*Kanade*
Arion touched his chest. "Soon I'll become one of them. Like my caretakers, I'll transform into a beast."
I stepped back. "What do you mean?"
He glanced up at the canopy of my bed. "There's a strange power in this mountain that in the past wasn't there." He closed his eyes. "It's something that shouldn't exist."
"That's something worthy of being called an abomination."
He nodded. He lifted his right sleeve, revealing purple markings. "It's slowly taking over. The darkness." He closed his eyes. "It's best that I leave... I don't want to kill anyone."
I grab his arm. "I can save you."
"You can?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.
I ran over to the door. "Wait here. I need to ask father to help me find something."
"How's the boy feeling?" Mother asked as she vacuumed the hallway.
I rushed past her. "Sorry, Mom. I can't speak. I got to find father!" I yelled.
"Kanade?" Sou called out as he and my brother turned the corner into the hall.
"Where are you off to, runt?" Sekin asked, blocking the path.
I glared at him, but had no time to argue. "I'm looking for Father. Know where he could be?"
"He should be in his study. Go straight from here and turn to your right." He moved out of the way.
"Wonder what she's up to," I heard Sou whisper to my brother.
"Who knows. Usually the runt doesn't get worked up like this."
I followed Sekin's instructions and arrived at my father's study. The floor was cluttered with various books and pages.
Kneeling down, I picked up one of the books. "Father," I sighed. "You should learn to pick up after yourself."
Father put down the book in his hand and stood up from his comfy red leather chair. He kneeled by me and picked up some of the books. "Did you come here for something? Surely it wasn't to clean up, right? Or did you decide to help your mother?"
I huffed. "Don't give Mom extra work to do."
He picmed up some pages. "Not like I did it on purpose. My pile of books toppled over."
I put my books on the closest shelf. "Enough about that. Do you have the vaccine for the abomination virus?"
Dad's hand stopped as he reached for some papers. He glanced up at me with furrowed eyes. "Why do you need it? You already got it prior to coming here."
I ran a hand across the sleek pine wood of the shelf. "That's because I found someone who is infected with the disease. Give me the vaccine so that I can save him."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "You actually helped someone?"
Puffing my cheeks, I snatched the books he was holding. "I'm not the kind of heartless person that brother makes me out to be."
Father snickered. "Oh, really? Hmm, it's nice to see you caring for someone who isn't Mora."
I glared at him. "Should I really be hearing about caring for others from someone who experiments on others?"
He sighed. "True. Though there are people I care for." He touched the tip of my nose. "For example, there's your mother and you."
My face turned red. "Stop it, corniness doesn't fit you." I slapped his hand away, causing him to laugh.
He picked up more books and placed them on the shelf. "The vaccine is in the top drawer of my desk if you want it."
I ran over to the red oak desk and pulled the top left drawer. The vaccine wasn't in this one but I did find something.
"Dad, were you as close to my uncle Saku as Sekin is to Souta?"
Father glanced at the picture I was holding. In the image he was hugging uncle Saku from behind much like Sou did to brother.
"I guess you could say that," he admitted. He snatched the picture. "Your uncle is one of the people I care for."
"Wait, why Saku but not my aunt or my brother?"
Father scratched his white hair. "I care for them too, though they both get on my nerves more often than the rest of you." He laughed just like Sou.
Hmm, now that I think about it... Did Sekin fall for Sou because he reminded him of Father? Some psychologists have said that people tend to be attracted to those like their opposite sex parent but what about those who were into the same sex?
"Dad. Don't you think you should stop being so laidback?"
He stood up to his full height and put the stuff he had picked up on his desk. "When you are in the line of work I am in, you need to learn to be laidback."
Father's eyes were distant. Almost regretful. Did he regret his actions? If so, why did he do what he did? Wasn't life better without regrets? Or did the ends justify the means?
He patted my head and smiled slightly. "I'll give you the vaccine. But explain who you need it for."
I took a deep breath. Hopefully, he wouldn't take issue with me picking up a stranger. Though, he might've known already. Mother loved to gossip, so it would have been a surprise if he hadn't. Unless he was locked up here all this time. Which, he might have been given the number of books and papers on the floor.
***
['Present']
"What are you thinking about?" Arion asked, snapping me back to reality.
"About how we met," I responded.
Arion gave me a toothy smile. "Thanks for saving me. Like I said back then, I'll always be here for you. If you are ever in need of a shield then I'll be that shield." He leaned in closely. "So don't hesitate to ask, alright?"
I pushed him away. "Don't get too close to me, ya creep!"
Again, he simply returned a flirty grin in response.
I put my head down on my pillow. "Thanks, for caring for me." Father might've said that I was important to him, but lately I've felt that I was no longer as important as in the past. He seemed to care more for uncle Saku, Mother, and his project a.k.a. Mora.
Arion's flirty smile vanished and was replaced with a shy one. "No need. I told you that I'm here for ya!"
My face turned red. If only Mora could be like him... Mora, where could he be?
I reached my arms toward the canopy of my bed as if doing so could link me to Mora, enabling me to express to him my feelings. Something wet ran down my face.
"You're crying," Arion pointed out.
I rubbed my eyes. "Shut it... I don't need you to state it."
A warm hand touched my cheek. Arion's eyes looked directly at mine when I turned. Their color was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, even more so that Mora's. Sadly, my father would one day wipe out those with such eyes.
"You're thinking of him, aren't you?" he asked, his tone filled with bitterness. He leaned in. "Morado will never respond to your feelings." He moved away once he saw more tears. "Don't cry for that jerk. One day he'll realize his mistake. Ya know, if you want then I can find him."
My eyes beamed. "You can?"
He grinned. "Of course I can. After all... he was the one who caused my adopted parents to turn into monsters." He glanced at his own spotless arm. "The link is still there..."
I blinked. "What link?"
"It's what I refer to as an 'Ethereal Link'. Morado absorbed the energy of my town's residents to sustain himself during his stay in Quartz Pillar. He no longer requires the energy and even if he did the vaccine severed that tie between us."
"Wait, so how will you find him with the ties severed?" I questioned.
He gave me a sly grin. "As I was saying, the 'Ethereal Link' between us is the answer. The overall link may be gone, but there is an echo or a thumbprint left behind. Using that, I can sense his presence even if only faintly. You said that he was tired and hungry, correct? Then he must still be in your mother's hometown."
I giggled which caused him to frown and blush.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." I let out a snort. "It's just that, you're not as dumb as you look."
He crossed his arms and leered at me. "Hey, I don't look dumb!" He opened the door. "Well, get better. We'll start our search for Morado once you're feeling better."
I raised my blankets over my head. "Thanks, Arion."