Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Zetsuen no Tempest.

Note: So this is my second fanfic ever and my first BL story. Honestly, I should be updating my other work instead...but I just finished the anime for this, so I thought I should start while it was still fresh in my mind. Anyways, this chapter is to introduce the background and situation to set off the story. I tried my best to keep them in character, but I think I had too much fun writing their dialogue. (Check below for more notes and clarification.)

Enjoy! ^^

Yoshino leaned back, fingers running absentmindedly through the soft blades of grass. Sometime during the crisis, nature had apparently transformed the abandoned lot into an impromptu meadow. Now it was a lush green patch teeming with overgrown weeds and bright, colorful wildflowers. A gentle wind waltzed through the rainbow of petals and tousled his hair. He sighed. It was nice out today.

It seemed like lately he hardly had any time to truly stop for a second and catch his breath. The aftermath of the crisis had left the world scrambling to restore some semblance of order. Cities still had to be rebuilt. The rising crime rate and the return of wars reinstated the need for humanity to reassert control over itself. But eventually things became normal again, part of the daily routine even. Humanity was always rather adaptable. Or apathetic. Yoshino thought.

It was ironic that after all he had been through high school had still proved to be a formidable obstacle. He and Mahiro had missed a lot of school by going around searching for Aika's killer and getting involved with Hakaze. About a third of their junior year. Then due to the destruction of their hometown and many others, many students were shuffled to any nearby schools. The transfer was a chaotic event itself. Then senior year suddenly came rolling around the corner and suddenly Yoshino remembered that, oh, that's right, college entrance exams. Yoshino sighed. So much was different.

He felt different. He felt pain at times but not like before.

Not the haunting yearning that hit him whenever he closed his eyes and saw Aika's smiling face.

Not the stab of pain and loss when he reached towards her only to grasp a phantom memory in the air.

When news of Aika's death had reached him, he did not what to feel. He was only aware that his fingers trembled and his chest ached. The sun had been out the day but instead he could feel a heavy crust of frost that crept over him, searing his skin, his nerves with its iciness.

Aika was dead.

She was no longer in this world.

He would never see her again, not in this lifetime.

And he accepted it. There was nothing else he could do.

The acceptance brought to him only a cold and hard emptiness that settled deep into his bones, and left throbbing blisters of frostbite in its wake. It had been easy to wear a mask, easy to be void of emotion when everything inside of him had frozen over in a barren wasteland. He was not an expressive person to start with anyways.

Then, when Hakaze revealed to Mahiro and him that the true perpetrator of Aika's murder was Aika herself, he-well, he would be lying if he said that if he did not feel a sense of pain and hurt. Aika killing herself was a decision that left him as helpless as thinking someone else killed did.

Either way she was gone and he was not consulted with in either case, but….

She loved him. And he loved her.

She did as she always had done and he did not – could not- blame her for it.

Her headstrong personality was one of the things he cherished about her after all.

After defeating the Tree of Genesis with the others, a strange mix of redemption and rightness crept over him. He felt that Aika would be appeased by the results and things were the way they should be.

The numbness inside of him began to thaw and dull into a tolerable, slow ache.

With time, it would be just another memory, Yoshino mused. Like a wound that healed but still left a visible scar. So now, he was perfectly content to let time run its course.

"Moving on, huh?" Yoshino muttered. What was it that Mahiro said? No need to hold yourself back? His lips lifted into a wry smile.

After the whole thing ended, Mahiro now pursued the goal of changing the world with as much determination and drive as before. Leave it to Mahiro to chase after another seemingly impossible goal. How ironic that he had a plan for the future now when Mahiro started the journey focusing only on finding Aika's killer without a care for the rest of the world or himself. He, on the other hand, had no clue what to do…

Yoshino sighed again, and stretched his legs on the grass. He really ought to think of a plan soon. It would not do to drift along like this. He closed his eyes. The warm sunshine and summer breeze soothed him. He felt rather sleepy now. Whatever. Planning his life could wait...

"Yoshino! Huh, should have known you'd be lazing about."

Speak of the devil and he will appear. With a twinge of remorse, Yoshino snapped out of what he was pretty sure would be a really, really nice nap. He sighed. "Lazing about? That's the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"

Mahiro waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Whatever. Things change. I haven't been doing nothing, you know."

He sauntered over to Yoshino and unceremoniously plopped down beside him. Seeing Mahiro take a seat so nonchalantly without a care for Yoshino's opinion oddly brought a sense of nostalgia and comfort to Yoshino. He glimpsed another book with Mahiro. "Studying again?"

"Nah, a novel."

"He turned his head and glanced at Yoshino. "Speaking of which, what are you planning to do? "

"Well, I was planning to take a nap before you barged in here."

Mahiro leveled an unamused stare at him. "Don't get smart. You know what I'm asking. Have you even thought of what school you wanted to go to?"

"… You're lecturing me on school? Are we having another world apocalypse?" Yoshino asked with a pointblank stare.

Mahiro scowled and swung the book at Yoshino's head.

"Ow!"

"You're being a difficult bastard today. What, snappy because I interrupted your precious beauty sleep or something?"

Yoshino rubbed his forehead. Without a doubt, there'd be a slight bruise by tomorrow. He flopped back onto the grass and muttered unintelligibly.

"Hah? Speak louder." Mahiro ordered.

"You're being hypocritical, don't you think?"

Yoshino glanced at Mahiro. Maihro's right eye was twitching and Yoshino could tell that his fingers were probably flexing around the book again. Hmm, maybe this was a good place to stop teasing him.

"You're really asking to be hit today, aren't you?" glowered Mahiro.

Yoshino raised his palms up in surrender. "A-alright, it's not good to be so violent, you know."

That thankfully seemed to appease Mahiro as he laid back on the grass. Yoshino continued, "I have been thinking about it, you know."

"And?"

"I'm not sure what I want to do yet. Nothing particularly interests me. It's not like there is a field or job that I can see myself doing. " Actually I'm not sure what I'd be good at either.

Yoshino had applied to several universities without any special consideration of his major. Actually, he had not really picked a major yet, now to think of it. Maybe I can go undeclared?

"Hmmph, for someone who has no clue, a lot of the universities you applied to are more than willing to accept you." Mahiro rolled his eyes. "Though I'm not sure how that half-assed attitude got you a good score on your college entrance exams."

Yoshino shrugged. "Maybe it was luck." Mahiro scoffed.

It was not luck. There was no way Yoshino could have afforded or was allowed to fail the college entrance exams. Hakaze was going to the same high school as Yoshino and him. (She thought attending high school was an important step towards being a normal teenage girl, even if she really did not need the education. Such a strange girl.) When senior year came and college entrance exams loomed in the distance, Hakaze, concerned over Yoshino's apparent lack of preparation, insisted on giving him multiple tutoring lessons. Mahiro had sniggered at Hakaze's poorly veiled excuse to spend some private time with Yoshino.

However, Hakaze was completely serious about her self-appointed role as his tutor, much to Mahiro's amusement and Yoshino's dread. She showed up every day with stacks of study guides after school, even going so far as giving Yoshino practice quizzes and extra homework. It got so bad that Yoshino began coming up with excuses to avoid the lessons. Mahiro, while admittedly feeling a little pity for Yoshino, was far too entertained by the fact that it was Yoshino for once who wanted to skip school.

While Mahiro was reminiscing on Yoshino's hellish college prep boot camp, Yoshiro was also lost in thought. Yoshino was a normal person. Getting swept up in the Tree of Genesis ordeal didn't change that. He didn't gain any super powers or epiphanies. So now, Yoshino confronted the issue that plagued every high school student: What are you planning to do for the rest of your life? That one question opened a floodgate of multiple ones, like:

What can I see myself doing?

What am I passionate about?

Which school do I want to go to?

What should I even major in? Law? Politics? Literature? Science?

More importantly, what do I want? What should be my goals?

…Can you have a midlife crisis at 17? Honestly.

While Yoshino was immersed in his own personal nightmare, Mahiro observed him. Although Yoshino had replied in his usual calm, placid tones, his hand subconsciously crept up to scratch at his cheek, something Mahiro noticed he always did when approaching something he was uncomfortable with or nervous about. Yoshino must be more troubled by this than he let on. Tcch, typical Yoshino.

"You know, Mahiro, I have to admit that I'm a little envious of you. You found a goal to pursue, albeit a difficult one."

Mahiro momentarily paused at that. It was not like he was saving the world out of good intentions. No, Mahiro was pretty certain that he was far from a Good Samaritan. Nor could he say that saving the world was a hobby that he particularly enjoyed doing. No, it was more accurate to say that it was an impulse, a whim.

When Aika died, Mahiro remembered feeling rage. The details of her death were vague and mysterious. The killer was unknown. The motive was a supposed home robbery gone wrong. Aika was dead. The irrationality of it, the wrongness of it had chafed at Mahiro.

It was like you were walking into a room that you knew for all of your life. But then one day, someone rearranged the furniture or some small object was taken out, you walked in and you could not remember what specifically about the room feels foreign, but there was a nagging feeling that something changed; something upset the balance of the room.

That was exactly how Mahiro had felt. Aika's death was senseless. Mahiro lost the only one person he ever really cared about. Yet the world had continued on as if nothing had happened to warrant an explanation or retribution. He refused to accept that. Someone was at fault for Aika's death. And that someone needed to pay for his deeds. So Aika was dead, but her death could not-would not- be a mundane event that just happened for the sake of it.

So all of Mahiro's grief and shock at Aika's death flickered in his chest like live, bright orange embers that all too easily flared into a blazing fire that consumed his every thought, his very being. Red hot anger and desperateness streamed through his veins like lava, charring his insides into an ashy, lifeless black and scorching his throat with an unbearable thirst for violence and vengeance.

Whenever Mahiro closed his eyes, all he could see was the bright, fatal crimson that had propelled him on the hunt. Actually, even now, sometimes he could taste the copper tang of blood, feel its slipperiness on his hands, and smell phantom acid smoke that made his eyes water in the middle of night.

So when he finally learned of the truth, the fire in him cooled considerably but did not die.

Aika killed herself, influenced by someone else's script. It was only right of him to make sure, no, demand that the world recognized and remembered her death. If Aika killed herself to save the world, it was only natural for him as her brother to ensure that this world had better damn well deserved to be saved. And so the uncontrollable wildfire in him that had threatened to burn the world down shifted into a war bonfire, smaller but still inciting the same bloodthirst for unequivocal victory.

"Mahiro?" Mahiro turned to see Yoshino peering at him with slightly concerned eyes. He probably took too long to answer Yoshino. Damn trip down memory lane.

He shook his head to clear the images of the past. Rolling back his shoulders, Mahiro once again adopted his usual arrogance. Remembering Yoshino's comment, Mahiro raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I'll definitely change this world. Definitely."

To his surprise, no tease or retort came. Instead, Yoshino turned to him, lips quirked and bright, green eyes calm and sure. "If there's anyone who can save the world, it's you, Mahiro."

At hearing that, Mahiro's eyes widened slightly. Oh, there was no doubt that he would achieve his goal. For Aika's sake, he would make sure that this world she died for would be saved and changed. There was no question about that…but to hear Yoshino's confidence in him…It gave Mahiro a warm glow of satisfaction and pride deep inside that caught even him off guard.

Mahiro swiftly turned his head away and closed his eyes for a brief minute to recompose himself. Not that he'd ever admit that he lost his composure in the first place though. He faced Yoshino again and smirked, "Was there any doubt?"

Yoshino chuckled. "Maybe you should say that when you actually accomplish it."

Mahiro scoffed. "Why wait when it is going to happen?"

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms. Man, it really was comfortable here. No wonder Yoshino wanted to take a nap. Actually, a nap sounded nice. Accordingly, Mahiro yawned and commented casually, "You know, you're just stressing yourself unnecessarily. I don't get what the big fuss is."

Yoshino sighed, exasperated. Of course, you wouldn't get it. "Mahiro I'm not-"

Mahiro interrupted, a little irritated now. "Yoshino. You're thinking too much on this. It's not like the entire future is an absolute blank. When I save the world, you'll still be there with me. So there's your end result. So just plan with that in mind."

Yoshino stilled.

Mahiro continued in a perfectly annoying matter-of-fact manner. "You got accepted to the school I plan to go to, right? So just pick that one. As for majors, you can at least do that on your own. Preferably though, pick one that would make you more useful to me."

Yoshino, meanwhile, floundered to keep some semblance of order in his mind.

Same school?

Majors?

No. Rewind.

Next to him? F-future? What?

Like it was an obvious fact that, yes of course, Yoshino would still be at Mahiro's side fifty years in the future. At this rate, until I died, I'd never get rid of him. On second thought, I'd probably get dragged to hell down with him.

Yoshino fought the urge to rub his temples. He predicted that like with all of Mahiro's schemes, this would leave him with a headache and a healthy dose of pure helplessness. No, no. He didn't want to stay with Mahiro. He wanted to rid himself of Mahiro's company. Mahiro brought nothing but trouble. If Yoshino wanted to live and see the ripe age of at least 30, he needed to get Mahiro to derail his ridiculous train of thought.

Mahiro cracked open his eyes, curious at the sudden lapse in conversation. "Yoshino? What, your head in the clouds? Are you ignoring me?"

Yoshino looked askance at him, eyes creasing in confusion and wariness. Taking a deep breath, Yoshino deliberated for a moment before shaking his head and responding in a deliberate and patient voice. "What do you mean I'll be next to you, Mahiro? Aren't we going our separate ways after high school? And for the record, why is my college future planned according to your whims? You're being unreasonable."

Man, I hate it when he uses that infuriating patronizing voice. Mahiro narrowed his eyes, and valiantly reined in his growing annoyance. "Hah? Unreasonable? Is this any way to treat someone who just offered you valuable advice?"

Valuable? I didn't ask you for advice! Yoshino had to use all of his strength to refrain from rolling his eyes. "That depends on your opinion."

I. Really. Really. Want. To. Hit. Him. Again. Mahiro took a deep breath and abruptly sat up. Barely holding back his temper, Mahiro growled. "You're really pushing it today. Ok, let's reason it out, Yoshino. Did you pick a major yet?"

Taken aback, Yoshino sat up as well and blinked. "Uh- well. No? I mean-"

Mahiro gave a dismissive gesture and briskly interrupted, "So your choice of college does not depend on your major. Most schools offer a wide range of majors and programs anyway."

With a speculative glance towards Yoshino, Mahiro seemed to deliberate for a moment before declaring, "Well, you're a chameleon, so location won't matter to you either. Honestly, in your case, with no specific preference, any school will do, so why not mine? There, done." Mahiro emphasized the last of his words with a self -satisfied nod.

Yoshino swallowed, with a sinking feeling that conversation really, really was not going well for him. In fact, he was pretty certain that his face was the epitome of the expression: A deer in headlights.

No, at this rate, I'm going to end up getting dragged along with whatever Mahiro wants. I refuse. With that in mind, Yoshino argued, "Mahiro, would you please refrain yourself from interfering with my future plans? This is a very delicate decision for the average high school student to make, you know." Actually, he's not even interfering at this point. He's practically writing my future.

"D-delicate deci-? You have no plans! What the hell are you even complaining about?!" Mahiro yelled, voice swelling with anger and exasperation. I seriously should hit him. Delicate decision? I can't tell if he's mocking me or if he legitimately thinks that. Mahiro's frustration inevitably manifested in one of his well-known death glares, complete with russet eyes flashing dangerously towards Yoshino.

Yoshino returned the glare with a bland, pointblank stare and flatly said, "I don't want to go to the same school with you. Don't you think being together for all of elementary school, middle school, and high school is enough to last for a lifetime?"

Seriously? This is the issue? With a grin a little too wide to be polite - or safe, Mahiro drawled, "Nope. I believe in the continuance of good things. So why not continue the cycle into college, hmm?"

Yoshino dignified that with an incredulous stare. Good? Good for whom exactly here?

Mahiro's grin widened dangerously. Slinging an arm around Yoshino's shoulders, he purposefully leaned in and with a condescending voice, Mahiro enunciated each word, "Yoshino. Yoshino. Just accept it. You're stuck with me. After all, we're best friends, aren't we?"

Yoshino narrowed his eyes, recognizing the mocking tone for what it was. Refusing to give in, Yoshino purposefully relaxed his body and smoothed out his expression. Casually, he asked, "Oh? And should I delegate the rest of my life to being your best friend?"

Mahiro laughed, amused that Yoshino did not falter yet. Yoshino never lost his nerve with him, did he? "Of course not, that's an inefficient use of talent."

Yoshino scrunched his forehead in confusion. "Talent?"

Mahiro raised an eyebrow, and made a show of pondering it before responding. "You have talent. Multiple ones, actually. Like emotional manipulation. Deceptiveness. Dating other people's sisters behind their backs. Very rare skills. You're truly resourceful."

At that, Yoshino blinked sheepishly. Mahiro's eyes narrowed in at the sight of Yoshino scratching his cheek again. Interesting.

Never one to quit either, Yoshino managed to ask drolly, "You still have a grudge against me on that? Also, those were all very interesting skills you managed to point out. I'll be sure to include them in my resume if I ever want to be hired as a villain."

Scratching the back of his neck, Yoshino continued, this time with what Mahiro detected as curiosity, "Actually, is that how people see me? An evil mastermind of some sort?"

Mahiro snickered. "You know, Samon and the others actually believed you were the true mage of Exodus. What was it that people said, again? The quiet ones are always the most dangerous ones?"

Yoshino shrugged off Mahiro's arm. "How amusing. Can you actually give me a reason? What would I even be able to do to help you save the world?"

Mahiro, meanwhile, smirked. It really was hilarious. They really thought Yoshino was the mage. As if Yoshino was that brutal. He was more softhearted than people thought. Idiots. He focused back on Yoshino and his question. With a careless shrug, Mahiro offered, "Well, every important leader usually has a secretary or aide or something. You can be that."

At Yoshino's blunt stare, Mahiro stopped teasing and continued in a more serious tone, "It doesn't really matter what you'll specifically do. Just be my right-hand man, Yoshino. Like always."

Yoshino, for the second time that day, was caught off guard by Mahiro.

And for who knows how many times in my life so far?

It was frustrating to say the least that Mahiro had this uncanny ability to render Yoshino speechless with his frank and simple statements. It unbalanced him whenever Mahiro would say something outrageous with so much confidence that Yoshino could not help but accept it as the truth.

Be your right hand man? We're not even friends in the first place, Mahiro.

And it was true. Mahiro was just the person Yoshino could not separate himself from, no matter how hard he tried. It was just one of those hard facts of life that you accepted. Like a piece of persistent gum on the bottom of your shoe. Or tomato sauce on your white shirt. That sort of thing.

Mahiro's voice dragged him out his reverie. "Oi, Yoshino! Jeez, you really are sleepy today."

Shaking his head, Yoshino joked, "Right-hand man? I don't think you're remembering it right. I'm pretty sure I was an unwilling victim in all of your schemes and crazy ideas."

Mahiro scoffed. "Unwilling? Don't delude yourself, Yoshino." The shit-eating grin returned to his face again. "You're pretty wicked yourself. Reliable, but wicked nonetheless."

With face poised in mock agreement, Yoshino responded, conveying each word with such placidness that it belied the sarcasm in his speech. "Great. So tomorrow, when they tell us to fill out the career planning survey, I'll write 'partner in crime'."

Undeterred, Mahiro countered with an equally straight face, "Exactly. And I'll write 'world savior'."

Yoshino's lips twitched in amusement before he succumbed to the hilarity of the conversation and his shoulders shook with the mirth he could no longer contain. At the rare sound of Yoshino laughing so freely, Mahiro could not keep his calm façade either and chucked with merriment.

Yoshino, after taking multiple deep breaths, finally calmed down. Looking up, Yoshino noticed with some surprise that the sun was starting to set. As if a hyperactive child had colored the page with neon highlighters, the sky glowed with random streaks of bright purple, orange, and yellow. Probably time to head back. Standing up, Yoshino tilted his face to feel the breeze again. Without looking back, he stated,"I'm stuck with you, aren't I?"

Mahiro stood up and turned around to pick up the forgotten novel. He raised his eyebrow at Yoshino's statement. Unsure if Yoshino was directing it at him or thinking out loud, Mahiro answered anyways, "About time you realize that. That would have saved me a lot of effort, you know."

"…It's quite normal to be wary of participating in suspicious activities."

At that, Mahiro glared at Yoshino and began tapping the novel against his thigh in irritation. "Suspicious?"

Yoshino nervously smiled, already perceiving the possibility of another blow to the forehead. I'll definitely have a bruise by tomorrow.

Subtly, he began to move backwards towards the exit of the lot, eyes already searching for an escape route. Abruptly, contrary to Yoshino's expectations, Mahiro's vexed state seemed to pass. Yoshino could see that Mahiro's eyes now gleamed not with anger, but with-mischievousness? Yes, definitely. Mahiro's lips slipped into a sly smirk that by no means made Yoshino feel reassured. Mahiro strode forward-and once more to Yoshino's surprise, past him.

Then, in an overly dramatic manner, Mahiro stopped, raised his head, and addressed the sky, "Ah, Aika. Your brother here is trying to achieve your last wishes. Your beloved over there is completely unsupportive. You'd think he'd be on board with the plan, considering the two of you were dating. Time makes people so fickle, huh?"

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Mahiro smirked again, completely satisfied at the look of indignation that briefly crossed Yoshino's face.

Then, to Mahiro's surprise, Yoshino seemingly recovered and began walking ahead to leave the lot. Tilting his head back, and just because he could, Yoshino flippantly remarked, "It's hard to imagine that a girl as bony as Aika could leave such lasting impression on the world, much less inspire yet another heroic journey. The world sure works in unpredictable ways, doesn't it, Mahiro?"

As expected, Mahiro glowered at him. Yup, I provoked him. Mahiro, now shook the novel threateningly and began to close in towards Yoshino. "Yo-shi-no. What did you just say? Come back here and repeat it for me."

Yoshino gulped and raised his hands up. "If possible, I would rather decline."

"Too bad, not possible." Mahiro narrowed his eyes and stalked forward.

Which then triggered Yoshino's flight or fight response, much to Mahiro's outrage.

"You bastard! Come back here! Aika said I could have two more hits. And I fully intend to follow up on that offer!"

"I want to stay alive."

"Should have thought of that before you opened your mouth, Yoshino!"

And as he ran through the streets, dodging poor bystanders, hazardous fire hydrants, and Mahiro's fingers, which very nearly grabbed his hood, Yoshino could not help but agree. I really have no preservation for my life, do I?

Additional notes:

Age explanation: So I'm not really sure how old they are. Ok well I do. They're apparently 16 in the anime according to the wiki. Well, I'm assuming that the Tree of Genesis incident took place in their junior year, so this chapter focuses in their senior year, specifically around the end of the year, you know when college decision comes around. So right now they're...let's say 17.

Expect this to be a very slow story. Emotions will take time developing. And then it will take time to acknowledge those feelings. Like I said, there will be denial. A lot of denial. I personally think that these two are the only ones who can really understand each other. It may be not be the type of hallmark love that has rainbows and sprinkles and romantic young lovers thing. But more like a deep companionship and fondness. They both ground each other. Plus, to be honest, they both carry a lot of emotional baggage for them to have successful relationships.

Thumbs up if you got the cliche contrast between fire and ice. If you didn't, that's...ok. Consider it the delusions of someone who needs to tone down the number of romantic novels she keeps reading. Although I do think that they approach things in opposite ways.

This is my longest chapter. Ever. Yay! (Although I apologize to any of you who have been waiting for me to put out the same effort in my other work. So, so sorry)

Please review and comment! Or favorite the story. Follow the story. Do something to tell me that you like this story. (I'm not telepathic though so a visible sign would be most helpful) Or if you thought there are things I could work on, review all the same. Constructive criticism is welcomed! :)