ヒカリ の シイド
Hikari no Shiido
T H E S E E D O F L I G H T
Breakfast was a tense affair that morning.
“Fujin-kun,” said Mizu coldly, glaring at Kanji, “Please pass the syrup.”
“Okay!” replied Fujin happily, not picking up on how tense the others were.
“Excuse me, Kotoba-san, please pass me the pitcher of water,” requested Kanji calmly.
Aisu put on a terrible false smile, and said sweetly through her teeth, “Of course, Tasogare-san.” She picked up the pitcher, walked over to Kanji, and dumped the ice-cold water on his head. “There’s your water.”
Kanji gritted his teeth, then muttered something. He instantly dried off. “Thank you, Kotoba-san.”
“Kotoba-san, that wasn’t nice,” admonished Fujin, taking a bite of his rice.
“Well, he wanted the water!” protested Aisu. “He… just didn’t specify where he wanted it!”
“I’m done eating,” announced Kanji. “Please excuse me. Fujin, may I please talk to you in the foyer?”
“But, oniisama, I haven’t finished eat-“
“Fujin,” repeated Kanji.
“Fine…”
“Oh, no you don’t!” interrupted Mizu. “Fujin-kun stays right here where we can see him!”
“This is my home. You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do,” answered Kanji coldly, taking Fujin’s hand and leaving the room.
“I dunno about you, but I’m following them,” said Aisu.
“Me too!” agreed Mizu.
“I’ll go, too. I don’t want the hag to mess this up,” agreed Kogasu.
“Stop calling me that! I’ll have you know that I’m only twenty-one!”
“Then you’re a really, really, really old-“
“You guys, stop arguing, we need to follow them!” interrupted Mizu.
The trio quietly followed Kanji and Fujin into the foyer.
* * *
“Kanji, stop!” called Aisu.
So much for sneaking up on them, thought Mizu.
Kanji was leading Fujin by the wrist. On Fujin’s wrist was a strange bracelet.
“Fujin, now,” whispered Kanji.
“No, I won’t!” protested Fujin.
Kanji pushed Fujin away from him angrily. He held out his arm, and a silver sword appeared in his hand. His eyes glinted dangerously. Aisu raised her arms and tried to freeze Kanji, but he deflected the beam of white light with his sword. The beam hit the wall harmlessly.
Kanji pulled the sword back, then thrust it through Fujin’s heart. Mizu gasped, Aisu stared, and Kogasu covered his eyes, opening his fingers to see what was going on. Kanji pulled the sword out of Fujin. Fujin’s eyes glazed over, and he slumped to the ground. Kanji brought the sword to his lips, licking off every last drop of blood. The bracelet on Fujin’s wrist glowed briefly, and the wound healed.
“How could you stab your own brother?” whispered Mizu, gagging.
Aisu moved to run up the stairs, but an invisible force stopped her from moving. “Wh-what’s going on?! I can’t move!”
Mizu willed her body to move, as did Kogasu. “I can’t either!” they both said.
“Kanji, Fujin-kun, what’s going on?” asked Mizu.
Kanji smiled a chilling smile as Fujin got up. “Tell them, Fujin.”
Fujin looked at Mizu, Kogasu, and Aisu sadly. “I’m sorry, guys… I really am…”
Kanji rolled his eyes. “Quit apologizing. Lift them up.”
Fujin raised his hands, and tendrils of blue light lifted Mizu and the others into the air. “Oniisama, do I really have to?” asked Fujin.
Kanji grinned chillingly. “Wait a second. I wish to tell them what the blood bond is.”
“The blood bond? What’s that?” asked Aisu.
“It gives me complete control over Fujin’s actions. The bracelet on his wrist allows me to speak with him, as well as extend the time I have control over him.”
“You monster!” cried Aisu, struggling against the tendrils of light. “You have no right to control him!”
“Fujin, get rid of them now. I tire of their presence,” sighed Kanji.
A tear rolled down Fujin’s cheek. “Oniisama, please don’t make me…”
Kanji merely stared in front of himself, as if he hadn’t heard Fujin’s plea.
Another tear rolled down Fujin’s cheek. He waved his arm, and the tendrils of light engulfed Mizu and the others, leaving no trace of them behind.
Fujin sank to the floor, sobbing. Kanji kicked him. “Shut up!” Fujin stopped sobbing, but tears still streamed down his face. Kanji kicked him again. “I told you to get rid of them, not teleport them somewhere!”
“I put them somewhere where they couldn’t find us again!” protested Fujin.
Kanji kicked Fujin a third time. “I didn’t say you could speak!”
“They were my friends,” whimpered Fujin.
“Fujin, we aren’t like them! We’re Lightmages! Once they find out, do you really think they’ll still want to be your friend? All humans want is for everyone to be the same, and not have anyone different from them!”
“But, oniisama, these humans are different!”
“There are no different humans!” shouted Kanji, stomping on Fujin’s ribcage. Fujin cried out in pain. “You’re my little brother. I love you.” Kanji kicked Fujin. “I don’t want anything to happen to you!” Kanji stomped on Fujin again. “You’re-“ Kick. “So-“ Stomp. “Stupid!” A single tear rolled down Kanji’s cheek as he kicked Fujin again, realizing that Fujin had slipped into unconsciousness. He scooped Fujin into his arms silently and gently put Fujin into his bed, sliding the closet door closed.
* * *
Mizu awoke in a large, grassy plain. She looked around, disoriented. Near her were Aisu and Kogasu. “Hey, guys, wake up!” She shook them awake.
Kogasu looked around, seeing nothing but grass in all directions. “Are we dead?” he asked. Aisu hit him on the head. “Ow! What was that for, you ugly old hag?!”
“It hurt?” asked Aisu, a bemused smile on her face, “Good. Then, you’re not dead.”
“Why me?” demanded Kogasu, “You could’ve hit Mizu-chan instead!”
“Because you were the one being stupid, not Kakera-chan.” Kogasu opened his mouth to speak, but Aisu interrupted him. “I’m not going to argue with you right now. We need to find our way back and get Fujin away from Kanji.”
“Well, where are we? We could be on another world, for all we know!” Mizu pointed out.
“Well, let’s calm down and look at our surroundings. What’s around us?” replied Aisu.
“Grass, grass, and more grass,” answered Kogasu.
“You know, I think I might’ve packed a compass in here…,” said Mizu, rummaging through her backpack.
“A great idea!” answered Aisu. “I’m glad I thought of it!”
Mizu rolled her eyes as she searched through her pack.
“A compass would help, that is, if we knew which direction the house was,” pointed out Kogasu.
“I think it was in the East… I looked out my window earlier, and that’s where the sun was rising from,” replied Mizu.
“The East, of course! I’m glad I noticed!” exclaimed Aisu.
“Uh… Mizu-chan, is she always like this?” whispered Kogasu as Aisu kept complementing herself.
“Yup. You should see her during class.”
“So she really is a crazy, ugly old hag!”
“I guess so.”
“I’m the best- hey, I heard that, stupid boy! And I’ve told you, I’m only twenty-one!” interrupted Aisu.
“And I’ve told you, twenty-one is old!” replied Kogasu.
Mizu sighed. Her hand closed around a small object. She pulled it out of her backpack. It was the satchel that was usually hanging from Fujin’s waist. “Hey, guys, look at this!” Mizu interrupted, holding up the satchel, “It’s the stuff that Fujin-kun made the portal thing out of! Maybe we can make it work!”
“I’m not so sure I want to go back yet,” commented Kogasu nervously. “I mean, Fujin-kun is the Hikari no Shiido, right? Well, if Kanji could do that to Fujin-kun so easily, then think of what he could do to us!”
“Y’know, I’m not so sure that Fujin is the Hikari no Shiido,” Mizu remarked. “The portal thing is all watery, and the light he uses is blue. If he’s the Hikari no Shiido, then why does his magic always seem to have a water edge to it?”
“You have a point, Kakera-chan. I don’t know what’s going on, but we should try to get that stuff to work,” agreed Aisu.
Mizu nodded and pulled out a fistful of the blue powder. The fistful immediately turned purple in her hand. Is it supposed to do that? She thought. She cast the handful of powder into the air, where it twisted into a purple circle. The circle filled with purple-colored light. Mizu jumped through the portal. Aisu grabbed Kogasu and threw him into the portal, then followed. The portal closed, and a slight gust of wind rippled throughout the field.