(A/N: This amazing fanart on top was made by ZJunaZ ! I screamed so much when I found it in my twitter notifications and it absolutely made my day! ZJunaZ , thank you for taking the time to draw this! I really do appreciate and love it!
If anyone of you guys out there feel like drawing fanart of my stories, please, feel free to do so! I'll even encourage you all to do it! I am very thankful for any fanart I get! You can send a link to me through Wattpad or any other platforms I'm active on— Instagram or Twitter, etc.
Anyways, enough of me fangirling. You probably want to read on, right? Then go ahead!
And a small fun fact before you read: I have a Japanese Spitz that's also named Shiro and I didn't realise that both of them had the same names until one of my friends — who reads my fanfics — pointed it out to me. Shoutout to Alysa if you're reading this!)
~{&}~
Various layers of warm and soft clothing adorned the brunette's frame, going from a brown woolly turtleneck that brought him a sense of encapsulation and protection, it's fabric wrapping around from waist all the way up to his neck and telling him that he was well covered, to a long and black blazer that went all the way down to his mid thighs, giving him a sense of fashion and extra reassurance as it's sleeves reached all the way to his wrists. Did he also mention that the blazer also had a hood?
For his lower body, he kept it simple but with a hint of rebelliousness. He wore black skinny jeans that were easily tucked into knee high boots that were adorned with laces.
As for accessories, he had simple black and tight leather gloves on just to make sure that if he needed to grab Sleepy Ash's hands, he would be safe. He had his hair tied up and pinned to the sides as much as possible. He also had a black customized mask from Izuna that only covered his mouth and nothing else.
The reason why it was labelled as 'customised' was because Izuna had actually prepared this specific mask for him that altered his voice to his liking to help hide his true identity even further. Even though Mahiru had no memory of telling her about the bodyguard trial in advance, he was still thankful for it and didn't ask questions (the rest probably told her without letting him know).
He overlooked himself in the mirror, ignoring the excited faces of the others in the reflection who were just begging him to hurry up and tell them what he thought of the disguise. He twisted and turned, making sure to check every corner of it.
Once he checked through it thoroughly, he twirled around to face the rest, who were eyeing him with anticipation.
"So?" Izuna popped the question, her tone of voice expecting and hopeful.
Mahiru stayed quiet for awhile, no doubt processing her question and of the answer he ought to give, his eyes piercing and calculators which sent shivers down the others' spines.
After a few moments of where the reign of silence ensued and enveloped the room in a stagnant state of anticipation, dread and hope at the same time, Mahiru finally broke it as he grinned with a thumbs up,"I like it! It's really cool and fashionable! I can definitely hide my identity from the rest in this. It's a pass from me!"
Almost instantly, a relieved sigh resounded throughout the room from the others. "Thank god," Junichiro sighed out of relief, not wanting to remember the time they spent bickering over what Mahiru was to wear.
Apparently, the rest couldn't decide which style they wanted to go with. Tsurugi's was too... Tsurugi, which was a bad thing if you were wondering. Yumikage's was too flamboyant to be able to let Mahiru blend in. Junichiro's was too simple and Shuhei's was too classy while Izuna didn't really have an opinion. Due to this conflict, they bickered for a long time until they realised that they didn't have much time left until the Servamps and Eves would arrive.
And so, they did the next best thing they could:
They mushed all of their ideas into one and it turned out surprisingly well.
Tsurugi smirked triumphantly with hints of smugness coating his tone of voice,"Haha! See, my fashion style never ceases to amaze. I told you it was great. And because of me, Mahiru-Chan now has something fashionable to wear outside! Thank me! You all should be thanking me!"
This sparked outrage from the others as Shuhei's switch got flipped and he snapped,"Hah?! What the hell do you mean?! This was not possible without all of us! Why should we be only thanking you?! You should be thanking all of us as well! Had I not added my own style into it, he would've looked like a homeless joe from the streets!"
Shuhei's comment unintentionally triggered Yumikage and Junichiro as they barged in as well, with Izuna trying her hardest to pacify things but being ignored and Yumikage retorted,"Now what the hell does that mean?! My style does not look like some homeless joe from the streets! While I do admit it makes you look rebellious, it is not that bad to make him look like he was an alcoholic who was kicked out of his home!"
"Guys, please stop—" Izuna, being the angel she was, tried to stop the argument to the best of her abilities but was of course ignored since the others were being too loud.
Junichiro also added fuel to the fire,"That's right! While my style may be casual and friendly, it does not make him look homeless! Isn't this mission supposed to be an undercover one? So if he looks casual, he should blend in! Shuhei, your style would only attract more stares than to anybody's liking! Tsurugi, you too!"
"What?! Me?!" Tsurugi made a dramatic gasp as he clenched his fist and brought it to his heart, as if re-enacting his heart being broken to a million pieces and that he had to hold it together.
While the rest were bickering amongst themselves, Mahiru was overlooking himself in the mirror, doubt piercing through his soul and thorns prickling the edge of his sanity. Every second that drew by, the heavier and more difficult it was to retain that mask of a smile on his face. It was like weights were being added to the corners of his mouth, and it was tiring to continue to smile.
Could he really do this? Could he really face the Servamps head on and not break? Could the walls that he had been building up for these two years withstand the pressure of being near Sleepy Ash and not crumble down?
Truth be told, he really didn't want to do this. He knew that it was repetitive, but he just couldn't snuff out that part of him that screamed for mercy to not face the Servamps and Eves. It was as if he was about to bungee jump and he was staring at death's door from the height. If there was an option to revert time back to it's original spot, then he would gladly take it without hesitation.
The longer he stared in the mirror, the more he noticed exactly how small he was compared to the reflections of the adults behind him. His frame was less muscled than Tsurugi's, Yumikage's and possibly Junichiro's.
What in the world was Touma thinking when he assigned him to the job? He was the least qualified to even try to tackle on it. He wasn't even the strongest in the C3. He was light years away from Tsurugi's and Yumikage's strength, so why him?
He remembered that when he was still an Eve to Sleepy Ash, he had come to the C3 with him to fix a problem. He had Tsurugi with him at the time to be a sort of 'bodyguard' and they were sort of neighbours since their dorms were right next to each other. During his stay, Tsurugi had begun to explain how Eves affected the Servamp's strength, and he told him that he dragged Sleepy Ash down.
To make matters worse, Tsurugi added that if Yumikage was the Eve of Sloth, nothing could bring them down. They would be the strongest pair alive. And what was he compared to that? A teenager with little to no combat skills at all?
It was pathetic.
He joined the C3 in hopes of finding a family and becoming stronger. If he was stronger, he could protect his family and he wouldn't have to rely on others that much. But reflecting on the past now, he realised that he did nothing but rely on them.
Education? He relied on Izuna and Shuhei. Strength? He relied on Tsurugi. Accuracy? He relied on Yumikage and Junichiro. Emotional support? All of them. He couldn't count the number of times they have rushed to help and pick up the pieces for him.
Did anything change from his previous circumstance? No. He was dragging those close to him down again.
So what on earth was Touma thinking, choosing him out of all people for such an important job that could reflect the image of the C3 as a whole? He could've chosen someone stronger and more stabilised like Junichiro or Yumikage.
Was there still time to switch? The Servamps and the Eves still weren't here yet, so maybe—
"Here you go!"
His thoughts were cut off when two fingers suddenly appeared at the corners of his mouth, applying just a bit of force to turn his frown upside down. He stared at the mirror, wondering who was doing this, to see Tsurugi standing behind him with a large grin spread out across his face.
"There you go! That's much better. You're much more handsome if you have a big smile on your face. Studies say it helps to draw the ladies in which you might have to note down, Mr. NGSB," Tsurugi commented childishly as he played with his fingers, pushing up the corners of Mahiru's mouth even more.
"T-Tsu...rugi," Mahiru forced out through the literal forced smile on his face, using one of his hands to drag Tsurugi's fingers down but the other male wasn't budging, only merely laughing at his futile attempt.
"No~pe! I'm not letting my fingers down until you give me a genuine smile!" Tsurugi grinned as he pushed them up a bit more which made Mahiru's face look weirder since his eyes weren't exactly happy and contrasted the forced smile. Though, it was working and Mahiru could feel an actual smile crawl up on his face.
Not being able to control the laughter that was bubbling up from deep within, Mahiru let it out as he squinted his eyes from it, barely catching the satisfied look on Tsurugi's face as he let his fingers down.
"See? You can smile. You look so much more handsome like that, so much so that I feel like falling for you," Tsurugi made a dramatic gesture as he brought his hand up to his fringe and dusted it away. Mahiru chuckled at his usual extravagant antics.
Feeling gratitude sprout out from his chest, he thanked him with a warm smile,"Thank you, Tsurugi. I really needed that."
Tsurugi smiled back with a soft sigh as he went to ruffle the brunette's hair affectionately. He was just watching the others bicker among themselves until he noticed that Mahiru was acting quiet and when he approached him and called for his name, he didn't respond. When he saw that he was frowning in the mirror, he knew something was up in the kid's head again and he had to fix it or else he would continuously have a war in his mind.
That was how Mahiru was. He heard some stories from Tooru. When the simpleton was little, he mostly blamed himself for a lot of things. He didn't want to appear as a burden so he took on jobs that a lot of people didn't want. Seeing the boy frown in the mirror and being quiet meant that something must have been weighing down his mind, something that he didn't want to tell the others or he'd seem as a burden and dragging others down.
Mahiru wasn't a someone who'd voice his pain out loud much to everybody's surprise. He was one that would swallow it's thorns and prick himself with countless needles just to appear as a beautiful rose on the surface. And Tsurugi didn't like that.
Mahiru was part of his unofficial family, but family nonetheless. Blood was thicker than water after all.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it. I already have a clue on what it is and I want you to stop it," Tsurugi mentioned quietly over the other's shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts as the raven continued,"you're thinking something troublesome again and I'd like for you to drop it, alright? Does it have something to do about the mission? Your capabilities or whatnot?"
Mahiru's eyes widened out of surprise from being found out so quickly. He swallowed thickly before looking down again,"...Yes. I was wondering whether I was strong enough to handle this job or not. I mean, it's reflecting the C3's image as a whole. I'm not as strong as you or Yumikage. I'm not as smart as Shuhei and Izuna or as levelheaded as Junichiro. So why me out of all people?"
Tsurugi stared at Mahiru's expression, seeing only uncertainty and doubt on the other's face. The raven sighed deeply, causing the brunette to turn to him.
Tsurugi rested an arm over Mahiru's shoulder as he talked,"Y'know, why do you always think that? Have you no memories of the number of times we've had our asses saved by you? Had you not come to the C3, we would've died at least ten times since the C3 has tackled on more dangerous jobs than ever with Sleepy Ash losing an Eve and Tsubaki after all."
Mahiru tried to refute,"But I—"
"Yeah, yeah. You violated some protocols but who cares about that? You saved us and that's all that matters. Sure, you may not be as physically strong as us. But if we're comparing in courage, we might all as well be little mice's cowering beneath your predator's gaze. Bravery is another form of strength after all. And it's a rare one at that. Not all people can obtain it," Tsurugi commented as he stared at Mahiru's surprised face.
Tsurugi used his hand to direct Mahiru's gaze towards the mirror. Both of them stared at their forms and only now did Mahiru realise how muscular he has grown from before when he had little to no training with the Eves and how he puffed out his chest more.
Tsurugi smiled fondly as he continued,"Stop looking down on yourself. You're strong so make use of that strength. The reason why you feel weak is because you fear failing this mission. Don't worry about it. Even if you do fail, we'll all be here to support you. Now go out there and reach for the sky. We'll catch you even if you fall. I'm not good with words and I usually ask for money if people ask for advice but I'll make an exception just for today. Just know that we're here for you, 'kay?"
Mahiru could feel tears brimming up from the corners of his eyes as he chuckled,"You say that you're no good with words but what you just said made you seem like an actual trained professional. Are you trying to seem humble?"
"No way~! The only times I try to seem humble is when I see an opportunity to earn more money!" Tsurugi withdrew from Mahiru as he hugged himself and wiggled around weirdly, causing Mahiru to give him a deadpan expression that held disapproval inside of it.
They chuckled in unison before they were cut off by a loud, threatening and authoritative voice boom out across the room,"THAT'S IT! All of you, shut up right now or I'll personally cut off the receptions from your phones or I'll make a bomb that'll explode every time you talk! Shut up RIGHT NOW!"
Immediately, the whole room quietened down, so quiet until you could almost hear the drumming of their scared and jumpy heartbeats from the angel-turned-demon blonde in front of them. Mahiru and Tsurugi snapped their heads towards where the other four were and saw their faces go pale and wide from shock as not a soul dared to anger her inner wrath even more (which taking into context causes the irony of her being the actual Eve of Wrath).
A menacing glare that was comparable with Freya's took over her facial features and she looked like a wolf that was about to hunt her prey. Junichiro, Shuhei and Yumikage squirmed underneath her gaze while Tsurugi and Mahiru stared in disbelief at how uncannily similar she looked like Freya. Can Eves get influenced by their Servamps to a point that they start acting and looking like them?
Their attention was brought back when Izuna let out an exhausted sigh while pinching the brink of her nose. She diverted her eyes to the three of who were in front of her at the moment and explained tiredly,"Listen. There's no point in arguing. What's done has already been done. Moreover, why would you even need to argue? All of your styles mixed into one made a wonderful outfit. This outfit couldn't have been made without all of you."
This caught all of their attention as they diverted their gaze to Mahiru— more specifically, his outfit, and it caused Mahiru to do the same. They admired it for a while before turning their eyes to among themselves in recognition while nodding along to Izuna's statement.
Izuna's glare softened as she huffed with a small smile at that,"Glad we all can come to an agreement. Anyways, we don't have much time left. We shouldn't be arguing over something right now when the Servamps could be coming any moment."
All of their eyes widened as they all turned to the brunet again, jolting him in surprise as he pointed at himself.
Izuna pierced him with her gaze as she commanded with an authoritative tone,"Unless you want to be underprepared, take this time to grab your necessary weapons and conceal them. Remember though, only use them when it's of upmost importance. Try to solve the problem diplomatically first. And remember to report to us when you need to use them so we can tell the superiors that you weren't violating any rules."
Mahiru gulped at the indication that her words portrayed: don't attack the Servamps and Eves even if you're boiling under your skin or you'll get hell. He nodded with a shaky resolve, unsure whether he would be able to withhold that promise but still determined to, and it shone in his eyes. Izuna gave an affirmative but empathetic nod back before she threw up a thumbs up with a bright smile,"Well, just give it your best! We'll support you all the way!"
This made Mahiru's eyes widen as warmth burst through his chest just like that. It spread even more when the rest came over with cheerful and supportive grins while patting his back or ruffling his hair in an affectionate manner.
"You can do this, Mahiru. Just think of the rewards you'll get after this hell is over with!" Yumikage cheekily poked his cheek with a slight smirk. Mahiru laughed as the rest showered him with praises and encouragement, and he felt like he belonged here, in the arms of his family.
Bodyguard trial be damned, he'd rather skip out on that than skip out on this. But of course, he had to make them proud so he'll tackle the job on and complete it without any faults. That, he tried to promise himself.
His family was his lifeline. And he wanted that lifeline to continue to support his life forever so he should not let them down.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll try my best in this trial. I'll go and collect my weapons so that if in the worst case scenario happens, I'll be prepared and I won't let you guys down!" Mahiru grinned the brightest he has ever grinned in a while, shocking the other remnants in the room.
The awkward silence soon turned into joyful encouragements as Shuhei nodded and gave a thumbs up while the rest were grinning their hearts out,"That's right. Even though you wouldn't let us down anyways, it's better to be prepared like you said. Now hurry and get to it! You'll know where to find us."
Mahiru laughed as he nodded and quickly got out of their embrace and headed for the door. Just before he exited though, he turned back to face them yet again. He gave a playful and excited wink and a thumbs up to them, reassuring them that he was confident in his abilities to carry out whatever was going to be thrown at him. The rest nodded and he chuckled before rushing out into the hallway.
Once they knew that he was out of earshot, the smiles on the rests' faces reverted back into a thin line as they all pursed their lips, uncertainty reigning throughout the room and in their hearts.
"Do you... really think that he'll be okay?" Junichiro mumbled for only them to hear, and it was the question that they've all been asking themselves the whole time.
They've known Mahiru. Not as much as his uncle does, but close enough to know what he may do. Mahiru may have been a torch that outshone all other flames in the past, but the dark clouds of time have doused out his will to just a flicker of himself. One more gust of wind and that same very flame may cease to exist no more.
And that day may be the dreaded day that they were to collect an emotionless puppet instead of a boy who was previously filled with life.
Tsurugi sighed deeply as he muttered,"Who knows... only time can tell."
~{&}~
It was time.
The scratching of shoes against the cold and mundane floor the C3 was covered in were heard throughout the hallway as nine people (or, four humans and five vampires) followed their guide, the Eve of Wrath, towards the designated meeting spot. Passerby's froze when their eyes caught their figures and it brought an air of tension in the vicinity.
After all, these were the very vampires that the C3 kept an eye one for centuries and was one of the main reasons why the organisation was even formed. And those were their Eves who kept them in check.
The Eve of Wrath, Izuna, had to swallow a large lump in her throat and tried to ignore that head of sweat that just rolled down her temple. Every step they took brought them nearer to the person she had been trying to protect from them for two years and all that work was about to crumble into pieces if the fated one stepped too far out of the boundary.
She sighed before shaking her head. It was fine, the worst case scenario wasn't going to happen. Mahiru was strong. Stronger than ever before. He could defend himself. He knew where were the lines that divided danger from comfort and how he should not tip closer to the dangerous side. He had grown up, and she was sure that he could take care of himself.
Still, that thought that he would lose control gnawed at the back of her mind, talons scratching at her thought process until it tore, broke and bled. She knew that it was a bad idea for him to take on this job but she could do nothing for him now. All she could do was trust that he wouldn't break, like how he did two years ago.
Unbeknownst to her, a certain blond was noting down her uneasiness the whole journey and had a few questions raised.
"Izuna? Is something wrong?" The blond, who turned out to be Mikuni, tapped her on the shoulder which caused the girl to snap her head towards him. He was at the very front with Jeje and she was the one leading the group so it wasn't hard for him to just get her attention.
Izuna was caught off guard as her mind was still perpetually in her 'worry-about-Mahiru' mode and she accidentally let some details slip,"Huh? Oh, well, y'know, I'm just worried whether he would break under the pressure or not since Sl—"
However, her vision came back to her in a snap and her senses were suddenly honed to the present, making her gasp when she realised who exactly she was talking to. It wasn't Tsurugi or Yumikage, like how she thought it was.
It was the one serpent that they had all agreed on to not tell anything about Mahiru due to his cunningness and knowledge, the one that may be the most prominent in breaking Mahiru's secret, Mikuni.
Mikuni caught note of her words and he narrowed his eyes at her, much to Izuna's secretly amplifying horror as they continued to walk. Not wanting to be figured out any more as she might let out more details slip than she already has under Mikuni's scrutiny, she turned her head forward, hellbent on making her way towards the meeting room.
Mikuni however, was a man of knowledge. He always sought after it, no matter the costs. Even if it meant betraying his own allies, he'd gladly switch sides if it meant that he could get it. And once his curiosity is piqued and he realises that there is more than what meets the eye of a topic, he'll search deep into the crevices to find what it is.
And so he did.
"Izuna, what did you just say? Could you repeat the whole sentence?" Mikuni questioned as he quickened his pace and walked right side by side with the girl, Jeje's snake form slithered around his neck. He studied her for answers, watching more beads of sweat to slide down her temple and the way she bit her lips tightly.
Tensed, scared, pressured. Almost like she's trying her best to refrain from talking. Almost like she's scared of even opening her mouth. But from what exactly? He noted and questioned in his mind, feeling the cogs working as his curiosity tried to pry even deeper, to seek whatever treasure the girl was keeping away from him.
Intel was much more important to him than bonds, and he didn't care if he had to break Izuna's mind if it meant he could get his hands on it.
While the rest of the Eves and Servamps were making a ruckus while loosely following Izuna, Izuna and Mikuni didn't feel like they were in the C3 anymore. They felt like they were in an interrogation room, where Mikuni was the interrogator while Izuna was the suspect. Tension was so thick in the air around them that it made the suspect gulp deeply.
"Izuna, spill it. You know I don't like to be kept waiting," Mikuni hissed at her, watching the slightest flinch she gave from the coldness and underlying sharpness of his words. His piercing gaze made her squirm, but alas, she couldn't open her mouth. Who knows what he would be able to pry out of her if she did.
Hoping to escape from Mikuni's grasp, Izuna took bigger and faster steps, eager to quickly reach the meeting room so that she wouldn't have to deal with Mikuni any longer.
However, Mikuni was not giving up his fight and tried to catch up to her and he was about to grasp onto her hand. However, suddenly, his arm was caught by another's, causing him to turn and look at the culprit.
It was Sleepy Ash, who was staring at him with sharp and disapproving eyes.
"Don't you know that you're disturbing her?" Sleepy Ash growled lowly as he tightened the grip he had on Mikuni's arm. He had been watching from the back for a while now and saw how Mikuni had been pressuring Izuna to say something (what, he didn't know exactly) and it was clear that the girl was getting frightful from his treatment.
He knew how Mikuni was so he could not afford to let him continue his antics. He might end up scaring Izuna off after all.
Mikuni snarled sharply back at him with an angered gaze, irritated at the fact that he stopped him from getting some intel out of Izuna,"Shut it. Don't poke your nose into someone else's business, Sloth—"
However before he could continue his sentence, something clicked in his mind.
Sloth.
Retracting back to what Izuna said, Izuna said 'sl', right? That was half of the letters needed for sloth. She also said that since the person 'sl' was here, which may be referring to Sleepy Ash since he was technically here, he might break. Was Sloth the person she was referring to, the cause of the person's dilemma?
If so, then that begs another question...
Who was 'he'?
Ignoring Sleepy Ash's gaze, he turned back to Izuna for confirmation. He needed some kind of double reassurance that his hypothesis was correct. Although he knew he wouldn't get a verbal reaction, all he needed to do was study the human body to easily get one.
And got one he did, watching the underlying fear grow and dance in Izuna's frightful diluted eyes that seemed to widen with every second that he stared back at her.
He noticed how her mouth was trembling as if she was shocked and was at a loss of words. It looked as if a mantra of questions were running through her head at that point of time and if he had to guess, it would probably be questions about why he suddenly stopped his line of speech with knowing eyes.
'Bingo,' His mind voiced out inwardly as satisfaction and pride swelled up in his chest, a knowing smirk spreading across his face in a sign of victory. He won this round. He had found out who 'sl' was.
Now all he had to find out was who he was.
"Izuna? It seems like something's on your mind. Would you care to explain? I'm curious since you looked terribly pale right now, as if you just spilled a secret that you probably shouldn't have," He challenged her, having completely forgotten about Sleepy Ash who was still gripping his arm and the rest who were currently still playing around.
The noise became static as his senses were honed into this very moment, excited as can be. He hadn't gotten a high like this in a long time, where he felt like he could figure out everything the world had to offer. It felt amazing and it was as if everything was dancing along to his puppetry.
Izuna was fumbling for words as she backed a step up,"I-I—"
"Hm? What was that? I couldn't quite hear you. Speak louder," It was getting too much. A fire spread throughout his entire body, senses tingling at the slightest gust of wind. He loved that twisted expression the girl had on her face and he wanted to contort it more.
"Hey, stop it," Sleepy Ash warned as he tightened his grip even more but Mikuni didn't even seem to notice it as he continued to stare at her with a knowing and challenging glare, the smirk widening as evil desires rose up from their coffins.
"Come on, let's hear what you have to say!" He chuckled lowly with a sinister tone in his voice. He was deriving sick pleasure from it all and he wanted more.
"I-I... I don't—"
"Speak louder!" Mikuni demanded as he snarled with a sharp and piercing gaze in his eyes, causing Izuna to squeak as she backed one more step up out of fear from the monster in front of them.
However, in doing so, she bumped into another's chest. She was about to look up and apologize for the inconvenience caused but jumped slightly when she felt two strong protective arms wrap around her frame and a menacing and angered aura from the other. She gulped as she realised who it was, even without turning back.
It was Freya, and she was mad.
She stuttered softly as she looked up to see her Servamp's beautiful face being contorted into an angered one, as if somebody just killed her loved one right in front of her eyes. Her glare could annihilate a whole entire nation just by the toxicity and deadliness it emitted. She was mad and that usually spelt a whole lot of trouble.
"Back away from my Eve right this instance," She growled lowly like a ferocious wolf, baring her fangs in a taunting and bloodcurdling manner as she tightened the grip she had on Izuna's waist. To any other person, the grip she had almost looked painful. But to Izuna, it only felt comforting and she found herself leaning back into Freya's chest even more for the sense of protection it gave.
Freya glared daggers at Mikuni. Even though she had not seen the whole thing play out, she had seen enough to realize that Mikuni had been terrorizing her Eve and that was what alerted her.
She had been waiting idly for Izuna to come back to her cabin where she told her to remain before the blonde rushed off in a hurry to meet Tsurugi and the others in a room. Being the loyal Servamp she was, she obeyed and waited.
However, her patience ran out after thirty minutes and she began to search for her Eve, following the contract's sixth sense to locate her. And the moment she did, she saw her being harassed by somebody else. Who wouldn't get angry at that point?
And it didn't even matter that the Eves and Servamps were watching them closely right now (even though she didn't hear news of a gathering happening between them all in the C3), having quietened down after they felt an immense aura of bloodlust from her. All that mattered was that she protect her Eve from whatever was causing distress to her.
Mikuni clicked his tongue in annoyance as he eyed the Servamp of Wrath in front of him. What a hindrance. There was another obstacle in his way now.
"Stay away from this, Wrath. It doesn't concern you," Mikuni snarled back at her, alarming the rest as they didn't expect for him to actually talk back to her. Not many did it and survived to live the tale after all.
Freya could feel the demon with her ravage around in power as her own wrath continued to build up from the nerve of this man. She wanted to gouge out his eyes at this very moment. She wanted to tear his vocal chords apart and smash his head against a pike. She wanted her wrath to consume him until he was torn apart by it's power.
Feeling a vein pop out from her temple (while ignoring Lily's shrieks of added horror), she opened her mouth to retort something but was beaten to it by a raven as the newcomer stepped into the scene with a smile,"Now now, Miku-Chan. Is that any way to talk to a beautiful lady? No wonder you haven't gotten a girlfriend yet. You keep scaring them."
All eyes turned to the intruder to see a smirking lone wolf with raven hair and golden eyes that outshone the glistening of gold itself. His golden eyes held pure mischief in them as he stared down at the Eve of Envy, to which the latter held back a growl from the sight of him. "Tsurugi...! You damn asshole!" The blond hissed.
Tsurugi roared with laughter at that response,"Nice to meet you too, Miku-Chan! You only visit the C3 when I'm away so I'm lucky to have met you on this occasion. Though, I am not that sure whether the situation that I have found you in is likeable."
Mikuni scowled as he clenched his fists while gritting his teeth. Rage flowed through him like lava as it swelled in him. The nerve of this guy to appear in front of his eyes! It was detestable!
Unable to quell his anger, his mouth opened without his will,"What the fuck are you doing here? I don't remember requesting to see your face. On the contrary, I would actually request not to and file a restraining order against you. So why the hell are you here?"
"You damn bastard! Mikuni, stop it! You're in the C3 right now!" Misono warned as his gaze shot through him, causing him to turn around and look at the rest of the Servamps and the Eves. Ah, he forgot that he was with them and that they were watching the whole scenario play out just now.
Tsurugi chuckled at the exchange the two siblings gave. Well, half-siblings, but it didn't really matter. He found it cute even with the amount of vulgarities involved. "It's alright, Misono. I'm used to his behaviour. It's heartwarming to see that he hasn't changed after all these years," He sang fondly, ignoring the glares from the angered blond.
"Anyways," The raven clapped his hands together, catching everyone's attention,"little Izuna here was taking a pretty long time getting you all to the venue so Shu-Chan has ordered for me to hasten all of you up. Honestly, I shouldn't be doing this job since I'm not getting paid for it. But since it's for him... well, I guess I can give an exception for now."
"Him?" Licht questioned with an eyebrow raised at the vague notion.
Tsurugi's eyes widened slightly, briefly catching Izuna's horror stained eyes and Mikuni's ever-increasing suspicious gaze which only increased even more before giving out a dry laugh at Licht. "Just someone who I'm close with," he gave a nervous smile back.
Before Mikuni could cut in he jogged to the back where Misono and Lily were and gave them a little push as he yelled,"Now let's get you all moving! Chop chop! Your guest is already waiting in the room for you!"
The whole bunch were ushered quickly by the raven as Izuna tried to ignore the stares from Mikuni and instead chose to stay close to Freya for safety and the feeling of protection. Freya draped her hand over her shoulder protectively while giving Mikuni a hard and cold blooded stare at every chance she got while they neared the meeting room.
"Stop!"
They all paused in their tracks as Tsurugi shouted clearly for everyone to hear, turning their heads towards him. He grinned as he pointed at the door that was to the right of them and watched as they all turned to look at it.
Tsurugi quickly skipped to Izuna and Freya's side first before addressing the rest. "Be wary of Mikuni. Don't spill anything confidential. He's highly suspicious of us right now," Tsurugi warned softly only for Izuna to hear with a sharp and cutting tone, a tone he barely used in his daily life. Izuna gulped but nodded nonetheless, determination flickering in her eyes.
Tsurugi smiled as he gave a light pat on the back on Izuna, catching her returned grin. He chuckled before turning to the group where all of them— the Pride pair, the Greed pair, the Envy pair, the Lust pair and finally, the dreaded Sloth, awaited.
He sucked in a deep breath, ridding his mind of all of the monsters that plagued his imagination of the possible scenarios since Mahiru was going to be paired with Sloth of all people. His breathing evened out as the thrumming of their hearts ceased. It was fine, Mahiru could do this. It was all going to be fine.
With trust resurrecting back in his soul, he fired up with a hopeful expression,"This is it. Please prepare yourselves before entering. Enter once you have all determined yourselves ready."
That reminder's more for us than for them to be honest, Izuna and Tsurugi found themselves thinking at the same time.
Tetsu gave a thumbs up to them, making them sigh as Tsurugi went over and slowly turned the knob. Now or never, they guessed. Two years of preparation had led to this.
They knew that Mahiru would meet Sleepy Ash once again. It was inevitable, considering that he was in this workforce that comprised of mostly hunting vampires down. All they hoped was that the two years of preparation that went in for this event did not go to waste.
And all of that would be judged in one simple push of a door.
A gust of cold wind gently brushed their hair and grazed their faces, almost soothingly. The bright light from the room blinded them for the nth time. Who implemented such strong lights in an already white facility? Sleepy Ash resented that as he squinted his eyes slightly to get used the blaring light slowly as he subconsciously stepped forward, in front of Mikuni.
Slowly, their vision came back to them. He could make out a few objects. A table? Possibly. Chairs? Yep. A sofa? Definitely. Maybe more than one sofa even.
But what was weird about that pixelated and blurry image of a sofa was that something else was on it. It wasn't that grey colours of the mundane sofa. It looked to have various colours that blended in well with each other.
He could see the colour of brown. It is the brown of earth, of the nurturing soils, and of the textured skin of the trees that grows with the variation of finger prints. It is the sort of brown that bring the thoughts to comfort, yet has the bright flecks of rosy hope. It rested on the middle of the so-called apparition, as if adorning it's frame.
Next, he could see the colour of black. It trailed down all the way from the top of the couch to six inches above the floor, still suited to the apparition's frame. It was as dark as night shadows on deep waters.
His mind, already a jumbled mess, sought for resolution. He wanted just one thing off his mind which seemed to be an incoherent trail at the moment. And the easiest thing so far to complete to reach that goal seemed to be his eye sight.
His eyes lingered on the apparition, his senses honing in. Bit by bit, he could make out what it was. It's frame was humane, like a person. He waited a few more seconds before it ticked back in him, a resounding click in the air as time returned back to normal. His crimson vampiric eyes sharpened and it slightly widened.
It was a male, wearing fashionable yet casual clothes. However, there was something that set the whole look apart. The male was wearing a black mask and black-tinted glasses while pulling the hood of his cloak so far in that his hair wasn't even visible, adding a shroud of mystery to it. There was a stiffness to it that wasn't quite right in the cloth that was so casual.
His skin was clear, comparable to a baby girl's. Even with the glasses and mask covering eighty percent of his face, Sleepy Ash could still easily the accentuated jawline and sharp chin.
The man looked up to meet his gaze and even through the glasses, Sleepy Ash could feel something sharp pierce through his body. He didn't know what was wrong nor who this man was but he was affecting him. His breath was suddenly caught in his throat as he stood there paralyzed. The male didn't look to good himself as well as the stiffness in his posture increased, as if reciprocating Sleepy Ash's feelings.
Sleepy Ash could only stand still. He didn't even know if he was breathing anymore but it likely did not matter. The world seemed to quieten down into an endless track record of background noise. All they could feel was the thick coat of tension in the room as they gazes locked into each other.
A lump in both of their throats was seen descending as they both of them— Shiro and Sleepy Ash, gulped at the same time.
Both of their inner demons snickered at the notion.
Let the games begin.
~{&}~
(A/N: Sorry for the not so fulfilling chapter! I've been really busy with school nowadays and art and projects so I may not be able to update a lot. My teacher had asked me to design something for their coffee shop and it's really important so I've been putting aside writing for awhile.
I feel really bad for making y'all wait for such a bad and messy chapter but please bear with me here! I'm so sorry if you all were disappointed with this chapter! I hope I can make it up to you all in the next one! >~<)