Will Vandom clenched her pillow with whitened knuckles, refusing to allow her body to relax, and, above all, refusing to succumb to sleep. Her thoughts were already becoming foggy, and her fatigue was bone-deep. Despite this, she couldn't close her eyes. It's not that she didn't want to sleep, because between juggling school, swimming, her job at the pet store, and being a Guardian, she could definitely use the rest. But if she closed her eyes, the inevitable would happen: she'd see him again. It was as if his face was ingrained on the back of her eyelids, a permanent stain to forever showcase her dread and failure. There was a part of her that was intrigued by him, though. What kind of entity was he, to be graced with ebony wings? Why did he pay homage to Nerissa, and share her vendetta against the Guardians? Why did he have an interest in Will, in particular? But the question that was really eating at Will was: what was he hiding behind his golden mask? The mask had a lustrous sheen and covered the entirety of his face. At one point, she had assumed that it was fused with his skin (he never took it off), but mere hours ago, he'd grabbed her hand and pressed it to his face. Well, pressed it to the mask. It had been cool and smooth beneath her fingertips, the way metals are. But she'd felt something tingle under her skin when she'd touched it. Not the tingle she felt when quintessence danced across her body; but a raw, and powerful stirring that sent chills corkscrewing down her spine.
Why did she feel so drawn to Shagon? He was the very embodiment of hate, and given that she was the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, she should feel repelled by him. Instead, she was... no. No she wasn't. It was natural to feel curious, it was natural for him to occupy her thoughts. Hadn't she copied part of Taranee's essay on how when people undergo trauma the wiring in their brains can cause them to feel attracted to the things that hurt them? Not that she felt attracted to Shagon. By that logic, she'd feel attracted to Nerissa, and Cedric, and Phobos, and that was going a bit too far.
Sitting upright, Will released her pillow from her vice-like hold. Beads of perspiration were trickling down the back of her neck, and her pajamas were plastered to her body like a second skin. Her room was unbearably hot, or maybe she was just sweaty, but her ceiling fan made too much noise, and the last thing she needed was her mother to check on her. Blowing loose strands of red hair out of her face, Will bowed her head and whispered softly, "Guardian unite." She felt the tell-tale signs that the transformation had taken effect as her limbs grew, a pair of fairy-like wings sprouted behind her back, and her body was infused with magic from the Heart. If someone asked her to describe what the transformation felt like, Will would only be able to answer with "surreal." It was like an out-of body experience, as if she were watching it happen to someone else. When her transformation finished, it was like taking a first lungful of air after being submerged under water. She knew the feeling, given that she was a swimmer.
Easing into a standing position, Will padded soundlessly across the floorboards of her room, which was not the easiest task given that her high-heeled purple boots tended to applaud her where ever she walked. She paused in front of her window, taking stock of the night sky. It was inky black and accentuated with smatterings of bright stars. She also couldn't help but notice that there was a full moon. She wasn't exactly superstitious, per se, but she'd read her share of fairy tales and a full moon often symbolized insanity, even in tales that weren't centered around werewolves. 'Oh, well,' she thought. Might as well risk it. She really did need a breather, and a walk might help clear her head.
Will lifted up the window and slipped outside, using the darkness of night for her cover as she abandoned her house. The night air was crisp and cool on her sweat dampened face. She flew for a while, the seconds blurring into minutes, the minutes becoming an hour, and then two. The quiet calm seeped into her, lulling her thoughts until her breathing was once again steady. Will hovered just above the ground, where the grass rippled like a single green wave against the cool wind. She was just contemplating heading back home, when a cry ripped from her throat. A force from behind rammed into her body, and she fell rather unceremoniously, feeling a jolt from the impact of her body hitting the pavement.
"Well, well, if it isn't one of the Guardians." Shagon's thoughtful voice cut through the air like a knife. Will craned her neck to make him out. His arms were folded across his broad chest, and the musculature there showed. He continued, unfazed by the heat of Will's stare. "Mistress will be please when I present your lifeless body to her."
"Shagon," Will muttered through her teeth. She could feel all of her earlier hatred rushing back as a seed of loathing blossomed in her chest. She hates him. She hates that he's toyed with her, and that he's taken over Matt's life. That's what this is really about, isn't it? Shagon practically admitted that he did something to Matt, and how he glamours himself everyday to even look and sound like Matt Olsen is like a slap in the face. Will hates him. And it's so hard not to.
"Yes, my pet." A pulsating light emanated from Shagon's eyes, and his body arched as he caught his first taste of Will's hatred. Will's hair stood on end as she readied herself to fire a blast of her quintessence.
"Stay away from me," Will said, each word punctuated with a growl. It was a warning, not a request. A thin smile graced Shagon's features, and she was inching to peel off his mask to see the curve of his lips.
"You know," Shagon chuckled darkly, "your thoughts are really loud."
Will imagined shooting an arc of energy, and striking him squarely in the chest. Instead, her powers fizzled. She kept her arms out in front of her, ready to defend herself if necessary. But if he wanted to hurt her, he would have done so by now. Unless he was just toying with her? The latter seemed much more plausible, and Will's eyes narrowed in hatred. The response was instantaneous.
"This. I needed this," he practically gasps, and goosebumps lift along Will's arms, despite that they're mainly covered with her Guardian uniform. "Hate is plentiful among you mortals. But yours. Yours is just for me, isn't it? And it's so..."
Will gulped, not sure if she wanted to hear the rest of his sentence. "Get lost." Waving her hand with a flourish, sparks of energy and lightning crackled and whipped towards Shagon.
He merely laughed again. "Tickles." But what really tickled was when his lips brushed Will's ear as he pinned her to the ground. Will struggled beneath him before pausing. They were in such close proximity... it wouldn't be difficult at all to take his mask off. She wriggled beneath him, managing to free one of her arms, which she then lifted up. Her fingers splayed across the cool metal, before inching towards the edges of the mask. Shagon's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and... Will froze.
It took her a moment to realize what had happened—what was happening. He was kissing her. And not a feather-light, chaste kiss—(the kind she shared with Matt)—but a forceful one. They responded to each other's movements, his supple lips covering hers. His hands moved from pinning her shoulders to cup her face, his thumb dragging across her cheekbone. Will tilted her head experimentally, drawing forth a breathy moan from the angel of malice. Or at least, that's what she though it sounded like. A second later, she realized that he'd probably been laughing.
"Is that another thing," he said breathlessly, "that you save just for me? You should thank me for taking your boyfriend out of the picture. How do you think he'd react if he saw you kissing me like that?"
Coils of anxiety tightened in Will's chest, squeezing her from the inside. Her breath hitched as Shagon laughed. She hated how his laugh was throaty and rich, but still managed to sound spiteful. Really, she just hated him.
"Well, dear pet, it's been fun, but I think I'll leave you to your thoughts. Hopefully ones of me."
"Wait!" There was no way she was letting him leave, not without taking off his mask. She wasn't even sure why it was so important to her, but he left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. The least she could do was to return the favor by exposing the face he tried so desperately to keep hidden.
Shagon's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't voice his surprise. Will was still radiating hatred, and he didn't mind the chance to continue feeding off of her. Will hesitated. She wanted to make sure her intentions were clear. Without warning, she shot a jagged arc of electricity at him, and as he stumbled, clearly caught-off guard, she darted forwards and pried the mask from his face.
Shagon cursed under his breath, but stilled when Will's hands settled on his face, turning him towards her. He had high cheekbones, and a jawline sharp enough to cut paper. Will silently scanned his face, before fixating on his soft, intelligent looking eyes. They were framed with long dark lashes and were a dark blue mottled with grey.
Will's hand dropped awkwardly to her side as she failed to muffle her gasp. Her throat constricted, and she felt tears threaten too.
"What's the matter, Will?"
"You... you're not..."
"What would the fun be in glamouring myself to look like your boyfriend, if I didn't get to keep his eyes?"
The ring of grey around the pupils in Shagon's eyes swam as Will stared at him. A myriad of emotions clawed at her, but she couldn't decide which wanted to be felt the most: anger, sorrow, self-pity, shock, or hatred. She wanted to scream at Shagon for maintaining the illusion, because those were Matt's eyes. She knew them better than her own. But wouldn't that be giving him exactly what he wanted? The sting of bile was sharp in the back of her throat, but she swallowed it back down. Shagon was hiding more than just Matt's eyes, and she'd uncover the rest of his secrets, even if it meant pulling him a part, piece byh piece. "I swear Shagon," she said, measuring her words carefully, "the next time I see you, I will kill you."
He laughed softly. "I look forward to it." He stooped to retrieve his mask from the damp earth, before fitting it back on. His eyes now looked pale white as he turned to once more to Will. "Until then..." Will's head snapped back as a searing light struck her directly in the face. White spots danced across her vision, and the last thing she saw before the world faded to black was a pair of soulful blue eyes. Soulful eyes... How ironic was it that she found herself wondering if he even had a soul?
Author's Note: any thoughts after reading? I haven't watched or read W.I.T.C.H. in quite some time, so this fic is kind of out of the blue, but I hope you enjoyed. I always found the Knights of Destruction arc of Season 2 to be interesting, especially the Will/Shagon dynamic, and I like to think that even though Matt's inner demon took hold of him, Shagon still retained strong feelings for Will.
