Apostles in Leather Pants (Tsukihime)

[Soldat der Trauer]

Emiya and Urobuchi's first meeting? I can whip up an omake for them if enough people want it.

Hell yes, please.

[meevanhelot]

Yeah, that sounds good.

[mangafreak7793]

Unified Language was lost in this world due to Ryougi's actions, but Urobuchi could probably learn it easier than most if he ever met Satsuki. However, Satsuki is a hollow being, I doubt he'd ever teach anyone anything useful.

In a way that's a relief or else he'll become a EX rank troll.

[lethum]

I want that omake, Vel. Please write it?

[Elf]

Emiya and Urobuchi's first meeting? I can whip up an omake for them if enough people want it.

Hell the entirety of Urobuchi's war would be sweeeeettt.

However I will settle for an omake of their first meeting. Especially for EMIYA's WTF reaction and Urobuchi being well, Urobuchi.

Also, Urobuchi Shirou reminds me a little of Xander Harris from Buffy. Which is a good thing. And makes me want to work on a Buffy/Angel/FSN crossover again.

[Soldat der Trauer]

@Elf: Could you please try re-posting what you had for Fairy Tale, though?

[Elf]

@Elf: Could you please try re-posting what you had for Fairy Tale, though?

Fine fine . . . Sheesh.

[Kratosirving]

Fine fine . . . Sheesh.

Hey, even though it's unfinished, what you had done for it so far is awesome, and that epic ending we came up with...RAWR

[VelspertheCat]

Tsukihime is the property is the property of Type-Moon. Melty Blood is the property of Type-Moon and French-Bread. Melty Blood Act Cadenza is the property of Type-Moon and Ecole Software. All additional references and parodies belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 1: Sign of Blood Relations

A young boy, with hair as black as night and blue eyes with depths as limitless as the skies themselves, solemnly sat within a hospital bed. His expression was dour as he helplessly glanced at the pieces of furniture that were smoothly cut into countless pieces.

The ground next to the ruined table was stained with countless foodstuffs, which had been spilled onto the linoleum floor as well. In his hands, the young boy - one Shiki Nanaya - wielded a white plastic knife. It had the faintest amount of wood pulp around the flat of the plastic blade.

Shiki remained silent and contrite as he kept his eyes down and focused on his lap. It wasn't because of the growing crowd of doctors and nurses that were rubbernecking as they peeked into his room, although their fearful murmurs still struck deep into his heart with their barbed words. It was because...

He really wanted to see what would happen if he ran his plastic knife along their lines.

The squirming black lines stretched across his vision. Like harbingers of destruction, everything they ran through distorted the world around them. Occasionally the deep black lines would emit sparks of purple and black light and then things would briefly disassemble before his very eyes. His legs, for example, would break off in twelve pieces and briefly hover apart – bed covers and all – for an inch or two before reassembling.

Shiki desperately attempted to glance away whenever things broke apart like that. He had already found himself vomiting a few times when taken unawares. Yet even looking away from the dark lines didn't seem to help. More lines would form if the boy focused too long on normal looking spots between the lines.

They were mocking him. Showing him the uselessness of his attempts to ignore them.

Shiki trembled a bit. One of the nurses began to move towards him, but she was restrained by a doctor. He firmly shook his head.

They weren't paid enough by Makihisa Tohno to ignore this.

The boy continued to silently tremble under the eyes of cold eyes of many adults.

*****

“They will be bringing you food soon. I want you to eat.” Makihisa Tohno spoke to a young girl as he adjusted his tie in front of his dresser mirror. The girl, possessing vibrant red hair and dreadfully pale skin, was sitting on his bed. Both the bed itself and the girl were in a state of disarray, with the blankets on top of the bed looking like they had just been slept in and large pillows on the floor.

The redhead shifted delicately on the edge of bed, adjusting her skirt a bit.

Makihisa narrowed his eyes. “Answer me, Kohaku.” He demanded. The girl's glossy amber eyes gazed away from where she had been looking out of Makihisa's bedroom window and towards the older man. She gave a wooden nod, causing her shoulder length hair to bounce away from her skin, revealing bite markings on the nape of her neck.

The sound of the staff's children at play in the backyard reached Makihisa's sharp ears. Kohaku glanced back to the window silently after a few more moments of staring up at Makihisa.

The older man frowned, but said nothing more as he finished adjusting his suit and left the bed room.

Makihisa silently stalked through the halls of his mansion. The master of the Tohno family was dressed to head to a business meeting. The staff of his mansion quickly found other things to do. The ones that didn't had the luxury or time to avoid the tall, gaunt looking man pressed themselves bodily into the walls.

The lord of the mansion's eyes flashed, and an killer aura wafted about him, giving his frame a sinister air. Makihisa gripped onto the railing of the stairs as he made his way down towards the first floor basement.

He paused halfway down the steps. A young boy – clad in a deep blue kimono and with bluish, white hair and bright red eyes happily gazed up at him. “Father.” Shiki Tohno happily greeted the older man. The difference between the boy's reaction and the rest of the staff to Makihisa's temper was enough to knock the older man out of his thoughts.

“Shiki...” Makihisa hesitated. “...why aren't you studying?”

The boy's red eyes sparkled as they caught the lights of the mansion. “I'm already done for the day.” Shiki announced with a toothy grin. It unnerved Makihisa for some reason. “I wanted to see if I could take Akiha out to the backyard and play. Hisui-chan has been avoiding me for a while now...”

“...No.” Makihisa's refusal surprised both the older man and the young boy. “Akiha needs to study, Shiki. She isn't as gifted as you are. I want her to be able to take over in case of an emergency.” The older man concluded.

“Mmm...if you say so, father.” Shiki drolly replied, red eyes flashing. For an instant, hints of darkness crept into Shiki's light hair, but they vanished in the blink of an eye. Makihisa brought one of his hands up to his forehead as a dull ringing entered the back of his mind. Anger allowed Makihisa to shove the attempt at hypnosis to the sid, but Shiki was long gone – laughing as he raced out the front door, by the time Makihisa looked back up.

Makihisa's lips curled distastefully. Yet something within him was proud too. Even if it was a simple illusion, the boy was learning how to wield some of the abilities that the family possessed at a much faster pace than his daughter had.

'I'd better keep an eye out on him, though. He handled the awakening of his demon blood as well as could be expected, but...' Makihisa trailed off. A final sigh escaped his lips as he headed out of the building. There was too much to do and too little time to do it in.

*****

Hisui briefly pulled away from the crowd of children. Several of them visibly pouted or made noises of disagreement, but the young girl offered them a bright smile. “I'm sorry, but I have to go help indoors now.” The small redhead with jade eyes apologized as she stuck out her tongue playfully over at the crowd of children.

'And I don't want to see him...' She fearfully thought. Hisui could see Shiki Tohno crossing the vast yards towards them. With one final smile at the other children, Hisui turned and fairly race away.

Hisui briefly hesitated as she drew close to the mansion, but the loud shouts of the children – inviting Shiki to play with them, made the redhead's nerves smooth out. She quickly moved around the building so she could get a good look up at Master Makihisa's bedroom. There, standing at attention as she always did, was Hisui's twin sister.

Hisui raised a hand to wave at Kohaku.

Kohaku jerked in place, almost looking like she had been napping in place, and pressed herself up against the glass. Kohaku silently mouthed words down towards Hisui with the smallest of smiles on her pale face. Hisui dearly wished she was able to directly talk to her sister, but Master Makihisa had once told her that Kohaku had very important duties to the home, and she couldn't disturb her.

So the two sisters could only routinely see each other like this, separated by glass and what seemed to be immeasurable distance.

“I wish you could come out and play with us.” Hisui spoke up to Kohaku once it was her turn. The young girl clasped her hands together in front of her chest as she continued. “Things have gotten so confusing...and scary lately.” The jade eyed girl admitted. A stray gust of wind blew through her hair and caused the nearby copse of trees to gently sway as their leafs brushed together.

Kohaku pressed one of his palms up against the window. She mouthed something down to Hisui. A question.

“I was helping indoors when it happened. Something tried to hurt Akiha-chan, but Shiki-chan got in the way.” Hisui's words caused Kohaku's eyes to light up with worry. Her lips rapidly flew through several questions. Hisui waited until Kohaku stopped before continuing. “Shiki-chan got taken away by the doctors.” Her eyes drooped to the ground. “I...I don't know what happened to him. Or what happened to Tohno-kun...he's gotten so...cold.” She whispered.

A shadowed figure, lingering within the shadows cast by the trees nearby, lingered for a few moments. Hearing nothing more from Hisui, it moved away from the redhead.

*****

Weeks had passed in quiet as Shiki merely rested in his hospital bed. Once in a while he would lightly prod at lines on things, and be rewarded by seeing his fingertips sink in a little into his bed's railings or his mattress.

The lines kept calling out to the young Nanaya, though. The squirming ones on his own body most of all. Fear and delight warred in equal amounts as he endlessly passed his days glancing up and down the lines on his own frame. The heavy bandages that were wrapped around his body weren't a barricade for his vision, as his fingernails easily sliced them off to reveal his skin – still pinkish after his accident.

Fortunately he never got to experiment with the lines on his body. The day he had decided to finally go for it, he had been finally forced to start actually exercising. Being able to move from his bed allowed Shiki to explore the hospital.

Always with a member of the staff, though.

Until...

...

Both Shiki and one of the nurses on staff, a young woman in her early twenties, were walking along one of the halls. Several windows along the side of the hall faced a rolling hill with long green grass. Several trees and flowers sprang about in abundance on the hill side.

The nurse kept a few paces away from Shiki as she kept her own counsel. The young boy's bright blue eyes flashed happily as he merely took in the beautiful hill.

“Miss?” Shiki politely kept his gaze away from the nurse. The young boy somehow felt like he was violating her privacy. He'd wait to look at her until the hovering pieces of the nurse reassembled themselves into her form.

“...what is it?” The nurse guardedly asked. The boy's quiet nature frankly disturbed the young woman, who was often surrounded by young, sqwacking siblings at home. Remembering something half heard, she kept a wary focus on the young boy's hands.

“Can...can we go up there and see the flowers?” Shiki hopefully asked the nurse. His head ached a little when he focused on the woman's face, which had several clusters of lines running along it.

The nurse breathed out a faint sight of relief. The expression of longing on the pale boy's face did more to assure her in the few moments they were speaking than the last fifteen minutes had just walking with him in silence.

“Sure. Sure thing, kid.” The nurse's lips quirked into an honest smile as the boy's eyes lit up.

'He should smile more often.' The woman thought. She offered Shiki a hand. The boy took her hand, paused for a few moments, and finally shifted his grip before firmly before taking a hold of it. The reluctance on the boy's part began to push her thoughts in the direction that the young patient was merely shy.

Little did the woman realize – as she was deep within planning on getting back on the other nurses on staff for lying about the boy – that the reason Shiki had taken his time to grip her hand had for other reasons. Shiki had felt his fingers sink into a major line. His nails had brush up to a point where he would have ripped open a vein if he hadn't righted his grip at the last moment.

Shiki resolved to keep that secret to himself as he observed the woman's smiling face through a haze of black lines.

Best not scare away another one.

…

At some point, Shiki notices that the nurse with him is gone. But a strange wavering in the air draws his attention. The lines, looking oddly different from the black lines that destroy things, seem to be heading up to the peak of the hillside.

Shiki's body, aching beneath its layers of bandages, protests the actions as he ascends the rest of the hill alone.

The young boy ignores it, though.

He, more than anyone else, knows that it'd take much more than a little pain to break his body. Thanks to the lines crawling over everything – he knows that pain wouldn't break him. No, it would simply take his fingernails and a quick slash across the lines, these stitches across reality, to end him.

Almost in response to his thoughts, Shiki's body shrugs off the pain as he arrives at his destination.

An endless ocean of green.

The unbearable heat of summer.

Countless black lines running across the heavens.

“Ha...” Shiki let out a tired laugh. Even up here, he could see massive black lines running across the sky. His eyes began to moisten with tears as more giggles escaped his dry lips.

He wondered where the nurse was.

The dark haired boy merely continued to giggle to himself. His legs failed him as he collapsed onto his back in the tall grass.

Trees, flowers, the grass, and the skies were stained with pitch black lines. Shiki was stained with pitch black lines.

Everything was stained with black lines.

'I wonder what it'd be like if I cut my lines...' Shiki wondered again as he stared up at the patchwork sky.

“Hey you. It's dangerous to sit down in a place like that.”

A woman's voice came up from behind Shiki.

“Eh...?” Shiki's darkening mood was blown away. Grass clung to his blue hospital scrubs as he quickly sat up and squirmed about in place to face the speaker.

“What do you mean, 'Eh'? You're already a runt so I can't see you if you're sitting in the grass. I was this close to kicking you, so watch out!” The speaker was revealed to be a tall woman with long auburn hair. Her blue eyes match her grumpy expression and voice, sparking as she glanced at Shiki with annoyance.

Shiki's previous dark mood returns three fold as his own eyes grow stormy. “I'm not that short.” He glares at the woman in the white t-shirt and blue jeans. “I sit in the fourth row from the front!” The boy declared with a hint of pride in his voice.

The auburn haired woman looks baffled for a few moments, but the sound of another woman throatily chuckles.

“My, then Aoko should take her words back, then.” A blue haired woman spoke up as she walked up to them. She wore a sundress in contrast to Aoko's more mundane wear, and she clutched onto a pair of briefcases in her hands. A rounded set of glasses set over a pert nose as they magnify the light reflected off her sparkling sapphire eyes.

“...tch. Why should I apologize to the kid, Elesia?” Aoko moodily replied.

“It's the fourth row.” Elesia solemnly replied.

“...ah, fine. I'm sorry.” Aoko pouted as she crossed her arms. She moved next to Shiki and plopped down on the grass next to him.

“You're forgiven.” Shiki sniffed. He brought his knees up to his chest. He blinked as the auburn haired woman thrust a hand in his face. The boy followed it up to glance at Aoko, who was offering him a grin with as much cheer as one would show an old friend.

“Well, then put it here. It's probably fate that we met here, so why don't we talk for a while?” The auburn haired woman's smile brightened when Shiki uncertainly took a hold of her hand and gave it a tiny shake. “My name is Aoko Aozaki.” She nods over at the blue haired woman, who had approached the two of them.

“My name is Elesia.” The blue haired woman offered Shiki a humble smile and a polite bow.

“What's yours?” Aoko pressed. Shiki blinked, taking in her cool hand despite the hot weather. He offered the two of them a timid smile.

“My name is Shiki Nanaya...”

And so...they talked.

*****

[Alulim]

Hooray for new chappie~

[xelloss]

Wait, so Shiki Tohno isn't completely screwed from the very start by his awakening this time?

Well, isn't that nice.

[Techlet]

Aoko and Ciel as traveling companions? My mind is full of fuck.

[lethum]

Everything is possible when you man smells of steel and smoke and not like a lady.

[ringlhach]

Why does Elesia sound familiar? I'll admit, at first I thought it was Ciel, but that doesn't feel quite right...

[Fangstrike]

Why does Elesia sound familiar? I'll admit, at first I thought it was Ciel, but that doesn't feel quite right...

AU explains everything. Though I'm interested to see how different this Elesia is to canon. Still not my favorite TH heroine.

And a Shiki Tohno not completely batshit? Interesting... Has he tamed Roa or is Roa simply laying low?

[Techlet]

Has he tamed Roa or is Roa simply laying low?

There should be an ass suppression joke in there somewhere.

[deviatesfish]

Hehe. You said ass.

[mangafreak7793]

Hurray for new chapter.

[VelspertheCat]

*****

The small boy glanced shadily from one side to another. His eyes, which he had once cursed the world for granting him, were proving to be more useful to sneaking around than he had thought. A faint echoing noise caused the boy to crouch low and hang near the walls of the doorway he was ghosting near.

Shiki turned towards the noise, squinted, and stared hard at the walls in between him and the source of the noise.

The scribbling lines almost jerked to attention. They swarmed around the point in the walls that he was intently gazing at. The young boy let out a ragged sigh as his head throbbed with agony, but he kept his gaze focused.

The walls began to dissolve from the point he was focusing on. A transparent haze settled over the walls. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't the reality – yet. But the ruined walls with missing chunks and rotten wood he was looking at were definitely the future.

Shiki quickly blinked his eyes as he spotted a figure moving around on the other side of the wall. The world of patchwork ruin vanished behind his eyelids. He somehow knew he'd cross a line if he gazed upon a living being the same way.

'But I know I can't go there now...' Shiki thought. He turned and raced down the opposite side of the hall.

The boy rubbed at the center of the back of his head. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use his sight so intensely again for today. The paper slippers on his feet glided across the linoleum of the halls. Occasionally he'd open a door and sneak into a room or two when he heard the noisy and heavier footsteps of the adults in the halls.

Shiki grinned as he spotted an exit. Time to go visit Aoko and Elesia for the day.

*****

“Aoookkkkoooo-saaan~” Shiki drawled out in a happy tone. The boy had his arms stretched out wide for a hug and his eyes half squinted against the light of the sun high above.

A fist greeted his forehead instead.

Shiki instantly reacted to the attack by curling up into himself in a ball. “Ow!” The boy whined as he clutched at his head. “Why are you so meeean?” He imitated his previous singsong tone.

The auburn haired woman looked decidedly unimpressed from where she was staring down at him. “Your head is pretty thick, isn't it?” Aoko murmured, shaking her left hand slightly. Elesia, who had been gazing down at the hillside intently, spared a moment to glance over at the woman and boy.

“You got another person tracking you, Shiki-chan. I'm going to have to give you 60 points today.” She glanced over to the hillside, and Shiki could have sworn her blue eyes glowed.

Shiki sprang to his feet and dashed over towards Elesia's side. He gazed downwards at a confused looking burly man in the hospital's uniform.

Shiki held his breath. The man looked directly upwards at them for a few moments. After a few agonizingly long moments, the staff member merely blinked. The hospital staff member shook his head before he turned and headed back to the facility.

Aoko moved up next to Shiki and Elesia and looked down. “You're not very good at being sneaky, Shiki.” She bluntly began. Shiki's head dipped down for a few moments. “But I guess you can always practice with our help.”

“We're experts in running away from people after our hides.” Elesia chirped such an outrageous thing with a faint smile.

Aoko grimaced.

Shiki wasn't quite sure what they meant by that, but he smiled anyway. Both women's attitudes put his own worries aside. “Uhm...if I can't call Aoko-san by her name...” The boy quickly tensed up and let the words fly from his mouth in a jumble. He could already see Aoko winding up for another bop. “Can I call you Sensei, then?” He blurted in one rush.

Elesia laughed with delight as Aoko reacted like she had just been suckerpunched in the gut.

“A-another one?” Aoko whispered to herself. Her skin went pale as she trembled slightly.

Shiki pouted heavily at the negative reaction, but he caught Elesia's wink. The blue haired woman moved behind Shiki and laid her hands on his shoulders before she continued.

“Just keep calling her Sensei. It's super duper effective against her.” Elesia held the mirth in her tone in check as she concluded. “In fact, we should sing her the Sensei Song. She's been way too grumpy lately.”

“Ooh?!” Shiki perked up. He turned his eyes over towards Aoko. The woman held up her hands in a warding gesture. Something deep within the boy demanded he not pass up the opportunity presented to him.

Aoko shook her head, sending her long hair swaying in the summer breeze. “T-that isn't fair!” She blurted as she took a step back.

“Ready?” Elesia breezily ignored the other woman.

“Yes!”

“Well then, follow after me!” The blue haired woman promptly led Shiki into a nonsensical song as both of them began to skip around an increasingly put upon looking Aoko.

But at no point did she tell either of them to stop.

*****

The afternoon begun well. Shiki hadn't needed to use his weird eyes to sneak his way outside, and Elesia had given him 70 points.

Shiki still wasn't entirely sure what the points meant, but the blue haired woman had promised him that he'd be able to trade them in for a special prize some day. He really hoped he could get something awesome. Or at least be able to use them to be able to call Elesia Sensei someday too. Shiki wasn't really sure if it was right to call an adult 'Senpai'.

The other reason the day was looking bright was because Shiki had finally managed to sneak out a popsicle stick from the hospital. It was just thin enough so he could really show off to both Sensei and Senpai.

Shiki gave both women a bright smile as he released their hands.

“What are we doing here, Shiki?” Aoko wondered. “You usually just want to lie back in the grass.” She faintly accused the boy.

Elesia shook her head. “It must be a real important reason Shiki-chan wanted to bring us here.” She offered the young child a smile. “Isn't that right?” Elesia encouraged Shiki.

The boy eagerly nodded as he drew out a popsicle stick.

Shiki began to explain himself on seeing the bemusement in both of the women's eyes, “I was thinking about why I was able to find you two.” The boy held the popsicle loosely in his hand. Best not let it slide into his palm's lines by mistake. “And I realized why – it's my eyes!” He triumphantly announced with an eager nod.

Both Elesia and Aoko traded a silent look.

“Well...that could be...Shiki, what are you doing?!” Aoko words shot up in alarm. Elesia tensed as Shiki turned the popsicle stick on the thin, reedy looking tree he had brought them to, and in one swift motion slashed through one of the tree's central lines.

The tree let out a wobbly creak before tumbling over and crashing loudly to the ground. Leaves crunched, branches snapped, and a loud thump rumbled together in a terrible symphony. Birds loudly started at the sound and rushed away from nearby trees, afraid of having their homes face the same fate while they were in them.

Shiki turned towards the two women with a proud look in his eyes.

“Amazing, isn't it? I can cut anything easily, as long as it is somewhere where I can see the scribbles. No one else can do this, right?”

“Shiki!” Aoko rushed up and loudly smacked Shiki across the cheek.

Shiki let out a gasp of shock as he let his popsicle stick go. The boy's hand rushed up to gently cup his cheek, eyes watering as he glanced at Aoko in betrayal. Shiki glanced over at Elesia, but she had a hint of coldness in her eyes. The blue haired woman closed her eyes and shook her head.

Guilt struck Shiki in his gut.

“I..I just wanted to show you two what I could do...” Shiki had a hitch in his voice. Both women stared at him. No...past him. Shiki turned to face the tree he had cut down, and the terrible sensation mounted as he saw two birds hop around the tree. Their chirps as they inspected the tree sounded mournful to the boy.

He realized that he was beginning to sob.

“...I'm sorry.”

“-Shiki.”

Shiki felt a gentle, warm feeling envelop him. Aoko had stepped up from behind him. The woman's long limbs tightly embraced the boy as she settled her head down on top of Shiki's head. Moments later, Elesia moved next to Shiki.

“There's no need to apologize.” Aoko whispered. “It's true you did something I should be angry at you for, but it's definitely not your fault.”

Elesia knelt down so she was level with Shiki. She gently reached forwards and began wiping away the tear running down Shiki's blue eyes. The hint of coldness in her demeanor had vanished as she offered Shiki a sad smile.

“We have to tell you now, though. Before you make a mistake you'll never be able to take back.” Elesia's words caused Aoko to tighten her hold on Shiki. By this point, the two birds that had been hopping around the tree had turned towards the humans, offered a chirp, and had flown off. “Please don't hate Aoko...you can hate me. She has to be cruel because I've done terrible things before.”

Shiki slowly shook his head. The guilt from before was being replaced by disbelief. “I can't hate either of you! Sensei and Senpai would never cause me to hate them.” He mumbled in shock. Shiki's chin dipped a bit towards his chest as he flushed.

“Now then....tell me about those scribbles.” Aoko prompted.

Shiki then began to tell both women about the jagged black lines that he could only see. By the time he had concluded, Elesia looked pale and Aoko's embrace had tightened.

“What you're seeing....is something that should never be seen by anyone or anything. Everything in existence has points where they are most easily broken.” Aoko solemnly began.

Shiki's confusion was profound, and the boy merely blankly looked up at the auburn haired woman. Elesia, noticing how confused the boy was, offered him a wan smile.

“Your eyes can see the future, Shiki-chan.”

Shiki remembered how he had seen the walls in the hospital rot before his intense gaze. Allowing him to look past them briefly to look at the patrolling staff. “Like how the wall was and wasn't destroyed?” He wondered.

“Yes...those are the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.”

Aoko gave Elesia a sharp glance, but the blue haired woman remained stoic in the face of the woman's silent rebuke. She turned to draw Shiki's attention back to her. “You don't need to know more than that. The principles will become clear to you as they become needed someday.”

“I...don't really understand, Sensei.” Shiki's naivety made both women's hearts ache.

'Is this why we ran across you, Shiki?' Aoko thought to herself sadly. 'Is it my turn now to mentor someone with those cursed eyes?'

“Shiki-chan...” Elesia took both of the boy's hands in hers. A fearful, zealous light entered the blue haired woman's eyes. “You have to make me a promise, okay?” She squeezed his hands. “Promise me that you'll never cut those lines on a whim or as a joke. Power like the kind we have...it can make us lose our sense of connection with the world. We'd start taking other's lives too lightly.” Elesia thickly whispered to the boy. “So please...promise me that you'll take care not to abuse your power, alright?”

“Y-yes, Senpai.” Shiki trembled slightly. His words seemed to bring Elesia back to herself as she blinked. She shook her head as she sadly moved away. An indecipherable look was on Elesia's face as she stared at Shiki.

Aoko gently ran a hand through Shiki's hair as she moved away. “Good...don't ever forget what you felt here today, Shiki. I'm sure that if you stay as sincere and kind, you'll find happiness.” Her statement caused Shiki to finally respond.

“But Sensei...I'm worried. I've already had my nails sink into things just on accident. Plus more lines appear if I focus too hard. Wouldn't my surroundings come undone around me if I make a mistake?”

In response, the auburn haired woman lifted a finger up and wagged it at him tauntingly. “I'll be able to help you with that, though.” Aoko chimed with a tiny grin. “Shiki, I'll give you a very special present tomorrow. I'll give you your old life back, the one you had before your accident.”

*****

It was one week to the day from meeting Sensei and Senpai.

Aoko and Elesia arrived on the grassy hill. Each of them was carrying one suitcase in one hand. Elesia was no longer wearing her own glasses. Her large, round eyes were a few shades lighter than Shiki's own.

Aoko held onto a rounded set of glasses in her other hand. Both women offered Shiki warm smiles, and the auburn haired woman stepped forward to offer Shiki the glasses. The boy carefully trotted up to Aoko and gently took the glasses from her hands.

“Here. Put these on and those scribbles won't be visible anymore.”

Shiki glanced at the glasses in his hands in wonder. A stray thought crossed his mind, though.

“But I don't need glasses.”

Elesia chuckled. “Neither do I.” She smirked at Shiki and gave him a wink. “The Mystic Eye Killers don't have magnification. They'll just help you control your special abilities.” Elesia held up her free hand and puts it over her forehead like a visor. “On and off, see?” She lowered her palm over her eyes and then back up with a tiny grin.

“Oooh...” Shiki nodded. He could already see that the lines weren't appearing within the circle of the glasses, and quickly donned them. The boy let out a whooping cheer as all the lines on the top of the hill completely vanished, including the ones that had surrounded both women. “You did it, Sensei! The lines are completely gone – it's just like magic made them go away!” He shrieked joyously as he wrapped his arms around Aoko.

Both of them nearly went down in a sprawl due to Shiki's overabundant energy.

The woman let out a sheepish laugh as she flushed a bit. “W-well, of course. I am a sorceress, after all.” Aoko thrust her chest out proudly.

Elesia smirked faintly, causing the auburn haired woman to give her a pout. Aoko let out a tiny sigh as she set down her suitcase. “Like Elesia said, though.” Aoko gently pried Shiki off her. “The lines aren't really gone. I just kept them hidden. Once you take the glasses off, you'll be able to see them again.”

Shiki glumly nodded.

"Yes. That's the one thing that cannot be fixed. Your only choice is to keep living your life and do your best with the eyes you have now." Aoko continued.

"...No. I don't want these scary eyes. If I cut those lines again, I'll end up breaking my promise to Elesia." Shiki glanced away, feeling rebellious.

"Oh, you mean never cutting the lines again?” Aoko snorted. “Silly, you can break that promise whenever you like."

"...Really? But both of you said it was something I shouldn't do."

Elesia glanced away. She looked a bit shamefaced. “Shiki...I would like for you to not abuse your power, but it's ultimately not my decision, is it?” The woman mumbled. Shiki looked over at her. “Your eyes are a gift...a terribly unique one.”

Aoko gave Elesia an encouraging nod before catching Shiki's attention. “No one has any right to judge you for using your gift.” She offered him an understanding smile. “There's always meaning behind the powers God has granted us.”

“There will be a day when you'll need them.” Elesia glanced at Shiki with tears in her eyes. “Don't turn away from them...if only for your own safety.”

Aoko squatted down so she was level with Shiki's face. “Live true to yourself. Become a man in the manner you think is right.” She whispered to the boy before setting her hands on his shoulders and gently squeezing Shiki. “I know that in ten years, you'll become a great man.” Aoko announced with all the confidence in the world.

With that said, Aoko stood up and picked up her suitcase. She gave a glance over at Elesia. Her expression turned thoughtful.

“A word of advice, though. Special powers attract other special powers. Make sure you weigh your choices carefully before using your eyes.” Aoko nodded and began to walk towards Elesia. Shiki's heart began to rapidly beat.

“Wait!” Shiki blurted, feeling something was wrong with this parting. He jogged towards the two women. “I...I can't do it alone. I was about to break down all by myself. I was so...afraid. I could only become normal because I had you two with me!”

“Don't say such things, Shiki-chan.” Elesia's blue eyes flashed with displeasure.

“It's not good to tell lies you yourself don't even believe, Shiki.” Aoko glanced over her shoulder at the boy with a neutral look. “It'll make whoever hears you sad.”

“Only you can choose who you'll be, Shiki-chan.” Elesia firmly continued. “No one else can do it for you.”

“This is goodbye, Shiki. Listen...life isn't easy; it's a long, hard, rocky road, filled with many pitfalls.” Aoko smirked. “You have more power than most do to get through it, though. So pull yourself together.”

Shiki firmed his stance. His eyes, now a dull shade of gray behind his glasses, stopped shimmering as he furiously rubbed at his nose. “Then...goodbye, Sensei.” Shiki bravely attempted to keep a firm tone in his voice.

“That's right...that confidence will get you far.” Aoko grinned. Elesia nodded approvingly at Shiki. “A solution will always present itself if you have the heart and will to see it through to the end.” The auburn haired woman laughed happily.

“Oh god, don't start on that.” Elesia mumbled. She sniffed as she wiped away a few tears of her own.

“Hee. I like it, though.” Aoko singsonged as she rested her suitcase lightly against her upper back. She began to walk away with a hint of swagger to her.

Elesia offered Shiki one last intense look. “Goodbye, Shiki-chan. Live a happy life.” Her grip on her own suitcase was tight, making her knuckles pop out of her fists.

“Goodbye, Senpai.” Shiki trembled. Yet his voice didn't fail him.

“Ah...100 points for you today, Shiki-chan.” Elesia quickly swept in and lightly pecked Shiki on the forehead. She quickly swept away and rushed away after Aoko, glancing back at Shiki once in a while as both women vanished in the distance.

Wind rushed across the grassy hills.

Only a dark haired boy remained standing on the hill.

“Thank you.”

*****

It was only seven days, but they taught nine year old Shiki Nanaya something more valuable than anything else.

All that remained were many words and mysterious glasses.

Shiki felt that they would never see each other again, but the will to live was renewed. From the hospital, he was sent to live with a side branch of the family, but it was alright. Shiki would just create new ties with a new family.

Was this what it meant to be more adult?

*****

Shiki Tohno sighed. He dismissively flicked some stray blood off his hands. A thick coating flew off the claw like nails extending from his right hand onto the wall of the servant chambers. Several people stood around in a heavy daze. Many looked to be moving to attack or leap, but they had all fallen once exposed to his Mystic Eyes of Whisper.

Even his beloved sister and the demon hunter boy they had kept as a pet had been so easy to fool.

“Well, I guess there's no point to worry about you now.” Shiki mused. The quivering girl beneath him was in no position to respond – both from being charmed by his hypnosis and as she was bleeding out. “Please learn to not speak ill of your betters in the future.” The boy pondered things for a few moments, but decided to let it go. The person he had used to be seemed to have some manner of attachment to this one.

With one final gaze across the room, Shiki implanted the mental images of a pack of wolves attacking the red haired girl. He idly ran one of his shoes along the puddles of blood along the ground into the proper patterns as he started walking away, reforming his hands into a more human shape. Once he was safely away from the servant's quarters in the backyard, he released his hold over the group's mind and idly summoned forth a pair of wolves from hundreds of miles away.

The screams and shouts of anger behind him made the boy faintly smile.

'There, those two wolves will be taken down and I get some practice summoning. I wonder if they'll get her some treatment in time?'

His own perfectionism caused him distress in equal amounts.

'I'm going to have to train this body up to par.' Shiki thought with a small measure of annoyance. 'Oh well, I have a perfectly handy demon hunter on hand, I suppose.' He thought happily.

Shiki's stomach rumbled. “Oh dear. I hope they heat up some leftovers.” He quickly scurried off.

Magecraft was such taxing work.

*****

Wise up!

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception
[Cast Your Gaze Into The Void]

Owner: Shiki Nanaya and sssssschkt!

Type: Support

Rank: n/a

The ability to sort of... project the final destiny of everything...onto whatever you look upon.

What a swell power.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are actually a set of magic circuits within the eyes of the user. You can make them stronger with practice, but do you really want to improve the ability to bring down doom upon everything so easily?

On top of that ethical question, you have to consider where the magic circuits are located. While it's a bummer to blow out a circuit in your arm or leg, it's fatal if you do the same for the magic circuits behind the eyes.

There was a pretty terrible practice amongst Mystic Eye users of a long extinct clan of Demon Hunters of trying to brute force magic circuits on, but it was said that all it did was shorten the life span of the users. You don't mess with things near the veins on the brain, full stop.

At Shiki Nanaya's current level, he can easily predict and project the death of living things. The lines of death manifest across the surfaces of various creatures. He can see the lines on non-living objects like walls and doors, but he has much more difficulty doing so.

But I guess anyone would, right? How the heck does a door or wall have a 'death', anyway?

...

Is he really going to be okay...?

[Alulim]

Celebrations are in order~