The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 6

Astral woke up, feeling as though he hadn't moved in days. His stiff limbs refused to move properly. He cursed silently as he tried to remember what had happened last.

They were having tea on the balcony...

There was a cloud...

Black Mist was being sucked in...

Astral was knocked down once...

Godith came to help...

They argued...

Astral lost his balance...

He fell...

Nothing...

He pressed the heel of his hands on his eyes with some force. Why couldn't he remember? What happened when he hit the ground? Was his father alright? Was Black Mist saved?

No. Something in him told him that they weren't saved. They weren't alright. No one was alright! They were killed! He was only lucky to have survived!!

Many footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Surely, it was THEM, coming to take him in for some kind of torture for some demented thing. He wouldn't give in to them, though. He still had his will to live. He had grown strong to protect his brother, so nothing was going to break him.

No one came at him with weapons, though. When he took his hands off of his eyes, it was just an elderly woman who placed a wet rag on his head. Astral was confused by this gesture. Humans hated his type.

"I see you're awake, dear," she said in a calm voice. "Yuma asked me to make sure you're all better before you go out there."

"Yuma...?" Had he heard that name before? It surely was not familiar. This was certainly a new name.

"He's my grandson. He carried you all the way over here."

"Did he?" That was also a surprise. A human with common sense would know to leave him there. "Why did he not just leave me? I would have been fine."

"No, you wouldn't have," she scolded. "He said that he thought you were concussed! You were always talking gibberish." She smiled sweetly. "My grandson is a good kid. It doesn't matter to him who or what someone is. If they are in danger, that's all he has to know to make a decision."

At that moment, the door swung open. Three cloaked beings stepped in. Astral bolted upright and looked frantically for his sword. Where was it!?

Haru got up from the couch and greeted them with smiles. "How was it, Tetsuo, Takashi, and Cathy?"

The three put down their hoods to reveal just three human children. Astral gave a sigh of relief.

The girl named Cathy smiled. She appeared to have a feline appearance. "It was good! No one followed us, and we weren't attacked!" Then, she looked grim. "They've bombed some of the city, though."

"In other words, I think we're next!" the boy with the blue hair said with a gulp. "What should we do?"

At that time, a short boy with a hat, the boy with the red eyes, and a girl with green hair came down. They seemed to have heard this because they looked serious.

"They've bombed the city?" the girl with the green hair gasped in astonishment. "Why?"

Astral was confused as to why they would wear the cloaks of their enemies. "May I interrupt?" he asked.

"Go ahead," said the elderly woman.

Astral looked at the three with the cloaks. He narrowed his eyes. "Why would you wear the cloaks of my enemies?"

The feline girl gave him a sweet smile. "So they won't know we aren't part of them, silly!" she giggled. "Yuma noticed that they couldn't pick up his scent even when he was literally beside him."

"In conclusion, they don't know how us humans smell like," the blue-haired one added. "This disguise is perfect for us."

Still, he was confused. Maybe because he was still a little out of it. His thought process still wasn't what it used to be. He leaned his head against the couch until a thought flashed through him. His eyes flew wide open.

"I need to find my brother!" he exclaimed, realizing finally that his brother was in grave danger. He looked at the woman. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I must go now!" With that, he left the house.

~.Human POV.~

Yuma watched him go with a amused grin. "You know, he forgot his sword."

Kotori brought the rubber scabbard to Yuma. She looked at him with a gentle look. "You can go with him to find Akari, you know," she said. "We're not gonna stop you."

Yuma took the scabbard and looked at her with an astonished expression. "Really?" He looked at Haru. "Is this alright."

"Yes. I'm sure he will lead you to her." Haru gave him her usual smile. "Go and find her."

"Thanks, guys!" Yuma ran out of the house to catch up.

He was still visible when he reached outside. Yuma saw him pressed against a wall while looking around the corner. He saw him reach for where his sword should have been, and he chuckled a little when the ghost realized that it was missing. For some reason, he was adorable to see him frustrated.

He walked at a fast pace over to him. He gripped the sword with two hands since it was rather heavy. It made him wonder how he could carry such a thing.

When Yuma reached him, he tapped his shoulder. The prince jumped in surprise, then that surprise turned into anger.

"What are you doing here!?" he hissed. "This is something I need to do alone!"

Yuma held up the scabbard. "You forgot this."

The ghost looked at the scabbard. "Thank you." He took it, strapped it to his waist, and unsheathed the sword. Yuma noticed that it had a tendency to hang loosely. Was it not tightened correctly?

"By the way, what's your name?" Yuma whispered.

The prince looked at him with a questioning and rather offended look. Then, he looked away. "Prince Astral. What about you?"

"Yuma Tsukumo."

Prince Astral nodded. "Stay behind me while I take care of these things."

Yuma looked to where he was looking and saw that some of the cloaked dogs had made camp. "Why can't you go around?"

"Are you crazy!?" Prince Astral covered his mouth, for that came out a little too loudly. "They can sense when we move around them. The only way is through."

Before Yuma could stop him, the prince dashed through and started hacking and slicing at the purple cloaks. They didn't even have time to react as they convulsed with the sudden electricity coursing through their bodies. Within a few seconds, they were all dead, and no blood was spilled.

"Go home now," Prince Astral said, sheathing his sword. "I do not need someone to hold me back on my mission."

"No."

Astral was surprised by the blunt defiance. He turned to Yuma with a glare. "What?"

"I said no. I'm coming with you."

"I already said that I do not need someone to slow me down, and that includes foolish human boys like you."

"I need to find my sister, and I think she was taken to where your brother was taken. I'm going with you," Yuma reiterated with a straight face.

Astral huffed and turned away. "Very well, but do not expect me to wait for you to catch up should you fall behind."

Yuma nodded and followed him into the city center. He was sure that they would be keeping them somewhere farther, though.