Jealousy

SOLARIS EUCLIFFE

My squad was assigned to a mission to kill the demons located in the south. Rainer warned me that there would be human demons around as the seal he placed twenty-five years ago had been lifted. Luckily the human demons would be the lower ranking as they acted as pawns. The Noble, more powerful human demons would be resting and taking their time to prepare.

Still, I need to have my guard up in case of any surprises. I hope the sky will clear up soon.

"Captain!"

"Yes, Andrea?" I turned to look at her

"Captain, everything is set to go!"

"What's the weather going to be like?" I asked, glancing up to the sky

"Huh? Oh, the weather is going to be sunny in a couple more minutes!"

As I boarded the helicopter, I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. I got to view the city from above, it was spectacular like usual. We were around Rainer's apartment area. I noticed Selene was on the balcony with Raiden, I believe. From what I could tell, they seem to get along pretty well. They were physically close to one another.

"Um...Captain?"

"Yes! What is it?" I asked in an annoying tone

Everyone was frightened by my tone.

"Um...are you alright? You seem to be upset about something..."

I was shocked to hear that I appeared to be upset. Was I usually this easy to read? I glanced out at the window. Raiden seemed to have noticed the helicopter flying above, and using binoculars I could see a smirk appearing on his face. He must have known that I was watching. He leads Selene back in while having his hand around her waist.

"Are you alright, Captain?"

"Yeah..."

I could tell that everyone had sensed the evil aura I was emitting. I need to shake the thought off and focus on the task at hand. I want to wrap this up as fast as I could and go back home. As we landed on the base, Captain Nathaniel and his squad were already waiting for us. He told me what had been going on.

"I got an update from Eric...I mean, Commander Ludovic about the demons. It seemed as though there were several mindless demons around the area. According to the data, no human-demons were nowhere in sight!"

"I see...anything else!"

"Eri-I mean, Commander Ludovic just told me to do what he had already discussed during the meeting!"

I nodded. We got ourselves ready. I looked up to see that the sun was shining brightly. The mark on my right hand glowed.

"Yes! Time is now! Don't let any of them get past the mark!" I roared

"Roger!"

Captain Nathaniel whispered to me, "You ready?"

"Sure am! As long as the sun is shining, this will end as quickly as a flash!"

"Let's go!"

With my signal, we charged. Luckily the weather was on my side. The brighter the sun, the stronger I would be. Dodging the demons attacks, and in one swift move slash it to half with the Kiyomeru sword. The blood splattered on my face, I didn't mind as it would vanish soon. I went to kill some more demons before reaching on top of a hill to see a better view of the field.

For some reason, the image of what I saw earlier, the picture of Raiden and Selene together, came to my mind and it irritated me. Having those thoughts running around my head, I killed another ten demons in a flash. I felt my body heating up, either because of anger or because of the heat. It was scorching, even for my taste. It was getting closer to noon, which was the peak.

At that moment, I could kill the remaining demons in one go as my powers would be at the max. As long as no clouds were blocking the sun, everything would be fine.

SELENE

"So the Kitsune Kiyomeru relies on light or the sun's heat, so as long as no clouds are covering the sun. Solaris would be able to use the powers at the max?"

"Yes! Similarly, my Kiyomeru relies on lighting or electricity to power up. When it is in the max stage, it could do a lot of damage, so it would be wise not to use it when people are around and to use it when it is crucial!"

"I see..."

If the element was fire, then there should be a fire nearby at a certain distance where the user could absorb it. For the Sun, which only the Kitsune Kiyomeru has, the most efficient time to use it would be during daylight or when it’s bright outside.

Just like the sun, the moon, which only the Usagi Kiyomeru has, most efficient use would be during the night or when it's dark. The Usagi and the Kitsune were known as the strongest and unique. Solaris found the Kitsune at the Night main household underground basement. That was also where Atlas and Raiden found their Kiyomeru as well. That basement also holds a lot of sacred treasures that could cost a ton.

"We were exploring the place when we stumbled upon that basement. The household is enormous, so you could get lost if you don't memorize the layout!"

"Oh...I want to see it one day..."

"Rainer will bring you there once he-oops!" Raiden closed his mouth quickly, which was suspicious. I didn't want to question him as it would make the atmosphere between us a bit awkward. Raiden flipped the conversation, bringing in the topic of a movie to watch. I agreed to it. After making the popcorn and the drinks, we made ourselves comfortable on the couch.

"What did you pick, Raiden?"

"A horror one...you don't mind, right?"

"No, why did you pick it though? Do you like horror films?"

"Sort of..."

RAIDEN THUNDER

“I picked it to see if you have another reaction besides that emotionless poker face!”. I couldn't admit that! I also could not say that I could not stand horror films that well. I better not be that scared. I'll look like a fool if I do! Think about something else, think about something else!

As the movie started, I looked at Selene to see her reactions. She still had the same poker face, it seems as though she wasn't afraid of horror films. I had a desire to see her other reactions besides this poker face. Though her poker face made her look pretty, and mysterious, I want to see her smile for once, even if it was a tiny bit.

"Um...Raiden? Can you let go of my hand? You're squeezing it tightly!"

"Oh! Sorry!" I immediately retrieved my hand

"Are...you scared?"

"No...okay, maybe a tiny bit!"

"It's alright to be scared from time to time..."

Darn it! I felt like an idiot now that Selene caught me. The movie ended, and yet my heart was still beating fast from all those scenes. The doorbell rang, which shocked me. Selene went to open the door.

"Solaris? What...How did you get in?" Selene asked

"I got a spare card from Rainer...what were you doing with Raiden anyways?"

"Just watching a movie. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be doing a mission?"

"Already done with it...it's bright today, so it ended quickly!"

Solaris looked different and was giving off a different atmosphere than he usually does. Our eyes met, and his eyes were different. His eyes filled with somewhat fire, jealousy maybe, rather than emptiness.

"Are you two going to stay over for dinner?"

"Yeah, you don't mind, right?" I replied glancing at Solaris.

"I don't mind! It's boring to eat alone! What about you, Solaris?"

"I'll stay over as well!"

"What do you guys want for dinner?"

Solaris and I agreed to eat anything Selene cooked. I wonder what Selene's cooking was like. I bet it's going to be delicious! Solaris dragged me to the living room with him. He pushed me down on the couch.

"What...What's the matter, Solaris?"

"What were you doing with Selene alone?"

"Nothing in particular! We ate cake, drank tea, talked about random things! Why do you ask? Don't tell me that you're...jealous that I got closer to Selene?"

"Jealous? I don't think so!" Solaris backed away. He seemed to have cooled down. I hit the mark. I didn't believe he, himself didn’t realize that he was jealous. I could understand why he would be like that. True, there are many girls around, but none of them gave off the warmth and comfort she gave off.

Considering what had happened to him many years ago, he would naturally be possessive when he found someone giving him comfort instead of trouble.

SOLARIS RAY

Jealousy? It couldn't be. I only want to keep the warmth and comfort that I felt from her to myself, not to mention I don’t like Raiden being that close to girls. The only thing I wished she would have given me like any would but instead gave me pain and trauma. Selene was the only one that gave me what I wanted and lacked. Warmth and...delicious homemade food for once!

"You like it?" Selene asked, "You seem to enjoy it, especially you, Solaris!"

"Yeah, it tastes delicious!" I replied

"Haha! Seeing the way you eat her food compared to how you would eat your Dad's is like day and night!"

"Dad's? What about your Mom's?"

I didn't answer. The atmosphere became tense and quiet. Raiden helped me out of this silence by mentioning the movie they had just watched. Selene seemed to have forgotten the question she had asked me. One day, I would tell her about it, maybe.

Raiden left. I decided to stay awhile longer. I watched television as I waited for Selene to finish cleaning up. I felt drowsy. I closed my eyes and laid on the couch. I felt something as I was asleep. It was warm and comforting. I didn't want to let it go.

So warm.

SELENE

I saw Solaris was sleeping on the couch. I covered him with a blanket so that he won't get cold. I brushed his hair slightly. It was soft and smooth to touch, as well as it smelled fragrant. I wonder what kind of shampoo he used to make it smell so fragrant. I was about to ask him about his relationship with his mother, looks like I had to ask him another time.

I was about to leave when suddenly I felt a grasp on my wrist. Solaris's large hand was holding onto my wrist tightly. He seemed to be more relieved and calmed as he holds onto my wrist. From the pressure, I could tell he didn't want to let go. I sat down on the couch, letting his head rest on my lap while he held tightly onto my wrist.

Luckily I had made Rainer's meal and wrapped it, as I know I wouldn't be able to move from this place for a long time. I took out my phone, which Rainer rewarded me for all the help I did, from housework to business work. I checked out what was going on through social media as well as reading some news. The latest was about Solaris's latest mission.

I was surprised to see it on the news so fast as his mission just ended just a few hours ago. The only thing that it revealed was that Solaris ended things quicker than before, and only that. Some of the comments relating to Solaris were creepy and disgusting. I felt sorry for Solaris for reading this every day. I looked at Solaris, then back on my phone.

The websites had deleted the disgusting and creepy comments. Being famous and rich came with a price that no one should endure. I rather live a regular life than be well-known. Money and fame wouldn't get you everything you want. Instead, it may be a burden to a happy life. I also started to feel sleepy. I eventually fell asleep.

RAINER NIGHT

"Can I go home now?" I whined, looking at how late it was. I was hoping to go home early for once to eat dinner with Selene, but it was so late that I knew she would be preparing to go to bed.

"Since you have completed the work in hand, I guess you could go home..." Before Joe could finish, I packed my things and dashed out of the office. I hope she hasn't gone to bed. I want to talk to her about it. I reached home to find someone was also at home with Selene. From the shoes, I assumed it would either Solaris or Raiden.

I went to the living room to see Selene and Solaris were both sleeping with Solaris's head resting on her lap. I smiled. It was nice to see Solaris being comfortable with Selene, a female, after what had happened. It could be because Selene didn't use any strong fragrant, mostly using scent that smells like lavender.

I took a blanket and placed it over her shoulders. I brushed her hair slightly and smiled. I warmed up the meal she had prepared for me in advance. As I dig in, I would imagine Selene being an amazing housewife to a lucky person. I felt a sudden urge to make sure Selene doesn't get married. I got attached to her like a father would be to his daughter.

"A father..." I mumbled under my breath. Solaris had woken up. I could see from his reaction that he didn't expect to sleep on a girl's lap. I signaled him to come over to my side.

"I want to talk to you about it!" I said

"Same here..."

A couple of minutes later, we agreed on the same thing. I cleaned things up and went to check up on Selene. She was sleeping peacefully. I carried her back to her room. As I was tucking her in, Solaris brought up another topic with me.

"Are you sure about it? What if something went wrong with it?"

"No need to worry about it! Everything would be fine!" I smiled, reassuring him that everything would be fine. I could understand why he would be worried, she would catch on to what was happening soon enough.