Better Left Forgotten? (Kite Skeron)

[Syrus Helling]

Summer… what every school age kid looked forward to….

To tell you the truth, Syrus really hated summer. He hated being idle, doing nothing of importance, and most of all he hated being back at home with his so called family. He hated it more than he hated all… or most… of the bloody annoying people at Hogwarts. He hated the shouting matches with his father and the things his father said to him for no reason at all during those shouting matches. He hated the way his mother always cried and begged them to stop and tried to treat him like an infant after. He hated the visits from his brother when all his parents would do is fawn over him like he was Jesus come again. He hated the visits from his sister when she would torture him to no end.

There were times he almost felt like burning that hate-filled house to the ground with all four of them inside… life would be so much better with them gone….

Instead he went for a walk. He took a little trip to a city park some distance away, took a book or two, maybe some snacks, and just sat in the grass and read. At least on nice days, like this one. Even when it was raining he still left the house. Walking through the pouring rain was preferable to staying in that house one moment longer. But on rainy days he couldn’t bring his books with.

Today, however, the sun was shining and he was laying in the shade of an oak tree, quite intent on his book, for once a work of fiction. He felt the need to escape farther today than just the park and fiction was always good at taking you to far off places. He’d seen this one in a muggle bookstore and thought the title was rather intriguing… ‘A Game of Thrones’. He was really getting into this one with all the medieval political intrigue and what not.

Marking his page and setting the book down to give his eyes a short rest, he looked out over the rest of the park. There was a small playground on the other side and he set his jaw stubbornly against memories that the sight of it brought back to him. There were some little kids playing with a ball, climbing on the monkey bars, shouting with delight as they flew down the slide.

“Bloody… noisy kids…,” he muttered, picking his book up again and finding the place he has left off at, starting again and trying to ignore the kids across the park.

[Kite Skeron]

Kite was walking around the park, thinking about various things. He had remembered quite a bit since he met Mikayla, and he remembered this being his favorite spot for some reason. He wondered if he knew anybody here in this area, and began looking for anything that would spark a memory.

Then he saw Syrus sitting under their tree.

Wait. Syrus? Their tree?

He felt cold again as more memories rushed back into his mind, sending shockwaves of pain through his back where the scars were. He shook the feeling and slowly walked over, plopping down next to Syrus. He finally remembered.

"Do you still hate me?" He asked seriously. He remembered the promise they made to be "best friends always". That was, until they got sent to the Houses with the penultimate rivalry in the history of rivalries. Ever since then, they had avoided each other, although, he did remember Syrus and some Hufflepuff girl he didn't remember visiting him, the girl at least three more times than Syrus did. He rejected both of them, due to having already been used because of his loss of memory, which cost him several thousand Galleons.

He looked over at his old friend. It pained him to think of what Syrus thought that even though Kite had lost his memories, to have been forgotten by the only friend you had in this hell.

[Syrus Helling]

The background noise of the kids playing was really agitating him. He couldn’t seem to get back into his book, too distracted by the noise and the bloody memories that he’d rather forget. He was aware of someone walking toward him and narrowed his eyes. Perhaps if he pretended to be intent on reading and ignored them they would just walk past. He gritted his teeth as the very thing he didn’t want to happen, happened. Whoever they were decided they could just sit right down beside him and-

He looked up sharply at the sound of that familiar voice, his gaze narrowing further, “Do I still hate you…? So you remember me now, do you? And here I was hoping you never would and I could just pretend none of it ever happened.” He turned back to his book, staring down at the page briefly. He definitely wasn’t going to be able to focus on his reading now. Scowling briefly, he marked his page and set the book aside, muttering to himself, “And here I thought maybe I’d have a decent day today… that’s what I get for being optimistic for once.”

He shifted his gaze sideways to glance at his once best friend. Why did he have to be Gryffindor? Any other house… any other house and they could still… they could be like they used to. None of the others would have bothered him one bit but he’d had to go to Gryffindor. After he’d let himself believe he really had a friend in him, that he wouldn’t have to be alone… he had to be a Gryffindor, just like his bloody family. He clenched his teeth and turned pointedly the other way. Kite was the reason he didn’t allow himself to have friends… all the more people that could betray you… hurt you.

How he sometimes found himself longing for that old, easy, innocent friendship they once had… it’s what had made him visit Kite after he’d heard about what happened… but he’d never be that stupid again. There were reasons you were sorted into the house you had, and if you didn’t share at least some of the values of that house you wouldn’t be there in the first place. If Kite related to his family on that then…. “What do you want?” he all but growled, “You remember me? So what… doesn’t change anything…. We’re not going to suddenly start being friends again just because something bad happened to you….”

[Kite Skeron]

Kite shook his head, "Syrus, you know damn well we haven't even spoken since I was sorted into Gryffindor." he sighed. How could he expect Syrus to understand?

"I actually hate it there." Kite whispered. "So many 'heros' and wannabe 'Harry Potter's'..." he closed his eyes. "I would have rather been in Slytherin. Then not only would I have kept my best friend, I would have met Mikayla earlier.." he clenched his fist. "And that idiot wouldn't have almost gotten me killed."

He silently looked over at Syrus, who was most likely acting like he didn't notice. "Syrus... you're the only family that I count as having anymore. So, please. I know you hate me. I know I ruined your stupid day. But please, don't leave on account that the hat missorted me!" he began getting upset. Syrus avoided him like the plague, and due to his Gryffindor classmates keeping him away form Slytherin at all costs, he had no chance to actually speak to him.

[Syrus Helling]

He grunted lightly, “Yes we have… maybe you don’t remember everything about us.” They hadn’t really spoken since then, no… but there were the letters…. Even after Kite had written him that he’d been sorted into Gryffindor, he’d written back for a little while, still naïve, unsure what it meant that his best friend was now a Gryffindor. However, that had also been the time that… that his father started getting worse… and he’d finally stopped writing back, even though Kite still sent him letters now and then, the rest of that year anyway.

He picked at the grass, angry more than anything that he still had those stupid letters in a shoebox under his bed. He’d put them there after reading them and when they’d stopped coming he’d never taken that damn box out again. He felt stupid that he still had them, he should really toss them out… but he’d rather just forget them under there. It wasn’t like he was saving them for a reason or anything… he just didn’t want to look at them again. Maybe his ten year old self had been saving them for some dumb reason but he wasn’t anymore. They were just there… gathering dust… like the memories, and their friendship.

His gaze shifted back toward Kite when he spoke again, about hating it in Gryffindor. He didn’t know who he meant when he spoke of some ‘Mikayla’. She might be in his house but he didn’t pay attention to the names of people he didn’t give a damn about. But he curious himself as to who would attack Kite, and why…. He scowled inwardly that he cared at all. Why should he…? He’d stopped caring about so much so long ago… but for some bloody reason he couldn’t stop caring about Kite, as much as he wanted to.

At a time when he was picked on and bullied for being small, for not being able to run as fast, or throw as far… stupid childish things… Kite was the only one who didn’t seem to care about those things, the only one that wanted to be his friend. Children were so mean… he really hated them… but then Kite showed up. Damn it. Kite was the only real family he’d ever felt he’d had, which had only made it hurt all the more when he went to bloody Gryffindor. He already had a family full of Gryffindors that he was steadily growing to hate, and now Kite was one of them. Or at least that’s how his ten year old self saw it.

For five years that thought had buried itself within him and he’d kept it as a reminder never to be so stupid again. For five years he carried the pain of what he’d thought of as Kite’s betrayal… and it wasn’t about to just disappear, no matter how badly he wanted his friend back, “Missorted…? There’s always a reason…. Whether it’s what you want or something the hat finds in you, there’s always a reason! It doesn’t just choose on a whim! So why are you Gryffindor if you don’t even… don’t even want to be? You could have told it no…,” he trailed off a bit, his voice lowering in volume, “You can do that, I’ve heard… tell it no… tell it what you don’t want… I did, I did and it listened…. You could have told it no, damn it!” He paused for a long moment, having worked himself up again, “So why…… why…? It could have been any other house….” He hugged his legs and laid his forehead on his knees, shaking slightly, hating how vulnerable he must look, but even this was better than letting Kite see him cry. It was all he could do to hold back, his eyes closed tightly, “Why….”

[Kite Skeron]

Kite looked at his friend, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was in pain. Kite could feel it. "

"Brother.." he said quietly. "I chose Slytherin. The Sorting Hat denied me, stating that my reasoning was against where I was required, and placed me in Gryffindor. It told me 'No matter where you are, Skeron, no matter where, you will have the same alliances and the same fate. This even I cannot change."

Kite had no idea what the Sorting Hat meant by that. It was weird. It always placed students where they thought they would be best, but this time, it's as if the Hat had already chosen for him. It was indeed strange.
"Syrus, all in all, a Gryffindor is not who I am. I'm not really anything. I would rather wear green anyways. Better color." Kite removed his hand from Syrus's shoulder, and sighed. "I don't think I've ever been in control of my fate."

[Syrus Helling]

He flinched away slightly when Kite’s hand came to his shoulder. Being touched had become something he rather avoided, unless it was with a girl, anyway…. He rather enjoyed his personal space nd invading it was generally a good way to annoy him. He closed eyes tighter when Kite called him ‘brother’. If only Kite had been his brother instead of Zaine, life would be so much different.

He turned his head ever so slightly back toward him, looking at him through one eye, the other still hidden. Excuses… that’s all it was, right? It sounded so absurd…. Kite never lied to him, not that he could remember, not that he ever knew of... and he was probably the only one, “You know… I don’t give a damn about house rivalries… I never have.” Kite didn’t know why he so hated Gryffindors, not really.

Back when they were still talking things were still relatively tame between him and his family. His father was simply cold instead of outright abusive. He’d looked up to his brother… for a little while. He’d secretly cherished that affection that his mother showered him with to make up for his father’s distance. It was only after he’d been sorted into Slytherin that things got bad, and he’d stopped talking to Kite then. He was sure he’d told Kite something about his father’s coldness, but that was probably the extent of it, and he wondered now if Kite really thought he’d cut ties with him simply because of those bloody house rivalries.

It didn’t matter to him at all who got the damn house cup at the end of the year, or who won the quidditch cup. Quidditch itself was a ridiculous notion to him, why would he ever care about that? Certainly there was no real reason at all behind him putting their friendship aside, no reason for him to hate Kite, that Kite knew of. But no one really knew… anything… about the source of his hatred. Kite had been the first and last close friend he had ever had, and who else would he ever tell about his problems?

He closed his eyes again, murmuring more to himself, “Fate…? … Fate… sure likes to fuck around with people.” He lifted his head to stare across the park to the playing children again. He so wanted Kite’s friendship back, but pride and paranoia kept him hesitant, “You’re the only friend I’ve ever had…. I… I don’t even think… I know what it means anymore… to be a friend. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to get my hopes up for something that…. People in my life always… never….” He rested his forehead on his knees again, not sure how to phrase what he was trying to say.

[Kite Skeron]

Kite saw his friend recoil. How much pain is he in? Kite wondered silently. "I promise, Syrus..." he looked at him. "I won't leave you again."

He remembered Syrus remarking about his family and how much he hated them before the attack. Kite felt horrible, because he knew how Syrus felt. Except it was because he HAD no family. He placed his hand back on Syrus's shoulder, and also remembered the promise he made. He reached into his pocket and found something he had always carried around; a half of a coin. He remembered they had used magic to break it apart, a promise of friendship.

"Do you still have your half..?" Kite said quietly. 'I never stopped carrying mine."

[Syrus Helling]

His stomach clenched. He wouldn’t leave again…? Lies. He shook his head slightly, No… he’s never lied to be before…. He glanced over at Kite briefly. Idiot. He closed his eyes once more, already sick of this inner battle with himself. It’s so easy for me not to care… but Kite…. Kite is… was… the only real friend I’ve ever had…. Why was he even trying to reason with himself? Bloody hell. He pressed his forehead against his knees. Damn inner voices… good for tormenting yourself and nothing else.

He looked up again when Kite asked him if he still had his half. His half of…? He looked at the half coin in Kite’s hand, staring at it silently for a long moment. Finally he blinked and looked away, for once not sure what to say. That damn, stupid little trinket… that thing had made him feel like a fool many times over the past few years. He reached up to tug gently on a plain black cord around his neck, pulling out his half from where it hung under his shirt and holding it between two fingers. “Stupid thing…,” he growled softly, looking back over at Kite, “I…,” he turned his gaze back to his half of the coin, feeling more than a little embarrassed, “Never take the bloody thing off.”

There had been a couple girls who were too curious for their own good in the past who had asked him about it, at which point he’d simply left without another word. Stupid girls had to go and ruin his fun. He let himself fall backward, to rest on his elbows, and looked over at Kite again with a slight shake of his head. The fact that he wore his half of the coin wherever he went was testament enough to his true feelings. He didn’t really feel the need to say more about it, nor did he at all want to. He gazed at his old friend steadily for a moment, “Maybe if you’d gotten off your lazy arse and talked to me sooner, this wouldn’t have lasted so long.” A slight smirk turned up one corner of his mouth. He felt that other side of him railing at him for being a fool, but he ignored it. He was very good at ignoring things he didn’t want to hear.

[Kite Skeron]

Kite playfully punched his best friend in the shoulder. "Maybe if I wasn't comatose and confusticated this past year, I would have." he leaned against the tree and looked outward towards the city. "I remember meeting you. Those assholes were picking on you.." he grinned. "We both got our asses kicked because I stood up for you. Remember?" Kite said proudly. It should be noted that Kite learned Akido to protect himself and Syrus, due to that at one time, it was Kite and Syrus Vs. The World.
He looked over at Syrus, who seemed more like his old self, before his Father decided to screw things up. That old fuck...
"Syrus. You want to get a sandwich or a burger?" he asked. "My treat." he slowly stood and offered Syrus a hand up. "There's this kickass burger place down the road, and it's a lot quieter there. I know how you hate incessant noise."

At this moment, Kite thought of something.
"Hey. Have you met Mikayla Menki?" he asked Syrus. They were in the same house, perhaps he knew her?

[Syrus Helling]

He flinched and rubbed his shoulder mockingly, “No need for violence, you brute.” He looked over to Kite as he spoke, his gaze narrowing. He did wonder about that. As much as he had told himself not to before, he couldn’t help but wonder… maybe worry (a little)… about who would attack his friend, and why. He heaved a great sigh as Kite went on about their meeting, his tone dry, “Really now, don’t be getting all sentimental on me. I’ve had about enough of that for the year, thanks.” He shook his head, “Of course I remember….” He fiddled with his half of the coin briefly before realizing it was still exposed and replacing it beneath his shirt. “The start of a beautiful friendship,” he added with no lack of sarcasm. He valued Kite’s friendship but he would never phrase it in such a way and actually be serious.

He laughed shortly, shaking his head again, and turned back to Kite as he asked about getting something to eat. “Mmf…,” he glanced at his book, realizing he had indeed forgot to bring snacks along on this particular trip and he wasn’t about to go back home to get anything. When he was offered a hand, he hesitated briefly before grabbing it, “…Sure.” He allowed Kite to help him up, his book in his other hand. “Hmf… somehow I doubt it’s much quieter. Incessant noise seems to follow me no matter how hard I try to escape it. I’d use magic to make everyone shut up but being underage puts a damper on such ideas.” The last thing he needed to do was give his father something else to scream at him about.

He raised an eyebrow slightly at Kite when asked about Mikayla, “I believe you mentioned a ‘Mikayla’ earlier as well. Am I supposed to know her?” He scratched at the back of his neck briefly as he thought about it for a moment, but ultimately concluded that if he had ever known the name he had long since forgotten it. “I might have met her at some point, I don’t know. I don’t really care to waste my time remembering people I don’t care about,” he eyed Kite for a moment, “…Should I care about her…?” If this Mikayla meant something to Kite, he didn’t really think it was necessary for him to care about her as well, but he might be at least willing to make some sort of effort to stop NOT caring, so long as she didn’t annoy him like so many girls did.

[Kite Skeron]

"Well. Maybe not. I mean it's not required." he smiled. "She practically saved my life." he went on, telling Syrus the story of the curse that was placed upon him, being reversed by the chance meeting between him and Mikayla. He told him about their whole day (skipping the all night adventure, just saying "We fell asleep soon after a short makeout session." He was blushing. Madly. It was obvious what happened.) all the way up to them deciding to meet her Pureblood Supremecist parents. "I haven't met them yet, but I'm expecting a Bat Bogey curse or something much more sinister upon arrival.." he was a gifted optomist, but knew when to be afraid. "I mean, seriously... How do they know I'm not a full blood? I don't even know!" the thought annoyed him greatly, but the parents he remembere did not practice magic at all, almost as if they really were muggles. He didn't know what to think.

[Syrus Helling]

Syrus listened to Kite’s story and once he’d finished he stared at him for a long moment with a scrutinizing expression that to anyone with half a brain looked as if he was saying ‘are you fucking serious?’. Then he burst out laughing, eventually doubling over with his hands on his knees to keep himself from falling further. Unused as he was laughing, it soon turned into coughing and he stood, beating a fist on his chest briefly and forcing himself to stop, “You… have got… to be kidding me.” He laughed again briefly, catching his breath. The whole idea was almost too much to believe, mention of the curse aside. There would be a conversation about that, but it could wait for now.

“You meet her, you bang her,” he raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to contradict, “And then you plan to meet her parents… all in the same day? Are you bloody mad? That must have been one hell of a fuck.” He was going to have fun with this, “Or maybe you’re just feeling grateful; I bet it was your first time, wasn’t it?” He grinned, laughed, “Better have been good to make you go completely mad.” He looked at Kite as he continued about his worries about meeting the parents, “Seems to me you’ve buggered yourself, and I have no sympathy for you. Bloody hell, Kite.” He simply shook his head, unable to comprehend what his friend had been thinking, “There is something seriously wrong with you. I’m actually rather concerned for your wellbeing.”

[Kite Skeron]

Kite grinned. Good ol Syrus. He looked over at Sy and laughed. "Says this the Manwhore. How many women have you coveted, O Great One?" Kite said sarcastically. Now it is to be noted that Syrus would have most likely torn the head off of anyone who said such a thing to him, What is to be known is that Kite is the only one with both the balls and the respect that Syrus knows he doesn't mean it.
They arrived at the sandwich shop, but not in the state that it should have been in. Kite's look grew pale as he scanned the wreckage that was once Antonio's Pepperoni Sandwiches.
"What the f-..." Kite started. The whole place was burnt down and obliterated, and recently, too. Kite's senses went on overdrive, and he began scanning nearby people with an ability he kept a secret his whole life- low grade empathy.
"Syrus... we need to walk away from here slowly..." Kite said quietly, looking at his best friend. "Act like this is the strangest thing you've ever seen." Kite shook his head in dismay and began walking away, as if casually looking for another spot for lunch. He was still pale, and his eyes were scanning the area continuously. They've found me.

[Syrus Helling]

“I see my reputation precedes me,” he smirked before taking on a more serious look, “I am not a manwhore… I do not get paid-though… charging for my services wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He ended up smirking once more and raised an eyebrow at his friend, “But we were talking about you and you didn’t give me a proper answer, therefore I can only conclude that I was correct.” He shook his head, “Getting serious with the first girl that gets into bed with you… what a pity.”

The smirk dropped from his face once more as they stopped at the wreckage of what must have been their destination. He looked around, noticing Kite’s pale features. Buildings didn’t just get destroyed for no reason, so what the hell was going on? His wandering gaze settled back on Kite as he heard his name. He was rather puzzled, but he followed after Kite anyway of course.

“All right so what the bloody hell was that? I planned on waiting until we’d gotten lunch to turn to this subject, but this obviously has something to do with what happened to you, right? So what is going on, exactly?” He glanced back toward the ruined building, keeping to the pace Kite had set. Looking back to his friend he wondered if Kite was even safe here. He’d been attacked before, what was to stop anyone from trying to attack him again?