Vermilion Blur

(Pt. 4) Savior

Hawks' form flinched in the sky. The large obsidian wings withdrew at the suddenness of the call.

"Hawks! Come back!"

The black feather brushed against her hand as he shot back around, vanishing among the skyline of buildings.

"I hope that was justified by something, not just a dick move."

Her brow knitted together in worry.

Then, (y/n) carefully pulled the feather around her neck. "Hope this is a gift for almost dying on my floor." Picking it up, she threaded it between her fingertips.

"It's a pretty feather, though."

Lumin rubbed his body against her calf, reminding them she needed a book for a class later that morning.

Picking the puppy up, she hurried back inside to grab a red harness and Lumin's harness. She slid them on before walking around out to the balcony.

(y/n) extended the large crystal wings to her full length. A small amount of light shone through the feathers, spreading rainbows across the blood-stained balcony. A sweet breeze ruffled the feathers.

Lumin stuck his little tongue out to let it flap in the wind. Taking the hint, she pushed both wings down hard, lifting them into the air. (y/n) let gravity hold them in its clutches, dragging them downward. For a heartbeat, (y/n)'s lips curled into a relieved smile.

Then, she pushed down at the last second, shooting up past the skyline. The wind rustled through each feather, creating a soft clank as crystals hit each other. Buildings rolled underneath while soaring higher into the sky.

She wanted to grab the textbook and leave. Going to campus or outside wasn't one of her favorite things.

"It's still early, Lumin; maybe no one will see us today. Wouldn't that be nice?"

The large (e/c) campus came into view, filled with colored sakura trees. (y/n)'s wings held still, gliding lower until she eventually touched the cold concrete. Lumin jumped from her arms, happily barking.

Cherry-colored dorms strolled, followed by the large buildings that held different classes. Large windows allowed one to peer in from the outside and see the prominent seats in the shape of bleachers. Nothing wasn't anything special about this campus except for the large older building at the center.

Bright cherry stude trees lined the sidewalks, following the central library.

(y/n) hummed while she walked beneath the falling leaves. It was still early autumn, so the pink color deepened, then died off and fell.

Her pace slowed to a stop, glancing down at her black boots and jeans. "Who do you think he was, Lumin?"

She gathered Lumin into her arms while rounding the corner towards the library.

"For some reason, I can't help but be worried for him. Even though he seems like a pureblood. It would have been cruel of me to have him die." Her pace stopped. "Then I would have committed manslaughter! Even so! I should slap the sense into him!" She huffed.

"Why am I even think-"

(y/n)'s direct train of thought was cut off by running face-first into a telephone post. As a result, her nose burned to her cheek.

"Ouch. Okay, pay better attention. Got it. He's not worth it anyways.

(y/n) rubbed the sore spot on her cheek and smeared the hot blood that dripped down.

A flier on the post hung up with a rusty nail was the culprit. Written in big letters was the word wanted and missing. It was a relatively young male, about fifteen or so. Short black hair tipped with red; two gray eyes cheerfully peered seemingly through the page right back at them. The smile alone is one she wanted to share.

He was just a human.

"Humans go missing way too often around here... It's sad. Only if I wasn't a Steki..." Her fingertips ran along the weather-worn paper. "Maybe I could have helped." But, unfortunately, the name was far too worn to register, let alone read.

The date the male went missing was four years ago. Just when (y/n) had moved to the city to start college. The face stared back, seemingly familiar, stirring an echo of memory from the depths of her mind.

A distinct ringtone was the only thing to bring her out of the trance. So she took out the phone and clicked the answer button.

Ryuu's warm voice filtered from the other end.

"Hey! Are you up yet?"

(y/n) sighed. "Yeah, our visitor set himself free this morning."

"What? He shouldn't be moving for another few days at least."

She let Lumin down and made a different way to a small student-run Cafe on campus. "You should tell him that. He took off at dawn. And didn't bother with a thank you."

On the other end, a dish clanked. "Are you at work? Can we get something on your break before I head to the library if you want?"

"W-what?" Another dish clanked.

"Yes, fool. You're my friend too, not just Saki."

"Sure. You got an eta?"

(y/n) glanced at the sun, "probably about 5 minutes."

Ryuu said goodbye with a happy tune and clicked off. Then, putting the phone away, she went down to the tiny Cafe.

It took time to reach. It was an old-fashioned building with a modern twist inside. (y/n) picked up Lumin and walked in.

It smelled of Cake and was relatively empty. In the corner were two Mutants. A black Leopard and a dragon. The other was an Avain. Sharp gray eyes stared intently at (y/n) as she walked up to the counter.

Mutants were the most extensive race there was. They were extending to more than half the planet's population. Avains like this girl and (y/n) came in second.

"Ryuu, you here?" She called. After a second, his head poked around from the corner. He pulled a flour-covered apron off and pushed (y/n) to an empty booth opposite the others.

"I've got thirty minutes."

(y/n) smiled warmly as she hooked an arm around his neck. "Good! Fool!" Ryuu smiled back, reminding (y/n) of the poster she had not seen ten minutes ago.