Sin & Virtue
by Indrawn
chapter 1
e n v y
invidia →
jealousy, malice, insatiable desire for something one perceives oneself as lacking
Seven deadly sins. Seven heavenly virtues. When fourteen of their attributes unknowingly draw them closer together.
pride - envy - wrath - sloth - greed - gluttony - lust
humility - kindness - patience - diligence - liberality - abstinence - chastity
A/N: This story will have corresponding illustrations from the manga, and can be found as links in my profile. [; It will mainly be fourteen chapters that look into the lives of Maron/Jeanne and Chiaki/Sinbad and their relationship based on a central trait.
- – one – -
As a high-school-student-heartthrob by day, infamously-hunted-thief by night, Chiaki always had a lot of things on his mind. After all, leading a double life was hardly easy.
As a matter of fact a number of things were coursing through his mind at that moment. Such as the matter of the chemistry quiz he was studying for. He had just strolled out of the library to take a breather. He couldn't concentrate anyway; although he had selected the furthermost desk to study at, he could still hear (quite clearly) the hushed whispers and giggles of a pack of girls a shelf or two away.
His train of thought mingled with segments of their conversation became something along the lines of: because matter can neither be created … "there he is--" of atoms on both sides of … "yeah Chiaki, that's him! He's such a hunk…" for substance dissolved in water … more shrill giggles to his left … sodium chloride in crystalline … "go on, ask him! I dare you…" in a lattice … "oh!-- do you think he'd--"
Chiaki quietly slammed his textbook shut. Without even glancing at the bookshelves, he stood up and strode out of the library. Behind him, he could hear the girls' disappointed sighs. "Oh, he's leaving…"
Damn right he was. Boy, was it hard being handsome.
Besides that, his good looks weren't his only burden. Subconsciously, he slid his fingers around the smooth wood of his rosary he kept in his pocket, feeling the facets of the simply refined, blood-red gem at its centre cool against his palm. Last night his pawn chess piece had reverted back into a black pin, before his very eyes. Never had that happened before.
He had no definite explanation for it; a miscalculation, perhaps. Chiaki made his way down the stairs from the library. As Sinbad, he had stolen the checkmate from right beneath Jeanne's nose, literally less than a second before she was about to seal the demon with her own pin. Angered and demanding answers, she had given chase. He might have lost his concentration in his haste to flee from the scene. And Jeanne.
Speak of the devil… There Maron was at the bottom of the library stairs, making out with some boy against the wall. He sighed. At least they should have the sense to not do it in plain view-- Pause. Rewind.
There Maron was? Making out with that boy? …What the bloody hell!
Chiaki scowled and checked himself. Maron could kiss any boy she wanted. …It wasn't as if he had feelings for the girl. None at all. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It was all pretence, at any rate.
Hell, their voices even carried all the way up to where he was standing. Talk about a lack of privacy. "…why, you seem surprised, Kusakabe-san," the boy drawled.
Chiaki turned away in disgust, prepared to face his textbook and his giggling, gushing fan club again. He tried to ignore the bitter feeling clutching somewhere around his chest.
Maron wasn't his. She could have her fun.
"No… no… wait a minute, Minazuki-kun…!" That was Maron's voice. And wait – she didn't sound as if she was having what he called 'fun'. And – with Minazuki? An image of the nerdy, four-eyed, stuttering wreck of a class president came into his mind. "Stop, Minazuki-kun! … I said stop!"
Unwillingly, he glanced back again. Just in time to witness Minazuki doubled up on the ground a few feet away from Maron, groaning and clutching his groin in pain.
At that sight Chiaki had to suppress a laugh; a trace of sympathy even crossed his mind. Minazuki had obviously chosen the wrong girl to mess with. He himself had been on the receiving end of several of Maron's punches; just thankfully nowhere where it really hurt.
He had always come across to Chiaki as a sort of weakling, both physically and mentally. So Chiaki was surprised to see him staggering to his feet so soon. "Kusakabe-san..."
Time to stage his entrance.
He made his way down the remaining stairs quickly, leaning over and picking Maron up by the waist, swinging her to his side of the railing just as Minazuki made a move to grab her. Chiaki was surprised she was so light. Maron gasped, bewildered, and landed clumsily on the steps, grabbing his arm for support.
Chiaki grinned and leaned over the railing. "Stop right there! You can't do that Mr President – seducing a girl in a place like this! Shame on you," he said cheerfully, emphasising himself with several waves of his finger in Minazuki's face.
To his surprise, a smirk spread across Minazuki's face and he grabbed his collar roughly, leaning forward. "She's mine," he hissed softly. "I won't give up Kusakabe-san to you so easily, Nagoya-kun. Until next time, then." With a meaningful look, he released his hold and turned around, sauntering off.
Demon.
Chiaki watched his retreating back, eyes narrowing. "Such amazing confidence." A few seconds of silence passed between them before Chiaki turned to face Maron. "Are you alright?"
She didn't meet his gaze. "Why did you help me?" she asked quietly.
That was a good question.
He didn't think he knew the answer himself.
"Did you want to be kissed?" Chiaki grinned, avoiding her directly. "Then I--"
"No!" she snapped quickly, reddening. She realised she was still clutching onto his sleeve and promptly snatched her hand back, sending him a glare. "You didn't need to interfere! I don't need your help. I- I could have done something about him myself!" Biting her lip, she hastily pushed past him and ran in the opposite direction.
Chiaki silently watched her disappear.
"Sinbad, I found out where last night's demon escaped to!" The brash voice came from the bushes hedging the stairway.
"Ah, Access!" He smiled at the appearance of his angel companion. "Hey, it's Chiaki now. And I've also found the demon."
"Hn, and I came here as soon as I could to tell you, too," Access complained. The angel flew over to perch on Chiaki's shoulder and followed his gaze. "Oh yeah, that girl just then; Maron isn't it? The reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc. It's rare to see you helping others," he added, grinning mischievously. "You haven't really fallen for her, have you?"
"Oh knock it off," Chiaki laughed. "I'm pretending, to get closer to her. It's only false affection. Anyway, we have ourselves some demon hunting to do tonight, Access."
He only wished he felt as confident about it as he sounded. He hated to admit that sadly, both his occupations happened to revolve around this girl.
At least he'd solved the problem concerning the chess piece. At present he had a quiz and a fan club to think about.
And about Maron – well, he'd deal with that later.
- – two – -
Chiaki sighed and inserted his hands into his pockets, allowing his mind to wander as the announcements at assembly droned on.
"…all pupils who have their school fund are asked to bring it to reception at break…"
He smiled to himself as he remembered the trick he had played on Maron the previous afternoon. She had been spying on Miyako's brother, suspected to be possessed by a demon, at his laboratory – hanging from his window sill, on the second storey. The stupid girl.
"…entry forms are still available from the office; if you have any queries please contact…"
He knew this because he had overheard her conversation with Miyako beforehand, and he in turn had been spying on Maron from behind the hedges surrounding the laboratory's perimeter. That was, of course, perfectly acceptable. It wasn't as if he was a stalker; he was merely concerned about the girl's welfare.
"This device is able to affect gravity using a satellite." The voice had come from the second storey window. Miyako's brother had obviously been unaware that he was being eavesdropped on, or he wouldn't have been conversing to himself so loudly. "Using this, I can create a major earthquake. The city won't know what hit it. Then I'll finally be respected as a scientist!" Cue the evil laughter.
"…will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the lecture theatre for further discussion…"
"Eh!" Maron had exclaimed in alarm. Hey, Chiaki'd been pretty shocked himself. And he didn't see the logic behind the man's thinking; how was destroying the city supposed to bring him fame?
That was when Maron's footing had slipped and with a gasp, she fell. Forgetting his cover, Chiaki had cursed and run out.
"…only thirty places are left; all forms and money should be handed to…"
"I could have died there!" Maron'd complained, trying to get into a sitting position. It took her a moment before it registered that she was lying on top of somebody. "Oh!" Her face flushed pink.
"Don't make me worry so much," Chiaki had muttered, lying on his back. Catching the sixteen-year-old girl's drop from a two storey building had momentarily knocked all the air from his lungs. No matter how light the girl was. It was lucky he wasn't hurt otherwise.
But, she didn't need to know that.
"…would the formal committee please meet at the beginning of lunchtime…"
"Ch-Chi-Chiaki!" she stuttered, only just realising who he was.
"Ouch…" He hid a grin and pretended to wince in pain as he made to get up.
She'd hurriedly scrambled off him. "Chiaki, are you okay? Did you hurt your back?" He had to inwardly smile at her genuinely worried expression.
Chiaki pretended to grab her hand for support. "I…" In one swift movement he had captured her other hand and reversed their positions, pinning her to the grass beneath him. "Nope, not at all!" he beamed.
"…for all who wish to audition, after school choir practice is…"
Her mask of concern melted faster than a bar of chocolate thrown into a furnace. "Y-you're terrible!" Maron exclaimed, struggling to push him off.
"This is the best set-up for me; I'm very happy!" Chiaki grinned, not budging.
"Idiot! Get off me!" She was now blushing madly and trying to hit him, but her efforts were futile as he still had both her hands trapped.
He laughed. "Oh, I don't know about that…"
And that was the moment when he had been attacked aggressively by her guardian angel, Fin.
"…and next, we will be introducing a new teacher." Girlish screams erupted from around him. Chiaki blinked and looked up to the stage at the front of the assembly, and fought to suppress a frown.
At the head of the stage stood a tall, young man, probably in his twenties. "I am Shikaidou Hijiri, and as of today I will be teaching history." The man flashed a smile at the murmuring crowd.
"What?" Chiaki scowled, haughtily running his fingers through his hair. So okay, in a girl's perspective the man may have been alright to look at; but he was certainly not good-looking. Not as good-looking as himself, that was for sure. He couldn't understand what the whole commotion was about. "I'm so much better than he is—" He had turned to see if Maron was watching – but to his dismay, she was ogling at the teacher with her mouth wide open like the rest of them.
"It's him!" she yelled in surprise.
Everybody in the vicinity immediately turned to stare at her. Chiaki watched with mounting irritation as the air was pierced with squeals of, "Maron! Do you know that teacher? … You're so lucky … Could you introduce him to me? … I'm so jealous …"
As much as he hated it, he could relate to that last statement.
A hush fell over the student body as Shikaidou began to speak again. "As I have just come back from studying abroad there will be many unfamiliar things here, so please bear with me." That smile again; one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Best regards to you all." He didn't like it.
x xx ;
The bell that sounded for their first break came as a relief for Chiaki. Their prior lesson had oh-so coincidentally been history, and every time he'd glared at Shikaidou over his 'Hundred Years' War' notes with a look of pure dislike, the glance and hard smile he had returned was unnerving – as though he could see right through him. To make matters worse, when he'd turned to his left and caught Maron's eye, the smile he had given was not reciprocated.
He made up his mind to speak to her. Privately.
Chiaki's stomach dropped when Maron immediately bolted out of her seat and hurriedly tried to make her way to the front of the classroom before the teacher left, muttering, "pardon me… excuse me… sorry, excuse me…" to the students she pushed over in the process.
"Excuse me, sir," Maron called, unusually brightly. Shikaidou turned around. "I have something I'd like to talk to you about, alone."
Chiaki narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Alone - what?
That was when a mob of giggling girls attached themselves to Shikaidou's arms like jellyfish, pushing him out of the doorway, while another horde turned on Maron. "We can't allow you to go ahead of us, Maron, even if it is you! And besides, you have Nagoya-kun already!"
"But– it's nothing like that!" Maron said, unconvincingly. She peered out the door but had already lost sight of Shikaidou.
Chiaki came behind her, snaking his fingers around her wrist. "Then, what is it like?" he said quietly.
She jumped. "Chi-Chiaki!" The way her ears turned red was a dead giveaway.
"Do you know him? What's going on?"
She looked uncomfortable. "I- I… I'm sorry!" Abruptly she broke away and ran outside, losing herself in the stream of departing students.
"Hey, wait!" Chiaki called in frustration, but she was already gone.
x xx ;
What on earth?
Chiaki ripped his can of coke open – perhaps a little too violently – staring at the frothing, fizzing surface, listening as it slowly died into a low hiss. He walked down the empty corridor, holding his can thoughtfully. His footsteps echoed behind him.
Alright, something was wrong.
Absent-mindedly, Chiaki paused and glanced out the window to the quadrangle. It was deserted. But was that--
And he didn't like it.
That was Maron, all right. Standing next to that teacher again, too close for comfort. What was his name again-- Shikaidou Hijiri… Yeah, that was the one. Well it seemed like she had gotten her wish; those two were totally alone.
Not one, single, tiny bit of it.
What were they there doing anyway? Maron was… She was laughing. When was the last time she had laughed so naturally with him?
Bloody hell.
He felt a sudden pang of jealousy; he hated to see that smile for anybody else. Damn it, he wanted to protect it. What he wouldn't give for a chance to close his fingers around that smirking jackass's throat right now, to wipe that mask of a smile off his face. It didn't reach his eyes. Couldn't she see that?
Damn it all to hell.
And what he wouldn't give to wrench that arm draped so casually around Maron's shoulders off. To wrench it until it hurt. The pressure Chiaki had been exerting on the can in his hand showed when the aluminium began to crumple. He barely noticed as it hit the floor with several loud, resounding clanks, the undrunk liquid spilling onto the floor.
x xx ;
He didn't have to wait long until she appeared around the corner, heading for their next classroom as he predicted. A trace of the smile still lingered on her lips.
"Oh--" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. Her eyes darted briefly to the spilt coke and the crushed remains of the can on the ground beside him, and her smile wavered. "Chiaki…? What did you—how did that—" Maron gesticulated jerkily at the mess, struggling to find the right words to express her question. "—What happened…" She trailed off as Chiaki advanced towards her, taking a step back uncertainly.
"Maron."
Another step back. It wasn't as if there was anything to hide from him; she was looking nervous.
One more stride towards her. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Then she tried to take another step away, and her back met the wall.
Almost angrily, Chiaki slammed both hands to the wall on either side of her, effectively preventing any means of escape. Why was she acting like this?
"Who is he?" he demanded. Well he hadn't meant to say that so harshly. The expression on her face stirred something inside his chest; he ignored it. "That new teacher. Shikaidou," he elaborated, attempting to lower his volume and not quite succeeding. "What does he have to do with you?"
Her eyes widened. "What do you mean… We're– we're just a normal student and teach--"
"Then why did you meet with him alone?" he broke in. She was stammering again. Chiaki didn't want to let his anger spill out at her, but it was hard to keep his voice steady. He was dimly aware of her heavy breathing; she was merely inches away. Was that an envelope… a letter… she had clenched in her fist? He didn't really care.
A pause. "You aren't jealous, are you?" Maron joked, giggling nervously. She tried to ease out of his hold, but failed.
"I am."
She stopped abruptly.
"It's been bothering me; it is bothering me. So I want to know."
"I…" She dropped her gaze. "We're not even going out, so don't ask me!" she said quietly, almost desperately.
So that was it. "Then we should… go out," he said slowly, leaning closer. The blush creeping into her cheeks was unmistakable. He lowered one hand to her cheek, brushing back her bangs, and bringing his fingertips to her chin, making her look into his eyes.
"I am always looking at you with these feelings."
x xx ;
A/N: As always, encouraging and constructive reviews are more than welcome. [: And if you missed the note at the beginning, the illustration for this chapter can be found as a link in my profile. As an afterthought, I prefer writing Jeanne/Sinbad over Maron/Chiaki. It's harder to capture any deep emotions in words when their interaction is so much more light-hearted and humorous. Hmm. In case you didn't know, the letter Maron was holding was given to her by Hijiri, supposedly from her father. The AMV Maron/Chiaki So In Love With Two by GioelleBrokenWings is also great video. [;
Next chapter:
sin; pride.