Okumura Syndicate

Chapter 26: Burning in hell

What Rou walked out to looked like the burning pits of hell, a third of the village was lit by the most deadly of flames. "Lin! I know you did this! Come out you bastard!". Lin strutted out toward Rou, forming vicious flames from both his staff and his left hand. "What do you think brother? No crime syndicate could ever get past these defences!" Lin yelled at his brother. "Defenses? This isn't a job Lin! This is my life and I have free will to follow my own path!", Rou shouted back.

"Nonsense! You were destined to fight, and fight you shall! Where's that boy?! Tell me! He's the one that should be burned to get you out of this disillusion!". Rou pushed Lin away, "I'm not telling you where he is! We worked hard to get away from YOU!". The brothers circled each other, both enraged with one another.

Both brothers charged their attacks within their staffs, continuing to walk in a circle. Suddenly Lin stopped to look in the alley ahead of him. In the corner of his eyes he could see someone with golden ginger hair. Instinctively, Lin fired at what Rou thought was him, and the icy boy dodged accordingly. However, the flames were not put out after Rou evaded the attack. He glanced ahead and noticed the fire travelling down the alley.

"KAKEI!!", he yelled at the top of his voice while running down the alley to put out the flames. Lin chased after him, but all Rou could focus on was saving his boyfriend, but by the time he got to Kakei, he was badly burned. "Rou...I think...he got me...", Kakei faintly uttered. Rou was devastated, life without Kakei would be empty, so he picked him up and stumbled out of the hut.

Lin had left, it wasn't worth his time. He knew first hand what his flames were capable of. Rou on the other hand, was clueless. Kakei was covered head to toe in burn scars, ones that would leave a permanent mark if not treated. "Kakei, I'm going to have to freeze you from the inside...I've never tried this before in the field..but it's the only thing I have!"

Rou put both hands on Kakei's chest, sending ice deep into his body. "R-rou...I feel cold...". Kakei began to lose consciousness, but Rou couldn't stop, he had to save him, with all of his might he used most of his energy to cool down the flames. Rou removed his freezing hands from Kakei's body, hoping he was still alive. "Kakei? A-are you there?". There was no answer.

Rou stroked Kakei's chin, cold as death. As the tears built up within him, he dissociated from everything around him, only seeing the unattainable goals that he once strived for, Lin maniacally laughing at the burning village, and his own mistake that caused him to freeze his lover's heart. "KAKEI!!!", he yelled once more, before sobbing intensely on his boyfriend's body.

Rou rose up, looking out at the exit of the village, letting his tears run wild. "I-I can't live like this...I can't live like this! I-I need to move forward! BUT WHERE?!". Rou gripped his staff, charging it with the power he had left. Leaping as high as he could, he formed an ice wall, 45ft tall, enough to not see the mountains beyond the town. Rou was free, but his heart ached as if were frozen as Kakei's.

Aster put his head in his hands as Fleur finished the story. "Hey elf bitch, I need a minute with Demitris, can you leave the room please?". Fleur left the infirmary to catch up with her group. "I'm sorry about earlier. Honestly I should've never made fun of you, it's just a natural coping mechanism of mine.", Aster muttered.

Demitris finally spoke after many minutes of silence. "Do you get it now? Why Rou puts up a front?", he mumbles. "I guess so. You stay here, I'll go find Rou.", Aster replies. The black haired boy stood up and looked into every room, he had to apologise.