feral | sting eucliffe

LXVI | SB

Episode 66: Shattered Bonds!

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THE TWO WORDLESSLY SANK into the water, both insecure about their bodies as the steam rose and covered their privates. Y/n quietly swished the liquid around in between her palms, her mind drifting to Sting. However, every time it did, it was fruitless as she looked up to view Akane's blank and distant expression.

After a few moments of looking away and looking back, the black-haired girl grit her teeth. "Will you stop glancing at me like that?" She spoke through her teeth, hissing slightly. Y/n's lips formed into a brief scowl before turning into a small frown. She stayed silent, running the water through her fingers.

Akane inhaled briefly before letting out a sigh and tilting her head up. She brushed back her straight bangs, water holding it down. "I'll explain what I said earlier," Y/n's head instantly perked up. Akane's eyes narrowed, magenta orbs piercing e/c ones. "I didn't mean it in a guilty manner. You quite literally are the reason for his death." 

She peeked down at the steam, staring at it studiously. "If it weren't for his serpentine magic, he wouldn't have been able to possess Ophiuchus like that." The girl said shortly, but that didn't cure Y/n's curiosity either. Y/n snorted quietly at that, twiddling her fingers. "Obviously," Akane looked up, eyes sharpening into a brief glare.

Y/n instantly fell silent, her subordinate continuing. "You two were tested, according to him. There was a DNA exchange until there was a final match, which was the snake DNA strand. You're well aware your DNA is different from a normal human, aren't you? Nonetheless, that should explain a lot. It's why he was so aggressive towards you at the beginning."

Tears welled up in her eyes, realizing that this was the truth that Nikos had never told her. He knew she'd feel guilty, but the truth was bound to come out at some point. "He later realized you never consented to it either; you never meant to cause him such harm. Nikos slowly got over it, seeing that we were all in the same 'lost' state." Akane finished, voice growing soft.

Her eyes met Y/n's, feeling guilty when seeing the saddened expression on her older sister's face. "He doesn't want you to feel guilty about this; I'm sure about it. He was scared to tell you himself, but I think it's something you should know," She moved towards Y/n slowly, embracing her. Wrapping her arms around her neck, Akane smiled bitterly.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Nikos wouldn't have wanted that." Tears dripped down Y/n's cheeks as the girl kept her head hung down, pulling Akane closer until their chests were touching. Akane mumbled under her breath, using the little Japanese that Nikos had taught her as a young girl. "Gomenasai, Onee-san." She couldn't help, but let tears streak down her cheeks too.

In the comfort of the onsen, the two girls cried out their worries and the nightmares of yesterday.

Finally catching up with Chase, the girls wrapped their yukatas tighter around themselves. Y/n wished for the familiar feeling of her cloak while Akane longed to be back in her sweater, missing the woolly comfort already. "Took you long enough," He quietly muttered, looking over at the two and grabbing two warm plates.

Handing it to them accordingly, the three took their time when it came to piling food onto their plates. Chase seemed to know where their table was already, leading the girls to it before taking a seat as the others sat across from him. Snapping their chopsticks in close unison, Chase took a brief moment to look at his food.

"I'm sure you're still scared over the reveal, Y/n," His comment made her head shoot up, the realization that everyone else except her knew. She stayed silent, pursing her lips and swallowing back whatever harsh words were about to slip past her mouth. "You heard us?" Akane seemed to be irritated, tapping her chopsticks twice.

He looked up with a slight smirk, looking at Akane smugly. "Someone had to protect the peephole from dirty perverts." He quirked a brow at her, making her roll her eyes and scoff in a disgusted manner. Personally, she wanted that personal conversation to remain personal. However, Chase had quite a talkative and word-vomit persona.

Chase began speaking. "However, just know that it clearly isn't your fault. Both of you were incapacitated, and it was your DNA, but—" Akane stood up abruptly, scowling harshly as she glared at him powerfully at his careless statements. "—Chase!" She scolded him, watching as her older sister suddenly stood up from the table as well.

She pushed her chair back, feet landing on the ground as she attempted to remain levelheaded. "I think I'll go see Sting," The girl spoke quietly, retreating to the room silently. Akane shot another cold look towards their superior, growling under her breath. "Look what you did, you inconsiderate scumbag. Aren't you a fucking great leader?"

She cursed at him repeatedly, catching other staffs' attention. However, their eyes and ears fell on something else instantly as a roar resounded followed by the padding of paws. As Chase nearly knocked the stuff off the table and Akane trailed after the sound, the two were met by startled workers, a large scratch mark across a shoji door, and large tiger prints.

Knowing exactly what happened, Akane grabbed a steaming cup of green tea that a lady was carrying. Pressing it against his chest to the point that the precious china shattered, Akane held no mercy. "This is all your fucking fault, you bitch!" Just as quick as her older sister had left, Akane was gone.

Two flashes of light passed; one to their room that harbored her sweater and one located outside. Soon enough, she disappeared and the only remnants of that night were Chase's steaming yukata, a group of shocked workers, dirtied food, and a ruined shoji door. Frozen and staring at what could've been amended, a dull look filled his usually fiery eyes.

As the burns and stress of it all hit him, his eyes rolled backward, seeing black as he crumpled to the floor.