ᗯᕼIᔕᑭEᖇIᑎG ᖴᒪᗩᗰE [ Brothers Conflict ]

Chapter Eight

"Wahh! Her face, so scary! Onee-chan, protect me!!"

His obnoxious cries were not silent in the least, and Rurijo was positive that everyone in the entire goddamn apartment had heard them.

"W-Wataru-kun - !" Ema appeared to be truly surprised by his blunt comments.

"Wataru, that wasn't very nice."

A new voice had entered the picture, much more mature-sounding than the rest. Rurijo didn't even bother to see who it was; she was just standing there cross-armed and depositing an icy atmosphere around herself.

"You should apologize."

Wataru pouted with crybaby tears streaming down his cheeks, whining, "B-but Onii-chan! Look, look! Don't you see?" His tiny fingers rapidly pointed towards Rurijo's many scars, and the older's gaze immediately shifted.

" ... Oh my ... "

The shuffling of feet could be heard, and before Rurijo could comprehend just what was going on, she found herself near eye-level with a pair of soulful brown hues, staring deeply at her.

And then, ever-so slowly, a lightly-tanned hand ghosted across the edge of Rurijo's cheek. There was no warning whatsoever as that very hand gently traced over her scars; thumb skimming over them as the man murmured to himself, "Third-degree burns ... "

Rurijo was absolutely stunned at the action, and looked livid. "What the fuck do you think you're- "

His fingers wandered to her overgrown, messy bangs and then, without hesitation, the male swiftly brushed them aside, leaving Rurijo speechless and more exposed than ever.

The worst of her scars was completely visible, the hideous marking clear as day. It was grotesque and harsh, and rung massively around her eye.

Her eye.

Rurijo struggled to keep herself composed as she hurriedly slapped a hand over it, mentally cussing herself out for trembling so much. Her entire body was shaking. Shaking.

He, some fucking stranger, had seen it. Her left eye. How utterly disgusting it was.

Still pressing her hand against the area, Rurijo swore hard under her breath, and then, like a bullet, tore through the room. She ran and ran and ran, along the halls and down the stairs; trying so hard to rid of the memories flooding inside.

The flames haunted her.

Rurijo squeezed her eyes shut, expression bitter, as she turned a sharp corner.

The flames haunted her.

"Goddammit, get out of my head - "

The flames haunted, and forever they shall.

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The thick, putrid smell of blood and smoke filled her nostrils, causing her to cough so violently blood splattered out. She was sprinting as fast as her tiny, waif-like legs could carry her, each step bringing a fresh burst of agony to her feet, as she desperately searched for an escape.

There would be no one to save her. No knight in shining armour. She couldn't play the damsel in distress, oh no. She'd have to play the Prince and rescue herself.

And then, she spotted it. A window.

Bracing herself for the impact, she ran straight ahead and hurled herself in its direction; the glass smashing and shearing at her skin as she broke through. A two-storey jump, she was certainly lucky she didn't break her neck. Her outstretched ankle took most of the hit instead.

Through blurry eyes, she watched as the house began to burn down; everything engulfed in flames.

It was all collapsing, horrifyingly fast.

She never saw the debris coming.

\;◎▼◎▼◎▼◎▼◎▼◎;/

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[CHANGE OF POV]

-▼▼▼-

Ema's eyebrows knitted together, her mind still fuzzy with the shock of what just happened. A drop of sweat slid delicately down the side of her head as she re-processed the scene she'd been a witness to.

Only a few had been in the line of sight when Masaomi-san, out of nowhere, moved aside Rurijo-san's bangs. And once he did, the few who had seen, including Ema, seemed to be shocked by just how ... young she looked. Helpless, almost. Just for the briefest of moments.

And then, she saw it.

Completely unseeing, just ... there. What once was a burst of colour, now resembling a dull, pallid-hued, lifeless stone. Starkly contrasting to its twin on the right.

Rurijo's eye was completely blind.

-▼▼-

Aaand let the angst begin~~!

Kind of a dark chapter, I know. But this story isn't all puppy dogs and rainbows, so expect to see more of this kind of stuff in the future! 👌👌

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