Fan Fiction ❯ Scions of Shinwa ❯ Sensations of Frailty ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: kaseiyl 
VIOLENCE WARNING
Fighting
MATURE LANGUAGE WARNING
Foul Language and Insults
Verbal Fighting
Her trip to the mall has proven
to be very interesting as she
has run across some brothers
who also have that strange
disorder. Before she could
understand the situation, Reno
steps between her and the boys.
What was going to happen now?
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.30.2006 | Updated On: 06.30.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 129 | Status: Work In Progress
VIOLENCE WARNING
Fighting
MATURE LANGUAGE WARNING
Foul Language and Insults
Verbal Fighting
Her trip to the mall has proven
to be very interesting as she
has run across some brothers
who also have that strange
disorder. Before she could
understand the situation, Reno
steps between her and the boys.
What was going to happen now?
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.30.2006 | Updated On: 06.30.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 129 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Four
Sensations of Frailty
---
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg Mall
Sunday, August 11, 1996
1:03 PM
---
Before Jennie could really understand the situation, Reno had placed himself between her and the two boys. His eyes were dark as he peered down at the strangers with a scowl.
“Who are these rejects?” Reno asked, peering over his shoulder for a moment toward Jennie, “did you do something to them?”
Jennie shook her head while wide-eyed then peered back down to the blue-haired boys. She had no idea what she had done if anything.
“Wait,” Reno mumbled as he stepped closer to the kneeling two, “do I know you two?”
“I am Reiyl Hikage,” the oldest said, standing up fully, “I don’t think we’ve met before, but you should know who I am.”
Leaping upward, the youngest boy began to repeatedly jump up and down while waving his arms around wildly. “I’m Kasei!”
“This is my younger brother,” Reiyl said, motioning toward the spastic child.
“What’s his deal?” Reno questioned with a raised eyebrow. His attention was on Kasei who was still bounding around. “Is he special?”
“He’s just a child,” Reiyl said as he peered toward his brother with a frustrated sighed, “he can be overzealous at times.”
“We’ve come all the way from Nekomura!” Kasei shouted abruptly, “it was a long, long trip! And we had to walk a lot. Made my legs really, really tired.”
With a sigh Reiyl nodded. “It has been a long, tiring trip.”
“Nekomura,” Reno repeated.
“Yes, the cat village,” Reiyl replied, “you’ve heard of it, yes?”
Cat village?
Stepping around Reno for a moment and peering toward Reiyl, Jennie found herself staring face-to-face with the younger brother. His eyes were wide with wonderment and his mouth was curled into a mischievous smirk.
“You’re pretty kawaii,” Kasei announced clearly as he leaned forward with his hands propped behind his head, “you got yourself a kareshi?”
“What?” Jennie asked dumbfound, not knowing what the boy was saying.
“Cute,” Kasei laughed, “I asked if you have a boyfriend.”
Jennie took a step back at the boy’s words as she looked to Reno who didn’t seem to be paying attention at the moment. He seemed more interested in Reiyl.
“No,” she muttered.
“Do you like younger guys?” he questioned, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“No,” she announced quickly.
“I’m only four years younger,” Kasei replied hastily, “it’s not that bad. Plus I’m really, really cute!”
Poking the sides of his cheeks with his index fingers, he grinned and gave Jennie a playful face. He started reaching out for her when Jennie escaped behind Reno and slipped to the other side of the green-haired boy.
“What the fuck?!” Reno abruptly questioned as he noticed Jennie’s sudden movement and Kasei’s chasing.
Before Jennie or Reno could react, the young boy launched himself at Jennie just as his arms wrapped around her. Kasei went face-first between Jennie’s breasts as he hugged her unrelentingly.
Jennie’s eyes widened in horror as did Reno’s. She stood perfectly still while Reno clenched his fists.
“Get the fuck off her!” Reno shouted as he lashed out, grabbing the boy by the shoulder and ripping him off Jennie.
Just as Kasei was freed from the startled Jennie, she noticed that Reiyl, who stood behind Reno, had a look of wrath in his eyes. Before she could say anything, Kasei was tossed to the ground.
“Touch my brother again and you won’t live long enough to touch another soul!” Reiyl snarled.
"Is that a threat?" Reno shouted.
"It is," Reiyl growled as Jennie watched the two faced each other.
"It would be a waste of my time to mess around with you," Reno said as he grabbed a hold of Jennie's shoulder and turned his attention to her, "and YOU should've stayed with the rest of us instead of disappearing like that. How the hell am I supposed to look after you if you don't stay close?"
The sensation of his hand being knocked off her shoulder startled Jennie as she turned to find Reno sailing into the nearby wall and Reiyl with his leg stretched straight out to the side of his body. Her mouth dropped open in shock as Reiyl dropped his foot to the ground.
“You kicked him?!” she shouted in horror.
“It’s okay,” Reno said abruptly.
Turning on her heels to peer where Reno had landed, she watched him stand. His eyes were focused on Reiyl and held a burning air to them. He lurched toward the blue-haired boy while cracking his knuckles roughly.
“You just fucked with the wrong person,” Reno coldly stated, “I am the youngest son to Hiro Caspian!”
“I could care less about who you are!” Reiyl yelled in return, “no one treats my little brother like that! And you shouldn’t treat the girl so viciously.”
In a simple gesture, Reiyl thrust out a hand and pointed at Jennie. “You should have more respect for yourself and for those around you!”
“Jesus Christ!” Reno growled, “you can shove that sentimental shit right up your ass!”
“This isn’t going good,” Jennie mumbled as she backed up a bit.
Out of the corner of her eyes she could see people crowding around. It was obvious that when a fight was about to break out that people would gather. Human nature.
“Sugoi!” Kasei shouted with a thrust of a fist into the air, “I love watching Niisan fight!”
Turning his interest to Jennie, Kasei smirked. “He’s the best fighter in our village! Is Reno any good?”
“No clue,” Jennie said absently as she blinked, “I just met the guy yesterday.”
“Really?” Kasei questioned with shock.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, “his dad is my foster father.”
"Foster father?" Kasei asked as he abruptly became quiet, "you mean your parents are dead?"
"Yeah, they died yesterday afternoon," Jennie whispered, wondering why she was speaking so easily to the strange kid.
"My parents died a long time ago," Kasei said as he looked at her with soft eyes, "I was raised by my grandmother. Duck!"
"What?" Jennie asked as Kasei grabbed a hold of the back of her head and pushed her to the ground as Reno flew past them, smashing into the prize counter inside the arcade.
"This is going to take forever," Kasei said, watching as Reno stood up from the broken glass.
“What is going on?!” Jennie shouted from where she knelt on the ground, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between Reiyl and Reno as she quickly noticed she was in the middle of them. Feeling her heart quicken, she scooted back in order to escape the fight.
“Hurry up and move, bitch!” Reno yelled curtly.
Bending down for a moment, Reno picked up a fallen prize, a stuffed animal. His gaze was on it for a moment just before he gave it a quick toss toward Reiyl. When Reiyl brought his hands up to catch the animal, Reno launched another attack.
“You’ve fucked with me long enough,” Reno grumbled as he slammed his shoulder into Reiyl’s chest, knocking Reiyl onto his back.
Breathing heavily while wiping his hand across his face, Reno let out a heavy sigh and looked to Jennie who was staring at him with disbelief. Blood ran from the small nicks he received from the broken glass.
“Stay there,” Reno said, pointing at her, “don’t move.”
“Why?” Jennie mouthed out, but feared moving in the first place.
"Damn," Reiyl muttered seconds later as he flipped effortlessly onto his feet.
Jennie watched in awe as Reno headed straight up to the blue-haired boy. Without any warning Reno drove his right hand into Reiyl’s abdomen, causing Reiyl to lurch forward with his head down. It didn’t take long for Reno to connect his elbow into the back of Reiyl’s head, flooring the boy instantly.
Reno drew back his foot and lashed out, connecting into Reiyl's body and sending the boy rolling. Reiyl's body crashed into a coin changer as tokens and quarters exploded from the machine, scattering about the floor. He rested for a moment as one of his hands abruptly clenched up tightly.
Pushing himself up slightly, Reiyl bit his lower lip as a low hiss was forming in the back of his throat. He got to his feet, smoothing out his clothing and brushing the bits of chipped paint from the coin changer that had gotten onto his hair.
Reiyl lowered his body into a fighting stance as his eyes were fastened onto the charging Reno. An onslaught of attacks were thrown at Reiyl as the blue-haired boy began to dodge each with artful grace. His eyes widened at the sight of an opening in Reno's attacks.
Drawing up his right leg into a daring kick to Reno’s left knee, Reiyl focused all his energy into his attack. “Learn some manners!”
Letting out a cry of pain, Reno dropped to his knees then fell forward as Reiyl released another kick to the side of Reno's head, sending Reno into various games. The green-haired boy just slumped onto the ground motionlessly.
Without breathing too harshly over the fight, Reiyl stepped toward Jennie and leaned down to where she sat watching. He smiled slightly as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth down to his chin.
"It's okay," he whispered, holding a hand out to her.
Shaking her head back and forth in refusal, Jennie drew her hands to her chest and looked past the boy to the fallen Reno. Worry overwhelmed her while she heard a harsh cough above her.
Peering upward to Reiyl, she witnessed his eyes turn dark as he stumbled backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body fell, losing consciousness.
"Niisan!" Kasei exclaimed, rushing to his older brother.
Eyes widened in shock as Jennie looked to Reno was still motionless on the ground. That was the first time she had ever seen such a display of hostility between two persons. Hands touched her shoulder, helping her to her feet.
That was so freaking fast! Wow!
Her body trembled as she gazed to the person who helped her up and found Janiston eyeing her with concern. His eyes were filled with distress. Just behind him was Idyll.
“I have no idea what happened,” she said, “but it was so fast.”
Scanning the area that was totally destroyed, Jennie felt her heart quicken again as she stepped back into Janiston’s body. “They broke a lot.”
"It's okay," Janiston said, wrapping his arms around her protectively, "Reno's dad will take care of this."
"What?" she asked with doubt, "Hiro can do that?"
"Hiro can do a lot of things," Janiston said.
"One more thing," Jennie whispered, sighing, "will this happen often?" She looked to Reiyl who was getting to his feet while leaning against Kasei.
"The fighting?" he asked as Jennie nodded, "with Reno around you can count on it."
"I'm not done with you yet!" a shout echoed from the arcade as everyone turned to find Reno getting to his feet. In a mere second he lunged toward Reiyl.
"No!" Kasei shouted, twisting his brother out of the way. Reno rammed into Kasei as the two fell to the ground. "Sleep!"
Jennie watched as the smaller boy pressed his index and middle finger to Reno's neck as Reno's body went limp. "What happened?" she asked.
"The infamous Sleeping Rat attack," Kasei said, pushing Reno off him.
"You put Reno to sleep?" Idyll asked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Hmm, I may need to learn that one.”
Idyll’s gaze turned to away from the group as his eyes widened. “Oh shit!"
Following his stare, Jennie cringed at the sight of mall security guards. The two men were heading toward their direction.
“What now?” she asked, looking up to Janiston.
“No worries,” Janiston said, heading toward the guards. He stopped for a moment turned back to look at Idyll. “Take her home.”
“Right,” Idyll said as he placed a hand on Jennie’s shoulder.
“And those two,” Janiston said, pointing to Reiyl and Kasei, “I’ll handle this.”
“Alright,” Idyll replied, “and Reno?”
“Leave him for me,” Janiston said with a smile.
“You heard the man,” Idyll stated as he gave Jennie a large grin.
“Stop touching me,” Jennie growled, flicking Idyll’s hand off her shoulder.
---
Hedgesville, West Virginia
Caspian Residence
Sunday, August 11, 1996
2:22 PM
---
Upon entering the house, Jennie stood quietly near the stairs as she stared at the carpeted flooring. I don’t get it. Why did we take these guys home with us?
“You okay?”
A face entered her line of vision as Kasei gazed up at her with childish humor. What’s wrong with this kid? He’s creeping me out.
"Yeah," Jennie mumbled.
Pushing past the boy, she headed up the stairs slowly and moved to her bedroom door. She hesitated for a moment then pushed it open.
Inside the room were various boxes sitting on the floor. Stepping up to one of the boxes, she knelt down and opened it to find her belongs inside. “How did these get here?”
"Dad and I got them for you."
Craning her head to the side, Jennie found Quade standing in the doorway with his back leaning against the doorframe. As usual he appeared to be rather genial as well as a bit corporeal with his manner of dress.
"Oh, thanks," Jennie said as her voice became listless.
"I could give you hand," he stated, strolling into her room.
Quade stooped down beside her, peering inside the box she had opened. The contents were clearly novels of fantasy and science fiction as well as a few Japanese comics. “So you collect books?”
“Yep,” Jennie replied.
“You should stop by my shop then,” Quade said casually, “I own a bookstore.”
“Really?” Jennie asked as she looked to Quade with curious, interested eyes, “what kind?”
“I have a little bit of everything,” Quade chuckled, “but I mostly deal in rare finds.”
“Neat,” Jennie replied with a smile.
Standing up with an armful of books, Quade headed toward the empty bookcase that sat in the far right corner of the room. He began to place the novels on the shelves while Jennie continued to fumble through the boxes.
"What's this?" Quade asked unexpectedly as she turned to face him.
"What?" she asked.
"This picture," he said, holding up a photograph, "it fell from one of your books."
"Oh," Jennie said, taking the picture and looking at it. Her eyes focused on a young looking boy who appeared to be beaming proudly over a guitar he was holding. His hair was a medium shade of blue while a streak of red was in his front fringe.
"It’s my real dad."
"Your dad?" Quade asked, peering at her with uncertainty, “he looks pretty young in that photo.”
"He’s my age in the picture," Jennie stated.
"What’s up with the blue hair?" Quade questioned.
“Mom and Dad said he was into the punk look,” she said, tossing the photo into one of the boxes, “dying his hair blue, wearing stupid clothes, painting a gay-ass star on his cheek, wearing multiple earrings, being a retard.”
“He’s a loser,” she announced, closing the box up that contained the picture, “he ran off before I was born, so I could care less if he’s alive or rotting in ditch somewhere.”
"Do you know his name?" he asked.
"Uh," Jennie mumbled, looking up for a moment as if in deep thought, "Mom and Dad always called him Cori-something."
With the bookcase nearly full of graphic novels, fictions, and some old journals she had been writing over the past few years, the two worked together in placing her other belongings away. When the last item in the final box was placed on the desk that sat against the wall beside the bookcase, Quade turned and looked at her with an alluring smile.
“Well?” he questioned, motioning for her to look at her room.
“Looks good,” she said, returning his smile with a simple one.
“Good,” he replied, “then I’ll get rid of the boxes. And you should go downstairs and get some dinner.”
"Alright," she said with a nod.
Walking out the door of the bedroom, Quade left with the door still open. Jennie sat quietly on her bed as she stared at the floor until something caught her attention from out of the corner of her eyes. Turning her gaze to her doorway, she found Kasei staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"This is your room?" he asked, peering inside, "I get the room next to you."
"You're staying here?" Jennie questioned as Kasei nodded. He began walking slowly around her room, eyeing everything.
"What's this?" he questioned, picking up a book that sat on Jennie's desk.
“My journal!” she screamed, leaping at him abruptly. Her body lunged at him forcefully as she barely got her hands on the tome when her face slammed abrasively into his chest. The two were sent flailing to the ground.
The sound of Kasei’s head hitting the edge of Jennie’s desk caught alarmed Jennie as she found herself on top of the boy. Pushing herself up, she peered down at his tanned face and noticed he had been knocked unconscious.
“Sorry,” she muttered, standing up swiftly.
"Hello?" she called out, "Kasei...uh, passed out in my bedroom!"
"What?" Appearing at the top of the stairs, Reiyl looked at Jennie with alarm.
"Your little brother," Jennie said, looking over her shoulder, "he was going to read my journal..."
As she spoke the journal was abruptly ripped from her grasp. Turning on her heels, she found Kasei grinning with the book in his hands. It didn’t take long for her to acknowledge what he did before he was dashing toward her window.
“Bye!” he shouted, pushing the window up and leaping out.
"Wait!" Jennie screamed, rushing to the window to find Kasei landing on the ground with effortlessness. Her eyes watched him disappear out of sight. "What the hell!?"
"I'll get it back," Reiyl said.
"No, it's okay," Jennie whispered, looking to the ground, "It's not like there were any big secrets in it. Just had some old photos and clippings."
"I'll get it back," he said again as he turned to walk off.
"No, it's okay," Jennie replied, grabbing a hold of his arm. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm sure he'll return it when he finds out there's nothing interesting inside."
Reiyl stared down at her with emotionless eyes as Jennie cringed at the sight. "Did my brother tell you that we’re staying?"
"Yeah," Jennie said, nodding.
"If you need anything, just call for me," he said, "I am your servant."
“I don’t need any…servant,” she said forcefully.
"I came here..."
"Blah, blah," she retorted, pushing Reiyl out of her room, "I don't want someone constantly looking after me. I can handle things on my own."
“But..."
"No!" Jennie shouted sternly. She looked up into his face to find him giving her a placid gaze.
"Where are your things?” she swiftly asked, trying to change the subject, “maybe you should start unpacking."
"Everything is already in my room," Reiyl replied as Jennie gave him a blank gaze, "I just have a knapsack."
"Really?" she asked with confusion, "you only have enough to fit one backpack? What? Did you parents not like you or something?"
"I was raised to live with very little," he stated, "you don't need the world to be happy." He turned and headed toward his room as Jennie leaned against the doorway of her room and sighed.
"He's going to be difficult," she muttered.
"Get the fuck off!" Reno shouted as Hiro pushed him into the kitchen where everyone else was seated, "I don't need a damn lecture every time I get into a fight! You always say the same damn things!"
"Then why don't you learn?!" Hiro shouted.
---
"Maybe it's because I don't fucking care!" Reno screamed.
Jennie sat at the table with a fork to her mouth while the contents were falling off. Her gaze was on the father and son who were arguing hysterically. She felt a nudge to her side as her stare turned to the one trying to get her attention.
"You okay?" Reiyl asked.
"Yeah," Jennie muttered, looking away from him with annoyance.
"If he bothers..."
"No!" Jennie screamed, pushing away from the table, "I don't need your constant supervision!"
She pointed a finger at Reiyl and shook it madly. "I'm not some whiny-assed kid that needs a babysitter! I'm sixteen years old!"
"No need to get upset," Lacey said from where she sat, "he's only trying to look out for you."
"Ah, shut up!" Jennie yelled. She shook her head and turned to run off.
"I can't stand you people! All of you are freaks of nature! There is not one damn thing about any of you that makes sense! You're all too freaking strange! With your hair and eyes. The way nothing seems to hurt you."
"Jennie, please sit down," Hiro calmly whispered.
"No!" she shouted, "you're the damn ringleader to this circus of freaks! You're the worst! I don't care if my parents liked you or not! I can't stand you!"
A hand hit her across the face, sending her falling backward to the ground. She sat on the floor quietly as her cheek throbbed. Looking up, she found Reno glaring at her.
"You don't ever talk to my dad like that," he said.
A stunned gaze came over Jennie's face as her breathing slowed. The room became unearthly silent. Pushing herself from the ground, she hurriedly ran out. Her instincts told her to run away as far as she could.
Heading to the front door, her hands clasped the door handle tightly and pulled the door open. A chill rushed through her body as she looked outside to the driveway and the surrounding woods.
Where can I go?
The door in her hands was abruptly ripped from her grip and slammed shut. Looking over her shoulder, she found Reno staring at her.
"You're not going anywhere," he said.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted.
Yanking the door open, Jennie went running outside and began a steady pace down the driveway. Her hair whipped against her face as she skidded to a stop. Reno had appeared in front of her.
"How did you get there?!" Jennie shouted as Reno stood in front of her with a hateful expression.
"Get your ass back inside!" he stated loudly, pointing a finger to the house.
"No!" Jennie screamed as loudly as she could. She rushed at him, slamming her body against Reno's. His arms wrapped around her as the two whipped around wildly and was sent to the ground. "Let me go!"
"No!" Reno yelled in her ear.
"Please!" she cried out as his arms squeezed around her tighter, "what are you?!"
"I'm a demon," he whispered into her ear as her body became still.
"A what?" she questioned, laying on him motionlessly. It was as if his words had caused her whole world to shatter. Everything she knew and understood had just become mere rubbish.
"I’m just like you," he said.
“I seriously doubt that!” Jennie cried out.
“Just because we can do things that you can’t,” Reno said flatly, “we were called demons. But we’re just as human as the next person.”
Silence filled Jennie as all her words seemed to have vanished. All she could sense was the boy’s arms around her and his hot breath on her ear. How am I supposed to believe that? They’re all going to hurt me!
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Reno said as Jennie abruptly looked up at him with wide eyes, “at least the ones in the house won’t.”
In his arms, she looked in the direction of the house to find Hiro standing quietly on the front porch with Quade and Lacey beside him while Reiyl and Kasei were in the doorway. "I'm so confused," she whispered, jerking free of Reno’s hold.
Standing up from where she had been laying, she felt the warm, summer air against her face as she glaring down at Reno who was gazing up at her. "So what does that mean," she screamed, "that you get to be perfect while the rest of us are all miserable!?"
Her feet began a desperate run as she headed into the woods. Thorns and branches tore at her flesh as she moved.
"Are you listening to me?!" she called out, "one day I find my parents dead then I'm handed over to the devil!”
Why don’t I just die!? Everyone takes the easy way out and I get left here. I always get left behind.
Streams of tears flowed from her eyes as she crashed into the ground, smashing her face into the ground. The smell of damp earth surrounded her as she clung to the forest floor.
“Just let me go,” she whispered to the dirt.
Sensations of Frailty
---
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg Mall
Sunday, August 11, 1996
1:03 PM
---
Before Jennie could really understand the situation, Reno had placed himself between her and the two boys. His eyes were dark as he peered down at the strangers with a scowl.
“Who are these rejects?” Reno asked, peering over his shoulder for a moment toward Jennie, “did you do something to them?”
Jennie shook her head while wide-eyed then peered back down to the blue-haired boys. She had no idea what she had done if anything.
“Wait,” Reno mumbled as he stepped closer to the kneeling two, “do I know you two?”
“I am Reiyl Hikage,” the oldest said, standing up fully, “I don’t think we’ve met before, but you should know who I am.”
Leaping upward, the youngest boy began to repeatedly jump up and down while waving his arms around wildly. “I’m Kasei!”
“This is my younger brother,” Reiyl said, motioning toward the spastic child.
“What’s his deal?” Reno questioned with a raised eyebrow. His attention was on Kasei who was still bounding around. “Is he special?”
“He’s just a child,” Reiyl said as he peered toward his brother with a frustrated sighed, “he can be overzealous at times.”
“We’ve come all the way from Nekomura!” Kasei shouted abruptly, “it was a long, long trip! And we had to walk a lot. Made my legs really, really tired.”
With a sigh Reiyl nodded. “It has been a long, tiring trip.”
“Nekomura,” Reno repeated.
“Yes, the cat village,” Reiyl replied, “you’ve heard of it, yes?”
Cat village?
Stepping around Reno for a moment and peering toward Reiyl, Jennie found herself staring face-to-face with the younger brother. His eyes were wide with wonderment and his mouth was curled into a mischievous smirk.
“You’re pretty kawaii,” Kasei announced clearly as he leaned forward with his hands propped behind his head, “you got yourself a kareshi?”
“What?” Jennie asked dumbfound, not knowing what the boy was saying.
“Cute,” Kasei laughed, “I asked if you have a boyfriend.”
Jennie took a step back at the boy’s words as she looked to Reno who didn’t seem to be paying attention at the moment. He seemed more interested in Reiyl.
“No,” she muttered.
“Do you like younger guys?” he questioned, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“No,” she announced quickly.
“I’m only four years younger,” Kasei replied hastily, “it’s not that bad. Plus I’m really, really cute!”
Poking the sides of his cheeks with his index fingers, he grinned and gave Jennie a playful face. He started reaching out for her when Jennie escaped behind Reno and slipped to the other side of the green-haired boy.
“What the fuck?!” Reno abruptly questioned as he noticed Jennie’s sudden movement and Kasei’s chasing.
Before Jennie or Reno could react, the young boy launched himself at Jennie just as his arms wrapped around her. Kasei went face-first between Jennie’s breasts as he hugged her unrelentingly.
Jennie’s eyes widened in horror as did Reno’s. She stood perfectly still while Reno clenched his fists.
“Get the fuck off her!” Reno shouted as he lashed out, grabbing the boy by the shoulder and ripping him off Jennie.
Just as Kasei was freed from the startled Jennie, she noticed that Reiyl, who stood behind Reno, had a look of wrath in his eyes. Before she could say anything, Kasei was tossed to the ground.
“Touch my brother again and you won’t live long enough to touch another soul!” Reiyl snarled.
"Is that a threat?" Reno shouted.
"It is," Reiyl growled as Jennie watched the two faced each other.
"It would be a waste of my time to mess around with you," Reno said as he grabbed a hold of Jennie's shoulder and turned his attention to her, "and YOU should've stayed with the rest of us instead of disappearing like that. How the hell am I supposed to look after you if you don't stay close?"
The sensation of his hand being knocked off her shoulder startled Jennie as she turned to find Reno sailing into the nearby wall and Reiyl with his leg stretched straight out to the side of his body. Her mouth dropped open in shock as Reiyl dropped his foot to the ground.
“You kicked him?!” she shouted in horror.
“It’s okay,” Reno said abruptly.
Turning on her heels to peer where Reno had landed, she watched him stand. His eyes were focused on Reiyl and held a burning air to them. He lurched toward the blue-haired boy while cracking his knuckles roughly.
“You just fucked with the wrong person,” Reno coldly stated, “I am the youngest son to Hiro Caspian!”
“I could care less about who you are!” Reiyl yelled in return, “no one treats my little brother like that! And you shouldn’t treat the girl so viciously.”
In a simple gesture, Reiyl thrust out a hand and pointed at Jennie. “You should have more respect for yourself and for those around you!”
“Jesus Christ!” Reno growled, “you can shove that sentimental shit right up your ass!”
“This isn’t going good,” Jennie mumbled as she backed up a bit.
Out of the corner of her eyes she could see people crowding around. It was obvious that when a fight was about to break out that people would gather. Human nature.
“Sugoi!” Kasei shouted with a thrust of a fist into the air, “I love watching Niisan fight!”
Turning his interest to Jennie, Kasei smirked. “He’s the best fighter in our village! Is Reno any good?”
“No clue,” Jennie said absently as she blinked, “I just met the guy yesterday.”
“Really?” Kasei questioned with shock.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, “his dad is my foster father.”
"Foster father?" Kasei asked as he abruptly became quiet, "you mean your parents are dead?"
"Yeah, they died yesterday afternoon," Jennie whispered, wondering why she was speaking so easily to the strange kid.
"My parents died a long time ago," Kasei said as he looked at her with soft eyes, "I was raised by my grandmother. Duck!"
"What?" Jennie asked as Kasei grabbed a hold of the back of her head and pushed her to the ground as Reno flew past them, smashing into the prize counter inside the arcade.
"This is going to take forever," Kasei said, watching as Reno stood up from the broken glass.
“What is going on?!” Jennie shouted from where she knelt on the ground, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between Reiyl and Reno as she quickly noticed she was in the middle of them. Feeling her heart quicken, she scooted back in order to escape the fight.
“Hurry up and move, bitch!” Reno yelled curtly.
Bending down for a moment, Reno picked up a fallen prize, a stuffed animal. His gaze was on it for a moment just before he gave it a quick toss toward Reiyl. When Reiyl brought his hands up to catch the animal, Reno launched another attack.
“You’ve fucked with me long enough,” Reno grumbled as he slammed his shoulder into Reiyl’s chest, knocking Reiyl onto his back.
Breathing heavily while wiping his hand across his face, Reno let out a heavy sigh and looked to Jennie who was staring at him with disbelief. Blood ran from the small nicks he received from the broken glass.
“Stay there,” Reno said, pointing at her, “don’t move.”
“Why?” Jennie mouthed out, but feared moving in the first place.
"Damn," Reiyl muttered seconds later as he flipped effortlessly onto his feet.
Jennie watched in awe as Reno headed straight up to the blue-haired boy. Without any warning Reno drove his right hand into Reiyl’s abdomen, causing Reiyl to lurch forward with his head down. It didn’t take long for Reno to connect his elbow into the back of Reiyl’s head, flooring the boy instantly.
Reno drew back his foot and lashed out, connecting into Reiyl's body and sending the boy rolling. Reiyl's body crashed into a coin changer as tokens and quarters exploded from the machine, scattering about the floor. He rested for a moment as one of his hands abruptly clenched up tightly.
Pushing himself up slightly, Reiyl bit his lower lip as a low hiss was forming in the back of his throat. He got to his feet, smoothing out his clothing and brushing the bits of chipped paint from the coin changer that had gotten onto his hair.
Reiyl lowered his body into a fighting stance as his eyes were fastened onto the charging Reno. An onslaught of attacks were thrown at Reiyl as the blue-haired boy began to dodge each with artful grace. His eyes widened at the sight of an opening in Reno's attacks.
Drawing up his right leg into a daring kick to Reno’s left knee, Reiyl focused all his energy into his attack. “Learn some manners!”
Letting out a cry of pain, Reno dropped to his knees then fell forward as Reiyl released another kick to the side of Reno's head, sending Reno into various games. The green-haired boy just slumped onto the ground motionlessly.
Without breathing too harshly over the fight, Reiyl stepped toward Jennie and leaned down to where she sat watching. He smiled slightly as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth down to his chin.
"It's okay," he whispered, holding a hand out to her.
Shaking her head back and forth in refusal, Jennie drew her hands to her chest and looked past the boy to the fallen Reno. Worry overwhelmed her while she heard a harsh cough above her.
Peering upward to Reiyl, she witnessed his eyes turn dark as he stumbled backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body fell, losing consciousness.
"Niisan!" Kasei exclaimed, rushing to his older brother.
Eyes widened in shock as Jennie looked to Reno was still motionless on the ground. That was the first time she had ever seen such a display of hostility between two persons. Hands touched her shoulder, helping her to her feet.
That was so freaking fast! Wow!
Her body trembled as she gazed to the person who helped her up and found Janiston eyeing her with concern. His eyes were filled with distress. Just behind him was Idyll.
“I have no idea what happened,” she said, “but it was so fast.”
Scanning the area that was totally destroyed, Jennie felt her heart quicken again as she stepped back into Janiston’s body. “They broke a lot.”
"It's okay," Janiston said, wrapping his arms around her protectively, "Reno's dad will take care of this."
"What?" she asked with doubt, "Hiro can do that?"
"Hiro can do a lot of things," Janiston said.
"One more thing," Jennie whispered, sighing, "will this happen often?" She looked to Reiyl who was getting to his feet while leaning against Kasei.
"The fighting?" he asked as Jennie nodded, "with Reno around you can count on it."
"I'm not done with you yet!" a shout echoed from the arcade as everyone turned to find Reno getting to his feet. In a mere second he lunged toward Reiyl.
"No!" Kasei shouted, twisting his brother out of the way. Reno rammed into Kasei as the two fell to the ground. "Sleep!"
Jennie watched as the smaller boy pressed his index and middle finger to Reno's neck as Reno's body went limp. "What happened?" she asked.
"The infamous Sleeping Rat attack," Kasei said, pushing Reno off him.
"You put Reno to sleep?" Idyll asked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Hmm, I may need to learn that one.”
Idyll’s gaze turned to away from the group as his eyes widened. “Oh shit!"
Following his stare, Jennie cringed at the sight of mall security guards. The two men were heading toward their direction.
“What now?” she asked, looking up to Janiston.
“No worries,” Janiston said, heading toward the guards. He stopped for a moment turned back to look at Idyll. “Take her home.”
“Right,” Idyll said as he placed a hand on Jennie’s shoulder.
“And those two,” Janiston said, pointing to Reiyl and Kasei, “I’ll handle this.”
“Alright,” Idyll replied, “and Reno?”
“Leave him for me,” Janiston said with a smile.
“You heard the man,” Idyll stated as he gave Jennie a large grin.
“Stop touching me,” Jennie growled, flicking Idyll’s hand off her shoulder.
---
Hedgesville, West Virginia
Caspian Residence
Sunday, August 11, 1996
2:22 PM
---
Upon entering the house, Jennie stood quietly near the stairs as she stared at the carpeted flooring. I don’t get it. Why did we take these guys home with us?
“You okay?”
A face entered her line of vision as Kasei gazed up at her with childish humor. What’s wrong with this kid? He’s creeping me out.
"Yeah," Jennie mumbled.
Pushing past the boy, she headed up the stairs slowly and moved to her bedroom door. She hesitated for a moment then pushed it open.
Inside the room were various boxes sitting on the floor. Stepping up to one of the boxes, she knelt down and opened it to find her belongs inside. “How did these get here?”
"Dad and I got them for you."
Craning her head to the side, Jennie found Quade standing in the doorway with his back leaning against the doorframe. As usual he appeared to be rather genial as well as a bit corporeal with his manner of dress.
"Oh, thanks," Jennie said as her voice became listless.
"I could give you hand," he stated, strolling into her room.
Quade stooped down beside her, peering inside the box she had opened. The contents were clearly novels of fantasy and science fiction as well as a few Japanese comics. “So you collect books?”
“Yep,” Jennie replied.
“You should stop by my shop then,” Quade said casually, “I own a bookstore.”
“Really?” Jennie asked as she looked to Quade with curious, interested eyes, “what kind?”
“I have a little bit of everything,” Quade chuckled, “but I mostly deal in rare finds.”
“Neat,” Jennie replied with a smile.
Standing up with an armful of books, Quade headed toward the empty bookcase that sat in the far right corner of the room. He began to place the novels on the shelves while Jennie continued to fumble through the boxes.
"What's this?" Quade asked unexpectedly as she turned to face him.
"What?" she asked.
"This picture," he said, holding up a photograph, "it fell from one of your books."
"Oh," Jennie said, taking the picture and looking at it. Her eyes focused on a young looking boy who appeared to be beaming proudly over a guitar he was holding. His hair was a medium shade of blue while a streak of red was in his front fringe.
"It’s my real dad."
"Your dad?" Quade asked, peering at her with uncertainty, “he looks pretty young in that photo.”
"He’s my age in the picture," Jennie stated.
"What’s up with the blue hair?" Quade questioned.
“Mom and Dad said he was into the punk look,” she said, tossing the photo into one of the boxes, “dying his hair blue, wearing stupid clothes, painting a gay-ass star on his cheek, wearing multiple earrings, being a retard.”
“He’s a loser,” she announced, closing the box up that contained the picture, “he ran off before I was born, so I could care less if he’s alive or rotting in ditch somewhere.”
"Do you know his name?" he asked.
"Uh," Jennie mumbled, looking up for a moment as if in deep thought, "Mom and Dad always called him Cori-something."
With the bookcase nearly full of graphic novels, fictions, and some old journals she had been writing over the past few years, the two worked together in placing her other belongings away. When the last item in the final box was placed on the desk that sat against the wall beside the bookcase, Quade turned and looked at her with an alluring smile.
“Well?” he questioned, motioning for her to look at her room.
“Looks good,” she said, returning his smile with a simple one.
“Good,” he replied, “then I’ll get rid of the boxes. And you should go downstairs and get some dinner.”
"Alright," she said with a nod.
Walking out the door of the bedroom, Quade left with the door still open. Jennie sat quietly on her bed as she stared at the floor until something caught her attention from out of the corner of her eyes. Turning her gaze to her doorway, she found Kasei staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"This is your room?" he asked, peering inside, "I get the room next to you."
"You're staying here?" Jennie questioned as Kasei nodded. He began walking slowly around her room, eyeing everything.
"What's this?" he questioned, picking up a book that sat on Jennie's desk.
“My journal!” she screamed, leaping at him abruptly. Her body lunged at him forcefully as she barely got her hands on the tome when her face slammed abrasively into his chest. The two were sent flailing to the ground.
The sound of Kasei’s head hitting the edge of Jennie’s desk caught alarmed Jennie as she found herself on top of the boy. Pushing herself up, she peered down at his tanned face and noticed he had been knocked unconscious.
“Sorry,” she muttered, standing up swiftly.
"Hello?" she called out, "Kasei...uh, passed out in my bedroom!"
"What?" Appearing at the top of the stairs, Reiyl looked at Jennie with alarm.
"Your little brother," Jennie said, looking over her shoulder, "he was going to read my journal..."
As she spoke the journal was abruptly ripped from her grasp. Turning on her heels, she found Kasei grinning with the book in his hands. It didn’t take long for her to acknowledge what he did before he was dashing toward her window.
“Bye!” he shouted, pushing the window up and leaping out.
"Wait!" Jennie screamed, rushing to the window to find Kasei landing on the ground with effortlessness. Her eyes watched him disappear out of sight. "What the hell!?"
"I'll get it back," Reiyl said.
"No, it's okay," Jennie whispered, looking to the ground, "It's not like there were any big secrets in it. Just had some old photos and clippings."
"I'll get it back," he said again as he turned to walk off.
"No, it's okay," Jennie replied, grabbing a hold of his arm. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm sure he'll return it when he finds out there's nothing interesting inside."
Reiyl stared down at her with emotionless eyes as Jennie cringed at the sight. "Did my brother tell you that we’re staying?"
"Yeah," Jennie said, nodding.
"If you need anything, just call for me," he said, "I am your servant."
“I don’t need any…servant,” she said forcefully.
"I came here..."
"Blah, blah," she retorted, pushing Reiyl out of her room, "I don't want someone constantly looking after me. I can handle things on my own."
“But..."
"No!" Jennie shouted sternly. She looked up into his face to find him giving her a placid gaze.
"Where are your things?” she swiftly asked, trying to change the subject, “maybe you should start unpacking."
"Everything is already in my room," Reiyl replied as Jennie gave him a blank gaze, "I just have a knapsack."
"Really?" she asked with confusion, "you only have enough to fit one backpack? What? Did you parents not like you or something?"
"I was raised to live with very little," he stated, "you don't need the world to be happy." He turned and headed toward his room as Jennie leaned against the doorway of her room and sighed.
"He's going to be difficult," she muttered.
"Get the fuck off!" Reno shouted as Hiro pushed him into the kitchen where everyone else was seated, "I don't need a damn lecture every time I get into a fight! You always say the same damn things!"
"Then why don't you learn?!" Hiro shouted.
---
"Maybe it's because I don't fucking care!" Reno screamed.
Jennie sat at the table with a fork to her mouth while the contents were falling off. Her gaze was on the father and son who were arguing hysterically. She felt a nudge to her side as her stare turned to the one trying to get her attention.
"You okay?" Reiyl asked.
"Yeah," Jennie muttered, looking away from him with annoyance.
"If he bothers..."
"No!" Jennie screamed, pushing away from the table, "I don't need your constant supervision!"
She pointed a finger at Reiyl and shook it madly. "I'm not some whiny-assed kid that needs a babysitter! I'm sixteen years old!"
"No need to get upset," Lacey said from where she sat, "he's only trying to look out for you."
"Ah, shut up!" Jennie yelled. She shook her head and turned to run off.
"I can't stand you people! All of you are freaks of nature! There is not one damn thing about any of you that makes sense! You're all too freaking strange! With your hair and eyes. The way nothing seems to hurt you."
"Jennie, please sit down," Hiro calmly whispered.
"No!" she shouted, "you're the damn ringleader to this circus of freaks! You're the worst! I don't care if my parents liked you or not! I can't stand you!"
A hand hit her across the face, sending her falling backward to the ground. She sat on the floor quietly as her cheek throbbed. Looking up, she found Reno glaring at her.
"You don't ever talk to my dad like that," he said.
A stunned gaze came over Jennie's face as her breathing slowed. The room became unearthly silent. Pushing herself from the ground, she hurriedly ran out. Her instincts told her to run away as far as she could.
Heading to the front door, her hands clasped the door handle tightly and pulled the door open. A chill rushed through her body as she looked outside to the driveway and the surrounding woods.
Where can I go?
The door in her hands was abruptly ripped from her grip and slammed shut. Looking over her shoulder, she found Reno staring at her.
"You're not going anywhere," he said.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted.
Yanking the door open, Jennie went running outside and began a steady pace down the driveway. Her hair whipped against her face as she skidded to a stop. Reno had appeared in front of her.
"How did you get there?!" Jennie shouted as Reno stood in front of her with a hateful expression.
"Get your ass back inside!" he stated loudly, pointing a finger to the house.
"No!" Jennie screamed as loudly as she could. She rushed at him, slamming her body against Reno's. His arms wrapped around her as the two whipped around wildly and was sent to the ground. "Let me go!"
"No!" Reno yelled in her ear.
"Please!" she cried out as his arms squeezed around her tighter, "what are you?!"
"I'm a demon," he whispered into her ear as her body became still.
"A what?" she questioned, laying on him motionlessly. It was as if his words had caused her whole world to shatter. Everything she knew and understood had just become mere rubbish.
"I’m just like you," he said.
“I seriously doubt that!” Jennie cried out.
“Just because we can do things that you can’t,” Reno said flatly, “we were called demons. But we’re just as human as the next person.”
Silence filled Jennie as all her words seemed to have vanished. All she could sense was the boy’s arms around her and his hot breath on her ear. How am I supposed to believe that? They’re all going to hurt me!
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Reno said as Jennie abruptly looked up at him with wide eyes, “at least the ones in the house won’t.”
In his arms, she looked in the direction of the house to find Hiro standing quietly on the front porch with Quade and Lacey beside him while Reiyl and Kasei were in the doorway. "I'm so confused," she whispered, jerking free of Reno’s hold.
Standing up from where she had been laying, she felt the warm, summer air against her face as she glaring down at Reno who was gazing up at her. "So what does that mean," she screamed, "that you get to be perfect while the rest of us are all miserable!?"
Her feet began a desperate run as she headed into the woods. Thorns and branches tore at her flesh as she moved.
"Are you listening to me?!" she called out, "one day I find my parents dead then I'm handed over to the devil!”
Why don’t I just die!? Everyone takes the easy way out and I get left here. I always get left behind.
Streams of tears flowed from her eyes as she crashed into the ground, smashing her face into the ground. The smell of damp earth surrounded her as she clung to the forest floor.
“Just let me go,” she whispered to the dirt.