"Final Request"

By Starhopper

DISCLAIMER: I own nuddin honey. Everything Akito speaks is copyrighted by me because it's my poem. And everything Akito thinks is MINE because it dripped from my own consciousness as I sat here recording my thoughts. Careful, I warn you there's philosophy, twisted thoughts about death, and even a bit of yaoi-action. wink

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He knew that the fragile and frightened young man wanted nothing but her.

He knew that this princely figure kneeling at a distance loathed every touch the very body that died for him could deliver.

He knew that he would rather return to her arms and melt into her very embrace.

Yes.

He was cold, so cold.

But she – she was warm and tempting . . .

But – but he knew that he wanted him more.

She even knew.

Like winsome wraiths of smoke, the desire floated after him without pace or pause.

Yes, this thirst that he could not sate. He had tasted its reflection, as dotingly dosed to him by Shigure. He had felt its penetration, wondered at its intensity and believed that the fire would be stamped out with a taste of wonderful ash. Yet, no matter how he tried to ignore it, ash dripped onto the embers as gasoline. What had meant to stop now pushed farther and farther beyond the line of reason. He now dreamt of that heat flushing this boy's face, just as it had warmed his alone with the one man who truly loved him.

It was coming now; building behind the mask of inaction he wore to lure him into a false sense of security. Of course Shigure and Hatori were positioned outside the door, ready to pull him away from his sinful clutches. But no, sadly there was no one in the compound. Not a single zodiac soul could – would – hear a fight muffled to submissive moans.

"Hate me for what I have to say

And if you ask,

I'm not sorry it has to be this way."

The crispness of the whisper cut through the still silence of the room as robes slunk across the floor, knelt in front of the youth, and were shed like skin to reveal bare bones of the man beneath.

"Save me.

Kill me.

Just want me."

Three fingers trailed Yuki's chin, and to spite the soft quivering, they wavered under every irrepressible shiver. Words draped themselves over his tongue, pleading in their meaning, but lonely with no beg to accompany them.

"Save me, for I justly need to be rescued.

Kill me, for I surely deserve to die.

I ask only that you say you want me."

The frown answering his request disturbed him greatly. Evoking the past, he leaned closer to his kinsman and studied his face with a calculating eye before moving his mouth to Yuki's ear.

"Fight me.

Fear me.

Just stay."

It was really all right to be afraid. Fear made you question, made you inspire fear in others so you weren't alone. To be feared and fearsome, made for one individual fried on both sides. Completely well-done but lacking substance. But who needed to exist? With only a brief listen to the voices inside his head, voices of the family who rejected him for his fate, it was easy to see how caring or even attempting to care was positively futile. It was only a matter of time before opinions changed, and fear turned to respect. Respect for nothing. What a paradox.

"Obey as I order.

Surrender only to me."

Yuki lurched back, easily leaping to his feet for better defense. Even in the most primitive minds, standing over a floor-bound creature was meant to threaten. A fierce sneer filled the cliché bearing-of-teeth and a deep breath sufficed for puffing up what chest he had. What his beloved didn't know, was that a cornered animal could be just as imposing. And he was cornered. By fate, death, and a constantly murmuring crowd of individuals who were just waiting for the cold fingers of death to curl about his neck.

Hatori. Hiro. Rin. Kyo. Hatsuharu. Even Yuki was pacing outside his cage. Waiting.

Summoning the adrenaline like an ancient curse, legs swept the stalwart legs of the standing boy from beneath him. Arms responding to the same chant pulled him over the bundle of nerves he'd whipped into smooth silk so many times before.

"Don't run away,

You tease."

Blue eyes stoned by the weight of living preyed upon gray eyes anxious to find a tiny hole to bolt through.

"Don't look to the door.

There is no escape."

Warm chest met cold blue chest as manipulative hands pinned fitful ones against the tatami mat.

"Fight me, for I feel reality begin to drift.

Fear me, for my desire is growing,

I command that you stay."

The demand was sealed with a blistering kiss. Exultation came in a hiss as he opened his mouth to trace unwilling lips with a pallid tongue. And for a moment, just a moment, the young man melted. It was just a soft response and whether it was out of duty or the sympathetic fulfilling of another human being's dream, the kiss mouthed at the corner of his own lips flashed beautiful restless death in front of the kissed's eyes.

"Now you turn.

Now you fall.

You know I'm right."

Two fingers drifted over a beating heart, trailing nails until the fabric and flesh beneath bled delicious crimson. The sight of it filled him with a sense of life. Perhaps that is why the taste of it replaced a far less tempting desire to make love to this person who was alive. He suckled at the liquid, felt it overflow after a time and swallowed. Like the warriors before him, the blood of one gifted would bestow whatever mystical power unto him. Drink strength, become strength. Even the passion held for her tasted sweet on his lips, reminded him of how much he wanted Yuki for body and sexual satisfaction – alone. He could not even – think – about that little girl in yellow ribbons. No. He was his tonight, the last night that he could ever have him.

True to his personality, emotions switched directions so fast that the child-like lapping of blood turned to running his tongue over and up his kinsman's chest. His captive was too stunned to move as the lick turned to a suck at his collarbone. Teeth soon ground into bone, and the ministration glided thickly into a fierce bite.

"You never learn.

You'll never be happy.

Now you'll never hate anyone but me."

Show any emotion as he lay dying over him. With no response, he continued to nip with a little more than playful intentions until he came back over the prince's mouth. No pause was needed to crush and smother the defintion between Akito's kiss and Yuki's lips out of existence.

"Feel your walls crumble.

Relish in your delicious failure.

Never leave."

Without effort, the gray eyes were staring up into the drifting blue eyes that hovered over him. Covering his form like a blanket, Akito hugged the body to him with legs and arms, forcing all his weight to settle over Yuki's middle. It was all he could do. He ignored the fact that he was not lying over his back, and his would-be-lover was panting and begging to make him scream like that again. And he'd hold back to hear him speak like a starved dog before throwing him at least a bone or two. No one would bring him into that euphoria. Not even that – girl – .

Fuzziness cloaked the room that faced him from where he had his head tilted on a warm chest. A cool breeze insisted on a lingering caress along the backs of his naked thighs. Another brushed against his spine, pushing at his pelvis. He smiled, pretending it was the hands of all those who hated him. What a fate worse than death, to pleasure the man that they hated to see live.

Accept that that fate was realized tonight.

The disappointing slideshow of his life left Akito colder than the reality of death.

Now to face eternity freed from martyrdom.

The words left his corpse and winked out of existence along with their master.

"You'll never leave me."

Not in this life, not in the next, not ever.

. . . . . . . . .

A/N: Franz Ferdinand is now my new muse! This just popped out while I was listening to his self-titled US debut. Dark and Akito-ish I'm sure, but what do YOU think? Please let me know in a REVIEW.

A/A/N: And I went back later to add the actiony parts with Smashing Pumpkins. Why do they always have this effect on my writing? And on me?

This was an easy/difficult story to write. For one, I admire the character of Akito for his sincerity in fulfilling the curse by carrying it on his shoulders like Atlas holds the world. But, at the same time, I HATE his character for being so nasty and vindictive. He's done something to every character of the zodiac that is completely unforgivable. And he doesn't apologize. However, I do sense in him that he has hope. Death is the only way for anyone to see it. With death, he's freed. And that's really what he is . . . enslaved by the curse. I can't just blindly say "I hate him," and make him suffer, because he's suffering already. And I can't admit that "I like him" and stand by him in all he does. That's Shigure's role. He'll do anything to make his – own – dream come true. So, I decided to show him in both lights. He's the character you love to hate, and cosplay as.

Thanks for reading!

Starhopper