Legend of the Gods - Part 9
Author: 
emmachase
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 9
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
Yuto: The Crack in the Crystal
The sun rose steadily that morning, the waves nearby crashed and sent mist spraying lightly through the open windows. Yuto lay in his small makeshift bed, the blankets kicked to one side and replaced with a pillow. His face looked serene, waiting for just the light touch of mist to wake him.
For Kei however, the night was not as restful. It had been such a long time since he had anchored with a mortal. He often found their lives fleeting and full of frivolity. He had watched as greed ravaged mankind, driving them to kill each other in wars, poisoning the land that he and his brothers had worked so hard to make. During mankind’s early history, he had lost all faith in their creations, and he had called forth a giant flood to sweep the world…. He hadn’t known it then, but his brothers had informed a young man… Noah to save the select beings. They had seen his logic… but couldn’t bear to see mankind’s light extinguished.
“Mmn…mnnh..” Kei turned around from his stool that sat facing the window, Yuto tossed and turned in his beddings, trying his best not to wake up. Looking at the boy now, Kei felt nothing of the contempt he had felt for man so long ago, nor did he feel the corruption that gripped his ancestors.
The sun sat now, high above in the sky, the precise way the ocean shimmered seemed to energize him, and the water god took a deep breath, taking in the world around him.
“You’re awake… already….” Yuto groaned as he sat up, his hair a mess and his eyes squinting against the bright light reflected from the sand outside.
“Good Morning.” Inoo said, his voice still sounding rather flat, despite his attempts at sound what Yabu called “more human.”
Yuto stumbled out of bed, his stance entirely unbecoming of a well-respected family’s eldest son. His pants hung loosely around his waist and his shirt slipped to one side of his thin body. He yawned carelessly as he began to fold his blankets and run the bath. He grabbed clothes out of the small trunk he had repurposed and hopped in before peaking his head out, his hair already soaked.
“Oh! I… Im just used to it just being me, did you… want to take a shower first?” He asked, his eyes suddenly wide and at attention. Inoo shook his head, and Yuto nodded as he ducked back into the shower, shutting the door behind him.
Just outside, Kei heard the goings on of the busy boardwalk, storefront owners unboarded their shops, removed the coverings that protected their wares from the ocean air. He heard two friends opening shop next to each other and even closer, the sound of a young boy trying his best to help his mom before he had to go to school with his father. A few moments later the door to the restroom opened, and Yuto stepped out, another, this time better fitting, t-shirt on with black and blue patterned shorts and a towel over his head.
“What do you intend to do today?” Kei asked calmly,
“I… don’t know yet…. I think Im going to pull out my drums again today… and earn my dinner….” He said nodding his head as if to the beat of an already playing, invisible drum.
“Yuto… I need to ask you something…”
“What?”
The younger boy’s eyes opened wide instantly as he heard a sharp thud and the wooden wall behind him had a huge ice shard sticking out of it.
“What are yo-WHAA!” Yuto jumped as he saw the next razor sharp icicle coming for his feet.
“W-What are you doing! W-We c-can talk about this!” He said, but the cold stern look in Kei’s eyes told him otherwise.
Another icicle struck the wall only centimeters from his shoulder, and another just above his ear.
“AHH!” Yuto ran around the room, jumping from bed to closet until… all at once the world around him seemed to melt away and for a split moment there was nothing and then the light came and he opened his eyes to see himself standing near the beach.
Kei stood alone in the room as he turned around in the direction Yuto had been running in. The boy was gone now, and he sighed as he walked forward, his body turning to mist as he walked.
Back on the beach Yuto shook his head in disbelief as he looked around, was he really…. At the beach? The water felt real enough… but the longer he looked at the water, the more he realized there was something…. Off about it. He nearly yelped as four long tentacles made entirely of formless water latched onto him and in a blink pulled him into the depths. He braced himself for whatever was coming, but instead felt himself fall onto rough sands and his eyes burned a little with the little bits of water that had managed to permeate his eyelids. He was on the ocean floor…. In a bubble… a huge bubble… he breathed cautiously, finding the air around him to be fresh and crisp.
“Yuto... There’s more to do.” He heard from behind him, and he barely had enough time to react before a towering skewer of ice shattered and rained down upon him. He had managed to dodge most of it, but he felt the slight sting as one of the shards managed to scrape his arm. His eyes stared incredously at Kei, who merely nodded and turned around again, pulling a long snake like wisp of the ocean water through the bubble. The stream formed a needle tip point and Yuto’s eyes widened again as the long jet hardened to ice and was hurled at him. One spear, another, then another, countless ones he dodged until he felt his legs tire and he saw the final spear, a large crystalline blue pike….
“Kei….” He said panting, as he watched the god wave his hand and the spear flew forward. Yuto’s eyes squeezed shut as he stuck out his hand almost instinctively to swat down the flying piece of ice. At that moment, he heard a torrent of water rush in front of him as his clothes became wet and he heard the sound of the spear sticking itself into the sand a few feet to his left.
“Teleportation and water manipulation…..” Kei said slowly, walking up to the cowering boy. Gently he knelt down now, his lightly blue tinted eyes faded to a soft brown now as he waved his hand over Yuto’s cuts and the disappeared in a blue haze.
“Yuto… do you know what happened to you just now?”
“You tried to kill me?!”
“In order to provoke your instincts, to defend yourself, you need the powers you’ve gained from joining with me. And as you’ve so clearly proved, you have the ability to move from place to place and the ability to manipulate water”
“So you chucked giant needles at me to get me to do THAT?”
“The only way for mortals to recognize their potential is to stress them… this is one thing we have long since known….”
“Still… you didn’t have to kill me….”
“I did nothing of the sort… each attack was not aimed at vital organs nor would they have done any serious damage…” The god said nonchalantly.
“Still….” Yuto said softly, standing carefully, fully prepared to jump again if Kei so decided to throw a few more things his way.
“Do you understand how to do the things you’ve done?”
Yuto shook his head
“Teleportation is simple, it’s the ability to move to wherever you wish, wherever you can envision in your mind. Places you’ve been to are easier but eventually with practice, you can move to places, to things.” Kei held his palm up now, and Yuto watched as three swirling crystals rotated in his hand. They spread out now, to the edges of the bubble sticking themselves into the ground and growing large icy shards embedded for what he was certain was meters into the sea floor. One was blue, one was green, another red.
“You should focus on the world around each of these three shards, become familiar with it, and will yourself to each of the places. “ Kei spoke as if all this should come naturally, but Yuto’s eyes seemed to convey his confusion. The god turned slowly as his body disappeared again and reappeared at the red crystal, he nodded to the boy as in another blink the mist disappeared and the god appeared at the green crystal.
“Focus and you can see yourself exactly where you want to be… stare at the crystal…” Kei suggested. Though the more he stared at the green crystal, Yuto’s eyes seemed to go blurry with the strain…
“This… is not working” He sighed, his shoulders dropping.
“It’s not enough to just look, you have to want to be there, you must be able to see yourself there.” Kei said sighing as he had watched the boy’s fourth and just as futile attempt.
He thought for a moment as he wisped around, standing at the red crystal Yuto was now staring at. He pulled some of the water around their small bubble, twisting it into the form of a small boy, standing next to him.
“Raiya!” Yuto jumped and all at once his body melted into the sandy floor. In the same instance the same waters sprouted beside Kei, quickly forming into Yuto’s long and slender form. The minute he touched his younger brother though, the waters fell now, out of shape, dampening the ocean floor.
“Did you… understand?” Kei asked, as Yuto looked crestfallen, but nodded his head. There was a certain… urgency, a need that he had felt and he was confident that it was that feeling that would let him use his…. Abilities.
He pictured the green crystal now, and trying to bring that same feeling forward, he closed his eyes as he felt the familiar feeling of the world slipping away and returning, the cold air caressed his skin as he appeared.
“I did it!” He jumped excitedly, turning to the third crystal and almost effortlessly transported himself. It became easier and easier as he did it, and soon he could will himself to each of the three crystals in under a minute.
“It’s good that you’re able to do it so quickly, the power to move yourself can be very useful, to bring yourself to things and people though, requires more focus, but I’m sure you can work on that… yourself?” Kei asked as the boy nodded, appearing beside him.
“Then let’s move on. Water is the commonality between you, me, and all living things that derived from it. It is the life giver and the thing that has existed in ages beyond measure. It can be cold and unforgiving, it can be warm and comforting, but above all… it has no preference for one or the other. Only you can decide what it will be. Hardened water requires a sort of… fury… the dire need to be destructive…”
Kei swirled his hands as he gave them a twirl. The small water droplet he had been playing with turned to ice and shattered as it slammed against the ground with a flick of a finger.
Yuto did his best to do the same with what little bit of water he had managed to “will” into his hand, but after a few flubs, the same droplet remained as liquid as ever.
Truth be told, Kei didn’t really expect the boy to be able to form ice, the feeling, the need simply did not exist in him. He was too… soft. Still he sat patiently as the boy tried again… and again… and again…
After hours as noted by the sun’s passing and the sea’s slow dimming, he stood up now.
“Yuto… you need to be able to defend yourself when the time comes…. And while you’re progress seems to be… somewhat faster than the other anchors, this is no reason for you to be overconfident. If you ever… find yourself overwhelmed… or need me, you need only ask.” He said.
Yuto nodded. With the end of the day, so too did their training. Feeling more empowered, and somewhat braver, Yuto returned home that night. Upon his insistence, Kei joined him. The gardens in the Nakajima grounds had brought him comfort, and he looked forward to going there again. Unfortunately for him though his arrival seemed to have drawn attention as a boy about Yuto’s age stood at the gates of the grounds.
“Naoki!” Yuto hopped happily next to him.
“You’re finally home!”
“Did you miss me?”
“Just bored…”
There was a slight… tone in the other boy’s voice that Kei couldn’t quite identify.
“And you’re here too… I’m sorry what was your name?” The visitor asked.
“Kei…”
He nodded and the two boys went about their business while Kei quietly slipped off the first instant he could.
He meditated at the small pond that he had met the first time, waiting as he sensed the world beneath his feet. A small hurricane flew into the gulf of one country, a rainstorm meandered its way through another. He heard the gate in the background close and almost immediately after that something… came.
Kei jumped up from his bench and vanished, appearing at the gates to find Naoki on the ground, and a figure stooping over him. Turning now the grotesque looking man lunged forward towards the gates.
Swiftly, Kei raised his hand, pulling a blue crystalline barrier in front of the gate, blocking its entrance. With an air of regality he walked through it, his body changing from solid to water to solid again, seeping through his own shield. Turning to look at the unconscious boy, a small puddle formed underneath him, widening until the boy’s body sunk into the water’s depth and the puddle evaporated.
“Still lurking around?” He said sternly,
“Arrogant water god…” The reply came more as a hiss than anything else.
“Leave here, I have no interest in fighting you, but if you continue to appear… I cant be held responsible for my actions. Tell your master to come and I may let you live to watch him die.”
“Enough!” The same hiss came followed by a giant red angry shot of light. A bolt of fire streaked across the air. Kei sighed as a small flick of his finger sent a small bolt of blue piercing through the center, dissipating it completely. Swirling his hand the small shining particles of water gathered into needles of glass and formed a fan of razor sharp points.
“I gave you a chance…” Kei warned, his needles encircling the figure, trapping him in the center of a pure white needle halo.
“Enough of your talk, kill me now, I’ve finished my task anyway.” The man hissed, his black and blue skin revealed as he threw off his hood. Kei turned away now, dismissing his barrier and melting through the gates again. He closed his eyes and heard his needles close into a complete circle, leaving the… monster in halves. The being disintegrated into ash almost instantly and Kei felt nothing but pity for him. Instead he turned his attention to Naoki, who was slowly waking up.
“Are you okay?” Kei asked, helping him to stand.
“Y-Yeah… what… happened.”
“You… got run into by a biker, you hit the ground pretty hard.”
“O-Oh…”
“Kei! What happened?” Yuto came running down the stairs.
“He… got hit and took a fall.”
“Are you okay!?”
Naoki nodded, he stumbled as he walked.
“M-Maybe you should stay here tonight….” Yuto frowned, helping his still very shaken friend back to the house.
“M-Maybe…” Naoki nodded, he nodded to Kei who was busy now looking at the gate and the traces of the monster.
Unknown to them though… Naoki’s mouth turned upwards to a grin, his eyes flared a bright red as he pulled Yuto closer.
---
Naoki closed the gate, making sure to push it all the way so the lock would catch. Taking one step he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. He heard a whisper, a teasing touch across the back of his neck.
“He’s taking him away you know…”
“W-Who’s there?”
“He’s just swooping in and taking him away from you…”
“What are you talking about?”
The dark cloaked figure rose from the shadows, swirling about him.
“That boy… Kei… he’s taking Yuto away from you….”
“H-He’s just… a friend.”
“He wants Yuto all to himself… he wants you gone… far from the picture…”
“Yuto.. wouldn’t do that…”
“Don’t you see how he’s smiling, don’t you remember the way he used to smile like that when you talked to him… you’ve loved him since you were just kids… but he never knew…. And now he never will…”
“He-He wouldn’t.”
Naoki’s voice was smaller, less sure of himself. The figure solidified now, its hand grasping his chin, forcing him to look into its red and tainted eyes.
“You need him, you want him, you love him… you want him all to yourself… and HE is coming between all that…” As the words came, the eyes glared, igniting the same flame in Naoki’s eyes. A surge of warmth went through his body and all at once Naoki felt his strength leave him, his body collapsed. Just as his eyes closed, he saw a bright blue light appear around the gate… sealing something in… or him out.
---
“Are you going to be okay?” Yuto asked, setting Naoki into bed.
“Y-Yeah… c-can you stay here… with me tonight?”
“Uh.. let me just… get my stuff then and I’ll come.” Yuto nodded, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
“What was that about!?” He asked urgently as Kei stood quietly in his room. He pulled together some pillows and a blanket.
“He was… attacked by a monster.”
“A monster?”
“I don’t know what he did, but I think I got there before any harm was done…”
“Kei… I don’t want to lose my friend… so… could you… you know? Do something about protecting this place?” Yuto asked, shutting the door to his room.
“I’ll… look into it.”
In the morning, he did notice Naoki was a bit… clingy as far as Yuto was concerned. Still… he couldn’t quite identify the feeling he had in the pit of his being, watching while the boy hung over his…. Anchor. That was it… why should he care… he was his anchor… so long as he was healthy that was all that should matter.
Meditation came slowly that day.. but after many self discussions he put the matter aside.
Inside the manor, Naoki smiled as Yuto busied himself making mashed potatoes for lunch. He laughed brightly when the boy reached for the spoon and he placed his hand on it as well, causing them to giggle uncontrollably. While Yuto spooned the potatoes onto plates, Naoki’s eyes gleamed red for a moment as his devilish grin came again.
He’s mine.
emmachase
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 9
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
Yuto: The Crack in the Crystal
The sun rose steadily that morning, the waves nearby crashed and sent mist spraying lightly through the open windows. Yuto lay in his small makeshift bed, the blankets kicked to one side and replaced with a pillow. His face looked serene, waiting for just the light touch of mist to wake him.
For Kei however, the night was not as restful. It had been such a long time since he had anchored with a mortal. He often found their lives fleeting and full of frivolity. He had watched as greed ravaged mankind, driving them to kill each other in wars, poisoning the land that he and his brothers had worked so hard to make. During mankind’s early history, he had lost all faith in their creations, and he had called forth a giant flood to sweep the world…. He hadn’t known it then, but his brothers had informed a young man… Noah to save the select beings. They had seen his logic… but couldn’t bear to see mankind’s light extinguished.
“Mmn…mnnh..” Kei turned around from his stool that sat facing the window, Yuto tossed and turned in his beddings, trying his best not to wake up. Looking at the boy now, Kei felt nothing of the contempt he had felt for man so long ago, nor did he feel the corruption that gripped his ancestors.
The sun sat now, high above in the sky, the precise way the ocean shimmered seemed to energize him, and the water god took a deep breath, taking in the world around him.
“You’re awake… already….” Yuto groaned as he sat up, his hair a mess and his eyes squinting against the bright light reflected from the sand outside.
“Good Morning.” Inoo said, his voice still sounding rather flat, despite his attempts at sound what Yabu called “more human.”
Yuto stumbled out of bed, his stance entirely unbecoming of a well-respected family’s eldest son. His pants hung loosely around his waist and his shirt slipped to one side of his thin body. He yawned carelessly as he began to fold his blankets and run the bath. He grabbed clothes out of the small trunk he had repurposed and hopped in before peaking his head out, his hair already soaked.
“Oh! I… Im just used to it just being me, did you… want to take a shower first?” He asked, his eyes suddenly wide and at attention. Inoo shook his head, and Yuto nodded as he ducked back into the shower, shutting the door behind him.
Just outside, Kei heard the goings on of the busy boardwalk, storefront owners unboarded their shops, removed the coverings that protected their wares from the ocean air. He heard two friends opening shop next to each other and even closer, the sound of a young boy trying his best to help his mom before he had to go to school with his father. A few moments later the door to the restroom opened, and Yuto stepped out, another, this time better fitting, t-shirt on with black and blue patterned shorts and a towel over his head.
“What do you intend to do today?” Kei asked calmly,
“I… don’t know yet…. I think Im going to pull out my drums again today… and earn my dinner….” He said nodding his head as if to the beat of an already playing, invisible drum.
“Yuto… I need to ask you something…”
“What?”
The younger boy’s eyes opened wide instantly as he heard a sharp thud and the wooden wall behind him had a huge ice shard sticking out of it.
“What are yo-WHAA!” Yuto jumped as he saw the next razor sharp icicle coming for his feet.
“W-What are you doing! W-We c-can talk about this!” He said, but the cold stern look in Kei’s eyes told him otherwise.
Another icicle struck the wall only centimeters from his shoulder, and another just above his ear.
“AHH!” Yuto ran around the room, jumping from bed to closet until… all at once the world around him seemed to melt away and for a split moment there was nothing and then the light came and he opened his eyes to see himself standing near the beach.
Kei stood alone in the room as he turned around in the direction Yuto had been running in. The boy was gone now, and he sighed as he walked forward, his body turning to mist as he walked.
Back on the beach Yuto shook his head in disbelief as he looked around, was he really…. At the beach? The water felt real enough… but the longer he looked at the water, the more he realized there was something…. Off about it. He nearly yelped as four long tentacles made entirely of formless water latched onto him and in a blink pulled him into the depths. He braced himself for whatever was coming, but instead felt himself fall onto rough sands and his eyes burned a little with the little bits of water that had managed to permeate his eyelids. He was on the ocean floor…. In a bubble… a huge bubble… he breathed cautiously, finding the air around him to be fresh and crisp.
“Yuto... There’s more to do.” He heard from behind him, and he barely had enough time to react before a towering skewer of ice shattered and rained down upon him. He had managed to dodge most of it, but he felt the slight sting as one of the shards managed to scrape his arm. His eyes stared incredously at Kei, who merely nodded and turned around again, pulling a long snake like wisp of the ocean water through the bubble. The stream formed a needle tip point and Yuto’s eyes widened again as the long jet hardened to ice and was hurled at him. One spear, another, then another, countless ones he dodged until he felt his legs tire and he saw the final spear, a large crystalline blue pike….
“Kei….” He said panting, as he watched the god wave his hand and the spear flew forward. Yuto’s eyes squeezed shut as he stuck out his hand almost instinctively to swat down the flying piece of ice. At that moment, he heard a torrent of water rush in front of him as his clothes became wet and he heard the sound of the spear sticking itself into the sand a few feet to his left.
“Teleportation and water manipulation…..” Kei said slowly, walking up to the cowering boy. Gently he knelt down now, his lightly blue tinted eyes faded to a soft brown now as he waved his hand over Yuto’s cuts and the disappeared in a blue haze.
“Yuto… do you know what happened to you just now?”
“You tried to kill me?!”
“In order to provoke your instincts, to defend yourself, you need the powers you’ve gained from joining with me. And as you’ve so clearly proved, you have the ability to move from place to place and the ability to manipulate water”
“So you chucked giant needles at me to get me to do THAT?”
“The only way for mortals to recognize their potential is to stress them… this is one thing we have long since known….”
“Still… you didn’t have to kill me….”
“I did nothing of the sort… each attack was not aimed at vital organs nor would they have done any serious damage…” The god said nonchalantly.
“Still….” Yuto said softly, standing carefully, fully prepared to jump again if Kei so decided to throw a few more things his way.
“Do you understand how to do the things you’ve done?”
Yuto shook his head
“Teleportation is simple, it’s the ability to move to wherever you wish, wherever you can envision in your mind. Places you’ve been to are easier but eventually with practice, you can move to places, to things.” Kei held his palm up now, and Yuto watched as three swirling crystals rotated in his hand. They spread out now, to the edges of the bubble sticking themselves into the ground and growing large icy shards embedded for what he was certain was meters into the sea floor. One was blue, one was green, another red.
“You should focus on the world around each of these three shards, become familiar with it, and will yourself to each of the places. “ Kei spoke as if all this should come naturally, but Yuto’s eyes seemed to convey his confusion. The god turned slowly as his body disappeared again and reappeared at the red crystal, he nodded to the boy as in another blink the mist disappeared and the god appeared at the green crystal.
“Focus and you can see yourself exactly where you want to be… stare at the crystal…” Kei suggested. Though the more he stared at the green crystal, Yuto’s eyes seemed to go blurry with the strain…
“This… is not working” He sighed, his shoulders dropping.
“It’s not enough to just look, you have to want to be there, you must be able to see yourself there.” Kei said sighing as he had watched the boy’s fourth and just as futile attempt.
He thought for a moment as he wisped around, standing at the red crystal Yuto was now staring at. He pulled some of the water around their small bubble, twisting it into the form of a small boy, standing next to him.
“Raiya!” Yuto jumped and all at once his body melted into the sandy floor. In the same instance the same waters sprouted beside Kei, quickly forming into Yuto’s long and slender form. The minute he touched his younger brother though, the waters fell now, out of shape, dampening the ocean floor.
“Did you… understand?” Kei asked, as Yuto looked crestfallen, but nodded his head. There was a certain… urgency, a need that he had felt and he was confident that it was that feeling that would let him use his…. Abilities.
He pictured the green crystal now, and trying to bring that same feeling forward, he closed his eyes as he felt the familiar feeling of the world slipping away and returning, the cold air caressed his skin as he appeared.
“I did it!” He jumped excitedly, turning to the third crystal and almost effortlessly transported himself. It became easier and easier as he did it, and soon he could will himself to each of the three crystals in under a minute.
“It’s good that you’re able to do it so quickly, the power to move yourself can be very useful, to bring yourself to things and people though, requires more focus, but I’m sure you can work on that… yourself?” Kei asked as the boy nodded, appearing beside him.
“Then let’s move on. Water is the commonality between you, me, and all living things that derived from it. It is the life giver and the thing that has existed in ages beyond measure. It can be cold and unforgiving, it can be warm and comforting, but above all… it has no preference for one or the other. Only you can decide what it will be. Hardened water requires a sort of… fury… the dire need to be destructive…”
Kei swirled his hands as he gave them a twirl. The small water droplet he had been playing with turned to ice and shattered as it slammed against the ground with a flick of a finger.
Yuto did his best to do the same with what little bit of water he had managed to “will” into his hand, but after a few flubs, the same droplet remained as liquid as ever.
Truth be told, Kei didn’t really expect the boy to be able to form ice, the feeling, the need simply did not exist in him. He was too… soft. Still he sat patiently as the boy tried again… and again… and again…
After hours as noted by the sun’s passing and the sea’s slow dimming, he stood up now.
“Yuto… you need to be able to defend yourself when the time comes…. And while you’re progress seems to be… somewhat faster than the other anchors, this is no reason for you to be overconfident. If you ever… find yourself overwhelmed… or need me, you need only ask.” He said.
Yuto nodded. With the end of the day, so too did their training. Feeling more empowered, and somewhat braver, Yuto returned home that night. Upon his insistence, Kei joined him. The gardens in the Nakajima grounds had brought him comfort, and he looked forward to going there again. Unfortunately for him though his arrival seemed to have drawn attention as a boy about Yuto’s age stood at the gates of the grounds.
“Naoki!” Yuto hopped happily next to him.
“You’re finally home!”
“Did you miss me?”
“Just bored…”
There was a slight… tone in the other boy’s voice that Kei couldn’t quite identify.
“And you’re here too… I’m sorry what was your name?” The visitor asked.
“Kei…”
He nodded and the two boys went about their business while Kei quietly slipped off the first instant he could.
He meditated at the small pond that he had met the first time, waiting as he sensed the world beneath his feet. A small hurricane flew into the gulf of one country, a rainstorm meandered its way through another. He heard the gate in the background close and almost immediately after that something… came.
Kei jumped up from his bench and vanished, appearing at the gates to find Naoki on the ground, and a figure stooping over him. Turning now the grotesque looking man lunged forward towards the gates.
Swiftly, Kei raised his hand, pulling a blue crystalline barrier in front of the gate, blocking its entrance. With an air of regality he walked through it, his body changing from solid to water to solid again, seeping through his own shield. Turning to look at the unconscious boy, a small puddle formed underneath him, widening until the boy’s body sunk into the water’s depth and the puddle evaporated.
“Still lurking around?” He said sternly,
“Arrogant water god…” The reply came more as a hiss than anything else.
“Leave here, I have no interest in fighting you, but if you continue to appear… I cant be held responsible for my actions. Tell your master to come and I may let you live to watch him die.”
“Enough!” The same hiss came followed by a giant red angry shot of light. A bolt of fire streaked across the air. Kei sighed as a small flick of his finger sent a small bolt of blue piercing through the center, dissipating it completely. Swirling his hand the small shining particles of water gathered into needles of glass and formed a fan of razor sharp points.
“I gave you a chance…” Kei warned, his needles encircling the figure, trapping him in the center of a pure white needle halo.
“Enough of your talk, kill me now, I’ve finished my task anyway.” The man hissed, his black and blue skin revealed as he threw off his hood. Kei turned away now, dismissing his barrier and melting through the gates again. He closed his eyes and heard his needles close into a complete circle, leaving the… monster in halves. The being disintegrated into ash almost instantly and Kei felt nothing but pity for him. Instead he turned his attention to Naoki, who was slowly waking up.
“Are you okay?” Kei asked, helping him to stand.
“Y-Yeah… what… happened.”
“You… got run into by a biker, you hit the ground pretty hard.”
“O-Oh…”
“Kei! What happened?” Yuto came running down the stairs.
“He… got hit and took a fall.”
“Are you okay!?”
Naoki nodded, he stumbled as he walked.
“M-Maybe you should stay here tonight….” Yuto frowned, helping his still very shaken friend back to the house.
“M-Maybe…” Naoki nodded, he nodded to Kei who was busy now looking at the gate and the traces of the monster.
Unknown to them though… Naoki’s mouth turned upwards to a grin, his eyes flared a bright red as he pulled Yuto closer.
---
Naoki closed the gate, making sure to push it all the way so the lock would catch. Taking one step he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. He heard a whisper, a teasing touch across the back of his neck.
“He’s taking him away you know…”
“W-Who’s there?”
“He’s just swooping in and taking him away from you…”
“What are you talking about?”
The dark cloaked figure rose from the shadows, swirling about him.
“That boy… Kei… he’s taking Yuto away from you….”
“H-He’s just… a friend.”
“He wants Yuto all to himself… he wants you gone… far from the picture…”
“Yuto.. wouldn’t do that…”
“Don’t you see how he’s smiling, don’t you remember the way he used to smile like that when you talked to him… you’ve loved him since you were just kids… but he never knew…. And now he never will…”
“He-He wouldn’t.”
Naoki’s voice was smaller, less sure of himself. The figure solidified now, its hand grasping his chin, forcing him to look into its red and tainted eyes.
“You need him, you want him, you love him… you want him all to yourself… and HE is coming between all that…” As the words came, the eyes glared, igniting the same flame in Naoki’s eyes. A surge of warmth went through his body and all at once Naoki felt his strength leave him, his body collapsed. Just as his eyes closed, he saw a bright blue light appear around the gate… sealing something in… or him out.
---
“Are you going to be okay?” Yuto asked, setting Naoki into bed.
“Y-Yeah… c-can you stay here… with me tonight?”
“Uh.. let me just… get my stuff then and I’ll come.” Yuto nodded, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
“What was that about!?” He asked urgently as Kei stood quietly in his room. He pulled together some pillows and a blanket.
“He was… attacked by a monster.”
“A monster?”
“I don’t know what he did, but I think I got there before any harm was done…”
“Kei… I don’t want to lose my friend… so… could you… you know? Do something about protecting this place?” Yuto asked, shutting the door to his room.
“I’ll… look into it.”
In the morning, he did notice Naoki was a bit… clingy as far as Yuto was concerned. Still… he couldn’t quite identify the feeling he had in the pit of his being, watching while the boy hung over his…. Anchor. That was it… why should he care… he was his anchor… so long as he was healthy that was all that should matter.
Meditation came slowly that day.. but after many self discussions he put the matter aside.
Inside the manor, Naoki smiled as Yuto busied himself making mashed potatoes for lunch. He laughed brightly when the boy reached for the spoon and he placed his hand on it as well, causing them to giggle uncontrollably. While Yuto spooned the potatoes onto plates, Naoki’s eyes gleamed red for a moment as his devilish grin came again.
He’s mine.