"Nocturne of Shadow"
It was night, like so many times before. Koushiro lay in bed,
staring up at the ceiling. For days, he had avoided sleep.... and always,
he had failed. The dreams continued to haunt him, the demon continued to
plague him... no matter what he did, no matter what he tried, he could
not be rid of this bizarre apparition which tormented him while he slept.
...Thank the gods for Jyou's love....
.....Thank the gods that he was there, to listen, though he did
not truly believe....
....For, if Koushiro did not have Jyou.....
....then he would not have life, either.
Koushiro closed his eyes, and tried to bring the image of Jyou
into his mind. The thought of the sweet, gentle blue-haired teen was so
much more pleasant than the thought of the demon... but, still, it did
not comfort him.
Down the hall, he could hear the voices of his mother and father.
Their voices were soft, soothing.. and so, he listened, hoping it would
calm his nerves.
"Love... did you notice that Koushiro has been acting rather
odd lately?"
"....Yes..... I have..... What do you think is going on?"
"I don't know... but, really, honey.... he's been rather strange..
I thought that since we're going to be out of the city for a few days,
maybe we should leave him at home to sort things out."
"Home alone? What are you talking about?! He's not old enough-"
"I didn't mean home alone.... I thought that perhaps his friend
Jyou could stay over while we're gone. He's older, and responsible....
and don't you think it would be for the best? Koushiro seems so comfortable
around him..."
"Well... you're right... maybe it would be the best idea. Our
Koushiro is really too stressed for traveling now... and there's nothing
I'd like more than to return and find out that he is happier than he was."
"Yes...... yes. It's for the best. We'll tell him in the morning.....
oyasumi, love."
"Oyasumi...."
Koushiro smiled. His parents always seemed to know what would
make him happy.... truly, he did not wish to go with them on their weekend
trip to Osaka... silently, he thanked the gods that they knew him so well.
And deep inside, he also was thankful that they didn't know about his relationship
with Jyou.
.....it was going to be the best weekend of his life.....
Morning came slowly, calmly, sweetly. Koushiro had spent the night
laying awake, going through files on his laptop. Some hadn't been opened
ever since school had let out for summer vacation.... and it wasn't really
necessary that he check them. But anything to stay awake... though, it
wasn't as if he would have been able to sleep any way. Gods, Koushiro thought.
Tomorrow night.... he and Jyou would be home.. alone... no parents, nothing
of the sort. The very thought had been his main reason for staying up all
night.... he would rather have such sweet feelings inside him than have
them removed by the dreams.
"Koushiro? Can I come in?"
Koushiro nearly jumped at the sound of his mother's voice. "Yeah...
sure," he replied shakily, as he sat up in bed and shut off his laptop.
"What is it?"
"Koushiro, dear, I'd like to talk to you about our trip to Osaka...,"
his mother said softly as she opened the door and stepped in, smiling slightly
at how immaculately clean her son's room was. "Your father and I were talking
last night, and we were thinking that maybe you'd rather stay home, hmm?"
"But.... I thought you were really looking forward to the trip,"
Koushiro said slowly. Now I'll know if it was really just my imagination,
he thought.
His mother nodded, her smile growing wider. "Yes... I was. But,
you see... we decided that this time, you can stay home by yourself...
provided that you have Jyou stay over with you, and that you be careful
to look after everything."
"Really? You mean that?"
"Yes, of course," his mother said softly. "After all, you aren't
a little boy any more, and besides.... you haven't seemed like yourself
lately. We thought maybe you'd enjoy some time alone with your friend.."
So it wasn't a dream, Koushiro thought. It's real, it's all real....
"Thanks, mom," he whispered. "You're right, I haven't been feeling well
lately... this just might do the trick."
"All right then! I'll go tell your father that you like the idea."
And with that, she was gone...
"Gods," Koushiro muttered, falling back onto his pillow. "Maybe
things are finally going to be all right..."
But inside, he knew it wasn't so. He could hear it, feel it in
the air..... there was something odd about. Something was going to go wrong....
As a chilly draft brushed its ice-cold fingers across his skin, he could
hear the voice of the dreaded one, the one from his dreams.... "Things
are not always the way they appear."
The day passed by faster than Koushiro had expected..... and soon,
so very soon, it gave way to evening. Koushiro sat in his room, breathing
in the cool, crisp air from the window. It wouldn't be long before his
parents would leave.... and it wouldn't be long before he was alone, truly
alone with Jyou.
Koushiro allowed his eyes to close, a smile dancing across his
lips. Ah! Jyou.... such a perfect thought. The only one who could reach
into his heart... the only one who could help him fight his nightmares.
The red head shuddered. Nightmares.. nightmares which didn't want to be
fought. Nightmares which wanted to stay within his soul forever, though
he wished they would just leave him...
"Koushiro! Jyou is here!"
The sudden sound of his mother's voice caused Koushiro to gasp
in surprise. "Er.... just a sec! I'll be right there!" he called, delight
welling up inside him. Tonight, everything is going to be all right, Koushiro
thought. Tonight... you won't have to worry.
Moments after he left the room, a soft blue light began to glow
in the darkness. A whisper, like a zephyr in light rain.... "Your spirit
is mine..."
"Okay, Koushiro, sweetie, we'll be off now," Koushiro's mother
said as she fussed over her son, handing him a folder full of emergency
numbers and such things. "Now, you know the regular numbers, and you have
your dad's cell phone number if you need anything, and don't be afraid
to call us! Oh, and if you run out of money for pizza you can always ask
Ms. Yee next store, and-"
"Mom, calm down!" Koushiro laughed, shaking his head. "We'll
be fine! You'll only be gone two days, so just go an enjoy yourself."
A smile crossed Mrs. Izumi's face. "Yes, I guess you're right.
I'm sure you'll be fine..." She kissed his cheek and grinned, winking.
"Bye, sweetie... don't blow up the apartment while we're away, all right?"
And in a flash, she was gone.
Koushiro sighed. Sometimes, his mother acted as if she had been
drinking a little too much coffee... but, still, he knew that she only
acted that way out of concern. It had seemed to be even more so lately,
due to his dreams....But, for two days... she wouldn't need to worry. Everything
was going to be all right...
He stepped into the sitting room and smiled when he saw his blue-haired
lover sprawled on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling as if he was contemplating
the tiny bumps in the plaster.
"Having fun?" Koushiro asked, taking a seat next to him.
"I am... now that you're here," Jyou replied, cracking a smile.
And so it began....
The lights were dim, the room only lit by the soft glow of the
television screen. Koushiro sighed happily, and rested his head against
Jyou's chest. It was nearly the midnight hour, and they had been sitting
on the sofa all night, wrapped in each other's arms as they watched cheesy
old science fiction movies. It was prefect... very nearly perfect.
As the credits for the last movie ended, Koushiro was quite ready
to fall asleep. After all, he hadn't had a good night's sleep in quite
a while... and, it was rather late... but, still, he could see Jyou searching
through his duffle bag as if he was looking for just one more.
"What're you looking for?" Koushiro asked, yawning slightly.
"I thought we watched all the ones you brought.."
"I thought so too," Jyou replied as he rummaged through is bag.
"But I just remembered... I have one more. It's an anime that Shin taped...
he said it was awesome. And, well, I think you'll like it.... he said the
characters reminded him of us." Smiling, he removed one last tape from
his bag. "I don't know what it's called... the label is scratched out.
But we'll give it a try.."
"Yeah.. let's," Koushiro murmured sleepily. As he watched Jyou
pop the tape into the VCR, a sudden chill ran down his spine. Was that
a blue light he had seen, circling the room like a firefly?
As he stared sleepily at the screen, Koushiro had to admit that
it was quite good... and, indeed, Jyou was right. The story of the young
spirit-chaser and his gay lover did indeed remind him of himself and Jyou...
and, still, reminded him of how lucky he was. But....
...but...
... there was one thing....
....just one thing....
A demon. That's what it was. A demon, exactly like the one which
haunted him in his dreams. As he watched her terrorize and torture the
spirit-chaser, Koushiro could only cringe as the fears came back to him.
The laugh.... the dark, evil laugh of the one from his dreams... he could
hear it, high and shrill in his ears. She had said she would destroy the
both of them... the thought chilled him to the bone.
Soon.. he wasn't able to stand it. "Jyou," Koushiro cried softly,
voice cracking slightly. "Shut it off.... please... I.." He could feel
hot tears welling up in his eyes. "Jyou..."
Jyou froze. What was wrong? He, much like Koushiro, had thought
this night would be wonderful, free of Koushiro's stress and fear... but
what could be wrong this time? "Shh, Kou-chan," he whispered as he held
the younger boy close, pausing to reach for the remote to turn off the
tv. "What's wrong?" His eyes were full of concern, and for a moment Koushiro
stared into them, mesmerized. He had always found them to be beautiful,
but now realized that they were like his own... black, colourless, void
of any sort of glitter or sparkle. For a moment, there was a glimmer of
hope...
Swallowing hard, Koushiro reached to his lover's glasses and
lifted them from his face, despite Jyou's cries of protest. He had to know,
had to see if what he thought to be true was indeed reality...
....And yet... his heart was frozen when he truly looked upon
his lover's eyes, for they were not like his own.... When they did not
look through the frames, they had colour, they had spark, they had spirit.
They were glittering blue orbs, nearly black, filled with love and warmth.....they
weren't the eyes of one who could no longer call his soul his own.
Tears falling from his eyes, he replaced his lover's glasses,
cringing slightly and he saw Jyou's confused expression.
"What's wrong, Koushiro?" his lover asked, voice soft and concerned.
The cool feeling in the air was increasing...
"It's the demon, Jyou..," Koushiro cried, burying his face in
Jyou's sweater. "She's here... I know she's here.... Oh, Jyou.. please
don't let her find me..."
Jyou arched an eyebrow. It was like the nights before, when Koushiro
had been so afraid... but demons? Figments of his imagination? So illogical....
"It's all right, Koushiro," Jyou murmured, holding him closer. "I'm here
for you. But you have to realize.. the demon only exists because you let
her exist. You can just forget about the demon, and she'll disappear..."
He doesn't believe me! Koushiro thought. He thinks it's all in
my head, that it's my imagination! The thought filled his with a sorrow.
To think, that the only one he thought he could count on... didn't truly
believe him... It was unthinkable! He needed him to believe.... and so,
he would speak.
"Jyou," Koushiro said softly, voice shaking. "I'm going to tell
you a story, about something that happened to me a long, long time ago.
Something which changed me.... forever."
And so, he told the tale of spirits....
:::::: It happened many years ago, when I was very young. At
the time, I was a very quiet person, distant from other people my age.
I had no friends, no people I could talk to...... this is my story. :::::::
A young Koushiro stared out his bedroom window, sighing slightly
as he looked at the streets below. He wouldn't go out.... he couldn't go
out. For, what would he do? Where would he go? There was no where he could
run... And, besides, it was pointless. He had a good place here, though
his "parents" had lied to him.... Though, deep in his heart, he knew there
was more to life than books and computers.
"Why don't the other kids like me?" he wondered aloud, tears
welling up in his eyes. "Why won't they talk to me?" Shining black eyes,
filled with life, were also filled with sadness and loneliness. "Why....
why won't they be my friends?"
"Friends... friends....," came a whisper, as soft as an owl's
wings in the night. "Friends..."
Startled, Koushiro wiped his eyes and looked about the room.
"What...... who's there?" he whispered, glittering obsidian eyes wide.
"Who's there?"
Slowly, gradually, a gentle blue light filled the room, accompanied
by an icelike draft. The light transformed into a cloud of vapour, much
like one's breath on a winter morning. As he watched, Koushiro shivered...
not simply because of the cold, but because of a chilling, bizarre feeling,
like someone with cold hands brushing their fingers up and down his spine.
In a moment, there was a flash of blue light and the vapour solidified
into the form of a young girl, of Koushiro's age. She sat cross-legged
on his dresser, cold blue eyes staring with an odd light at the young boy.
Truly, everything about her was blue, from the colour of her flesh to her
hair to the dress she wore. She said nothing, merely cast her strange gaze
at him, as if she were considering something deep within her mind.
"Who are you?" Koushiro whispered, staring back at her. She was
unlike any person he had ever seen before... unlike anything he had ever
seen in his dreams, as well. "Why are you here?"
The girl blinked, and looked confused for a brief moment. "I
have no name," she whispered, her voice like slowflakes on a river. "And
I do not have any friends either, though I want one with all my heart.
You seemed like you needed a friend..."
"I......" Koushiro stammered, swallowing slightly. "Yes... I
do." He did not know what to make of this strange girl... Indeed, she seemed
strange, like the faeries he had read about in books. However, she was
kind.... and like himself, needed someone.
The girl tilted her head and smiled sadly at him, eyes sparkling
slightly. "You will be my friend? That is good... whenever I ask people
to be my friend, they turn me away..... because I need someone more than
any other would expect me to..."
"What.... do you mean?" he whispered. This girl.... though there
was something strange about her, she was nice enough.... and Koushiro was
willing to help her, though he had just met her. In fact, he was beginning
to like her.... despite the chill he got from being around her.
"I mean...." She slid off the desk and stepped toward him, pausing
a moment before she leaned down close to him. Her breath was like ice,
and it caused Koushiro to shudder. "I am not like you. I.... can never
be like you." And having said that, she reached out to touch him.... and
her hand passed easily through his flesh, as if she were made of nothing
but air.
Koushiro's eyes went wide and he drew his hand away, staring
at her in shock. "What are you?" he whispered, eyes filled with fear. "Are
you a ghost?"
For a moment, the strange girl's eyes were filled with sadness.
"So you are like all the others... you are afraid of me. I have done nothing
to you, and yet you look at me as if I am a threat. Why?"
I hurt her feelings, Koushiro thought. I did to her what the
others did to me... "You just startled me, that's all," he said slowly,
softly, being sure not to seem as if he wished her to disappear, though
somehow he felt that she thought his mind was thinking something such as
that. "I'm just not used to seeing people like you. But... what exactly
are you?"
"..... I am a demon," she whispered, deep blue eyes staring at
him. "One who must inhabit another person's body in order to live. Please...
I need you to be my friend... I haven't much time left before I will disappear..."
She trailed off, eyes welling up with tears.
Koushiro frowned, staring up at this creature which called herself
a demon. He had heard of these people, these demons... but until now had
thought them to be only creatures from stories, nothing more. They were
supposed to be evil, ruthless killers, who sucked out your soul and ate
away at your spirit.... not young girls with blue skin, who came to you
asking to be your friend.
"Don't worry... I'll be your friend," Koushiro whispered, still
rather unsure of what to make of this creature. "I don't mind being around
you... and I'm not afraid of you. I need you as much as you need me...
so, why shouldn't we be together?"
The demon's tears ceased falling, and she stared at him quivering
in shock. "You... don't want me to go away?" she asked softly, wiping her
eyes on the cuff of her sleeve. "You aren't afraid I'll take away your
soul or something stupid like that?"
Koushiro shook his head, unable to stop himself from smiling.
"Nah..... you're nice, not like other kids I know. I like you... and if
you need to share my body, I don't mind if you do.... it'll be nice having
someone to talk to."
For a moment, the demon seemed as if she was in shock. She swallowed
hard, blinking rapidly. "This is the first time anyone has ever said something
like that to me..."
"Well, then... maybe it's time someone did. Come on... do what
you have to do." Having said this simple request, the young boy closed
his eyes, waiting. He was not sure what he was waiting for, really... and
so, he was not ready for the feeling which overcame him.
It was an odd, cold feeling, much like the one you get when someone
spills ice water over your head. It was the feeling of your heart being
torn in two.... of looking into another's mind. He shivered, and gasped
as he felt his very soul merge with that of the demon. And then there was
a pain... a sharp, freezing pain, which surged through his blood and gripped
his heart.
"Demon.. wha... what're you doing?!" he gasped, clutching at
his chest. The demon laughed from inside his head, her voice mocking.
"You little fool," she murmured, voice like ice in his mind.
"Did you not learn to listen to common sense, hmm? Did no one tell you
that you shouldn't let out your soul to strangers?"
"But.. I thought you said you would be my friend!" Koushiro whispered,
shocked. A wave of emotion filled his mind, but only one thought was dominant...
he had to get rid of this spirit. He had to....
"Oh, don't worry, little one... I will be your friend," came
the voice of the demon, calm and cold. "I will be your friend... forever
and ever. And the first person you give your heart to... they will fall
to me. I will kill them... and I will kill you."
Eyes flew wide, tears welling up in them in fear. "No.... please,
don't! I-"
"You don't have a choice. You are mine, Koushiro- mine! And you
will damn well learn to like it."
As the voice faded away, the light within the room dimmed and
the feeling of cold disintegrated. As sweet, young tears fell from the
eyes of the boy, all that remained was a whisper on the wind.... "I have
a name..... my name is Kikyou.. And you are mine... you will always be
mine."
:::: For years, Kikyou stayed within my mind, silent.... until I lost my heart. Now, she's back..... and out for blood. And there's nothing... nothing I can do to be rid of her.:::
Hot tears spilled down his cheeks, and he hardly even thought
of brushing them away. "She's here, Jyou," Koushiro whispered. "She's here....
even though she's inside me, her presence is in the room.. she's going
to break out, she's going to kill me... oh, Jyou!" Though he was wrapped
in his lover's arms, he felt an ice-cold draft touch his skin. He could
hear her laughing within his own mind.. that cold, cruel laugh...
Warm lips touched his cheek, and a soft voice whispered, "Don't
worry, Koushiro... I believe you now... and I won't let anything
happen to you. Together, we're greater than any demon... I'll find a way
to destroy her. And if I can't.... then at least we'll enter the afterlife
together, hn?"
He believes me, Koushiro thought in a rush. I finally got through
to him... he finally sees the danger we're in. "Y.. yes," he whispered,
sighing. "But what can we do? I don't know how to defeat her... I don't
even know if she CAN be defeated. I don't know what to do, Jyou.... I've
been struggling with her for so long, I feel as if I'm ready to surrender...."
A kind, gentle hand brushed his tears away, and soft words rang
out in the darkness. "Don't worry about it," Jyou whispered. "I'll find
a way... I think I know what to do. But for now... just go to sleep, my
Koushiro. I'll defend you from Kikyou.. I promise you, with all my heart.
I won't let your spirit be defeated...."
...Soon, the young boy slipped into sleep, lulled by the soft
words of his lover. The demon heard them too, and within the body of her
captive she mentally sneered. To think such a thing was like throwing your
heart beneath a swinging blade.....
Jyou sighed as he carried his love to his bedroom, being sure
to step slowly so that he would not wake the boy. He truly didn't know
what had gotten into Koushiro lately.... soul-snatchers? Demons? Supernatural
beings out to kill him? Indeed, it was a rather disturbing thought, that
someone who was so calm and logical could change into someone fearful of
things that did not exist. Whatever had happened in his childhood to cause
such a fear, a fear which would only surface now.... it must have been
quite a thing. But it was, most definitely, something real and physical...
NOT demons.
I know what I'll do tomorrow, he thought as he lay his love on
the bed and pulled a quilt over him. I'll tell him that I found Kourin
or Kikyou or whatever the demon's name is..... and I'll tell him I killed
her. Maybe then he'll feel all right... maybe, just maybe, things will
go back to normal.
Truly, the thought of lying to his love filled him with guilt...
but, what could he do? Surely, if Koushiro was in his right mind, he would
understand.....
"Gods," he muttered, collapsing into Koushiro's computer chair.
"What I wouldn't give for this to be over...." And he closed his eyes,
hoping against all hopes that he would somehow get some sleep before the
night was over.
In the darkness of the room, something stirred. Perhaps it was
nothing, merely a shadow... or perhaps it was a simple trick of the light.
But, most shadows are not a pure, piercing shade of blue, and and even
less radiate waves of evil as this one did......
As if she had been there the whole time merely waiting to be
noticed, Kikyou appeared, sitting on the edge of Koushiro's bed and looking
down at him as if she were a concerned family member. Her eyes glittered
with a dangerous light as she grinned and reached out to touch his cheek,
caressing it as if she had no thoughts of destruction on her mind.
"So.... you told him our story, Koushiro," she whispered, voice
like mist on a river. "Have you no sense? Do you not realize that no matter
what you try, he will never believe you? He's as much of a fool as you
are.... always has been, and always will be." She smiled, a hideous, twisted
smile. "However, I like fools. Ones such as you and your lover are so easy
to manipulate..." And even easier to destroy, she thought as she slid off
the bed and made her way to Jyou. Tonight.. tonight would be the night
that she would take their lives and souls.
For a moment she stared silently at the sleeping teen, watching,
wondering what dreams he could possibly be dreaming. Were they sweet dreams
of his love, dreams of his life, or both? Perhaps. Kikyou smirked as she
thought... certainly they were not the dreams that Koushiro was dreaming
on this cold night. She had made quite sure of that...
"Ah, your souls are mine to claim.... will yours taste as sweet
as your lover's will?" she mused as she caressed Jyou's cheek, smiling
as she saw how though he was sleeping he cringed at her cold touch. "We
shall soon see.." smiling, she kissed him, gently and coldly, eyes twinkling
like stars as she felt his pure, sweet life force drain into her own bitter
heart.
Eyes opened wide, swept from a land of dreams. Jyou gasped and
pulled away from the demon, breathing heavily. He could hardly believe
what it was that he saw before him, and blinked rapidly, wondering if he
could still possibly be asleep. The demon, if indeed she was a demon, simply
smiled at him as an aura of cold enveloped the room.
"It's no use trying to deny that I am here, Jyou," she whispered,
still smiling. "I am as real as you are... and I see your spirit. You needn't
worry, Jyou... it will only take a minute for you two to surrender your
souls. And then.. you can be together.. forever."
As real as you are... as real as you are.... the words echoed
in his head. Can this even be possible? Can this be happening? But though
his mind questioned, his heart knew that what he saw was real, and that
what his love had said had been the truth. This was indeed a supernatural
spirit, be it a demon or a ghost or a dark faerie.... and its intentions
were destruction.
"Wh.. what do you want?" he stammered nervously, swallowing hard.
"Why do you want to kill us?" Indeed.. he desperately had to know. He had
to discover a way to defeat it, had to think about the simplest way.. the
possible way... and the more time he stalled, the better.
Kikyou frowned. "What kind of question is that?" she snarled,
eyes flashing. "Does a mouse ask a cat why it is doing what it does, before
the cat's claws are deep within its flesh? No. So, tell me... why should
my own prey ask that of me?" She laughed, closing her eyes. "You are a
stupid, stupid human... that is why I wish to kill you. Because you deny
my very existence... that should be enough of a reason. But, still... it
is your very existence which drives me to destroy you."
Jyou frowned. She wasn't at all making sense... what sort of
reason was that, to kill someone? "Do you know what I think?" he whispered
calmly, looking up into her eyes and hoping that what he said would have
a positive effect on her. "I think that you don't know what you're talking
about. I think that maybe.. you are just making up a reason, in order to
shut me up and kill me. I think that maybe.... maybe... maybe you are just
a heartless fool, and that you torture Koushiro because you get enjoyment
from it. That's what I think."
Kikyou's eyes raged with fury and she shot out at him, digging
her nails into his shoulder. "You don't know what you're talking about,"
she hissed into his ear, her cold breath causing him to cringe. "Truly,
that IS part of it... but there is more, so much more." She laughed, but
somehow her voice seemed somewhat strained. "However.. you won't live long
enough to hear it." For a moment, she pulled away.... in a flash, Jyou
wondered 'is she leaving? Is she reconsidering?' but his hopes were shattered
when she nodded to the sleeping youth.
"Wake him up," she hissed, pointing to Koushiro. "I want him
to be awake to see this. I want to hear your screams mix with his... wake
him up." Her tone suggested that if he didn't do as she ordered, something
much worse than what she had in mind would happen.
Heart pounding in his chest, Jyou obeyed her. Every part of his
heart screamed that he shouldn't be doing this, but still his brain screamed
back that he should, though it seemed incredibly illogical. Perhaps...
perhaps... perhaps... perhaps there was a way out... a way to overcome
her..
"Kou-chan.... wake up, Kou-chan," he whispered, touching his
love's shoulder. "Please... you have to wake up..." But the younger boy
gave no reply, merely carried on with his dreaming. Jyou felt beads of
sweat form upon his forehead. There was nothing he could do... she would
destroy the both of them. No way... but he had to try and think of something,
anything. He wouldn't go down without a fight...
And then, it was revealed to him. One way... the only way he
could save Koushiro. The only way his love would survive... even if he
disappeared in the end.
"Kikyou," he whispered as he turned away from his lover to face
the demon. He could feel himself shivering, trembling with fear of what
may be but still he persisted, knowing that this was for the best. "Koushiro
told me.. that you need to inhabit the body of a mortal in order to truly
live, and that you feed off their heart and energy. Is that true?"
The deep blue eyes of the demon known as Kikyou narrowed into
a suspicious glare. "Yes... it is true. But, what do you care? You will
be gone in a moment any way.."
Jyou closed his eyes, and gathered his courage. "Perhaps I will,"
he murmured as he knelt before the demon. "But, please... I beg of you...
take my soul, take my body... do whatever you wish to me... but do not
harm my Koushiro."
Kikyou frowned. This boy was a fool.. what kind of person would
give up their life like that? It was illogical, unthinkable... but there
it was, obvious as light in the day. And besides... it was true that she
needed a body to live in, to slowly suck the life from... it was true that
she needed a WILLING spirit... And there one was. But still, it was rather
ridiculous... what kind of idiot would give up their own life just to save
someone else?
"You are willing to give up your soul for that little brat?"
She whispered, tone wavering and uncertain. "You're willing to give up
everything, even your mind, soul and body.... just for that little fool,
that little brat who couldn't see the truth?"
"Yes, Kikyou," the boy replied, voice soft. He never looked at
her, merely kept his eyes upon the floor.... It disturbed the demon, though
she truly didn't know why. "I am willing to give it up, if you promise
to leave my Koushiro alone, and never return to him."
The demon smiled. Perhaps, she thought silently... perhaps this
will indeed be of some use to me. I need not heed his words, after I claim
his soul... for after I do, he will be completely powerless to control
my actions. And so, I will have him.. and the brat to boot.
Without a word, she stepped to him and dug her nails into the
flesh of his shoulder, releasing the power which had allowed her to claim
Koushiro's body for so long. She cold feel the pain, feel the fear within
her victim... it pressed her, drove her to complete the job, filled her
with the urge to make it as painful as possible before her spirit would
be within his body and he would be hers. The room was filled with cold
drafts, icy as north winds. They were her own spirit, coming, calling....
It only took a moment, a slice of time, but it felt like an eternity.
Soon, very soon, the cold washed away... and then there were two.
Kikyou opened her eyes, heart pounding in her chest. Something
was not right... something was certainly not right. Trembling, she looked
down at her hands... they were indeed the hands of Jyou, as they should
have been. The transformation had worked, certainly... she had claimed
his body as easily as she had claimed Koushiro's so long ago... but what
was wrong? This feeling of warmth, from deep within.... it was painful,
so much unlike the cool feeling she had experienced for years when she
had held the soul of a depressed child. It was real, it was magic.... it
was like what she had felt within Koushiro's soul, only recently....
She cringed. It was burning... she felt as if her skin was on
fire. "What the hell is going on?!" she whispered, voice ragged. Something
had gone wrong with the transformation, the infestation.... the soul now
belonged to her, as did the body... but the mind was not submissive, the
heart would not bow down to her, though by all rights it should have....
What was this feeling, that brought her so much pain? She had
felt it within Koushiro, and now Jyou.. when they were apart, it was like
a painful thorn in her side but when they were together, it was a fire
raging within her heart, catching her spirit and swallowing her within
its flames. It was something she had never felt, until the two had met....
Slowly, memories of the past came back to her. Words she had
uttered to the young red-head, when she had first infested him... "The
first person you give your heart to, they will fall to me and I will kill
them," she whispered, remembering. The first person.... the first person....
Kikyou let out a scream of rage, throwing herself upon the floor.
Burning, burning! She was on fire! Oh what was this burning, that it would
cause her such pain?
"Damn you, tell me!" she screamed, both mentally and physically.
"What is this?! What's happening?!" But the mind of Jyou gave no answer...
Slowly, she felt herself collapse. Her soul.... her soul was
melting from the heat, from the fire.... She could feel her mind and body
detaching, with an incredibly painful force..... And for a brief moment,
a thought crossed her mind. "Perhaps... the heart is stronger than the
soul...." And then it dissolved into the flames.
On that hot summer night, the bitter soul of the one known as
Kikyou was no more... and so the souls she held in her hands were released
from her icy grip.
Morning came, and as the moon gave way to the sun and the night
was prodded in the back by the day, thin shafts of sunlight filtered in
through window panes and danced upon the eyelids of a sleeping youth, whose
slumber had not been disturbed by the death of his greatest fear. His soul
was finally at peace, finally at rest...
Jyou lay sprawled on the floor, the battle of last night having
eaten away at his energy. He had given it everything he had.... and in
the end, he had won.
Truly, he didn't really understand what had happened... only
that whatever it was, whatever had happened that caused him to find the
strength to beat Kikyou... it had only been made possible because of the
love he and Koushiro shared.
"Koushiro?" Jyou whispered as he stood, cringing as for a moment
the blood rushed to his head and his vision darkened, blackness being the
only thing he could see. In a moment his sight returned, brighter than
ever... as if the last remnants of the demon's spirit were being cleared
from his soul. "Koushiro..."
Eyes fluttered open, eyes which were finally whole after years
of having their soul repressed and leached. Sweet brown eyes, nearly black,
which now glittered and twinkled like stars in the night sky.
"You did it," Koushiro whispered, gently gripping his lover's
hand. "She's gone..."
"Yes.... and nothing like that will ever happen to you again...
I'll be sure of it," Jyou murmured, kissing the younger boy's forehead.
"I think we've gone through enough hell to last five lifetimes..."
Time passed, things changed.... the two grew closer and closer
every day. And though Kikyou had been a curse upon the both of them....
perhaps she had been a blessing as well.