Corps et âme by Sumiko Shiro

Isn’t it odd
how love plays games?

It tricks us,
It blinds us.

Yet, nothing is more wonderful,
nothing is more deadly.

Love is our god, angel, and savior,
Love is our devil, demon, and hell...

Love,

Oh Love...

How you bless us,
How you curse us...

Slowly, Serenity dragged herself up, “What...”

The room was highly elaborate, yet everything was painted in blood...

“I see our little Sleeping Beast woke up.”

“Oh, shut up, Alec!” Serenity shouted before she turned around and threw a piece of wood at him.

He dodged it easily, “What the hell is up with that?”

Serenity shot a glare at him before shifting awkwardly, something simply didn’t feel right.

“Aren’t you going to clean up the mess?”

“Why should I clean it up?”

“Because you made it.”

Her eyes blankly stared at Alec’s cold, emotionless stare. Confusion swept over her, her mind drew a blank.

“I...don’t...know...what you’re...talking about...”

Alec sighed, “Figures. A girl goes insane on you and she’d forget everything she did. Leave it to Serenity to nearly kill everybody and have no absolute memory of it. I swear, once day, you’re going to kill me, you little...”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Serenity fall to her knees. However, he remained apathetic, “What’s wrong, grown weak?”

Serenity’s fingers poked the red carpet beneath her. She felt so cold, but she couldn’t admit that, especially not to Alec.

“Shut up.”

Alec snorted, “You have grown weak. What’s wrong with you, afraid?”

Serenity gritted her teeth, “Shut. Up.”

“Boo hoo, Serenity’s telling me to shut up. Oh my, what am I going to do?”

Drawing a sword, Serenity glared at him, “I swear, you never can stop pissing me off!”

He laughed and took another sword from the wall, “Now that’s more of the Serenity I know.”

Her other hand was clenched into a tight fist, her nails dug into her skin, cutting her until she bled, “You don’t know me at all.”

“Prove it.”

“Fine...let’s finish this fight...”

Alec smirked to himself, She is so blissfully ignorant that everybody around her is unconscious and close to death because of her. This should be fun...

He drew little circles in the air, waiting for Serenity to initiate, but to his surprise, Serenity wasn’t there...and neither was the sword that was lying against her shadow a moment ago.

--------------

A long time ago, Serenity and Alec actually used to be friends. In fact, the two of them and Ivan were the best of friends, absolutely inseparable. Then, Ivan moved. At first things were still fine between the two of them, until they started taking martial arts class.

Nothing was the same after that.

--------------

Ivan stared at his phone in uncertainty before hanging up.

“What just happened,” he whispered to himself. Shaking his head, he turned his head, focusing himself on an old photograph. Smiling fondly, he picked it up and chuckled to himself.

Serenity, Alec, and he sat in a sandbox creating the castle they’d all live in when they were “all growned up”.

“I want a castle!”

“Ren, we’re boys, we can’t live in castles!”

“But I want to live in a castle!”

“No!”

“Ivan, don’t you think you’re being a little mean to Serenity?”

Ivan pouted, “A castle’s so girly, Alec!”

“But if it’s a castle, then it’d be really big, and we could be kings and queens!”

Serenity stood silently, kicking the dust, letting the boys argue.

“Fine! We’ll build the stupid castle!” Ivan pouted once again, “You always take her side.”

Alec shrugged, “Let’s get to work!”

Opening his eyes, Ivan smiled to himself about how they all changed. To his surprise though, his soft-spoken father’s voice bellowed his name.

“IVAN, GET DOWNSTAIRS NOW!”

“Alright, Pops. If you wanna play it like that,” Ivan whispered to himself before slipping something in his sleeve.

--------------

The sword’s cold steel kissed Alec’s neck, “Will you shut up...or will I have to kill you?” she hissed in his ear.

“Serenity, Serenity, do you think you really scare me?”

The blade’s sharp edge pressed harder against his skin. A small trickle of blood seeped out from underneath.

She’s not fooling around, Alec thought grimly, I guess I shouldn’t either.

In one swift movement, he elbowed his opponent in the stomach and slipped out of her grasp. However, when he turned to face his opponent, he saw someone completely different.

Little girls should learn how to control themselves, he felt himself inwardly scowl.

In front of him wasn’t the ordinary little girl who liked to play with swords. It was the only being that has ever hurt him.

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Author’s Notes: How short... Woah, I’ve been dead for like...years. Wow, haha. Well, I’m back and more of focusing on this...Ah well...I’ll get started on rewriting soon...and I actually mean soon this time.

-Sumiko