Cruel Clocks

Chapter 2

He was running across fields of green grass and yellow dandelions, kicking a ball in front of him. Its black and white colors contrasted against the ground yet looked as if it belonged. The pulses of energy and power coming from the child behind him should have worried him, but he trusted the young boy too much to even get concerned.

Dodging left Endou maneuvered the ball behind him, the boy stumbling forward. Orange eyes flashed in surprise. Not to be undone, the boy twisted and turned, catching up to Endou. In the scuffle that followed Endou fell to the ground, 'oof'ing. The boy smiled a little, walked over to him and pulled him up.

Endou laughed. "Ne, Tsurugi, you're good!"

Tsurugi didn't answer, his smile almost mocking in nature as his eyes turned pitch black. His skin cracked like porcelain, the pale hue turning gray and brittle. Endou touched him only to find that he crumbled under his fingers, fading away so quickly as everything turned black... Shadows inched across the field and chased him, crawling scaling creeping slithering and swallowing him in its wake--

Endou woke up with a start, shuddering all over as the aftershocks of his nightmare washed over him. He shut his eyes, trying to push away the lingering bits of Tsurugi's cracked face and looked at himself if it really was all a dream and if he wasn't being swallowed by darkness...

"Endou-san!"

Tenma flew into the room, slight wisps of green wind flowing as he passed.

"Endou-san, Kidou-san finally allowed me to play with Tsurugi!"

Endou shuddered.

"What's wrong, Endou-san?"

Before he could answer Tsurugi walked in, soccer ball in hand, looking for Tenma.

His eyes widened when he saw Tenma and he stood beside him, handing him the soccer ball. He almost seemed to blush as he did so. Endou, still shaken by his dream, grasped the android's arm, feeling the slight give of the skin-like outer layer and breathed a sigh. Even if he knew it was only a reproduction, he still took refuge in the fact that his dream was just that–a dream.

"Temma, let's play soccer."

"Oh, right!" Tenma turned to Endou. "Endou-kun, can you play soccer with us?"

"Uhm, Tenma, I just woke up and I'm still feeling very sleepy right now," Endou said. "Can this wait until later?"

Tenma, noticing Endou's pale face and tense expression, nodded and invited Tsurugi to come with him outside to play. Left alone once again, Endou stared at the wall in front of him. He almost imagined that cracks were appearing on it.

Kidou, passing by Endou's room, looked inside to see Endou staring at nothing, eyes half-closed. Sighing, he stepped inside and glanced at the wall, confused, then back at Endou. He slowly tried to push him back into bed but Endou grumbled, shaking his head.

"Leave me alone..." he said.

"Sure, but lie down, will you? You're creeping me out, staring at the wall like that. What's the deal with it anyway--is it broken?"

Endou groaned. Kidou felt the urge to slap him.

"Just get up already, everyone else is. Besides, I'm going out to the town to see how things are at the institution. To dissuade suspicions. You know how all the other scientific idiots can be nowadays."

"Bring Tenma," Endou said, half-awake now.

"Are you crazy?!"

Kidou gave Endou a slight pat on the back, glanced one last time at the wall, then went out.

"Tsurugi..." Endou muttered, pushing himself off his bed.

8=8=8=8=8

"Here, Tsurugi!" 

The ball came fast but Tenma managed to catch it, then kick it back towards Tsurugi. 

"Temma, where is he going?" 

Tsurugi gazed at the form of Kidou waving at Endou and Tenma. Lingering only for a few more moments, Kidou disappeared into the shadows.