Day 1: KuroMahiweek 2018 Part 1:
“Don't worry, I will be fine on my own for a few hours Kuro. You have fun with your siblings, it's not like you all get together very often after all.”
The vampire gave the lad a skeptical look, before sighing and shaking his head. Mahiru was giving him his usual sunshine smile, it was impossible to argue with the boy when he gave him THAT smile.
“I wouldn't call it fun, but I will try. Just, please, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. I don't want to come back to find that you've been kidnapped by C3 again, or by Tsubaki and his gang. Just don't leave the apartment.”
The brunet chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the bluenette’s neck, nuzzling his face into the fabric of the fluffy eared coat.
“You do realize that I basically lived alone for years, right? And that I'm the one who is always taking care of you and the others? Don't worry Kuro. I'll be fine. But if it really makes you feel better, I won't leave the apartment unless I absolutely have to. I promise.”
The immortal gave a sigh that sounded like a repressed groan, which earned a giggle from the teen. After patting the boy on the head, the crimson eyed male gently pried the lad off himself and placed a chaste kiss to his forehead.
“Fine, you're right, but then you weren't tied to a Servamp. Just be careful, and I'll be back in 4 hours alright?”
The teenager nodded and pecked the taller male’s cheek.
“Of course. I know you always worry about me, and you are only so concerned because you love me. So I hope you know how much I love you, and want you to be safe too.”
“Of course I know, ahh, this such a pain. I wish I didn't have to go, but I guess it can't be helped. I'll see you soon, Mahi.”
With that, the vampire left, leaving Mahiru all alone. Said boy glanced at the clock to find that it was 4pm, meaning his partner would be back at 8pm. So until then, he had the place all to himself.
He could do whatever he wanted, without Kuro getting in the way. He could finally do some deep cleaning of the apartment. He had already done the laundry, and the dishes were all caught up. So he just had to mop, and vacuum.
So he did, the boy grabbed his mop, a bucket, some water, cleaners, and the vacuum, then got to it.
He scrubbed the hard floors vigorously, before vacuuming the carpet. Once the floors were clean, he swapped out the tip on the vacuum and began to clean the furniture. Kuro always left crumbs and hair all over the couch, and sometimes he indulged in his cat instincts and would jump in the window to see outside, leaving fur all over the curtains.
Finally after an hour, the entire home was spotless. The youth had scrubbed the place from top to bottom. But he still had 3 hours to go until his Servamp returned. The boy sighed and dragged himself into his room to grab a book, before draping himself across the couch to read.
Sadly, the novel could not hold his attention. The apartment was too quiet, it hadn't been so quiet since before he met Kuro. There was always some kind of noise, either the TV or his video games. Sighing once more, he turned to the television, debating putting on some anime to distract himself from the absence of his partner.
In the end, he ended up turning it on, imagining Kuro slurping some noodles on the floor in front of the TV. He almost smiled at that thought, but the thought of food made him realize it was 5:15 and he hadn't started dinner yet. So the adolescent put his book down, got up, and headed for the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, he instantly went to the refrigerator to see what he had ingredients wise to prepare for supper.
“Hmm, I'm not sure what to do for dinner. Doesn't look like there's much left in here. Hey, Kuro, what do you want for dinner? Kuro?? Oh, yeah, that's right, you're not here right now.”
The boy heaved a heavy exhale of air and shook his head. It didn't matter whether the blue haired male was there or not, he had lived without him before and he could do it again. He just had to run to the market and get some groceries to make dinner with.
However, he had promised Kuro he wouldn't leave their apartment unless he absolutely had to.
“Maybe I should just order in… No. That's not healthy, and it's just as risky to give some delivery place your address these days. I am perfectly capable of going to the store on my own. Not like I've never done it before after all. Besides, I have my lead, I'll be fine even if I do get attacked.”
Nodding to himself for his decision, the teen went and slipped on his shoes, grabbed his phone and wallet, then headed out.
It took him 10 minutes to get to the store, 15 minutes to shop, and 2 minutes to check out. But once he was done and had gotten outside, he had a bit of a run in.
He didn't register when he was grabbed, or when the gun was pressed to his head, or when the citizens walking the street began to run and scream. He only registered one thought, I'm sorry Kuro, I should have listened to you. before his vision was suddenly ripped from him.
He could still hear the people yelling around him. Some were just screaming in terror as their footsteps rushed away from the scene, others were worried for him, a young boy held at gunpoint, and yelled for someone, some else, to call the police, or to do something.
It was just like when he first met Kuro, and He and his friends were in danger. But this time, he could do something. He didn't need Kuro to save him. He had been training, he had his lead, these were just some normal human robbers, not vampire's like he was used to. He could do this. He could save himself and protect these other people.
“Everyone back off or the kid gets it!” Screamed the man holding him, as they began to back into the store.
He could feel himself being pulled backwards slowly and let it happen. He just had to time it. He knew how these things went, he just had to wait for the gun to be removed from his head. Then he could strike. Briefly he registered that there were two other sets of feet marching into the store, one on each side of him, but Mahiru saw no problems with it.
As soon as he was sure they were facing the man at the register that had just rung him up, he began to summon his lead, feeling the familiar tingle as it surely gave off a soft blue glow under his wrist band. He slowly moved his hand not holding his grocery bag to grasp said wrist band.
“Alright boys, secure the store!”
The two goons on his sides scattered at those words, screaming at the shoppers in the building to get on the ground and not pull any funny business. Little did they know, that the one being held at gunpoint was the only one in the place foolhardy enough to pull any “funny business”.
“Okay bub, hand over all the money you got in that register or the boy gets a bullet through the brain.”
“B-but if I do that, I'll get fired. I'm sorry sir, but I can't.”
“Huh? What do you think this is? We ain't playin any games mister! I'm serious! Or would you rather I shoot you? Money in the bag now!”
As soon as he felt the gun disappear, he quietly pulled off his wristband. Once he heard the cashier stutter and plead for him to not shoot and to put the gun away because he had a wife and child, Mahiru knew he was in the clear.
He quickly dropped the wristband into his grocery bag and slammed his foot down on the crook's.
“Everybody run for it now!” He screamed as he yanked off the blindfold, threw his bag down, and summoned his broom.
Immediately, several pairs of feet began to rush around, two of them being the lackeys of the man with the gun, running to his aid. Other being the the cashier and customers who fled the building.
“You little brat! What do you think you're doing?! Do you want to die?! Cause if so, then let me help ya!”
With no further warning, the man raised his weapon and fired a single shot right at the boy’s heart, only to be blocked by the black and blue broom in front of the youth.
Mahiru quickly realized it was only one gun he was dealing with. The other two men, simply held switchblades.
“Alright, you three have two options, either you turn yourselves in to the police, or we fight and I take you to the police after I win. Honestly, I don't want to hurt you guys, so it would be simplest if you just turned yourselves in.”
The three men across from him, radiated confusion and anger, he couldn't tell what they looked like under their black ski masks, but the man with the gun was the tallest by far. The two goons were both shorter, one was really skinny, like a twig, the other had a bigger build, more muscular, he probably had experience in fighting. He would have to watch that one.
“What the hell kind of game are you playing kid? You think you can take us? With what weapon? That broom? HA! Don't make me laugh. Get ‘im boys!”
Suddenly, the two knife wielders charged forward, the muscular one slashing at his cheek, which he quickly blocked, only to get his upper left arm slashed by the skinny one. The brunet grunted and leapt back, clearly he couldn't fight two at once, and who knew how long the one with the gun would be content to stand and watch for. He had to come up with a plan.
Before he could figure anything out, the skinny one rushed him again, swinging his knife wildly. None made contact, but they kept Mahiru on the defensive. Finally, when one of the wild strikes caused the thin man to swing too low, he was able to trip him and smack him in the side with his broom as the man fell, sending him flying out the open doors of the shop.
He quickly whipped his head around just in time to see the bigger built man rush at him. He was correct in assuming this man had experience, the guy constantly kept both arms up. His right arm that held the knife was raised and held further out to attack, while his left was slightly raised just enough to be held in front of his chest, ready to block any attack.
This one could be a problem.
Before the man could rush the boy, a shot rang out through the store, it soared right past the lad’s head, clipping a few strands of hair as it flew past.
“You fight him up close, if it looks like you can't handle it, I'll jump in and provide cover fire for you. Got it?”
Great, so now he would have to watch out for the other man as well. He really should have just ordered in.
He was snapped out of his self pity by the whoosh of a knife to the left of his face, the man had been aiming to take his eye out with that one. He brought his broom down to try and hit the guy on the shoulder, only to be blocked by his arm, and get his cheek nicked by the man's blade.
The two continued to exchange blows, Mahiru being left to parry the swipes from the switchblade for what seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than 10 minutes. All the while he gained no ground, only another cut that he could only hope wouldn't require a hospital visit.
Once again, he was forced to gain some distance. Panting for breath, he jumped back behind a shelf and tried to think of a plan. He could hear the men coming at him from both sides, and grit his teeth. He needed to get them away from him, he couldn't dodge bullets and a knife at the same time. He needed to blow them away.
Instantly, his eyes widened as he figured it out. Smiling, he charged at the man who had just come from around the corner. Ready to engage the blade wielder once more. He began to parry blows from him until he had them backed up into a shelf, once his back was to the furniture, instead of blocking, he ducked to avoid the knife strike.
This caused the man to lose his balance, giving Mahiru enough time to kick him into the display. As soon as he did he dropped to the ground and began his ‘break dancing’. No sooner than the wind kicking up around him appear, did the gunman turn the corner and take a shot.
Luckily, the wind only got stronger, sending the bullet right back at the man, where it found itself a new home in his thigh. The man Screamed in pain, dropping the pistol as he clutched his bleed appendage. Once he was sure it was safe, the boy stopped his spinning, stood, and surveyed the damage around him.
Shelves were knocked over, merchandise scattered all around the store, a few displays were even broken in half, and a couple windows were shattered. Looking around a bit more, he found his grocery bag and went to pick it up, only to hear the click of a gun once more.
“You damned brat! What the hell are you?! That's not a normal broom! You're some kind of a monster!”
He glanced over his shoulder, to see the tall man standing shakily, leaning most of his weight on a freezer behind him.
“I'm just a highschool student sir. You're right, this isn't a normal broom, it's actually a spear.”
Morphing his broom into its true shape, he turned around to once again face the man, who seemed to be shaking more in fear now than in pain. Even with the mask on, he could tell the guy's face had taken on a look of horror.
With lighting speed, the man fired off his last three bullets with a shaky arm, not even bothering to aim for any articular part of the kid's body, just as long as he hit him. The brunet’s first instinct, to clench his eyes shut as tight as he could, kicked in as the boy screwed his eyes shut.
He knew he had to open his eyes. He knew that he could, and probably would die if he didn't block the attack or dodge it, and that he couldn't do either of those things, if he didn't open his eyes.
Taking a deep breathe to steel his nerves, his eyes snapped open just in time to knock two of the three bullets, and moved his left leg just in time to avoid getting a bullet embedded in his calve, but not fast enough to dodge it completely, he could feel it graze his skin, but refused to look at the damage, focusing entirely on his enemy.
Within a second, the teen had surged forward, pinned the man to the wall between the blades of his spear, and had ripped the now empty gun from his hand.
“That's enough. I don't want to hurt you anymore than you already have been. I'm not a monster, I'm just someone who does the jobs other people don't, including stopping petty criminals.”
The man tilted his head down, refusing to make eye contact with the blazing caramel orbs that seemed to stare through him. Out of nowhere, the sound of sirens filled the quiet atmosphere of the destroyed store, prompting the teen to dismiss his weapon.
A heartbeat later, there was a swarm of police officers busting through the remaining windows that weren't shattered already, sending glass shards all over the area. How overly dramatic and unnecessary.
“Hostage secure! Apprehend the crooks now!”
As the cops fanned out and began to cuff the three men that the adolescent had just finished subduing, the chief of police stepped up to him.
“Are you alright son? I see you've got a few cuts and bruises, we have an ambulance outside on standby. They can patch you up there. Ha, guess you weren't goin’ down without a fight, huh? Good for you kid. I hear it's thanks to you that everyone got out unharmed, so I have to thank you. My wife frequently shops here, she was actually here today, she is the reason we are here. She said some heroic young boy saved her and I had to save him. So thank you for saving my wife. But, please, don't put yourself in harms way like that, okay? Leave it to the professionals. Now, go get those wounds looked at, after you are done I'll have one of my boys get your statement and you'll be free to go.”
The youth nodded as he received a hardy slap on the back, ushering him toward the exit. He proceeded toward the door before remembering his discarded bag, and running back over to get it, thank goodness he didn't have any frozens.
As soon as he stepped outside, he was ambushed by two nurses. The man had short, dark brown hair and blue eyes, his eyes widened when they met Mahiru's, as he set himself to his job and immediately reached for the first aid equipment.
Meanwhile, the woman, who had long, straight, black hair and green eyes, rushed over to examine him and give him a tight squeeze when she assured herself that he wouldn't die this day.
Both were incredibly kind, and Mahiru found himself carrying a short, but still fun, conversation with them, despite the pain that he was slowly starting to feel now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. Once they finished treating him, they told him to take care and left with smiles on their faces, ones identical to the boy’s own.
With the ambulance no longer in sight, the kid approached the cop who had been standing around waiting to speak with him. He relayed his story about how he found a broom lying around and fought them off with it. The man was quite shocked to hear that the boy had defended himself against three men that had actual weapons, with a household cleaning utensil, and may have even had a hard time believing his story, until Mahiru him that he was just cleaning up crime and that it was no different than cleaning a house, to which the officer laughed and brushed the unsure feelings off.
The man thanked him for his time after that and offered him a ride home, one that Mahiru tried to tell the man was unnecessary, as he only lived about 10 minutes from the shop. But the cop simply shook his head and said he couldn't in good conscience let the injured boy walk home, especially after he had just been taken hostage, which left the lad with no room for further protest. So he accepted, thanked him for the ride, and got in.
The drive was short and quiet, as the child was really feeling drained from the earlier event, and didn't feel like talking, to which the guy understood. Once he was dropped off and bid goodnight by the kind policeman, he went up to his apartment and headed straight for the kitchen.
I can't believe that after all that, I still haven't eaten anything. I really, really, should have just ordered in. But I already got the ingredients, so I'll be damned if I don't make dinner with it.
So the youth set about cooking, and did so as quickly as possible. Getting out pots, pans, knives (which he couldn't help but wince at the sight of), and his ingredients. To him, it felt like he had been cooking for only a few minutes, when in reality, half an hour had passed before he finally set the meal on the table.
He had absentmindedly made a plate for Kuro too, forgetting he was not present to eat the food. He sighed as he sat down, mentally preparing himself to eat a silent meal all alone, as well as making a mental note to tell Kuro later when he got home that there were leftovers for him in the fridge. The boy clapped his hands together to give his thanks for the food and was just about to take a bite, when the front door opened.
In walked none other than his perpetually tired Servamp, who immediately raised a brow at the sight before him, but threw off his boots and sat down across from the boy anyway.
He received a lazy nod, as the older male gave his thanks for the food and picked up his chopsticks.
“I told you I'd be home by 8pm Mahi, did you have that much fun that you forgot about me and dinner? It's weird for you to be eating this late. Usually you start dinner at 5pm and have it ready by 5:30pm. Were you waiting for me?” The vampire commented as he lifted the bowl of miso soup to his lips to drain the whole thing in one go.
“A-ah, well, I tried to start it around 5 something, but I realized I didn't have everything I needed. So I had to go to the store to get the rice, vegetables and some other stuff, thankfully we already had the salmon in the fridge, otherwise it would have gone bad before I even got it home.” The brunet finished, with a light-hearted laugh at his own words.
He then heard his partner sigh, probably because he distinctly recalled a certain promise his Eve made to him about not going out unless it was for a dire reason.
“Why would it have gone bad? Did you just decide that since you were already out, you would make a day of it or something?”
The sarcastic quip, that would have seemed accusatory to anyone else, brought a bright smile to the Eve’s face as well as a loud laugh.
The brunet shook his head and waved a dismissive hand, even though his partner was more focused on his food than the kid's gestures.
“No, no, I just got a little held up at the store, that's all.”
This caught Kuro’s attention, it always took the boy around 30 minutes to prepare this particular meal, which meant he didn't get back to their apartment until at least 7:30pm. What in the hell could have held the boy up for 2 hours?
Looking up, he saw his Eve finish off the last of his soup and noticed something white poking out from under the sleeves of his white and pink hoodie. His brows furrowed as his eyes narrowed, something wasn't right, and he didn't like it.
“Ah, that was really good, oh, are you done to Kuro?”
