Fire Within

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"You look like trash." Quinton would sneered at his twin who sent him a malicious grin.

"Well if I look like trash so do you. We are twins after all, you brat." He wouldn't notice the way his brother would flinch under those words.

They were walking down the sidewalk, both intoxicated by their own misery.

The two brothers hated-

No, they loved-

They didn't feel anything for each other after a while...

At least that's what they told themselves when they spoke so harshly.

It was a coping mechanism.

A silent agreement that if they couldn't save themselves, they'd never save each other.

"Stop being so rude to each other!" The youngest and the most truly happy of the siblings, Asuna Fiore yelled at her brothers.

Quinton would grab her wrist smirking. "Don't even start.. You're so annoying.." He would try to hurt her but to his surprise Asuna moved towards him slamming her elbow into his chest.

She was stronger than any of them believed.

Maximus would stop walking and would want to scold them until he saw the look on his sister's face.

She was childish.

She was naïve.

She was the happy child...

The look of disgust riddled on her face nearly made the twins move away from her.

What was that?

It was practically evil..

Practically real.

"I'm not annoying like you two idiots. I know you think I'm some stupid girl but at least I'm not pathetic." She would leave them standing there stunned.

They wouldn't know what she'd been through. Not even think about it.

She was always so happy. But even the most happy of people can have the worst pain.

"Nice going, brat." Maximus snorted forcing himself to take careful steps forward, never to chase after that broken hearted sister of his.

Quinton would stand there, shaken, before he forced himself forward.

'Asuna has been acting a bit different. Even if she seems happy..'

'Please be careful..'

The words of his mother, drilled into his head on a sick repetition, that of which he couldn't ignore. Be careful? He was always careful. Always so god damn careful.

Why the hell couldn't he be selfish?

Why couldn't anyone try to be careful with him?

Without realizing it, Maximus had turned on his heels and began running to catch up with his sister.

He couldn't do it.

Not yet.

"Asuna!" He called out unaware that his brother was walking slowly and carelessly behind him.

It figured.

Quinton had to care too, even if he tried to act like he didn't.

"Asu-" His yelling was cut short when he saw a tall male with purple hair, a bit lighter than his own.

The stranger was comforting his little sister in such a way that it startled Maximus.

He looked so natural. He even made her laugh. When was the last time, either of the twins had ever done that for her?

'Atleast I'm not pathetic..'

A sad chuckle escaped him. She had that right didn't she? Self pity was the closest thing he was ever going to get to selfishness wasn't it?

He hated-

"Ah-.. Max-nii, Quin-nii!" Asuna looked over at the twins snapping Maximus from his thoughts. She was smiling. It was that smile, she had gotten from their mother.

That pure and genuine happy smile.

That smile filled to the brim with confidence.

Was she even upset anymore? It was hard to tell when she smiled so kindly.

The stranger with her sent a smile as well. As soon as that smile was revealed, Maximus saw Quinton jolt.

His green eyes widened and something like pain flickered through his eyes.

"Sousuke..?.." Maximus spoke before his brother could much to his relief. The taller male walked towards them still smiling.

"Max. Your highest. " He grins at the pierced twin when he spoke that childhood nickname
Quinton snapped out of whatever trance he was in and calmly sent Sousuke the middle finger.

Maximus was interested in listening to the teasing when he caught the glimmer of pink hair on the opposite side of street.

Some force, call it fate or a deep infatuation, dragged his feet across the street. Zooming of cars, honking horns, did not stop his feet from blindly moving forward. His eyes were locked on that pink hair.

People cursing, his own family was freaking out. After all, he had just blindly walked into oncoming traffic.

But he was in a trance. When his feet hit the sidewalk the girl blinked.

Hisano.

"Are you some new brand of stupid?"

"Great question. Are you? Considering you are just kind of standing on the sidewalk."

"Tch.. I was thinking."

"Enlighten me."

"How far do you think you'd fall if you jumped off this building?"

"...10 feet. You'd definitely break your neck. No chance of survival."

"You think about that kind of thing often, freak?"

"About jumping off a building? Are you insinuating that I'm obsessed with this kind of thing?"

"I'm calling it. You are obsessed with something so crazy."

"Everyone is obsessed with death. We all just hide it differently."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Any normal person would have called her insane from the start.

"How do you hide it?" She would smirk determined to shield herself. He would smirk back, fire blazing within them both, for what felt like the first time.

"I don't."

"Neither do I."

They locked eyes on each other and it began.

The lies and truths.

The life and death.

The romance and the tradgedy.

"You wanna get out of here?"

"How in the hell do you change subjects like that?" She raised an unamused eyebrow. Which caused him to laugh and turn around to face her extending out his hand.

"Come on, it's just one night."

"One night?"

"One night."

Without fear yet, without trust she took his hand and they walked.

This was crazy, unheard of.

Then again wasn't it a lack of normalcy that turned off the fire in first place? Maybe it could bring it back as well.

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