The Conqueror of Darkness

Family

He smiled as he remembered everything that happened last night.

And everything that happened last night were like blurred memories. He could remember some notable details, like him flipping her over so he can be on top and---nope, nevermind that. The memories start coming back faster than he thought, and he'd already reminisced too much this morning. He would rather stop lollygagging and start being productive now.

He begins to collect Noa's clothes from all over the room. As Tenma gathered her clothes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment and happiness wash over him. It has been a long time since they were together, and he was very grateful to have Noa in his life.

Once he had collected all of her clothes, he folded them neatly and placed them on the chair near the bed, so Noa can see it when she wakes up. Then he cleaned up the room for a bit. It simply won't do to have it all messy from their activities last night. Reina will have a fit if she finds out.

He went to the bathroom and took a shower, cleaning up from all the stuff he went through last night. He put on new clothes. After all that done, he looks at the mirror beside the bed and try to make himself at least presentable. His hair is quite messier than normal, so he tidied it up to be… less messy than before. Well, that's good enough in his book, so whatever.

Satisfied with his appearance, Tenma took a deep breath and opened the door. He peeked outside. He can hear his sister doing something in the kitchen, so Reina is already up. He made his way down the hallway towards the front door and went outside.

He has someone else to wake up next door. Sabrina Yumna, his childhood friend… and also his adopted sister.

-----

He opened the front gate to her house and unlocked her front door. This is normal, all things considered. She was a member of the Student Council in Agni Veritas Academy, and therefore, she has much more responsibilities and work to handle than any regular student.

She always come home late and tired, so as the oldest in the family, he feels like this should be the least he can do for her. They were used to stay under one roof, but since two years ago, she insisted that she should stay in her parent's house again. Thankfully, it's next door so he can still check up on her regularly. Doesn't stop him from being worried about her, though.

He knocked the door to her room gently. There was no answer. Tenma frowned and knocked again, a little louder this time. "Sabrina, it's Tenma. Wake up," he called out softly.

Still, there was no response from inside the room. That makes him worry. He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open slightly and peering inside. Sabrina was still fast asleep in her bed, still hugging her pillows. He lets out a relieved breath. She's just sleeping.

Sabrina Yumna is a young woman in her late teens with a fairly tall and well-toned figure. Her short brown hair is styled in a straight bob haircut with bangs that frames her face and accentuates her sharp jawline. She has almond-shaped brown eyes that twinkle with intelligence and upturned nose that gives her a playful and youthful look.

Adding to that, Sabrina carries herself with confidence and poise, which is further emphasized by her impeccable fashion sense. She usually favors fitted blouses and skirts that highlight her bountiful curves and are always perfectly coordinated with her accessories.

Despite her busy schedule as a member of the Student Council at Agni Veritas Academy, Sabrina always manages to look put-together and polished, which is a testament to her dedication and attention to detail. She was a very meticulous and studious person.

Of course, none of that was seen from her now. She was wearing a loose brown pyjamas which somehow has lost three of its buttons, exposing a generous amount of her cleavage. There was also a necklace there. It featured a beautiful purple gemstone in the shape of an oval.

The necklace was made of a sturdy gold chain that held the purple gemstone in place. The necklace complemented her brown outfit perfectly and drew attention to her neckline, and the purple gemstone on the necklace itself caught the light and shimmered against her skin.

… and that's when Tenma realized he was ogling her in her sleep. He mentally slapped himself.

He flushed red and quickly averted his gaze, feeling rather guilty for intruding on her privacy. He wondered if he should just close the door quietly and to let her sleep a little longer…

Nope, he couldn't do that, even if he wants to. He thinks about Sabrina and how much he admired her dedication and hard work. He was proud to have her as his sister, even if it was only by adoption. He would love to see her keep working hard like she always does.

Tenma smiled softly at the sight of her, feeling a wave of affection for his adopted sister. He knew how hard she worked and how much pressure she was under, so it was good to see her sleeping peacefully. Still, she needs to wake up soon. He quietly approached her bed and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Sabrina. It's time to wake up," he said softly.

Sabrina stirred and groaned, opening her eyes slowly. "Mmm, Tenma? What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed.

"It's almost 7 AM. We have to get ready for school in an hour," he reminded her.

Sabrina groaned again, clearly not thrilled with the idea of facing another long day at school. "Ugh, I know. Thanks for waking me up, Tenma," she said, smiling gratefully at him.

"No problem, Sabrina. You know I always got your back," he replied, returning the smile.

Sabrina got out of bed and stretched, yawning widely while walking to the shower. In silence, Tenma took the opportunity to make sure she had everything she needed for the day. He made sure to pack her bag and double-checked that she had all of her textbooks and notes before she comes back from the showers, so she doesn't have to worry about that.

He doesn't think about what would happen when Sabrina returns from the shower room. She was just done showering and she didn't bring any new clothes with her… so obviously when she comes back to her room, she was just wearing a white towel that barely covers her body. Her smooth, curvaceous body.

They stood there looking at each other in silence, before Tenma breaks it.

Tenma quickly averted his gaze, feeling embarrassed for intruding on her privacy. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. "Uh, sorry Sabrina. I didn't mean to look at you while you're wearing… that." he said, feeling his face flush with embarrassment.

Sabrina looked down at herself, as if realizing just now that she was only wearing a towel. She blushed deeply and quickly wrapped the towel around herself tighter, feeling embarrassed as well. "Oh, I'm sorry, Tenma. I didn't realize either," she said, feeling mortified.

Goddamnit Tenma, what in the actual hell are you doing? You already have a girlfriend and you ogle someone else shamelessly like that? Disgrace on you, He cursed himself.

"It's okay, Sabrina. I'll just... leave you to get dressed," Tenma said, still feeling embarrassed. He quickly turned around and headed for the door, feeling like he had invaded her privacy too much. He has to leave now before he does another thing he will regret deeply.

Sabrina sighed and shook her head, feeling a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. She had been so focused on getting ready for school that she had forgotten to bring clothes with her to the shower.

She quickly got dressed with her usual uniform and grabbed her bag to pack it, only to find that everything is already in order inside. Then she realized why Tenma had stayed inside her room.

She feels grateful that Tenma had packed it for her. She peeks out of the door and sees Tenma still standing in the hallway.

"Thanks again, Tenma. I really appreciate it," Sabrina said, giving him a grateful smile.

"No problem, Sabrina. You know… I always got your back," Tenma replied with the same answer as before, giving her a reassuring smile.

Sabrina smiled back at him, feeling grateful for his support. Despite the awkward moment, she knew that she could always count on Tenma to be there for her when she needed him.

"Oh, almost forgot. You should come to my place. Reina is making breakfast, so you don't need to make one yourself." Tenma said. "Um, and Noa is there too, just so you know."

"... Noa too?" Her eyes widen a bit.

She just remembered something that happened yesterday. She averted her eyes from Tenma.

"Yes, she stayed over last night… why?"

"I see. No problem." Her voice got a bit colder.

Tenma can see that she's frowning. And she didn't offer anymore words.

"Sabrina? You okay?"

"... I'm okay. I'll catch up with you soon."

She closed the door, and unknowingly to Tenma, she was clenching her jaw, and her breaths were shallow. She looked down, and her eyes fell on the amethyst necklace on her chest. It was Tenma's first gift to her, his family heirloom… he gave it when she was accepted into his family.

She held onto it for as long as she can.

-----

He couldn't get Sabrina out of his mind. He tried to keep track of what he said or did wrong to her. Looking at her while she wasn't wearing anything but a flimsy towel is probably a deep violation that has broken her trust of him. Or was it? She didn't look too mad about that, only embarassed…

And she only started to act weird when he mentioned Noa. Wait, could it be…

She was mad because Noa was the one proposed idea to ditch class to him yesterday? Yeah, that's definitely it, wasn't it?

He nodded to himself and took a mental note to apologize to her, and it would be better if he can get Noa to apologize to her as well.

When he reached the kitchen, he found Reina already busy preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Reina," he greeted her with a smile.

Reina turned around and smiled at him. "Good morning, Big Bro. Did you sleep well?"

Tenma nodded, still smiling. "Yes, I did. How about you?"

"I slept like a baby," Reina replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "But I'm glad to see that you and Noa-san had a good time last night."

Tenma's face turned red, and he looked away. "Uh, yeah. We did. How did you--"

"I can tell you two tried to keep it down, but her moans were too loud. Either you are that good at pleasing women… or she's just a crybaby. Maybe both." Reina chuckled softly. "Either way, don't worry, Big Bro. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you, Reina." Tenma said, grateful for her discretion.

Reina then turned back to the stove, stirring a pot of porridge. "Breakfast will be ready soon. Why don't you go wake up Noa-san and tell her?"

"Sure thing," Tenma said, making his way back to his room.

As he entered the room, he saw Noa still sleeping peacefully, her hair spread out on the pillow. He couldn't help but feel warmth at the sight of her, feeling grateful for having her in his life.

He smiled softly, admiring the way the morning light cast a warm glow on her face. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, and he couldn't resist the urge to lean in and kiss her forehead.

Noa stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open as she smiled up at him. "Good morning, Tenma."

"Good morning, Noa," he replied, his voice soft and affectionate. "It's morning, by the way… we have to go to school."

Noa rubbed her eyes, blinking sleepily. "Mmm, already?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Yep. Time sure passed by when we're enjoying ourselves."

"I'd say you're enjoying it a bit too much." Noa said. "I still feel a bit sore, thanks to you."

"I'm sorry. You're just too beautiful I couldn't resist."

Noa blushed a deep red. Still, she doesn't lost her composure, just like usual.

"No need to apologize, I did ask for it. I just didn't expect you to be… so into it."

Tenma just chuckled with a hint of guilt in his voice. Then he genuinely started cracking up as a weird rumbling sound came from Noa. It was from her stomach. They looked at each other for a few moments. Then Noa's blush goes even redder, this time of massive embarassment.

"W-well, what do you expect? I'm starving after all that energy spent last night." Noa said, trying her best to suppress her blush. "And this delicious smell… what is this? Breakfast?"

Tenma nodded. "Yeah. Reina is making your favorite porridge downstairs."

Noa sat up, stretching her arms above her head. "She did?"

"I taught her." Tenma puffed his chest proudly. "Just in case you're visiting and I just happened to not be around, she can always make one or two thing that you'll like. She won't mind."

"How considerate of you both." Noa smiled. "And speaking of which… where are my clothes? I need to shower as well."

"There." He pointed at the nearby chair. "And don't forget to bring your school uniform too. I prepared some spare ones just in case. Put them in my bag or something."

"Excellent. Shall we go then?"

Noa cleaned up in the bathroom next door, put her clothes back on and got her uniform in Tenma's school bag. Then, as they walked out of his room and into the dining room, they were greeted by the sound of Reina's voice. She was already wearing new clothes for today.

"Good morning, sleepyheads. Did you two have a good night?" She teased.

Tenma felt his face flush with embarrassment again, but Noa just smiled and took his hand in hers, unflappable. "Yes, we did. It was a wonderful night. Thank you for asking, Reina-chan."

Reina just laughed and shook her head. "You two are so cute. Now come on, breakfast is ready."

"Not yet. We have to wait for Sabrina." Tenma said suddenly, as they sat down. "I woke her up and told her to have breakfast here…"

"Oh? So you woke her up before me… Well, that's interesting." Noa smiled beside him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Say, Tenma. Her room is just across yours, isn't it? You can talk with each other from the balcony, every morning or night. Did you two ever do that?"

Reina turns to her with an incredulous expression. But Noa doesn't seem to notice her stare. She watches the crimson haired woman suspiciously. Her brother however, he didn't suspect anything from that innocuous-sounding question and goes to answer it.

"Well we used to do that every so often." Tenma said, sighing. "Now though… we rarely do that anymore. We both got busy with our own lives… well, I bet she was busier than me, what with all the stuff Student Council members have to take care of, but still… we don't have time to mess around as much as we used to… and I have you too."

"But does she have anyone?" Noa asked, her face suddenly turns serious.

"I doubt she doesn't have anyone fancying her." Tenma shrugged. "I mean… she's the 2nd Rank of Combat Class. She's competent. She's strong. She's beautiful. I can't think of any reason why she wouldn't have a boyfriend to take care of her now."

"And yet, you're the only one taking care of her now." Noa smiled, the mischievous glint came back in her eyes. "You're sure you're not her boyfriend or something?"

"Is that a trick question? Of course not, I'm YOUR boyfriend." Tenma said incredulously.

"You're sure you're not her boyfriend too?"

"Not like that, Noa… it's not like that." Tenma shook his head. "You already knew this. My parents adopted her when her parents died in the line of duty. And now that they're gone too, the responsibility falls on me to look after her to best of my ability. She's as much of a family as Reina for me."

"Soo, not a girlfriend?"

"She is not MY girlfriend, Noa. You know you are."

Reina wisely decided to not say anything, simply observing the conversation between them.

"Hmm, well, if you care about her that much, then maybe you can do something more for her? I actually don't mind." Noa piped in. "Just talk with her, walk with her, and just be around for her. Anything to make her happy, you know?"

Tenma looks at her, looking a bit puzzled. Something is bothering him.

"I don't really mind, but… why are you suddenly so interested about this?" He inquired.

"Because, as you said before, she's your family." Noa stated smoothly. "As your girlfriend, it would be remiss of me to distract you from your other important responsibilities."

"That… makes sense, I guess. But there's more than that, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, it is. There is more." Noa smiled mysteriously. "But as always… I will let you figure it out yourself. That's okay, right?"

"Yeah, that's okay. I guess I like challenge." Tenma shrugged. "I'll go along with your riddles for now. I'll try to look after Sabrina more, if that's what you want."

"Excellent." Noa clapped softly.

And as if on cue, they heard the sound of door opening.

"Oh, and there she is." Noa quipped. "Remember, Tenma. This conversation never happened."

"Okay…"

Shaking his head in slight exasperation, Tenma got up from his seat and decided that he should greet Sabrina directly. He doesn't know what Noa is cooking up in that beautiful yet diabolical head of hers, but he's not going to let it bother him too much. As long as she is happy and no one is hurt, he has no problem with her little schemes.

"Good morning," Sabrina greeted with a smile, removing her shoes.

"Good morning," Tenma replied, coming to greet her with a slight shake of his head.

"Sorry I took a while," Sabrina apologized, presenting a teapot to Tenma. "I brought some tea for our breakfast. You still like this kind of stuff, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Thanks," Tenma accepted the teapot, scratching his head. "Hey, Sabrina... you okay?"

"Oh? Why wouldn't I be?" Sabrina tilted her head, perplexed.

"It didn't seem so before," Tenma observed, recalling her demeanor earlier. "You seemed a bit... upset."

"That?" Sabrina dismissed with a wave of her hand, stuffing the cold teapot into Tenma's grasp. "Oh, I just remembered the work I have to do after the Field Exam. It's not something I'm looking forward to, very much."

"That does sound like a lot of pain," Tenma sympathized. "If you'd like, I can help you…"

"But it's my responsibility," Sabrina insisted. "I should do it on my own. Not to mention, you have absolutely no idea how the Student Council works. I have been doing this for a while now, so I don't think you should…"

Tenma watched her with a mix of pride and concern. He knew she was capable of handling whatever challenges came her way, but he also worried about her well-being. He made a mental note to check up on her later and make sure she was doing okay. Now…

"True, but I can learn, you know?" Tenma proposed. "I want to help you. Please allow me…"

"Tenma, I appreciate the gesture," Sabrina sighed, "but I..."

"But what? You already have someone else helping you with your work?" Tenma prodded.

"No, not really... I just got used to doing work on my own," Sabrina explained. "So working with someone else is..."

"Well then, let me help you," Tenma pressed, determined. "Or we can work like a team if you don't want to leave all the work to me. No time like the present, right? Working together, just like old times. Hey, remember when we pranked Mistress Lethra so bad and she got so mad she grounded us? That should be fun, right?"

Tenma looks at her expectantly, with that goofy smile on his face. He looks a bit ridiculous with the white teapot still swinging in his hand, and in a normal situation, she would have laughed at the sight. Now though, this is a rather serious situation and she'd rather not ruin the mood.

"I suppose we can do that," Sabrina relented, a small smile tugging at her lips. "But why, Tenma? Why do you suddenly want to help me like this? You're already busy with your training, your part-time work, and you... have a girlfriend... to look after. Do you have any more time to waste on me?"

Tenma pondered about how he should answer this for a bit. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing and make things awkward between them. Usually he would tackle this head on with no hesitation, but thinking about what Noa said before, it merits some more consideration. Carefully now

"Well, it's definitely not a waste of time to spend it with family," Tenma reasoned. "We've known each other for so long, I just thought I should be more understanding, supportive, be there whenever you need me and... whatever, you know what I mean, right?"

"Yes, I know, Tenma," Sabrina nodded, studying him carefully. "But you've done all that already. Like what you did this morning?"

"That's just a bare minimum," Tenma shrugged off. "But I know I'm capable of doing much more. All you need is to ask... and I'll be visiting you more often anyway."

"Really?!" Sabrina's eyes lit up, her voice rising in excitement.

"I promise," Tenma vowed, flashing her a grin. "And you know I don't joke around about promises."

"Yeah... you don't," Sabrina agreed, lost in thought for a moment. "But is that really okay?"

"It's okay," Tenma assured her. "I want to do this, and Noa will understand. So don't worry about it too much and just... look forward to it."

"... thanks, Tenma."

For some reason, they looked into each other's eyes and held their gazes for a few moment. His green and purple eyes looked deeply into her brown, and vice versa. They didn't avert their eyes from each other until they suddenly remembered time and place.

"Alright, we should go." Tenma breaks off eye contact first. "Noa and Reina must be starving by now. We're going to be busy today, so we'd better fill our stomach as much as we can…"

"Just don't overeat your breakfast or you're going to be deadweight in battle." She giggled.

"Heh, duly noted…"

They made their way to the dining room, where Reina had already set the table and prepared all the foods. Tenma noticed that now Noa has moved her seat and now is sitting beside Reina. She smiled brightly as soon as she noticed them entering the room, but Tenma can also sense some mischief from that smile. He wondered what's running in her mind now…

Slightly dreading whatever's coming his way, he puts the teapot on top of the stove and heats it up. It would need some time until it's done brewing. He then sits where his seat was before… and now he's sitting beside Sabrina.

He doesn't mind it too much and instead focuses on his own breakfast. Everyone has different menu for breakfast. His was fried eggs with a lot of rice. Noa's was Harrisa porridge, with a lot of meat. Reina's was miso soup and rice. Sabrina's was fried rice sprinkled with seafood.

The four of them sat down to eat, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed their meal. For Tenma, it was a relatively peaceful morning, filled with affection, warmth, and happiness. It really feels like a breakfast with family should be. Nothing too chaotic has happened yet.

Well, what could have gone worse than a peaceful breakfast like this?

… in hindsight, he should've known better than to tempt fate.

"Hey, Sabrina. Words from the grapevine says you were seen walking together with a man lately." Noa suddenly spoke after they're done eating. "I wonder if that's true? You've found somebody at last?"

Tenma raised his eyebrows. Is that true? Sabrina's been hanging out with someone else? If that's actually the truth, then she was lying to him before? Although... Tenma can feel something is coming. The cold and serene, yet not smiling face of his childhood friend, is a telltale sign that something is bad is going to happen.

"That's not true at all." Sabrina answered, her face a bit stiff. "Where you did hear this?"

"A friend of mine. She's been talking with a lot of people, and thanks to that, she knew stuff." Noa explained. "Once she talks, she never stops until she runs out of topic to tell me. So--"

"You've been fishing for rumors huh, Noa." Sabrina retorted sharply. "Well, instead of wasting time like that, why don't you spend it for something more productive?"

"Like what?" Noa asked, somewhat innocently. "I think I've been doing good enough…"

"Yes, I suppose I can tell you how to start. First, you can try to be more serious as a student..." Sabrina glared at her. "Because I've also been hearing about a certain student who ditched class to go out on a date with her boyfriend, during school hours, no less!"

Tenma and Noa cringed inside at the same time, both feel like a cold knife was just stabbed into their chest. Reina, who was content to simply listening in before, puts a hand on her own mouth, containing her voice and trying not to interrupt what Sabrina has to say.

"What do you think school is? It's a facility for education. It's supposed to make you a better person! What would be the point if you skip it for trivial matters like a date?" Sabrina continued.

"Trivial? It's not trivial!" Noa gaped.

"Sabrina, calm down for a second here. Noa doesn't mean any harm--" Tenma started.

Sabrina threw a look that immediately silenced him.

"Quiet, Tenma. I don't want to hear anything from the one who let himself dragged away without resistance." She scolded, pointing a finger at him before turning back to Noa. "I don't want to interfere with your relationship, but if you can, could you please stop being such a bad influence on him? Don't enable him to do bad things or make bad decisions. That's all I ask."

"I didn't mean it like that. Um, Sabrina, I was just…" Noa seem to be at loss for words for once. "That time, I was just trying to cheer him up… you know, since he's upset that Iceheart beat him in a duel. I just wanted to lift his spirits up, you see…"

"I didn't lose at all, actually I was--" Tenma started.

Noa kicked him from under the table, hitting his shins hard enough to shut him up.

"That's not good enough excuse. You two have enough time to do whatever you want AFTER school." Sabrina folded her arms. "You know what I think? You just ditched the class because it's too much trouble to run back home and take some spare uniform. You both are slackers."

Another cold knife stabbed them in the heart. Tenma and Noa exchanged glances, both feeling embarrassed and guilty. They knew Sabrina was right, but it was hard to admit it. Sabrina had always been the responsible one, the one who took school seriously and had a bright future ahead of her. She would be able to choose her career ahead.

They, on the other hand, were more laid back and often prioritized fun over responsibilities. They didn't really neglect their studies and throw away prospects for their future career, but they didn't go all out either. In other words, they were half-assing it.

"I'm sorry, Sabrina," Noa said finally, breaking the awkward silence. "You're right, we shouldn't have skipped class. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

Sabrina looked sharply at her for a moment, and Noa felt her brown eyes bore down into hers.

Then she simply nodded. "Good. I'm glad you understand, Noa. I hope you won't do this again."

Tenma cleared his throat, feeling the need to add something. "I also apologize for my behavior. I should have resisted more when Noa dragged me out."

Sabrina softened up to him much quicker. "It's okay, Tenma. Just try to be more responsible next time, alright?" She gave him a small smile.

"I will keep that in mind." Tenma nodded earnestly.

The tension in the air dissipated, and they all went back to finishing their breakfast. Noa and Tenma were quieter than usual, feeling a bit ashamed of their behavior. Reina tried to lighten the mood by telling a funny story about a practical lesson gone wrong in her class, and Sabrina joined in, laughing along with her. Then the tea finally was done brewing, and after a slightly hurried drinking session, the four of them finally depart for school.

It's their Field Exam. There's a long day ahead of them.