"You know the feeling of poison in you. You know the pain of being stabbed and how debilitating it is. Your body will never forget. So I want you to use this feeling and memory to advance your healing technique. Many people in this world have firepower. Very few can withstand that very firepower. If you can withstand stabs and keep fighting, you will have another advantage over other high class."
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|DxD|- Chapter 57- Meeting Two Young'uns
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16/Jan/1997- January 17, 1997, Friday, Kuoh Town, Japan
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The morning sun fell over snow-covered lawns and roofs. Children cursed when mothers peeled open their warm blankets and fathers cursed when their cars failed to start. The winter cold was unforgiving and unrelenting, especially to Igor.
In Shuri's home, he lay awake in bed. Frost had settled on the edges of the window. One of his nostrils was blocked, something that hadn't happened since he was nine. For the first time in…forever, he felt very human.
He sniffed and snorted, yet the blockage remained. His eyes were as heavy as his body, like someone was doing pull-ups on his eyelids.
*Sniff*
"Am I…getting…"
He yawned until tears prickled his eyes.
"Am I getting sick?"
Did he get so weak that a common flu could still affect him? The thought was drowned by another yawn. Fatigue was accumulating, yet he couldn't fall asleep.
*Bang!*
The door burst open and Akeno rushed in towards Igor. She was in her little school uniform for Kuoh Elementary.
"Apu~!'
She reached his bed and spilled over his chest. Igor suppressed a groan and instead, raised a hand to rustle her hair.
"Morning, little chick."
"I'm not…hmph! I'll let you off this time."
Akeno showed restraint only because he was sick.
"How about you stop calling me 'Apu' and I stop calling you 'little chick'?"
"Nope."
Akeno shook her head.
"Apu is Apu."
"And little chick is little chick."
"...wait."
Akeno went vacant as she tried to make sense of this.
"I'm Apu—no no no. I'm Akeno, and you're…Apu!"
"And if I'm Apu, you're my little chick."
"My Apu!"
"My little chick."
"Mouu! Unfair…"
Igor smiled at her interesting logic.
"That is why I call you the way I do, little chick."
Akeno wanted to retort, but Igor squeezed her cheeks like dough. They were soft to the touch and oily from lotion. Akeno retaliated by grabbing his too. Her eyes held a competitive glint.
And so when Shuri walked into the room, she was first stunned because what was she looking at? Was kneading each other's cheeks a new greeting between the two? She cleared her thoughts and entered the room.
"Akeno. Leave big brother alone and go eat your food or else you'll be late for school."
"Okay, mama."
Akeno skipped away to the kitchen, leaving Shuri and Igor alone.
"Well then. Let aunty open you up, Igor. I need to see if—"
"Please stop, aunty. I can go to the bathroom with no problems."
Igor spoke with a hint of pleading. He swore he suffered mental damage just from that statement. If Akeno heard those words, she'd lose all respect for him.
"Oh? But I meant your wound. I need to see if you're still healing fine."
"..."
She was doing this on purpose. That innocent smile, that light tone—Igor swore she was playing him for a fool. He just couldn't prove it.
"Sigh…"
Igor turned to his side, but Shuri stopped him with a serious look on her face.
"You don't need to move, Igor."
She pulled the blankets open, exposing his stomach. A large plaster was on his left side. Thankfully, it showed no signs of bleeding. Shuri placed her hand over his stomach and felt for his injuries. She predicted he would heal quickly, but she could never get over just how absurd it was.
"All is going well, Igor. You should be fine after three weeks. But for now? Relax and sleep a bit more. I'll be taking Akeno to school so long."
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|DxD|
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How old was he? He was turning sixteen this year, a mid-class fighter with his own pride. So why…
"Open up for aunty, Igor~."
…why was he being treated like this?
"..."
Igor had a thousand questions, but no way to voice them when a spoonful of soup stormed his mouth.
"There. Just a few more and then you'll be finished."
Shuri wiped his chin with her thumb and readied another spoonful.
"Say ah~."
"..."
Igor opened his mouth and was obediently fed. Breakfast in bed was something he never thought about, but he'd hoped his first time would be under different circumstances.
Shuri was venting on him. Or maybe she just wanted to embarrass him. He honestly didn't know which. What he did know, was that resisting his dearest aunty was pointless. And maybe, a part of him didn't want to.
"Good boy, Igor."
"..."
Correction. A large part of him wanted to resist. Being called a good boy made him curl his toes in embarrassment, yet he could only stare weakly.
"Aunty. Please don't say that."
"Say what?"
Shuri cupped her cheek and smiled ever-so-kindly.
"Are you not a good boy? Hm? Or do you want to be a bad boy?"
Igor swore the room darkened when she mentioned the last part. He was covered in blankets, yet he still felt cold.
"No, aunty. It's just…"
He had no retort. Only a plea.
"Please leave me some dignity as a man."
"Hmmm…"
Shuri made a show of considering, but it was obvious what the answer would be.
"No. Now open up, little Igor~."
"..."
If Igor wasn't sure, this was his answer. She was not over his stabbing. And from the looks of things, she wouldn't be over it for a long while.
[Help me, All-Father. Help. Me.]
These three weeks promised to be very difficult.
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|DxD|
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17/Jan/1997- January 19, 1997, Sunday, Kuoh Town, Japan
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Today was a rare sunny afternoon. Five days after his battle with Liu Xin, Igor could finally walk outside. It was still on his crutches, but it was far better than spending the day in bed.
Igor slowly made his way to the open steel gates. Each step was still deliberate, but he no longer winced. The cool air and snowflakes brushed over his scarfed face. Kuoh Park was littered with children dressed up warmly and playing in the snow. There were parents scattered around benches and mats, and the occasional couple here and there.
Igor couldn't help but admire how beautiful everything looked. There was something beautiful about simplicity that he found attracting. He trudged along the paved path with his crutches. A few people gave him the odd glance, but none enquired, all except a boy around Akeno's age.
Igor smiled when the boy trudged towards him. There was innocent curiosity and concern in his brown eyes. As he neared, Igor leaned over slightly.
"Hey mister! Are you sick?"
[Straight for the jugular, huh?]
He chuckled a bit before replying. A child was a child after all.
"A bit. Almost died for it. But I'm still here."
He replied casually, but the boy's eyes sparkled.
"Woah! What kind of sickness is it? Can I get it too?"
"Issei!"
A little girl with chestnut hair came rushing in. She bonked Issei at the back of his head before bowing.
"Sorry, mister. Please ignore my friend over here. He meant no harm."
"I don't mind. Little Issei is an interesting kid."
Issei's eyes brightened and faced Irina with grievance.
"See? See? Big bro doesn't mind."
Igor's eyebrow rose.
"Big bro?"
"Yeah! You look cool. Only cool people can be my big bro."
Issei replied proudly, but Irina squashed it.
"Since when did you have a big bro, dummy?"
"Since today, dummy!"
Irina fumed until her face turned red.
"You don't know mister. You don't even know his name!"
"Of course I do. It's…it's…it's big bro!"
Irina bonked him again on the head.
"No one has that name, Issei!"
"Ow! Stop hitting me."
Issei retreated and hid behind Igor. His tiny hands clenched tightly around the fabric of his pants.
"Please protect me, big bro. This stinky is always mean to me."
"I'm not mean! And I'm not stinky!"
Irina stomped her foot on the ground. She wanted to plead her case, but almost blew a fuse when Issei secretly stuck his tongue at her.
"YOU—"
"Alright. That's enough you two. And Issei. I know you stuck out your tongue. Don't think I didn't see that."
Igor calmly dismantled the burning tensions. Irina huffed and crossed her arms, mumbling something underneath her breath. Issei was different. He glowed and began pulling Igor's jacket.
"How did you see that, big bro? Are you a ninja? Did you use your ninja powers?"
The boy was vibrating, unable to stand still.
"Something like that."
Igor kept that bit of mystery.
"Really? How did you do it? Can you teach me? Pleeeaaase?"
It wasn't just Issei. Irina held some interest too. But she stayed quiet, making a deliberate show of not caring. Her face turned to the side, eyes closed, and arms crossed—it was the perfect nonchalant template.
Igor strongly wanted to pinch her cheeks, maybe knead them a bit. This Irina girl was similar to his little chick.
"Let me sit down first, Issei."
"Oh. Sorry, big bro. There's a bench there. We can sit on that one!"
Issei darted around and swept a path through the snow with his gloved hands. There wasn't much snow to begin with, but Igor appreciated the gesture. And so he trudged forward under the observant care of Irina and Issei sweeping the way so he wouldn't trip.
Perhaps one day when he was old and his hair turned white, his grandchildren would help him just like this when he could no longer walk. It was a very far off thought for him to have, but just for this moment, he could dream.
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AN: Issei and Irina enter the chat in quite the unexpected way. At least Igor won't be bored for a while. I do wonder what the parents think though. Then again, Igor is a fifteen-year-old on crutches. Not much stranger danger to be found there. But I'm just hypothesizing. We'll see what the next one brings.
Chapter 57
END