Unmei No Hikari[Fated Light] Private featuring AlphaZero

[AlphaZero]

Kouji had no idea what he was saying anymore, his mind in a fuzzy haze as he blabbered incoherent sentences to his mother while an angering pinch was delivered to his bruised ass, resulting in his eye brow to curve up in disbelief at the impossibility of the situation. Coarse hands gripped at his purple colored hips, keeping the smaller male in place as he was violated unbeknownst to the female standing just behind the two inches of wooden frame.

 

"Are you sure you aren't hungry? I could leave food for you and your boyfriend... Is Ryujii your boyfriend?" Kouji saw equally hazel eyes blink twice and hesitate in her words as the sight of her son visibly shuddering caught her attention, his flushed face seemingly straight. "N-no, thank you, but n-oh," the Omega covered his moan by coughing, the ruse not quite being successful as he preferred, "And I-I don't know, m-om."

 

His aching, untouched cock twitched against the thin fabric of the garment, clear liquid wet and beginning to seep through whilst restraining his organ from standing up at full attention. A gentle smile played on his slightly agape lips, his tongue darting out and wetting the chapping area before sinking teeth into his bottom lip in a surprisingly successful attempt to draw back a scream as the Alpha's cock hilted itself into the deepest depths of his abused hole for the nth time that day. Petite hands balled into fists, leaving red indents in the soft skin of his palm in an attempt to use pain to filter out the pleasure that would have led to his doom.

 

Forcefully opened eyes strained to stay open fully, and Kouji could only sigh discreetly as Ryujii and his mother exchanged pleasantries, allowing relief to penetrate his body at the prospect of not having to speak for the time being. A particular sentence however, left his mind struggling for some type of processing as he listened in constant disbelief, "We kinda got a bit emotional when we figured who each other was.. and maybe a bit too excited too." His head reeled back, twisting to look at the criminal to his demise before his fists became flat hands slamming against the wooden frame, finger nails scrapping against the maroon door as the direct grinds to his prostate sent him into shattering shudders.

 

A masculine laugh erupted from behind Kouji's thin, quivering frame, sounding embarrassed in all its innocence, yet deceptive in meaning. His brown locks were then rested upon by a large hand, the affectionate gesture annoying, yet equally amusing. A lazy, languid thrust plugged his leaking, angry red hole, parting his overly abused insides and sounding a light, yet compromising squelch that unbelievably did not catch his mother's ears. A small smirk etched itself upon the Omega's plump lips as his facial features morphed into one of perverted bliss, his mouth then turning agape as a silent moan filled the absence of noiselessness.

 

The process was then repeated, leaving his legs a trembling mess while he tried desperately to keep the sounds of pleasure jailed in his throat, knees starting to bend in fatigue as he left all the support in Ryujii's hands. He relished in the adrenaline rush, and the fact that they were just that close to being found aroused him to the point of insanity. Lust-addled eyes removed themselves from his mother's eyes, peaking down ever so slightly to peer at his stained g-string--which he had no knowledge of ever buying--before glowing in amusement at Ryujii's taste for slutty underwear.

 

A disapproving look was gifted to his clouded eyes as a small hand place itself on a slender hip, eye brow raising to indicate the lecture his ears were meant to devour later, only to become a look of confusion at the sound of his hands leaving prominent marks against his bedroom door. Her replies to Ryujii's remarks were wordless, and only a phantom as she listened with her ears and spoke with her eyes.

 

"I'm sorry, what we did might be weird for you. But it's been eight years and all I could think about that time was fulfilling my promise to Kouji.. and I guess, he had been thinking of the same too. So it all kinda blew up in sexual tension," Ryujii's soothing voice announced, before being followed by a light, gentlemanly chuckle, one that would place his mother in a position to adore the male instantly. The Omega's wet heat in its hunger, swallowed eagerly, devouring each swift push after each gentle pull as if it never ceased to be famished. He could feel his inner walls clench tightly around the massive cock, desperately trying to milk each drop of the delectable juice that it energetically produced.

 

"You actually caught us after our bath. Why don't you wait for us downstairs so that we can dress ourselves? And I hope you make me those delicious cookies of yours again. I don't know how many times I've dreamed of them." Kouji, on the verge of giggling, vaguely wondered if what his childhood friend was stating was more of a momentary ruse to distract his already oblivious mother or just mere words of veracity.

 

It was no surprise to Kouji that he soon found himself not caring much about his mother's knowledge of their sexual activities. Although the woman was strict in a sense, he was nineteen, and responsible enough to make his own choices. As reckless as his true nature may be, the restrictions he held on his well-being were usually prominent when it came to his choices involving sex. Kouji did indeed possess a sexual greed to a large extent, but was at least careful in allowing others to join in willy-nilly.

 

There was a temptation to roll his eyes, and albeit false in their innocence, was believable enough for his flattered mother to give a slight nod in acknowledgement, before heading the stairs to supposedly wait for their upcoming arrival for her delicious cookies. Sometimes the woman was seemingly too chill when it came to certain aspects involving her son, but that's what also allowed her to become the embodiment of coolness.

 

The door was then soundlessly shut closed, contradictory to the repeated, brutal rams that shortly came after their discrete, unhurried copulating. An onslaught of merciless thrusts began to feed more to the greedy hole that rested between his soft mounds as Ryujii escalated his speed, cock parting his insides repeatedly. Every push jerked him forward into the door frame, the hinges rattling in their endeavor as violent shoves sent tingles throughout the expanse of his defiled body.

 

"Aha. I can't believe you stayed quiet all the while."

 

His nails clawed at the wooden door, teeth biting into his bottom lips in a slightly successfully attempt to prevent his usual deafening screams to erupt throughout their household and into his mother's ears to hear.

Their coupling invaded peace, erotic and sensual, as Kouji's restrained whimpers pleaded for more, and Ryujii gave it as his pace turned deranged, shoving his dick forward into the loose heat as he repeated his relentless assault into his Omega's sinned hole.

 

"That was fun, Kouji! I can't believe your mom was just a feet away from us and she didn't notice that I had my entire dick inside your greedy ass. Aha! I can't believe too that you just stood there and barely did anything to stop me. I had no idea you're such a pervert." Kouji bounced and jerked at the sheer force of the thrusts, tears threatening to leave the corners of his eyes as he lidded them completely. The unrelenting, lust driven fucking caused their skins to slap together rather noisily, the sound echoing in his ears.

 

Kouji was pushing and grinding his sinister frame back against Ryujii's taut frame, portraying as much force as he was being given and allowing for more violation of his ravenous hole. His body then stilled, allowing for the insatiable cock to pound into his senselessly, their fucking increased in speed, sound, strength, and desperation. Kouji breathed out then, his throat jailing his precious screams and turning them into fragmented moans while he widened his thighs and concentrated on relaxing every muscle his body possessed.

 

Then without so much as a warning, hot, thick cum fills his gaping hole, swirling inside as the pair stilled momentarily as the Alpha's cock was hilted. A knot swelled once more inside of him and stretching it to Kouji's breaking point, his mouth opening agape in a silent scream as saliva dribbled out freely and combined with the pearl shaped tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. His loosened inner wall caved around Ryujii's member with a juxtaposing strength, his back bending into a luscious curve as his legs quivered under the power of his sixth dry orgasm. The soaring altitude wrecked his fortitude to continue, and he fell back down from the pinnacle of bliss, his overly defiled hole guzzling every drop of the newly released cum.

 

In the hazy midst of his climax's aftermath, his body shivered at the light, affectionate kiss that was deposited on his sweaty nape. "That was a lot more exciting than screwing on the school roof. What an adrenaline rush." When the pinnacle of rapture of Kouji's rapture began to die and his dick gradually shrank to normalcy, his legs allowed exhaustion's grips to drag him down, trembling just slightly before his knees gravitated towards the floor.

 

Ryujii had fallen with him simultaneously, muscular arms swerving around to take a hold of his slim waist as his very fatigued body fell forward. Warm palms once again--to Kouji's confusion--began to rub circular shapes on his smooth stomach. The gestures were calming and affectionate, and altered his mind to jelly as he relaxed in the man's hold.

 

"I did dream of cookies, you know," the man had murmured, resulting in Kouji's ears to pick up the tone in his voice as the buzzing in his ears came to a stop. It had been a statement to prove that he hadn't been lying the whole time, and Kouji could only reply with an amused hum. Ryujii continued with his soft gestures; another kiss to his pale nape before a wandering hand moved downwards to tug at his sensitive cock, resulting in a slight yelp from the smaller teen.

 

Kouji sat there limp, extremities involuntarily trembling as he utterly felt no incentive to arise and get downstairs and instead allowed for the pulsation to shake his tired form. Darkened hazel eyes stared blankly at the maroon door before him, his gasping breaths slightly decreasing as each minute passed by while the knot twitched and resided in his still contracting warmth.

 

The Omega let out an exhausted sigh and gazed down at the sweat glistening on his chest from overexertion. He then let out a soft moan, clouded eyes shutting tight as the knot reverted back to its normal state. He exerted himself just a bit more as he got up on his knees, before letting the slick, flaccid cock slip out with a wet shlick and allowing the warm cum to freely ooze out of his hole: gaping, defiled, and abused.

 

"Oh my goddddd," he droned wearily with a smile as he twisted his body to face a bare chest. "That felt soooo good." His nose grazed against the slicked skin, before a pink tongue voluntarily darted out to lick against a sweat stained chest, the saltiness stinging at his taste buds as his tongue caressed his dry, bottom lip. Pearly whites were put on display as the Omega grinned up as his Alpha, giggling in delight due to the high that he had just experienced. A pair of petite hands suddenly found their strength as they slammed themselves upon the larger male's pale chest.

 

"You're such a pervert. Did you like the idea of us doing that in front of my mother?," he chuckled out, voice laced with amusement as his eyes brightened in an energized joy. "Not going to lie though. I'm also a pervert," Kouji stated as his legs trembled as he stood, only for them to cave as he collapsed on top of Ryujii, causing the both of them to fall to the ground with a echoing noise. The pain as strong as one hundred daggers could be felt sinking into his ass. The Omega moaned and groaned with anguish as he writhed about next to the Alpha's body, clutching the male's arm with a juxtaposing strength.

 

Hazel eyes began to water with the sheer pain as it screamed and shot up his spine, his breathing coming out in sharp, shallow gasps. Sweat continued to drip down the side of his face and covered his forehead in a thin sheen. Contrary to his body's agony, a giggle erupted from his lips as he picked his himself up once more, only to fall face first into the Alpha's chest while muffled words escaped his lips.

 

"Looks like the pain's finally caught up with me, Ryujii. I'm your responsibility right now," he announced as he gave up getting up from his bedroom floor completely. His body stilled, hands moving up and down to randomly touch the male's face as his own body endured the aftermath of his choices. All his eyes could view was a darkened shade of the Alpha's skin, his face completely flushed to the taut chest whilst he gave light pecks to a singular spot.

 

"Mom's going to come up soon if we don't come down. And since I most definitely cannot walk..." The sentence was then cut of suddenly, purposefully on his account to create the humorous, dramatic affect he desired. Petite arms quivered as they pushed his marred body off the soft, carpeted ground, before bending down to decrease the distance between their faces. A kiss was then delivered to Ryujii's delectable lips, staying there momentarily while Kouji murmured tiredly against them.

 

"Clean me up and carry me, please."

[707]

 

Interesting; Ryuji felt how Kouji just fit within his seams. It was nice how their chemistry worked, how they just blended so naturally that it was immediately comfortable. Maybe it had to do with their past, maybe that was the reason why the Alpha was so taken with him, in that indescribable kind of way. All of it felt right, like a long missed pillow after a grueling day of work. He didn't understand exactly what caused it, perhaps it was the residual emotions from those memories he couldn't remember, but perhaps it was something else - something explained to be as an Unexpected Genetic Side-effect. It could explain a lot of things, but perhaps it was too early for him to put that into consideration, although it was present nonetheless.

 

Kouji had kissed him, when they toppled to the floor, had initiated it once more as if he he didn't even need to think about it. Ryuji didn't mind, rather, he actually liked it; how the Omega was unguarded with him, natural in how he just let himself be. The raven had never really been fond of kisses before. He saw them as an establishment of a bond, no matter what form it took, and in his line of work and life, bonds were something that could drag him down. Could even bring about his missions into failure, and for the longest time, those had been the center of his universe; protocols and orders. But Kouji had brought about an.. alternative, in a way.

 

Sure he'd had unknowing dreams of the brunet -rather unconscious recollections- and he'd been curious about them, but they weren't the ones that guided his daily choices. They weren't what made him wake up in the morning to face another day. They had acted more like an interesting matter to take off his mind to when everything just went too much.

 

Now, though, the prospect of him regaining his memories had taken equal stage as his mission. He didn't understand why he would need them in the first place. He wanted them back, just for the sake of filling up that empty part of his brain. To remove that confusing itch that he got when he felt or did or see something familiar that he had no idea about. But regaining his memories felt more like a need rather than want, and Ryujii didn't understand why. He could just as easily ask Kouji about the things that they did while growing up, could ask him what his parents were like. The Omega would undoubtedly tell him everything he knew and that would itself fill in the gaps.

 

So he didn't understand why such need to appear. Unless.. it had something to do with his mission.

 

Now that he thought about it, the only known breach did happen in their hometown and nowhere else since. No reports of damages to the dome that protected Lacaille, only that it was stated that the Stigmata came from underground but not specifically where. Beneath the domed-cities and towns were about 50 meters of solid concrete walls surrounding an automated sanitation factory. There were reports of digger-type Stigmata but none with the capacity and ability to penetrate such robust protection. Perhaps -

 

"Clean me up and carry me, please."

 

Kouji's words came as a sudden surprise, his contemplating mind snapping back into attention as golden eyes blinked furiously to regain lost focus. The Alpha felt as if he was somehow just denied the illumination of discovery.. like he had been onto something before it was forcibly ripped out of his grasp by those soft and gentle words.

 

Normally he would have been furious, information through random bouts of contemplation were often useful and had proven in more than one occasion that they could be used to further his investigations by a mile, if not more. If it was anyone else, who had taken that opportunity away from him, Ryujii would have beaten and given them a healthy dose of derogatory tongue-a-lashing. But it was Kouji, his Omega, his childhood friend. So the Alpha just sighed, curved an eyebrow and his lips in an exasperated smile before pressing their lips once more in that intoxicating kiss, filled with tongue and teeth.

 

Rough hands clamped themselves back onto Kouji's ass, giving the fleshy globes a squeeze whilst hooking long fingers into the strap of the g-string before pulling it down and past slim thighs and legs. Ryujii threw the small piece of underwear away, somewhere in the vicinity of the brunet's scattered books as he pulled the Omega back in his lap. All of this done while their lips stayed firmly locked. The press of plump and bruised flesh along with the slide of slick tongues and sharp tugs of teeth made it impossible for the Alpha to back away.

 

The now familiar electric tingles ran rampant through and within him, made the small hairs on his nape stand on end with that unquenchable want. If he was anymore selfish, he'd take Kouji again and again, until his hole bled with too much use, but he didn't want that. Despite how brutal he had been with his peers in the military academy, he couldn't find it in himself to see the Omega bleed, or hurting in anyway that was his doing. Such protectiveness concerning the brunet was as new as it was familiar.

 

Then his fingers slid in the crevice in between abused cheeks, giving the leaking and twitching hole there a soft rub. He heard and felt Kouji whimper in their kiss and before he could do anything else, Ryujii pulled back and gave his Omega's ear a lick.

 

"Ssshhhh. Relax, I'm just gonna clean you." Came the softly murmured words as his lips began to travel along a defined jawline.

 

His free hand parted Kouji's ass cheeks, exposing what lay within to the cold breeze that ruffled the curtains as it blew into the room. Fingers that were probing and rubbing the brunet's loose hole, gently dipped back inside, slowly pushing through the convulsing passage before stopping when they could reach no further. Then they began to part while simultaneously curling, rubbing soft anal walls while cleaning it from Ryujii's cum at the same time.

 

A chuckle came as the Omega trembled. "Still feels good but can't get hard anymore. You've cum so many times today, I'm actually amazed that you're still conscious." Another chuckle as a feather of a kiss was deposited on those red, red lips. "You'll probably feel the brunt force of it tomorrow and possibly the day after that too. It's better if you call in sick at school." His fingers were taken out with that same erotic squelch, golden eyes glittering at the mere idea of what his Omega's hole must look like now; probably gaping while oozing his cum. "I'll leave food for you here since I doubt that you'd be able to walk to the kitchen. I think you'd be able to endure going to the bathroom after you sleep tonight. You'll just need to rest with a warm towel on your lower back and two days after today, you'll be able to move properly again." A soft hum was given before gentle lips pressed themselves on the birthmark that marred the center of Kouji's clavicle. "It goes to say that there will be no sex within those days. So you'll just have to make do with masturbating. Aha."

 

Then Ryujii's unsoiled hand reached back behind him, fingers hooking on the edge of a small discarded towel -probably used that morning- before pulling at it and using it to wipe the cum off the brunet's overly-sensitive hole. The raven took great pains in keeping his cleaning gentle, made sure the fabric of the towel didn't drag too much or too long along the over-used skin. He had rested his chin on petite shoulders the entire time, eyes sharp as he meticulously cleaned his Omega.

 

All of it must have taken longer than the Alpha initially thought since a call for them from Kouji's mother was sounded downstairs, but nevertheless, Ryujii took his time in clothing the brunet. Made sure to not make him wear any underwear beneath those baggy cotton pants that he had chosen. A thin long-sleeved turtle neck shirt came to cover Kouji's torso and neck. Knowing and seeing were two very different things and the mother in the kitchen only needed to experience one; the marks weren't needed nor wanted to be shown. Ryujii made himself wear much the same, although it had taken him a bit of time to find the ones that actually fitted him in size, plus he took the courtesy of wearing the boxers he'd taken out before their unexpected activities at the door.

 

"My things are back at my locker in school. Kinda forgot to get it before we came here." He stated as they both made their way down the stairs, Kouji safely back in Ryujii's arms. The Alpha's fatigue was a lot more evident now, what with the slight tremor of his arms and the way he walked carefully, but the kitchen came in sight in not too long and the sweet aroma of cookies was more than enough to give him back his strength.

 

They sat on one of the pillows of the nearby living room kotatsu, Ryujii sitting straight so that Kouji could be comfortable in his lap. It was better that way, since he doubted that the Omega would even be able to handle anything that remotely gave any pressure to his ass. One of his arms went around the brunet's waist, hand sneaking beneath his shirt to rest a warm palm against a soft stomach. Then the other went and grabbed a cookie, only to gently press it against his Omega's lips.

 

"Thanks for the cookies, auntie!" Were Ryujii's words that echoed in the cozy room.

 

Outside, the full moon glittered bright.

 

[AlphaZero]

"No, mom. I'm alright."

 

"Really? Because I can-"

 

"I'm okay! It doesn't hurt that much."

 

Which was a lie.

 

"Hm... Well, alright then."

 

"Thanks for the warm towel, mom. You can run along, and go to that city you told us about earlier. I forgot the name, but yeah."

 

Her eyes then shined with a glare, a petite hand placing itself on a round hip in an endearing quirk. With a heavy sigh and slight smirk, the woman rounded about, her wavy, soft locks whipping around only to whip back before a step had even been taken. Kouji's satisfaction at having persuaded his mother to leave died out before it could even take its full form.

 

Word after word then began to file out of her lips like musical notes dancing around the tender silence of the air, another lecture once again taking place as she advised her son on healthy sexual habits. A ruse of an annoyed sigh left the lips of the brunet, morphing into a discretely hidden affectionate smile as he turned his head and mouthed his own words silently to the male laying next to him.

 

This is mom. Did you dream about her too?

 

"Kouji!," a seemingly irritated, yet playful shout sounded from behind Kouji, his naked body faced down on the soft, satin sheets and his back face up.

 

"What?!," he whipped his face back into the pillow, flushing himself against it, whining childishly as a smirk etched itself on his plump lips.

 

The mother pursed her lips and raised her hand back, her power willingly diminishing in attempt to save her sun from the excruciating pain of a woman's slap. She threw her hand downward, her strength being held back to the best of her abilities, before whipping it across the mound of one of Kouji's fleshy globes. The crack of skin contacting skin wasn't hard enough for it to echo off the walls. Small, electric vibrations of pain started from the point of the slap and coursed all around his ass, its pain from Ryujii's and his endeavors combining to create an agonizing level of discomfort.

 

A shrill yelp ruptured from the boy's throat, the action causing him to involuntarily jump and bounce on the bed, the warm towel that had been placed on his lower back flopping itself around before morphing back into its original position.

 

"Mom! Why?," he loudly inquired, startled, a bright red flush illuminating his cheeks for he was embarrassed at having Ryujii witness their comedic banter.

 

With a heavy, relieved sigh, the woman's lips curled up, before soothing, content words escaped her lips. "After so long, you're finally happy again." A petite hand found itself at the top of Kouji's head, before messing up his tangled and disheveled hair even further as it ruffled the brown locks harshly. His mother continued, her relief apparent in her words.

 

"Take good care of him, Ryujii. He loves you a lot. I would know. Rest for tonight. No more sex," she announced teasingly as her legs led to her to the opened door, before turning back to give them one last motherly smile. With the flick of a finger, the light switches when its opposite way. The door closing sounded with a click, leaving the two to bathe in the comforting darkness and silence of Kouji's bedroom.

 

Quietly, the Omega endeavored to scoot over whilst wiggling his buttocks in the air as he did, hoping to keep the towel in place. His arms trembled with each movement, as the full weight of his body was on the extremities, and each inch that decreased dissipated his want to be in those strong, warm arms little by little. Earlier as they ate his mother's orgasmic cookies to their heart's content, their conversation had been out the norm, to say the least. Instead of being disapproving of the fact that they had sex on the first they're reunited, she teases them instead. What had been in the norm, and was to be expected, was Kouji being scolded at, whereas Ryujii had the gift of his mother's affections as he was drowned in them.

 

The moment the brunet found himself taken into warm, soothing arms, he felt as if the feeling equated to being blanketed by a soft blanket on a stormy, frigid day. With a flick of a slender arm, the comforter fell over the both of them, covering Kouji's body to his head, and Ryujii's to his chest. Light, tentative kisses trailed themselves across Ryujii's arm, the Omega's facial expressions differentiating as he reminisced and sorted out his collections of eventful memories from that day. Needless to say, none of those expressions had been unpleasant.

 

An unsettling feeling began swelling inside his chest, for fear of the reality of life breaking apart his bliss in due time. The dream he was now thriving in will cease to exist soon, for the negative, human feelings that he's bound to attain will catch up with him soon. It'll grab at him, rip at him, tear him apart from the inside out. There might be confusion about what Ryujii and he was. There might be despair when he realizes that depth of his feelings. There might be fear at the thought of losing him again.

 

But at this moment, these thoughts were weakened, unnoticeable in his body's fragile and feeble state. It seemed as if it would continue to lay dormant, only to burst out at the seams when the Omega least expected it.

 

A beatific expression filled Kouji's facial features as he gazed longingly into a pair of golden eyes, the fatigue from their day finally manifesting itself in his hazel eyes and spoken words.

 

"Get some sleep. We... had a tiring day. You better still be in this house when I wake up tomorrow," a curve of a smirk tiredly lifted at the edges of his ample lips, glinting eyes taking pictures, to create the evidence that today had actually happened, before he felt his eyelids unintentionally fluttering close.

 

"You wanted me to join you in your... what was it? Mission, right? Yeah...sure..." The words decreased in volume, stability, and discontinued as he yawned loudly, his face flushed against the skin of Ryujii's arm while he shamelessly used it as a pillow once more.

 

The hands of exhaustion pulled his body into a state of motionlessness, whilst his consciousness began to ebb away as it slipped into oblivion, only to await its revival the next morning.

[707]

Good time. That was what they surprisingly had while in the kitchen. Kouji's mother had been really supportive of what she thought they were: Boyfriends. Ryujii had stayed silent most of that time and spent it contemplating of what that meant exactly; how it was so natural for the woman to immediately assume that they were such. That made him wonder if one of his earlier assumptions that day; that he and Kouji were actually Intended by their parents, all the more of a possibility. He felt surprisingly calm about it, lying in the darkness and comfort of the Omega's room while said Omega lay snoring -and slightly drooling- on his chest.

 

"He loves you a lot."

Golden eyes stayed open, glowing and unfocused, the room still echoing of those words the kind woman had said before she left for Gilese, the smaller nearby domed city. Ryujii didn't understand how that worked for Kouji exactly. He'd been missing for eight years, as far as the brunet was concerned. So, how could such emotions develop when the subject wasn't even there? Perhaps it was a friendship-kind of love? It was all very confusing, not on what it all meant, but on what it could make him feel. The thought of them staying as friends and nothing more was.. shaded and blurred -he couldn't fathom how he felt about it. It was like drinking plain hot water; he didn't know if he liked it or not. But what if it was the romantic kind of love? That stabbed at him.

 

It made him guilty, in a way. The thought that Kouji was in love with him, after all this time, was an appealing one. Made his stomach tie itself into knots and his heart go doki-doki. Pale nose scrunched themselves at the terrible wording, but it was true all the same. But as it was, he felt guilty, knowing that the brunet would want for him to stay should his love be the latter. Ryujii knew this with certainty and absolute finality. By the meager observations he had, that was how Kouji was as a lover; possessive and unwilling to let go.

 

But after his mission was complete, Ryujii will have to leave.. go to the other side of the country to report his findings and if he was correct with his step-father's hints then.. he'd also be sent abroad for further training. And that could last well off to a decade.

 

He liked Kouji, was the thing. If he wanted to be selfish, then yes, he could see himself staying; in Formalhaut, in that cozy blue house, in that warm embrace. But he couldn't afford to be selfish. He wanted to protect Kouji, wanted to make sure that what happened to Lacaille wouldn't happen again. Ryujii didn't want to see those tears again.

 

He blinked with a start. That... hadn't been the reason why he'd become an Intelligence Officer of Nemesis, hand't been the reason why he accepted his mission in the first place. He'd been curious. And that was all.

 

But now... now his mission had come to be the protection of Kouji; everything else just came as a means to that end.

 

Muscled arms curled a little bit tighter around HIS Omega's slim frame. For all intents and purposes, the brunet should have been nothing more than a stranger to him.. and somehow, in a way, it still felt slightly like that but the affection was undeniable. Was... was that the reason he'd had such drastic change? He'd never really been attached like this in such a short amount of time.

 

He could compare such feelings to the one he had to a close -somewhat- co-worker/classmate. He was an Omega too and the two of them screwed around a lot. The affection was there, the want to protect was there, but it took years for that to happen. Years of pain and hardships that they endured together. But all that was nothing compared to how he felt about Kouji. He wouldn't turn his life around for his classmate, wouldn't let his heart bleed for him, wouldn't kill for him. All those and more, the Alpha would do for Kouji.

 

And he didn't understand what brought such.. intensity within their very short time together.

 

The Alpha took a shaky exhale, breath fluttering brunet locks and making the sleeping Omega sigh out in simple contentment in his sleep. Within those eyes, everything was bright and in that moment, Ryujii had wanted to sta-

 

Then the earthquake began.

 

It shook the walls of the house, rattled the very marrow in the raven's bones as he swiftly twisted so that he now hovered over Kouji. Should the ceiling come falling, it was better he got hit than his precious childhood friend.

 

The sounds of breaking glass echoed around the house, thumps of books and creaks of furniture shifting around made everything all the more discordant in the rumble of the earth beneath. The tremor lasted for a few mind-numbingly heart-stopping minutes where each second brought a surreal sense of terror into the very fabric of Ryujii's being at how familiar it all was.

 

And then he remembered. The night before Lacaille fell, there had been an earthquake just like this. And when the ground finally settled, Ryujii went sprinting out the door, only to jump the stairs and slam open the front doors and just look, no matter the state of his nakedness.

 

From the horizon, tiny dots appeared. And with another slam, the door closed as Ryujii headed to the middle of the messy living room.

 

"HLP initiate Lockdown. Now!" He all but shouted into the emptiness.

-PRONOUNCED AS 'HELP'-

 

There were houses, very few, that had in-built computer systems that could control what happened inside it. Not many people had used it since they had all been scared of the prospect that their own home could try and go hostile on them. It hadn't been proven, nor was it even a possibility -Ryujii knew since he was one of the developers of the system-, but that was how it was when it came to mass preconceived notions. Plus it was expensive as hell. But he wished, hoped -and maybe even prayed-, that Kouji's mother had installed the system... made sure that Kouji was well protected within his own home even if it meant looking paranoid from other people. What was happening was the very reason the Alpha had that idea in the first place.

 

"Unidentified user detected. Command not qualified." Came the melodious voice of the female Virtual Intelligence and Ryujii could have danced in sheer relief.

 

"Belay. Recognize Developer Code 00X-92: Alioth, Ryujii."

 

"Developer recognized. Voice scan match. Retinal scan match. All biometric datas match. Initiating Lockdown."

 

Then with metallic slams, all doors and windows that led outside were barred shut by two-inch solid adamantine steel. Ryujii gave a small sigh of relief. He was glad then that he went all out with his groceries. It would prove enough to sustain them for a while.

 

"Initiate Temperature and Sound Cloaking. Siphon power from nearby unused sources and fill the generators to maximum capacity. Once the city power dies, budget power supply to necessary rooms and items only. Extend rations life for as long as possible. Send a video feed on what's happening in the city to the TV in Kouji's room."

 

Then he went back up the stairs, not really waiting for the soft affirmative of the V.I.

 

The maroon door was still open and when Ryujii passed it, all he could see was fire.

 

Already half of the city was burning.

 

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[02:44 A.M.][south-Western Zone: Formalhaut]

Stigmata Breach

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[AlphaZero]

With a dropped jaw, buggy eyes, and the discontinuing of his blissful rest, Kouji jolted up from his warm pillow in a heart-pounding state of emergency, his back facing the ceiling while he pushed himself up. After a second of massively intense panic where he zoomed into brain-rushing, adrenaline-gushing overdrive, widened hazel eyes erratically flickered from place to place to search for his childhood friend. His aching body twisted in all the wrong places while he sought frantically, fear consuming his being and turning him into a disheveled mess. A hazy picture unwillingly became clearer in his head, his own words now ringing in his ears as shallow breaths came out in swift spurts.

 

You better still be in this house when I wake up tomorrow.

 

A marred hand unconsciously tightened around the soft comforter, wrinkling it and turning his extremity into a fist, the room suddenly feeling just as lonely as those nights for the past eight years. To realize that it had all been a dream, a bitter laugh ruptured through his hoarse throat, before a he curled up into a fetal position. Realization did not strike him immediately, despite the excruciating pain at his lower body, and despite the fact that he was naked and covered in bruises and love bites. Nothing could be compared to the torment wrought upon him by his subconscious's wishes.

 

The blank, emotionless expression swept over his face as the realization of the moment gradually seeped in. The despair seemed to rise behind his eyes. Like a frozen statue, he sat there. Paralyzed by the tragic feeling of unwanted separation and eternal longing, he closed his eyes and gazed into fields of nothingness. The feeling of water creeping out of the corner of his eyes, and a whisper was the only thing that could be heard throughout the silence.

 

"I can't..."

 

He drew out a sigh underneath his breath, letting his head bow lift higher as he glanced up towards the opened door for a brief moment. At that specific instance of time, a tinge of hope swelled up in his chest - the hope that Ryujii would in shamelessly saunter into his room in all of his naked glory, and just slip into bed with Kouji to cuddle with him once more, so that the Omega could feel protected and comforted in that temperate embrace. He desired to cry, or maybe even sob and scream into he crook of his friend's neck, as a hand rubbed soothing circles on his trembling back, a low voice whispering sweet nothings while those beautiful lips rested atop his head.

 

The hope enveloped a small part of his heart, only to die out the moment he realized that it was all just wishful thinking.

 

In bewilderment, his forehead crinkled, apathetically wondering why such emotions and desires were what he held for this man. After close to a decade of waiting in futile, forgetting and moving on came to mind, but he never could succeed. After so long, his longing only increased bit by bit, the sadness he held towards the fact that he's more than likely to never meet Ryujii again built up simultaneously. He knew that an impending doom was awaiting him, and only in a matter of time, it was inevitable that he would just crumble and break.

 

Feelings of confusion rested in the back of his mind, saving up for another time, because the only thought he possessed at the moment were ones of wishing for sleep to come and numb him, and for his Alpha to realize that he needed to come home. Memories of childish laughter, guzzling cookies, pranks, sleepovers...

 

From where he sat motionlessly, Kouji smiled wistfully, recalling the familiarity of their comfortable connection he hasn't felt in years. Albeit as vivid as those scenes felt, they were -despairingly- still just in his head. His heart ached, and the Omega found that he had to grip tightly onto his arms to stop himself from running outside that door and search for Ryujii. No matter how much he yearned for his touch, the warmth and affection of his caresses and the soothing tone of his voice, Kouji knew that all his efforts were more than likely to be in vain.

 

Reminiscing took its toll on his already vulnerable emotions, and it became apparent when strong whips of his head involuntarily did their duty to rid him of said memories.

 

But then hazy eyes shifted around, gazing at the darkness absentmindedly before landing on a particular spot. They squinted harshly through the darkness at the strange sight of his window covered by dull metal.

 

Why was his house on lock down?

 

And not a moment later, did the screen of his television brightened up to reveal the mixed coloration of red, orange, and yellow, the sounds luring his face and eyes to twist and stare at it with full attention. Unbeknownst to the male, a shadowed figure appeared before casually passing through the space his door was supposed to cover. The Omega's haunted expression as he watched the scene the screen displayed began to pale. A hand rose to cover his beating heart as he took in the figure in front of him.

 

He didn't understand; as if his brain short-circuited and needed to be rebooted. In front of him, the city where he's lived for the past eight years was set ablazed, while the man of his dreams stood in all his naked glory as his brain failed to process the impossibility. His fingers twitched, an unreadable countenance showing nothing whilst his knees gravitated towards the satin sheets. With his body body upright, the comforter left its covering position, falling down and leaving the Omega in defiled nudity.

 

"Ryujii...," a meek whimper slipped out. Hot, shallow pants increased in sound and speed as his eyes retained their usual scintillating glow, a radiant, bliss filled grin exhibiting his pearly whites. A petite hand steadied itself at a random spot in front of him while a knee lifted up to place a foot firmly on the bed, his movements done slowly and trance like.

 

Around him, everything stilled while he was in fast motion, the lunge coming suddenly before the male had remembered his state of nakedness, the agonizing pain below his navel, and the destruction being wrought right in front of his eyes. Slender arms and legs wrapped tightly around a muscular body, his strength crushing his lithe body flushed against the other male's.

 

The ecstatic emotion was replaced by a bullet of anguish. Pearl shaped tears blurred his vision, and then he buried his face in the crook of Ryujii's neck. Quivering extremities refused to stop their explosive shakes. The hot, salty tears were flooding Kouji's cheeks and dripping off his chin to slide down a body that wasn't his own. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but all that came out were deep, gut-wrenching sobs that tore through his chest and convulsed his small body. He tensed his body's grasp while enduring the fast, shaking and gasping.

 

"Missing you comes in waves. I drowned every day," he choked, finger nails unintentionally digging into the Alpha's chest.

[707]

"You always did think that good things only happened in your dreams."

 

Were the soft immediate words that escaped Ryujii's lips after he'd been jumped and clung to, the second time in as many days. He hadn't thought about saying it, nor had he any idea how that sentence came to being without him even knowing the knowledge contained within. It just came out as if it were a mere natural reaction, as if he'd said it a thousand times before - somewhere, in a memory long forgotten. The fact that it happened bewildered the raven more than anything else; it was like his mind took a back seat and his body just took the reigns.

 

Eight long years, they have been separated and his body-memory was still as sharp, as if he and Kouji never parted in the first place. It made the Alpha think of the possibility that his memories weren't as unforgotten as he was first led to believe. Perhaps he would regain them faster than he thought. He - didn't exactly know what to feel about that. There were a lot of cases where when an amnesiac got their memories back, they'd lose the ones they already had. Ryujii didn't want that. He didn't want to revert to having an eleven-year old mind. To forget everything that he learned within that eight years was a terrifying prospect, even though there was a chance that he wouldn't.

 

But then, he

was

able to come by his lost memories through slight visions and bodily actions so perhaps him losing his current ones had a bigger chance of not happening. That thought made him feel a bit better, made his arms curl around his sobbing Omega's waist as he walked towards the bed and returned the two of them once more to how they had been before... everything else that had happened.

 

For now, they were safe. The rest of the world could wait until morning.

 

[05:32 P.M.][Kouji's Bedroom]

 

Golden eyes blinked open, fluttering off dry crusts against its edges and presenting a bleary visage of an aquamarine ceiling. Everything seemed hazy in a way that left blanks on Ryujii's memory reserves when he thought about the past day's events. He felt energized but oddly sleepy with the comfortable weight and warmth that surrounded him. It made him want to close his eyes and go back to that sweet bliss of slumber, but his bladder screamed at him - the reason he woke up in the first place, so with abject reluctance, he gently shifted the limp body atop his own before staggering towards the bathroom. Various creaks and snaps echoed in the tiled room as his joints began to right themselves as the raven slowly surfaced from the fog of la la land.

 

Cloudy eyes slowly began to focus, gaze resting on a white hand taking hold of a tan and half-hard cock as the Alpha pissed. The swirl of liquid reminded him of clouds, white and fluffy, even the ones trapped within the domed cities. They were nice yesterday too, painted within the backdrop of blue but they had been gray and red that early morning.

 

Glowing eyes slowly widened as memories of the past day returned; the school, Kouji, Kouji's mother, the house, the earthquake, the flames, The Breach. All of it made his heart pump faster, made his breathing long and slow. The realization that there could be Stigmatas outside these very walls cleared his head instantly, made his focus sharper. He squeezed his cock one last time before flushing down the toilet as he headed back to the brunet's bedroom.

 

The TV was still on and it was still just nearing twilight outside, but the little he could see of the roads and streets seemed eerily desolate even though everything had destruction written on it. The fires seemed to have stopped too and the glossy sheen that was barely visible on many a broken glass indicated that the authorities might have used the rain on the dome's weather system. The bigger mystery though was of the city's emptiness. Where were the Stigmatas? He doubted they'd just leave like that. It wasn't in their nature. They breed and occupied, then breed some more. And what was happening beyond the walls of their safehouse was nothing less than sheer confusing.

 

Was this what it was like after the Breach in Lacaille too?

 

Ryujii squinted as a shifty dot appeared on the screen.

"Zoom."

He murmured and the TV followed, zooming in on said dot and showing that it was actually a woman. She crouched behind an overturned truck, her gray business clothes tattered in some places and her left leg sported a bleeding gash that looked newly opened. Various scratches adorned what visible skin she had exposed while her hair lay in a disarrayed bun. She turned her head to peek through the broken window of the driver's side door and Ryujii saw a small veined bump lay beating in her nape.

 

He grit his teeth. She was already dead even if she managed to find a safe place.

 

Then she stood and began to limp towards the unhinged doors of a nearby convenience store. She never made it.

 

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She walked too close to an open manhole and before she knew it, a fleshy tentacle had curled around her ankle before dragging her, clawing and screaming, to the darkness below. Just as her muffled cries ceased, equally fleshy and lumbering figures emerged from the nearby broken-down stores and buildings. They clicked and groaned and snarled and their tentacled appendages slithered as they walked towards where the woman had been dragged into. They stayed there, as if waiting for something.. and that something came out in the form of another just like them, dripping in blood; small tatters of gray cloth clung to it's arms and legs.

 

Ryujii took three steps and the TV was off.

 

He hadn't known that they could do that: turn people into one of them. Perhaps not the Walkers, but maybe something else was inside that sewer. Every Stigmata they have encountered had been documented and Ryujii had seen that documentation, had read it more than once, memorized it to the point that he could recite it in his sleep. But for all the information within, such altering Stigmata hadn't been listed. Perhaps the Spectres, the elite miliary unit that constantly went outside the domes to gather rare resources, hadn't come across one before. That would seem unlikely, but not when the creature was.. protected, in a way. Like how many insects hide their queens within the heart of the colony.

 

If that was the case.. then it would mean that the Stigmata were planning on creating Formalhaut their colony. It meant that they'd terraform the city and every human within would either be killed, eaten, or turned.

 

No matter how powerful the walls of Kouji's house was, it wouldn't survive that massive change. They'd be buried under rubble before they even knew it.

 

If Ryujii was right, he did read something similar happening to Lacaille; where his entire hometown turned into a giant beehive/anthill within the span of a month. Formalhaut was almost twice as big as Lacaille so they will roughly have two months to leave the city and head to Gilese.

 

The Alpha slumped, naked ass bouncing atop the foot of Kouji's bed, hands hanging limply in between his legs, as he contemplated how he and Kouji would pull off such a feat.

 

The hover stations would have already been closed, so going there would already be out of the equation. The only way to Gilese now was outside. Problem was, they were inside an impenetrable cage and the

one

way out was at the military base on the other side of the city, where the Stigmata population, by the raven's estimate, were probably the most dense. Not to mention that heading there, they would need a constant supply of food, clean water and medicines. And with Kouji's personality, it meant that they'd be taking survivors along with them, should they encounter any. Finding a safe place to rest was mandatory as well.. all those things sounded heavy and difficult.. and he hadn't even considered the other Stigmata types yet.

 

Like the ones that could detect and see heat signatures. Or the ones that could fly and see about a mile away. And those weren't even the ones classified as 'Extremely Dangerous'.

 

The pessimistic part of him despaired, wanted to give up already since it all looked to be a lost cause. But the bigger part of him took that despair, took that fear, and turned it into something useful.. he used that as a motivation, to strengthen his resolve.

 

He

finally

met Kouji. He

Finally

had someone he wanted to protect. He

FINALLY

could breathe. And he was damn well sure gonna try and keep that even if meant slaughtering his way past an army of mutants.. even if it killed him in the process.. as long as Kouji was kept safe. There was little else that mattered.

 

So, with new-found determination, Ryujii headed to the kitchen to make them some much needed food.

[AlphaZero]

[05:52 P.M.][Kouji's Bedroom]

 

Flickering eyelids rose to the aromatic smell of cooking food and screaming sirens, before darkened hazel eyes became slits in the midst of an awakening. A blurry image of the aquamarine ceiling presented the young male with clear flying worms that clouded his vision while the dry crusts at the edges of his eyes tickled. A heavy sigh came forth and was sent to the heavens to hear. Even with the large amount of sleep the Omega had gotten, exhaustion's dangerous hands refused to release him from their grasps. Creaks of the bed and ruffling of the sheets and comforters broke the silence of his bedroom as he twisted and turned in attempt to gain control of his comfort.

 

Brunet strands of hair tangled and curled in odd ways, his pale cheeks ticklish and stained from the uncontrollable tears of the night prior. A petite hand weakly searched from the warmth, becoming successful when an onyx comforter came flying over his nakedness to cover everything besides from the chin and up. Groaning in pain and from the embodiment of fatigue, bleary, slit eyes stared through the strands of chocolate brown hair to scrutinize at the dull metal blockade, the feeling of dread overcoming him at the knowledge of the dire situation before being contradicted by the feeling of relief as he faintly heard the clanks of pots and pans sounding from the room below.

 

Memories of the events from yesterday played a movie in the front of his eyes, his consciousness slowly grabbing its concentration back from the thief that was slumber, and all the male could do was pull the comforter closer to lithe frame whilst reveling in the softness and watching those eventful scenes play continuously.

 

A dainty nose unintentionally took a whiff of the Alpha male's scent, a breeze--despite the closed window--bringing it to graze his face. The invisible odor was masculine and filled his nostrils with the best bodily perfume he's ever had the pleasure of consuming. The Omega felt his body relax the most he's done in years, and an inaudible sigh of contentment escaped from his lips. Despite the destruction being wrought just outside his undisturbed residence, the danger that's barely a few inches from catching and clawing at his back had not yet come to his full realization.

 

And it was all because he was comforted by just the mere fact that Ryujii was downstairs and preparing their meal.

 

Not yet fully energized, he teetered on the edges of sleep before widening his eyes abruptly, the image of his mother's feminine and delicate features morphing into bloodied limbs and scattered scraps of clothing as her head lolled to the side on the destroyed concrete. The eyes still opened in vehement fear just as they were when something had caught up to her running frame, yet now drained of all life.

 

The jet-black comforter immediately flew off his body right then and there, his body's pain forgotten once again as a right hand frantically searched for the cell phone that was supposed to be resting on his nightstand. Deranged eyes glowed in trepidation, his marred body now half hanging off the bed while drawers were violently wrenched open and savagely rummaged through only to reveal nothing like the item he was desperately needing.

 

A slam resulted in a tremor when his body slipped off the sheets and onto the carpeted ground, causing his knees to tremble and waver from the sudden contact. Too focused on his futile search to even care of the agonizing pain his body had to endure from so much bodily strains, slender hands reorganized the drawers to the point where it had looked as if a hurricane came ripping through and attacking everything in sight.

 

Only to still when the realization was dropped on him like a ton of bricks, and he stared blankly at the bottle of Bubblegum flavored lube that was encased in a quivering hand. His own words came racing back to him from the night prior, chilling him to the bone and destroying every fear and worry for his mother's safety the moment it occurred to him that...

 

Thanks for the warm towel, mom. You can run along, and go to that city you told us about earlier. I forgot the name, but yeah.

 

...she had left for some city long before the event he had seen on the video feed had happened.

 

Harrowed but relieved, whatever energy he had attained from the adrenaline disappeared in a blink of an eye. Body growing limp and out of its natural elements, Kouji allowed the world to spin as he rolled over onto his back and onto the carpeted ground to be presented with the view of the blue ceiling sky, the flavored lube still in his loose grip and still to be unnoticed.

 

Relief is a very common reaction to the sudden freedom from a strong fear and anticipation of something bad. And in that moment, there was a swell of relief, mixed with overwhelming gratitude, as well as a little bit--a lot--of chagrin mixed upon the swirly mess of confusion that was his emotions. Long and deep breaths were exhaled as the adrenaline died down. The rapid thumping his beating heart created sounded in the brunet's ear drums, much like racing horses repeatedly beating down on the dirt with their hooves.

 

"Vivian, please send a video feed of the city for me."

 

The monotonic voice penetrated through the silence and to no physical being in particular. A hand fell over his eyes tiredly, creating fields of black along with neon specks suspended throughout. The soft affirmation of the female Virtual Intelligence sounded and echoed throughout the entirety of his simple room. The Omega had no idea why the AI was named the way it, or rather she, was named. Nevertheless, Kouji never questioned or brought up the matter with his mother, despite the fact that she was the one who entered in that name.

 

The screen of his television flickered on, revealing a ruined city and contradicting the beauty that it was just a day before.

 

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[5:59 P.M.][south-Western Zone: Formalhaut]

Hours After the Stigmata Breach

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Kouji sat up with pain-filled, hoarse groan, wincing as the coarse carpet scratched and scraped against the area in which he was supposed to let heal. Pain as strong as one hundred daggers sunk into the lower area of his body. Internally, the boy was groaning and screaming with anguish. The image of a person writhing about on the floor, clutching his body, croaking for help in a desperate tone that made his words inaudible, but still echoing around and bouncing across the walls, was a reaction that he himself felt like he should be having, but was too exhausted to even do so.

 

Allowing himself to get on all fours, hazel eyes turned watery and glossy with the sheer pain, and his breathing came out in forced steady exhalations, which was an attempt to calm down his nerves. Sweat began to form on his forehead, covering it with a thin sheen while the Omega quickly crawled to his destination. The fast tempo made the pain ever more excruciating, but he felt that it was better if the pain came hard and left quickly, rather then be prolonged.

 

Dangerously trembling legs stood upright as hands grasped tightly at the fabric of the bed sheets, using it as leverage to pull his heavy weight up and onto to the bed in a tangled and confused fashion. He let out a breath of relief when he found his body in a comfortable position on his stomach, his feet facing the headboard. Haunted looking eyes gazed at the pristine screen, a blank and emotionless expression sweeping over his facial features when he took in the destruction happening just outside these walls.

 

A stuttering breath was all Kouji could muster when he attempted to call out for Ryujii, only to become a low-pitched cry when a fleshy, tentacled thing sauntered across the destroyed, barren road.

 

"Holy Shit."

 

The soft inquiry came out unintentionally, the working mechanics of his mind controlling his mouth for he had no ability to do so.

[707]

The night was cold, the chilly bite of the inexistent evening breeze a minty tingling against flushed and exposed cheeks. Despite the fires, half a day prior, the temperature within the dome seemed to have plummeted and man-made clouds seemed to loom threateningly over the devastation. Various streetlamps and building lights stayed open or fluttering at the edges of their lives, all of them casting haunted spots of random radiant guidance that most definitely led anyone foolish enough to go within to their certain demise. Quiet and eerie was the street below, along the horizon though, howls and calls sounded numerous in the making; all the more expanded as they were returned from various unknown points.

 

Hard leather boots sighed their soft scrape of concrete rooftop as soft and swift steps traversed it from end to end within the span of a few seconds before the figure stealthily jumped towards the neighboring rooftop; dark leather coat and long scarf fluttering and waving along like wings. Nocturnal eyes lay glowing beneath crimson visor that showed various data on almost everything; temperature, distance, signs of life, and proximity alerts. Dark wood cane, polished with metallic brilliance, lay strapped to a criscrossing belt on a slim waist and held on tightly by a leather-gloved left hand.

 

Another leap, followed by soundless steps followed before the cyan blink of a proximity alert appeared. Sturdy back pressed itself against the nearby wall, golden eyes shifting down to the side to watch the moving outline of a Walker that the visor provided. The creature, tens of feet below, lumbered, a few other popping behind it, before stopping to growl and click with each other -reminiscent to that alien movie many of the now dead citizens had been fond of. They stayed there, just

conversing

with one another while leather-clad figure silently pressed on without being noticed.

 

Five rooftops into and a soft sob came. Startled, he stopped, crouching low and peering through the edge just as his proximity sensor beeped its alert once more along with the green flash of a nearby life signature. Eyes widened, taking in the scene playing out below the fire escape; into the cramped alleyway.

 

A boy lay on his knees, sobbing silently, back pressed firmly against the dead-end-wall. A Walker stood before him, hands and tentacle wrapped firmly around the unmoving body of, what must have been, the boy's mother. Then it released her, took a step towards the child, only to fall onto the wet pavement in bloody severed pieces. The cold glint of a blade shone through the shadows, black blood streaming down the length of the sharp steel before, with a flick of a wrist, it became a mere stain on the nearby brick wall as the weapon slid back to its sheath with a resounding metallic click. It became a cane once more.

 

A soft sigh went unheard as Ryujii took tentative steps towards the trembling kid. He slid to one knee, hand slowly lifting before a thumb went to cleanse tear-stained cheeks. The boy tensed, whimpered, before heterochromatic eyes rolled back and he fainted. Another sigh came, protective arms curling around the unconscious form as the Alpha silently headed back home. He guessed the first phase of his plan would come in at a later date.

 

- - - Four Hours Prior [06:12 P.M.][safehouse] - - -

 

"I am gonna try and go out in a few hours, back to the school to get my bag since my spy-cams are in there and we'll need them sooner rather than later. I'm gonna also try and check the alleyways, see if I'd be able to plot us a safe route to the next safest location we'd eventually be moving to."

 

Was the first thing Ryujii had said once he'd gone back up Kouji's room, arms laden with two plates of buttered pancakes, two bottles of water and two tablets of painkillers. It hadn't been easy to suggest it, knowing that Kouji would vehemently protest at the idea, but the raven had made sure that his voice didn't waver, didn't show any hint of hesitation, and was firm enough to make the brunet silently understand that suggestions against his plan was not welcome.

 

They still had weeks left before their supplies ran out, yes, but it was better to be prepared for their leaving early, especially when that concerned both their safety. He'd said as much, had explained that they

will

need to leave even before all of their food ran out. He'd also asked Kouji to exercise and improve his stamina within that time, by doing flexibility stretches and running on the treadmill they had in the living room, for as long as he could, everyday for the next two weeks. There was little else they could do other than improve themselves for the grueling ordeal that was to come, hence the reason for the painkillers.

 

"Take it easy for today, nothing too strenuous so that by tomorrow you'd be able to run on the treadmill without limping with only one painkiller. So, today, better sanitize the bathtub and fill it will water along with the rest of available bottles in the house since I doubt the water lines will be running for much longer. For now though, drink only the bottled waters in the fridge. We'll have to purify the ones we get from the tap through boiling. The purifying tablets in the kitchen we can use for when we're already outside."

 

He'd said all those things while they ate their breakfast in bed, Kouji in Ryujii's lap since the raven had guessed that the physical touch would at least reassure his Omega that he

would

return. Even after everything that was going on outside their walls, it had been a bit hard to stop the Alpha from going half-hard when the brunet made those subtle shifts that rubbed his plump naked ass against his equally naked cock. It would have been too easy to just lift Kouji up and sheath himself back inside that tight heat of his, but Ryujii had resisted, made sure that his focus wasn't on his dick but was one the food he was eating.

 

It did pay off though, albeit unexpectedly, in a monumental kind of way.. in the form of an idea. It came to him as he watched the butter on his pancake melt. It made him remember that during the cold season, many Stigmata tended to go into hibernation; where they would cease all activities and be in a prolonged sleep. It wasn't near winter yet, but with the weather system of the domes it was possible to bring that chilly season a lot earlier. If that happened, then it would make their journey towards the military base a lot faster and since that base had supplies that could last for

years

and defensible buildings, not to mention weapons, tech, and medicine, it meant that he and Kouji could stay there until November -to wait for real winter- before they ventured outside the city.

 

But there was still the prospect of the geological terraformation plus Formalhaut's Weather Center was literally in the middle of the city.... where the queen might be as well... the queen who was the only one able to terraform an area. So if Ryujii could go there and somehow dispose off said queen then it meant that survivors within the city would be able to somehow fight back once winter was the only season set inside. It would be difficult, what with the possible

guards

and perhaps

legions

of Walkers that would undoubtedly protect the queen.. add to that, Ryujii will have to be careful to not let the Weather Center be damaged too much, else all would be for naught.

 

All of that, just because of a small melting piece of butter.

 

He almost laughed, but small things inspired great ideas, like an apple for gravity and such. So he gave Kouji's nape a kiss instead, one hand going to rub up and down a smooth stomach before fingers slyly teased the base of the Omega's cock. He had smiled as the ass against his own cock rubbed just that bit harder.

 

"I'll be safe. I'll be back."

He had murmured before he went back to eating his pancakes.

 

- - - Present [10:14 P.M.][Rooftop of Building next to Kouji's House] - - -

 

They were just there; Walkers, lumbering around the blue two-story house as if searching for something. There were at least seven of them that Ryujii could see, where he was crouched above them. One headed towards the door before promptly lifting a fleshy hand and giving it a massive bash. The wood broke in splinters, revealing black metal behind. The creature gave it another hit, only for it's arm to break in three places, the bones of it's elbow sticking out in dark rivulets of blood through torn skin. It howled, hit the barricade with it's other hand, only to receive the same fate. The bash of a head came next and the Walker slumped dead, in a pool of it's own blood, with a broken skull.

 

Ryujii almost laughed if not for the squeak of the child beside him. He moved quickly, palm going over to close around an open mouth and muffling the scream that escaped. A finger, from his free hand, lifted to press as a vertical line against tightly closed lips.

"Shhh."

He whispered, oh so quietly.

 

He was given a small nod before he took his hand away, only for it to close around a pebble, as he returned his gaze back to the Stigmata below. Six of them remained, oddly unconcerned of what had just happened to one of them. Then, with nary an effort given, the pebble went flying, three blocks away, breaking glass and creating clamor within. The creatures perked-up right before they bounded towards the noise. The Alpha made sure to wait until they were all out of sight, just noticing that one had been hidden in the bushes. It left too, without a glance back, and that was when Ryujii carried the boy in his arms once more.

 

"Don't be afraid and trust me. Don't scream."

Were his murmured words just as he jumped towards the blue house's attic, two floors below.

 

They landed with a soft thud, that was silent compared to the noise of breaking and growling in the building his pebble had landed. He pressed his palm against the barricaded window, blue light momentarily going up and down to scan it before the metal rang as it quickly opened. And just as quickly, Ryujii leaped inside before the barricade shut them in once more.

 

"You can stay with me and my friend here if you want. There's food, water and a warm bed. If you still want to leave then come and tell me and I'll open the front door for you."

Were his words as he deposited the boy on the dusty attic floor as he headed towards the ladder that would take him to the second floor hallway.

 

He'd been gone for four hours, he hadn't been able to scout the Weather Center but at least he'd been able to get his things from school without any problems. Kouji must be worried sick.

 

"Tadaima, Kouji! I brought someone along. Hope you don't mind!"

He shouted the moment his feet reached the carpet of the hallway.

 

Ryujii hoped his Omega wasn't asleep. It would be a real bummer if he ended waking him up.

 

 

 

[AlphaZero]

[table=width: 300, class: grid, align: right]

[tr]

[td][/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]Full Name

 

Reighland, Shuuichirou Yurika[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]Age

 

10[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]Distinction

 

None[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]Personality

 

☢Shy & Quiet: Shuu tends to be shy and quiet most of the time, but on the other hand, he's not that way when it comes to people he's comfortable around. He likes to listen to others rather then talk, and can't help but want to lend a helping hand to others in need. He has a quiet voice, and can be seen as socially reserved, yet he has the tendency to be able to look straight into another person's eyes without getting the urge to avert them.

☢Playful: Around people that Shuu feels at ease with, he becomes lighthearted, and will portray a demeanor different from his usual one. At this time, he'll enjoy amusement, laugh heartily, and will be fond of games. However, he won't go crazy or act like a brat; he'll just more open with himself.

☢Careful: Shuu is a cautious child. Unlike some other children his age, he's made a habit of making sure to avoid potential danger, mishap, or harm to his being. He shows a careful consideration of the facts before taking a step into uncharted territories. He does have a child's curiosity, but tries to refrain from following it unless he can't seem to help it.

☢Polite: Shuu's retained knowledge of a polite and courteous human being. Again, unlike some other children his age, attained a behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people. The boy is like this towards adults and children alike, but will sometimes become otherwise if he gets too aggravated.

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

 

- - - [06:30 P.M.][Kouji's Bedroom] - - -

 

Kouji allowed himself to just watch with abject reluctance as Ryujii disappeared through the attic ceiling, the worry apparent in his furrowed brows and the tight fists at his side. However, he refrained from using the desperate attempts he mind was urging him to do to keep Ryujii from leaving. If he had done so, it would have come off as if he didn't trust Ryujii to keep his promise to survive, and thus would display the falsity that Kouji didn't trust him at all. The younger teen stood stiff while he bit his bottom lip in a physical attempt to control his worrisome instincts, only to bite hard enough to draw blood when the leather boots were the last to disappear.

 

His fingers grasped at the fabric of his clothed legs, quivering while he worked vehemently against his mind to control the frantic, racing thoughts. They ripped to shreds every reassurance that he gave himself, and only continued doing so as he absentmindedly turned around and stepped down the ladder of the attic in a painfully slow manner, as the stings he'd been feeling had diminished a decent amount, but still there regardless.

 

Feet landed softly on the carpeted floor before walking dejectedly to his bedroom, the walls needing to be his full support to even get some distance. The very second he had stepped through the threshold of the door, he rotated on a heel and threw it shut. Regardless if he was the lone soul dwelling in his own home at the moment, there was something about leaving the door propped open that bothered him.

 

When hearing the reassuring sound of the brass handle clicking in the slot, Kouji went straight to the painkillers Ryujii had deposited on the nightstand next to the brunet's designated side of the bed, picked a tablet up, and glared at it as if the stringy ball of emotion he felt was all caused by a measly pill. A right eye twitched in irritation; not at the Breach, not at Ryujii--of course not--not even at the tablet, but at himself.

 

Where was the positiveness that he knew for sure that he had? In remembrance, Kouji could vividly play the scenes of the sleeplessness nights and tear-stained pillows, as they happened so often. But for the majority of the time, pumping himself up daily led to a positive attitude. Albeit it wouldn't last that long, it succeeded in helping him move on with his life and allowed him to feel as if he was alright, if only for a few hours, or maybe even less. It was a pitiful scene, really.

 

Even if it was just pretend; a ruse that came about only because pity felt sorry for him.

 

But today... today he didn't just want it to last for a few moments before coming back home to rest in the depths of his heart. The situation at hand was too dire to have doubt, to not trust, to be in useless worry when there was no need to. Happiness was right at his doorsteps, knocking and asking to let be in. Happiness in the shape of a human, with entrapping golden eyes and pitch-black hair, with a transparent white formed into angelic wings that flapped beautifully, an urging smirk that left him trembling while he beheld it, and wide open arms for him to choose when to leap into.

 

All he needed to do was open it.

 

And with that, the brunet guzzled two of the pills, downing it with a bottle full of water before slamming it back on the tray, the clanking noises a symbol of the end of his self-pity. A sleeved arm reached up to wipe away the remains of the liquid, his hazel eyes burning in determination as he came to an unwavering resolution. Two hands whipped into the air, palms out and laying flat. Just a millisecond after, they came surging hard towards pale, soft cheeks only to end with the crack of skin contacting skin echoing off the walls. Vibrations of stings started in his palms and coursed all the way through his finger tips, his cheeks erupting with a similar type of pain.

 

Lips opened into a circular shape and soft whimpers escaped his mouth, and not surprisingly, water began to form at the edges of his eyes. Kouji involuntarily dropped to his knees, and grinned cheerily when he caught the sight of bright red for the hue of his palms. He failed his attempt to suppress his giggling, and only ended up bursting into loud laughter shortly after. The sounds echoed across the walls, and were bright and cheerful like dandelions in the summer days, blossoming upon the quiet field. The prospect that there could be Stigmata running outside these walls didn't phase him in the slightest, and neither did the pressure on his bottom succeed in doing so.

 

Already feeling the affects of the pill diminishing his pain, even though it was still lingering and apparent, Kouji leaped up energetically upright onto a standing stance, pearly whites showing as he beamed angelically. Positiveness illuminated the boy's atmosphere, and in all his joy, Kouji disregarded every negative thought that traveled through his brain and left it all in the dust when he called out for the AI.

 

"Vivian! Put on some music for me!"

 

The soft affirmative of the robotic female's voice was then shortly followed by one of Kouji's favorite songs, the booming noise uncaring to the danger lurking just outside, as was the same with the brunet.

 

- - -

- - -

 

The lyrics reminded him of a certain Alpha, and was the sole reason he adored it so much.

 

Take it easy for today, nothing too strenuous so that by tomorrow you'd be able to run on the treadmill without limping with only one painkiller. So, today, better sanitize the bathtub and fill it will water along with the rest of available bottles in the house since I doubt the water lines will be running for much longer. For now though, drink only the bottled waters in the fridge. We'll have to purify the ones we get from the tap through boiling. The purifying tablets in the kitchen we can use for when we're already outside.

 

Whilst humming and moving to the beat, the Omega remembered back to what Ryujii had said before he left, and thought it a good idea to do something productive to help from within the comfort of his own house. And thus, proceeded to saunter energetically to an azure colored desk at the corner of the room. Kouji took out a crumpled piece of paper from a stack of books, along with a half broken pencil, and scribbled in messy writing to create his To-Do list for the day.

 

[table=width: 300, class: grid, align: center]

[tr]

[td]

Things To Do

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]-clean bathtub and fill with water (make sure to take the water bottles from the recycling bin and fill the water up with those) (DO NOT DRINK, YOU IDIOT)

-clean room(cause look at dat mess)

-call Mom(omg, she must be worried sick)

-bake a cake(cause I want cake) (SAVE FOR RYUJII TOO) (that might deplete some of the supplies... Ahhh, well, we can go look for more)

-walk on the treadmill for a bit(sigh, tmmr I have to run... T_T)

-pack traveling bags just in case(put lube(why do I have those?... Ryujii, pfftttt)in bag too)

-clean...living room?... nah.

-eat some chocolates in drawer(just cause)

-uh... that's it for now?[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

 

When fully ready and prepared, Kouji swiftly stuffed the piece of paper into his pants pocket, before strutting and moving his body haphazardly out the door and into the hallway in tune to the music. The storage closet's door was then jerked open to reveal old-school mops, brooms, water buckets...and... whatever other cleaning supplies that he didn't know the names of. Kouji marched expeditiously passed the threshold of the room, casually flicked on the lights, and stared specifically at the

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

. Shrugging at the fact that it was meant for a female, Kouji reached over to slip it off the hook, and placed it on over his clothes easily, as if he was experienced in the art of tying bows behind his back.

 

With the song still in play, and his preparations at the ready, Kouji advanced forward to complete the bullets on his list with an energized and positive humor, whilst waiting for Ryujii to come home safely.

 

- - - [10:18 P.M.][Kouji's Bedroom] - - -

 

Brown specks of chocolate flavored cake on ample his ample lips defined what the meaning of guzzling was when Kouji finished his second slice of the sweet treat, his gluttony obvious and apparent when he reached for a third slice without any reluctance or premeditation. He let out an atypical chortle when he reveled in the thought of swimming in indulgence, only for his hand to stop midair when a husky voice called out his name.

 

Kouji instantaneously hopped off his bed, sprinting beyond the threshold of the door to collide with the metal of the staircase, resulting in the hinges to rattle and teeter dangerously. The male wreathed in beaming smiles when he twisted to stare excitedly at his Alpha, clear drops of sweat sliding down the Omega's cheeks, the result of a slightly strenuous evening. The thuds were caused by the repeated actions of sneakered feet--to walk on the treadmill earlier--slamming against the carpeted floor. The plaid apron flew in the breeze while the male ran, "Welcome home!"

 

As the distance shortened, Kouji threw his slender arms out to the side before embracing Ryujii with a juxtaposing strength, his face flushed against a warm chest and hazel eyes glossy tears of relief. His head snapped upward and he went on his toes to allow himself the distance to give the tempting lips a lengthy and lingering kiss. "I think I taste like chocolate." He unhurriedly peeled his body from the Alpha's, and didn't mind the embarrassment when his mouth decided to announce what his mind was thinking, "You're beautiful. I don't think I can ever stop thinking that."

 

An endearing flush graced his soft cheeks as a hand reached behind to scratch gently against the skin of his neck, the quirk appearing when he was genuinely embarrassed. Despite his hedonistic nature, and shameless attitude when in bed, there were times where the Omega would turn soft, like a grade school child witnessing a heavy kiss for the first time.

 

"Who did you bring? Is he up there?"

 

Without even waiting for a reply, Kouji hastily moved towards the ladder, not before stopping to cup and squeeze the front of Ryujii's pants where the male's large endowment would have been.

 

"I'm glad you came back home safely to me. Continue doing that, okay?"

 

Unbeknownst to the audacious Omega, a small head tentatively peeked out of the attic door, heterochromatic eyes widening in fear when Kouji caught a glimpse of the boy. Snowy locks of hair were the last to disappear as the form retreated back into the dusty oblivion. Reluctantly, Kouji removed his groping hand, before giggling when the same hand made with contact with a taut ass in a delicious slap. With one step after another, the brunet climbed up the steps of the ladder, without as much pain and trouble as earlier.

 

Hazel eyes took in the sight of a tiny, childish form hiding behind dusty boxes. The floorboards creaked as the male stepped onto the attic grounds, and began to take slow steps towards the child. A soft, reassuring voice carried in minuscule echos throughout the entirety of the room, hopefully coaxing the boy to come out from his filthy hiding spot.

 

"You can come out. I won't hurt you. You're safe here." A few moments of hesitation was all that was necessary before the slight figure emerged trembling, teary-eyed, and gripping at the fabric of his saddle brown sweater. Dirt and grime marred the delicate facial features, and the worst of the filth that the brunet noticed was the dry blood. Kouji's knees gravitated towards the ground, before opening his arms slightly in a manner in which would positively display the safety that it beheld. A look of confusion was etched on the white head's features, eyes taking in the mismatched appearance that the Omega adorned.

 

"Ah... I was cleaning... and taking a walk on the treadmill," he stated while grinning benevolently, void of negativity and aggravation, while pointing to the

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

his feet exhibited.

 

While still being cautious, the child tottered towards open arms, his feet moving with a tiny stride. Kouji stood upright the moment the boy reached him, and ruffled the boy's white locks in an affectionate manner. The Omega's eyes widened in content surprise when a tiny hand took hold of his own, clenching tightly over two of his fingers.

 

"Ryujii, baby! Can you come stand beneath the door to help him down?," he bellowed whilst walking towards the entrance to the attic, pulling the boy along gently. As the pair reached the top of the ladder, Kouji dropped down his knees once more, ushering and helping the child sit down so that his feet dangled over the edge. The brunet turned his attention back to the child, hoping that his inquiry might ease some of the tension and cautiousness that the boy was obviously feeling.

 

"I made some cake. It's in my room. We can all have some in a bit. Would you like that?"

 

A meek, glossy eyed stare was then accompanied by a slight nod, only for the heterochromatic eyes to avert themselves to peer blankly into space. Satisfied with the reaction, Kouji turned back his head to address the Alpha, a thin, tender smile invading all negativity and oozing positivity.

 

"Did you find your things okay, baby? I did a lot today, and I was really productive during it too!" Kouji rummages through his pants pockets to search for the crumpled piece of paper, only to have it slip and fall out of his hands down to the ground below before his hand could even react to grab it back again. The attempt to take hold of the ball of paper resulted in him teetering dangerously on his knees, the catastrophic end probably being him falling through the attic entrance and to a painful agony. Terrified noises erupted from his throat, but ceased once a hard, painful grip on the wooden walls at his sides saved him from the fall to oblivion.

 

"And... there goes that list I wrote."

 

A quiet giggle sounded from beside him, the noises sweet, and making Kouji feel as if the bells of heaven may ring from just one laughter from a small child. A booming laughter joined the child's, the Omega's own loud and inhibited.

 

"By the way... Ryujii...would you mind if I..."

 

He hesitates, the aftermath of the cheery laughter dying down to display a strong seriousness.

 

"If I went out tomorrow to go to the school to get something of mine? Alone? Since he needs someone to look after him, so you should be here. And the pain seems to be diminishing really fast, so it'll probably be gone by tomorrow morning. I mean... since we're going to be outside sooner or later, I might need the experience. There will be times when I'm outside, and I need to defend myself when you're not with me. It'll help, wouldn't you think? It's a short distance, so I'll be fine. I don't look like it, but I'm pretty nimble on my feet. I dodge things quite well! You should see me in dodge ball. So, even if I can't fight just yet, I can do that can't I?"

[707]

Ryujii was -most of the times- a patient and calm man. He was reasonable and tried to avoid unnecessary confrontations. He was chill and a bit laid back. But there were times, few and far in-between, that all those were tested, that his short temper got the best of him. This was one of those times.

 

He'd returned, expecting a sanitized and water-filled bath-tub along with every bottle possible, and by the looks on Kouji's to-do list, he'd managed to accomplish that. But it didn't stop the Alpha's temper from flaring as he saw the word

cake

in that small slip of paper. It wasn't that he had something against the sweet confection, to the contrary, he actually enjoyed them on a normal day. But what they were having was less than a normal day where

every possible

food resource they had have to be properly budgeted every day for their

survival

. And making a cake for no apparent reason was one of the epitomy of wastefulness, when the ingredients necessary could have fed two people dinner that night and breakfast the following morning.

 

Ryujii had stayed quiet, had so foolishly tried to believe that Kouji was joking. That he hadn't actually wasted precious supply to make one

stupid cake

just

because he wanted to

. He'd helped the kid get down from the attic, had said no words to the Omega's request, of going out alone the next day, when he got down as well, he'd just crumpled the paper and hoped to whatever gods there was that the brunet tasted of chocolate because he ate the ones the raven had bought. But then he entered the bedroom.. and lo and behold.. half-eaten cake lay innocently within.

 

And Ryujii.. just couldn't stop himself from turning around and leveling Kouji with a furious glare. It took a lot out of him to stay put, to not go back inside the Omega's bedroom, get that plate of cake and smash it in front of the brunet, just to show how angry the Alpha was. But that would be being wasteful and exactly the contrary of what he wanted Kouji to understand. But then clarity came and the flames of his fury froze over like water in winter.

 

He took steps towards the smaller teen; they thundered in his weight and sheer intensity of what lay boiling beneath that glacial expression he now wore. Strong fingers curled around petite wrist as Ryujii all but dragged the brunet down the stairs and before the barricaded front doors, despite the latter's protests.

 

"Vivian, undo front door lockdown."

Were his firm words and despite the guidance setting of the Virtual Intelligence, it didn't protest and the metal hissed open.

 

And the cold corpse of the suicidal Walker came tumbling through.

 

Ryujii payed it no heed; pulled back one leg before promptly giving it a powerful kick that sent it flying towards the middle of Kouji's lawn. Then before anything else was said, the Alpha was dragging the brunet once more but this time, out into the devastation that was their nearby neighborhood.

 

 

With a careless shove, the Omega was freed in the middle of the wrecked road, golden eyes staring him down with anger that burned and froze at the same time.

 

"Look around Kouji!"

Came the shout that echoed throughout the seemingly deserted route, one powerful arm sweeping throughout in a motion that indicated everything.

"Formalhaut is in ruins! There is no grocery or convenience store available anymore! We can't just go out and say 'Hey, I'm gonna go buy cake ingredients to replace the ones I used up'!"

 

An animalistic squeal and a rustle was the only warning before one Walker came jumping out from a nearby alleyway and towards Kouji. It fell in three bloody pieces before it even reached it's destination, sharp glint of the Alpha's blade visible even through the partial darkness of night.

 

"We were lucky, Kouji! We were lucky that I bought groceries yesterday! If I didn't then we would have been starving by now!"

Another squeal, another Walker, more bloody pieces to litter the red pavement.

"You can't just go thinking that we can go out and find more food! And what's with you wanting to go back to your school!? ALONE, no less! Are you prepared to die, Kouji!?"

Blood-streaked hands went to curl around Kouji's shirt, lifted him easily off the ground before hazel met glinting gold in a freezing stare.

"Are you prepared to kill these things and other people just for you to survive? Your teachers, your classmates, your friends, their parents, are all somewhere in this city -many of them are already DEAD! And the rest will kill for their survival. Are you prepared to do the same? Are you prepared to die alone? Because if you say you want to go out alone, you WILL go alone. I will NOT follow. I will NOT be there when you call for help. And I will NOT be there when these things START to TURN or EAT YOU ALIVE!"

 

Soft taps of foot sounded in the ensuing silence, a shadowed figure emerging from the darkness within the broken doors of a nearby apartment.

 

[table=width: 600, class: grid, align: center]

[tr]

[td]

WARNING

:

Possible Disturbing Image Ahead

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]

Arachnamorph

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

 

It's steps clicked in steady beats against the solid material of the pavement, and even though it was shadowed, it was evident that it wasn't human -with how it was crouched and walked with more than four limbs, but as the nearby lamppost began to illuminate it, Ryujii had to clench his jaw as he promptly dropped Kouji to the ground.

 

Tattered clothing clung to her arms and what was visible of her legs, but what made it all the more horrifying was the face that she had. The creature looked exactly like their homeroom teacher, the woman who had greeted Ryujii in the Faculty Office and the very one who had introduced him to his classmates.. to Kouji. And when the upside-down head saw them, it smiled in relief.

 

"Alioth-kun! Kurono-kun!"

It exclaimed in surprised relief, with the same voice that the Alpha had just heard the day before.. that same soft and gentle tone as if she was afraid and worried for them.

"You two shouldn't be out here, there are things attacking the city. It's not safe."

But contrary to her words, she advanced and the gaping mouth and mandibles on top of her head salivated, sharp fangs glistening against the flickering light.

 

"Look at her, Kouji. Are you prepared to face more of your classmates looking like that? She doesn't even know what happened to her.. she still thinks she's human. But that won't last for long. She eats us and all she'll think about is feeding and breeding. She'll kill us, eat some of our limbs and possibly inject our bodies with her eggs. She'll keep us alive, until her babies hatch..then they'll eat us from the inside."

His words had lost their fury, had lost their fire and ice, what remained was a shallow river of sorrow. It was unfortunate, what was happening and what Ryujii needed to do, but it was necessary that Kouji understood what exactly they were facing.. he needed to understand they barely had any chance at survival.. that they didn't need any mistakes.. and even then, their chance of making it was slim to none.

"That kid I brought home? He just saw his mother get killed by one of those Walkers, not even an hour ago, and the first thing you asked him is if he wanted cake...you didn't even think of asking him first if he was okay.. I never really thought you for one to be so thoughtless, Kouji, especially knowing that you have been -somewhat- in this same situation as before, in Lacaille."

 

But then, there were no need for words as their teacher-turned-Arachnamorph came sprinting towards them in a speed that would have rivaled quality sports hovercars. She bounded, with a high-pitched screech and that soft incoherent babbling. Ryujii didn't duck, didn't evade, he stood his ground -knowing that Kouji was behind him while the kid stayed behind the safety of the locked-down house, knowing that he would still protect

his

Omega even if he was mad at him.

 

Both of his hands gripped the pommel of his katana, they curled and tightened while the creature was in mid-leap, before swiftly coming down in a decisive arc that cut through right shoulder to left hip. She fell, in two twitching pieces, a few feet away from Kouji. Blood and bile spilled from cut bones and organs. Her myriad of legs kicked and went into spasms in their last vestiges of life, along with her severed stomach and intestines as if they had a life of their own.

 

"Be.. a good boy.. Kurono-kun.. Don't.. give Alioth-kun a hard.. time.. because of his.. condition.."

Were her last soft and motherly words, reminiscent to what she had said the day prior, before blood spilled from both her mouths and she moved no more. It was ironic, how her human face stayed smiling in that benevolent way that she had did, like the very few times Ryujii had seen her.

 

"Are you prepared for all of this, Kouji? Because I'm not.. but nevertheless, I must.."

Were the Alpha's final soft words before he turned and headed back towards the front porch, knowing that the brunet was following ways behind him.

 

He was glad that the barricade of the front door had closed when the two of them had gone out. The kid must be worried sick inside but that meant that he had been spared of what had transpired. Two traumatic events in less days were quite enough for the child to bear.

 

Same bloodied hand went up, pressed against the dark metal of the adamantium wall before it opened with an inaudible hiss. And the first thing that came was the gasp the kid emitted at the sight of Ryujii's blood-streaked hands, clothes and sword. The Alpha gave him a small shake of his head.

 

"Don't worry, we weren't harmed. Sorry that this is the first thing you get to see the moment you step into this house.. I'm sorry too.. about what happened to your mother.. sorry that I couldn't be there sooner.."

-

that I couldn't save you both

- went unsaid. It was hard to admit the workings of chance as his mistake, but somehow.. somehow, he felt responsible, in that mysterious sort of way.. like if he'd gone out a minute sooner, then there could have been a mother and son with him and Kouji there.

 

The raven knew that thinking that way didn't really help him, that it was destructive.. just like the thought of them eating cake while many of the people inside this devastated city lay starving. The truth of it hurt, made him uneasy, but.. there was just nothing they could do about it. Ryujii didn't like the feeling of such.. universal powerlessness.. didn't like the fact that he would let others starve if it meant keeping Kouji fed.. and perhaps the child with them now too. He didn't like it but he would do it.

 

Maybe an eternity in hell, when he died, was punishment enough to ease his guilty conscience. But for now, he'd be a monster, he'd sell his very soul, to protect these two.. to keep them safe and away from harm.

 

"I hope you're okay with cake as dinner. We have to conserve our supplies, so we'll only have three meals a day, at most since many of the ones I bought weren't really preserved. When we're running low on food, then we'd have no choice but to eat only twice.. or once a day. But I'll try not to let that happen, okay?"

Ryujii gave a small tired smile before his feet took him up the stairs and into the spare bathroom, he'd seen across the hall from Kouji's bedroom. The water-lines were still working so it didn't do them any harm to take as much shower as they wanted.. god knows they wouldn't get much -if any- once it was already non-functioning.

 

And after all that, he didn't think he'd be able to talk to Kouji for a little while.

 

 

 

[AlphaZero]

- - - [10:32 P.M.][Front of the House] - - -

 

At that specific instance of time, Kouji felt one of the most intense and desperate desires to be elsewhere. Anywhere else, it didn't matter.

 

Just gone.

 

A slight sense of nausea, not enough to actually make him feel as if he needed to throw up, but just enough to make him feel off was there as he stared into cold, burning golden eyes, fiery with anger that chilled him to the very bones. The male felt a very shivery feeling run up and down his spine while he was held up by the collar of his shirt; one that he knew he couldn't express because any sudden movement would attract the predator's gaze. Though this predator here was technically his protector at the moment, he felt more like prey towards this man than any of the vile creatures that came rushing towards him with the mere intent of killing just to kill.

 

The words spit utter vexation, entering through of Kouji's ear and sticking inside his brain despite the Omega's inexpressive... everything.

 

As the Omega was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, a very careful stillness overcame his being, mentally and physically. He stayed there on his knees, body shutting down as it couldn't process any type of reaction whatsoever. His ears had faintly heard the soft clicks that drummed swift, steady beats on the hard exterior of the pavement, but had no ounce of care as his face went slack. Blank and emotionless were his hazel eyes as they gazed at the exact same spot a pair of golden eyes were placed earlier. Like a frozen statue, he sat there, paralyzed and frozen to the point where he can hardly be seen breathing. His face went slack, mouth slightly open, body stiff, and the color draining from his face as he stared wide-eyed at something no one else can see.

 

Fear had turned to shock in zero seconds flat.

 

In an unconscious motor movement, Kouji's neck stiffly turned to the side, watching from the corner of his eye in silence as some type of creature stalked towards them, speaking in the same voice of the woman he had once called his teacher.

 

"Alioth-kun! Kurono-kun!" Contrary to its appearance, the same soft and gentle voice lingered and echoed in the Omega's ear, trying to punch through the gates to his conscious but not succeeding as all he could do was be a soul trapped in a doll's body.

 

"You two shouldn't be out here, there are things attacking the city. It's not safe." Not even the slightest hint of fear was shown in Kouji's eyes as it advanced towards them with a killing intent, sporting a gruesome look with its gaping, salivating mouth at the top of her head, her mouth filled with a purple tube of sorts while its sharp fangs were illuminated against the flickering light of the lamp post.

 

"Look at her, Kouji. Are you prepared to face more of your classmates looking like that? She doesn't even know what happened to her.. she still thinks she's human. But that won't last for long. She eats us and all she'll think about is feeding and breeding. She'll kill us, eat some of our limbs and possibly inject our bodies with her eggs. She'll keep us alive, until her babies hatch..then they'll eat us from the inside."

 

His mind caught and torturously treasured every word thrown to him by a sorrowful voice, now void of anger but instead filled with pain and desolation. Kouji's didn't even have the power to short circuit. It just... shut down. The moment he had been forced outside to face reality, was the moment a finger pushed at his off button, signaling a system shut down temporarily.

 

"That kid I brought home? He just saw his mother get killed by one of those Walkers, not even an hour ago, and the first thing you asked him is if he wanted cake...you didn't even think of asking him first if he was okay.. I never really thought you for one to be so thoughtless, Kouji, especially knowing that you have been -somewhat- in this same situation as before, in Lacaille."

 

His palms went clammy as they lay flat at the fabric's surface of the apron that he adorned. With a thundering pulse, his heart pounded and vibrated in his ears, loud and inhibited as they voiced their discontent to his body. In that moment in time, Kouji stiffly shifted his neck, placing his attention on Ryujii's form whilst his eyes ignored the creature that used to be his teacher. However, his mind place its attention in every direction; at the creature, at Ryujii, at the blood, at the destruction, at everything that toyed and twisted his thoughts and emotions completely beyond repair.

 

The brunet did not flinch, did not move an inch as the creature came bounding towards them in a fixed direction, his statue like frame keeping its posture while Ryujii swiftly delivered a singular slash that came down in a decisive arc. It cut neatly through the right shoulder, reaching all the way to the left hip and she fell, bisected into two twitching pieces. The potent smell of blood grazed his nose, and even then, Kouji did not react. The Omega stared blankly as an abundance of rich blood and bile spilled from its body, the severed bones and organs strewn across the ground in a supposed feast. The last remnants of life displayed spasms in its legs, along with its sliced stomach and intestines, curling and flopping while giving the ruse as if they were a separate life from their owner.

 

"Be.. a good boy.. Kurono-kun.. Don't.. give Alioth-kun a hard.. time.. because of his.. condition.." With the mention of his name, Kouji's index finger twitched ever so slightly, the sign of life unnoticeable while Ryujii's next words were engraved in the depths of his consciousness, where they will forever stay to be remembered, to never be forgotten. Tunnel vision's hands forced his head and eyes to stay glued on the blood spilling from two separate mouths, before his vision took permanent pictures of the gruesome scenery, where they will be etched into his memories forever. Another source of his nightmares had been found just then, though not terrifying him in the slightest for realization had no desire to come back to him.

 

"Are you prepared for all of this, Kouji? Because I'm not.. but nevertheless, I must.." His mouth seeped out a sudden sigh as Ryujii's form walked passed by him. He opened his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut. Then with a little more success, he spoke incoherent words, but they came out raspy, and barely audible and completely unheard by the Alpha as even his presence wasn't able to be felt anymore. After long, grueling minutes of staying glued on the spot, staring at the same spot, of wearing the same expression, Kouji stood upright.

 

The simple action caused an enormous amount of strain of his body, and he felt light-headed and disoriented as he walked towards the front door. With his mind beginning to buzz with the remembrance of the scenes prior, the Omega stopped inches in front of the metal frame, staring blankly at one single spot for a couple minutes longer until an audible hiss came from the opening of the metal. Without even realizing it, his hand had grazed the frigid exterior, only to have him stumbling through it moments after to trip over air. His body had no desire to use his natural instincts to protect himself, and he slammed awkwardly on the tiled ground, limbs strewn in different places. Though pain coursed and ran up and down the nerves, no noticeable reaction came from the owner

 

himself.

 

A dirtied, childish face came into the Omega's line of sight, frightened and worried for the motionlessness Kouji exhibited. As if controlled by another higher being, the brunet spoke in a monotonic and almost inaudible voice.

"Go upstairs and have some of the cake. You need food. I'll bring up water for you."

 

The sound of feet moving swiftly with a tiny stride up the staircase reached the Omega's ears, gradually becoming distant as the distance increased.

 

Kouji had never been so sorry in his life.

 

- - - [10:50 P.M.][Living Room] - - -

 

The stairs creaked as he trudged up each board, lumbering slowly, lifting his feet preternaturally slowly and weakening with each tedious step. With each laborious step, he maintained a vice like grip on the railing, with one arm laden with two water bottles, a plastic wrap container, and an extra fork. The Omega dragged himself along the handrail, moving one foot tiredly after another, his emotionless eyes displaying nothing forthright, but also saying so much more in a sense. The short journey grew more difficult and tiresome, the carpeted hallway seeming like miles away as the scenery turned into a mountain of steps. An eternity seemed to await him, and Kouji all but sagged and sighed in relief when the skin of his feet made contact with the coarse feel of the carpet.

 

He trudged along the hallway, swaying ever so slightly the moment a foot stepped over the threshold of his bedroom. Hazel eyes took in the disheveled appearance of the distraught, exhausted young boy trembling as he sobbed silently on Kouji's bed. His glossy eyes shined with unshed tears as he repented internally while realizing the irrationality and thoughtlessness of his actions. In his mind, the first thing would have been to go to the child immediately, but it seemed as if his body had decided that it wasn't the greatest of ideas, because leaving him alone for a bit to grieve seemed to be the better choice.

 

The Omega, who was beginning to become void of alertness, also was person-oriented, time-oriented, and place-oriented, his body now functioning like a robotic under-oiled machine who's motor was about to give.

 

He proceeded to slog over to the bed, wordlessly cover the three slices of cake with the plastic wrap. With a trembling hand, as he was also on the verge of letting his emotions loose to burst like confetti, Kouji picked up the plate before he pushed through the physical and emotional exertion in order to trudge towards his desk. In his other hand were two water bottles, being gripped so tightly that the plastic was bound to rupture if not for the short distance between him and the table. Resisting the urge to slam the items down due to frustration at himself, Kouji placed it down with sacred control, before rummaging through his desk for a sticky note and pen.

 

The teen's messy writing only became messier, because quivering fingers did not allow for elegant writing. The words contradicted his emotions, his mind trying to form a ruse that he was in fact, alright, and that the reality of it all wasn't fazing him in the slightest. The creases of his eyes began to itch with the prickling of his body's water, chin trembling while his eyes became overly-bright. The words began to etch slowly on the parchment and he couldn't help but notice the sniffling and the sound of running water in the guest en suite in the background.

 

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[tr]

[td]

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ There's Food (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]

Baby,

 

Remember to eat, and stay cool and hydrated! I know you've had a rough day, and I'm sorry that you had to experience what you did today. I know it's best to leave you alone to yourself for a bit, but I wanted to remind you that I'm here if you need to just talk. I'm here for you, and even though I seem to be bad at it, I'm also here as your comfort. Though I can't say that I understand how you yourself feel, I'm here to listen. I'd like to think that I know enough to care and love.

 

-huggles-

 

Anyway, you should get some rest, baby. Let us talk again soon!

 

Yours Truly,

-A person.

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

 

And with that, the Omega stuck the sticky note next to the plate, peering at it slightly before swerving his body around to silently address the lamenting child. The boy adorned tear-stained, pale cheeks, and Kouji tentatively sauntered over, slipping into the comforter to seat himself next to the boy. Wordlessly, the Omega gently placed a hand on top of his head, feeling empathetic as he tried his best to comfort in the only ways he can. The quaking sobs decreased slightly from the soft touch, and Kouji took it as a sign that what he was doing was working. He scooted over, whilst slowly pushing the small head down to rest on his lap.

 

He thought it best to not speak at the moment. Plus, if he had, the tears he was holding might have spilled at the first word that escaped his lips. As the brunet hummed soft, random tunes while stroking the child's hair repeatedly, the recent memories that he was trying to forget played at the front of his mind unintentionally, and he remembered how thoughtless and reckless he had been.

 

But...what else could he have done?

 

With a heavy sigh, Kouji peered down at the now motionless child, the lines of care and toil smoothing over and virtually disappearing, the crows feet around his eyes now but a memory. Eyelids closed against the bright luminescent of his bedroom light, and his breathing deep and relaxed. The body quakes from earlier turned to steady breathing movements, all the muscles on his face and body were totally at peace, like a baby in its first throes of slumber. Not a twitch, not a spasm, barely any movement as his chest rose and fell with each intake of air. Such was the depth of his oblivion. Despite just a few minutes prior, this was body totally at peace, at one with itself, rejuvenating the mind and muscles and leaving a day of turmoil.

 

Hazel eyes took in the dirt and grime encrusted on the child's face, but luckily, the sweater had not been damaged. They'd both clean up tomorrow, but for now... rest was a must. Nevertheless, Kouji gently shifted the limp body resting comfortably in his presence, before slipping down the sheets to head to stagger to his bathroom. Various creaks and snaps echoed across the entirety of the room as his aching joints and muscles tried desperately to right themselves in futile.

 

The door creaked as he twisted the knob, revealing a darkened, eerie tiled room. The lines and creases of the brunet's face were stiff, his eyes doleful and wide as he stood there, desiring to be at rest already. While proceeding to head towards the towel rack, Kouji avoided looking at the mirror, for he didn't want to see his own sorrowful state. He stopped mid-step before coming to the slight, weary realization that he was still clad in an apron, and running shoes. The effort to remove them took a toil on his exhausted body, the result of a tiring day combined with the wears of his heart and mind.

 

The Omega laid the items in their respective spaces; the shoes in the corner of the room, and the apron hanging off a rack. The towel rack then had one less towel when a petite hand slipped if off the metal frame, only for squeaks to sound as water cascaded through the sink faucet. He rinsed the thin, white towel in warm water, before twisting the knob the other way so that he could proceed back to the sleeping form.

 

Leaning down, the male began to tenderly wipe off a peaceful face, clothing moving up and down, all around in circular motions and cleansing the soft skin of its grime and temporary scarring factors. Had the child seen the blood encrusted on his face, whether it be the Stigmata's, his mother's, or anyone else's completely, a mental scarring would have likely been a consequences. When satisfied with his work, Kouji placed the defiled towel on the nightstand, shifted the child so that his head laid perfectly on top of the pillow, before perching his hands on top of the comforter to slide it over his body.

 

The eerie silence of the room was comforting, if not lonely as those many nights before. With his mind in a daze, the bloodied towel was forgotten, and Kouji headed back once more towards his desk to carefully pull out a piece of paper between stacks and stacks of books. As he grabbed a nicely sharpened pencil, he slumped down on the leather seating, sighing and leaning his back as the weight lifted itself off his legs. Slender fingers positioned the paper in front of him, before he himself leaned up to begin engraving the words his heart wanted Ryujii to see, if not hear.

 

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[td]

Dear Ryujii,

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]

I know that I can just talk to you right here, but knowing myself, I'd probably stutter and mess up terribly if I tried to get what I'm about to write out. I know you're mad at me. And your reaction wasn't wrong. In fact, it was right of you to act that way. Your anger is justified. And, I know you need some time alone, so... talk to me when you feel like you're okay with me again. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. How I acted was childish, and reckless. And I know that. Our lives are at stake here, and the situation is dire. How my mind works is that, I tend to try to run from reality. The full brunt of it all is catching up to me, and I'm scared. I'm trying so hard to be positive. And my actions proved it to myself. I forced my mind to think that no matter what the situation became, I can still be of some use to you by being your comfort at the end of the day without burdening you even more with my self-pity and depressing thoughts. But I guess, that I'd be less of a burden if didn't waste all our supplies and ask to get myself killed.

 

And about the child that you rescued, I'll be honest, I knew I should have asked him if he was alright. At least. But I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to. The reason why is that to escape reality, my mind forces myself to pretend like my problems or other people's problems didn't exist. In a sense, I wanted to distract him for while from the horrors that he just faced. He's asleep on my bed right now, so you can see. After a while of crying, he fell asleep on my lap.

 

But aside from that, I beg you, please don't take everything and force it on yourself to do deal with. Rely on me. Come to me if you ever need a good cry, if you ever need some comfort, if you ever need a talk, if you ever need anything. I'll do the same for you. I want to help. I want to so badly, but I'm so weak. I can't fight. I can't cook. I can't do much of anything. Speaking of this, I was idiotic when I said that I wanted to go to school alone earlier. I just felt so useless and weak that I... yeah. The thing I wanted to get from school was a picture of you when we were younger. It was... very special to me. I took it everywhere with me and it made me feel better at times when I looked it. I think that that morning, before you arrived at school, I accidentally left it in the restroom when I was looking at it.

 

Even though you don't really remember me, you're still here and I know that you are. You have no idea how... full of life I feel with you back in my life. For the first time in years, I felt alive, and I actually smiled for real because of you. But, I can't part with that picture. I don't want to. If anything, it's my prized treasure. Look at me. So cheesy. But, it's true.

 

To be honest, I don't know what I feel right now. I can't get my emotions straight. I can list out my feelings right here--in fact I'll do that--but it won't do much to get them straightened out.

 

Actually, I can't even do that. I seriously don't know what I feel. I'm a ball of complicated emotions right now. But one thing I do know is that, I really do love you. I love you. What kind of love...? I don't know either. But as long as you're here, I can figure that out in due time. So please...don't go anywhere. I'm really desperate. I'm scared of you disappearing again. And the thought of you hating me... or dying on me...I can't handle it.

 

I remembered what you asked me earlier. You asked me if I was prepared to kill to survive, and if I was prepared to die. I will give you a firm answer right now. And you can ask me again later and I'll still give you the same one. I am prepared to kill to survive. I am prepared to kill anything and anyone if it means protecting you and that child. The only time that I will die is if I died fighting for something that I want to keep safe, and I am even willing to die alone in a ditch for that. I might look like this, but I will not hesitate to kill if it means something to me.

 

I know that you couldn't rescue his mother, but that is not your fault. That is not your fault. There is nothing that he needs to forgive you for. Do you have a mind that can foresee the future? No? Then it's not your fault that you couldn't be there sooner. You can allow yourself to grieve, to mourn, but don't let that be a burden on your shoulders forever. This... All of this, is not your fault. You are only human. You may be a badass, sexy, Alpha male, but you are still only human. You do

not

have the power to control the world and what it chooses to do to us humans.

 

But, you do have the power to try and do your best. If your best isn't good enough, so be it. But you tried. Exhaust your everything on your goals. If it's to survive, then do that. If it's to do your mission, then do that. If you have many, then strive to do all of them. I will be by your side every step of the way.

 

Also, what is your mission anyway? As I said before, I'll help you. We can set goals, and strive for those. Our main goal is to survive, yes. But, what else can we do? We're alive, yes? Then let's live because we're alive and not just try to survive. Talk to me. Discuss things with me. Like the routes we're going to take. Where we're going to go, and what I can do to help.

 

See me as... your partner, or something. I heart you, yo.

 

Okay, I'm gonna get some shut eye now. Tired. I'll be downstairs on the couch. You should get the bed with, pfft, 'our son.' -laughs- That sounded surprisingly nice to say. You had a long day, so the bed will make you feel more relaxed. I think he'll feel safer with you in the room, at least. I don't think he'd want to wake up alone. By the way, we're going to take care of him from now on, right? I didn't ask for his name, because there was no room for speaking earlier. We'll raise him up well, yeah? Be like... parents, or something. I'd be the mother. Pfft. And you'd be the father. Or something.

 

Yeah... you probably feel awkward now. Ah well, night night! I said 'Night, night' in the sticky note too...Meh, twice the... dosage? That did not make sense.

 

Anyway, again, I'm sorry, and see you in the morning.

 

Oh! And another thing! This just came to mind as I was writing this, but what do you think of using Fomalhaut's Weather Center? I'm not experienced with this type of thing, but we can use it to change the weather to winter, right? I think I remember hearing it somewhere that Stigmata are inactive during winter season. We'd have to travel there, and if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, don't. I am not staying back at our safehouse place while you go and risk your life out there. So I'll be going with you.

 

Okay, now get some sleep. Night night! Oh, look, thrice the dosage!

 

Asleep,

Kouji

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[/table]

 

With an exhausted sigh, Kouji pulled his sore arms back to stretch, before leaning forward arranging the contents of the desk neatly. The plate lay with a stick note attached at its side on the snowy colored exterior of the desk, along with the letter placed beneath the water bottles, in absence of a paper weight. The floorboards creaked as the male stood up on unsteady legs with the goal of getting downstairs in one piece. Before he made it passed the threshold of the door however, his voice, soft yet hoarse from strain, whispered a command to the female Virtual Intelligence as a flick of a finger on the light switch turned the room from bright to dark.

 

"Vivian, play some lullabies, please."

 

The affirmative almost scared the Omega into thinking that the child had awoken, and he turned back swiftly, only to be put at ease when he saw a limp, steadying breathing body sleeping his exhaustion away. Kouji turned around, his legs wobbling dangerous due to the continuous strain placed upon them as he walked across the hallway, nodding in contentment at the song choice playing throughout his house.

 

- - -

- - -

 

When passing by the spare bathroom, Kouji contemplated on whether he should say something or not. Within a few moments of hesitation, tentative knocks were placed on the maroon door frame, before a gentle, yet sorrowful sounding voice spoke.

 

"I'll be downstairs. Good night."

 

And with that, Kouji proceeded to head towards the stairway, only to stop midway as something out of the ordinary inside him coaxed him into the storage closet. As if he was pulled into trance, as if he was a robot of sorts, Kouji stepped through the threshold of the door, turning back on heel to shut the door quietly. slowly. The darkened, enclosed room would usually frighten him to no end, but there was no ounce of fear in his bloodstream. The Omega dawdled towards the center, his whole being void of emotions as he sat down with a quick slump.

 

Knees went up from him to place himself in a fetal position, curling up while eyes stared unblinkingly at the door opposite of him. His eyes were dark, and the rings below them even darker; periodically his eyelids would droop downwards, only to have them snap wide open again, feigning alertness. His clothes, while clean and still pristine looked less than impressive; the fabric was creased and the shirt hung loosely off his shoulder. His hair was unkempt and ruffled, resembling a birds-nest more and more as time passed on. He froze up to a point where he was hardly seen breathing, but when shock began to melt away, everything returned slowly.

 

Strung tightly were his senses, much like a rubber band pulled to its breaking point. So much that he could even feel the strain in his head. Kouji took a deep, shuddering breath, trying desperately to push away thoughts and memories in futile. His breath caught in his throat as he tried not to retch at the sight. He wanted to look away, needed to tear his eyes away, but he could not. Even if he could, they would play heedlessly against the front of his eyes, no matter where he went, no matter what he did.

 

Then, unmistakable gagging sounds filled the entirety of the room, before the air turned rancid, and a corner of the closet was drenched in a pool of undigested, stomach fluid.

---

For the 'Sticky Note' portion of the reply, try and replace 'Baby' with 'Honey' in your head, as it has a double meaning, if that makes sense.

[707]

Warm water came down in an unending pour, their hiss powerful and echoing in the emptiness that was the pristine bathroom. Shower doors stood wide open, water messily slapping out for them to dangerously accumulate in glistening puddles beyond. Thick white tendrils of steam followed, curling and curving as they licked the tiles of the floor and walls, only to slither higher to give everything else a lick too. Precipitation clung onto most of the bathroom's surface; along the curves of the porcelain bathtub, beneath the sink, among the rows of extra bottles of shampoo and shower gels, and against the surface of the mirror.

 

The once chilly atmosphere, the room had previously exhibited, now gone and replaced by a consuming warmth that irritated rather than calmed.

 

Flushed skin stood open at the relentless onslaught of water droplets that came like bullets; broke their flight to absorb the heat and cleanse every crevice and pore off of both seen and unseen filth. Miniscule rivers cascaded down a marred back, muscles apparent even against the red, black and white of the scar that marred it. The blemish stood prominent, from one shoulder to another and extending down all the way to that small dip where back met ass. It looked not unlike a shaggy and long-tailed bird, with wings wide open and talons at the ready -but it was nothing more than an outline. Beneath lay muscles that had been healed, along with permanently damaged skin pigments, where nerves had become a bit more sensitive than anywhere else.. but touch, on that area, only brought back nightmares.. memories of a childhood long forgotten.

 

Strong hands lay stretched, rain of warm water unable to get to them, as palms rested against a slick tiled wall. Raven locks lay in wet clumps and strands, shadowing closed lids and equally wet lashes. Golden eyes lay within the void of darkness, reds, blues and whites no longer present in the immediate vicinity even though they appeared as conronas at the edges of the Alphas's vision. But within that darkness, the events of earlier came rushing back -in broken fragments and severed strings of words and conversations. One image kept repeating its appearance though: Kouji's indifferent face.

 

Slack skin, with barely any muscle twitch.. but within those hazel eyes.. Ryujii had seen terror, despair, apology, agony, longing, and so, so much more oxymoronical emotions.

 

People say that they eyes are the window to the soul.. and if a soul is the entire being, the entire who and what a person is, then perhaps Ryujii had taken a peek to what made Kouji Kouji. He can't say that he liked what he saw, but then again, he can't also say that he disliked it since he barely read any of what he had seen, much less understand them. He saw the emotions -perhaps even shared some of them- but that didn't mean that he already had a full grasp on how the brunet's mind worked. It was much more complex than that, the Alpha knew.

 

On Ryujii's part.. well.. he felt a bit guilty, knowing that he could have gone a little less violent and a lot more understanding and considering with how he had reprimanded his childhood friend.. but that had been the thing; if he had done that then he wouldn't have been certain if Kouji would have taken him seriously. Most of the times, a firm hand was more respected rather than a gentle voice. Besides, it looks like the Omega had been spoiled -a bit- in that last eight years. Ryujii.. didn't really blame Kouji's mom for doing that, especially after their not-so-subtle brush with death in Lacaille.. but the consequences of that spoiling was now showing.

 

How Kouji took many things for granted was one thing, his inability to express himself in trying situations was another.

 

Those would have to be rectified, but in ways that weren't as.. extreme as what he had just made them go through, a few minutes prior. Could be something a lot more productive too. It didn't have to be immediate either.. just some nudges here and there. But for the time being, Ryujii would keep his silence a little longer.

 

He knew that the Omega will probably be thinking and perhaps re-evaluating the reasons as to why the Alpha did what he did, and that would be a good thing, especially in the long run where they'd be in constant fear for their lives. Ryujii needed Kouji to understand his reasons, he needed him to understand why he did such a thing so that in the future, they'd be able to prevent such life-threatening situation again. It had been easier this time, since they were nowhere near any of the places where Stigmata population were a lot denser.. if that had been the case.. their body parts would have probably been amongst those on the road.

 

So if they were gonna be together in this whole ordeal, then they both needed to figure out what set the other off. Talking about it would probably help.. and Ryujii will probably have that talk with Kouji soon.. but seeing it, figuring it out, and understanding it were a lot more efficient in making them both recognize how the other handled their emotions. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest way to do it, considering their more than precarious situation, but it had been done and there was little complaining about it could do.

 

For that night though, Ryujii would keep his distance, would work on fixing his probes so that they'd have eyes around the city.

 

So with that in mind, he turned off the shower and began drying himself with the everpresent white and fluffy towel.

 

He did wonder though, how the child was doing while he scrubbed excess water from his hair. He had seemed shocked and.. overwhelmed most of the night. Ryujii didn't blame him.. all these things happening within just the span of a day.. it was too fast for anyone to calmly comprehend. He might need to talk to him about his mother's passing again, just to reassure the kid that he -and Kouji- was there should he need any consoling.

 

Although it had been a major gamble, Ryujii was glad that he had decided to help the boy, was glad he had taken him home.. even though at that time, a lot of possibilities could have made everything all the more horrifying. Like, if the boy had been a host for a Stigmata Parasite.. then Vivian wouldn't have let him in.. and the raven would have chosen to 'end his unknown suffering' right then. Sour bile crawled up on his tongue at the mere thought of doing something like that to someone so young.. he doubted that he would have been able to do it, should it have been the case.

 

The Alpha shook his head then, wrapping the towel around his hips before exiting the bathroom and heading towards the spare bedroom; where he'd put his things away before getting a shower. Thinking about things that

could have

happened didn't really benefit anyone.. just made them more nervous about non-existing events.. much like how fear worked. But nevertheless, the experience made him cautious when it came to future people they were going to save: only those clear of infestation were welcome.. those who weren't.. well.. there were no vaccines or antidotes or cures for Stigmata mutation.. and, in the end, there was no point in wasting precious energy and resource for those who were just a lost cause.

 

Kindness was all and good but in their current predicament, it had its own place.. and that was not above the safety of Kouji and the kid -who, now that Ryujii thought about it, he haven't got the name of just yet.

 

But with regards of them finding.. and possibly, looking.. for survivors, then they needed to prioritize profession and numbers. They didn't need having a lot of people tagging along. Numbers always compromised survivability, especially when many of those didn't or couldn't contribute. Ryujii would rather it be the three of them, but he knew that he wasn't that knowledgeable when it came to Formalhaut's weather system.. so they'd either find themselves a scientist, someone as equally competent, or a manual. The latter was easier and if the net was still working then he'd be able to take his hand on that in a few minutes.. and if not then.. there was always the city library.. which was actually, only twelve or so blocks away from Kouji's house. The Alpha had seen it a few hours ago.

 

What they would need firstly then would be a Doctor.. or a nurse, someone who knew what to do during medical emergencies. Such a stressful time would prove a challenge to their immune systems.. along with what they would eat and possible hygene. Many games had been developed to test people for their survival knowledge and skill, but many -if not all- of those games failed to consider that sicknesses and illness are still very much present during those times. A minor cut, especially poorly treated ones can immediately become infected, could cause severe fever that would undoubtedly debilitate anyone. Allergies too, along with rashes, coughs, colds, and so, so much more. So a Doctor or a nurse was paramount in them surviving, since Ryujii doubted that a book would give them enough experience on

properly

treating the above-mentioned problems.

 

Anyone else, the raven couldn't think of. Perhaps they only needed a medical professional. It would be fine too, wouldn't be much of a problem since their number wouldn't be that big, would easily go from place to place too. The only problem would be the actual looking for them part. The Alpha had no idea where to start.

 

But as he gazed at the black bags on the green bed; rumpled and streaked with dried red, an idea illuminated him.

 

So without even getting clothed, one hand went to grab one, only for the other to pull the zipper open as the contents went bouncing down on the soft mattress; two pocket-sized holographic projectors, a nano-liquid multitool, a few connector cables, five spare visors -with the same functions as the ones he had, a few dozen of his minibeetles -miniature beetle-like robots programmed to disable any security locks, and about twenty of his hoverscopes -one inch in diameter hover cameras.

 

He took a seat on the edge of the bed, bright sheets rustling against the cotton fabric of his towel, as a calloused hand went to grab for one of the projectors.

 

Two hundred years ago, it would have looked boring with it's simple chrome for paint and a small circular screen on the middle flashing blue. It was no more than the size of a hand-held phone and many people would have sneered at it in a glance. But now, it was an everyday necessity when it came to techies like Ryujii.

 

He gave the button a push before carelessly dropping it on the tiled floor.

 

There, it bounced once before its four corners parted and extended ten feet away from the circular center and connected to it by thin retractable wires. The plates on the parted edges folded back, revealing smaller circular screens that glowed equally blue. They pulsed as one before exploding in bright cyan light particles as a holographic dome stretched from floor to ceiling and illuminating the room where light had been dimmed, moments prior it's activation.

 

Ryujii then took one of his hoverscopes, in between thumb and forefinger, before pressing on it lightly. It vibrated, glowed red against the defined seams of the platinum plates that covered what lay within, and when the raven let go, it stayed afloat.

 

The holographic dome didn't stay idle, it rippled as it recreated half of the Alpha's likeness within, in a detailed yet clay-like recreation. He frowned and the -bigger- holographic him frowned back within the noticeable lines that created the half-globe of the blue dome. A hand was lifted, holographic panel immediately zooming before it as dexterous fingers went to correct the projector's settings. For a few seconds, Ryujii just sat there, typing and tweaking while his likeness buzzed and pixelated like a TV with bad signal. But then it snapped and everything went smooth and it was as if the recreated Ryujii had a life of its own and was actually there, looming over the Alpha. The detail was exquisite, from the complexity of the raven's skin down to the microscopic hairs on his arms -it was all there.

 

He smiled, flicked the settings pad away before the manual controls pad came zooming to replace it. It too was flicked away, and the automatic controls came soon after.

 

Most of Ryujii's gadgets contained a Virtual Intelligence within, much like Vivian but less expanded and multipurpose -especially when it came to his hoverscopes. The VI they contained was more directed in locating and observing and acted more like a hive-mind where the single consciousness resided within his holographic projector. For now, though, he only needed to use one since he wasn't certain if it would even return after being sent out into the city. Better lose one than all, the Alpha had always thought when it came to his toys.

 

That said, the automatic controls were there to give the Virtual Intelligence control of every active hoverscope. Once pressed, it would immediately send them out in a wide area search. But that was the thing, they were more in general places rather than the

possible

ones, which what had made Ryujii hesitant to use them all at once. They did have inbuilt cloaking systems but it still never hurt to be overly cautious since there was no replacing these items once they were all gone. But he did have the entire night and the small hoverscope was swift and quiet enough that by morning, most of the city -along with alleyways and inside buildings- would have been mapped-out already. They had time too, so there was no point in expending so much in one test-run.

 

And with that, Ryujii authenticated the VI to take over and the lone hoverscope immediately went zooming out of the room, through that small gap where floor did not meet door. The holographic dome showed everything the tiny gadget saw, recorded them, and after that night -if it was successful- then they'd have an entire map of the entire city -along with places where Stigmata were the most dense in population- as well as places where survivors resided. And, most importantly, places where they could get supplies.

 

Now that that was all done, it came now as a mental question as to what to do next.

 

Perhaps he should go and check on Kouji and the kid but.. he really had no idea what to say -or do- once he was already face to face with them. But nevertheless, he grabbed the other bag, opened it and took out a few of his more comfortable of clothing: one gray baggy cotton pants and a black tank top. He would save wearing underwear once they were already outside besides, the looseness of the pants was enough to hide any evidence of the more than generously endowed dick that lay beneath.

 

So with that, the raven stood and removed the now long dried towel, carelessly letting it drape over one corner of the bed before donning on the clothes he had taken out.

 

"Vivian, is the internet still running?"

Came the smooth voice after that lengthy silence, the words sounded and tasted like water; it held no flavor, it sounded hollow. It was true.. in a way, since the Alpha really had no idea what he felt, especially considering the myriad of emotions that clashed and rumbled beneath his persona.

 

But then a negative answer was given in that female melodious voice and Ryujii sighed. It seemed they would be going to the library then. Easier said than done. They had no idea what lay in store for them in there.. at least, not yet anyways. Hopefully by morning, his hoverscope would have covered every floor and room the public building had and perhaps the books stored therein as well.

 

So all he needed to do now was to check on those two. Kouji, Ryujii recalled, had informed him -while he was showering- that he'd be spending the night downstairs.. perhaps in the couch. It made the Alpha sigh once more with just how clueless the brunet could be.

 

Sleeping with the kid would have been better since the boy would need someone there to wake up to in the morning, to show that he wasn't alone. Such blatant stupidity irritated Ryujii, made his temper flare once more but he resisted succumbing to it again. It wouldn't do them good if he let his hot-headedness affect even the smallest of things -although such matters were anything but small.

 

He shook his head, dry raven locks fluttering at the motion, as he headed outside of the spare room -giving his holographic dome one last look- before heading towards the one adjacent to it.

 

The boy was.. asleep, curled up and covered by that warm comforter, face peaceful despite the teartracks and dirt and grime that covered it. Another irritated sigh came as Ryujii headed towards Kouji's closet and all but yanked the towel drawers open in abject annoyance. He took out a small towel, then went to the ensuite bathroom to wet it with warm water.

 

He knew that Kouji was.. going through many things and the Alpha could understand that, but it was still no excuse to just leave the child to sleep as if he were some beggar they were providing temporary shelter. The bottles of water was good though, but the slices of cake wrapped in foil paper was unnecessary since they would just eat it in the morning.. yet another example of wastefulness.. another evidence of Kouji taking things for granted.

 

Ryuii still didn't blame him though. He was in Lacaille the night of the first breach, yes, but that didn't mean that he had been conditioned for survival while growing up the last eight years.. unlike how Ryujii had been. So he really couldn't fault the Omega for doing what he did, especially when it was done out of good will. But it was still wasteful, so he'd at least try and talk to Kouji about it the next day. For now though, he had to clean the boy and perhaps get some decent sleep.

 

So with towel amply wet and warm, he headed back into the room, pulled the edges of the comforter down a bit before the raven began wiping the kid's slumbering face with gentle strokes. The filth that marred pale skin went off slowly, in-by-inch, until every blemish was gone and soft and tender skin was once more present for the world to see. Ryujii sighed for a third time, this one more exhausted than the rest.

 

Such unfortunate souls, the three of them were. Forced to survive in such a desperate situation and not an ounce of confidence that they will make it out alive. The Alpha could barely keep it all together -his emotions included, so how would a boy, as powerless as this, could sleep so soundly as if he hadn't a care in the world? Innocence was such a wonderful thing, wasn't it? So precious and beautiful.. until it was broken and one wouldn't be able to go back anymore.

 

Another sigh, another shake of a raven head as Kouji's computer chair creaked when Ryujii deposited himself on it, golden eyes staring tiredly at the steady water within plastic bottles before taking stock of the sticky note pressed against the plate.

 

The Alpha had no energy left to read it but he nonetheless did, leaning forward and placing both arms on the table before letting his cheek rest atop them as he blearily gazed upon the writings.

 

He had no idea for whom that note was, could be for the boy or could be for Ryujii, but the raven couldn't really muster enough enthusiasm to care.. what with the sudden fatigue that came over him. The day had been trying enough, both physically and emotionally and even mentally.. and all he wanted now was to sleep.. and maybe, when he woke up.. everything would have just been a bad dream.

 

He scoffed as golden eyes closed shut. Such wistful thinking.. but it never did hurt to dream.

[AlphaZero]

- - - [5:18 A.M.][Kouji's bedroom] - - -

 

Kouji sat up with a start.

 

His breath was ragged and uneven, chest heaving and face drenched in sweat as he tried to catch his bearings for where he was. He expeditiously glanced around him, noticing that the room he was in was blanketed in a an almost pure darkness. The room was familiar to him, and just the sight of his belongings and the familiar trinkets around the room help to ground him into reality.

 

A dream. It had only been a dream.

 

Kouji doesn't relax regardless, his stomach twisting itself in an all too familiar, curling way. He presses a hand tightly against his lips, quickly throwing off the sheets that cover him as he rushed out of the bed, running down the stairs and out onto the front yard that gave a terrifying view of destruction in hopes of gaining some fresh air. As he stood, he tried to gain better control over his own breathing, fighting a battle with his stomach in hopes of resisting the ever growing urge to vomit.

 

The sickness is new. Kouji's woken up from the same dream time and time before, each time scaring him just as much as the first. But it was only today that he'd woken up feeling -- or even being -- physically unwell. If he's completely honest with himself he finds the new change worrisome, especially as he was afraid it might get worse for the next days to come. Kouji still didn’t have the faintest idea of what could have possibly triggered the physical symptoms. The dream however, was too frequent that he knew that the source of it was Ryujii, his fear for his childhood hood friend's life, and his memories from Lacille.

 

Despite the fact that Ryujii was already here in his life, it didn't seem to make a difference because he even feared that the Alpha would be gone when he woke up one day.

 

He's too busy taking long, deep breathes and looking out at the view before him to hear the light footsteps that followed after him. It's only until he hears the figure speak that he realized he wasn't alone.

 

"Kouji?"

 

At the sound of his name Kouji took in another breath, before slowly turning to face who had spoken. He's met with his Alpha standing a few feet away from him, a tired yet still concerned expression present upon his face, along with a certain child's small hand in his grip as said child rubbed his own dreary eyes with a petite hand. Guiltily, he gave them both half a smile, realizing in an instant that they had probably woken up not long after he had, considering the fact that he exploded out of their bedroom like a maniac.

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake the both of you," he replied, his voice close to a whisper. From the looks of it, Ryujii seemed to consider him for a moment, staring wordlessly for a few before moving forward and taking the child he saved along with him in hand, so that they were all standing close before one another.

 

"Did you have a nightmare?" Ryujii asked, his voice indicating that he payed no heed to his apologies. Kouji's shoulders slumped as he released a long breath, giving a nod of his head.

 

"It's always the same one over and over again. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but every time it’s just like the first."

 

The realization was too slow to come, but the Omega had realized it nonetheless. He averted his eyes from Ryujii's gaze, nervous yet staring blankly and without emotion on a bloodied patch of grass, the owner of that blood strangely gone.

 

"Wait... aren't you still mad at me? Also, I'm sorry, we shouldn't be out here. That was because I ran out... But I'm not afraid."

 

And then, as he felt a hint of happiness rise within him, he broke into a breathtaking smile of exultation before swiftly lifting his gaze, "Because you're here!"

 

Darkness suddenly surrounded him, stretching out and touching each and every corner of his vision, blinding him completely. Accompanying the darkness there is silence, the two meeting one another in a way that makes Kouji’s skin begin to crawl and his spine tingle uncomfortably. His beautiful, beatific expression was valued by no one, for there was no one there to even see it.

 

Suddenly the sound of a menacing, shrilled laughter filled his ears, echoing all around him. He wanted to search for that voice, but felt trapped and unable to move, unable to sense any feeling for either of his arms and legs. As his fear and anxiousness grew so does the sound of the laughter; almost as if it is taunting him, mocking him.

 

If it weren’t for his growing panic building up Kouji would have been able to hear the sound of the laughing voice beginning to speak, would have been able to at least have something to try and piece against figuring out whom the isolated sound belonged to. Instead his breathing became rapid, heart beating faster and faster within the space where his chest must have been.

 

The darkness slowly begins to morph instead into a dark, misty purple fog; and Kouji narrowed his eyes as he tried to find a way in which to escape. Yet there is nothing, the space still as lonely around him as the darkness had been, even as it continues to grow lighter and lighter.

 

He darted his eyes around him all the same, looking back and forth a few times, before eventually letting his gaze fall downwards. It is then that he sees it -- a sign of something different from the nothingness surrounding him. There was a projectile that flew past by his unblinking eyes from somewhere close to him, it’s movement reminiscent to that of a speeding bolt of lightning, albeit a bit slower. Kouji’s eyes grew wide as he glanced in the direction of where the object had traveled, hoping that he’d be able to uncover some sort of answer…

 

The fog began to clear itself completely, and the echoing laughter filled his mind again, yet this time it became more solid, more real. His surroundings suddenly became familiar, and the fact that he was alone seemed extremely terrifying. He blinked rapidly, attempting to clear the remainder of the haze that still clouded his thoughts. Fear corrupted every hint of positive emotions, and finding that he can now move, his eyes swiftly searched around the entirety of his bedroom.

 

When he met the place that required inspection, Kouji squinted, and took a deep breath as he dawdled closer to the bed. A few dark red spots of blood dotted the previously pristine duvet, and despite the fear accumulating each second, a pale hand reached down to physically inspect it.

 

"You haven't been a good boy at all, have you, Kurono-kun?"

 

His eyes fell unto the bloodied, severed arm he had seen previously lying there motionless on the bed, and his body suddenly froze as an ice cold fear gripped him.

 

The laughter, closer than ever this time, rang from behind him.

 

"I told you not to give Alioth-kun a hard time, didn't I?"

 

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

 

- - -The Night Prior- - -

 

Kouji reached for Ryujii's sleeping form, his pure black hair beckoning to be stroked affectionately, only to stop mid-air as he decided against the action. An agonized expression masked itself on the male's delicate facial features, and suddenly there was an aura of grey surrounding the Omega. It was a mist that wouldn't rise, that was always being pushed back and hidden no matter what the situation; a state of depression that he couldn't see himself through.

 

A bed would be more comfortable, baby.

 

The words lingered in his mind, wanting to be said, but forgotten as his eyes took in the beautiful, yet fatigued form of the Alpha. The brunet felt a terrible weight on his shoulders as he stared at broad shoulders absentmindedly, admiring it for it's perfection, yet feeling an extreme pain for the burden they carried; it was as if a giant boulder was laid on him and he wasn't able to straighten up or catch his breath entirely. The edges of his eyes prickled and stung from the water desiring to be released, and Kouji should have been crying, but was too numb to even think of doing so.

 

At the moment, the male looked like death and possibly smelled like it, yet he didn't care. His knees gravitated to the floor, and he automatically placed his head on the Alpha's lap, reveling in the firmness of his thighs, and the softness of his clothing. The bleak expression diminished ever so slightly as he leaned into the body and familiarizing himself with it, a blissful and relaxed expression replacing it. He left his own hands dangling lifelessly to the ground below, cold and wet from washing the towel of his stomach's filth after he had depleted every energy source he had scrubbing and scrubbing until his whole body ached beyond comprehension.

 

The storage closet was now as clean as it was before, thanks to his handiwork. Albeit, it might have the rancid smell that would diminish soon enough. That feeling; he had felt that warm putrid feeling rising up in his throat, an acidy, bitter taste spreading throughout his mouth, then a tingling and almost burning sensation left in the throat and mouth after a chocking feeling when he felt sick a few moments prior.

 

The male still felt queasy; it was apparent in his pale, sick face--paler than normal, actually. Beads of sweat still formed on the Omega's forehead, and his disheveled appearance did not do him any justice either. Whilst staring at the steady up and down movements Ryujii's chest made, Kouji blanketed his eyes with his lids, allowing for a field of darkness to be within his sight as he pressed closer to the warm body. He let in a wave of reassurance wash over as he let's it sink in that Ryujii was here, well, and alive.

 

The presence of another resting person behind him also strangely reassured the Omega, and it was in that moment that he felt such stupidity for deciding to sleep downstairs for the night. Furrowing his brows at his own frustration at himself, Kouji began to wonder why he had decided that in the first place. In actuality, he knew that it was best if he had stayed with the child, to at least let him know that he wasn't alone. But...the overwhelming nervousness and fear didn't allow for it, and it was all because he was scared of facing Ryujii. In a sense, he had tried to make that a ruse, telling himself that it was because Ryujii probably wouldn't want to see him that night, let alone be in the same bed as him and so it was best to leave.

 

Self-pity was the excessive, self-absorbed unhappiness over his own troubles, and he knew that feeling all too well.

 

Internally scoffing at himself, Kouji allowed for the hands of slumber to pull him away once more, eyes disappearing under the pleasant blanket that was his eyelids, and too exhausted to care about the strangeness the position revealed as his head laid comfortably on Ryujii's thigh.

 

This was even better than sleeping on his own bed at night, but that was when he slept alone.

 

- - -[5:31 A.M.][Kouji's bedroom] - - -

 

Flickering eyelids rose to the frightful reality, before heterochromatic eyes became slits in the midst of an awakening. A blurry image of the aquamarine ceiling presented the young child with clear flying worms that clouded his vision while the dry crusts at the edges of his eyes tickled. An agonized whimper came forth and was sent to the heavens to hear. Even with the large amount of sleep the boy had gotten, exhaustion's dangerous hands refused to release him from their grasps. Creaks of the bed and ruffling of the sheets and comforters broke the silence of his bedroom as he twisted and turned in attempt to make the horrifying memories go away, to make the image of his mom come back but...without her death.

 

Snowy strands of hair tangled and curled in odd ways, his pale cheeks ticklish and becoming stained from the uncontrollable tears that were now rolling down his cheeks at a fast pace. A petite hand weakly pulled against the soft warmth, becoming successful when an onyx comforter covered everything besides the chin and up and he curled up into a fetal position beneath it. Meek whimpers came out instead of body racking sobs as he did his best to stifle the noises.

 

The jet-black comforter immediately flew off his body right then and there, the need to know that he wasn't alone in this scary world growing humongous in a matter of seconds. Despite the boy's young age, he had no denial for the fact that his mom was gone, and thus, felt an even stronger need to find someone, anyone, to care for him, to be there, to make all the bad things go away even for just a moment. Widened, glossy eyes glowed in despair as a small body slipped off of the bed.

 

Relief was immediate when he saw the pair from yesterday that had saved him, both physically, and even emotionally. His tears flowed even harder out of happiness at the sleeping forms, and the boy's short strides demonstrated his haste towards the males, the floorboards creaking slightly under the weight.

 

"No... No." The boy stopped his actions momentarily, tears slowly stopping their fervent escaping as curiosity and caution took over. Whilst plodding carefully as to not arouse them awake, the boy stood in front of the forms, a stained face leaning down towards the form on the ground with his head on the larger man's lap, and allowing his glossy eyes to stare in childish curiosity at the pale, sweaty male with tears leaking down between his lower and upper eyelids.

 

"No! Please! That's... You're lying! Get away from me!"

 

His breath hitched at the loud whispers, and while being worried yet scared, the child demonstrated it as he placed his hand on the half naked male shaking it ever so slight, because his knowledge told him that it was best to leave the one having nightmares alone and gently wake the other one instead.

 

A blood-curdling scream then pierced the once quiet room, and the child could only dodge to the side as that man quickly stood upright before sprinting, his arms and legs moving in deranged motions. His legs had looked dangerously unsteadily, and terrified eyes watched as he disappeared from view and out the door.

 

"Vivian! Open-open-OPEN the front door!"

 

- - -[5:40 A.M.][Front of the House] - - -

 

The morning air coursed through his lungs and dried his already parched throat with each ragged breath. The violent thumps in his chest vibrated in his ears, and Kouji was terrified out of his wits, fear being the only thing that defined him at the moment while his mind could not comprehend or think of anything other than that thing. The distance between him and his destination grew less and less, the world passing by in blurs as he paid no heed to anything besides that.

 

The blood pounding in the brunet's ears clogged at his brain, and he launched his body onto the ground in front of the gruesome pile, inspecting it on all fours while his deranged eyes took pictures in trepidation.

 

His ears could not catch the faint, soft footsteps that drummed slow, steady beats on the hard exterior of the pavement from all around him, as the loud beats of his heart and shallow breathing drowned everything out.

[707]

Drip.. Drip... Drip....

 

Soft, almost silent, footsteps descended against the tiled floor, accompanied by sharp bouts of inhaled breaths as the creak of a door opening went unheard even with the desolation the building was subject to. Glowing golden eyes pierced the dark that converged within the blanket of the coming night, sharp orbs scanning the room it had been presented to.

 

Tall shelves lined the entire space from wall to wall, leaving only small gaps in between enough for a person or two to fit. Scattered papers, documents, notes and receipts alike, lay scattered along the once white-washed floor. Broken shards of glass littered a nearby purchasing counter, streaks of blood smeared against the top and around the space of where customers might have been during the time of the Breach. A lone desk sat against one corner, chair gone missing and with only a shredded lab coat to indicate how it had once been used. Metallic drawers lay scattered along the spaced aisles of the shelves, their contents spilled everywhere in slick combination of pungent liquids. A severed arm lay clutched against the miniscule gap between two tiles, fingers bloodied with three nails missing.

 

Booted feet walked past, tensing for the briefest moment when the thought of that hand twitching to life and making a grab for an ankle came to fore. It didn't but it was hatefully kicked away nonetheless, the appendage flying through the air with streaks of red before slamming against the far wall, to be hidden behind a shelf. Paranoia kept the man rooted on the spot, eyes making sure that the lifeless limb didn't come crawling back even though crimson visors would alert him should there be any movement.

 

Horror movies had never really been Ryujii's favorite genre. He could handle it just fine, but the real danger of such situations just rubbed him the wrong way. To many people, it might have been funny, might have been an enjoyable adrenaline rush, but he doubted that they would be feeling those should they have been in the shoes of the very ones they were watching. He didn't like horror, was the thing. There were already far too many things that people

should

be terrified about without the addition of those spooky nonesense that imbeciles enjoyed to portray.

 

Blank lips lifted in a morbid grin. Well.. he doubted they were enjoying the horror that was now their real life. 'Serves them right' a part of him couldn't help but think in bitter hate.

 

He shook his head, groaning slightly at the dizziness that followed the action whilst dark drops of liquid went scattering from the tips of his hair. Another groan as warm blood spilled down his temple, only to curve along an eyebrow to trickle down a scratched cheek. It dripped against his jaw, along a sweaty neck, only to seep against a sweat-soaked shirt.

 

The small groan of metal against metal briefly interrupted the silence as a drawer was opened. Medical swabs lay within and Ryujii took no time in grabbing them before unceremoniously ripping the plastic covering open with a silent pop. A bottle of rubbing alcohol lay mercifully within one of the nearby open cabinets and the raven was thankful enough that it hadn't been taken before grabbing it and dousing the swabs with it.

 

Then gentle fingers began wiping the caked blood on the Alpha's face away, leading to a small gash on the side of that raven head. The alcohol stung much worse than the press of the swab itself but Ryujii kept at it until he was sure that the wound was clean enough before the hilt of his sword went in between his teeth as his working arm took out a medical cream that would instantly harden the moment it was applied on a wound. It was a better substitute to minor stitches where the cream even aided in the healing itself.

 

Two fingers dipped into the small flat canister, minty aroma immediately wafting as the cream was applied. It solidified, not a second later and Ryujii instantaneously felt better in the knowledge that he wasn't losing anymore blood than what was already spilled. The cream was sealed back in once more, deposited within the confines of that leather coat before right arm went to grip a dislocated left shoulder. A sharp inhale before it was lifted and forcibly slammed back in place with a small inaudible pop, the groan of pain that came along went muffled against the wood that kept the raven's mouth silent. A shaky sigh came after before the creaks of a slowly rotating shoulder came, followed by a satisfied inhale..

 

..only to be interrupted by an ear-splitting screech that rattled the very marrow of the Alpha's bones.

 

The orange and reds of dusk was now apparent along the horizon as Ryujii shifted his gaze outside the small open windows along the lobby hall. A tired sigh came, before hands went back to covering sensitive ears, as another shriek followed the first.

 

It seemed the

creature

was getting tired of their game of hide and seek. A small smirk lifted the raven's lips. Darkness had always been his ally, and even in this one, it didn't fail him for the creature could not see within it's blanket.

 

But then, all smugness went away as a dark silhouette came rushing towards those very windows golden eyes had been trained on.

 

it crashed, sending chunks of the broken wall and shattered glasses flying everywhere and Ryujii only had time to duck beside one of the massive shelves before a tail came swinging and leveled half the entire floor in a frustrated bout of animalistic rage. Bits and pieces of sharp and dangerous debris showered in a rain of single-minded destruction, buffeting the crouched Alpha but fortunately only leaving minor scratches in their wake. A third shrill scream erupted, breaking every surviving glass within the vicinity and making the raven's ears bleed even with the heels of his palms pressed tightly against them, and even after it was over, the ringing continued to deafen him.

 

That massive bout of vocal expulsion momentarily stunned him, made Ryujii sway uncontrollably until he was on all fours on the grimy floor, with a blurry vision and a splitting headache. It was only through the years of mindless training that his body moved on its own to evade the spiked-tail that impaled the area he had been seconds prior.

 

He grit his teeth, eyes narrowing in annoyance as that dangerous tail lifted in a rain of dust and pebbles, knuckles turning white against the hilt of his sword as he turned to once again face his pursuer. But this time, no more mistakes.

 

Then Ryujii leapt and the creature emitted another scream.

 

- - - [13 Hours Prior] - - -

 

Many people, when they were afraid, tended to express it by.. well.. acting afraid, especially on the particular subject that their fear was rooted on. Many would run; of those people, majority would hide. But when it came to being afraid

for

someone, people tended to be clingy, generally feeling more worry than the actual fear. There were those though, that handled fear through anger.

 

Ryujii was one of them.

 

He wasn't that affectionate to begin with and was more crass in dealing with others than not, adding to that his hot-headedness, it shouldn't be a surprise for anyone that he acted the way he did with Kouji bolting out of the house

just because

of a nightmare.

 

He knew, he really knew that the other could be impulsive, but he also knew that that impulsiveness could be a dangerous one in the situation that they were in.

 

So he'd gone bolting after him, had grabbed his arm and all but threw him back into the house before the Omega could even take enough air to clear his head.. before swiftly delivering a painful slap against a flushed cheek.

 

The sound of skin

slapping

skin echoed and rebounded against the once again secure house, made the silence ominous as Ryujii glared, lifted another hand to give another slap on the other cheek.

 

If it were any other, he wouldn't have stopped, would have advanced and gave them a beating until they were a bloody and broken pile on the floor. But this was Kouji, so he resisted the impulse to

beat

some sense into him even though the act of such forebearance made his clenched fists tremble in his fury.

 

He wanted to protect Kouji.. wanted to keep him alive at all costs.. wanted for them to survive this nightmare they were in, but the raven couldn't do that if the brunet kept up his stupidity and constantly got himself in potentially deadly situations. It was the thing that infuriated Ryujii; him trying to protect someone who had no sense of caution. It made his blood boil and his mouth run.

 

"GET A GRIP, YOU MORON! YOU NEED SOME AIR BECAUSE OF A LITTLE NIGHTMARE!? GUESS WHAT!? THERE'S A SPARE ROOM FOR YOU TO GET IT!"

Came the infuriated shouting as the Alpha advanced on the Omega, kicking every furniture aside that was on his way before finally grabbing Kouji's collar and hauling him up to stand on his toes until they were face to face.

"You wanna die so badly, you little shit, then do it on your own. Don't go taking other people with you."

He whispered, voice filled with so much venom even a snake would have been poisoned with it.

 

Then a piercing shriek came, the sound grating even muffled against the sound insulators of the house, before a massive slam reverberated the metallic barricade of the front door, which was then followed by the blare of the warning signal from Ryujii's holographic projector.

 

He grit his teeth, fingers un-clenching against the fabric of Kouji's shirt before carelessly letting the other drop as the Alpha all but ran towards the spare bedroom, just as another slam shook the walls of the livingroom. Golden eyes widened at the perfect replica of the event that was currently unfolding within the now ruined porch.

 

The creature was massive, with sharp bones for a beak, back lined with spikes and a tail meant for impaling, long with its distinctive wings -since very few of the Stigmata actually had the capability of flight. And no matter how robust the barricade and architecture of the house was, it wouldn't last if that creature suddenly decided to take a flying dive against it. That was also one of the problems that presented itself as another piercing shriek vibrated the very air, made the projector buzz in momentary static. Compared to the Walkers and Arachnamorph, that functioned more on instinct rather than cognizant intelligence, this one was a bit more tricky with it's curious and intelligent mind.

 

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]

[tr]

[td]

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]

Banshee

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td][table=width: 475, class: grid, align: center]

[tr]

[td]

Height:

15 feet

to

20 feet

[/td]

[td]

Length[beak to Tail]:

27 feet

to

35 feet

[/td]

[td]

Length[Wing to Wing]:

40 feet

to

60 feet

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

It wouldn't attack for no particular reason, wouldn't spend energy on wasteful struggle.. which meant that the reason -its motive- was Kouji.. It had seen the Omega.

 

A palm went to slap the Alpha's own forehead, realization blooming when he remembered reading before that Banshees have twice the strength of a hawk's vision. It must have been flying on a different area before it spotted Kouji running out from his little den, like a hawk with a mouse.

 

Another slam and the few dust that fell from the ceiling were the ones that solidified Ryujii's decision.

 

He briskly walked to the bathroom, slamming the door open and promptly stripping off his clothes before hastily -but meticulously- putting on the ones he'd used the night prior. Thankfully, they were already dry from the dampness that had accumulated on them because of his shower that past evening. He'd cleaned his katana as well, although it hardly needed any since he'd sanitized it just after he'd saved the boy. His visor, though, was always with him -either covering his eyes or atop raven locks- so there was no need to fret with that. It also needed no charging -like his other gadgets- since it worked through solar energy.

 

By the time he was done changing, his anger had already abated -somewhat- and his projector showed that the Banshee had stopped its incessant screams and pounding in favor of circling the house and poking every barred window with the talons of its wings or its sharp beak. It wouldn't leave, that much Ryujii was certain, knowing that a prey lay hidden within a nest.

 

So for it to go away -and keep it from destroying the house- Ryujii was gonna give the creature exactly what it wanted; a prey.

 

"Vivian, recognize Developer Command."

Were his words as he jumped and pulled the ladder that led to the attic. It slid easily down to the floor, with barely a metallic clatter against itself.

 

"Developer Command recognized."

Came the melodic response as Ryujii began climbing the thin ladder, with not even a glance to Kouji or the obviously terrified boy.

 

"Revoke Kouji's Command Privilege with Lock-down settings. But re-invoke it should I fail to return within 24 hours."

 

"Command recognized. Access to house lock-down now only accessible to Developer."

 

"I have your mess to clean up."

The Alpha stated pointedly to Kouji, behind his shoulder, just as he reached the dark floor of the attic.

"If I don't come back in any time today or tomorrow, then it means I'm already dead."

And with that the ladder was pulled and the square hole -where it was normally situated in- was locked so that the impulsive Omega couldn't follow even if he wanted to.

 

And then Ryujii was alone.

 

He had never really noticed before, but Kouji's attic was surprisingly sparse of useless materials and knick-knacks, besides an old crate and a dusty chest. The air in the room surprisingly wasn't musty or stale -like some attics the Alpha had been to before- but it smelled more of aged books and perhaps that subtle scent of pine.

 

The raven just stood there, settling his chaotic nerves into a semblance of order, knowing that if he wanted to survive then he'd have to be focused enough to not let the necessary fear overpower and make him panic. The silence and darkness of the room helped, somewhat, but his heart still went in that seemingly palpitated state. He wasn't bothered by it, the quick beats just aided in spreading his adrenaline faster.

 

He took a deep breath, settled crimson visors over golden eyes as one hand went to grip his sheathed katana.

 

Against the odds that Ryujii was faced, many people would consider just staying put and wait things out until the creature eventually grew tired or left, and eventhough that was a doable option, it also wasn't the smartest one. Banshee's were one of two things; persistent and loud. Both were quite annoying on its own but together they made a deadly combination especially when most -if not all- Stigmata responded to noise. So if the creature kept being persistent and loud and they did nothing, there would at least be about more than a dozen other Stigmata crowding their safehouse within the next few hours.

 

Adamantium barricades and reinforcements were tough, but it too had limits as to how much abuse it could take. The Banshee was formidable enough itself, but add other Stigmatas to the equation -not to mention the species that were a lot bigger than that winged screeching bullhorn- then there wouldn't be any question as to what would break first.

 

The solution that Ryujii had come up with was a simple one, but still potentially deadly nonetheless, and even though he wasn't planning on dying because of one overgrown chicken, the fact remained that he could very well do. It wasn't what made him afraid though, rather, it was more on the fact that if he did die, then Kouji and the kid would have a lesser chance of surviving on their own. But that possibility gave him focus too, made his mind sharper and alert in preventing himself from getting taken out.

 

He headed to the barricaded window then, pressed his palm against it and took in a lung-full of chilly air as it opened before silently stepping out onto the tiled roof.. only to come face to face with the crimson eyes of the Banshee.

 

A soft '

tch

' was mumbled before lithe legs flexed, the Alpha jumping over that ugly face and onto a spined back, hands immediately going to cover exposed ears before a piercing scream came. Ryujii kept moving though, running the length of that waving tail and using it as an elevated ledge for him to push off to, to reach the fire-escape of the nearby building.

 

Climbing the stairs two at a time, the raven didn't look back.. didn't need to with how that annoying wail was now following him, accompanied by the soft drums of beating wings.

 

It was bright, especially with the sun just rising right where Ryujii was headed to but he kept his eyes open -no matter how much the light stung- so that he could gauge the distances of spaces between buildings, especially since he needed to jump them so that he could keep his lead from the Stigmata that pursued him.. even though in the end, it would inevitably catch up with him. But for the timebeing, he ran and jumped from roof to roof, boots slamming against dewy concrete in a swift and constant rhythm.

 

And when the sun had fully risen along the horizon, the Banshee's shadow loomed and passed the running teen, only for the creature itself to dive onto the next roof, in a landing that was more careless than graceful and sending bits and pieces of broken cement and metal in a dusty shower.

 

And although the sight was imposing, Ryujii did not stop, kept his feet pounding before taking a massive leap to impale and drag his unsheathed blade against the creature's hunched back up to the edge of a taloned wing, dark blood spurting in a virulent rain of tainted liquid. The katana was pulled free from the clutches of severed muscles through momentum, sending the Alpha below the Banshee's furred chest. Time was not wasted as sharp blade went through crimson flesh, between two ribs, to puncture a lung, making the creature let out a screech that made the raven's ears bleed and discombobulated him for a few seconds.

 

A few seconds that was enough for a spiked tail to slam against a shoulder and send Ryujii flying off the occupied roof and into the shut wooden window of a fourth floor apartment. A bedroom zoomed past his vision, then an open door before it went black as the tall teen smashed against a hallway wall, only for the limp body to topple down tall polished stairs to crumple in an unconscious heap on the tiled floor below.

 

- - - [Present][06:40 P.M.][small Pharmacy/Apartment Building] - - -

 

It was fortunate that Ryujii had ended up in a family pharmacy, eight or so blocks away from Kouji's house, along with the fact that he'd only suffered a dislocated shoulder at the most with the massive hit that he had received. He had also been lucky that the Banshee had not seen where he had been thrown off to, else he'd been eaten before he even woke up. Another lucky stroke was that there had been no other Stigmata occupying the building, or the fact that none of them have gathered just yet -most curiously in that case.

 

But all of that were far from Ryujii's mind as he deftly ducked under a pecking beak, only for the sharp length of his blade to pass along a curved throat, splitting the skin open and spilling a torrent of warm blood along the length of his right shoulder, down to the arm that gripped the hilt of his sword. And as he continued to skid in between the Banshee's legs, the Alpha could feel the slick and slimy liquid soaking his black undershirt, making the skin beneath itch with the foreign substance.

 

The creature gurgled as it tried to do another of its annoying screams, dark blood pouring out its mouth to join the crimson that stained the floor. Booted feet skidded to a halt beneath the junction of body and tail, the raven flipping and jumping with momentum as two hands went to grip the hilt of katana before it was brought down in a smooth line that briefly rang as blade seamlessly cut through flesh and bone.

 

Another desperate gurgle was emitted as the now tail-less Banshee lurched forward, only for its talons to slip against the creature's own blood and send itself sliding against the floor, to decisively slam against the far-off counter head-first. And in the time that all of that happened, Ryujii had followed, feet tapping wetly before another jump and a spin as bloodied blade passed the width of a thick crimson neck, severing the creature's life once and for all.

 

The Alpha landed on his side on a still twitching wing, breathing coming in gasping pants as his body's numerous aches began to present themselves. They all throbbed in bruised complaint.. stinging the surface -and even under- of his sweaty and blood-smeared skin.

 

The elation that came to killing one annoying foe was still there though and the grin that came along with it was present as well, stretching cut lips and presenting gleaming pearly whites. But with the death of one, came also the realization that there were still many that awaited them; more ferocious and dangerous in their own way. It also meant that with all the noise that his little battle made, it would only be a few minutes before the place was swarmed with Walkers. If they hadn't been present for the last 13 hours of daylight then they would surely be during the start of night.

 

So with a groan, Ryujii stood on legs shaky with spent energy. And not for the first time, as he walked, he was glad that the sheath of his sword was fashioned to be a cane.. that way, on his trek back, he'd have something to lean on since even the slightest bit of walking produced prominent pains that made every part of him scream in protest.

 

He managed though, taking the back alleys instead of the roofs in lieu of his current condition. The main road would have been faster but it proved just how perilous it was not a few minutes outside later, when Walkers began to appear in swarms as if on a single-minded march towards the building he had just left.

 

If it not for the dizziness and general fatigue, Ryujii would have been intrigued with the odd way that the usually dull creatures moved but for the moment, he spent his time leaning his back against grimy walls and gasping for breath and just trying to keep himself from collapsing then and there with the sheer exhaustion that that chained his limbs in lead and made his vision blurry. He did persevere and by the time he stepped on Kouji's ruined front porch, the moon was already aglow high in the night sky.

 

A bloodied hand pressed against the dented metal and the raven all but stumbled inside once it hissed open; sweat and blood both trickling down his clammy skin and then before he knew it, his knees crumbled and he fell to the floor in an unconscious heap.