7 Not the Same

"Don't expect too much from me," Gray said. "Though I'm going to try, in reality, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I don't care," Emrys said, his eyes twinkling. "You agreed, that's all I care about."

Gray gave him in exasperated look and grinned, shaking his head. This kid was really stubborn, no matter what he said, Emrys was hooked either way.

Suddenly, a loud bell rang, echoing through the halls and building. Gray straightened, alert.

"What's that?" he asked, darting his eyes around.

Emrys blinked. "That's the school bell, of course. Break is over. Have you not gone to school before?"

Gray's expression went still, and he turned his head as he scratched the back of his neck. "Ahaha, right," he said, dragging the 'i'.

School? He never went to school, for they all rejected him for being an orphan and a mage. They didn't want any problems in their, heh, oh-so-grand educational facilities. So, he had no choice but to go to the criminals' underground, where they welcomed him with open arms and taught him everything they knew.

Emrys raised a confused eyebrow at him. Did his words strike a nerve?

Gray stiffened as he heard footsteps climbing up the stairs and the loud chatter of students between their friends. He turned to look at Emrys and asked, "So how many classes do you have left?"

Emrys glanced at his classroom he was standing across from the entire time. "Two," he said. "Why?"

And the grin that Gray gave next said it all.

_______________

Luca Kinoshi closed the workbook on his desk and reached for his teacher textbook at the corner of the table.

He glanced up from his desk as students began to file into the classroom and fill up their seats one by one. He stood up from his chair and turned to erase his whiteboard for the next class, humming.

Today, they were going to do a lab to better their understanding of the law of physics, and he hoped Emrys could be his assistant.

The middle-aged man brightened up as he thought of Emrys, glad to have such a student like him. That kid excelled in almost every subject he took and was one of the top students in the school. He's bound to become a successful person in the future.

Mr. Kinoshi rubbed his chin. If only he could figure out what was wrong with him. Emrys didn't seem to have many friends and wasn't very social with his peers...that could become an obstacle in his future. He didn't seem to talk much either, he only talked when he was asked to, or if he needed to.

But otherwise, Mr. Kinoshi was sure he could become an excellent scientist if he pursued the career.

"Hmm, such an excellent kid," he muttered under his breath. "If only the others were a bit more like him. Ah, I should ask him what he wants to become in the future, that way I can get an idea of what he's into and try to convince him..."

The bell rang, indicating that class was starting.

Mr. Kinoshi turned to face his students. "Good afternoon, class!" he greeted. He darted his eyes about the class to find Emrys and...

He was packing his things?

"Eh? Emrys, child. Are you going somewhere?" he asked, a bit disappointed. He was hoping that he could start the lab with him as an example today.

Emrys glanced up at him, his usually blank and serious eyes holding a new spark in them. He even seemed a bit agitated. "I'm sorry, teacher. I have to leave class, today. I'll make up the lab tomorrow," he said rather quickly.

Strange...it was not like him at all.

The teacher dipped his chin in understanding. "Is it another student council meeting you have to attend?" he asked, as it was usually the case if he ever left. The kid never missed a day of school or skipped a class.

Emrys opened his mouth as if he were unsure of what to say. "...no, Mister Kinoshi, I have to leave campus," he admitted, swinging his bag swiftly over his shoulder.

Mr. Kinoshi's jaw almost dropped. "Leave...campus?" he repeated.

"That's right."

And that's when the teacher noticed the unfamiliar figure leaning against the doorframe at the back of the classroom. It was a man, younger than himself but older than a high school student. He'd never seen him before, and the little smirk he was giving Emrys didn't look very promising.

Mr. Kinoshi narrowed his eyes. That man...was quite similar to Emrys in the looks, but he saw absolutely no resemblance between them. There was no way he was a relative, and he was sure Emrys had no elder siblings or someone he was close to in his family.

Who was he and what was his relation to his most prized student?

Mr. Kinoshi caught the uncertain expression on Emrys' face before he went out the door. His eyes widened as the strange man turned his head and made quick eye contact with him before leaving; his expression was mocking.

The two were gone, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He still had a class to teach.

Mr. Kinoshi cleared his throat and began to start his class, though he was quite unnerved.

Emrys didn't have any family problems, right? Or did he get caught up with the wrong people? If that was the case, then he had to help him quickly, before it's too late.

He can't have Emrys go down the wrong path...

_______________

Emrys hurried after Gray down the stairs, finding himself struggling to keep up with his long strides even though he had long legs himself.

"You don't look so happy about me having you skip classes," Gray mentioned without looking at him. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and gave a short jerk of his head to the side, letting the black strands of his hair move away from his eyes.

Emrys tightened his grip around his backpack strap as he continued to jog down the stairs. "...no," he said. "I just never did, before...it feels wrong."

Wrong, huh? Gray repeated in his mind. A little idea slipped into his mind as he reached the bottom of the staircase and headed towards the exit, Emrys hot on his heels.

A devious smile crept onto his lips as he turned left once he was out of the campus gates.

"Are we going to the store?" Emrys asked. "Don't tell me you got me to get out of school just to work at the store."

"Of course, not," Gray said, a slight edge to his voice. "You'll see when we get there."

Emrys shot him a look from behind, confused. But he didn't say anything to question. He only followed him in silence as they took a few turns here and there; it seems they were almost walking aimlessly.

He wasn't paying attention most of the way, so when Gray came to a stop, he was startled to see how abandoned their surroundings became.

Emrys pursed his lips, kicking at the dirt and metal on the ground. "Where is this place?" Emrys asked.

It looked like some old, unused scrap yard with empty and worn down warehouses standing around them on three sides.

Gray didn't answer his question, nor did he turn around.

Emrys frowned, perplexed. Was there some special reason Gray would take him to such an old and dirty place?

Then, Gray finally spoke. "...You would just follow me here?" he asked.

Emrys felt a shiver run down his spine. What's wrong with him? His tone of voice suddenly changed, it was so different, so sharp and...hostile. He sounded almost unrecognizable.

He opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. He remembered Gray had acted strangely earlier when they were talking during the break. Did this have anything to do with that?

Emrys turned his head and glanced at the rusty metal pile sitting at the side. "Despite not knowing why we're here, yeah, I-"

He felt his body slam onto the ground all of a sudden, sending him into a painful daze. He panicked, his hands flying up the one that was pressed forcefully against his neck, blocking his airways.

He kicked and pulled, struggling to get free. He could barely move under this strong pressure and weight and it seemed fighting against it was useless.

Emrys forced his head to turn, wincing as the pain shot through his neck and head. He clenched his teeth in horror as he saw what he did.

Gray?!?

His head pounded as tried to open his mouth and speak, only to fail to once more.

Gray glared down at him, the wild and violent look in his dark eyes making Emrys' blood stop cold in absolute terror. His grip on his neck was like iron, and Emrys felt whatever he was seeing was not Gray, but a murderer.

He'll lose his life at this point.

"Don't tell me this is all you've got," Gray snarled as he watched Emrys struggle, his hair clinging to his pale face with sweat. "You're a mage, fight back, you pathetic f*ck."

Emrys gasped for breath, his vision blurring at the corners. What was the meaning of this? Pathetic f*ck? Has Gray gone mad? He wasn't going to kill him, was he?

Gray sneered, exposing his sharp canines. "Don't be naive, Emrys," he said as if he had just read his mind. "Use your power and fight back. This is a life and death situation, you may die by my hands if you don't do anything..."

"Kid. I'm not joking. You should know that in this world, even the person you trust the most can betray you and be the one that takes your life."