Warning: Language, Future Violence, Yaoi(BoyxBoy)
Disclaimer: Hatori Bisco owns 'Ouran Highschool/Koukou Host Club'. If I owned it, Kyoya would have his glasses off less in the series! :3
A/N: This is a REWRITE! If you would like to read the original crappy one, add 's/6766395/1/' to the end of 'fanfiction(.)net' without, of course, apostrophies and parenthesis.
'The night brings horror, bloodshed, and eternal suffering. But all those have saved me from a horrible death... For now.
I will never be truly safe.'
1. ThE dArK hOrSe
Sweetheart, wake up.
Five more minutes, Mom...
A light chuckle and warm, delicate hands softly shaking my lying form before moving up to run through my firey red spikes. Ryu, it's quite late. Come now, you wouldn't want to upset your dear mother by disobeying, would you?
A snort of humor I only vaugely registered as my own. Mm... I'm up, I'm up.
My eyes snapped open and my head whipped around wildly, searching for that kind voice, those gentle hands, both of which I yearned for. Unfortunately, my position high in the trees where I had fallen asleep granted little balance, and with my jerking motions, my body teetered off the slim branch. And onto the hard packed dirt. Woopee.
Only a grunt was heard as I landed none too lightly on my left hand, bending it almost completely backwards. Hissing as a dull pain began to settle in my wrist and spread throughout my hand, I held it gently and began to walk off in the direction that I thought was where I had initially started walking.
Of course, that was just a dream. I have no parents.
Sticking my hands in my torn slacks pockets, my eyes traveled upward to the darkening bluish-purple fading sky, stars beginning to slowly replace the clouds from noon. The mix of oranges, reds, and yellows contrasted prettily with the blue and purple evening sky. I hummed as if in agreement, the sun slowly sinking below the horizon, the pale, cresent form of the moon rising on the opposite side of the multicolored expanse to replace it.
I tilted my head at the everyday occurance and thought of a different senario. Instead of a natural, daily event, what if it had to do with celestial beings? I grinned behind my black, white, and grey plaid scarf and nodded, happy with what my imagination was conjuring up.
Ifrit, the sun god, and his younger twin sister, Selena, the moon goddess, were born on the last and the first days of the year, respectively. But Ifrit wasn't satisfied with simply being the eldest. No; he wanted to be king, he wanted to rein over the people and beat down on them with fire. Selena, on the other hand, was kind and merely wanted to provide beauty, only feeling the need to control what was necessary. Their father-
Wait, what was that? The forest... Someone was in the forest. Shoving the story I'd been thinking up to the farthest recesses of my mind, my feet began flying over the ground before my brain registered I was actually moving.
And now I could hear another sound: the thundering of a horse's hooves. I was by now desperate to pick up speed to get away, praying I was concealed enough in this blanket of darkness. I couldn't afford to be caught!
Oh, wait, you don't know why I'm here, in a battered, torn, dirty tuxedo, with a fucking scarf, which is now whipping me in the face repeatedly while I run. No, it's not that I hate scarves, it's just... Y'know what? Just read this...
Yeah, so I'm running because I was suppost to be engaged to some crybaby, girly-girl, bitchy brat named Arashimizu Megumi, even though I absolutely hate every one of the marrige candidates my parents had shown me before they decided on Megumi. Not like a ever had a choice.
Anyways, there's no way in hell I'm going to marry her!
My adoptive parents are more like demons than angels for adopting me without my twin sister, Ayano(A/N: This is a rewrite, therefore Kurami[me] will not be in this story. Damn, this will be difficult...) and expecting me to be forever thankful, kissing up to them, doing whatever they want to force on me. Feh. I mean, how stupid are these people?
I was forced into such a princely position that the attention I had once, though however short-lived, had accepted very graciously, now openly loathed, had become overwhelming. Everyone knew that. Everyone except my 'parents' and Megumi and her family. They were so oblivious!
And today, I was stuck in this damn monkey suit, and prodded with meaningless questions. I left before the vows were to be said, skipping the luncheon and taking the chance to escape. Now I was tired, slightly injured, and hungry since I hadn't eaten since breakfast. Even during the meal I hadn't been able to eat more than a couple bites before I was whisked away for tuxedo fittings, a last-minute wedding rehersal, and a run-down.
The whole thing was hell. And now, with men from the 'family' I came from chasing and tracking me down, I was going to be sent back. Not to mention given a whole crapload of punishment.
The muscles in my legs were straining, my lungs and throat burning, my vision beginning to shake around and blur. But still, with a final push of the last of my energy, I sprinted forward...
Only to trip over an outreaching tree root.
My ankle twisted in an almost grotesque angle, and I screamed, the pain too much to bear in silence. Immediately, the hoofbeats stopped, and I was reduced to very unmanly whimpering to allow me to be a little more attentive to my surroundings.
I almost didn't see it. The near black mare almost completely hidden in the shadows of the woods, her one visible eye glinting through the darkness. Upon her back was a lanky rider, with small, jet black spikes protruding from behind a black and white theatrical mask placed neatly over the man's face. He couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen, at the most.
We stayed like that for a while, just staring at the other. My frightened maroon eyes locked determinedly with cool onyx eyes that stared back - almost boredly, even. Neither of us moved, the only sound coming from my harsh panting and the mare's occasional snort.
The boy held his hand out and I hesitated. What if this was a trap? Would he take me back? His hand raised slightly before dropping to its open palmed position once again. If I took that hand, would I regret it?
With a soft sigh, the boy slid off his horse and toward me, making no noise, as if hovering over the ground. I tried to scoot back on my butt away from him, but instead ended up causing further pain to my sprained - or possibly broken - ankle.
I groaned as it bent again, and glared up at the stoic, emotionless teen with tearing eyes and lips pulled back in a snarl. "What do you want?" I hissed, bearing some kind of resemblance to a reptile - a dragon, maybe.
The onyx eyed boy simply met my raging eyes with his own, face still relaxed. Was his face broken or something...? "You're hurt," he said quietly. I didn't notice his hand reaching out as my face went slack and stared dumbly at him.
Woah. Deep voice ya got there, bud.
His previously unnoticed hand became known as it very, very gingerly prodded my ankle. I pulled my leg up and away from him, unconsiously trying to make myself smaller.
"Stop that!" I growled, slapping his hand away. In response, the stranger lifted me up bridal style and I panicked, thrashing around. A strong arm pinned both of my own arms to his well-muscled chest, so I reverted to using my uninjured leg to beat against his sides. A tired sigh escaped the boy's lips as I continued to squirm.
"I'm going to drop you if you keep doing that," he warned. Reluctantly, I gradually stilled, my fingers and legs twitching from time to time, just absolutely itching to hit him. But I seriously didn't want to fall again. "Good."
Walking toward the now grazing horse, I gazed up at the potential savior or captor. His chiseled features would make any girl drool - not that I would. I'm not gay, alright? Not that I have anything against gays, just... I'm not one.
Placing me on his horse, the boy stared at me. Even if it was courteous, I didn't ask his name. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to know anything about this boy. I only glared. Glared and tried to show all my feelings, even though I knew it wasn't enough. Nothing was never enough.
"What's your name?" he rumbled. I continued to silently glare petulantly at him, ending up staring at the back of his head as he got on the horse.
"Hold on to my waist," he commanded.
"Never," I hissed.
"Then sit in front of me."
"NO."
"You're going to fall off."
I scowled childishly. "No, I won't." And then... I was proved wrong.
We rode through the woods for hours, after I had screamed my head off for him to GET OFF THE DAMN ROAD AND INTO THE WOODS like a stubborn brat until he shut me up by making the horse jump without warning. Needless to say, I was a little more than just shaken up. My head hurt for a long time after that tree...
When we arrived into a clearing where a comfortable looking cottage stood. Hoping my grin looked cocky, I tried to gracefully get off the mare... Only to fall off.
"See!" I crowed, "I didn't fall off that many times!"
The boy smirked behind his mask. How do I know? I just... do, I guess. "Six or seven times is plenty."
Hey, it's still a record. I usually fall off more than that. And I usually break or sprain something, too.
"What-fucking-ever," I huffed.
"Here, let me help you get inside." the boy suggested.
"I can do it myself!" I snapped, leaning away from his reaching arms. "Get away from me!"
He pulled back and sighed, crossing his arms. "Fine. Do it your way." Walking over to the cottage, he threw over his shoulder "Let me see you walk over here, then."
My lips pulled back in a snarl. "Okay then!" I yelled, "I can do it myself! I don't need - OW SHIT MOTHERFUCKINGBITCHOFASPRAIN!"
The boy gazed at me boredly. "Need help?"
"NO!"
"Alright," he said, leaning back against the wall by the door, "Hurry up, then. It's late. We could get sick."
At that moment I sneezed. Frowning, I looked at the boy, who was already making his way towards me.
"Hold your arms out." he commanded.
Feeling helpless, I held my arms out to him and he reached down to pick me up. As he shifted to hold me like you might a small child, with one arm around my back and the other under my bottom, my face burned as my hands clutched the back of Victorian styled suit jacket.
How embarassing! I thought, burying my face in his shoulder. This... This is a new form of embarassment I've never felt... I've only heard of this kind of intimacy between lov- No!
"Put me down..." I mumbled, releasing my grip on his jacket and pushing back on his shoulders slightly, "Put me down..."
Still, he wouldn't listen, continuing through the house and down a long hall. "Come on, let go...!" I muttered.
"You're going to get hurt like this," the onyx eyed boy said.
"LET. GO."
"No."
Reaching a door on the left side at the end of the hall, the boy used the hand that had been supporting my back to open the door before stepping in.
The room was clean, although looked like it hadn't been used in a while. I was layed on a made bed, my fingers tangling in the silk sheets, my legs sprawled on the bed comfortably.
"So... what now?" I asked, watching the boy as he disappeared into what seemed to be a bathroom and came back with a red first aid kit. He took of my shoes and socks, gingerly bandaging my sprain.
"Right now," he grunted as he bumped his head slightly on the top of the doorframe to the bathroom as he went to replace the first aid kit, "You're going to stay here. No funny business, no escaping. You'll injure yourself further."
A question teetered on my tongue, threatening to spill out.
"What's your name?" I blurted, slapping my hand over my mouth. Didn't I tell myself earlier I didn't want to know his name?
The boy chuckled and began to undress. My face lit up like a firecracker and I turned on my other side, facing the wall.
"Call me...
Dark Horse."
:D That was finished much faster than I expected! Hope you guys enjoy this, and PLEASE REVIEW! You don't know how much it pains me when I write for hours and no one says anything. They only watch and fave! ;A; But I do appreciate those anyways.
Messages to the VERY few people who commented on the old version:
NerdzRKewl: Thanks for being my very first REAL REVIEWER and reviewing each new chapter when they came out! XD *gives waffles and twirls around* I know you said you were busy with college(I'm pretty sure that's what you said...) but I hope you can take a little break to read this! *deep bow*
You actually helped me with the storyline, whether you knew it or not(Er, I very, uh... unstalkerishly read the comments? Ehehehe... *sweatdrop*). My brother just pretended to know it all and agree with what you said, because he had no idea where he wanted to take the story, thus the odd responses about the story. OTL
Thank you so much! -Kurami
Sabrina Bane: Thanks for the review, even if it was short. I almost pissed my pants when I saw 'Review' for Dark Horse in my email box haha! Your review was much appreciated, and I hope you like this version better. If not... Then I've gotta shoot myself, don't I? XD lolz
To the rest of the people who miraculously found this rewrite and watched/faved the old one, I hope you like it, even though it must've been hard to find this...
Oh, and something that I will now be putting in the chapters
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