Chapter 3 : Uneasy feelings

Takeshi stared with a blank look at the ceiling. His mouth was hanging open, making his cosmetic IQ drop several levels beneath the norm. He didn't care, for there were no other humans besides him in the room that would judge his current appearance in any way.

Brown long hair sprawled on the pillow and hands on his chest, the blue marbles that filled his eye-sockets looked at the specks of dust flying across his room. He tried to count them, to no avail.

He tried to remember what the day was, and what he did the day before. It was all fuzzy, distant. His mind was going everywhere. Just like always. His body felt the passing of time, a few days at most. Nothing too serious.

And, quite obviously, he didn't care.

BAM!

Yet, that didn't stop a certain annoyance from breaking down his calm environment.

"Wake up, Takeshi!"

On the other side of the room, the older sibling scowled.

'Is it me or Issei's voice got more annoying than normal all of a sudden?' he thought. Not that it mattered if it was actually true, but a few pitches graver and his brother's voice would have been able to chip away his sense of hearing. Takeshi liked to not be deaf.

"Wake up, lazy ass!" repeated the younger brother. "This is a new day and you're the same sloth, as always! C'mon, we're gonna be late for school."

The brunet craned his head and his sight rested on the digital clock on the nightstand. His eyes scrunched.

"It's 6:30 A.M., dumbass. Who goes to school at this hour?"

The other boy flashed him a dumb lecherous smile. "The early bird gets the pretty girl, hehehehe!"

Punching Issei and making him swallow his own teeth was a tempting idea, but alas, Takeshi didn't want to dirty his fist. Stupidity was a dangerous and contagious pathogen, and its symptoms would definitely endanger his well-trained wits and skyrocket his body's hormone production. Turning into a mindless pervert was a distasteful idea.

After arguing a little over something stupid, Takeshi woke up earlier than normal and waited until going to school was actually inevitable. Issei being a little more hyper than normal didn't help the former to go through his sleep-deprivation-induced bad mood.

On their way to school, the younger teen giggled at himself for no reason every now and then. The most mature one found himself confused at such an open display of happiness without clear motive. He felt compelled to ask, which was weird to begin with.

"What are you so happy about?"

Issei put his hands behind his head, humming upbeat tunes. "I may just tell you, but I want it to be a surprise."

And just like that, the conversation hit another standstill. Horny boy couldn't hold his overwhelming excitement inside, and in consequence of Takeshi's prolonged and disinterested silence, he revealed the cause of his good mood.

"Y'know what, I'll just tell you anyway!" he suddenly blurted out. "It's just… uuugh, it's so good and amazing I just don't know how to tell you about it!"

The older brother quickly struck his counterpart's statement with petty remarks. "A new pretty girl with big breasts? Or butt? Or both?"

"Yes! But, eh, not exactly! But definitely, yes! More or less… haha…"

"Just tell me, dimwit."

Issei didn't seem pressured in the slightest at his brother impatience, and cleared his throat before revealing the oh-so wonderful news.

"It's just that…. The other day, when I got out of school, this very cute girl appeared out of nowhere. She was from another school, I suppose. At first, I didn't know why she bothered to even talk to me from all people. I thought she was just asking for directions, but…"

The other teen quickly diverted his sight somewhere else, trying to hide his surprised expression.

"…All of a sudden, she literally confessed to me! Like, dude, a real, gorgeous girl actually confessed her feelings to me!" his incredible revelation was followed by goodhearted laughs and giggles. "I was so happy I couldn't even notice how good her figure was at first-"

Takeshi tuned his brother's voice off.

So… that girl had actually done it. He had forgotten about Yuuma or whatever her name was, and her desire to confess to his brother, given that he hadn't taken her that seriously. It was suspicious when she told him about her plans, but now, even though she did approach Issei… It only became more suspicious than before.

Maybe, that feeling of distrust was born from the fact that he just wasn't capable of understanding such concepts as 'love'. He wasn't exactly attached to anyone, so he didn't know how it worked.

But, deep inside, the teen was uneasy. Sure, he could blame his own mediocre handling of human emotions, but there was something else. Everything was too sudden, too fast, even for him.

And, for a moment, he thought of Akeno and Rias, whom he had talked with days before.

It was the same feeling. The idea that the person in front of you, talking to you, was lying so well, you could see through that lie from how good it was built up. It was too good to be true.

"Hey, are you listening?"

His sibling's boisterous voice snapped him from his gloomy trance. He answered immediately.

"Sorry. I spaced out for a moment."

Issei caressed his chin, as if he had an invisible beard, grinning as he did so. "Hehehe, you must be seeing red from jealousy right now! How does it feel for your little bro to have a girlfriend before you do, eh? Want some love tips?"

Takeshi snorted dryly in return. "I will accept your love tips, as long as they keep any woman away from me."

"Words that do not hurt anymore, my dear brother!" he quickly rebutted. "I have shown to the world that Issei Hyoudou is as capable of getting a girlfriend as anyone else! The whole 'cold and distant' guy routine hasn't done you any good, bro. You gotta start opening up a little more!"

"Don't say it as if I actually wanted a girlfriend," responded Takeshi once again.

Issei ruffled his own hair, as if praising himself, even when his older brother didn't show much interest in his mind-blowing achievement.

"Hehe, I know. I was very happy, and… well, you're the first person I wanted to talk with about this." Recognition dawned on his face moments later, and he spoke. "Oh, right! I'm going on a date with her this Sunday. Wish me luck on my first romantic trip!"

The older brunet let out a non-committed hum of understanding.

"Sure. Try to not scare her off with your perverted ways."

He received a soft push on his shoulder.

"Like you're one to talk, Takeshi. You're even creepier than I am."

The overall mood of the conversation was lighthearted. Issei finally got a healthier way of occupying his time without bothering others. Takeshi could be fortunate enough to not put up with him the entirety of his time, now.

Yet… there was anticipation.

Takeshi couldn't explain it, but he was anticipating something. Deep inside of his conscience, his gut feeling was alerting him of something he couldn't understand nor exactly foresee.

What kind of unknown situation had he thrown himself into to feel so… out of it? He was always in control of normal situations, but he felt he was being played a fool by someone else right now. The teen would have never been able to explain the sentiment correctly with his current knowledge.

In the end, he decided to ignore the frightened calls of his instincts, thumping in the back of his head, and drifted by throughout the rest of the day as he had done so many times before.

- - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - - -

It was getting incredibly difficult to just ignore it. Takeshi's awareness of time became increasingly clearer as the worries his mind had stealthily formed met reality.

Sunday had finally come. The silence that reigned in the Hyoudou household was a strange occurrence that wasn't experienced often. Any other time, it was a gift the boy accepted with the same dull tranquility that characterized him. But this time was different.

His brother had gone on his date early in the morning. There was no sign of him.

After double checking to make sure he and his parents were the only ones in the house, Takeshi opted to waste away on his bed, looking at the ceiling with the same vague expression he always wore.

Over the days, he tried to not think too much about it. But the closer Sunday was to coming, the more uneasiness he felt over something he couldn't, for the life of him, understand.

Why was he so shaken? His brother going on a date was bizarre, yes, but not something to lose sleep over. No, it was that girl that ticked him off. Just thinking about her was enough to make him lose it, however faint that nervousness may be.

Yet, no matter how much he turned gears inside of his head, he couldn't get a straight answer. It wasn't something he could just rationalize. He couldn't explain his gut feeling to calm his troubled mind.

…But, even if he knew, would he be able to do anything? Would he want to do anything at all?

…

…

…

Just by thinking about it a little more, the urge to laugh at his own stupidity became a thing.

Why was he getting so worked up over something so mundane? Experiencing something new after getting accustomed to a repetitive routine probably fried his brain by now. Maybe he was just overthinking about a situation that just didn't concern him that much, and he felt so bored he actually tried to convince himself he had to do something.

He remembered it was Sunday. He had an entire day for himself.

Well, it wasn't very different from slowly rotting on the comfortable surface of his bed. He would be aimlessly walking for hours instead of lying down unmoving.

Takeshi got up with unnecessary effort. He put on a short-sleeved white shirt, his scarf, and black pants accompanied with brown boots. The trip from his room, down the stairs, and to the front door, was almost immediate.

He opened the door and got out. The dim sunlight that only appeared soon in the morning rested on his pale complexion, and a cold gust of wind made his skin tingle every now and then. The deep blue of the mostly uncovered sky, not different from the color of his eyes, extended as far as he could see.

It was a sight most people would enjoy. Calm, peaceful, and tranquil.

He found it dull.

Without much else to do, he began walking.

-------------------------------------------------

His feet heavily rested on the pavement each time he took a step. His legs were on the brink of giving out because of choice, not exhaustion. It was somewhat hard to breathe, and the constant expressionless look he always showed to everyone else was already hurting his face muscles.

One hour outside felt like an entire day of activities. Two hours already were constraining for his boot-encased toes. By the fourth hour, a sharp pain was forming behind his eyes, and 30 minutes later, his spine was finally failing to keep his back straight correctly. He just kept on going.

At some point, Takeshi considered the idea of going home appetizing. Then, he suddenly started thinking about cars, and in consequence, how good it would be for one to run him over and put him to sleep forever.

He didn't have the guts to throw himself on the middle of the street while the automobiles were moving, so that train of thought lost importance, although it had a prominent influence in his subconscious.

Honestly, he was already regretting it.

Why was he outside, again? Something, something, something about Issei. It was something about Issei and that stupid bitch, Yuuma.

The teen couldn't even think about her and remain calm. She was getting on his nerves. That damn skank… even though they talked one time in their entire lives, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wanted to erase that memory off his mind. No, better yet, he wanted to erase Yuuma from the known universe.

He grasped his scarf, searching for the familiar feeling of comfort in his precious possession.

The teen hated it. The feeling that he wasn't in control, that someone was above him, superior to him, he couldn't withstand it. How could anyone fool him at all?

But that damned feeling wouldn't leave him alone. It was eating away his conscience, constantly reminding him that he had overlooked something. He had missed a crucial detail that affected him in a way he couldn't begin to describe.

The hours went by. With each second, his frustration only grew, and the more lost he was in his own thoughts, the fewer possibilities that he would return home anytime soon. If he had acknowledged the world around him at all, he would have known he travelled at least half a quarter of the city and a little more. He never stopped walking to admire his surroundings, for he found none of the things in his immediate vicinity interesting enough.

At some point, he actually decided to snap from his inner daze voluntarily.

Takeshi half-heartedly scanned the place he was in. It was a park. It was devoid of any other soul, with only the sound of trees softly brushing against each other and the wind making them move acting as the only residents.

The setting sun in the sky, scenery that the boy found disgusting, served as the only natural hint that gave away the constant flow of time ticking away, whichTakeshi had been consciously unaware of.

He spent most of the day walking, thinking, and yet managing to get none of the answers he so desired. It was a wasted day, a coarse fact that openly declared the uselessness of his decision.

The brunet found himself strolling deeper into the place, eyes darting from a place to another.

"What a goddamn waste…"

His voice was eaten by the trees. His vocal show of frustration didn't manage to get the strength he wanted it to have, losing itself.

"…I have to return. This was pointless."

And so he wished. And he was going to do it. But his legs had carried him farther and farther to a place and time he wasn't meant to be. Instead of turning around, he kept walking forward, and sooner or later, the soothing feeling of loneliness was replaced with the inevitable dread of something he couldn't handle.

He noticed. Many meters in front of him, shadowy figures he recognized were hidden by the subtle darkness of dusk, with a fountain of water separating them.

Takeshi adjusted his eyes. His curiousness had gotten the better of him. The shadows didn't notice him, but he noticed them.

He stared at the taller, slightly bulkier shadow. Fancy clothes recently bought just to impress and a brown mop of hair wouldn't have been enough for anyone to notice who it was, but Takeshi instantly recognized that person.

"Issei…" The words were drawn out, choked. Something was taking the air out of his lungs, impeding him from speaking up. His head found itself forcibly turning to the opposite side, the image of the second shadow acting as a lure for his subconscious curiosity.

Edges of a black dress fluttered on the wind. Upon said black dress was a white jacket hugging a smaller, more feminine body. The dark hair that cascaded down her back, and her violet eyes… It took him moments to remember.

Yuuma and Issei. They had gone on a date, and now, against all odds, Takeshi was in the same place as them.

But something was not right. Both Takeshi and Issei couldn't move. They were both oppressed by a force their weak, limited minds couldn't comprehend.

Issei was stiff. His older brother could see the shock on his face, the way he stared, horrified, at the person who looked the least harmful of the three. Takeshi knew that expression. It was one of fear, of confusion.

It was a look of hurt.

Yumma, who could be seen smiling from the corner of her face, seemed relaxed. She hadn't realized the blue-eyed boy's presence from afar. After the longest seconds of their lives, she spoke up.

"Do I have to repeat it again, Issei?" She giggled with a hint of condescendence. "Fine. I never expected your pathetic little brain to understand just by telling you once."

She took 3 accentuated steps forward, hands hanging on her sides.

"Ok, then. I'll repeat myself in a way you understand, and will never forget-"

Woosh-

With a sound akin to the wind blowing strongly for a second, two big shadows impossibly sprouted from the girl's back.

Feathered shadows. The dim moonlight peeking from the approaching night sky illuminated them, and the boy understood. Wings.

Yuuma extended her right arm. She opened the palm of her hand.

Takeshi stared. Time slowed down for him as the unfathomable unfolded before him.

What appeared to be weirdly colored fireflies suddenly flying around the girl's hand began to gather. An orb of pure violet light formed, floating beneath her hand. Said orb shifted, changed, and with a distorted noise, took another form. Slim and pointy had it become. If the boy had a way to describe it, it could be a spear.

The spear made of light crackled, arcs of fiery electricity dancing around its surface.

Then, the voice that augured a terrible fate appeared again.

"-Will you die for me?"

"Isse-!"

A flash cut off Ayame's sentence. Just an instant later, it followed a silent scream and liquid splatters' echoing throughout the place.

Issei wasn't able to escape. The spear had carved his stomach all the way to the other side of his body, its strength throwing him back by many meters. Smoke and bubbling blood came out of the injury. The boy gasped like fish out of the water, crimson substance falling from his mouth.

He tried to grasp the light boiling his insides, only for it to disappear in thin air at the touch of his hands. The rest of his guts that weren't entirely damaged fell on the cold ground. Issei himself followed suit, falling face first on a pool of sticky red ooze with a loud splash.

A high-pitched cackle resounded at the morbid display.

"Hahaha! I honestly thought you would put on more of a fight, but I suppose that's impossible for your kind," she declared arrogantly. "Potential or not, it doesn't matter. It will never change the fact that you're just a worm that only exists for our entertainment."

After admiring her work, her sight instantly fell on the other spectator, until that time unknown to the main actors.

She dedicated him a dangerous smile.

"Oh, what a surprise." She wasn't surprised at all. "If it isn't Mr. Lonesome himself, gracing me with his lowly presence. This must be destiny."

He had a lot of rebuttals for that snarky remark, but no voice came out.

"You know," she continued, "I was planning on erasing you from existence after I finished with your brother. You made my job easier, I'll give you that."

One step towards him. He wasn't able to run.

"I didn't know who to kill first, but after meeting you, I was sure. I wanted to see if you were able to keep cool and calm after I was done skewering your body to pieces. Wanna put that to test?"

The same distorted noise from before made a comeback, and with it, another spear on Yuuma's hand.

Takeshi remained silent. It's not that he didn't want to speak. He couldn't.

But for a feeling so strong to make him unable to talk, to escape, to think… was this… fear?

It wasn't possible. It was not fear. It was… something else. Something familiar…

His sight fell on Issei's body involuntarily. Yuuma took notice of this, and laughed again.

"Are you wondering why this is happening to you both?" she inquired with a sly intonation. "Well… it would be a waste of my time to explain it to a clueless vermin like you. But I'm not that cruel as to deny you the cause of your imminent death."

She got closer again. The air was getting heavy. His legs felt like bricks. His heart's slow thumping shook his sight every now and then.

"Let's say I got orders to get rid of you, because you may hold something potentially dangerous within yourself." She pointed a finger at him. "Your Sacred Gear, that is."

The boy couldn't understand at all. Orders? From who? Sacred Gear?

Too many questions, too little time to get answers.