Time Twins

Twins: Saryuu vs Beta

Hey guys!

So, I finally wrote chapter three. No prank war, sorry, that'll come later, but I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway.

~'0'~

''...why do you have sheep?''

Well, that's something Tenma didn't think he'd ever ask.

Saryuu scratched the back of his head sheepishly. ''They're not my sheep,'' he mutters in defense. ''They're Feida's.''

The brunet raises his eyebrows. ''Really,'' he says dryly. ''And who is Feida's emperor again?'' at that, the white-haired teen pointedly looks away. ''So why did Fei, Meia-san and Gillis-san allow you to keep sheep?''

Saru mutters something. When the younger boy merely looks at him in confusion, he repeats it, louder this time. ''They... didn't.'' he clears his throat, a light blush dusting his face. ''They're not exactly... aware of the sheep.''

''They're your most trusted comrades, aren't they?''

Feida's ex-emperor nods slowly.

''...does anyone know of these sheep?''

Saru winces. ''You do?''

Tenma stares at him for a single beat and then turns around and stalks away. His brother watches him go, mouth agape, and then quickly chases after him. ''Wait- where are you going?''

''To tell your friends that you have a secret sheep farm.''

''You can't!'' The older twin finally manages to catch up to his brother. ''No, seriously, Tenma- not yet! There's still a few hours left!''

That only causes the brunet's confusion to grow and he finally halts. ''A few hours left? Saryuu, what are you on about?''

The white-haired boy chuckles sheepishly, suddenly finding the wall very interesting. ''Well... about a year ago, someone challenged my authority as emperor of Feida. Said I couldn't keep a secret if my life depended on it,'' he scoffs, forgetting his embarrassment for a minute. ''Apparently, I'd reveal us all to El Dorado because it'd be less obvious if I started walking around dressed as a Christmas tree while shouting to the world that I am- was a Second Stage Child.''

''And... how exactly did this lead to the sheep?''

Saryuu scowls. ''Fei, Gillis and Meia agreed with the troublemaker. Kind of. Said I wasn't a very good liar and not a master strategist either. Also, they claimed that I'd probably ruin something by pure clumsiness if left to my own devices.''

Tenma only grows more confused. ''I don't understand... why the sheep?''

''Well,'' huffs his twin, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning – though it looks more pouting – at the ground, ''they said I couldn't hide anything from them. Said I'm as bad at keeping secrets as I would be at farming. I couldn't very well let them get away with that.''

''I... see?'' his younger brother blinks, completely bewildered as he stares at his twin. ''And what did you mean when you said there were only a few hours left...?''

Saru's face turns red, but whether it's from embarrassment or anger, Tenma doesn't know. ''I said I could totally succeed at farming and keeping secrets from them. And, well, Fei said that he'd take everything back if I managed to stay in the presence of a sheep for more than an hour without getting hurt, or messing up, or dying in some horribly humiliating way.'' He huffs again, clearly still insulted by the remark. ''Then Gillis and Meia said that they'd do the same if I managed to keep a secret from them for a year.''