Sunlight In the Darkness

A New Start

"Gotcha!"

John yelped as two strong arms hooked underneath his own and dragged him back towards what he knew was the main gate entrance into Wellston Private High School.

His new school.

His new school that he was not ready for.

"Knock it off, Rei!" The ravenette growled as he helplessly kicked against the scuffed sidewalk in an attempt to free himself from the mint greenette's hold. His efforts all continued to prove futile, though, as Rei was taller than he was and had been well-trained in the art of keeping-John-from-escaping techniques from years of experience.

Dammit, there was no getting out of this.

"Come on, bud. What's the matter with you?" The older male let go of his hold on the black-haired teen so he could stand properly, once again in front of the main gates to Wellston. John said nothing, only huffing in annoyance before moving his hands to dust off his new school uniform while turning his nervous golden gaze up towards the school. "You weren't like this earlier. You were so confident and determined for a fresh start here, and then when we get here you instantly try to dip. What happened?"

Rei's words were nothing more than distant whispers across John's ears as he continued to stare wide-eyed at the school ahead. This was it. He made it. He had wanted nothing more than to make it here: the school his brother graduated from and the school his sister was currently attending. But now that he had, he wasn't sure he deserved it after everything he had done.

Did monsters really deserve a second chance like this?

Rei kept his gaze fixed on the ravenette as he seemed to become absorbed in his thoughts, a frown appearing on his face when he noticed his little brother's hands beginning to tremble and pain flash across his golden orbs. The greenette's face twisted into an expression of concern.

John had been through so much starting at such a young age.

Rei had just turned nine years old when a five year old John had come out of nowhere and crashed into his legs on a quiet street on a cold winter night in New Bostin. He was on his way home from their elderly neighbor's house after helping her shovel her driveway.

The little boy fell backwards onto the sidewalk, his terrified doe eyes looking fearfully up at the young greenette who was staring back down at the younger child with just as equally widened yellow eyes.

For a second, neither boy moved, both frozen in place as Rei tried to process what the hell a boy not much older than his younger sister was doing out alone at this time of night.

Shaking himself from his shocked stupor, Rei managed to get a better look at the little ravenette who was now sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest, violent shivers wracking his small body. Alarm shot through his body as he noticed a dark crimson liquid staining the boy's hands and splattered across his white t-shirt.

The older boy knew right away that it was blood, if the coppery smell he now noticed wafting across his nose was any indication.

Something was terribly wrong.

Not really sure how to approach the situation, Rei took a few cautious steps forward towards the other boy, lips pressed into a thin line and a hand extending outwards towards him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew for a fact that he had to do something.

"H-hey, are you alright?" He stuttered out the question in an uncertain, but concerned tone as he continued to slowly approach him. The small boy obviously wasn't, but Rei didn't really know what else to say.

In that moment, the greenette stopped dead in his tracks, arm still extended outwards as the little ravenette suddenly lifted his head to look him straight in the eyes from where he had previously buried his head in his knees. The golden eyes of the boy looked haunted, desperate, and just downright exhausted.