/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46014878
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A good lesson to learn young is to never play with fire; it obviously burns, but it also spreads. A tiny ember, if given as much as a gust of wind, could turn into a firestorm, ready to consume everything in its path… Not that babies would understand that, but at least it's a great way to distract them.

The clock had just struck midday, meaning people began scattering—not everyone has time to spare for revolutions, mainly not the regular villager—so the golden trio was outside, bidding farewells to the remaining souls that had stuck around to hear Keine’s words… Fucking finally, I say.

Six hours and nearly fifty people to interact with? Ugh…

Never again.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor with the twins in front of me, I swung my right index around, a thin rope of flame following it and so giving 'life' to a battle between flame stickmen. Surprisingly, Aki was the one fascinated by the made-up battle, while Mochi made a valiant effort to catch the ember warriors. I laughed, twirling the fire rope around his head, showing off just to hear more of those sweet little giggles, his large eyes gleaming and wings flapping up and down.

Though the joy was short-lived, a strange, jerky feeling overtook my heart the more I watched the ropes of fire surrounding my son, eyes narrowing, limbs feeling somewhat uncomfortable—

—I imagined Aya's face dissolving in flames; Seija's screams as her half-melted eyes popped out the sockets; and her heart shrank under crushing flames.

The same flames dancing around my son…

… My wide-eyed son, reaching for them naively.

My body reacts before my mind does, as always: “No, idiot!” I shouted, slapping his hand away from the fire. The response came on quickly, those big eyes staring at me with a sudden look of horror, body flinching, wings quivering and fluffing at the unexpected blow; his teary eyes probably a great reflection of mine…

Mochi was loudly sobbing in the next moment.

“Oh, fu—sorry, sorry!” The fire war dissolved into nothingness as I swiftly embraced him, Aki watched it all unfold dumbfounded, not really understanding what was happening. Ignoring her for now, I cradled my weeping son on the bend of my neck, my features tense and brows furrowed as I planted little kisses on his tiny, hurt hand.

What the hell did I do that for?! They don't get burned by my fire; they have my phoenix blessing!

… So why did I just go and hurt my son like that…?

Frustratingly, no answer came.

After a while, Mochi stopped crying completely, his wings cutely flapping up and down at a rather cautious pace as he reached out to nibble on my hair. Aki, who must've been jealous that her brother was receiving all the attention, flew up to land on my arms, only almost crashing twice! A new record for my little girl.…

I held her just as tightly in my arms, as if to never let go.

There's no imminent danger—no Seiga or Yukari. There's no fight I wouldn't take or person I wouldn't kill to keep them safe…

… With me, they're safe.

Absorbed in my little world with the twins, a sudden soft step that I didn't recognize as Keine's closed on us, the hairs on my nape standing upright and the fire inside burning as I instinctively moved Aki away to free up my hand and violently pushed it towards the direction of the sound, a massive fireball licking my skin and ready to melt whoever was dumb enough to sneak up—

—a glimpse of brown and peachy-colored wings stopped me before I turned Mystia into fried chicken, the youkai's eyes wide with gruesome thoughts and small body jolting away from me. “Wow!” She stutters, trembling like a dry leaf, trying to recompose herself. “I-It's just me! M-Mystia!”

The flames faded away—much to the twins' dismay—and my gaze could carve stone. “Don't sneak up on people like that, bird-brain!” I feel ashamed, even though my tone is harsh: attacking one of Keine's allies like this, all because I'm a little jumpy… What’s wrong with me?

Aya's face melted away; Seija cremated until not even ash remained…

I tsked, frustrated, Mystia staring back at me, quiet and tense. “I- uh… I-I heard Mochi-chan crying, and Keine-san was busy and Suzu-san just left to go open the Suzunaan… So I came to investigate.” She sounded mortified, and it took everything in me not to exploit her pathetic display. Keine might have forgiven her, but I haven't.

A mother throwing her—my—kids to death…

In any other circumstance, I’d have her commit suicide.

Though I keep my mouth shut, my feelings are not a justification for possibly derailing Keine's plans. “Nothing to worry about, just…” I suddenly pouted, staring at a reddened mark on the back of Mochi's hand.

Mystia stared too; her frown creased. “Mokou-san, did you…?” She had judgmental eyes…

An intense, inexplicable fury suddenly welled up in my chest. “No! I didn't mean it; it was an accident! Don't look at me like that—not you, of all people!”

She looks at me in abrupt horror, and it takes a moment for me to process…

… Fuck.