Chapter Five

In haste the blonde looked for a place to hide. His legs lead him in the garden of white roses where he spotted the fountain. He sat at the edge of it. Hugo sighed as a rush of memories went back.

Hugo looked warily at his elder brother "I think we should stop" still hesitant, he tried to finish his sentence "Let's face it, we can't go any further"

"What are you saying?!" Ethan bawled "We've already come this far. If we stop now everything we've been through will be for nothing!"

"But we did everything we could" Hugo sighed "We are at our limit"

"Don't give me that crappy excuse"

"Just a moment ago you were coughing blood" not giving in, he looked at the younger boy straight in the eyes "We can't travel further back than this. We've caused enough trouble. You see, we're not just disturbing the past but we're also changing it. Whatever little things we do can change everything. The future where we exist might disappear"

"That's exactly what we're trying to do!" Ethan sighed loudly "Isn't it?"

"Found you~" Laito cheered as he spotted the silhouette of the boy behind the fountain. As the debonair neared the small figure he heard suppressed sobs "Wait, are you crying?"

Hugo abruptly stood up "State the obvious" but as he was about to walk away he bump into something or rather someone

Hugo was taken aback by what he said. 'He's right; we went through all that suffering to make things right' He stood there for a minute and reflected 'so why am I going against this?' He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came.

"I thought we already made up our minds but it looks like you're hesitating" Devin tilted his head "Why?"

Hugo looked up and met Reiji's cold stare "Crying over something like this shows weakness which is utterly pathetic" he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose "I reckon this is what Ayato calls lame"

"Ignore him" Laito nonchalantly said "He's born with that hypocritical tongue" Reiji's brows twitched at this. Laito shrugged and sat on the fountain's edge and patted the space beside him "Want to talk about it?"

'Why?' the question circulated in his head 'How am I supposed to answer that when I don't even know myself'

"Because we..." Hugo trailed off "Can die"

"I can careless" Ethan flatly stated "I never asked to be born In the first place"

"Take that back and apologize" Devin ordered "If mother heard what you said she would be heartbroken"

"That's right" Ethan replied dryly "But she's not here"

Hugo surprisingly obeyed and sat beside him "What makes you think I'll listen to you?" he stared at the ground unable to look at him in the eyes

Laito hummed "You just did"

"Don't get the wrong idea my legs are wobbly from all the running so I have to sit"

"Oh?" The debonair playfully smiled "So you're a tsundre"

This made the blonde look his way "What?"

"A person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing a warmer side over time"

Finally remembering the other vampire's existence Laito turned to him "Glad we have Reiji the talking dictionary"

Hugo uttered incoherent words that the vampires didn't catch "I'm only sticking with you for now since I don't want to return yet that's all"

"It'll be easier for you and the people around you if you try being more honest" -Laito

"I don't want to hear that coming from a person who can't even apply the concept to himself"

"I'm always honest though" the debonair defended "But in a way too much honesty can hurt people so I try to be as mild as possible"

"I think of the opposite" the blonde averted his gaze at the vampire to the starry sky "Wouldn't it be convenient to hide your intentions to avoid hurting one another?"

"But in a way you're hurting yourself instead" Reiji said in a more gentle tone

Hugo raised both of his hands indicating that he's giving up. He realized he can't convince them like this. Not when he's unsure of what he's fighting for, not when he's contradicting himself.

"Then let's go" Devin walked past him towards nowhere "I have a feeling we'll finally find it"

With Laito's consistent pestering he managed to make the boy open up a little. His nonchalant behavior made Hugo feels a little comfortable and calm. Reiji let Laito handle the talking since he claim that he's not good at bringing comfort. From time to time he would join the conversation. Reiji and Laito admitted that somehow they can relate with Hugo's complexity and sensitivity towards his brothers. Everyone knows how Reiji envied the attention their mother gave to Shu. It may not be obvious as Reiji's but Laito hates the fact that Ayato j is always a step ahead of him.

"It's frustrating" he harshly wiped his tears away "Whatever he does he's always honest, headstrong, and right. When I stand beside him I feel so weak"

Laito chuckled "You're insecure"

"Even though I'm older than him he never listened to what I say. To him I'm always wrong" he sniffed

"That's not necessarily true" Reiji placed a hand on the blonde's head and with little effort he patted it "You think before you act. You always weigh the pros and cons beforehand. You do this because you want to protect your brothers. I think there is nothing wrong with that"

"Besides it's okay to be scared" Laito added "A vampire or not, you're still a kid"

'I see' the boy's eyes perked up 'All along I'm being a scaredy-cat'

Laito tilted his head "You seem to have realized something"

"I think I'll try being honest"

Reiji held back a smile.

A/N: Read and review