"There, all done"
At Rei's request, Arc had been getting regular check-ups from Yuki ever since he was discharged— both to confirm his condition and to treat the wounds from his torture.
"Thanks for doing this, Mr Yuki"
"Yuki is just fine. Also...."
He adjusted his glasses, looking at Arc with a stoic expression.
"..... I'm only doing this because Rei asked me to. I don't trust you and I don't like you, human"
Upon hearing that, Arc lowered his head. He couldn't blame Yuki for feeling that way after what hunters did to their home, and what fellow humans continue to do to the onis, here in the mines.
A voice popped in from the door
"C'mon! Don't be like that Yuki"
"R-Rei? You're supposed to be at the bla—"
He stopped once her full body came into view, her left arm and left eye were missing
"I finished early so I thought I'll head for volunteer work with Arc...."
[Although, she probably did it to make sure you didn't skip. That and...
".... Could I trouble you for some bandages, by the way"
"Yeah...Sure"
She sat on a chair while Yuki bandaged her, slowly and with great care.
"As I was saying, Quit being so mean to Arc, he hasn't done anything wrong"
"Yet"
"Geez, everyone else likes him, so why don't you?"
"He's a human, need I say more?"
"You're way too grumpy and paranoid, that's why you don't have a girlfriend"
Yuki tightened the bandage, making her let out a little "ouch", all infront of Arc, a little embarrassed how they were talking about him like he wasn't there.
"I don't want to hear that from an impulsive hothead like you, Rei"
"Hahahaha...Listen, you don't always have to make yourself out to be the bad guy for everyone's sakes. We're all here for you, so rely on us a little more"
She said, looking at him softly, her beautiful azure eyes locking with his, making his cheeks turn red as he turned his head in embarrassment.
"All done"
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver. Let's go, Arc"
The two exited the infirmary, with Rei waving at Yuki before closing the door. Arc worriedly glanced at the bandaged lightning oni as they were heading to the kitchen.
"Are...you alright?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm perfectly fine. I'll be back to normal by tomorrow so don't worry"
"Yeah... That's right"
Onis have high regenerative abilities so as long as the wound isn't fatal, they can heal and regenerate without much issue. Still though, it must still hurt like hell. Arc couldn't help but feel sad about what she's going through.
"You don't have to dwell too much on what Yuki said"
"Hmm? No, it's not tha—"
"He just has a strong sense of duty, to protect his comrades. He always prioritizes the feelings of others before his and acts as a rock to protect the rest of us, which is why he sometimes comes of as rude, he's really a good guy"
She looked up with a distant smile on her face
"He's always been like that. When our warriors got wiped out, he was the one who rallied the rest of us and kept us from breaking down, he never cried even after losing so much..... Even back then, when everyone else shunned me, he stayed..."
For just a moment, Arc saw a smile unlike anything he'd seen from Rei, overflowing with genuity.
"...He never treated me differently, and remained by my side no matter how much trouble I caused him"
"Oh?"
"Huh? What's with that Cheshire cat-like grin, brat?"
"You like Mr Yuki, don't you"
"Huh?"
She took a second to process his question, then instantly turned red— redder than ever before.
"N-No, No, it's not like that, he's like a brother to me, I don't like him that way..."
She fumbled over her words before sighing
"Besides, it's not like he'll ever see me that way. I cause him way too much trouble, and there are way more beautiful women back home who flock to him. I don't have a chance"
"Really? I think you're very beautiful and cool, only a fool will give you up....."
"Haha, flattery will get you nowher—"
"....Although, between your crude personality and the fact you go out of your way to look like a boy, I guess I understand where you're coming from. Your beauty becomes hard to spot without a microsco—"
*WHAM
"OW!"
"You really need to learn when to shut up, brat!"
She said, stomping into the kitchen
[Well isn't that just sad. I'm pretty sure the feeling between those two is mutual, but they have the exact same fears, such a shame]
"Yeah...."
[You feeling heartbroken yet?]
That remark came out of nowhere
"Huh? Why exactly will I be heartbroken? We're just friends"
[Keep telling yourself that, bro]
"Sure, I like the way she can be hotheaded and impulsive at times, and incredibly cool at other times, the coolest person I know.... But I've never thought about her like that. Besides...."
[Besides?]
Arc looked at ceiling with a distant smile— an expression of longing and anticipation
"....Once we escape this place, we'll probably never see each other again"
His recalled his conversation with Tetsuro a day earlier— Although he's yet to hear the full plan, the date for their escape was set, 2 weeks from now which also happens to be a few days after Yami and Alberto are back in action.
He didn't give a definite answer and asked for time to think on it— His original plan was to escape once his tier 9s were ready but now he wonders
Should he wait a few more days to escape with everyone? But even if he does, what's the point? They'll be going their separate ways after this.
[You're still set on returning to the cradle?]
"Yeah..... After all, I still have a promise to keep"
[Promise? This is the first I'm hearing of it]
"Huh, really?"
[Yeah... wait, does it have something to do with the girl you left behind? Amy, was it?]
"Correct"
His eyes narrowed as he stared at his fist
"It would've been the first promise I ever broke. But once I received this power, I figured it must be a sign, to keep the promise I made to her all those years ago"
[Quit being cryptic just for the sake of it and tell me, moron]
"Haha, Sorry about that"
He apologized, scratched the back of his head with a smile. Right before looking at the ground with a deep gaze
"Where to start..... I guess, it was 5 years ago, when I first met her"
************
5 years ago— The Cradle
"Alright, that's enough"
The instructor said to the exhausted Arc and Ash, concluding their scheduled evaluation.
"How are they?" Dean asked the instructor
"Hmm... Well, Arc's physical abilities are definitely impressive, but he's yet to show any signs of using ygg. On the other hand, his brother can use ygg to some extent, but it isn't all that Impressive either. Among the 7 year olds, I'll say they are just about average"
The instructor had a troubled expression on his face, wondering if one of those two really is the cradle's masterpiece, cause he couldn't imagine it.
Dean placed his hand on the instructor's shoulder
"Quit worrying, it's still too early to draw conclusions. Anyway...."
He turned to all the trainees to address them
"That will be all for today, kids. Good work, all of you. By the way, some fresh new recruits will be joining us today, be sure to make them feel welcome and also remember....."
He glared at them with a piercing gaze
".... They are not your friends. They are your rivals, obstacles you have to overcome, stepping stones on your path to becoming the strongest!"
His speech was followed by battle cries from most of the crowd.
"Sigh... We're all working to become hunters, so why can't we all just get along?"
Arc muttered to himself as he exited the training room with Ash scurrying behind
"Where are you going, big bro?"
"Library"
"You're not interested in seeing the new recruits?"
"Not really, they'll probably just be another batch of self important jerks anyway....."
He tilted his head, smiling brightly at Ash
"... Reading about Black Salamanders is more fun"
"Your fascination with beasts is creepy as ever"
After stepping into the library, they both head headed to the location Arc left his stacks of books from last time to pick up where he left off. Once he got there though, he noticed something else that garnered his attention
"Is that..."
A little girl with dirty scarlet hair sleeping next to his books.
".....A sleeping crimson squirrel?"
Ash faceplamed at the fact the only thing his brother was concerned with was how the girl's sleeping position resembled a tier 19 beast.
Arc poked the girl on the cheek out of curiosity, then
*CHOMP
"OWWWW....Stop biting me!"
The girl stopped biting his finger and leaped back on all fours— right in front of Arc's books in a territorial position
"Oh? A silverwolf this time? Touché"
Arc praised, stroking his chin with a smile. Ash stepped forward to apologize
"I'm really sorry for my brother. You see, we just came for those books so once we have them, we'll be on our wa—"
She growled at him, causing him to fall on his butt, startled. Arc imitated a bear's hunting stance.
"You won't give it up without a fight, huh? Bring it on, squirrel girl"
They leapt at each other, exchanging childish blows as they rolled across the floor, right before she bit him on the arm....
"OW"
..... and followed up with a kick to his face, landing him on the ground.
"Atatata.... Yeah, I felt that one...."
He sat up
".... but that was fun, what's your name, kid"
"grrrr....grrrr.... A ... A—"
"AMY! Why did you leave the other new recruits?!"
An instructor called from behind and Amy started cowering in fear. The man held her, squeezing her arm as he pulled her along.
"I don't think she wants to go with you, mister"
Arc said, tugging his sleeve
"Stay out of this, brat!"
"Haha, well...."
Arc started talking to buy time for Ash to sneak behind one of the bookshelves and push it down with a little..... wind.
As the man reacted to block the shelves, Arc swiftly kicked off the man's arm and pulled Amy to him. Then, he ran off with Amy and Ash.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU BRAT!"
They ran as fast as they could, only stopping once Arc confirmed they were out of sight
"*huff huff— We're definitely going to be in trouble for this one, big bro"
"Haha, maybe.... Sorry for dragging you into this, Ash"
Ash gave an exercebated sigh, before smiling
".....W..hy?"
"Huh?"
Arc turned to her in shock
"W..hy did you.... help me"
"Oh, so you can talk?"
She glared at him, but with distant eyes.... eyes that almost looked like she's given up on everything.
"Why wouldn't I? After all, we're beast buddies now, Amy"
Arc's radiant smile made her pull back, guarded. She forced her hand off his and got up
"Thank you for helping me, but... mind your own damn business"
Ash was about to flare up over her rudeness and ingratitude but Arc stopped him. She continued
"Go play hero with someone else, you're just doing it to fill your own ego anyway.... After all, you cannot save me"
Arc felt a deep sadness behind her words as she walked back in the direction of the man they just ran from.