Agape

Chapter 10

When Lain was four, he saw the head Alpha by the city plaza. His son by his side, a couple of years older than him, his head hung in shame as his father announced his public banishment from the household of Kurenai. When Lain was six, he saw him again. A bit taller, his pale face sad as he came around three times a week to help around his house. Lain peered through the corners of the hall watching the boy sweep, dust off the windows and help to gather firewood, all the hard work turning his pale white hands an angry red with the blisters.

Lain always wondered why he had to work so hard when he was only nine. He had seen many other children the same age in their gardens, in the meadow by the waterfall playing tag. He often joined them but when the boy came around to help with the work, he stayed home, watching him. He learned his name was Shu. He learned another secret.

He was brilliant with shifting parts of his body to his wolf form.

That sunday morning, when the sun was still a half sphere by the mountains, six-years old Lain decided to ask help from him. Shu was alone in their backyard, the garden broom rested against a tree as he moved silently through the sandy patch of land. His hands shifted to claws.

"How do you do that?"

Shu flinched, Lain pressed his lips together thinking maybe he shouldn't have concealed his movements before speaking. The albino shifted his claws back to hands, "Young Master, why are you here?"

Lain tilted his head, oblivious to his fear and worry. "I was watching you." He pointed his small fingers to Shu's hands. "How did you do that? And don't call me young master, you're older than me. And can you call me Lain? Can you teach me how to do that too?"

A string of requests. Shu looked perplexed by the sudden invitation to be his mentor. But if Lain sat down and thought back, he realised there was a sense of maturity in those crimson eyes. A sense of responsibility a nine year old shouldn't hold. A maturity only gained by seeing too much, suffering a bit too much.

"I'm not sure..." His voice trailed down as his eyes darted to the hallway. "I have work to-"

"I'll help!" Lain cut him off, "After that you can teach me."

Shu was already shaking his head, "I don't think I should do that. I'm just a servant in this house." He must've noticed Lain's crestfallen face, "But listen, you will get so many mentors, better ones. You'd be good in combat in no time."

Lain huffed, annoyed. "But I want to learn now."

Shu hesitated. His eyes darted around with worry before he resigned with a long sigh. "Okay, fine. But promise me you won't tell anyone."

Lain grinned, agreeing to his single condition. He used to smile a lot, enjoy before the hardships of a soldier's life hardened him and stole that smile off his lips. But their secret was not a secret for so long, his father caught him helping Shu to sweep the garden and wondered at it. "Lain? I thought you went to play with the children."

Behind him, Shu froze. His fingers gripped the broom so tight that his knuckles were white. Lain shrugged, "I want to help him."

His father merely smiled, nodding. There was no malice in his eyes when he said, "Helping is okay, but don't mess around and be a pain to Shu, okay?"

Lain nodded, watching his father walk into the gloom of the hallway and their secret was no more of a secret and none of his family members said a word when he started getting closer to the albino. Learning small techniques before he was sent off to the official training school at Solasta.

---

The two cleaned off the Vampires in the area. They could still hear the clash of swords and hissing from inside the room. Shu glanced at Luinor then at the empty hallway, littered with the fallen bodies of the Vampires. Hyuga and Hikaru charged into the room where Kristina and Zac were fighting. "We should go, there's an Ancient one present, we need Luinor on the field."