The hunt
It was
midnight of a unusually warm night when the young man started to explore the
dark wood.
The full
moon was shining glumly in the velvet dark sky, bathing the land beneath in a
gentle silver glow, but only deep shadows greeted him as he took his first step
inside the forest. A shadow in the shadows he was.
The
slightly humid air that was there kissed his moonlight colored skin and caressed
his inky-black hair, bringing him a sense of pace.
Something
he had sought since the day he was reborn as a creature of the night.
His dark
eyes darted among the shadowed trees as he stretched out his fingers one after
one, in a nearly unconsciously gesture, trying to get rid of the sleepy feelings
in their tips. Slowly he reached a large field, so beautiful it could take every
mortal's breath away. As far as eyes could see there were sweet violets,
glimmering in silver under the moonlight. The quiet whisper of the nearby stream
added to the scenario a note of surreal beauty.
His
respiration was quiet and regular, despite the excitement that was rushing
inside his depths, and seemed to be pacing itself at the same rate as the
wind's soft whisper.
A breath
for a breath.
A life
for a life.
God, it
was all so simple.
His life
was other people's death.
His
breath was bringer of doom and pleasure at the same time.
So
simple.
He was
an hunter and out there, hidden somewhere in the shadows there was his still
unaware victim.
Dark
clouds hovered leisurely above his head, blocking out the moon and the brilliant
stars that were hypnotized on looking at him, attracted by his perfection just
as the moth is dangerously attracted by the flame. For that's what he was.
Flames
of passion filtered by a mist of coldness.
And he
was just as perfect as he was lonely.
Perfection
isn't allowed to waste itself with mere commoners.
He felt
a small droplet roll down his pale cheek.
Was it a teardrop?
No, it was a raindrop.
Looking up into the sky, the young man saw the tin raindrops falling tentatively
toward him as to extinguish the burning flames inside him.
Cold water dripped off his chin and he lifted his head up, smelling deeply the
aroma of wet grass and drenched soil. He parted slightly his lilac lips, letting
a few drops of water flow in.
Rain.
He glanced down at his hands. They said rain wash sins away.
If
that's so, why his hands were still curled claws, soaked with blood, then?
He
didn't even try to deny it as he returned in his previous position, reaching
his hands out to let the rain wash the blood away. But the blood won't go away.
It just
wouldn't go away.
He stood
there, motionless, as the rain gradually soaked every inch of his flawless body.
His hair were completely drenched with water and blowing fluently in the wind
when he opened his eyes. As soft noise, like a little muffled whisper had
reached his ear and he didn't need to look around to know that someone was
there with him.
Slowly,
he raised his hands to release his cloak and soon it slithered to the ground as
soft as a feather. The man suddenly looked quite a bit less like a spirit of the
night, and more like a common human being. Unconsciously licking his lips as he
smelt the aroma of soft, young flesh, the man took a step forward, his big,
violet eyes narrowed and glowing in the dark.
His
delicate hands curled and positioned themselves at his sides. His neck stretched
and he leaned forward to look into the deep vegetation in front of him.
The
excitement of these preparations had
somewhat interfered with his usual lucid brain and now he was moving almost
completely on instinct and wasn't consciously responsible for his actions
anymore. That's why he was utterly stunned when the little body, his designed
prey, jumped out the bushes and tugged to his leg.
The
young man's eyes widened and stopped to glow, his delicate fingers relaxed as
he looked down at the little one.
His
'aggressor' looked up as well and soon the vampire was looking in the
deepest pools of mahogany he had ever seen.
They
both let out a soft whimper when their eyes met; but while the vampire's eyes
were wide in surprise, the boy's ones were deep and warm, and danced and
sparkled in the shadows. The little redhead was grinning goofily, gripping the
fabric of the man's pant in one little fist.
Before
the vampire could recover, the little boy trapped his legs in a bear hug and
didn't seem willingly to let go. He stood still, rejoicing in his little
success to have find someone in the dark night to hold to. After a few moments
he looked up, pleased to see how the handsome man in front of him looked
uncomfortable.
"HI!"
he squealed as he made a little jump, rubbing himself against the man's legs.
Stunned
as he was, it was amazing to see how fast the dark haired man knelt down in
front of the kid, his silky hair whipping around his pale face. The chocolate
brown eyes blinked at him when the two were at eye level and the vampire was
surprised to see the little face lit up in a smile.
"Who
are you?" he asked in a breath. The kid's eyes widened as if he was shocked
the other didn't know him. Then, with all the innocence of his young age he
blinked and let out a little cry:
"I'm
Daisuke!!!"
"Aren't
you scared of me…?" he asked as he noticed how the child's hands were now
placed softly on his forearms. The brown haired boy shook energetically his
head, the smile still on his lips.
"Why?"
Daisuke
just shrugged and replied: "You're cute."
It's
amazing to see how for little children what's good is always something
nice-looking. And the dark figure in front of Daisuke was so beautiful to make
his heart ache, leaving the little boy with not even a single doubt about his
good nature. The vampire pulled away a little as if the boy's answer had
startled him. Daisuke noticed this and hurried to repeat his statement.
"You're cute!"
Seeing
how the man wasn't replying anything, Daisuke grew impatient and moved his
hand to finger his cheek. The young man didn't want to be touched, so he
pulled away again. He wanted to tell the boy he didn't like to be touched
because touches brought pain but he couldn't, cause when he looked into those
deep, sparkling brow eyes he knew he that he had to…no, that he wanted…*needed*
to let those little fingers touch him. He forced himself to hold still and
Daisuke passed his slim, little fingers all over his features. Then, his
fingertips brushed gently his cheekbone and stopped under one of his eyes.
"Your
eyes." He said "They're as dark as the sky at night…and they move as
water!!" he paused, as if reconsidering what he had just said. "I like the
sky and I like the water!!" He concluded with a bright grin.
Then his
hand moved up the purplish hair and run through it, causing a cute amazed look
to appear on Daisuke's face. The man's hair…it slid trough his finger like
water!! And was so soft he couldn't compare it to anything he knew. "…like
water…" he whispered.
The
vampire suddenly jerked away, leaving the little Daisuke to blink cluelesslly.
Little he knew that his soft touch had been enough to bring a tempest into the
man's heart.
"What
are you doing here?" he snapped. "Don't you know it's dangerous to
wander through the forest late at night?"
Daisuke's
little cheeks colored as he grinned sheepishly. "Don't tell anyone, but I
kinda…uhm…ah…well…wanted to…feel the night" he said as he scratched
the back of his head in an ashamed gesture.
This
amused the vampire beyond belief. The little mortal was out in the shadows to
feel them? The creature of light was curious about the depths of the darkness?
But how could someone as alive as the boy in front of him want to experience the
darkness and expect to enjoy it?
He
couldn't believe it.
But then,
hadn't the boy just felt the night when he had touched him, who was the
Emperor of the night? And hadn't he just enjoyed it? Hadn't those deep eyes
danced when the two of them had touched? Hadn't those pink lips turned into
what humans call "smile" when their breaths had mingled?
The
vampire let out a snore as he turned away and moved toward the depths of the
forest. "Go home." He snapped. And then he disappeared in the shadows,
completely deaf to Daisuke's tiny attempts to call him back.
The
little boy's fate didn't concern him.
He had
better things to attend to.
His hunt
had began.
* * * *
*
It was
almost dawn when the vampire had finally satisfied his appetite. His hunt had
left him in a state of utterly bliss. Inside his depths melted and mixed the
excitement of the chase and the sadness he felt every time he took a life,
rimmed with only the thinnest hints of the incomparable pleasure he took in it.
He
silently dried the thin trickle of blood which traced his jawbone on the left
side as he approached the spot where he had left his cape. Taking slow,
calibrated steps toward the cloak laying limply on the wet grass, he was
surprised to see the little boy curled into the folds of his cloak, one of his
little hands gripping tightly the soft cloth. Walking slowly toward the place
where the little body laid, the vampire couldn't tear his eyes off the gentle
features lightened with a thin lire of rainwater.
Nearly
unconsciously he took the boy in his arms and was greeted by a dreamy moan and
by a pair of soft hands placing on his chest.
Soon
Daisuke's eyes fluttered open and he smiled gently up at the man who held him
in his arms.
"…you
came back…" he stated, his voice dripping sweetness and serenity.
The
vampire found the corner of his lips curve in something you could call a smile
as he whispered quietly into the boy's ear:
"…you
waited for me…?" Daisuke nodded slowly, his eyes linked with the handsome
man's ones.
Stunned,
the vampire felt a tender feeling tremble lazily inside his stomach. Or maybe it
could even be his heart. His pupils have dilated so that his eyes now were
almost completely black, just a thin line of sparkling purple encircled the
velvety dark holes. He had finally found the peace he had sought for all the
eternity.
Nuzzling
closer to the man, Daisuke rubbed his cheek against his chest, sighing contently
as he did.
"…you
came back…" he whispered again.
The
vampire lowered his mouth to Daisuke's head and when his lips brushed the soft
hair, Daisuke let out a little moan and tipped his head back, so that the
vampire's lips touched his forehead in a soft kiss.
A thick
fog was blurring his mind and almost unconsciously the pale-skinned young man
lowered his head toward the soft symmetrical lines of Daisuke's perfect neck,
left exposed when he had tilted his head. He brushed slightly his lips against
his amber skin and the feeling he received back made his eyes grew wide. His
whole frame shivered in expectation, while his breath left his mouth in a deep
moan. His lips danced on the boy's neck, mouthing silently Daisuke's name
over and over.
The
question "Is this right?" was hammering maddening in his head.
If that
was right, then why he felt so sad doing it?
Was it
wrong, then?
But if
it was wrong, why all his being longed for making the little boy his? To bound
their souls together for all the eternity?
Was it
egoistic to damn the little, hopeful boy to a life in the shadows?
Or maybe
he was gifting him with the promise to held the innocence of his childhood for
all the eternity?
Maybe it
was both. Egoism and altruism joined together…wasn't it the basic concept of
love?
Give to
receive something back.
Take
something to give something else back.
Placing
a soft kiss on the boy's neck, the vampire trembled slightly at the contact
and pulled away a little, his eyes moving from the little body in his arms to
the first sunrays which peered from behind the mountains.
He merely blinked
before look down at the little boy. He was looking up at him and suddenly the
uncertain feeling that had startled him so much at first was now perfectly
clear. His lips curved in a brief smile, while the sudden love for the boy he
held in his arms almost blinded him.
"…I've
to go…" he whispered quietly, his eyes suddenly saddening. Daisuke's mouth
opened in shock and his fragile fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt in two
little fists.
"NO!"
he cried as he shook frantically his head. A teardrop rolled down his cheek, and
the vampire tenderly wiped it away.
"I'll
be back…" he replied, against Daisuke's forehead. "You'll have to
wait, but I'll be back…"
"…what…"
he sniffled, the tears streaming freely out his burning eyes "What if you
won't be able to find me?? What if you won't recognize me??" Daisuke threw
his arms around the purple haired man's neck, sobbing as a beaten puppy
against his shoulder.
"I
would recognize you everywhere, my beloved…" he whispered, moving his lips
down toward Daisuke's neck. "But I'll give you something that will allow
me to find you everywhere…" his whispers feeling like butterfly wings
against Daisuke's hot neck. He teased the soft skin with the tip of his tongue
before finally press his fangs gently against it.
Daisuke's entire frame shook as he
felt the bite. His heart and the one of his mysterious prince pounded in his
ears together as one, lifting both of them into a sweet oblivion. Hot tears
built up in Daisuke's brown eyes, but he fought them back, moaning loudly as
he felt the blood rush quicker in his veins. His mind went blank and he had to
fight the need to tighten his hug.
When he moved away, the vampire buried
his face Daisuke's soft hair, inhaling his sweet scent, committing it to
memory.
"Wait for me..." he whispered, and
Daisuke looked up at him, his eyes glassy with pain. He fingered carefully the
two holes on his neck and instead of fresh wounds he felt two little burning
signs, imposed on his skin as a identification mark. He
just nodded and the vampire's finger was against his lips in a tender touch. Daisuke's eyes went completely
out of focus. His entire body became weak and, as if sleep had suddenly caught
him, he was gradually losing the feeling all over his
body..
"…Ken…"
was the last thing Daisuke heard before fall into a deep, dreamless slumber.
"…for you my name's Ken…"
* * * *
*
The
mahogany haired boy was resting with his back against a tree, while the sun
slowly lowered down the sky to touch the horizon. He
had his right leg bend, his right elbow placed on his knee, the forearm hanging
languidly. His other arm was placed on the ground, fingering the soft grass
below. His right cheek touched softly his shoulder.
His eyes
shifting leisurely through the large field of violets whispering quietly in the
soft breeze.
He
couldn't suppress a little sigh and his eyes moved from the flowers to the
nearby stream. The ripped
surface of the little stream reflected
the sun
light, sending light
bows to play on his features, adding
a gentle glow to his yet sparkling chocolate brown eyes. The sunshine which
peeked through the little holes between the tree's leaves was dancing upon his
brown head and his tan skinned face.
"…Ken…"
the name slid out his lips effortlessly.
The
field he was in was the exact replica of the one where he had met his dark
prince. If it hadn't been all a dream, that's it.
That
night of ten years before, when he was still a kid, he had felt something call
him from the depth of the shadows and following his heart, he had been conduced
in that breathtaking field of flowers, where a mysterious young man was waiting.
Maybe he wasn't waiting for him, but yet he had welcomed him. At first the
purple haired man had refused to stay with him, but then he had come back. He
had hugged him and made him his with only a soft kiss on his forehead. And from
that moment on, the amber-skinned had been waiting for him to come back.
Every
day he would come there, with every weather, waiting. Under the sun, the clouds,
the falling snow, the storm…just waiting. But he had never seen his beloved
again.
Daisuke
shook slowly his head, closing his eyes.
This
isn't the real world He silently reminded himself This is the
digital world, Daisuke. He can't be there…he just *can't*.
Releasing
his breath in a deep sigh, Daisuke tossed gently his head in a frustrated
gesture.
Usually
boys like him spend their time drooling after some girl –and truly he did
that, too – and *NOT* waiting the prince charming!!!! That was something
*girls* do. But Daisuke's deepest heart's desire was to be reunited with his
prince.
"DAISUKE!!!"
Daisuke's head snapped up, his heart leaping in his throat only to come back
in its right place in his chest few seconds later.
"T.M."
He said as he rested his back against the tree once again.
"WOW!
Now I'm trademarked?" The blonde boy grinned as he made himself comfortable
next to his friend, satisfied that he had let himself open to that. They stayed
silent for a moment, till T.K. couldn't hold it anymore. "Who is?"
"Who
is who?"
"The
one you love!" T.K.'s simple answer has been enough to make Daisuke jerk
away from the tree as if burned.
"WHAT?!"
"C'mon!!
You dropped too much hints! So, who is the lucky one??"
Daisuke
groaned "You came all this way only to ask me *this*?"
"Let's
put it this way: I just wanted to tell you everything is ready at the camp but
you were nowhere to be found; and seeing you like this I couldn't stop from
asking!!!!" replied his former rival.
"No
one." Daisuke rolled his eyes.
"So,
it's not Hikari-chan…"
"Are
you coming?" Came Hikari's voice from behind them.
"Sure!"
Daisuke replied as quickly as he could and darted to her side, hiding behind her
from Takeru's piercing blue gaze.
"We
destroyed all the spires in this area, so what will be tomorrow's target?"
Iori said, looking away from the glimmering water of the stream.
"Kill
the Emperor, what else?" Miyako replied, evidently angered. "We've to get
rid of that disgusting monster!! That-that…that vampire who is draining our
energy away!!!!" she waved her hands as she let herself fall down on a bunch
of soft leafs. The others chuckled, leaving Daisuke to wrestle with himself
whether to chuckle or not. Luckily his friends weren't paying attention to
him, so he wasn't forced to come to terms with his feelings toward the
"vampires".
Something
big is going to happen soon. I know it. Daisuke thought and suddenly his
head snapped up. I don't know what it is, but...something *big* is going
to happen
"What…?"
Hikari blinked quizzically up at him and Daisuke realized he had expressed his
thoughts aloud.
"Something
big is going to happen…" he replied a little louder.
"But
what…" Takeru stepped closer but Hikari's scream stopped him.
"DAISUKE!!"
She cried as she dashed to his side "Your neck his bleeding!!!" she cried as
she began her search for a tissue in her pocket. Daisuke's hand moved to his
neck and he wasn't too surprised when he touched the warm liquid that streamed
down the little holes on his neck.
"What's
that odd wound?" Iori asked as he stepped closer to examine the two little
holes from which Daisuke's blood leaked copiously.
"It's
a mark." He replied as he brought his fingers close to his face, his eyes
hooked to the ruby liquid that leaked from them. "Just a mark…" he looked
up at them, his hand pressed onto the mark, the shadows created by the tree
giving him a mysterious, nearly scaring look. Hikari found difficult even to
swallow and took a little step backward.
Miyako,
before anyone could stop her, stepped forward, throwing tens of question at her
leader.
"A
mark??" she cried. "What do you mean?? What kind of mark?? Who did it to
you?? And why? When??"
Daisuke
rolled his eyes: "You talk to much…"
"WHAT??"
"…who
did this to me…soon will come back to took me away." He said, as if she
hadn't spoken at all.
"Hmm…"
Miyako looked around, a thoughtful expression showed over her features, before
laid her eyes back on him. "Are you saying they will took you away even from
your duty as a digidestined?" Daisuke remained silent, but a faint smile
tugged up the corner of his lips.
"DAISUKE!
You can't be serious!" T.K. suddenly snapped. "And what will be of the
Digiworld if our team split up??"
Daisuke
relaxed and laid his back against the tree, his arms folded across his chest.
"I just want to be with him…everything else doesn't mind…" then he
tilted his head up, looking at the sky trough the holes between the tree's
leafs.
"H-him?"
Takeru took a step back. Daisuke had never been so serious. At least not when he
was saying such nonsense.
Everyone stared at him with wide eyes.
Daisuke looked back at them, and he blinked at them as if was seeing them
wearing clown outfits.
"What!?" he yelled after a pause,
evidently back to his normal self.
Miyako shook her head and stomped away
toward the camp they had made up. Daisuke blinked again, and cast a
questioningly gaze at Takeru, who dismissed everything with a simple shrug.
* * * * *
It was well past midnight and he was
still standing there. In the field of flowers he had created to remind him of
his beloved Daisuke. He couldn't believe it had happened ten years before. It
seemed like yesterday. Closing his eyes he could picture the big eyes shining in
the little face. Smelling the air he could still smell the sweet scent of
Daisuke. Paying attention he could still hear Daisuke's voice, quiet and
transparent, echoing in the whispers of the wind.
…you came
back…
"you came back…" he breathed as
he cracked his eyes open, regarding the night with a dark,
glassy desire.
He had never realized it but, that
place…that place was beautiful.
It's strange how, sometimes, when
you don't notice something that's right in front of you, it may go away
before you have a chance to do anything about it.
Or it could be a person.
A person that was really important to
you.
You could have had so much to tell.
And in an instant flash....you're
apart from them.
That has been his love for Daisuke.
An unexpected feeling which had
trembled slightly inside him, till it had settled his heart on fire.
And before he could do anything he was
whishing the boy to be his.
But then again, before he could even
speak, they had been forced to be apart.
By the sun.
By the light.
By his being a vampire.
Livid clouds were gathering lazily
above him and the air was getting chilly as he stood there. His breathe was
leaving his mouth in soft little puffs as he wrapped his cloak closer to his
body and stared out in the dark sky. He could see the moonlight dancing trough
the clouds. The Kaiser drew back his lilac lips in a growl, inhaling sharply
trough his grinned teeth, his sharp canines shining silver in the moonlight.
While he was looking on them, the
clouds had turned to a cold tone of iron. A cold breeze had raised. The river
kept whispering his soft promises to be carried away by the wind, while
everything else in the digital lands stood still. The air became lighter and the
moonlight began to fade.
The hunt was about to begin.
The Kaiser's eyes grew wide and
glowed in the darkness. His breath sharpened and every muscle in his body become
rigid with anticipation. The Kaiser let loose a generous moan, a low
and ragged sound surging from the depths of his throat.
He whispered.
And his voice flew trough the night…
Limpid and transparent, chilling in
its beauty…
It flew like a lugubrious silver
bird…
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
Just to resound once again after a few
seconds, floating in the shadows…
Reaching the Digidestined's ears…
And forcing one to start to walk.
Yes.
The hunt had begun.
Ken's long, slender fingers were
dancing in the air as he licked his suddenly dry lips, the low whisper still
escaping his mouth. It was then that the noise of gentle footsteps reached him
from behind. He smiled. An evil grin which curved the corners of his lips in a
sudden rush of excitement. He turned slowly and looked at the girl walking
unsurely toward him, her eyes darkened, her head dangling.
"…Hikari…"
The hunt had begun, indeed.
After he had swept the dark glasses
off his pale face and flung them across the ground, he walked around her slowly,
hate and jealousy shining in his dark eyes. She was the one that had all of
Daisuke's attention. She was the one that had dared to steal Daisuke's heart
from him.
A smile twisted by grief -- or maybe
it was sarcasm -- played on his lips as he slowly cupped Hikari's chin with
one gloved hand.
"Now…what can I do of you…?"
his voice held an edge of satisfaction at that. The digidestined had *never*
spent the night in the Digiworld. And he surely didn't want to waste his
chance to get rid of the girl. He slowly looked her up and down with nothing
else but hate flashing in his eyes. The Kaiser made his target pretty obvious,
by gripping his hands around her white neck and immediately Hikari's eyes
flashed wide open and her mouth hung open, while a high gulp slid out her lips.
The next moments seemed to last an
eternity for the now conscious child of light, as moments like that are inclined
to do. As her eyes darted frantically around, realization sank inside her, first
with the sudden acknowledge of the fact the Kaiser was with her, and then with
the studding certainty that the slightly older teen would, indeed, kill her
without a second thought, and no matter what she tried, that was going to be her
end. She could feel Ken's hands tightening around her neck and she blinked a
few times, her vision suddenly blurred.
She needed air.
Soon everything went black and her
arms fell loosely at her sides, while her head tipped back.
Air…
"LET HER GO!"
The sudden yell caused Ken's hands
to lose their grip and Kari slumped down at his feet, her chest raising and
falling painfully slowly.
She was still alive.
Ken's head snapped up and his eyes
widened as he saw Daisuke in front of him.
He wasn't a child anymore. His once
little and rather plump childish body had grew up in the well built, yet
graceful, slender body of a teenager. They seemed to be the same age, now.
A small breeze flew past the two of
them, ruffling their hairs and tugging playfully at their clothes. A lock of
dark hair flew into Ken's gorgeous purple eyes, but it didn't seem to bother
him. He was beautiful…attractive beyond words. His
features were regular, so gentle and handsome at the same time, a mixture of
what is attractive in a man and what is in a woman. And his eyes…his
eyes were something so beautiful Daisuke didn't know how to describe them. He
had never seen the Kaiser's eyes without the heavy shades to block the sigh,
but he *knew* he had already felt those eyes on him…but flashing which such
different emotions…tenderness instead of hatred.
Love instead of hate.
Daisuke's control started to fade
and his every coherent thought fled from his mind.
His mouth moved a little but nothing
come out.
Shacking his head, Daisuke tried
again, this time succeeding on finding his voice back.
"Leave her alone…she doesn't
belong to you, Kaiser…"
Ken's purple eyes widened for a
brief moment, before narrow again into two glowing slits. "…no?"
What did that mean? That she belonged
to *him*?
"No, she doesn't belong to
you…" Daisuke shook slowly his head. Then, his voice resounded firm and low
after a minute of
extreme silence. Daisuke closed his
eyes and tilted his head as he raised a hand. He grabbed the collar of his
jacket, pulling. "But I do."
Daisuke's
hand had just clasped the collar of his jacket, when around it formed a gentle
pressure. His head shoot up and he was shocked when he found the Kaiser's face
right in front of his, smiling only for him, his two pale purple eyes gazing
deeply into his own.
"There's
no need to show it to me…" his voice slid out his lips as an hoarse whisper.
"I would recognize you everywhere, my beloved…"
"So, it was you all along…"
Daisuke whispered, his eyes filling with tears. Ken reached up and brushed a
slender finger across Daisuke's cheek. The brown haired boy put his hand up,
closing it about the other's hand, and turned his head to kiss his long
fingers gently, his eyes never leaving his. As if burned, the Kaiser dropped his
hand quickly and a ripple appeared in his deep eyes.
"We're enemies…"
Daisuke shook his head slowly.
"…you came back…" he whispered. He had come back, that was all that
mattered to him, right now. There was no more any destiny, any war. They
weren't the Digimon Kaiser and his archrival, the leader of the digidestined.
They were only Ken and Daisuke. Nothing else.
Ken looked away, fixing his eyes to
the glittering wet grass below. "What do you want to do, now?" he murmured
so quietly that Daisuke first thought he had just imagined it. "After
everything that happened…do you still want to be with me? I enslave Digimon, I
torture them, I try to take over the world I…I dry people's life…I drink
their blood in order to survive."
"…" Daisuke looked down as well,
his mind racing; and Ken couldn't stop the bitter smile who graced his lips as
he spoke: he had been a fool letting himself believe Daisuke would have said
'yes'.
"It can't be nothing but like
this…we're enemies…" He was about to turn and walk away when, all of
sudden, Daisuke threw himself at Ken, gripping the front of his jumpsuit tightly
into his fists.
"…take
me with you…" he whispered, bringing his lips up to Ken's neck. "...I...just
can't handle it anymore…I...can't handle being alone anymore!! No one
loves me…no one have ever cared for me…or comforted me…liked me at
all…only you…Ken…take me with you…everywhere
you'll decide to go…everywhere…just with you…" Ken barely flinched and
his mouth went dry.
"Look."
He ordered in a quiet whisper and Daisuke couldn't help but do what he had
asked him to do. "Look at the shadows that surround me…"
And Daisuke looked up…
around Ken, surrounding his tiny body
there were…
shadows.
Liquid shadows...dancing and
twisting...burning…waving…in a word - alive.
And the dark mass was longing for
Daisuke. It was calling him without speaking.
Its claws dug deep into his flesh
without touching him.
He was paralyzed.
Ken tenderly cupped his cloak around
the two of them, as a barrier to protect his beloved from the shadows.
"Everywhere I'll go the shadows
will be with me…" he looked down at Daisuke and found that he was looking up
at him, his eyes shining with tears. "Everywhere we'll go…the only thing
that will wait for us…is the darkness…"
A trembling smile creeped up
Daisuke's lips. "But we'll be together…"
Without another word, Ken finally
kissed his beloved on his lips...he had wanted to do so for so long, now.
His lips were like water to his eager
mouth. He couldn't survive another minute without taste them...they were sweet
and soft. Daisuke fell into a state of utterly bliss. Ken's
lips were hot and demanding... yet gentle. Ken's tongue probed into his mouth
and explored it hungrily, as to claim him as his. Ken's hands trailed up from
his back to his hair and then down to cup his chin.
Daisuke
immediately kissed Ken back, sucking gently Ken's tongue before let his own
explore his inner cheeks, tilting back his head to
offer himself up to the boy who was holding him.
Take me his
body was saying without words. I'm yours.
Ken's left hand left Daisuke's
soft cheek and went down to grab the collar of Daisuke's white shirt and he
pulled it down over his shoulders, ripping the light fabric. His lips slowly
pulled away from Daisuke's and the brown haired boy threw his head back,
panting, leaving his throat wide open and helpless. Ken's lips moved over
Daisuke's neck and when his
beloved let out a low moan which vibrated against his lips,
Ken arched his back in sudden pleasure.
Almost simultaneously, Daisuke's
hands were around Ken's back and were pinning his body against his own.
And when Ken's tongue darted out his
mouth to taste his skin, he couldn't help but moan, rocking his body against
Ken's.
Daisuke sucked air in through his
grinned teeth as he waited for the bite which, however, never came.
Chocolate brown eyes opened and looked
blankly at Ken who was kneeling down in front of his beloved, one knee up while
the other down. He trailed his hands down to Daisuke's hips and smoothed them
down his thighs.
Ken grinned wickedly as he nudged
Daisuke's legs apart and rolled his short up his right leg to trace tiny
little circles with his nails in the soft flash of his inner thigh.
"Here, my beloved…" he
whispered. "Here is where I'll drink the life from my mate…"
A cry was caught in the
digidestined's throat as Ken lifted his right leg over his shoulder and placed
tender kiss on the soft skin. Daisuke's heart began to race with nervousness
and his body was trembling in way he had never experienced before.
Then, suddenly, Ken's long fang were
inside his soft flesh.
At first it was nothing else but pain,
but very soon white waves of pure pleasure washed it away. His hands clutched
the head below him, low moans the only thing that could escape his lips.
With Daisuke's hand clutching his
hair and his sweet, intoxicating scent fogging his nose, Ken was acting
completely on instinct. Soon everything around him faded away. The field of
violets, the stream, the moon, were chased away from his mind, now focused on a
single thought: Daisuke.
Suddenly, the object of his affection
moaned, a low, long, dreamy sound surging from deep within his throat.
"…Ken…" he whispered as his
head started to whirl, his voice reduced to a whisper. It was like roughened
silk, like textured satin. Something was stinging the back of his eyelids and
soon two huge tears flowed out the corner of his mid-closed eyes.
He was shocked at his own respiration,
which seemed to be pacing itself at the same rate as Ken's.
A breath for a breath.
Ken hugged Daisuke tighter, feeling
their hearts beat together at the same exact pace.
A life for a life.
He seemed to be hypnotized in keep
drinking and the sound of his heart pound together with Daisuke's as he
resounded in every fiber of his body surely didn't help. Daisuke's strong,
burning heart was quickly boosting his pace, screaming as loud as a thunder:
I'm alive. And I'm
yours.
over and over.
I'm alive. I'm yours.
I'm alive. I'm yours.
The strong heartbeat pounded in his
ears for what seemed like an eternity, forcing his body to move at its steady
rhythm. But when it slowed down and
quieted, Ken frowned slightly, even if he enjoyed the way he could finally ear
Daisuke moan perfectly. He was shivering against his mouth, but it felt almost
as if Daisuke's body has become an extension of his own. Like if his own body
was shivering. And truly it was.
Soon Ken moved away, a tiny stream of
Daisuke's blood tracing its way down his chin. Daisuke sleepily looked down at
his long awaited Dark Prince, and his eyes were glazed with pain. His
dangerously quick breath was slowing down and he had to kick his way up from the
sweet oblivion he had been submerged when Ken had bit him, to force himself to
breathe normally. The dark skinned teen, who had lost all his force, fell on his
knees and nuzzled closer to his beloved. Blood was pouring out from both the
bite on his inner thigh and the mark on his neck, while a crystal tear trailed
down each of his cheeks. He felt dizzy and light-headed. His vision was blurry
and every sound reached his ears muffled and softened.
But most of all he felt good. He felt
relaxed and in peace with everything around him.
Ken softly enclosed his beloved in a
tender hug, his lips brushing slightly his cheek.
"I can't do this…" Ken
whispered against Daisuke's cheek. "I can't make you like me…"
"…do it…" came the soft reply.
"I can't." he replied, shaking
slowly his head.
There he was; the worst sinner in the
eyes of God – a vampire – was now a sinner in the eyes to the ones like him
too.
Cause he loved.
He loved, and he loved enough to let
his beloved go.
To save him from the flames of hell
that burns the damned like him.
To silently bear to be apart from him.
Daisuke reached up, capturing Ken's
lips in a fierce kiss, where he could taste his own blood inside the other's
mouth. "…do it…" he said as their lips parted. Then he kept placing
soft, butterfly's wing kisses on his lilac lips. "…do it…" he would
say every time he pulled away. "…do it…"
Ken succumbed at last, and his
tormented purple eyes met his liquid brown ones. Daisuke was now looking
at him with such an intensity to make him shiver.
"…I…can't…" came his
hesitant reply.
"You can only love someone, if you
allow yourself to be loved." Daisuke whispered. "Do you love me?" Ken,
despite of his usual coldness nodded, much to Daisuke's pleasure. And his eyes
sparkled as he spoke again. "Then let me love you. Let me be with you. Let me
be just *like* you." There was such a force, such a determination vibrating in
that voice that Ken didn't know how to react if not by staring.
He looked deeply into his soft,
chocolate brow eyes, dancing like water and rippling for joy. He remembered
those eyes…deep pools of brown with just a tiny hint of golden sparkling in
their depths. His eyes had haunted him for countless sleepless days and nights.
Along with his scent.
On instinct, Ken reached forward and,
running a hand trough Daisuke's hair he buried his face in it, smelling
deeply.
I don't deserve
him. he thought. He was
too dangerous, with all his demons, all his desperation, his bitterness. He was
lonely, he was self-destructive, he was *dangerous*.
But he was happy.
Because Daisuke, who could make any
girl –guy-'s life heaven on earth by just smiling at them, was now smiling
at *him*.
And nothing could make him happier.
Daisuke silently observed the emotions
that played on his pale face. Through his purple eyes, trough every feature, he
could see that he was a tormented soul. His whole frame radiated his sorrow,
rejection and loneliness…and yet kindness. His whole frame radiated his
longing for someone who would listen to him. And now, for what concerned
Daisuke, he had found someone, someone who, though different ways, experienced
the same loneliness, the same pain.
He was the feared Emperor;
The devil who drained the life of innocents to survive.
And he?
He was Daisuke.
The unwanted little Daisuke. The
not-followed leader of the digidestined.
No one had ever been able to see
through the masks they wore to see who they really were.
But the tormented creature of the
night had now someone who would take care of him and love him, and at the same
time, the rejected leader had found someone to protect him and care for him.
Now, they had each other.
Now, if Ken will allow it, they will
have each other forever.
Without hesitation their lips locked
again in a sweet kiss, and when Ken pulled away it was only to open his jumpsuit
and draw a line trough his chest with his nail. A line which started to bleed.
Daisuke pushed Ken down on the wet
grass below and followed him, his brown eyes never leaving his purple ones,
which had started to match the now clearer sky.
Despite of the dark clouds and the
wind that had rocked the sky for the entire night, now, in the few minutes which
preceded the dawn, everything stood still. There wasn't any wind to whisper
trough the leafs. Even the stream seemed to be quieter. It was like time stopped
for the two young lovers so that they could finally become one.
Placing his head down the soft grass,
Ken trembled slightly, his eyes moving from the boy above him to the first
sunrays which peered lazily from behind the mountains.
He merely blinked prior to look down at Daisuke.
"…It's almost dawn…" he
whispered hoarsely. "The sun is my damnation and your bliss…" he waited.
He wanted to know if Daisuke was sure.
The brown haired boy didn't reply
anything but lowered his mouth to the tiny stream of ruby blood which glittered
in the mid-light on Ken's chest. Slowly, he licked it away, moving his tongue
in lazy, little circles. Ken shuddered in anticipation, tensing up under his
touch.
Daisuke
felt a sudden rush of power inundate his body an soul. A radiant blue light
flashed in his closed eyes and he grinned slightly his teeth, a soft groan
escaping his mouth. He arched his back as he felt his canine grew a little
bigger and a little sharper. Daisuke
pressed his lips a little harder against the still bleeding cut and ran his hand
through Ken's hair, caressed his cheek before laid his gloved hand on his
shoulder, while Ken wrapped
his arms around Daisuke's body and whipped his head back, one of his
hands running trough his brown hair, clenching soft strands of it in his
trembling hands.
His
lips moved down the trail of blood, which happened to have flowed down to
Ken's left nipple. Daisuke could literally feel Ken's life pounding in his
chest as his tongue darted out his mouth, his teeth teasing gently the soft
flesh before his newborn canines bit it. He started to suck, drinking eagerly
from Ken's chest as a newborn would do from their mother's.
But
then that's what he was.
With
his Ken's blood he had just reborn.
Over
and over again with every ruby drop which slid gently down his throat.
With
every single beat of his heart, at pace with Ken's now and forever.
Daisuke stopped drinking, and Ken
released him from his arms. The brown haired boy didn't move, though.
He just stayed there, his head on his purple haired love's chest. One
of his hands wandered up from Ken's neck to his
hair and then down to his chest, where it stopped, as soon as he could
feel his heart pounding beneath his damp palm. Ken let out a soft sigh, smiled,
and returned his arms to where they were, around his beloved.
The sun tiptoed lazily up in the sky
as if didn't want to scare the two lovers away. Its light came closer and
closer to their bodies and set a burning feeling on their insides. As if fire
were rushing inside them. As if water was filling their lungs. It felt
like someone where squeezing them hardly from their insides. Their heads started
to pound, as their lungs began to slowly shut down, making bright spots flash in
front of their eyes.
"…light is our damnation…"
Daisuke managed in a breath.
The light crawled agonizing slowly
toward them.
"…light is our death." Ken
whispered back, and reached for his hair, playing with it with his fingers.
The sunlight got brighter as the sun
proceeded his domination over the sky. More light covered the forest, so that
now only a tiny shadow projected from the tree above them was shielding the two
from the burning light.
The shadow took an painfully long
amount of time to finally disappear from the ground.
It didn't want to disappear.
It didn't want to left the to new
lovers exposed to the evil light.
It didn't want to lose them so soon.
It
knew that without it they would be unarmed, utterly vulnerable.
The
shadow refused to make room to the light.
It
couldn't.
It
just couldn't do it.
But
nothing is eternal.
At
least, nothing that dares to go against the Universe's rules is.
Nothing
that dare to challenge them keep living.
So,
soon, very soon, the shadow disappeared and the field of blue violets was now
bathed in glorious light, danced by the wind and hushed by the whispers of the
stream.
* * * * *
Takeru's eyes fluttered open. He
lazily sat up, blinking the sleep away from his still groggy blue eyes. His gaze
moved through the camp as he yawned lazily, silently enjoying the warm sunrays
on his skin. He shrugged his shoulders and stretched his neck, trying to get rid
of the sleep. He blinked one more time and finally his vision adjusted.
Something…
Something was *wrong*.
He looked around and his eyes widened
as he noticed both Daisuke and Hikari were nowhere to be found.
"HIKARI!" he cried as he stood up.
"DAISUKE!!!"
Only the frustrated cries of a very
shocked Gatomon and of a utterly worried Veemon answered him. He darted toward
Miyako's sleeping form, roughly shacking her to consciousness.
"HIKARI! Where is Hikari??" he
cried to the still sleepy girl.
"What…"
"Takeru?" the blonde boy whipped
around and grabbed Iori's tiny shoulders.
"Hikari and Daisuke are missing!!"
he cried while shacking the littler boy. His groggy eyes slowly widened as
realization dawned on him. "Have you seen them?"
"Hikari?" he looked around.
"Daisuke??"
Miyako shot up, her eyes wide and her
breath quicker than normal. "Uhm…maybe…they're just gone…foraging?"
Takeru snarled and jumped up in his
feet, frantically looking around.
Something was *wrong*.
A burning feeling trembled inside him
and a little voice was screaming inside his head.
...hurry, hurry,
hurry...
"Where is Daisuke??" Veemon cried.
"Why can't I locating him?? I can't sense him!!!!"
"But I sense Hikari!" Gatomon
suddenly cried. "Whatever was blocking me from finding her, now is gone!! I
know where she is!!" Gatomon hastened down the tiny path that snaked trough
the forest and Takeru immediately ran after her, unquestioningly.
"Come on!" he yelled back to Iori
and Miyako. The two exchanged a glance before speed up after their friends.
Takeru kept on running, the voice on
his head was now repeating two words over and over, like a tormenting mantra.
Too late…too late…too
late…
Too late for what? he yelled
in his head. Too late for *WHAT*?!
But the little voice offered him the
same response:
Too late
Too late
Too late
And then he was there. The
breathtaking sight of the endless filed of violets loomed before him.
The mist of morning had placed itself
softly on the emerald grass, which was now shining, the little water drops
capturing and reflecting the light. Within the field, glowing like a diamond,
sneaked the glimmering stream, a brilliant splash of blue on the violet and
silver glow of the flowers. The colors were all so gorgeous, so truly defined,
burning his gaze.
"Takeru!!" Iori and Miyako jogged
up at his side, panting hardly for the needed air, but Takeru didn't even open
his mouth as kept staring at Hikari.
She was sitting in the middle of the
field, her knees up to her chest, a fragile violet held loosely in one of her
hands. Gatomon was curled at her side, rubbing her head against her human's
leg. The gentle glow of the sun shone upon her, and she nearly glowed in the
golden rays. She looked just like beautiful porcelain doll…but something was
definitely wrong, cause the eyes of the shining angel were empty and far.
"HIKARI!!!" the bearer of the
crest of hope screamed as he stumbled down the little hill and speeded up toward
her. As he reached the girl he kneeled down next to her shaking form and placed
a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he was shocked to
read in her eyes the same phrase which was still whirling inside his head.
Too late
TOO LATE FOR WHAT???
Too late.
Hikari
silently raised a shaky finger and when Takeru turned around he couldn't stop
from hugging the girl tighter than ever.
At first
he could see nothing but then he saw it.
At first
it was only a faint glimmer, but then it brightened until he could see clearly
the two little items.
Under a
tree, the exact same three under which Daisuke had rested the previous
afternoon, placed on a dark rock, something painfully familiar was glittering
under the sunrays.
He
couldn't suppress a little cry and his eyes slowly watered, even if he
didn't know why.
The
sunshine which peeked through the little holes between the tree's leaves,
alongside with the light bows reflected by the stream, was dancing upon them.
The
Digimon Emperor's glasses.
And
Daisuke's goggles.
One
near another, shining quietly under the soft, forgiving light of the sun, their
soft glimmering contrasting with the dark rock below.
Letting
go of Hikari, Takeru shakily stood up and approached the tree, kneeling over the
two shining items.
He
looked up to the little lake in which the stream ended. The broken reflection of
the sunlight played upon his features for a little before he let his blue eyes
shift trough the large field of violets, whispering quietly in the soft breeze.
What had
before seemed like a beautiful place, now became eerie.
He
looked down at Daisuke's goggles again. One
single tears rolled down his cheek and splashed silently onto glass of his
friend's goggles.
He was
shaking with sadness and anger.
And he
didn't know why.
He
cradled Daisuke's goggles, nearly expecting that after touching them, he would
heard Daisuke yell at him to give them back.
But
nothing happened.
No one
spoke.
He looked up at the lake again, gently
picking Daisuke's goggles up…so gently it seemed he was afraid they might
break.
He was about to stand up when his eyes
fell on the Emperor's glasses. Unconsciously he reached out and pulled them
up.
For an instant, he felt tens of
emotions run like electricity up his spine, into his head, back down his chest
and into his toes.
After a moment it was over.
And little he know that strong spark
of electricity was all the sadness, the pain, the tenderness Ken and Daisuke had
shared that night.
His
legs seemed to follow their own will as they lead him toward the lake. He slowly
knelt down to look into the water, eyes hooked to his broken reflection of the
rippling mirror.
Daisuke
would like it there… he thought as he carefully entered the lake.
The water in the lake felt cold against his skin, but he didn't care. It bit
his flesh, just as a chill wind was biting his soul, but the blue-eyed boy
offered no other reaction
than a deep shiver. A quivering crystal slid down his cheek, stinging her face
and leaving a red trail behind. Another crystal drop followed the first and the
another and another, until it was uncontrollable.
Takeru
slowly made it to the middle of the lake and carefully let Daisuke's goggles
and Ken's glasses slip out of his cupped hands and into the water. He watched
helplessly as they leisurely sank down the depth of the blue oblivion, where
they would lie, undisturbed for eternity...
"…too
late…" he whispered as he slowly made his way back to the shore, tears still
pouring down his cheeks. "…too late…"
*
* * * *
You
know that dark powers exist.
Dark
powers which operate beyond human's comprehension.
As
leafs fell from a tree, humans' lives floats in the wind of fate, until an
obstacle force them to a halt.
And
it's in that single moment that everything stops to move.
Because
nothing is eternal.
At
least, nothing that dares to go against the Universe's rules is.
Nothing
that dare to challenge them keep living.
There
is a single thing which is eternal.
Something
that started before this world saw its first dawn.
Something
that will continue till this world will reach its last sunset.
And
maybe it will survive even after.
When this world will reach its end, it
would be waiting to go on beyond it.
And beyond...
And beyond...
'Cause the hunts never stops.
Oh, no, it never stops.
Can't you feel the eyes of the two
creatures of night upon your body?
Sparkling brown and dancing purple
watching your very soul?
Can't you feel their breaths against
the skin of your neck?
Their long fingertips move gently upon
your body?
Amber skinned ones cup around your
cheeks from behind?
And moonlight colored ones running
through your hair?
Can't you hear their soft whispers
in your ears?
Swirl around if you want, but you
won't be able to see them if they don't want you to.
Cause they're the hunters.
And the hunt never stops.
Oh, no, it just never stops.
=================
THE END.
