I am co-author's with my dear friend ILoveKuramaTooMuch on this story. She wrote most of the Takashiro parts and smoothed and edited the story, where I wrote most of the Reiga parts and the small parts of Cadeza's. We both truly hope you can enjoy this amazing story.
Please leave us your reviews with your feedback tellings us what you think, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much, and please enjoy!
TORTURED PASSION
Chapter 1: Forgiveness
Strolling through the bamboo forest at the Main residence, Takashiro held his right hand over his heart, as he walked along the narrow stone path. The moon stood high above his head, clear and mercilessly casting its light upon everything that surrounded the thoughtful clan leader. Not that Takashiro was afraid of some shadows, but the latest news from Twilight Mansion, along with some new appearances of Reiga and his underlings, put the otherwise cool man into a state of high unrest. Was Reiga trying to start a new war? ...Takashiro could tell that this was probably his intention, yet at the same time when he thought more about Reiga's new steps and words, there was something strongly odd about the whole thing now. Smiling slightly as he continued in his night walk, Takashiro was almost certain that he knew what had been feeling so disturbing about his friend-turned-enemy as of lately:
"I have been a fool to think that he would ever stoop as low as to suggest a different manner of bringing this war to end. Reiga will always feel uncertain and awkward around me. The roots lie in our past, which cannot be changed." A sad sigh left his lips, as he came out of the forest and onto the moonlit grass spot, where the Zweilt monument stood, shining gracefully into the night.
Looking around, Takashiro could not sense anyone around. Loneliness was his fate, his greatest companion and his haven for now. The clan leader knelt in the soft grass, his eyes tightly closed as he let himself sink into the memories of his, Reiga's and Yomi's past. For a long time there was but silence, occasionally interrupted by harsh breathing or shudders of mourning.
'Yes, there have been many things done wrongly in the past. And that is why it should never be brought up again. My greatest wish is to protect this world from being turned into darkness... I always said that I would sacrifice anything for the sake of this goal.' He was sure that his determination would be helpful now.
"Listen, Reiga! Wherever you are, whatever you are trying to do, let us forget about what happened in the past! I am willing to forgive you. I am not ready to lose any more of my family members to your whims and loyal followers. I do not wish to have to kill you. Can we not move on and try to do something useful with our gifts instead? Let us not be disturbed by bad memories anymore. I am challenging you to act upon your heart... not greed! I will not move out of your path, and you cannot make me! But I can hold my hand towards you, and offer my forgiveness, if you can accept it. That is all."
Suddenly feeling weak and cold from the emotional exhaustion, Takashiro tried to stand up, in the end having to hold onto the cold stone monument for support. With his back to the cold stone, he stood for a long time, as if waiting for any sign that his words were heard by the one intended person. But as only silence continued to answer him, his shoulders slumped and he walked back the same path... slowly.
"Ne, Reiga are we fated to always wait for each other's death only?"
**/**
Reiga stood by one of the tall windows of his castle, staring into a cup. He watched Takashiro through it, seeing him walking through the forest of the main residence and once Reiga heard the words that were spoken by his old friend his head tilted to the side and his eyes squinted.
'What are you playing at, Takashiro?' he thought to himself, 'Do you truly wish to forgive me or is this some kind of new trick?' Sighing lightly Reiga set down the cup and looked out the window to Infernus. He wore a sad expression as he stared out to the fields of his home land but not really seeing them. 'Is it forgiveness I am looking for? I wonder. But am I ready to forgive him?' Leaning up against the wall he looked away and down from the window. Folding his arms in front of him he closed his eyes getting lost in old memories of the past...
After a painful while he slumped, holding his hand to his heart: 'He wants us to forget the past, but how can I forget what I have done to Yomi? How can he? That memory of me taking her life with my own hands will haunt me for the rest of my life and on into the next. I can never forgive myself for that so how can I hope to be forgiven by anyone, but, if what Takashiro says is true then...'
A single tear fell from Reiga's eye and slipped down his cheek. Wiping it away he opened his eyes and looked back into his cup, seeing Takashiro walking away from the Zweilt monument and back up the path which he came from. Reiga quickly turned around and opened a door to the human world.
**/**
Lightning flashed down in front of Takashiro causing him to stop and look up to see a door appear and Reiga stepping through it. The Lord of Darkness stood on the platform looking down to his old friend for several long moments before stepping down to appear in front of him.
"Before you do or say anything, I have come in peace, for the moment." Reiga gave the brown haired clan leader a cold stare, but yet, hidden behind the coldness, there was some softness to his silver eyes that couldn't be explained.
"Now, if what you ask of me is true and this isn't some trick, will you accept this?" He let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the area to see that they were alone before finishing. "Will you give me a few days to think about it?" he asked calmly "I promise I will not make a move against you or anyone in our clan until I have given you my answer," Reiga said softly, seeing the unexpected look of surprise on Takashiro's face.
Reiga cleared his throat and hesitantly continued. "If Cadenza or anyone else under my control causes you any trouble within the time that I ask for, I assure you it will not be because I ordered it, that man is hard to control and does as he pleases, so you can deal with him and whoever else he brings with him, as you see fit. I will only be glad to be rid of him, you know," he laughed slightly as he watched Takashiro almost like he was studying him, seeing if he could find any hint of his true intentions behind that strange request... if there was any, as he waited for him to answer...
It seemed to take like hours as Reiga waited for an answer from Takashiro, only to be met with silence. Feeling vulnerable and exposed, Reiga looked down at the ground and shook his head.
"I knew it was a bad idea to come here," he said lightly to himself, "This is why I have a hard time trusting anyone." he brought his cold eyes back up to the clan leader standing before him.
"Somehow I had hopped, that you truly wanted to forgive me. I was even willing to accept and to forgive you as well, but your silence only confirms what I had been feeling before coming here. So tell me what is it that you truly wanted by luring me out here with your talk of forgiveness?" Reiga growled coldly.
**/**
Cadenza felt an overwhelming sensation that ran through his spin and throughout his entire body. He knew this feeling all too well: it was a call to battle.
"Heh I guess it would seem to be almost time for me to do some killing, but whose death shall it be this time?"
He walked along the long corridor of Reiga's dark castle impatiently, as he waited to be summoned by his Faolar for battle, when he caught a glimpse of Lord Reiga walking through a door to the human world.
"What is this half breed up to? I wonder."
Keeping quiet the red haired Duras snuck through that same door and followed Reiga, making sure to keep his distance but close enough to see where he was going, only to find that he was meeting with a human. And not just any human too, but the leader of the clan touched by God. Noticing there was no fighting going on during this meeting, and that the two men seemed to be only talking, he became curious. Staying inside the doorway he moved slightly closer to hear better. However, what he heard made his blood boil.
"Forgiveness? Pfft, what a ludicrous notion for a weak human! Is Lord Reiga even going to consider this? His human half is what makes him weak with all those human emotions. I guess this might give me another chance to take down another master of mine," he laughed evilly as he waited and listened to the rest of the peace talks.
**/**
Facing Reiga this time somehow came very different to Takashiro. Firstly, there was no fighting happening at the moment, and secondly, they have been talking... even negotiating. And then it dawned on the Giou leader: Reiga was showing an effort, and right now, waiting for his answer. He WAS WAITING, just standing a few feet away, looking slightly disturbed by Takashiro's prolonged silence. A rare smile broke upon his lips:
"You can have as much time as you need to think through and consider my words. They are what they sound, serious and hiding nothing from you, Reiga. I am not going to force you or anything, to accept this proposal..." Nervously, Takashiro took a step forward, watching with sadness as Reiga took a step back.
'What am I trying to do here? Is he really going to believe me? Just like these few words are what it takes to straighten things between us? Would it not be better for this world if he killed me right here and now? After all, maybe it is my weakness, the inability to never accept a conflict for what it is...'
And then, suddenly, he knew:
"I know that you, Reiga, and I... we might never be able to forget about Yomi. And I would never ask you to forget about her... but I am not going to blame you for what happened anymore. I have come a long way to accept the fact, that you lo-" he gulped suddenly, "loved Yomi, and that it must have caused you endless grief when you learned that she became afraid of you. It cannot be returned nor changed. So I would like for us to move on. Because, no matter what, I always thought that you were a good friend to me. We both have taken wrong steps in our pasts. I am not perfect, nor can this world ever become perfectly peaceful. But there is one thing that will never disappear from my mind: the fact, that, no matter what, you shall always be a member of my clan, and a person closest to me on personal level. I want to try for you, if you would let me, to stop this pain in your heart once, and forever."
Reiga looked skeptically at Takashiro, still unable to believe his words... His talk of forgiveness... How was he supposed to believe him, when everyone he has ever trusted has turned their backs on him, including the one standing before him?
"Then you shall have my answer in a few days, but, just so you know, if I find your words to be untrue I will kill you this time," he said in a snide voice.
Reiga's eyes became wide with shock when he heard Takashiro speak of Yomi and the pain returned to his heart. Putting his hand to his chest, he turned away and there was a moment of silence before Reiga was able to face his old friend once more.
"You are right I did love her and I was even fine with her not loving me in return, when I saw that she was in love with you but..." he trailed off sadly thinking back to the time where Yomi didn't see him as a monster and his eyes slowly closed.
"How, did she become so afraid of me when she wasn't before, I wonder?" he said half to himself.
'Why should I even consider this? He will only betray me in the end, as he has done before. I have stopped trying to trust people, in the end they have all given me reasons not to. I haven't been accepted by either race.' Then it dawned on The Lord of darkness: maybe this entire time... This whole war was a way for him to find acceptance...? 'I did find one who accepted me but that was only my human half... Will Yuki be able to accept all of me not just my human half but my Duras half also? And maybe Takashiro was trying to accept me as well, by him saying that I am still apart of his clan and will always be... Maybe I can give him another chance and see how it goes this time.'
Suddenly his eyes shoot open and he looked around the area when he heard soft laughter.
"Did you hear that Takashiro?!" he looked up to the gate of Infernus that still yawned open, seeing a shadow hidden in the entrance.
"I see you still can't follow my orders very well, Cadenza. What are you doing here? Why did you follow me?" Reiga demanded of the tall Duras.
There was soft evil laughter heard coming from the entrance of the gates to Infernus as Cadenza stepped out onto the platform to stare down at his Faolar. "I was itching for a fight, then I smelled something off. So I followed the scent to find you talking with this human." he turned his red gaze towards the Giou clan leader as he spoke the last few words before fiercely retuning them to Reiga.
"Tell me my Lord, you're not going to betray your convictions and believe his talk of forgiveness? Or has your weak Human half finally taken over?" Cadenza growled coldly with an evil smile on his face. He knew the answer already and his game of taking down another master was about to begin.
Annoyed and agitated with the lack of respect he was getting from the General Opast, Reiga stepped forward. "That is none of you concern, being here is apart of my plan. Now I order you to go back to Infernus and await my return." Coldness could be felt in the air as it blew through the trees around them, making the Lord of Darkness' hair dance and sway in front of his dark, silver eyes.
Cadenza let out a loud thunderous laugh "I am sorry my Lord, but I am going to have to refuse."
"Tch" the tall Duras General's defiant attitude angered Reiga more than the lack of respect and the dark haired necromancer clenched his teeth. "Then as your summoner, I am going to have to make you go back."
Knowing a battle was imminent Reiga created a barrier around the whole area.
"You can try!" Cadenza growled as he jumped towards his Faolar. At that same moment Reiga mumbled a quick spell and lifted his hand towards the red haired Duras, hitting him with a blast of power. The spell wasn't enough to stop his advance.
"Tch… What a pain." Reiga growled as he went to throw another spell at his charging follower, but was one second too late: Cadenza was already above his head, and ready to strike.
Another strong blast of power came from Reiga's left, hitting Cadenza hard in the side, knocking him away from the Lord of Darkness, giving Reiga enough time to call out his summoner's chains to bind the Duras General in place. Eyes wide, he looked in the direction the spell came from to see Takashiro holding out his hand towards Cadenza. He wore a nasty look of hatred, that Reiga, himself never saw on the clan leader's face before. 'Did Takashiro just save me?"
The clan leader dropped his hand and opened his trench coat to pull out the Key of Solomon, "Somehow I knew I was going to need this." The tone to his voice was filled with scorn. He wasn't happy with the fact that his and Reiga's conversation had been so rudely interrupted. And what upset him the most was the fact, that the damn impudent Duras brat attacked his oldest friend and he wasn't having that. He had a plan to rid themselves of this pest.
"Reiga being that you're his summoner, you're the only one that can banish him back to Infernus." he lifted up his head to rest his gaze on the Lord of Darkness. "Why don't I help you out by keeping him distracted while you preform the spell?"
The look of shock grew on Reiga's face as he watched Takashiro's movements. 'Why is he helping me? I don't understand.' "I can take care of him myself." The dark haired man growled.
"You won't be able to fight him and banish him at the same time, not without help. And you know that you can't control your chains of binding at the same time as casting the banishing spell."
As Reiga listened to Takashiro, he was fighting hard to keep Cadenza bound by his chains, but the red haired Opast was on the verge of breaking free. All the while the general was laughing as he struggled in his attempt to free himself of the burning chains. The dark Lord had to think of something fast before that happened.
"You won't last long without my help." Takashiro continued as he watched his old friend struggling to keep his hold on the fighting Opast. "So let me, I am not going to watch you die before we get the chance to settle things between us. Now drop your chains and send that young brat back."
Cadenza was almost through, giving Reiga little time to think. Doing as the clan leader asked he dropped his chains from the struggling Duras. Crossing his arms in front of him and bowing his head Reiga recited the spell to send the general back to Infernus.
Cadenza lunged at his Lord the minute he was free once more, but Takashiro was much faster and had thrown up a barrier around his oldest and dearest friend before the Opast general got to him.
"Oh no you don't, you will not touch him." he growled furiously, causing the tall Duras to stop and glare over at the clan leader with a burning fiery hatred to his glowing red eyes. "Luphen!" Takashiro called for the Key of Solomon, making it float up in the air.
"Humph" Cadenza smiled wickedly "You weak pitiful humans don't ever learn do you? Do you seriously think you can win against me?"
"You would be surprised!" The Giou leader's smile was absolutely cocky and anything but calm, as he faced the red head standing before him, "We humans are stronger than you give us credit for." he said a few words under his breath and threw a hard powerful spell at Cadenza, hitting him in the chest causing him to fall a few feet back.
The tall Duras threw a spell of his own right back at Takashiro, only to hit and bounce off of the barrier that was around the brown haired necromancer which made his smile widen. "You might consider us humans as weak, but we are most certainly not. And we are defiantly not stupid." he yelled as he threw another spell at the enraged Duras.
Lifting his silver gaze, Reiga stared coldly at the Opast who was supposed to obey him under his control as he finished reciting the last few words of the banishment spell. "I, the keeper of The Key of Raziel banish thee back to whence thy came from…!"
"Humph, you might have won this time Lord Reiga, but this isn't the last you will see of me!" With those last words Cadenza was gone and Reiga now breathing heavily quickly closed the gates. Dropping the barrier around the area, the dark haired Lord stepped up to the Giou leader.
"Why did you help me?" There was a profound confusion in Reiga's voice as he asked Takashiro the inevitable question, "You could have stayed back and waited until he finished me off and been done with this whole thing."
The softness returned to Takashiro's stern look, "Because Reiga," he boldly stepped up to his old friend, "No matter what you think of me, and no matter what we have both done wrong, I will always be your friend…"
"Excuse me Takashiro-sama" Fuyutoki walked up to the clan leader's side, interrupting the two talking men. He eyed Reiga suspiciously "Is everything alright here?" he asked, not knowing what actually took place here between the two necromancers and their unwanted guest. "Should I go get the others?"
Takashiro turned away from Reiga to address his butler. "There is no need to call for help, everything is fine for now." he replied to his faithful servant if a bit curtly, seeing as Fuyutoki's eyes never left Reiga's since arriving. "What is it?" Takashiro demanded sharply. Oh no, he wasn't having his trusted aide throw glares at his best friend!
The sharp tone of Takashiro's question caused Fuyutoki to break contact with Reiga and pay his attention to the clan leader. "Something came up, that requires your assistance, sir."
Takashiro nodded his head towards the butler: "I shall be there in a moment." Bowing down respectfully to the clan leader, Fuyutoki gave Reiga one last suspicious glance before walking back up the path he came from.
Sighing heavily, the clan leader turned his green eyes back to his old friend, "Looks like our conversation will have to wait until I return. Will you wait until then?"
"I have no other choice now, or do I? I can't go back to Infernus at the moment, seeing how Cadenza wants to kill me." Reiga snapped, getting to his huge surprise an amused chuckle from Takashiro in response.
"Then I will make it back here as quickly as I can." With that being said, the clan leader turned to walk away heading up after Fuyutoki, leaving a confused and doubtful Reiga behind.
The dark Lord stood there for a while, watching as his old friend disappear up the stone path.
'I don't understand. What is his true motive behind all of this?' he thought to himself as he walked off in the opposite direction. He would wander the grounds of the main residence thinking on Takashiro's words of forgiveness, trying to make sense of it all... waiting...
**/**
With Cadenza finally banished back to his world of Infernus by the two necromancers, Takashiro took a while to handle some business with the clan. Reiga sat by the only sakura tree he could find at the main residence, as he waited for Takashiro's return. He truly loved sakura trees he found them to be the most beautiful thing in the world well the only thing that he thought was beautiful. There was a soft smile on his face as he stared to the cherry blossoms that were in full bloom. So many doubts were running through his head he didn't know what to do anymore.
Sighing softly Reiga looks down to the ground with a strained look on his face 'Why am I even considering this? I must be mad to think that accepting Takashiro's offer of forgiveness would change things between us. After everything that has happened... all of the lies... could I truly believe in this?'
There was another sigh that left the Lord of Darkness lip's as he looked back up to the branches of the sakura tree. 'Then there are these feelings that have come to the surface of my heart. I don't know where they came from or how to explain them but... Could I really feel something for my old friend?' Annoyed and irritated with the thought he quickly shakes it away from his head the minute it came to his mind. 'Tch... No I couldn't.'
He watched as a cherry blossom petal, fell and flutter into his lap. He stares at it for a moment before closing his eyes, lost in deep thought:
"Tell me, is it alright for me to trust in Takashiro's words... To believe, that he truly wants to forgive me?" he asks out loud, almost like talking to the trees around him. "I would like to, but I just don't know if I can." he thought about the past for a moment and all of the wrongs he had committed back then and within the thousand years of an endless war, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"I have grown tired of this war, it has become meaningless now, so maybe I..." his eyes flash open when he sensed another presence nearby. He looked in the direction of it to find Takashiro leaning up against a tree, watching him with a soft warm look to his eyes and Reiga's heart suddenly raced anxiously.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Smiling slightly, Takashiro pushed himself from the tree he was leaning against and took a few steps closer to his old friend. "Long enough to hear your conversation with the trees," he laughed as he took a few more steps closer, his long hair billowing in the soft warm breeze.
"I see," said Reiga softly, looking away to the soft grass in front of him. He took a moment to think on what he was going to do. No more than 5 minutes passed by when Reiga finally stood and boldly steps over to Takashiro, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling the man closer to stare him directly in the eye.
"Tell me that your words are true, that you truly wish to forgive me," he desperately demanded of the clan leader. "I know you have told me so before, but I just couldn't believe them at the time. And your words... they have opened up something inside of me that I, myself thought was lost a long time ago." ee griped the collar of Takashiro's trench coat tighter and looked down with closed sad eyes.
He isn't used to feeling this way. Everything right now was strikingly new to The Lord of Darkness, it seemed like he never had these feelings before. And he hated it, it made him feel weak and powerless when he wasn't, but after so long of keeping everything bottled up inside he couldn't help but to let some of it out.
"I couldn't handle more lies, not from you." Looking back up to his old friend once again to see his expression change to one of understanding, he continued "So if you tell me again that they are true. I will believe you and accept your forgiveness, offering mine in return." Still holding on to Takashiro's collar, Reiga searched his face for any type of sign that told him the answer he was looking for.
Takashiro has been standing by the same tree where Reiga currently sat, while pondering things out aloud, for a bit longer already. He had listened to his old friend's cry of doubt and could well understand his anguish. 'It has been so long since you had time to relax and enjoy friendship, hasn't it, Reiga?'
He had to go and deal with some things inside the manor before coming out, only to listen to Reiga's doubts. All the while, he was unable to think of anything else, but the black haired man waiting outside the gates... tortured and doubtful... almost as much as Takashiro himself was feeling.
'I believe that my choice is the right thing this time,' he thought, while dealing with Fuyutoki's fussing. Almost impatiently he fingered the collar of his yukata. He needed to get back out as soon as possible, and finish this conversation, or he would go crazy. 'Reiga, will you ever be able to trust any human? Will you be able to relax, as we see each other amongst the rest of my clan? Our clan? I would like to give you this chance, to return to a stress-free life, to be able to live a life filled with understanding and honoring your own set of values... where you would not be judged anymore. I wonder if you want the same thing... Perhaps, I was too hurried in my approach, but I could not wait any longer, I needed to say those words to you... I do not enjoy watching your pain in forced solitude...'
As he now stood, his collar gripped in Reiga's shaking fingers and his eyes focused on that handsome, albeit pale and anguished face, Takashiro knew then and there, that his proposal had come almost late. The whirling of emotions upon his friend-turned-enemy's face, spoke for itself. Reiga was hovering, on the verge of insanity... and Takashiro could save him from such fate. His green eyes burned fiercely, as he looked Reiga in the eye back:
"I have meant every word you heard from me tonight, Reiga. I am prepared to let our past go... to move on and release you from the torture of memories. It never stopped tormenting me, knowing that you were somewhere out there, suffering and alone... I wished to have you by my side, like in the old times, where we both could rely on each other, and you grew into a wonderful, hardworking man." Sighing softly, as disbelief mirrored in Reiga's silver gaze, Takashiro lifted his left hand rising it almost to the man's cheek then thinking better on it, he let it fall back to his side.
"Do not take me wrongly" he continued, as a light growl escaped from Reiga's lips, "I am not here to feel sorry for you... I am not doing this out of mercy... I only wish to help you live once more. You have been a great friend to me in the past and I never stopped considering you as one..." his head fell forward, as he finished quietly: "I could not bear the thought of having to fight you... of having to harm you... of you going against me because you thought that there was no other way to stop you from losing your sanity. If you decide to not believe in the sincerity of my proposal then make sure you kill me here and now... because I would not be able to live with that knowledge anymore." Straightening proudly and his head held high, Takashiro's melodic voice was anything but calm, as he spoke what he knew would either be his end... or the beginning of renewal: "If, however, you decide to trust me, I will make sure, that your solitude is ended... that you once more would have a place to call your home... and people to call your friends. I swear that I would rather die, than fail you once more. I cannot bear the thought of losing you... not by my own guilt."
The clan leader's throat felt tight and dry, as he looked at Reiga, waiting to be killed or released.
"Take all the time you need. I don't mind. Just know, that I will be waiting, as there is nothing more important to me than you right now."
Shaking his head as a soft evening breeze caressed his cheeks and hair, Takashiro never broke contact with Reiga... he knew, that even if the man would reject and disappear from him, leave him... Takashiro would never be able to stop longing for his closeness. Somehow, along the thousand years of battling, he had come to miss, Reiga around. And so, there was a lot at stake tonight. Lips pressed thin, he waited.
Silence fell upon the two necromancers as Takashiro waited for Reiga to make his next move. Will this be the end of the clan leader or will this be the start of a new beginning for the two men that were once on opposite sides of a never ending war?
Silver eyes bore into Takashiro as Reiga studied his face for a moment, seeing that his old friend was staying firm in what he said about the sincerity of his words. Pushing the clan leader back a few paces as the dark lord released his hold he had on him. Then Reiga himself took a few steps back, making a wide gap between the two of them. He watched as his old friend stumbled back and quickly regains his footing to stand his ground once more. He didn't make a move from there nor did he say another word to Reiga, he merely waited.
What was Reiga to do now? Was he going to believe Takashiro this time? Was this what he truly wanted? The whirling of emotions that was spinning inside of the Lord of Darkness head was more than he could bare and his face became hidden by shadow, but the clan leader never left his sight. Suddenly the area around them grew colder, their breaths showed in vapors and danced in the air as they breathed.
Takashiro knew what was happening, he knew that this was Reiga's power at work but still he never made a move to stop it. The ground beneath Reiga's feet started to freeze over with ice and the clan leader watched as it spread out in all directions and soon everything including the trees was frozen over. Looking back at his friend turned enemy with a saddened expression, Takashiro stood up straighter and prepared himself for what was to be his end. He was really hoping it wouldn't need to come to this but he wasn't going to back away either. Just then the ice that was around them slowly started to fade into nothing and the coldness left the air. Reiga slumped breathing heavily and bowed his head forward, staring down at the ground, as he finally spoke.
"I just don't know what to do anymore, whether I should trust you or not. Trust doesn't come easy for me anymore, not with what I have been through."
Bringing his gaze back up to Takashiro, Reiga could see by his expression that he understood his meaning, and when he spoke again his voice was filled with pain.
"Being judged because of my blood and treated like I was a monster. Seeing all of those looks of hatred and fear, having the only two people that I have ever trusted turn their backs on me, all of this was more than I could handle back then. I became that monster that everyone..." he gulped, "That Yomi feared." his voice was shaky and it cracked a little as he spoke the last few words.
"I don't want to continue this anymore, it's too painful... I want an end to all of this. I want the pain to go away, but I don't know how to stop this. It has been so long that this... the fighting has become the only thing that I know."
Sighing heavily, Reiga slowly turned around, like he was done talking, looking up to the comforting pink expansion of delicate cherry blossoms once more. "Do you know how long it has been since I had last seen a sakura bloom?" he asked in a soft voice and without waiting for a reply he continued to speak. "And I'm not talking about the person I was before my powers and memories awoken. I saw many sakura's bloom then, but I am talking about the real me as I am now..." he paused to let himself remember the past for a short moment before continuing. "It's been a thousand years since I last saw one bloom," he said softly as he looked over his shoulder at Takashiro, who was now walking up next to him and he quickly looked away.
There was silence once again as Reiga tried to make up his mind on what he wanted to do. It seemed like hours had passed by and the silence was killing Takashiro but he remained quiet as he waited on his old friend, he didn't want to rush him or push him into anything in fear of losing him once more and this time it might be for good. After a long moment of silence Reiga finally made his decision, he was going to put his trust into someone once again. He closed his eyes and whispered in a low soft voice. "I... I accept your forgiveness Takashiro." Opening his eyes to give the man standing next to him a cold stare, yet behind the coldness there was pain and torment. He saw Takashiro's look of surprise at his acceptance that caused him to hesitates "J-just don't turn your back on me again, I..." he trailed off feeling his throat drying up as he spoke he swallowed to moisten it before finishing. "I couldn't bear the thought of it happening a second time."
After all that had happened that day, with all of the talks and the battle with Cadenza, Reiga started to feel the effects of the emotional exhaustion weighing down on him. He quickly became dizzy and white spots danced in his vision. Slowly, helplessly, his left hand gripped his chest over the heart, before the black haired Lord collapsed...
"Reiga!"
As he ran to help his oldest friend, Takashiro could not help thinking, that all the beautiful bright green of grass and leaves, and the soft pinkness of sakura petals floating around him, felt somewhat out of place as his brain and mind screamed under the pressure of distress mixed with relief.
"I've got you... again."