Senseless [Golden Gemini]

"Ahhhhh-bade-bade-ahhhhh!"

The ritual chants echoed through the silent forest, driving away birds and sending animals into hiding. In the midst of the trees, a circular line was drawn on the ground, and at its center sat six-year-old Yuki. He was dressed in white, the thin fabric swaying with each gust of wind.

He sat on a wide wooden table, his back straight, staring blankly into the void.

"Ahhhhh-bade-bade-ehhhhh!"

Five people surrounded him, dressed in white tops and long red skirts. Their faces were hidden behind white masks, revealing only their narrow eyes, which seemed to glimmer with amusement at his suffering.

They moved in circles around him, waving their hands in the air, chanting words he could not understand. Occasionally, he felt their hands brush against different parts of his body—touches as light as air yet leaving a sting on his skin.

Yuki remained steadfast, enduring the pain and hardship of the ritual. He forced himself to push aside the agony and exhaustion as the strangers' chants and cries filled his ears. Day after day, these sounds carved themselves into his mind until pain, secrets, and the reality of his difference became ingrained in his very being.

Despite the repetitive nature of the ritual, only two things ever changed: his mother's clothing and the expression she wore while watching him from afar. Sometimes she wept, sometimes she seethed with anger, and other times she was gripped by fear—all emotions directed solely at him, at the young Yuki.

More than ten years later, Yuki still could not understand his mother's fear. Because before he even turned seven, the rituals and ceremonies had stopped. Everything had returned to normal.

Or had it?

"Ah, shit!"

Yuki grabbed Sho by the collar, forcing him to stop what he was doing. They locked eyes before Sho shook his head and pressed the cotton ball against the side of Yuki's lip again.

"Just endure it. You don't want to go to the hospital, right?"

Yuki rolled his eyes. "And would it hurt any less if I went to there?"

"How should I know?! Maybe?"

Sho suddenly squeezed Yuki's bruised arm.

Yuki yelped, punching Sho in the chest.

"What the hell?!"

"Stop being so dramatic!"

"Oh, you little—!" Yuki immediately pinched Sho's ear, making him scream in pain and pull away.

Sho stood up, but Yuki had no energy to chase after him. His entire body ached, thanks to Simon.

A busted lip, a swollen arm, and a sprained ankle—on top of that, his wonderful nurse, Sho. He was definitely skipping school for the next few days...or maybe not.

He shot a sharp glare at Sho before exhaling and collapsing onto the sofa, pressing his fingers against his throbbing lip.

"It hurts," he muttered irritably, Simon flashing on his mind once again. He should have beaten him back, that bastard!

He let Sho return to his side to finish treating his wounds while he stared blankly at the turned-off TV in Sho's living room, his mind drifting back to what had happened just an hour ago.

"Yuki?"

A tall man with incredible features yanked him away from Simon. A strong musky scent and soap evaded his nose. He felt the hot fingers firmly grasping his arms. The man's sudden appearance made him spiral to a confusion.

"Yuki!" Sho had immediately yanked him away from the man upon arriving. Yuki remembered Simon, who was now getting up from the ground.

His uniform was even dirtier now, with scratches on his arm. Yuki's gaze flickered between the two men who had just arrived.

One wore a simple white T-shirt and pants, while Sho was in a sleeveless shirt and jogger pants. Both were tall, making Yuki feel like a child hidden in their shadows.

Simon took a step back but remained defiant.

"Who are you? What's your relationship with Yuki?"

No one answered. Yuki grabbed Sho's arm and pointed at Simon.

"He was chasing me. I don't know what he wants."

Sho's expression darkened as he positioned Yuki behind him. "Stay here."

Yuki nodded and shrank further behind Sho. He peeked out but found himself locking eyes with the stranger.

His lips were slightly parted as he stared at Yuki. Yuki swallowed hard, suddenly embarrassed by the intense gaze and quickly looking away.

"What do you want from Yuki?"

"I just need to ask him for a favor. Yuki, please help me."

"Hey, don't talk to him, talk to me!" Sho challenged. "What kind of favor? You just beat him up! You should be grateful we're still inside SanRec, or else I already sent you flying."

Simon's eyes widened at the mention of the school's name as if coming to his senses. He glanced around at the students watching from afar, none of whom dared to interfere.

"Well? Speak up! Hey! Hey, coward!"

Simon bolted out of the school in panic.

"What?! Running away? Are you scared? Do you have a thing for Yuki, huh?!"

Thwack!

"Ow!" Sho clutched his arm.

"Stop it. He's gone."

"I was just trying to scare him. And look at you!"

"Ow!" Yuki recoiled when Sho pinched his bruised arm. "Why would you f×cking do that?!"

"I was checking if you were okay!"

"You can clearly see the bruise!"

"Sorry! Where else does it hurt?"

Yuki rolled his eyes and checked his body. He pointed at his lip and foot.

Sho cursed, knelt, and turned his back to him. "Come on, let's get you patched up."

Yuki huffed and reluctantly climbed onto Sho's back, pinching his neck out of irritation.

"Yuki, if you don't behave, I'll make you crawl your way back home!"

"Try it."

"Yuki?"

Their bickering was interrupted by the tall man, whom they had forgotten was still there.

Yuki frowned. The man was still staring at him intently.

"Who are you? Are you Yuki's classmate?" Sho asked.

"No, but—"

"Then what do you want? You did help earlier."

Sho whispered to Yuki, "Get off me already, you're heavy—Ow!"

Yuki pinched his side before turning back to the man.

"Well? Are you going to answer or not?"

"No... I mean—"

"Huh?"

"I mean, are you really Yuki?"

Yuki raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior. "Which Yuki are you looking for? What's the family name?"

"I don't know..."

"So just any Yuki?"

"Yes..."

Yuki scanned him from head to toe. Tall, a bit skinny, pale, with extremely sharp eyes. Thin lips and a well-defined nose. Now that Yuki looked closer, his nose and the area under his eyes seemed red.

Was he crying?

"Look, I don't know which Yuki you're searching for, but I'm certain we don't know each other."

"We don't... But my brother does."

"Your brother?"

The man nodded slowly.

He nodded slowly.

"Who exactly—"

"Mr. Ralez!"

They all turned toward the teacher rushing in their direction.

"Oh, thank goodness! Can we leave now, Yuki?"

"Yeah, yeah! Uh, we're leaving. Thanks for the help earlier," Yuki said before quickly making his exit before the teacher could reach them.

"It's done," Sho said as he began tidying up the mess.

Yuki exhaled deeply and collapsed onto the sofa. "Thanks."

"Sure! Are you going to sleep? You should rest. It looks like you haven't properly recovered since what happened with your schoolmate."

"Yeah."

Yuki closed his eyes and sank into the softness of the sofa. He could feel his exhaustion weighing down on him. With Sho there, he knew he had someone watching over him.

"Is he still showing up?"

Yuki slowly opened his eyes at Sho's question but didn't have the energy to meet his gaze. He could sense Sho standing in front of him, hands on his hips, staring down at him.

"Yuki."

"Yeah, it does."

Silence settled between them. After a moment, Sho's hand gently brushed against Yuki's forehead. The touch was calming, and Yuki couldn't fight off the darkness pulling him under.

"Don't worry. I'm just right here. You're safe."

When Yuki opened his eyes, he was inside his dream. He was sitting in the same place where the ritual had once centered around him.

He was still wearing the same white and red robes. The trees stood around him, the wind was still, and the animals were silent.

He waited for what felt like an eternity until he finally heard the familiar sound.

Cling! Cling!

From the dark depths of the forest, the silhouette of a tall figure emerged. It walked slowly toward him.

Cling! Cling!

With each step, two bells chimed in rhythm. But it was too dark to see what was creating the sound.

"Come closer," Yuki called out, as the figure stopped just before stepping into the light.

It remained motionless. With a heavy heart, Yuki stood up.

Fine, I'll go to you.

Barefoot, he walked toward the shadow. The long fabric of his robe brushed against the ground. His heart pounded in his chest.

He had no idea who—or what—stood in the darkness. But he wanted to know the face behind his dreams.

Yuki stopped right in front of the shadow. But even under the light, it remained pitch black.

He lifted his hand to touch its face. It was rough, hot, and dark. The figure felt like it was made of coal.

"Who are you?"

Crack.

It suddenly moved, causing parts of its body to shatter. Yuki watched as what should have been its mouth split open. Chunks of blackened coal fell to the ground, until at last, it spoke.

"Help."

Yuki gasped and stumbled backward. That voice…

"Simon?!"

"Yuki, help me."

The man in his dream was Simon?!

"W-Why? Why do you need my help? What do you really want?!"

Crack!

Its hand reached out for him. Yuki stepped back, his fear mounting.

I need to wake up!

"They're going to kill me. Help me."

"Who?! Aren't you the murderer? You're the one who killed Holy!"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Simon shook his head frantically. More coal rained to the ground as his body crumbled, yet he seemed desperate, completely unbothered by his decaying form.

He kept advancing toward Yuki, who had retreated to the center of the ritual circle in an attempt to escape. Yuki hugged himself, trembling.

"It wasn't me… It wasn't me, Yuki… It wasn't me… Please help me…"

"Go away, Simon! I don't know why you're asking me for help! I can't help you, so leave me alone!"

"Yuki, please… You're the only one who can save me…"

Yuki shook his head violently. His fear of Simon was overwhelming, yet it felt impossible to wake up. He was terrified of what Simon might do, of his appearance, of his desperate plea.

"SHO!!! Sho! Sho!!!"

Gripping his head, he screamed at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed throughout the forest.

He could barely breathe when Simon's burning hand reached for him. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the searing pain.

Then, suddenly, a powerful force slammed into the space between them.

Boogsh!

Yuki's eyes flew open, his breath ragged.

"Yuki." A deep voice, seemingly from the earth itself, called his name.

Before him stood a massive wolf. Its fur was as white as snow, and its eyes burned a deep crimson red. The area around them was illuminated by the radiant aura emanating from the beast. A sense of peace immediately washed over Yuki.

He quickly spotted Simon's crumbling body near a distant tree. His coal-like form had shattered completely, with wisps of smoke rising from what remained.

Yuki bit his lip, forcing himself to stand. His legs trembled as he approached the wolf. He nearly collapsed under the weight of his own fear and exhaustion.

When he finally reached the wolf, he wrapped his weakening arms around its thick neck. Tears streamed freely down his face.

"Sho… I just want to wake up."

The wolf remained still, letting him cry as much as he needed.

Minutes later, Yuki's eyes fluttered open to reality. He was still on Sho's sofa, but now Sho had moved beside him, lying down as well. At some point, Sho must have shifted in his sleep. He was shirtless, one arm draped over Yuki's shoulders while Yuki's own arm clung to his neck.

Yuki's lips trembled as he recalled his dream. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew what awaited him that day.

Fear settled deep in his gut, and he clung even tighter to the warmth beside him. Sho stirred slightly, as if sensing Yuki's distress, and pulled him closer.

In that position, Yuki eventually drifted back to sleep.