Persona - Mask of Origins

Toji was about to say something, but decided to let the family work out it's own problems.

 

Callen growled and grabbed Zero's collar, "You bring this creature back to where you found it and kill it. This thing isn't my son!"

Nicholi growled, he moved a lot faster than he looked like he could and stood behind Callen, "Let go of my brother!" More fangs than normal slid down from his gums and emitted a shriek that was echoed by several others from inside the lab.

 

"Crap, that wouldn't have gone unnoticed."

 

Callen bit into Zero's neck, tearing at him before tossing him to the ground. "I've had enough of your insolence." Nicholi took one look at his wounded brother and sank the sharp series of fangs into Callen's shoulder. In a window something pale and human-like thudded against the window glass. It repeated this movement several times before what looked like screamed at the window. With sound proof glass they couldn't hear it, but more of the pale figures appeared in the same window. Nicholi covered his head, "No, I'm sssssorry! Make them go away!" Zero hauled himself up and dragged Nicholi and Toji away from the lab. "We can't stay here. Let's go!" Callen, soundlessly hurried after them, back to Toji's house.

 

Toji didn't know what to think.

 

Slamming and locking the door, Zero held a hand to his neck and glared at Nicholi, "You bit father." His pale head hung and a pitiful voice came from behind the silver sheet of hair, "I apologize."

Zain stood and stopped when he saw Nicholi. His horror visible on his face. Though his eyes looked oddly blue, "Wh-what is this? What d-did you bring home, Toji!? Wh-what is that th-thing!?" Nicholi turned his bleeding red eyes on Zain and Zain stepped back in fear.

 

"I didn't want to do it. It was Zero's idea."

 

Zero growled, "That thing happens to be my brother!" Nicholi stepped closer to Zain and he backed up, "Keep it away from me!" Reaching out with a slender, veined hand, Nicholi paused in front of Zain's face and pointed to his eye, "You wear fake irises...why?" Zain's entire body went rigid. Callen spoke up from behind them, "You're wearing colored contacts? Why?"

 

"What? You mean you've been faking being cured this whole time?!" Yuki said.

 

Zain turned at the sound of Yuki's voice, "N-no! I am hu...man....or at least I was for a few days. Something's...wrong with me. I'm not a shadow, Yuki."

Nicholi sniffed at him and drew back a little, "Not shadow...crystal."

Reluctantly Zain pulled out the contacts, his blue eyes were streaked with thin lines of purple and lifted his shirt enough to show his stomach. A layer of purple crystal had started on his skin. "I don't know what it is. Whether it be a side-affect from the cure or...something else entirely. This is one thing...I don't know how to fix because I don't know what it is."

 

Yuki was astonished. She flew off quickly, not knowing how to react.

 

Zain wobbled on his feet, letting his shirt fall back and slowly shuffled everyone away from the door and left.

Zero gave Nicholi a disdainful look, "You shouldn't have ruined their nice relationship, Nick." Nicholi sighed, he couldn't possibly understand what he'd done wrong. Pointing out an oddity in a home of humans...wasn't that a good thing?

 

Yuki had gone back to home, lost in her thoughts.

 

Zain wandered around the streets, returning to Yuki's home would be a bad idea. Going back to Toji's would be a bad idea. Even the Orphanage would be a bad idea. Where could he go? Turned to crystal...is that my fate for escaping a fate of death and bloodlust?

 

Yuki went to look for Zain after a while. She wanted to apologize for how she reacted.

 

Finding himself at the cemetary again, Zain perched on a gravestone, unaware of the shadow dealings going on around him. "You're the boy Daieko took with him last week. What happened, little shadow, not so big and threatening now are you?" Zain was left unarmed, having left his lance at home.

 

Yuki continued to fly around, looking for Zain.

 

Zain turned his head and blankly stared at them, "Huh? Did you say something?" The shadows growled, "Are you insulting me? You filthy little human...!" Their sharp claws raked across his cheek, spilling clean, human blood. "That hurt..." Zain said, touching his cheek. They kicked his boots out from under him and shoved him off the gravestone. "Not so high and mighty now, are ya?"

 

Yuki landed at the graveyard and saw Zain.

 

He refused to fight back. What good would it do him. Pulling himself to his feet, Zain sighed and the shadows gripped his collar, tearing his shirt. "Thanks, that was a new shirt, but I didn't like it anyway, so thanks." sarcasm weighed in his voice heavily. They growled again and thrust a clawed hand through his stomach...or at least tried to. Claws broke and it howled in pain, "What's wrong with you!" Touching Zain's crystalized skin over his stomach, he have a slight shrug and smile, "You tell me."