Blue Prints

Ch 4: Kindred (Part One)

The polite scent of lavender fills the small living room of an apartment located just below downtown. Those who are met with the smell are soon after greeted by an unpleasant and brief whiff of iron. Sitting diligently on dark furniture, Kurasame bled from his open wound. He didn't bleed a lot, so the clothes on his back and on his legs soaked most of it up. Still, the fact that the snowy white figure named Ikuto sat criss-cross beside him all while remaining spotless was a miracle.

Seeing his friend continuously clench then loosen his hands on his thighs stressed Ikuto out. He wanted to grab his pink plushie and hold it tightly for comfort, but was afraid that even the littlest movement meant copious amounts of displeasure to Kurasame. And so, the cloud-like cat taunted him.

Ikuto wanted to say something to break this awful silence, but everytime he thought of something clever, it would be disrupted by the animated "boom!" or "pow!" that spilled out of a small console device coming from their left.

"Shadow... is it really time for things like that? I mean... look at the situation we're in. " Ikuto might as well have mumbled from how low he said that.

In any case, it was loud enough to warrant a response from the individual laying upside down on a chair beside Ikuto. His bright, almost glowing pinkish eyes glanced away from the screen, and towards the teenager. He had short, dark hair that fell straight and made his fair skin seem fairer. Some assumed he wore eyeliner from how prominent his eye bags were, but perhaps he did. On his right ear, a small hoop earring dangled, momentarily distracting both adolescent boys. However, the man paid all his attention back to his console.

"You know I already did what I could. He doesn't want your help, so what makes you think he'd like mine?"

"But..." Ikuto stammered, watching to see if his injured friend had any sort of reaction.

Shadow noticed this and sighed, "Here, I'll ask again just for you. Princess Kurasame∼! Do you need anything?"

The injured juvenile's ears perked up, "Not in a million years... Especially not from you." Kurasame said this in a low voice, as if talking louder would be more painful for him. He was in heavy concentration, not trying to think about how much he was hurting. Yet that was getting really hard.

"See? Told you. He'll be just fine." The dark haired individual smiled as the 'game over' prompted him to take a break. He stretched his arms out.

"You know what I like thinking about?" Shadow asked, looking at the two boys through an upside down view.

Ikuto took his time responding because he did not know what Shadow might say next. "What is it?"

"Our technology is supposed to be more state-of-the-art! I mean, technology hasn't advanced much for almost the past century because of the third world war... Getting ready for it, repairing it... It's no wonder no one had time to invent anything new!"

Ah, this again... Kurasame and Ikuto shook their heads.

Shadow would often go on these long tangents, ranting about how he should be living in an a reality game of some sorts. He was well educated on this topic, and often studied theories of how technological advancements could have helped the economy worldwide instead of the pursuit for superhumans. Then again, Russia was the only country really thriving.

Ikuto told him countless times to write a thesis, but for some reason, Shadow would get offended and thought he was making fun of him for not getting a formal education... Then they'd all realize that none of them had a formal education. Then things got silent... and sort of depressing.

Shadow picked up his small gaming device and went back to playing the latest, hottest game, History of Selig. Ikuto and Kurasame could never get into any video games. In all honesty, it felt like a waste of time to them. Just then, someone walked in through the front door.