Euphoria

Chapter Nine

Despite his earnest effort to remain quiet Subaru cursed, his left hand crushing the armrest as he leaned forward. The smell of chemicals was overwhelming, and the red, blue, and green colors that filled the tubes of the contraptions on the desk did nothing to ease his discomfort. He grit his teeth as Reiji inserted another needle, abstracting a tiny portion of the poison from his arm. 

"If you were more diligent this wouldn't have happened," Reiji said, stepping away. 

Reiji held up the needle to see the poison more clearly before he turned and emptied the contents into a small beaker. 

"There was an illusionist among them," Subaru grumbled, "He got me distracted while the kunai laced with the poison hit me. Not to mention I was dodging talisman and an annoying woman trying to hit me. That damn Ayato wasn't doing anything! He was too busy playing with that damn monster."

"Monster?" Reiji repeated. 

Reiji placed a small amount of the poison from the small beaker into a piece of glass that he slid underneath a microscope. 

"Yeah. It was weird. Some guy dripping in black stuff came out of nowhere. He was scooped up by the humans. Even Ayato couldn't kill it." 

"I see. That monster must be an experiment that the humans are conducting," Reiji said. 

He pulled away from the microscope and sighed heavily. Adjusting his glasses, Reiji began mixing a clear liquid with a pink liquid in a separate beaker, then he poured a small amount of the poison into it and stirred. 

"An experiment huh? Those damn humans never learn," Subaru grumbled.

"I have gathered all that I need from you," Reiji stated, "Go and give the Queen your report and I should have an antidote ready for you when you return. I assume Ayato is already giving his version of events." 

Subaru scowled and rose from the chair. He massaged his arm as he left Reiji's room, giving Reiji a skeptical look. It wasn't that Subaru didn't trust his brother's skills when it came to poisons, it was the fact that it was Reiji he was forced to rely on. Reiji had a habit of testing his troublesome poisons on his brothers for misbehavior, and the way his lips curled at the sight of the liquid swirling in the beaker made Subaru all the more wary. 

He left the room and shut the door behind him. His arm was numb, so much so that he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. His right arm was completely useless at his side and the urge to simply rip it from his body was strong. 

"Damn it!" He growled, punching the wall with his left hand. A small hole formed where his fist had made contact and he pulled it away and stormed down the hall. 

There were oncoming footsteps that grew louder with each passing second until a mess of purple hair came into view. It was the girl running down the hall. 

Subaru growled at the sight. The girl was disheveled and her skirt already torn. The blouse she wore practically hung off her body as the pink bra peeked out from the ripped collar. For a moment Subaru was reminded of a similar sight. A blond girl, with large sherbet colored eyes in the same position many times before. She would always look frightened and scared, yet she always smiled at him. 

He forced the memory down, swallowing the bitterness until he was firmly in the presence. It was annoying to think of her. How many times had he warned her only for her to smile and ignore him? It was a fact that any human girls who stayed in the mansion would die. 

"Oi! Watch where you're going!" Subaru snapped. 

Amber eyes glanced up at him until she forced herself to slide to a halt.