verse drabble
the dreams in which I'm dying
As a child living in the Akuma-infested Japan, Yuu's life was rather miserable. But as long as he had his parents, he felt safe, even in this dangerous place. Well. That was what he thought.
With his father struck down by an Akuma, his mother was left a grieving widow. And grievances, of course, summon the Earl.
And the Earl.. of course.. creates Akuma.
But he was so young, hardly five years old. He couldn't possibly know that his mother could become an Akuma. He didn't even know what Akuma were...
And so, with this Akuma of a mother, they lived for another six months.
Their house (or rather, hiding place) was found and raided by Akuma, higher level than his mother, and she bade him to escape. He could hardly run, but he managed, tripping and bleeding all the way.
He never saw her again, nor could he ever block out her screams. Of course, there's no way a child of five could possibly survive on his own, let alone in this hellhole of a country. So when Yuu the two blurry faces above him, he did what any child on the brink of death would do.
He reached out to them.
are the best I've ever had
When Yuu woke up, there was only one man left.
"Where is the other one?" He asked, in Japanese.
Not understanding, his savior only watched as Yuu looked around the small tent in search for the second person he'd seen.
"Ah."
Taking him by the shoulder, the man led Yuu outside. A few feet in front of the tent, a body lay on the ground, covered by a sheet of canvas. A hand peeked out from underneath, ashen and dead, smeared with blood.
The same hand that had taken his the night before.
Yuu went forward, reaching out once more for that hand. It was cold. It was dead.
He reached for the corner of the canvas, and pulled it up--
--and the wind swept by, stealing the sheet, and the man underneath promptly turned to ashes.
"..Where did he go?"
A vanishing act? Surely not. Where did the hand go? And why ashes?
"Ashes to ashes," the other man said, sighing. "ashes to ashes, to ashes.."
..To ashes.. to ashes..
A hand descended on top of Yuu's head, ruffling his dark hair.
"It's alright."
Yuu looked up, unable to comprehend the man's strange words.
"Patience. I'll get you back, brother."
But the man didn't look at the ashes as he spoke.
He was smiling at Yuu.
when people run in circles
For nearly four years, Yuu continued to wonder why the man always called him 'brother'. Yuu wondered what 'brother' even meant.
"Yuu."
The man blinked in mid sentence.
"..Pardon?"
"Yuu." The ten-year-old insisted. "Boku namae wa Yuu."
"..You?"
"Iie!" Yuu scowled. "Yuu."
The man only shook his head, smiled sadly, and ruffled Yuu's hair again. Yuu didn't like that. He didn't like his hair being touched so much.
"I'm sorry, brother."
"Yuu!"
For three days, whenever the man said 'brother', Yuu countered with 'Yuu!'. If the man refused (which he did, more often than now) to call him by his proper name, Yuu promptly decided to ignore his words.
(Not that he could understand them, anyway. The man made no attempt to teach him any of his gaijin language.)
Yuu would stay angry at the man until June 5 came around. They had no calendar of course, so Yuu had no idea what day it was, nor would he have cared (much). The man was somehow able to keep both of them away from the monsters, from the Akuma, from the death. Like he could talk to them.
Or perhaps they were afraid of him.
Night had fallen. Yuu and the man were in a safe place. They'd stayed here before and had never run into any trouble. But today, something was happening. It wasn't just that Yuu had a headache-- he'd had it for a while now. He was bleeding, too, from his head. He found cuts, but couldn't figure out how they got there.
He wrapped his head in some of the cleanest cloths he could find and hoped that they would heal in time. But they didn't.
They got worse.
And worser.
And worser.
An Akuma bellowed out, and the ground thundered. The man stayed in the door way, watching. Yuu had made sure to hide those cuts from him, so how did he know?
Midnight.
The man was cut down by a giant, hideous blade protruding from the arm of a monster. The man who called Yuu 'brother' was gone. He was dead.
But he didn't turn to ashes when Yuu reached out to him. He stayed there.
Yuu caught his stiffening hand--
--and screamed at the onslaught of what he would never learn to be called an 'Awakening'.
it's a very very mad world
When Yuu woke up the next day...
"Morning, brat."
A curtain of red hair swished at the ten-year-old host's side. A wine bottle sat on the nightstand.
...well...
The hotel room reeked of alcohol.
..Yuu never woke up again.
"..Ohayou, Marian~"
The Fourteenth Noah did.
happy birthday, happy birthday
As a child living in the Akuma-infested Japan, Yuu's life was rather miserable. But as long as he had his parents, he felt safe, even in this dangerous place. Well. That was what he thought.
With his father struck down by an Akuma, his mother was left a grieving widow. And grievances, of course, summon the Earl.
And the Earl.. of course.. creates Akuma.
But he was so young, hardly five years old. He couldn't possibly know that his mother could become an Akuma. He didn't even know what Akuma were...
And so, with this Akuma of a mother, they lived for another six months.
Their house (or rather, hiding place) was found and raided by Akuma, higher level than his mother, and she bade him to escape. He could hardly run, but he managed, tripping and bleeding all the way.
He never saw her again, nor could he ever block out her screams. Of course, there's no way a child of five could possibly survive on his own, let alone in this hellhole of a country. So when Yuu the two blurry faces above him, he did what any child on the brink of death would do.
He reached out to them.
are the best I've ever had
When Yuu woke up, there was only one man left.
"Where is the other one?" He asked, in Japanese.
Not understanding, his savior only watched as Yuu looked around the small tent in search for the second person he'd seen.
"Ah."
Taking him by the shoulder, the man led Yuu outside. A few feet in front of the tent, a body lay on the ground, covered by a sheet of canvas. A hand peeked out from underneath, ashen and dead, smeared with blood.
The same hand that had taken his the night before.
Yuu went forward, reaching out once more for that hand. It was cold. It was dead.
He reached for the corner of the canvas, and pulled it up--
--and the wind swept by, stealing the sheet, and the man underneath promptly turned to ashes.
"..Where did he go?"
A vanishing act? Surely not. Where did the hand go? And why ashes?
"Ashes to ashes," the other man said, sighing. "ashes to ashes, to ashes.."
..To ashes.. to ashes..
A hand descended on top of Yuu's head, ruffling his dark hair.
"It's alright."
Yuu looked up, unable to comprehend the man's strange words.
"Patience. I'll get you back, brother."
But the man didn't look at the ashes as he spoke.
He was smiling at Yuu.
when people run in circles
For nearly four years, Yuu continued to wonder why the man always called him 'brother'. Yuu wondered what 'brother' even meant.
"Yuu."
The man blinked in mid sentence.
"..Pardon?"
"Yuu." The ten-year-old insisted. "Boku namae wa Yuu."
"..You?"
"Iie!" Yuu scowled. "Yuu."
The man only shook his head, smiled sadly, and ruffled Yuu's hair again. Yuu didn't like that. He didn't like his hair being touched so much.
"I'm sorry, brother."
"Yuu!"
For three days, whenever the man said 'brother', Yuu countered with 'Yuu!'. If the man refused (which he did, more often than now) to call him by his proper name, Yuu promptly decided to ignore his words.
(Not that he could understand them, anyway. The man made no attempt to teach him any of his gaijin language.)
Yuu would stay angry at the man until June 5 came around. They had no calendar of course, so Yuu had no idea what day it was, nor would he have cared (much). The man was somehow able to keep both of them away from the monsters, from the Akuma, from the death. Like he could talk to them.
Or perhaps they were afraid of him.
Night had fallen. Yuu and the man were in a safe place. They'd stayed here before and had never run into any trouble. But today, something was happening. It wasn't just that Yuu had a headache-- he'd had it for a while now. He was bleeding, too, from his head. He found cuts, but couldn't figure out how they got there.
He wrapped his head in some of the cleanest cloths he could find and hoped that they would heal in time. But they didn't.
They got worse.
And worser.
And worser.
An Akuma bellowed out, and the ground thundered. The man stayed in the door way, watching. Yuu had made sure to hide those cuts from him, so how did he know?
Midnight.
The man was cut down by a giant, hideous blade protruding from the arm of a monster. The man who called Yuu 'brother' was gone. He was dead.
But he didn't turn to ashes when Yuu reached out to him. He stayed there.
Yuu caught his stiffening hand--
--and screamed at the onslaught of what he would never learn to be called an 'Awakening'.
it's a very very mad world
When Yuu woke up the next day...
"Morning, brat."
A curtain of red hair swished at the ten-year-old host's side. A wine bottle sat on the nightstand.
...well...
The hotel room reeked of alcohol.
..Yuu never woke up again.
"..Ohayou, Marian~"
The Fourteenth Noah did.
happy birthday, happy birthday