Paradise

Disclaimer: I dun own Shaman king.

Warnings… eh, OOC-ness on everyone's part. Really, I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote this… KRAD HAS POISONED MY MIND I TELL YOU!

The residents of the Funbari Hill Onsen were all sitting around the table enjoying another wonderful breakfast, courtesy of Ryu. Well, almost all of them anyway… Faust was in his room as usual, he never came to breakfast, and truth be told, no one ever saw him eat. It was a wonder he was still alive at all…. A sudden shriek of heart wrenching agony shocked everyone out of their peaceful state.

"W-what was that?" Ryu stammered fearfully. The noise seemed to be echoing through the still silence, chilling him to the bone.

Yoh sighed and walked down the hall, stopping at Faust's closed door to shut the heavy bolt and lock the doctor in. Ryu was, understandably, shocked. No one said anything, and in the silence that followed, Faust's horrid cries of pain, terror, and some emotion Ryu couldn't quite place rang out, causing him to shiver.

"Why don't you see what's wrong with him?" He asked.

Anna gave him a level stare.

"Do you honestly want to be killed? He's insane. You should've known that." Her words were blunt, as though she couldn't care less that their friend was going through something terrible.

"But-"

"Ryu. It's a cycle, really." Said Ren, before he calmly took a sip of his milk. "He starts with the screaming, then crying, and then… He gets a bit violent. It took weeks to get the bloodstains out that one time, remember?"

Horohoro nodded.

"Yeah… He just slashed his arm wide open… Imagine what would happen if he got a hold of one of us…" The Ainu shivered.

Ryu was speechless. They were more worried about themselves than Faust! He was the one going through all of this! Ryu stood up suddenly, taking a few meaningful strides towards Faust's door before he was tackled by Yoh, Ren, and Horo. He struggled back up to his feet.

"What's with you guys? If you would just let me help him…If you would only help him…" Ryu trailed off, listening to the pathetic wailing and crying that now creeped through the walls.

"If you let him out now… It'll be bad. Very bad. If you really are adamant about going in there…" Ren shrugged. "It's your funeral…" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "But if he gets loose… It's your fault." Yoh undid the lock, quickly opening the door as the other two shoved Ryu into the room, slamming and bolting the door behind him. Ryu turned to glare at them through the door, then he sighed, looking for Faust.

He found the doctor curled up in a corner, tears on his cheeks and a smile on his face. Faust didn't notice his presence. Ryu crept closer slowly, unnerved by Faust's expression.

"Faust? Can you hear me?"

Faust turned to him, not looking at him, but rather through him.

"Ryu? Ah. You always were so nice… They were so mean… So, so mean… But now they're gone." He sang happily. "All gone." His voice instantly turned hard and cold. "They got what they deserved, the bastards… They got what was coming to them… Didn't they, my Ryu…"

For the first time since he had entered the room, Faust took a direct notice of his presence, staring at him intensely. Ryu shivered. Maybe he should have listened to the others but that seemed like a time so very far away… He turned to the door, trying in vain to attract someone's attention.

Faust's face was unreadable as he slowly crawled, on his hands and knees, to Ryu's feet, where he promptly sat, his knees drawn up to his chest. He stared upward.

"Why do you wish to leave me?" He wailed plaintively. Then his expression shifted to anger. "Are you one of Them too? Have you come here to mock me?" He turned sad again. "Or are you like me? Stuck here in this room without windows… No escape. There's no escape for us…trapped in this false sin…" Faust laughed, and it seemed strangely hollow. Ryu tried more than ever to get someone to release him, if he didn't get out of here, he would go mad as well!

And still Faust ignored him.

"Ah! What use has a caged bird for wings?" Faust exclaimed, taking out a scalpel from his coat pocket. "I could give them to you Ryu, who so very much wishes to fly…" He started to sing again. "Paradise…" He cut at his arms, drawing intricate patterns and lines, bringing forth a spring of red blood. Faust stared at it longingly. "Ah…Beautiful…"

He turned towards Ryu, who was now paralyzed with fear. Faust held out his bloody arms welcomingly, and Ryu backed further up against the wall. Faust reached out with blood-soaked fingers and traced a line on his cheek, making him flinch and struggle. Faust took no notice, hugging Ryu tightly, his blood soaking into Ryu's clothes. Ryu froze, feeling its warmth trickle down his back. If he stayed here any longer, he would surely end up dead! Faust was clearly not in his right mind (or his left for that matter). Faust pulled back from nuzzling Ryu's shoulder happily, staring at his face quizzically. Suddenly he leaned forward to lick a tear that Ryu hadn't even noticed trailing along the side of his face. Faust smiled, and it had the same empty quality as his laugh. Ryu shivered in revulsion.

"You aren't like them Ryu… You deserve to be like me…It is ever so wonderful, you know…" Suddenly he grew angry and tore himself away from Ryu. "I'm trying to share this sweet pain with you Ryu, this sweet, sweet pain… Yet you do not accept it!" Faust's arms were now creating a puddle of blood around where he lay, curled up tightly. "It seems I was wrong after all, he is one of those who need to be ridden of…" Now he seemed to be ignoring everything again.

"Faust… You aren't making any sense!" Ryu was surprised his voice worked at all, a moment ago he couldn't even move for fear that… that something to horrible to think about would happen.

"Ah, so that is it." Faust didn't move from his spot on the floor. The puddle of blood had grown to a sea… And now Ryu Saw what he had not Seen before. Faust turned, sensing a change in his companion. Ryu stared at Faust. The blood that covered everything was not from his lacerated arms, but rather from a pair of blood-red wings, neatly severed. "You were confused but now you see!"

"Yes. I do believe so…" Ryu stopped and turned, laughing at the door that he had so desperately wanted to go through. How could he have ever wanted that! The pathetic remains of the door lay bleeding, pouring still more crimson onto the floor, it was now covering their feet with its crimson warmth.

Faust smiled and joined in with Ryu's high, shrieking laughter, relishing their divine madness. So be it that the others were ignorant of its beauty! Let them have whatever they wished! He had what he wanted, and as he looked into Ryu's eyes, he could tell that he felt the same. He had given Ryu the wings of freedom, and he could take them both wherever he wished. Let their beautiful song echo throughout the emptiness, yes…

"So beautiful."

"Yes. Beautiful divinity…"

The others found them later, entangled with each other and soaked in the slowly congealing blood from their slashed wrists. Their faces were twisted with glee, and their dead, glassy eyes still sparkled with madness…

Fin. 9/17/2005 11:18:55 PM

Start. Around 9/17/2005 10:29:25 PM

Edited: 9/17/2005 11:28:00 PM

Title: Paradise 9/17/2005 11:29:13 PM

Sorry about that stupid first paragraph, that so did not 'flow' as my teacher so nicely puts it. (not that i'd ever let her read this, mind you...)