bathroom and looked away from the tub, and set the clothes on the toilet cap. “There’s some clothes here.”
“Okay...thanks.”
She blinked, confused. Why did his voice sound deeper? Was something messing with her mind? She shook it off, blaming it on her fatigue and exited the bathroom. She made herself a cup of hot cocoa and stirred it with a small teaspoon, exhausted and famished.
“When will the food arrive?” In the meantime, she headed toward her homework, glaring at the textbooks and restrained her hands from stabbing it and ripping it to shreds. She’ll be punished if she did that. After a few minutes, a loud knock on the door made her smile widely with her dark eyes sagging; glad to be lured away from the books that tormented her mind.
“Yo, Natsu–” he jumped back and almost stumbled over a big white ball of fur when he saw her face. “Why are you so tired? Did you not rest well? I swear you didn’t look a day over twelve when I saw you this morning, and now you look like you’re sick of life. Did something happen?”
“Thank you for your compliments, and if you didn’t bring food–please end me.” She rubbed her eyes, feeling them burn.
“Well...good thing is I did bring food.” He held up a bag and her expression turned to relief. They headed inside with the door slamming behind them and her dog rubbing against her legs. He separated the food he brought into plates and handed it to a groaning Natsumi.
“I was so hungry!” She whined, chomping on a piece of meat. “Oo no ow mukh ah’ve been waising?”
“I can’t understand your language, finish eating then talk.” The boy snickered, his hand ruffling up his messy dark blue hair.
“Sora, why didn’t Himari come along too?”
“Hm? Himari? She’s–”
“Hey, do you have any other shirts?” Natsumi choked on her food and coughed when her eyes saw the boy walking into the room. The boy who was pestering her an hour ago suddenly became taller. No–that wasn’t the only change. He looked...much more mature, but as usual, his beauty was stunning. A towel was wrapped around his waist, and...man! Those muscles! It captured her interest and she was practically drooling!
“Natsumi, who is that?” Sora’s sharp voice brought her back to reality.
“Huh? Wha?” She slammed down her chopsticks. “Um...thi-this is my cousin! H-he ran away from home because my aunt was too strict!”
Both of them looked equally as astounded as she was, not understanding what she just sputtered out. She prayed that he would take the hint and follow along with her story.
“...yes, I am her cousin who ran away from home because I was a disobedient child…” he held back his laugh at her amusing story. “You can call me Yuu.”
Sora glanced at him warily. “Really? Alright…nice to meet you.” He scanned Natsumi’s face skeptically to find a trace of guilt on her face which gave it away. “...I’ll be right back.”
He stood up from his seat, pushed in his chair, then with a loud slam, he left, but not before he bumped into Yuu and shot him a threatening look.
“Tch, he just had to leave me to do the dishes.” Natsumi shook her head and glared at the spot where Sora sat just then. “It was supposed to be his job!”
“Um, hello? I need another shirt, remember?” Yuu said, waving the black hoodie around. “I need a cooler one. A hotter one. Don’t you have any capes, or like, loose black chiffons?”
“No, we don’t. So put that on, and stop complaining.” She said airily, and cleaned up her dishes after losing her appetite. She looked away from Yuu, not used to his new appearance yet. “Geez, you’re so troublesome. Why did you have to come out at such a bad timing too? It would’ve been better if you still looked like a child; Sora loves kids.”
“I fell asleep in the bath since it was so warm, and I woke up to find this large shirt. What else can I do?”
“You could’ve just waited until he left! Couldn’t you hear someone else’s voice in the house? That should be a red flag itself.”
“Well, tell me that earlier next time,” he scoffed. “I can do whatever I want.”
“You moron!” She muttered, agitated. Even though he looked different, his personality didn’t change at all. “I don’t get why you make such a big deal out of clothes.”
Noticing that her eyes avoided him, he smirked playfully. “Why? Don’t you think that I’ll look good in a chiffon, or even cooler in a cape? Unless...you prefer me nude like this?” He put a hand to his hip and gave a little tug on the towel. She gaped, flustered.
“Y-you! What are you trying to do?” The dishes in her hands almost slipped but, thankfully, she caught them in time. “And, h-how did you suddenly grow so tall?”
If taking a bath would make people become taller, then everybody would’ve tried that technique.
“Magic, duh!” He waved his hands, bored of her questions. “Whatever. I’ll just summon up some clothes for myself.”
With a snap, his towel around his waist was replaced with comfortable silk black pants, and his exposed chest was covered with a flowy black chiffon and a red latin ribbon wrapped around his neck.
“Whoa!” She exclaimed, dropping the dishes into the sink. “That’s amazing! You look so...cool!”
He grinned, tying his long smooth and shiny black hair with a ruby hair stick which made his eyes glow faintly. “Right? I have a better sense of taste than you.”
“That’s just wrong. I have awesome tastes in clothes, thank you very much.”
“By the way, who was that boy just then?”
“Huh? Sora?” Natsumi thought about how to explain their relationship to him. “He’s...like a big brother I never had, basically. He has a sister too. Just wait ’till you meet her. She’s really energetic.”
They talked a bit more and it wasn’t until almost half an hour passed that a commotion stirred up.
“We’re here!” A loud shout made her jump, and they both peeked into the hallway.
“Himari…?” Her brows furrowed when she saw the blue haired girl who shimmered under the moonlight with a bright smile.
“Yes! It’s me! I’ve come to sleep over!” Himari waved cheerfully with a big duffel bag behind her. Natsumi shot Sora a look, but he turned away.
‘He probably brought along Himari on purpose.’
She sighed deeply and waved them in. When they all settled down, she started to reintroduce Yuu again.
“Any questions?” she asked when she finished explaining her story.
“Yes, why is the boy so handsome?” Himari said, awestruck.
“I’m just like that.” Yuu grinned proudfully.
“...moving on,” Natsumi rolled her eyes. “So, Yuu will be staying here from now on. You’ll be staying in the guest room next to Sora’s, he’ll show you.”
They nodded and she went up to her room along with Himari who kept on glancing at Yuu until Natsumi took her by the hand and dragged her up. The first thing she said the second she got to her room was–
“Don’t trust him.” She warned Himari who was a little taken back by her sudden words.
“What?”
“Don’t trust him. Don’t be fooled by his handsome looks. He isn’t as nice as he seems. He’s an arrogant, handsome, annoying, handsome, irritating, handsome fellow.”
“You know you just said–”
“Yes, I know. He’s a very wicked boy.” Natsumi said, nodding understandingly, ignoring what Himari was trying to point out.
“...yes? Get straight to the point.”
Natsumi took a deep breath then spoke without hesitation. “He’s my fiance that I found locked up for eight whole years in a safe in my parent’s room, and big plus - he’s a powerful magician that can blow up the whole planet if he wished to.”
“Huh?” She had a blank expression, not understanding what her best friend was talking about and deemed it as nonsense. “Magician? Aren’t they in fairytales?”
She snorted and handed her the paper that she was given before. “Yeah and somehow one of them appeared into our world, and specifically–living under the same roof as us.”
“You’re...kidding, right?” she said incredulously, the sheet dropping from her hands after she glanced through it.
“No, I’m not.” Natusmi said firmly. Himari gaped at her, not sure what to say.
“What?” she exclaimed excitedly. “I’m going right now! I gotta go ask him to get rid of all my worries and exterminate the money system, so we can get things for free! It’s such a hassle to pull out my wallet every time I need to pay for something.”
“Hold on!” Natsumi grabbed her friend who was about to rush out the door. “I’ve got a plan. Just listen to me for a bit.”
She whispered into her ear and smiled inwardly, pumping her fists inside.
‘Ha! I’m going to get back at him so bad for showing me that rude attitude, that he's gonna bawl like a child!’
Himari thought about it for a moment. “If we’re going to do that, then we’ll need to get some snacks and beverages. I’ll go fetch some with Sora in the convenience store nearby, you prepare things. This will be a great way to celebrate the new arrival!”
They gave each other a salute and laughed wickedly.
“This is going to be so much fun!”
#Fantasy #fiction #novel
Chapter Three: A Game At Night Title: Chronicles of Time
“So, I’ll explain the rules of the game, everyone ready?” Natsumi said, looking around the table. They all nodded, and she continued. “We three,” she gestured towards the siblings and herself, “already know the rules, but I’ll explain it again since we’ve got a newcomer.”
“Can’t he just watch us play instead?” Sora asked.
“No!” Himari and Natsumi shouted together, in sync.
“You see, we have to make sure that Yuu also feels like one of us.” Himari explained while Natsumi nodded her head in agreement behind her as if this was all planned out.
“So, in order to do that, we decided to play the game.” Natsumi added on dramatically.
“You don’t have to do that, I don’t really care to be honest.” Yuu shrugged, his hand inched toward a pack of pocky but only to be slapped away. “You could just hand me these snacks and I’ll be fine with just that. It’s not as if I wanted to be one of you either way.”
“I kind of get what you mean by how he’s not as he seems,” Himari whispered into Natsumi’s ear.
“I told you!” Natsumi whispered back.
Yuu coughed. “You know, Natsumi once broke someone’s limited edition One Piece–”
“Okay, it’s time for you to shut up.” Natsumi clamped her hand over his mouth and smiled nervously at Sora who looked at them cluelessly while patting Koru’s fur.
“What’s up?” He said, tilting his head when he saw her anxiousness.
After confirming that he didn’t hear anything, Natsumi grabbed Yuu by the arm and dragged him outside.
“You, how do you know that?” She hissed, closing her bedroom door behind her.
“Doesn’t mean that because I’ve been asleep, I can’t hear everything inside this house. I was conscious enough to hear that loud crack of a figure and a “Oh crap, Sora’s gonna kill me for breaking his limited edition One Piece figure”, honey.”
“Don’t call me that!” She smacked him on the arm.
“I advise you to not use violence on a man that could blackmail you any second.” He smirked and she stopped launching punches at him. “I know everything about you. Your three sizes” he earned a tiny slap with a glare for that, “and the fact that you fantasize about your future with hot dreamy boys at night, and you’d kick and scream in excitement. Mind you, that was annoying but amusing to hear. Does it thrill you to dream about handsome men when you could’ve awakened me earlier?”
Her face was as red as a tomato. “I-I...I wish I hadn’t awoken you at all!”
“How come? I’m the hottest guy in the entire world, and you prefer your fake dream boys instead of me? A real life hot guy?”
She stayed silent, screaming curses at his handsome face inside her mind.
‘Oh, I’ll ruin his pretty face so he'll shut up!’ She swore to herself. They went back into the room with the two siblings staring at them with curiosity.
“What’d you talk about?” Sora interrogated suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Natsumi replied automatically. “Then, let’s get started. You see here, we have different textbooks in front of us,” she pointed to the hard covered books in front of each of them, “and we’ll use these to ask each other textbook questions. Now, there’s going to be a cup filled with popsicle sticks and each one has a number on it which leads to...our board of punishments!”
On que, her friend pulled out a white board with lists of punishments.
“So, this is how it’s going to go: you pick someone and ask them a question. If they get it wrong, you can choose any punishment you want for them–but you’re not using the board. For example, if Himari gets it wrong, I can make her eat a whole pack of chips in five seconds if I want to. It’s all going to be time limited, so if you fail, you have to pick up another punishment from the cup.”
“So, the punishment has something to do with the snacks placed here?” Yuu pointed to the piles of food.
“Yes, since if we make someone spill out secrets, we don’t know what’s going to happen.” She gave Yuu a look. “We’re limiting it to food related punishments only, besides for the ultimate punishment. However, if the person you asked gets the answer right, you’ll have to take a popsicle stick, and do whatever is listed underneath the number you have. We made it this way because almost nobody gets the answers wrong, which is no fun because we don’t get to see anyone die–I mean, get punished. Himari, you can take over, I’m thirsty.”
“Okay, so like she said–the ultimate punishment. It’s something that we all decide together.” Himari took out a paper and a pencil out of nowhere. “So we discuss amongst ourselves and finalize that last punishment, and we’re done. Whoever loses the most receives the ultimate punishment. We’ll be keeping the score on the bottom of the white board–any questions?”
The others shook their heads.
“Good, then let’s get some suggestions.”
“How about whoever gets landed with the ultimate punishment has to clean the house for a whole month?” Sora said, looking at the others for approval.
“Yeah, but if you get landed with that, you’ll just grumble and curse at us.” Natsumi chirped up. “So that’s no good.”
“How about whoever receives the punishment has to do all of our homeworks?” Himari piped up.
“Do you want us to die?” Sora shot her a look.
“Oh come on, you can handle it.” Natsumi said with a smirk.
“Why do you sound so confident that I’ll fail?” He whined, feeling discriminated against. “I don’t always lose!”
“So then, any other suggestions?”
“How about...whoever loses has to tell a story.” Yuu spoke up which startled them since he’s been silent the whole time. “There’s no loss in that. We just have to tell an interesting story. Besides, shouldn't we go easy since it's the first time I'm playing?”
They exchanged glances then nodded in agreement.
“Who’ll go first?” Natsumi looked around eagerly for a volunteer.
“I’ll go first! I choose Himari.” Sora grinned devilishly inwardly while plastering an innocent smile on his face. He flipped the pages of his book and found a pleasing question. “When did Hirihoto rule, and when did his life expire?”
“He started ruling in 1926, and died in 1989.” Himari answered correctly, not fazed at all.
He frowned disappointedly. “It’s no fun with you since you never get things wrong.” He took a popsicle stick from the cup and got the number four. “Chug a whole bottle of ramune and...eat four mini powdered donuts in fifteen seconds? You’re kidding me.”
“C’mon, time to get this over with.” Natsumi slid a pack of powdered donuts to him with a cheerful smile, and Yuu popped a bottle of ramune and gave it to him while Himari took out a small timer. “Drink up!”
He gulped the bottle of fizzy soda down, feeling his stomach bubble. Tiny streams of soda drizzled down from his chin, and made his fuzzy light blue sweater wet. “Ugh.”
“Now the donuts!”
“Hold on–” a donut was shoved into his mouth and his face turned pale as he chewed quickly. “Ughhh! I feel like throwing up. That did not go down well.”
The others snickered at him.
“Who’s next?”
“We should’ve let Yuu go first since he’s the newcomer.” Himari realized. “Then Yuu, how about you ask Natsumi a question?”
“Sure…let’s see…ah! How many chromosomes are in a human body?”
“46.” She smiled proudly and handed him the popsicle cup. “Choose.”
He fished out the number 3 and looked at her with a sense of dread. “Oh no…”
“Let’s see…whip cream?” She turned to him with a sly smile. She grabbed his hands and personally squeezed cream onto them. He tried to jerk away but it made her hold onto his hand even more firmly. Himari tried not to laugh while Sora looked at him pitifully. “I’ll make you sully that face you’re so proud of! Oh yeah I will!”
He gulped at the 3 inch mountain on his palm. He couldn’t back out with the others looking at him like a hawk. It’s not that he couldn’t use magic but…
“Go on!” She egged him on. He looked at it hesitantly and lifted his hand close to his face but her instinct got the best of her patience and she leaned forward and slapped his hand. There was a loud splat and excess cream fell on the table and over his clothes. There was a deep silence.
“...damn you!” He scowled. The others bursted out laughing at the spectacle.
“S-sorry!” Natsumi laughed uncontrollably. Himari rolled around beside her and Sora covered his mouth but it couldn’t hide his trembling smile.
He felt furious and shamed, but an idea struck him. He took her hand gently which made her pause and brought it towards his lips and licked the drops of cream that fell on her. “You got some cream on you, I’ll help you clean it up.”
Her eyes zoomed in at his tongue playing around with the tips of her fingers. She could feel his hot breath pouncing on her skin and his sticky saliva wrapped around her. She shuddered and yanked her hand away, her face red.
“W-what was that for?”
“Nothing, I was just simply helping my lov–” A pillow was thrown at his face before he could even finish what he was about to say.
Sora gaped at them while Himari laughed even more. “S-stop teasing her! S-she’s too innocent!”
***
“I can’t...do this anymore.” groaned Yuu, about to faint from consuming too much junk. “Ugh, who created this game?”
They avoided each other’s eyes which made Yuu sigh in disbelief.
“Himari started it,” Sora ratted out, sweeping the empty bags of chips into a large garbage bag. Himari elbowed him, and threw a flimsy plastic at him but it drifted towards the opposite direction. “You missed.”
“Oh, but I won’t miss this time, snitch.” She grabbed a bottle of ramune and aimed it at him, ready to throw. Natsumi quickly snatched it out of her hands and placed it in the bag filled with glass bottles.
“Now, now. Let’s not be mad, since snitches get stitches.” Natsumi comforted her.
“Hey!” Sora glared at her.
The two boys hauled the trash bags downstairs and threw it into the garbage can in the front yard, then headed back into the house; leaving the girls to pack all the unopened snacks away.
“So, Yuu, you lost,” Natsumi brought up slowly, her voice fraught with humor, “which was totally unexpected, and unpredictable.”
“Must’ve really damaged your pride, huh?” Himari eyes flickered towards him playfully. Over the past hour, she came to realize that Yuu wasn’t the handsome gentlemen she thought he’d be. Natsumi was right, he was very wicked.
“Whatever. Much ventured, much lost.” Yuu quoted.
“Wise man, what is your story?” Sora asked wistfully, stroking an imaginary beard.
Yuu sighed, and waved them closer. “Huddle in children, huddle in. I’ll tell you a story from long ago…”
***
“You know, in that story Yuu told, it felt really familiar.” Natsumi said, trying to recall where she heard it from. “I don’t know why, but it’s as if I’ve heard of it before...I just don’t know where!”
Himari patted her on the back while tossing her pillow aside on the bed. “Well, take your time. We’re still young, so there’s plenty of time to do some old thinking.”
“I’m going to go brush my teeth.” Natsumi grumbled. “And I thought that you would help.”
Her friend laughed lightly behind her as she left the room with a huff. After coming out of the bathroom, she was lost in thought and walked blindly, bumping into Yuu.
“What’s up with you?” He smirked.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about that story you told us.” Natsumi replied casually. Yuu, who was a bit surprised by her answer, quickly straightened himself up. “I feel like I heard it before.”
“Well, you must’ve heard it from a bedtime story or something.” he said and patted her head. “It’s time for you to head to sleep.”
“I am going to sleep!” Natsumi declared, shrugging off his touch. First it's Himari calling her old, now it's Yuu who’s treating her as a young child? Sure, it must’ve been payback for teasing him earlier, but she was not in the mood for any of that. Something felt so familiar about that story, but she just couldn’t figure it out! Just why is it irritating her?
“How’d it go?” Himari looked up from her phone and closed it. “I heard Yuu’s voice outside just now and yours, something happened?”
“No,” Natsumi grumbled and climbed into bed, “nothing happened.”
“Okay, okay, time for us to sleep. Tuck in.”
The room went dark and after a few minutes, she could hear Himari’s soft breathing beside her. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed. Something was strange. She felt...so different when Yuu’s existence arrived into her world. It honestly felt like a dream, after all, magicians aren’t real. Magic isn’t real. But after seeing his proof, she couldn’t deny that fact anymore.
“This isn’t real…” she mumbled underneath her breath, careful to not wake her best friend. “Must be a dream…”
“What’s a dream?”
The sudden voice startled her and she stifled her scream. His long black hair swayed on top of her as he leaned in.
“Yuu?!” she hissed with a hush. “What are you doing here this late? This is the girl’s room!”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“And you thought that it was alright to sneak into my room?!” she said in a hushed voice, angrily.
“Well, yeah.” Yuu shrugged nonchalantly. “What’s the big idea? I come into your room all the time, and you said you’re fine with it.”
“When did I ever say that?” She sat up and cocked her head.
Yuu quickly covered up his mistake. “Ah, sorry. I got you mixed up with someone else.”
“Must’ve, since I never heard those words coming out of my mouth before.” She hmphed. A light touch made her realize that her friend was sleeping beside her, and she gestured Yuu outside the room and followed him out.
“Are you not sleepy?” He asked her. She gave him a whack on the head which left him in shock.
“Do you think I can be sleepy when a creep enters my room in the middle of the night?” She growled menacingly.
He frowned. “It’s not as if I did something perturbing or inappropriate.”
“You can’t just walk into a person’s room–”
“I teleported, actually.” He corrected her which made her scoff.
“Whatever, just next time don’t do it ever again.”
“Well, it's not as if you could sleep either.” He pointed out.
“I-I can sleep.” She stammered awkwardly. She paused at her room’s front door, conscious of the fact that she would just stare at the ceiling all night if she went back in there.
“Go ahead.” Yuu jeered. “Don’t you want to sleep?”
“...I’m thirsty.” She lied, and headed downstairs with Yuu behind her. She grabbed a glass and filled it with some water from the pitcher and gulped it down. “I’m going back to sleep, and nothing you say will change my mind.”
“Wanna talk?” He suggested.
“Okay,” she replied immediately.
“Thought that you were going to sleep, huh?” He sneered at her, who tapped her cup, absent minded. “Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
He snapped his fingers and they both vanished into thin air.
#Fiction #fantasy #novel
Chapter Four: Surprise Title: Chronicles of Time
“Where is this place?” She shivered as the heavy winds blew past her. “It’s freezing, and I’m in my nightwear!”
“Is it that cold?” Yuu glanced at her, and snapped his fingers. A heat shield covered them, and warmth spread through her body; she sighed in relief. “That better?”
“Should’ve done that earlier,” she said, “anyway, let’s talk.”
“What is bothering you?”
“So...my parents locked you up in that box, didn’t they?” She asked him. “Answer truthfully and don’t prevaricate.”
“Yeah, they did. I asked for it.” Yuu said without a care in the world.
She gave him a bewildered look. “You asked them to lock you up? How crazy is that?”
“Hmm...now that I think of it, I don’t think I was in the right mind at that time. It’s so blurry.” Everytime he tried to recall what happened, a sharp pain would run through his head which would make him give up.
“Do you..perhaps not really remember?” She asked him carefully.
“All I remember is something about a daughter being my fiancee, and someone casting a spell.”
‘Hold on. If he doesn’t remember it clearly, maybe there’s a possibility that I’m not engaged with him?’ She smiled widely. ‘And wait–could my parents also be magicians? Does that mean that I can use magic too?’
“Why are you smiling like a fool?” He raised an eyebrow and she wiped her goofy grin off her face.
“N-nothing.”
“Anyways, why couldn’t you sleep?”
She laid down on the soft grass below her and sighed. “Something was bothering me and–hey! You aren’t even listening!”
He closed his palm and the flash of red light disappeared. “What? No–I am listening. Go on.”
She shot him a are-you-sure? look. “Well...I was thinking about–”
“Yes, yes. The story that I told, got it.” Yuu waved his hand airily and took a seat beside her. “It felt familiar right? Maybe...something that you’ve forgotten?”
“Yes! That’s what I was thinking!” She brightened up, relieved that Yuu understood how she felt. “It’s as if–”
“I don’t think that you should poke into this anymore.” Yuu cut her off sharply. “It might just be your imagination.”
“Huh?” She blinked, confused, and stood up. “No–what are you doing?”
A small warm light danced around the tip of his finger and she backed away slowly.
“Hold still,” he said, approaching her. Now they were both on their feet. “I shouldn’t have told you the story in the first place. Just what was I thinking?”
“Don’t get any closer! I-I’ll hit you!” She shouted threateningly, stumbling away from him. He continued to inch closer with the small golden light still floating on his fingertip. He directed it towards her and it drifted around her, then it was absorbed into her body. She touched her face after a while, expecting for an aftereffect, but was left astonished. “...nothing happened?”
“Of course nothing happened! Did you think that I was planning to wipe your memory or something?” Yuu snorted at her. “Gee, it was only a joke.”
She gaped at him. “T-then what was that golden light for?”
“Oh, that? People used it as a magic trick in the old times. It lifts many spirits, and it can be used to heal wounds; but those idiots just used it for parties.”
“And why did you use it on me? I didn’t need healing.”
“Party trick,” Yuu admitted, “it was just to scare you.”
“And you called them idiots.” Natsumi rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you doing the same thing?”
“...am not!” He said indignantly. “I’m using it to scare you, not bring you joy! That’s two different things, get it right.”
“You’re still using it for entertainment though, aren’t you?” Natsumi said. “For your entertainment.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” Yuu shrugged, not denying it anymore. “It was fun seeing your horrified reaction.”
He earned a hit on his arm for that comment. “It was not fun! You scared me! It was not…”
His arm reached out and caught her swiftly as her body leaned back lifelessly. Her eyes twitched and she groaned.
“Did you fail...to...mention something?” She breathed. Fatigue consumed her to the point where she was too lazy to move.
“Yeah, that spell also makes people sleepy.” He grinned and plopped her down on the soft grass. “That’s why festivals always end early–because the people get tired out easily. It’s how the government gets people to go rest quickly, and save money on power. It’s also the reason why there tends to be people wasting away on the ground the next day after a celebration. I also made sure that you won’t remember this when you wake up. You're welcome.”
“You..bas...tard…” Her eyes closed reluctantly, and her voice wouldn’t come out. He swept his hands over her eyes to check if she really fell asleep then sighed lightly.
“Sorry, but you have to get some shut eye.” He said gently, caressing her hair then lifted her up carefully as if she was the most precious thing in the world. “Let’s go home now, dear.”
***
“What’s up with you?” Himari asked with a muffled voice with a piece of freshly buttered toast in her mouth.
“O’hw d’wo noh,” Natsumi tried to reply but her answer was unclear.
“I can’t understand you; it's amazing how I can speak clearly with a toast in my mouth but you can’t.” Himari jeered at her best friend.
Natsumi gave her a glare and drooped the toast into her hands. “I said that I don’t know. My face is all sparkly, and it's as if I just came out of a makeup commercial.”
“You think that Yuu did something?”
“Speaking of Yuu,” Sora cleared his throat, “don’t you think that leaving him alone is a bit too negligent of you two? You don’t know what he’ll do so, I think that he should also attend school with us as well.”
“So...in other words, you want to keep an eye on him at all times?” Natsumi said slowly.
“I think that he’s a good guy.” Himari piped up, and stopped them from walking any further by extending her arm as the light turned red. “He cooks, cleans, and basically does everything, so I think that he can just stay at home. It’s nice to wake up with a tasty and hot breakfast waiting for us at the table. Compared to before, it’s way better than eating cold bread every morning.”
“And, he even cooks lunch for us.” Natsumi added. They started to walk again, and munched on their breakfast concomitantly.
“That’s why he should attend school with us.” Sora said. “He’s always stuck at home, taking care of us. What is he? A housewife? I thought that he was a cool guy, but he’s like a mother. I was surprised when I saw him cleaning.”
“Who would’ve thought that Yuu would have such a hobby?” Himari shrugged, biting into her toast. They continued their way to school, nodding hello to people.
“H-hey! It’s the Aikawa’s!” People pointed at them, murmuring. They lumped Natsumi into the same family as Sora and Himari because they were always together. The famous group of three which many admire. Little did they know that the three weren't as godly as they may look.
“I’m full,” Himari announced, dusting the bread crumbs off her hands. They changed their shoes in front of their lockers, still receiving many stares from spectators. “We’ll be heading off to our class!”
“Right,” Sora waved goodbye to them as they went the opposite direction. Since he was a second year, his classes were in the other building.
“Hey, Natsumi, I heard that there’s going to be a new student arriving today.” Himari said, leaning against her chair.
“Really? Maybe it's just gossip.” Natsumi gulped down some water. “If not, I really hope that he isn’t someone weird. That'll be just great, honestly.”
“I hope he’s handsome,” Himari said dreamily.
“If you want handsome people, then there’s plenty of eye-catching boys in the basketball club.” She rolled her eyes with sarcasm. “They may be annoying, but they do have good looks.”
Himari nodded with agreement. “Very true...but I do have an eye on–”
“Good morning class,” the loud authoritative tone made silence wash upon them, and everyone was seated. Yuzihara sensei, their homeroom teacher, stepped inside carrying an abnormal amount of pressure upon them, “Today–as some of us may know through rumors–we have a new student who will be joining us in this late semester. Come in.”
He casually stepped inside with a polite smile which made it seem like he was a whole different person from her memories. His shining red eyes gave away the fact that he felt amused by this situation. Her mind went blank and her pencil fell from her hands.
“Nice to meet you all,” he began. All attention was directed at him. Stares bore into his skin, but he shook it off like nothing. “I’m Yuu Kaneko, age fifteen. I hope we’ll all get along.”
Whispers passed through the room and many girls let out excited shrieks. Natsumi’s eyebrows twitched, and she smiled bitterly.
‘This guy...he’s always up to something.’ She groaned exasperatedly inwardly. Being with Yuu was just like being with a storm who’s ready to appear and blast her concentration away any moment - along with her peaceful life. She could feel her carefree days crumbling away because of a single person who barged into her life.
“...so, that’ll be all. You can be seated next to...Izanami-san–right behind her.”
She blinked, startled by the sudden mention of her name. “Eh…?”
“Izanami-san. It would be very helpful if you could indicate where you are.” Yuzihara sensei raised her voice and glanced at Natsumi with expectation.
“A-ah! O-over here!” She raised one of her hands high, the other fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. “...K-Kaneko…kun.”
It felt weird calling him by his last name, and whatever excuses he’ll say when she corners him later - it’ll be hard to not doubt the veracity in his words.
‘What else is he planning behind my back?’
Yuu walked to her and her hand slipped back underneath the desk. A brisk smirk appeared on his face as he passed by, then he took a seat behind her.
***
“So, why are you here?” She went straight to the point, slamming her hand on his desk to show how serious she was. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”
“Well...I thought that I should explore the outside world,” he replied nonchalantly, eyeing at her hand that twitched with annoyance. “And plus, you can’t prevent me from doing that. I want to do what I want freely, you know?”
“Yeah, but I don’t get why you have to go to school to explore!” She hissed, scowling at him. For some reason, it amused him even more to see her fiery reaction. “You should’ve told me!”
“Do I have to give you a notice of everything I’m doing?”
“Anything sneaky–yeah!”
“Well, what was your reason for joining school either way–besides exploring.” Himari butted in, adjusting her chair in front of Yuu’s desk and plopped down comfortably.
“For fun,” his eyes flicked towards Natsumi then back after confirming that she was still not in a good mood.
“Why didn’t you tell us before, though?”
“I wanted to keep it a secret,” he said shortly, putting his face on his hands and leaning forward. “You should stop frowning. It makes you look old.”
Natsumi brushed her frown away with a sigh, and rolled her eyes as he sniggered a little at her. She took out her bento and opened up the lid with amazement. Her mood shifted instantly. “Wow! You really went all out today, didn’t you?”
The scent wafting from the box made her smile, and the brilliant colors complimented the dish. Her mixed up emotions melted away.
“Whoa!” Himari lifted the lid of her lunch. “It’s...amazing...no–it looks exquisite!”
“Enjoy,” Yuu gestured to them with a prideful grin. “It’s delicious.”
They savored every bite as they dug in, munching slowly. It felt as if they were eating food for the rich that could only be seen in television and commercials for luxurious restaurants.
“It tastes heavenly! And–did you not bring lunch for yourself?” Natsumi tilted her head at his empty hands, realizing that he was staring at them eating while he had nothing. “Here!” She stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth without a warning.
“Wuh ah ooh doin’?” He tried to speak. After realizing that he couldn’t even speak properly, he chewed silently.
She smiled then paused, sensing that something wasn’t right.
“...why is everyone staring?” She whispered, looking at both of them for an answer.
“Because you two look like a couple,” Himari answered, snickering at her friend’s vacant expression. “Can’t you see?”
“Wha–?” Natsumi looked at Yuu, then at her chopsticks in his mouth as a sly grin spread across his face.
“Oh my, I never thought that you were so innocent and thickheaded.”
“Hey! Innocent was enough, but thickheaded?” Natsumi snorted. “Who was the one who couldn’t read the mood when we first met, huh?”
The crowd murmured, and they were left with an awkward atmosphere.
***
“Eh?” Sora exclaimed, jumping back when he caught sight of Yuu. “What is he doing here?”
“He–”
Before Himari could say anymore, Yuu interjected, “–is a new student who decided to attend school like any teenager should.”
Natsumi’s brows shot upwards. “Really? A normal teenager, sure; but you’re not. You’re this almighty wizard that can exterminate the whole human species along with the planet if you wanted to.”
“Thanks,” Yuu said, blushing a little.
“...that wasn’t supposed to be a compliment, you know?”
“By the way, my mom fawns over you too much, Yuu.” Himari shuddered. “I bet that she’ll take you in as her new son if you ask.”
“Yeah, did you enchant her or something?” Natsumi looked at him skeptically.
“I guess I am just that attractive,” Yuu gloated, resting his arm on her head.
“That...hurts!” She grunted, pushing him off. “Let’s head home, and stop being all affectionate!” She turned to Yuu. “You really like to tease me, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?” He said, blinking his eyes purely. “I would never mess with people for my own amusement.”
She scowled.
The sound of ringing made his feet pause, and he turned back.
“What’s wrong?”
“...nothing, I just thought that I heard something.” He said.
“Did you guys hear anything?” Natsumi turned to the siblings. They shook their heads. “Maybe your ears are just getting old, grandpa. You must be very old now.” She sneered.
“I am, but I’m still young and healthy inside,” Yuu snapped back.
“Well, sorry to hear that,” Natsumi clicked her tongue in disappointment.
“Let’s hurry, I’m starving!” whined Himari, jogging in place.
“Got it!”
***
He quickly hid himself when he felt eyes in his direction.
‘Was I too loud?’ He pondered. He peeked through a small crack to find that his target had moved on, then he sighed in relief. ‘That dirty scum. I must exterminate him before he attempts something on master.’
He closed his eyes and vanished into thin air.
#fantasy #fiction #novel
Chapter 5: Secret Identity (The Chronicles of Time)
It has been weeks since Yuu first appeared, bringing mayhem and all sorts of trouble into Natsumi’s mind and life. It did seem a bit weird to her how fast she quickly adjusted to the new addition, and that her house has suddenly become some sort of boarding home. They also all lent a hand in cleaning up her parents room after a long debate of whether to make it into a guest room or to leave it be. In the end, Natsumi made the final decision, and granted permission to redecorate with a heavy heart. After all, the past has to be washed away either way. That cut off the strings that held her to the past, although she couldn’t refuse herself from reminiscing her childhood memories.
“You guys! Stop!” screamed Natsumi in annoyance. In her hands carried a mop and a bucket of water. “Ugh! Why do you all try to escape when it comes to cleaning?”
“That’s because nobody likes to clean!” Yuu shouted back from the end of the hallway.
“You too?” Natsumi scoffed in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Before, you used to be the maid of the house and scrubbed every corner ’till there’s no speck of dust left! What do you mean “nobody likes to clean”?!”
“Well, no longer!” Yuu laughed, leaping down the stairs, then grabbing hold of the banister and jumped onto the floor below.
“Yuu, hurry!” Himari urged him from the front door with her shoes on, ready to go. “Hurry before she catches you!”
“Himari, I heard that!” groaned Natsumi from the second floor. “You both better come back soon! I’m not cleaning this entire house by myself! Ugh!”
“It’s fine! Sora will be back soon!” Himari assured her, then accompanied by Yuu, they both ran out the house hurriedly with the door slamming behind them. “I think he’ll return soon.”
“Highly unlikely,”
“Haha! That was fun though!” Himari said, stretching her arm above her head. “Well, let’s go over this once again. Our motive for escaping cleaning duty–I mean, for leaving the house today was to fetch a present for Sora; leaving Natsumi to prepare the house for the party.”
“I can’t believe your idiot brother fell for that trick about how your mom was calling for him.” Yuu snorted. “Now he won’t be back very soon. Your mom is going to make him work even though she didn't ask for him.”
“Ha! That’s what I always do to get him out of the house.”
They took a left, and after a while of riding a subway–with Yuu examining every inch in wonder–they arrived at a shopping mall. They looked through the windows of shops filled with many accessories and other products, but shook their heads at it.
“I don’t know what to get him!” Himari groaned, collapsing onto a bench. Yuu handed her an ice cream cone. “It’s not time for sweets, Yuu!”
“But you still took it, though?” Yuu smirked. “What should we do now?”
“I just said I don’t know!” Her head was getting more muddled. “If only Natsumi was here!”
“Regretting dumping her at home to do housework now?”
“Not really,” Himari shrugged, licking her dessert. “Mm! This flavor is really yummy!”
“What does Sora even like?”
“...alone time?”
“That’s not what I meant, and even if we do give him that, his “alone time” will probably only be during his cleaning duty.”
Himari laughed then slowly quieted down. “...this isn’t getting us anywhere.”
***
She squeezed the excess water out of the towel and groaned.
“I can’t believe those two ditched me like that!” Natsumi grumbled, throwing the damp steaming towel onto the counter grudgingly and began to wipe. “Seriously! Those unappreciative no-good so called ‘friends’ of mine! I’m never helping them again!”
After cleaning every corner of the house to the point where it sparkled, she began arranging the table, and hanging up a large banner with the words “CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 16TH BIRTHDAY SORA!” largely imprinted. A large dark blue table cloth covered the table surface, reaching all the way to the floor. She struggled to flatten the cover out since her arms were only that short and could only reach that far.
Then after setting up all the decorations, she finally took a break feeling a bit dizzy. Exhausted from all that preparation, she took a deep breath and fell onto the couch, motionless.
“So...sleepy….”
“Ruff!” A large white ball of fur came into her blurry vision, and she smiled a bit. Her consciousness faded in and out, and her eyes threatened to close.
“I wish...you were a human. You’re the only one who didn’t leave me, you loyal dog….” She drifted off to sleep.
White fog gradually accumulated on the floor and eddied every step he took. The boy who wore a silk jōe with a bell tied with a red rope as a necklace paired with wooden sandals, stood over her. Three red dots forming the shape of a lotus were imprinted on his forehead, and his snow white hair and his sharp red eyes shining with admiration and care made him look divine. A gold aura was emitting off him, but gradually dimmed over time. The dog was gone, and in his place stood a godly-looking boy.
“I...really wish I could show you in my human form as well, master.” He kneeled down, and placed his forehead on her hand. “I pledge that I’ll do everything for you to my utmost ability.”
“Mmm….” a tired groan escaped from her mouth, making him smile gently.
“I shall...do my best to support you, master.”
***
The incessant routine of going in and out of shops tired both of them out, and they eventually ended up purchasing a shiny silver watch as the gift, and stopped by a bakery to get the cake. As a ‘thank you gift’ for Natsumi’s hard work, they also bought a variety of different cake slices.
“I think that it wasn’t such a bad idea leaving Natsumi at home.” Yuu said as they made a left turn down the street.
“I think that it was a bad idea leaving Natsumi at home.” Himari sighed. “At least we bought something for her, that’s essential if we ever have to face her in a sour mood.”
They arrived at the footsteps of their home, and slowly unlocked the door. He spotted a little white cloud surrounding the surface of the floor that gradually faded, making him doubt his own eyes. Something felt off. He was suddenly filled with trepidation, but his confidence in his power soon consumed the unsettling feeling.
“You give it to her, and explain why we abandoned her under the pretext of going out to complete a secret mission for her or something!” Himari whispered, nudging at Yuu’s elbow and pushing him forward.
“Really? I have to do it?”
“It was you who propounded such an idea of leaving her behind!” She hissed back. “Now deal with the consequences!”
“Huh?” He exclaimed indignantly. “That’s not how it works!”
“Yes it is!”
He was pushed into the living room with a box of cake slices in his hands, dumbfounded. Himari gestured for him to get a move on, and he rolled his eyes in agitation. He looked around, trying to spot an angry figure ready to claw through someone’s throat, only to find Natsumi sleeping on the couch.
“Uhh...she’s sleeping.” Yuu whispered and turned around but only to find Himari gone. “She left me? How rude!”
“Hmm….” beside him, the girl began to stir.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” He plastered a sly grin quickly onto his face and bent down so he’s face to face with her.
A spiteful expression met his playful one. “I can’t believe the first thing I see when I wake is your face. You got some nerve coming back.”
He gulped, sensing danger, he pulled out his backup. “I brought you cake.”
“Oh really? Did you think that would please me?”
“But you’re still taking it either way, aren’t you?” He eyed the box that she took from his hands as she sat up.
“Well I shouldn’t let it go to waste,” she muttered. He smirked triumphantly. “Anyway, I prepared all the stuff needed, you guys did get the present right?”
“Yeah, we got him a watch.” He showed her a white box with a shiny silver watch placed delicately inside on top of a plush.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “Good choice! Anyway, where’s Himari?”
“I don’t know,” Yuu shrugged.
Moments later, Himari poked her head into the room expecting a raging fight breaking out only to find the opposite. It was tranquil, and her two friends were occupied with preparing dinner in the kitchen. She cautiously stepped into the kitchen and was immediately spotted by Natsumi who shot a glare in her direction. Slowly mustering up her confidence, she started to lend a hand with Yuu smirking at her everytime she made eye contact with Natsumi and flinching. It didn’t take long for Sora to arrive as well and join them to be surprised with a table filled with food and a welcoming aroma which made his irritated mood dissipate.
“Happy birthday!” The girls shouted while Yuu waved his hands dully.
“Whoa, what is this?” Sora gasped, attracted to the warm meal on the table.
“Uh, we’re over here, remember?” Himari said with sarcasm.
“I know, I was just more allured by the food than your betraying faces.” Sora snapped.
“Still angry?”
“Yeah, mom made me mop the entire floor of both the store and our house. Then she went on to make me carry all kinds of luggage, and I didn’t even get a congratulations for my birthday! I also got surrounded by a crowd of girls and–did you know one of them clung on to me? It was so hard to shake them off! Thanks to you all!!”
The others laughed at his troubles and eventually they settled down and celebrated the joyous occasion. After dinner they all crowded around the couch, and presented their gift.
“What?” Sora said, puzzled. “It’s just one?”
“Hey!” Himari said, displeased. “It was expensive, you know?”
He opened the box to find a watch and he sighed. “...Well, guess that’s all I’m getting this year.”
“We didn’t really know what you wanted.” Natsumi said quickly.
“I made it quite obvious that I wanted a new anime figure to replace my limited edition Monkey D. Luffy one that got broken.” Sora huffed, disappointed in all of them.
She recalled the past few days only to realize that Sora was correct. The many times where he stated conspicuously in front of them of an anime figure repeatedly.
“D-did you?” She laughed awkwardly, scratching her cheek in guilt.
“Well I wasn’t listening to begin with,” Yuu said, nonchalantly, “at least we got you something.”
Sora, who was already attuned to their behavior, tossed on the watch and sighed. “Yeah.”
***
He absolutely disdained this feeling, the thought of being overpowered constantly oscillated in and out his mind.
“No, I’m sure it's just a sneaky fox somewhere.” Yuu muttered to himself. The cold night air blew past him and ruffled his silky black hair which flowed like long threads in the air. He was on top of the roof of a tall building with tiny stars underneath him that glittered. “There’s no way it can be him.”
Just a quick flashback of the overwhelming and immense power he felt that day made him shudder, but grin and tingle in excitement. It was such a thrill that he almost lost his entire existence that time - as well as his purpose and almost eradicated the entire world. Until that tiny whisper made him hold onto that sliver of sanity he barely managed to have.
‘Cassius...stay...in...control…’
He blinked, and shook his head. “What am I thinking? The dead are dead, so why am I thinking back to such an old memory?”
“You dirty scoundrel.” A low growl made Yuu smirk. It was just as he anticipated.
“I’ve been waiting for you, you know?”
A silhouette emerged from the shadows, and the scenery suddenly became blurry and cloudy with a dense fog. It vanished, then reappeared from many locations. Yuu remained unfazed, and stood rooted to his spot.
A sharp claw shot out from the cover of the fog, striking at Yuu who dodged it so casually.
“Feisty, huh?” Yuu said, taking a step back before he gets pierced.
“You bastard!” The shadow made another attempt to maim Yuu, but only to stumble and trip. The fog cleared away, making a tall white-haired man naked to the eye, conspicuous. He clenched his eyes, expecting a blow in the head for all those relentless attacks, but only to find the complete opposite transpiring.
“Get up,” a hand came into his view, offering to help him up. Mortified by such an embarrassing defeat, he slapped the hand away, and quickly straightened himself up. His long white robes with a huge bell that bounced and hit his chest whenever he jumped, made him look like he was from the old era. A red eyeliner highlighted his rose-like ruby eyes which was similar to Yuu’s, but looked much more pure. Furry white ears twitched on top of his head. Even though he was a man who looked to be older than Yuu, he acted like a child.
“Ha! Did you really think that I would fall for your dirty tricks?” His sneer threatened to falter.
Yuu stayed silent. The atmosphere felt tense. The man was cautious, and watched Yuu perceptively, anticipating his next movement. After a moment, Yuu smirked and proceeded to move towards his opponent.
“Y-you! D-don’t come closer!” He growled warily. His reactions didn’t conform with Yuu’s actions.
“Stay still, I’m trying to revamp your appearance. You’ll look way better, and Natsumi for sure will prefer you in that form.”
Poof!
The moment the man let down his guard a little at the mention of Natsumi’s name, Yuu–availing this–swiftly approached him and within a few seconds, a tremendous amount of mist burst forward when Yuu touched him. His hair flew everywhere but he stood still.
Yuu waved his hand, and striked it down towards the ground violently, and a gust of wind was conjured; blowing the mist away only to reveal a small boy wearing a jōe, and a red lotus symbol imprinted on his forehead. His crimson beady eyes shined with confusion and daze, then widened, abashed.
“Y-you–!”
“You look better now, don’t you think so, Koru?”
#novel #fiction
Chapter 6: Akira (The Chronicles of Time)
Natsumi paced up and down the stairs, pausing every few moments, expecting to hear returning footsteps only to be disappointed.
‘Where did Yuu go?’ She pondered, then looked out the window. The wind pounded against the glass and wailed along with its concomitant forces. Heavy rain crashed down, and the streets were vacant besides of the large streams of water tumbling down. With such terrible weather, just where on earth could Yuu have gone? And it wasn’t just him, Koru has suddenly, and magically, gone missing as well!
“Don’t worry, Natsumi.” Sora assured her, sipping on his freshly made hot cocoa from the kitchen. He carried a tray with two other cups with such balance, that he looked like the perfect quintessence of a waiter. Currently, they were supposed to be watching a horror movie (Himari came up with the idea since it was the perfect weather), but Yuu disappeared halfway–leaving Natsumi to fret over his vacancy. The only one that was actually enjoying themselves was nonetheless: Himari.
He handed her a cup, then headed back to the living room where Himari resided with another hot cocoa.
She continued to be restless until she heard a large slam and a muffled quarrel at the entrance.
“Yuu where have you–!” She stopped short and gaped at the sight of an unfamiliar identity.
“Uwah!” The boy with snow-like colored hair jumped in surprise the second his eyes met hers. “I-I….”
“What are you acting so shy about?” Yuu said in a disapproving tone. The other boy glared at him, but his attention returned back to Natsumi’s perceptive stare. Looking at them, there was not a spot of dampness on their body.
“Who is that boy?” She set down her cup on a nearby table.
“Oh, him?” Yuu elbowed him, and pushed him forward. “He’s–”
“Don’t tell me, could that be…your brother?” Natsumi gasped loudly. It didn’t take long for the others to join them after hearing her exclamation without giving Yuu a chance to speak properly.
“Whoa!” Himari said, peering over the new boy. “Who’s this? He’s so pretty! He looks like a doll!”
It also didn’t take long for the girls to start fawning over the new addition, and for the boys to ignore their squeals and head to the living room.
“What have you guys been up to since I was gone for a bit?” Yuu asked, taking over the bowl of popcorn that used to belong to Himari. He completely blocked out the irritating noises the girls made from his ears.
Sora took a seat beside him on the couch. “Nothing really. We’ve just been continuing the movie without Natsumi and you.”
“Without Natsumi?” Yuu tilted his head in confusion. “But I was the only one who left?”
The girls let out another excited squeal as they adorned the new boy’s hair with ribbons conjured out of nowhere.
“Oh yeah, but after you left, she started to worry about where you’ve gone off and loitered around the stairs.” Sora replied casually, pressing the play button.
“What’s with your old fashioned clothes?” Himari lifted up his sleeves. Flustered by the amount of attention he’s receiving, he didn’t answer.
“Hey, what’s your name?” Natsumi asked, filled with curiosity. He flinched at the sudden question and mumbled something underneath his breath. “Hm?”
“I-it’s…” he glanced at Yuu for assistance only to be briefly ignored which hit his sore spot. “Hey! You brought me here in this form, a-and you’re going to neglect me like that?”
The change in attitude made the girls blink and think that they must’ve heard his tone wrong.
“Huh?” Yuu slowly diverted his attention away from the movie and looked back at them from the couch. “Who said that I have to tend to your every need, and lend a hand? If anything, shouldn’t you be talking to your master about that?”
“Master?” That word piqued Himari’s curiosity. “What?”
“It’ll be easier to explain this way,” Yuu snapped his fingers and with a poof!–white fluffy ears sprouted out of the boy’s head and a luxuriously soft tail.
“Wow!” The girls both blurted out simultaneously. Natsumi groped his tail while Himari took over his ears, both of them captured by how insanely silky and satisfying it felt. The boy blushed, and his ears twitched whenever Himari’s fingers got too possessive.
“He’s so sensitive!” Himari teased, looking at his red face.
“S-stop!” He whined. Blinding white light surrounded him, forcing the others to cover their eyes. When they regained their senses after the abrupt dazzle, instead of a boy, they found a white large dog instead.
“Koru? So this is where you’ve been!” Natsumi said, astonished.
“Is that what you really got from all of that?” Yuu said, dumbfounded. “Even an idiot can tell exactly what occurred just now.”
“What are you–?” A belated realization smacked her in the head. “Oh! Koru is that boy!”
“Yay! She got it!” He replied sarcastically. “What a genius idea! Who would’ve thought?”
Natsumi bit her bottom lip. “You can stop now. No need for the unnecessary rude remarks.”
“But who really would’ve thought that Koru was actually a human in disguise?” Himari questioned, glancing at the dog who hid underneath his paws. “If you didn’t come along, just how long would he have hid his true identity from us?”
“Who knows,” Yuu shrugged nonchalantly. “And also, he isn’t a human. He’s known as an ‘Okami’.”
“‘Okami’?” Sora said, puzzled. “Hold on, what's with all this unrealistic stuff happening?”
“Oh right! We haven’t told Sora yet!” Himari smacked her forehead. “So you see, Yuu is actually a magician! Ta-dah! Big surprise there!”
“Are you really?” Sora turned to him skeptically. Yuu snapped his fingers and the empty bowl of popcorn became full within seconds. That flipped his attitude. “Are you kidding me? A real magician? I thought that they only belonged in fictional stories!”
“Yeah, well that’s what Natsumi thought too in the beginning, and now look how wrong she is.” Yuu grinned.
“Oi!” Natsumi snapped. “Well who would even believe you to begin with? If it was anyone else, they would deem you as a lunatic and ship you off to the mental hospital!”
“...anyway, back to the ‘Okami’ thing,” Himari cleared her throat, and the mood became serious, “did he choose to protect Natsumi or destroy her?”
“Protect her, duh!” Yuu said. “Anyway, it seems that it has made a contract with you since you were young, so it's practically bound to you. It also seems that your parents also were conscious of that fact and continued to let the dog stay.”
The room became silent, and Sora shut off the television, intrigued by Yuu’s words. Koru whimpered and looked up at them with a questioning gaze.
“Oh…I see.” Natsumi said quietly. “So the whole time, I really didn’t know anything, huh? It felt as if…my parents were hiding everything from me for some reason; was it because I was too naive back then?”
Koru quickly reverted back to his human form frantically. “N-no! It wasn’t like that, master! Your parents were just worried about your safety, that’s all! It wasn’t like that so don’t cry - “
“Aww!” Natsumi shrieked, filled with adoration. “Do you think I didn’t know that? Were you trying to console me? So cute!”
The shift in her mood left him speechless. “Eh?”
“Well, well! You really could’ve just shown yourself earlier you know?” She put her hands to her hips with a huff. “I would’ve been super surprised as well as grateful! You’re really cute after all! And you’re some sort of deity as well! I couldn’t feel more honored! In fact, I feel super elated!”
They all grinned broadly besides Yuu who had a faint smile on his face.
‘Really, just how foolish can she even be? She hasn’t changed…at all.’
***
“He’ll sleep with me!”
“Huh?” Yuu choked on his spit at her bold declaration. “W-what are you–but Himari is already sleeping with you!”
“Oh, we can squeeze in another person, it’s fine.” She shook him off lightly.
“Yesh’ ples.” Sora said as he brushed his teeth. He spat out the toothpaste then reattempted to repeat what he meant to say. “Yes please. I really don’t want to share a room with someone else.”
“I-I will do my best, master!” Koru said obsequiously. His eagerness made him shine so much that Natsumi just couldn’t help but pet his head.
“So cute! So dedicated!” She purred with satisfaction. For some reason, it made Yuu uncomfortable seeing how much affection she poured to another male.
“But still–!” His mind jumbled up, and he became more perplexed. “Ah, whatever! Do what you want!”
He stormed off to his room in an annoyed manner.
“Geez, why is he so mad?” Natsumi said, racking her brain for a plausible reason. “Oh well, whatever.”
***
“Should we also apply Koru–I mean, Akira to the same school as us?” Natsumi suggested. It was a Saturday morning, and there weren't any classes. Recently, Koru came out of his shell, and started to speak more. But the name ‘Koru’–which he was granted when he was a dog–didn’t suit a human boy. Although it sounded as cute and as lovely as the boy himself, it didn’t match. So the others gathered together and voted on a suitable name for him resulting in ‘Akira’.
Akira sat obediently in front of Natsumi who sat behind him, playing with his silky hair. His ears flickered sensitively, and his tail wagged behind him in pleasure. He had a new outfit and his old one was stored away. But since he didn’t want to part from his bell, it was fashioned into a mini necklace with the bell shrank. It hung around his neck like a collar, and rang softly whenever he moved. “S-school?”
“Yup!” Himari added enthusiastically. “To put it simply, it’s like a building where all sorts of other people go and study and stuff!”
“Yeah, he knows that already,” Yuu scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Considering the amount of time that he spent stalking Natsumi–he’s just pretending to be as blank as a sheet of paper. He’s just acting ignorant!”
“You don’t really have to say it that way,” Natsumi shot back at him. “But having such an adorable stalker–well, how could I get angry?”
Yuu stared at her indignantly and sighed deeply. “There’s something wrong with your head. You call him cute, but when I was in my child form, you called me arrogant. How is that fair?”
“Mind you, you were pretty cocky back then; you still are now though.”
“Hold on, Yuu in child form?” Sora butted in, inquisitively. “I wanna see what he looks like!”
“He had really long hair back then,” Natsumi nodded as she recalled the memory.
“Yeah, I was really handsome and cute.” Yuu added.
“I wanna see!” Sora said, interested.
“I told you before, Sora really favors kids.” Natsumi said, shrugging.
“Then how come he doesn’t fawn over Akira like that?” Himari blurted out.
“That’s because we’ve been hogging Akira, of course!” Natsumi answered. That fact was quite conspicuous. Ever since Akira broke away from his disguise, he’s been the center of attention for the girls. “That, and I bet he’s into how Yuu will look like as a child, aren’t you? After all, Yuu is pretty standoffish, so literally anyone would like to see how he looks when he’s small and innocent–not that he even was innocent in his mini form.”
“Come to think of it, I never saw you in your child form either!” Himari realized, and automatically turned to Yuu sharply. “C’mon! Show us!”
In the end, he escaped from the persistent requests, and teleported out of the house for a breath of fresh air.
#fantasy #fiction
Chapter 7: Mana (Chronicles of Time)
Akira had just recently enrolled into the same high school as the others under the pretext of “a genius young and mature student” just so he isn’t stuck at home alone, and it went well. He played the role perfectly, and there were no flaws - besides his constant and relentless fights with Yuu’s rude comments daily. All the students admired him just as much as they did with the others, and because he looked so young - they were regularly impressed by his formal and precise answers during class. His image of a “good student'' was forever implanted in their minds. Within a few weeks of attending school, he was now one of the most entrenched people of popularity.
Natsumi broached the subject of this “unexpected” reaction to the others. “Don’t you think it's weird that we’re getting more attention than before?”
“Not really,” Himari answered. “I mean, have you seen how much attention and affection Yuu has been gaining lately? I heard that the girls are planning on starting a whole fan club for him!”
Yuu scoffed. “As if you can talk. I heard the boys were also planning on creating a whole little fan club for you two as well.”
Silence.
“I-I didn’t know we were so popular.” Natsumi blinked in astonishment.
“You never realized?” Sora eyed her with an expression that said ‘are-you-serious?’.
Natsumi turned a blind eye to his comment. “Anyways, so I heard there’s a new dessert shop that opened near the train station lately. You wanna go try it out?”
***
“Are you alright?” She stretched out her hand kindly to the little girl who fell in front of her. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
The younger girl stared at her with wonder then broke out of her daze. “Ah! I-I’m sorry. Y-you’re just really beautiful, onee-san!”
She blushed as she helped the staggering girl up. “Th-thank you.”
Her amber eyes twinkled. “Onee-san, do you live nearby?”
“Yup, I frequently come to this park, do you?”
“Nope! I only came because Hikaru took me here! But I drifted apart from him somehow so…”
The sudden realization hit her and she turned pale. Trembling, she suddenly burst into tears.
“W-what’s wrong?” The older girl asked. Her purple hair shifted around while she panicked about how to console the child. Even though they looked to be about the same age, she didn’t have any experience in comforting a crying child.
“What do I do? I-I’m lost!” She wailed. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, and she sniffled between each sentence. “What will I do? H-Hikaru…he will get so mad! I-I bet he’s going to - sniff - get so - ngh - scary! H-He won’t get a-any icecream for me anymore!”
She blinked, visibly confused.
‘She was worried about that?’ She screamed inside her mind. Well it wasn’t like she couldn’t comprehend how the girl felt. Ice cream is really delicious after all! And besides, it is Summer and the heat waves were pretty bad. Only ice cream is the cure for the scorching hot temperature.
She held onto the girl’s hand firmly and seated her on the swings. Taking out a napkin, she wiped away her tears delicately.
“There, there,” she said softly, “I’ll help you. Do you remember the place where you and that other boy were before?”
“A- a little,” she sniffled, “I-I think I can remember if we walk around a bit. M-maybe it’ll come to me somehow!”
“T-that’s a great idea!” She smiled brightly, relieved to see the girl no longer crying so pitifully.
They intertwined their hands again, and began walking out of the park. After asking for a description of the places she’s been to, they did their best to narrow down the possible locations. After a while, they took a break - exhausted from all the walking, they took a seat near the side of the cement path. The blazing sun beamed down at them, making them sweat.
The little girl decided to break the silence after a while. “...hey, onee-san, do you have anyone you like?”
“Anyone I like?” She repeated the question, confused as to why such an unrelated question popped up. “I…don’t have anyone I really like yet.”
“Oh, is that so?” A hint of disappointment could be heard in her tiny voice. “Well, I do think we’re too young to be in love.”
“That’s true,”
“But…isn’t it fun to imagine it? The future, I mean.” She stood up and spread her arms open. “Wouldn’t that be fun? Being with someone whom you share feelings with, having children, then coming home everyday to see people waiting for you- isn’t that great?”
She never really thought about it before, but what the girl said did sound reasonable. It also sounded familiar, and reawakened her past emotions.
“Like…having a family?”
“Yup!”
She smiled to herself. She almost forgot what it felt like when her parents were still alive. She could recall some hazy memories of warm smiles, and -
“Akari!” a boy’s voice called out from a distance. The little girl stood up, and waved energetically.
“I’m here! Hikaru, over here!”
“Hold on, I’m coming!” The boy’s figure approached slowly as he ran towards them.
“Then I’ll take my leave now! Thank you onee-san!” She turned to leave but then stopped. “Um…will we meet again?”
She hesitated to reply. “...Let’s see.”
“Then can you tell me your name, onee-san?”
“My name is…”
She waved goodbye to the girl. After a few minutes, she could no longer see the girl’s figure and turned to leave.
“Let’s…meet again”
***
Her ears ringed, and her head felt just awful! Her vision spun, and the whole room looked distorted as she groaned. She put a hand to her forehead to confirm if she was ill only to find herself completely free from a fever. The bed felt warm but was empty when she looked around expecting to find Akira and Himari asleep next to her.
“Ugh!” She groaned as a shockwave of pain ran through her body. Just what was happening? She was perfectly fine yesterday!
She struggled to get out of bed and when she managed to place one feet on the floor, she fell. A strong force momentarily seized her, and she erupted into a fit of coughs.
“What…the heck!” She panted, overwhelmed by the sudden drastic progression. Her legs trembled so much that when she tried to stand, her strength would give away as if she was made of jelly. She used her arms to hold onto the bed, and pulled herself up onto the sheets once again and sat straight. She felt so drained after accomplishing so little, only to end up back where she started.
“Natsumi, Akira and Sora left first since they have - are you okay?” Himari exclaimed with worry at the sight of her friend’s pale figure when she entered the room in her school uniform. She rushed immediately towards her and held her hand. “Y-you’re not having a fever, that’s for sure.”
“I-I’m…alright,” cold sweat broke out, and she winced when another wave of pain washed over her.
“Y-Yuu!” Himari called out urgently. Her mind was tossed into a chaos. Not sure what to do, she called for the first person that came to mind.
‘S-surely he knows how to fix this!’
In a flash, he appeared out of nowhere. “What happened?” After a glance at Natsumi’s face, he quickly caught up with the situation. He hurried towards her, and pressed his forehead against hers. Her face immediately turned red at the physical contact. “You’re burning up.”
“What?” Himari said, doubting his words. “But she felt so cold! How could she be burning up?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Yuu said briefly. “Your mana is rising for some reason, and it’s overflowing. At this rate, your whole body would be consumed.”
“What..will…happen…then?” Natsumi looked up with hazy eyes that had a hint of fear. She felt suffocated, and every cell of her body screamed and howled in pain. It felt as if a large sharp object penetrated her, and acted insidiously. She was happy that she found out she even had magic, but it was the complete opposite from what she expected.
He hesitated to answer.
“Hey…what will happen?” Himari looked at him, apprehensive of what he was about to say.
“...you’ll die.”
#fiction #fantasy #novel
Chapter 8: Many Memories (Chronicles of Time)
“What did you say?” Himari’s jaw dropped. She stared at him blankly and he rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting her eyes. “You’re…joking right?”
He didn’t reply.
“You’re..kidding,” Natsumi said. Her whole body shook uncontrollably and felt as if it was drenched with ice cold water, then tortured repeatedly. Her mouth opened to repeat her question again but she chose to close it instead. They were all frozen and rooted to their spots.
Yuu broke the heavy mood and grinned out of nowhere. “I can’t believe you all fell for it! Ha! The atmosphere fell quickly!”
Himari slapped him on the arm, furiously. “Don’t joke about death like that! I almost believed it sincerely, you know?”
“Got it,” Yuu shrugged. “Well, for now, you should take a break from school. We’ll notify them of your absence and the reason why. Just focus on resting, and I’ll come back through periods to check on how you’re doing.”
“Won’t the teachers…know…something…is up…if…you’re not…there?” She collapsed onto her bed.
“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am? I can easily create a doppelganger.” Yuu held his head loftily. “Well for now - “ he snapped his fingers briskly, and a small light implanted itself onto her forehead, “I’ll do this. It’ll make sure you won’t die. It’ll notify me if you do.”
She took a pillow and threw it at him. “Screw…you!”
He laughed. “Take care. Let’s go, Himari.”
They left but not after he handed her back her pillow that was launched at him.
***
He stared out of the window, zoned out. The teachers droned on and on with their monotone words that flew in and out of his ears. He toyed around with his pencil, then sighed.
“K-Kaneko-kun, is something wrong?” A girl came up to him and asked during lunch break.
‘Who was she again?’
“I’m fine, thank you for your concern,” He smiled then got up from his seat and left her standing there. “Have a good lunch.”
“You’re going to check on her now?” Himari followed him out of the classroom with a custard bread in her hands.
“Yeah,”
They headed towards the roof where it was unoccupied. It’s supposed to be locked; before Yuu came, they had to swipe the keys from the office (using Sora’s good reputation and name), and create a duplicate. But now, with just one magic touch from Yuu, they have free access to the roof anytime.
“I’ll take my leave now then.” Yuu nodded to her. They exchanged a salute like soldiers departing for battle. He was now back in his room. It felt cold. And weird. Traces of golden strings of mana could be seen through his keen eyes, and he followed it automatically. They gradually became thicker as he got closer to her room. He stopped when he reached her doorway as an intense wave of mana rushed past him. His hair ruffled up, but he proceeded towards Natsumi.
Her whole body was engulfed in a shimmering light with a small white dot floating around her desperately. It seemed to be weaker; it glowed faintly. Her face looked weak, and exhausted. Her body turned and her fingers would twitch every now and then without her realizing it. Her pale state engendered her magic to roam out of her core and exacerbated her condition.
‘Seems like I came back at the right time,’ he thought, glancing at the spell he casted before. He took a seat next to her on the bed and examined her condition attentively. The gold strings embraced her and barely managed to deflect his touch. Mana oozed out of her feeble figure incessantly without a pause. The room felt warmer than the others. Was this the effect of her mana leaking out?
He inhaled deeply then touched her forehead. Red sparks flew and bounced all over the room, clashing with the gold. He preserved, holding his own stance until the red gradually overpowered the opponent. His shoulders fell when the worst was over and his eyes looked at her peaceful face.
‘It’s growing stronger, but this time…I won’t allow it. I’ll crush it while it's weak.’
Webs of his own mana layered itself over his fingers and picked up her strings of mana and began rolling it up. It looked like a ball of shimmering gold yarn, and if it could be made into clothing, it would be legendary. To be born with such beautiful magic she must’ve been given life along with god’s prodigal gifts. It was a pity that she could never learn to master this art….
Natsumi groaned and twitched when he started to move toward the thicker lines. When he approached her core her body reacted with convulsions. But even through all that, her eyes still remained shut as tightly as ever while drops of sweat poured out of her. He tugged on it, only to confirm that her mana wouldn't allow itself be completely robbed by him and was stubbornly resisting his attempts. His concentration was unbreakable, and he steadily gathered some magic to the tips of his fingers and cut each string to separate it from its main body. Every moment was critical, and even just one wrong move could make the matter worse.
‘I never thought that she would have such powerful mana. It’s completely gold.’ He casted another spell over her to seal her mana after he finished with his previous task, then placed the ball of gold into an inventory for later use. ‘I didn’t think it would burst this quickly either. Time is progressing too fast.’
His hand paused when he felt her stirring. Her eyelashes flew up slowly, and she looked at him sleepily.
“Is it lunch break already?” She mumbled, still in the midst of waking up.
He quickly retracted his hand and nodded. “I’ll summon up your meal.”
With a snap, a hot plate of food was served on top of a bed tray that stood on top of her legs. It was convenient since it allowed her to stay in bed. She was given porridge paired with a bowl of hot creamy stew. It was a simple and odd lunch, and yet, she scarfed it all down as if she hadn't eaten for months.
“Eat slowly,” Yuu commented. “You’ll end up choking you know?” He produced a cup of water out of thin air and placed it on the tray. She licked the dishes clean, and with another snap from Yuu - everything was cleared away.
“Shouldn’t you leave now?” She looked at her alarm clock on top of her desk. “Lunch is almost over, you know?”
“Well, since you’re feeling better,” Yuu began, “maybe I should take my leave.”
She waved at him to go on but…
“Maybe I should stay after all. Class is pretty dull.”
‘With this brat, anything could occur.’
Sensing him second-guessing himself, she said positively: “I’ll be fine. Go on. You only have a few hours left of school, what could even happen then? It’s not as if my health would drastically deteriorate.”
That was some bold talk from a person who was almost on the verge of exploding if he came any second later a while ago, but he kept that thought to himself.
“...I’ll be back soon then.”
***
“Something isn’t right,” he muttered, biting his finger. “Something feels off. What is this chill? My connection with master…seems to be disrupted. Something is interfering. But at the same time, master’s powers are expanding and growing quickly. Something is wrong.”
He paced back and forth around the empty classroom then scrunched up his face.
“It feels odd,” he said. “I sensed master suffering for quite a while now, but I also detected another force that’s aiding her. Just what is going on?”
His eyes wandered off, and spotted a familiar shadow passing through the hallway. He ran after it, then slowly adjusted himself to a quick walking pace.
“Himari-san!”
She turned around and spotted him. “What’s up? You finished all the extra work the teachers handed you already, or do you require my guidance?”
“No…but I do have a question.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Is…master sick?”
Her flinch confirmed and answered his questions and fears. He turned around only to be stopped and restrained to his spot. She gripped onto his arm tightly and shook her head.
“She’s fine, don’t worry.” She assured him confidently. “Yuu’s with her.”
“Those words gave me the opposite effect that you intended.” His face soured at his name.
She laughed a little. “...Yuu's pretty reliable….sometimes.”
He stared at her then sighed. “Alright.”
***
Yuu landed gently onto the roof and sighed.
‘She’s too weak.’
It was as if every second he took his eyes off her, she would somehow disappear then
reappear in another bothersome situation for him to clean up.
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Lucas, shouldn’t you be more polite to your savior and bow down on your knees as gratitude?’
Another flashback passed through his mind.
‘Oh? This time you’re a noble? How funny! The last time I met you, you were a starving commoner.’
The red haired girl glared at him with aversion. ‘And who are you to comment so snobbishly to me like that?’
A blonde haired turned to look at him reproachfully.
‘What is it that you want?’
‘Not much,’ his younger self shrugged.
‘Then why do you keep on coming back like a stray cat begging for food?’
’Maybe because I want food?”
That memory was replaced with another.
‘I hate you! Give it back to me!’ She jumped towards his hands that held her secret book with her face completely red.
‘Ha! You’re so short, do you think that you can reach me?’ He stooped down to her level and mocked her.
‘Yuu…I wish for you to be happy.’ The last image made him blink twice. Tears streamed down her face as she broke down into glittering pieces slowly and crumbled. A lingering smile remained then soon faded along with her whole existence.
“Ugh!” He put his hand to his heart, feeling a streak of pain and sorrow fly through him. Then it vanished as quickly and as briefly as it had come. His lips curved into a smile fraught with sadness. “So…the spell is still in effect, huh? It sure has been a long time.”
‘Just what kind of curse do you have now?’
#novel #fiction
Chapter 9: Gold (The Chronicles of Time)
She walked beside him slowly. It was weird how she suddenly forgot how to walk after staying in bed for a day. Her next step sent her stumbling. She unconsciously grabbed onto her neighbor’s arm in fear of falling.
He smirked at the sight. “Oh my, are you learning to walk?”
“S-shut up!” Her face turned red from embarrassment. Her hands rolled into a fist on her side.
‘Out of all people, I have to be stuck with him!’
“Careful, you’ll crash into the wall if you keep on waddling like that.” She freed his arm and continued with her shaky walk in a sense of urgency.
“I-I’ll be fine! Just watch! I can walk - “ Her foot gave away and she slipped, slamming her forehead onto the wall in front of her. She groaned then straightened herself up with her legs still trembling.
He guffawed and slapped his knee. “Ha! Look at that!”
“S-shut up!” She stood up with the support of the wall, even more flushed at her precipitate action of attempting to prove him wrong. She was like a newborn fawn taking its first steps with rickety knees. His merriment fueled her even more.
“You’re gonna re-attempt it again?” He put a hand on his waist and swaggered up to her stumbling figure. She ignored him and continued on using the wall as a pillar to hold herself up. It was admirable but looking at her shaking made him laugh. No matter what she did, his face would continue to look at her with amusement and schadenfreude. “You want help?”
She shook her head at him and gave him a glare. “No thank you!”
***
“Welcome back, Izanami-san!”
“Welcome back!”
“I heard that you were sick, are you alright now?”
Crowds of people clustered around her desk, pressuring her with so many questions andcongratulations that her mind ceased to function properly.
“I-I’m alright now, thank you for your concerns.” Was what she managed to sputter out.
“Quite popular aren’t you?” He elbowed her. “Your popularity soared to the skies the second you came back.”
“It seems like that gibing at me has become your specialty, hasn’t it?”
“I’m not doing that!” He said, hurt. “Is that how you think of me?” He put a hand over his heart, acting pitiful.
“Oh sorry, it’s just that I’m so used to you making fun of me all the time.” She shrugged.
She stared at the two chatting with a friendly atmosphere, and clenched her skirt in envy. Her sight zoomed into the boy’s entertained face. His hair as black as the night sky, and his eyes are as beautiful as roses. No - even more beautiful than roses; and his charming voice that made her heart skip a beat with his every laugh.
But he wasn’t paying attention to her at all. Instead, his gaze rested upon the girl who sat in front of him with a handsome smirk. It irked her whenever he stared at her warmly although the girl wasn’t even aware of it and treated him as an annoying fly. How did she even manage to insinuate herself into his favor?
‘How dare she!’
Her murderous eyes turned red from fury.
***
She opened her locker to find a ragged doll drop out of it, and it fell depressingly onto the floor. She bent down and picked it up.
“What’s this?” Horrified, she examined the doll closely. It had slashes all over it, and knife wounds which resulted in its insides spilling out. It resembled her, oddly, that it sent chills down her spine.
“That’s creepy,” Himari peered over her shoulder, and shuddered. “Who would do such a thing?”
“What is that?” Yuu poked his head into the situation and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the doll. It oozed a weird feeling. “It feels so…gross.”
She turned it around, then wrinkled her brows. “I don’t know. Maybe some sort of prank?”
“It’s too far to be a prank.” Himari said, keenly, taking the unsightly doll. “Someone must hold a grudge on you or something.”
“Should I find who it is?” Yuu held up his hand, ready to cast an identification spell.
“No,” Natsumi shook her head, “let’s leave it as it is. It’s not that bad.”
She turned away and walked to class in a hurry.
“Check who it is either way,” Himari nodded to him then left to catch up with her friend after placing the doll in his hands. He stared at it in silence for a moment until all spectators rushed to class in the fear of being late. He flipped it over and opened his palm to detect any other presence near him to find none. The coast was clear, leaving him complete freedom to do what he wanted. The school didn’t have any cameras because they were confident in their security which worked in his favor. Human inventions can be so uselessly bothersome.
His eyes shined and he scanned the doll carefully for a while then closed them. A blurry image passed through his mind.
“That girl…seems familiar.”
***
Akira looked around cautiously then surreptitiously slipped out of the house by jumping out a window. He landed softly onto the grass and vanished, disappearing in a shower of gold. He found himself in a closed space filled with twinkling trinkets, and all sorts of jewels that shined brightly with such luster, he had to turn away from them. It didn’t suit his taste at all.
A tall and golden throne with all sorts of valuable-looking diamonds and other stones studded on it stood in the middle of the heaps of treasure. It loomed over him venerably, demanding respect. The whole room was a prodigal expenditure, covered in endless valuables.
“You like them?”
He turned his head sharply towards the voice but to find no one there.
“I can give you some if you like.” This time it came from behind him but he didn’t find anyone.
‘He’s fast!’
“Oh my, where are you looking?”
A boy his height tapped him on the shoulder sending him flying towards the heaps of gold. His hair was like gold itself - glittering and shining with luster and decorated with a diamond hairpin. He was dressed lavishly, wearing a royal silk white robe decorated with gold threads and small jewels that flashed whenever he moved. His shoes resembled moccasins but were slightly elevated and were also made completely out of silk and two amber stones in the middle. Gold was seen everywhere, almost on every inch of his body. His light aqua blue eyes flashed with amusement at the new arrival.
“You’re quite young aren’t you?”
Akira got up to his knees and brushed the ornaments off of himself. He then walked toward the owner of the place and bowed.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s proper respect and manners,” Akira replied then stood up.
“...What brought you here?”
He could feel the interested stare searching him. “...I’ve come on behalf of my master’s former guardians.”
“Natsumi’s?”
“...yes. They presented me with a riddle before their death which I have just untangled. My apologies for being late, “master of the mountain”.”
“Hmmm…‘What hides what you seek lies beneath the Earth,’” he began reciting in a sing-song way, tossing up a gold coin in the air then catching it. “‘The willows weep at the time of need, and the mark shall be reborn again. A jewel will forever close its eyes, and over time - it shall die. The Sun will rise again and time will repeat. Once again the poison starts to circulate.”’
“‘Then with red and white, it shall start again as a newborn seed,’” Akira continued, “Time will rewind slowly and an innocent love will be involved. Slowly and little by little, she shall reawaken when the promise is fulfilled and the brown one shall weep for she is vacant. The gold will rub against itself and shine brighter than ever and cast showers everywhere, looking for the important one.’ That’s all I remember. The rest isn’t that important.”
“You’re wrong about that youngster,” he sat down on his throne, groping the bowl of valuables next to him. The sound of the jewels falling rang throughout the hall. “Every part of this riddle - or poem - is vital information. I must say, you are quite slow. Where it says “underneath the Earth”, and “gold will rub against itself” is where you must’ve thought that I must be somewhat privy in this secret poem, and you’re correct.”
“”Gold” refers to you, and “underneath the Earth” is where gold is found.” Akira explained confidently. “The only place where gold could be mined is Hishikari, and the only person who could be of help is you, the mountain god. You’re also the only one that has a connection to the Izanami family because they are your descendants since when you “rub gold against itself” it splits and becomes smaller which shows the lines of ancestry.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. They are my descendants.”
“So why don’t you take responsibility for this?”
His eyes flashed threateningly. “…What is it that you’re trying to say?”
Insane amount of pressure fell on his shoulders but he persisted and pressed his feet against the ground, maintaining his posture. “I’m talking about master’s curse. You’re aware of it are you not? It was because the high court punished you for eloping secretly with Izanami, the goddess of Creation and Death.”
“Not exactly true,” he said before Akira could say anything more. “She took the form of my lover when she managed to escape from the underworld, and I was compelled to shelter her.”
“And that was how the bloodline started. The last name “Izanami” still exists because the cursed bloodline hasn’t ended yet.” Akira sat down on a chair that was conjured up for him. “Do you have no plans to end it?”
“Even if I do, I can’t,” he shook his head. “This is the punishment bestowed upon us, there's nothing that I can do about it besides sit back and watch.”
Akira flared up. “Is that what you really think? Just a few days ago master was suffering in bed and couldn’t even get up! All because of your divine blood flowing in her! It was too much for her to hold, and large amounts of mana was seeping out of her! Will you really just - “
“You’re wrong,” he kicked up his legs and crossed them in a kingly fashion. “That child has nothing to do with my blood.”
He blinked and withdrew. “What are you saying?”
“She’s not related to me at all.” He repeated again simply with a delicate air. “Her body, indeed, has my blood flowing through it, but her soul is not of the family. She was already cursed before she entered this life.”
“What - ?”
“Were you not paying attention to the riddle?” He sneered at the pitiful and stupidly faithful boy in front of him with a dumbfounded expression.
“I - I - “
“You were not.” He shook his head with dissatisfaction. “And you called yourself a guard? Tsk, tsk. How incapable. I can’t believe they entrusted you with the role of protecting my precious grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-granddaughter. How foolish.”
His head fell but then his expression illuminated a bit after contemplating what he just said. “...”precious” as in you care about master?”
“What?” He choked on his spit, flustered. He stood up from his throne abruptly. “W-what are you talking about?”
“Based on your expression and your actions, you really do care about master don’t you?” His tail wagged excitedly at his new discovery.
His face was paralyzed. ‘Ah…crap.’
#novel #fiction