Lightning wished he hadn't taken that godforsaken bet. Now he's dug his own grave into the pits of hell. What could be worse than being stuck on a love ride with that motherfucking narcissist Light?
This was what happened. Days ago, Light accosted him during his training. The guy was lucky he hadn't got decapitated yet.
Lightning wiped the sweat off his brow. "What do you want?"
Light smirked. "I have a bet for you."
It only took half a second for Lightning to deduce his answer. "Not interested. Fuck off."
"Even if it means for me to literally fuck off for the rest of the month?"
"I'm interested."
"Okay. So there's this girl who keeps asking me to be her boyfriend. If you lose, you'll have to pose as my girlfriend and listen to me for the month. If you win, I won't get in your way for a year."
Lightning froze. What kind of a sick bet is this?
"Why not ask Earth?" Lightning scowled. "Or anyone?"
"As far as we know, they're occupied."
Lightning shuddered internally. Earth had Ochobot, Kaizo and Fang trying to get on his romantic radar. Fire was dating Sai. Water was completely uninterested in romance. Wind and Leaf were too oblivious for it.
He turned around. "Go ask someone else. I'm not taking it."
"Oh. So you're scared?"
That snapped a trigger. Lightning got his face into Light's so fast you didn't even have the time to take a picture of them practically kissing.
"You're on."
Light smiled in triumph. "You. Me. Target practice. Whoever destroys the dummies the fastest wins."
Earth was called into this for no reason. Mainly for the dummies he created. This was a match completely in Light's favour, but Lightning didn't know that. He just needed Light to screw off and bother someone else for once in his life, so he accepted his bet and took his chances.
Besides, how bad could it get?
Earth created two rows of earth dummies. "Don't go overboard!"
Light flexed his glasses. "You're going down."
"We'll see about that." Lightning summoned his sword.
Lightning wasn't aware of Light's capabilities. He rarely fought with him. So when he charged at the dummies and finished them in two seconds, Light destroyed all of them under a second with his optical blast.
As a result, Lightning had Light at the wrong end of his blade. This wasn't fair. Lightning specialized in frontal assault and hand-to-hand combat. Light was more of a marksman. The downside to Lightning's fighting style was he can only take down one target at a time, even if he's using his lightning for a speed boost.
But even so, they had made a bet. Lightning was forced to respect and obey it, which meant a month of wearing girls' clothes and posing as a girlfriend.
"Where – where did you even get these?" Lightning held up a yellow shirt and dark blue short-shorts. He tried not to look flustered. "I'm not wearing this!"
"It's part of the bet! We're going to the park!"
"Say what?"
"She won't believe me unless I bring you," Light elaborated, ushering the electric manipulator into his room. "You better be done in five minutes!"
Lightning cursed all the way. The tight fabric pressed against his skin. Along the way, he changed into Thunderstorm unconsciously and had to force it down. By the time he was done, Light was waiting outside scrolling his phone.
Light blinked at his appearance. He had a good look before snapping a picture.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Lightning scowled.
Light grinned. "What you need is a wig. And manners."
Lightning was a sliver close to strangling this idiot.
He got him a black wig with short hair. The embarrassing thing was, after putting it on, Lightning looked like a completely different person with the opposite gender. Despite his brutal training every day, he had a slender figure. It was more obvious than any of his brothers, because he was the only one exercising on a daily basis.
Just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, Light waved a pair of white heels with three inches in his face.
"I'm not wearing that." Lightning's face darkened.
"Suck it up. You are."
For some reason, he had no extra trouble manoeuvring around with heels in the basics. It was possibly granted to him thanks to his combat style, but he was still wobbly on the road. He would hit the occasional stone and ditch, and Light had to catch him every time.
And when his face almost hit the floor for the fifth time, Light offered him to hold his hand.
Is this guy fucking serious?
Light tried not to laugh. It wasn't like Lightning had a choice. His face couldn't get any redder. Light, on the other hand, couldn't have looked more delighted and smug.
What did I do to deserve this?
The texture was uncomfortably tight in his underparts. This couldn't have been more embarrassing. He hadn't had any experience in this kind of scenario, but was he getting turned on by holding that fucker's hand and wearing girls' clothes?
His face burned. The glares he sent Light would have killed him if looks could murder. Light ignored him like a champ.
Finally they reached the destination, the centre of the park. It was covered from the outside world with a couple of trees, so this was the ideal spot for couples. Sure enough, pairs of them were cuddling and making out.
Lightning let go of Light's hand and grabbed his collar. "You are going to die," he hissed. "Right here, right now."
"Calm down. That girl's over there." Light gestured to a black-haired girl walking to them.
Lightning turned, his glare still at its peak. The girl froze, and ran from them as fast as her legs could carry her.
Lightning dropped Light. "She's convinced. The bet's over."
Light rubbed his waist, standing up. Lightning was about to fall flat on his face because of the heels, Light grabbed his hand to stop him from tripping.
The swordsman spun in anger and embarrassment. "What do you want? It's over!"
"I said for a month," Light reminded him. "It's only been thirty minutes."
"That girl's gone! What more do you want? If this is a fucking prank, I'll make sure you-"
Light pressed his lips against Lightning's, cutting him off. Lightning's eyes widened and punched him in the face.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Thunderstorm exploded in a burst of scarlet electricity, wiping his mouth. He trashed the heels and sped back home with his lightning dash.
* * *
Earth and practically everyone else knew something was fishy instantly when a girl tripped on the door frame in a dash similar to Thunderstorm's. The girl cursed loudly and stormed to the shared room occupied by Earth, Wind and Lightning, legs scraped and bleeding as if she'd been dragging them on the road.
The door was closed shut in a slam.
At the time, Earth was helping Leaf with his plants. Water was sleeping on his water ball. Fire and Wind were playing video games. So when that happened, the soil in the pot exploded like a geyser; the plant itself suddenly sprouted roses, carnations and dandelions; Water fell in his water ball; Fire set himself on fire and Wind accidentally dropped his console.
"What was that?" Fire demanded, head still aflame.
Wind panicked. He grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out Fire's fire.
Earth followed the girl to their room. He knocked on the door, because it was slammed shut. Cracks formed in the wall and splinters were spread across the floor. "Uh, Lightning? Is that you? Are you alright?"
Because really, no one ever vents their anger through abusing the door but him. Even Fire relaxes by playing with chickens or any other animal.
Also, he has to replace the door.
"FUCK OFF!" Thunderstorm growled. "TELL LIGHT HE'S A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!"
Earth backed off from the temper he's throwing. When it comes to losing their composure, Thunderstorm nor Lightning was the best candidate to provoke.
"Uh, okay...?" Earth returned to the living room.
In the living room, everyone was cowering behind the couches, all staring at him as if he'd just emerged unscathed from a mine zone.
* * *
Then the rest of the month was a living hell when Lightning and Light were present. Light could be in his room and Lightning in the living room, and everyone would still feel uneasy because they know a war is brewing amongst the two.
They never crossed paths, even in school, despite being in the same classroom, with seats next to each other. (Light and Lightning; Earth and Water; Fire, Wind and Leaf.) They acted as if the other never existed.
Their classmates didn't ask, 'cause are you really gonna risk pissing off the school's core social influence and the scariest guy on the planet? Everyone went along with it.
The rest of them were speechless regarding their argument. Earth, for once, couldn't break their fight up, which led him questioning his eligibility of being the team's leader.
Light had tried to talk to Lightning, but the guy was as stubborn as Earth and as ignorant as Leaf. He ignored him completely.
During physical education, Lightning excused himself as soon as he saw Light enter the basketball court. He lounged at the class alone, reading for the test next month.
After a few minutes, he grew bored. Aimlessly, he scrolled through his Facebook status, only to be met by Light's posts a week ago. It was the picture of him crossdressing, with the caption She's my gf. The rest of you can give up.
His face burned with anger and embarrassment. The phone in his hand started to crack. Electricity cackled from his body. He had never wanted to strangle someone so bad in his life before.
What was wrong with Light? He had done nothing to him before. But what was that kiss...?
The phone in his hand shattered. He let the pieces fall to the ground. Lightning stormed out to get some fresh air, to clear his head maybe, but as soon as he stepped foot outside of his fifth-floor classroom, a mind-blowing pain erupted from his right knee.
He didn't scream. He forced it down. He looked down to see his black jeans was warm and sticky, blood falling down to the floor.
The pain was unbearable. It was like his entire knee was blown off. He propped against the railing, trying to steady his breathing. What could have hit him?
"Ha! You can't dodge now, can you?" Adu-du taunted, holding a laser gun.
Lightning's body went on autopilot. He immediately entered a battle stance, but the pain nearly caused him to blackout and he grabbed onto the railings for support.
No. He couldn't. Without his footing, he was as good as dead. He was no marksman. He might not hit his target.
Pain or not, he couldn't just sit here. He raised his hands, ready to used ranged attacks, but then his right shoulder and left elbow was shot as well.
He couldn't bear it. He screamed out of pain. His white uniform was soaking in scarlet blood. Drips of his life essence poured onto the floor, adding to the previous ordeal.
"Goodbye, Lightning!" He calibrated the power to a max and aimed it at him. With what's left of Lightning's conscious, he managed to lurch his body backwards before bright explosions filled the air and he was in a freefall, propelling towards the ground.
He closed his eyes before he hit the ground.
* * *
Crash!
The sudden interference startled Light, causing him to throw the basketball on the guy's face who was standing next to him.
"What happened?" Light demanded. "If that Lightning's on a rage, Earth's going to whoop his ass after this!"
A crowd was gathered at the far end of the court, some pointing to the debris of the wall in front of their classroom, some silent and pale whilst staring at the ground.
Light groaned. Shouldn't they be focusing on him? It's just Lightning venting some stress, after all!
Still, he needed to know what's going on, what's stealing the attention from him. He jogged over and pushed people aside so he can see what's the big deal.
It was a very big deal.
Light paled. His lip quivered. Lightning was lying on the floor, blood forming a pool around his body. His limbs had deep holes in their joints. His eyes were closed shut.
Tears pooled in his eyes. This – this was all his fault – if it wasn't for him being so persistent in his one-sided crush, this wouldn't have happened!
"Someone, call an ambulance!" Light yelled. "NOW!"
The debut stirred up attention from every part of the school. Light wanted to cradle him in his arms, he wanted to hear his rhythmic heartbeat – but the boys in his class held him back. He could have broken his neck or spine, and moving him would make it worse.
His brothers took notice and sped down as fast as they could. Wind helped Leaf and Fire. Earth held Water over his shoulder and slid down an earth slide he created.
"What happened?" Earth demanded, shaking Light.
Light was too pale for his own good. He felt like his soul was detaching from his body. He couldn't accept this. He couldn't accept any of this.
Earth looked like a mother who had lost her child. Leaf started crying. Wind and Fire panicked together. Water, for once, looked wide awake in fear.
Lightning was rushed to the hospital. He was in critical condition due to blood-loss and the fall damage. Not to mention that he had multiple shrapnel impaling his vital organs.
They waited in the waiting room. They waited for thirteen hours. Earth made sure everyone was still hydrated and cared for, though Light's part took extra effort.
Thirteen hours later, the doctor greeted them with news.
"How is he, doctor?" Earth asked, voice shaking.
The doctor sighed and shook his head. "We managed to sustain his blood-loss and most of his injuries, but his skull and neck are fractured."
The blood drained from Earth's already pale face. "That means..."
"He would never wake up," the doctor apologized. "I'm very sorry. I've done everything I can."
The doctor walked away, shaking his head and sighing. The young man was still so young.
Earth sunk to his knees, in completely denial. They had been through so much – through hell and back... but now he wouldn't ever spend another adventure together.
He covered his face with his hands. No. This can't be happening. Lightning couldn't be gone. He can't go. Not so soon. They were still so young—
Light remained rooted in his spot. Just as Wind started crying, he sped to Earth's side and helped him up. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I – I – I'm... I'm sorry!" he croaked. He dropped to his knees. "This is all my fault!"
Earth wiped his eyes and dragged Light up. "Don't say that. You wouldn't have expected this. Lightning wouldn't blame you."
Light broke down. He tried to make Lightning his, only for him to lose him forever.
Earth fell apart as well. He'd spent the most time with Lightning. Ever since they manifested, they were always there for each other. Whether it be Wind's antiques or Ejo-jo's assaults, they were always together. Now he was just gone.
In the silent night, the only sound that could be heard was deafening silence.
* * *
They skipped school completely.
Earth wasn't one to do so, but he screwed that up. With Lightning disappearing from their lives, no one could function properly anymore. It was like a machine that was missing a gear. The watermelon without the melon.
Leaf cried all day. He was young, but he had to experience something so traumatic as losing someone close to him.
Fire told himself not to cry, but in doing so, he was extra short-tempered all day long. The tip of a hat could set his dynamite off. He couldn't deal with stress well, but his method of dealing with grief was worse.
Water hardly slept. He just sat on his water ball, staring into the abyss, completely oblivious of time. He didn't drink, didn't eat, just trying to wrap his head around the cruel reality.
Wind was shattered. Lightning was the one that was there for him in every turn, no matter how big or small. He could always fall back and expect Lightning to catch him even if he's holding coffee. They'd been dating for a while now, but now he's gone permanently. Ever since Lightning dressed up as a girl, he'd been acting guilty around him as if he'd cheated on him.
Now he knew why. Light screamed and begged for their forgiveness. He explained everything to them. The bet, the demands and the forced kiss.
Wind had no idea how to feel about it. Nobody knew about their relationship, which made it more painful for him to endure.
He had to be strong, for Lightning's sake—
Please. Let this be a nightmare.
Light sat by Lightning's hospital bed, staring at him. A mask was put over his nose and mouth to help him breath, an IV hooked up to his veins to sustain his life.
His face had never looked so serene and at peace.
Still, it didn't look like Lightning. They all had the same faces, but their expressions were as different as night and day they could be passed off as different people. Lightning's trademark scowl couldn't be plagiarized, because they hadn't known fear and anger like he did.
A tear ran down his cheek. His eyes stung from crying too much, his cheeks felt sore, but he couldn't stop himself. This was all because of his fucking wants. It was thanks to him that Lightning was stolen from them.
His fingertip burned gold. With a murderous aura, he teleported to the culprit's whereabouts, eyes glowing bright like the sun.
"You're going to pay for what you did!" he swore, pointing his glowing finger at Adu-du and Probe.