Brynhildr Aria

Chapter Three: Kiss of Death

Chapter Three: Kiss of Death

Seishirou Kamui wandered the streets of London, searching for a sign. A sign of what, you may ask? Well, to be precise, it was a sign from above, and not in a religious way.

As much as he wanted Yuki Takanashi to live a normal human life, he knew deep down that wouldn't be possible anymore. Now that her Brynhildr nature had awakened, she was a target of the Kamui, and that was all there was to it. A long time ago, he had made himself a promise. He would protect her, no matter what happened. He had sacrificed too much to let that promise simply slip through his fingers now.

But he couldn't loiter around the University of London and follow Yuki around from class to class, he'd look like some sort of stalker. So he sniffed the air, searching for something amiss. There were many scents here, some that made him want to vomit, and others that made his stomach rumble. He noticed a nearby cupcake shop, and his mouth watered at the sight of all those delicious sweets. Seishirou had many things to say about humans, both good and bad, but their food was one thing that could not be contested. Compared to his usual diet of space worms and recycled water, even the most horrid-looking piece of human cuisine would be considered a delicacy.

But among those tempting sweet smells, he caught a faint whiff of something he found all too familiar- the scent of blood. That piqued his interest- and his concern.

Like a predator, the Kamui carefully followed the small bloody hints, shivering at the heavy metallic smell. He traced it all the way back to a dark alley, where he came across something very out of place. A young blonde man armed with a military-style assault rifle sat pressed against a brick wall, surrounded by a thin pool of dried, caked blood. His left arm was streaked in red as he carefully bandaged it with his right. Seishirou noticed the marks on his arm resembled puncture wounds. Or more accurately, teeth marks, like he'd been bitten by a rabid dog.

Seishirou's voice broke the deafening silence. "Can I help you?"

The young man reacted on instinct, whipping out his rifle using his free hand. The gleam in his eyes was a look of sheer horror, the kind of horror that only comes from an encounter with something not of this Earth. "W-who are you?! Wh-what do you want!? Don't come any closer, or I'll blow your brains out right here and now!"

The Kamui wasn't the least bit intimidated by his bluff. "You can't shoot me. You may be hidden here, but everyone in the city would hear it, and then you'd be arrested for murder. Even if you did, I don't think it would do you much good. Why don't you let me take a look at your wound? I am a doctor, you know."

The young man gritted his teeth. "A doctor? Damn conformist bastard. Fine, do whatever you want." Seishirou knelt down and helped the man with his dressings, wrapping them tightly. "The name's Seishirou. What's yours?"

"Elijah," the blonde replied, spitting the word as if it were a curse. "Why do you give a damn about me anyway?"

"Would it have been better if I had just left you to bleed out in the street?" Seishirou retorted. He wasn't one for ungrateful, snarky fellows who didn't know their place. "I saw you injured, and I decided to help. Is that such a crime? Better yet...how did this happen, and why didn't you just go to a hospital?"

Elijah growled. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The Kamui raised a curious eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I?" On closer inspection, he spotted something odd clamped around Elijah's neck.

At first glance, it resembled a steel collar, not much unlike the accessories the outcasts of this planet often wore. But its details revealed fine lines and metal parts that seemed exceedingly out of place for a piece of noncomformist jewelry. He recognized it instantly.