Descendants of Darkness: A tale of Touda's past told from his point of view.
Author's Note: In the spirit of getting back to writing, I thought I would edit this story, my very first fan fic, a bit. If I get enough interest, or if the muse strikes, I might make a longer piece out of this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tsuzuki or Touda (sniff, sob), nor the worlds of Descendants, those belong to Yoko Matsushita. I do own this storyline and "her."
Remembering Her
It was one of those rare, perfect spring days. There was not a cloud to be found in the sky, the sun was gently warming all it touched and a breeze as gentle as a lover's caress carried the scent of the cherry blossoms. It was a day for remembering. Tsuzuki rested under a tree at the pond's edge in the Imaginary World, staring contemplatively at his reflection in the crystalline water.
"Why do you look so depressed, Tsuzuki? It doesn't suit you." A voice, my voice, floated down to him from the tree.
"Oh, Touda," he looked up, noticing for the first time that I was lounging amidst the branches. My back was against the trunk, one leg propped up so I could rest an arm upon it, the other hanging freely down. Heh. He even looked serious for once. "I was just wondering what I am. Every time I see my eyes, it reminds me I'm not quite human." He gazed into the water again, searching his purple eyes for some hint of the truth. I am not sure why, but something about his statement, the way he said it, angered me. Perhaps that is why I said what I said next. Normally, of course, I would never have considered it.
"You might not know what you are, Tsuzuki, but there are worse things," I informed him a bit sharper than necessary. "At least you had true family. I once knew another whose eyes were different. They were the crimson of roses and glowed as though on fire. Her hair was different, too: silver, like the moon. Imagine, if you can, what it would have been like growing up with a family that could only scorn you and knowing exactly how inhuman you really were. You see, Tsuzuki, her very existence was an abomination, or so she believed. Her father was a demon, and her mother, well, she was a Shinigami." That caught his attention. He stared at me in utter disbelief.
"But that's impossible! Shinigami can't have children!" I laughed mirthlessly.
"That is why she said she was an abomination. No one knows how she managed to be born, since her mother wasn't supposed to be capable of bearing children. However the pregnancy happened, her mother died in labor. Her father never could be found, and they didn't want to raise the child in Hades, so she was sent to the Real World, to the descendants of her mother's family, to live. Tell me, Tsuzuki, how would you have liked growing up being passed from house to house between those you were supposed to call family? Being called a monster by not only strangers but those who were supposed to love and cherish you and knowing just how true it was?" He didn't answer me, but I wasn't really expecting him to. I could have stopped there, let it go at that, but her existence had been silently haunting me for so long that once I started to speak of her, it was impossible to stop. Like a man possessed, I was compelled to continue.
"She followed in her mother's footsteps when she got older. Apparently one of the quirks to her unique bloodline was that she never aged past 25. She hadn't died, but was no longer able to remain in the Real World. She had to return to Hades. They allowed her take over her mother's duties as a Shinigami. I can still remember the first time I saw her." I closed my eyes and inhaled the green scent of that perfect spring day before expelling it and resting my head against the trunk. My voice took on a hint of nostalgia as I recalled the images to mind. "There were cherry blossoms, like today. She was wearing a crimson kimono with silver cranes; it brought out her eyes and lips. The wind teased her hair, making it dance about her slender form. Her skin was pale as snow and she had a personality to match it. Yes, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, but she was cold enough to knock even me off balance. After she approached me and passed my test she said only, 'I suppose you might suffice.' It enraged me, of course. How could she say that I, I Touda might suffice? I didn't know what to think.
"You see, it wasn't just the words, it was the way she said them. It wasn't to annoy me or to act superior. She meant it, and she said it so offhandedly, then just walked away. How was I supposed to react? I certainly did not know, but I did vow to show her that I would more than suffice. I would make her see my worth.
"Eventually, she warmed up to me. We became companions and she was a very good master." Not that I was going to tell anyone, even Tsuzuki, this, but we became friends, and then more than friends. I can still feel the warmth of her body in my arms, taste her lips on my tongue. She had told me that she didn't care if I was just a 'lowly Shiki' (my words, not hers) and her servant, said she didn't think of me that way. She loved me, and I, her. How I ache to hold her again, to feel her soft, supple body nestled against mine.
Apparently, I had been lost in my ruminations for too long, for Tsuzuki's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What happened to her?" he wanted to know. When I looked at him, he pressed, "She was your master, wasn't she? So why isn't she here now?" Poor, dense Tsuzuki.
"Yes, she was my master," I confirmed quietly, attempting to suppress the sorrow that was coming over me like thunderclouds ripe with storm, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. "She was my first master and the only before you. I earned my reputation as a Shiki whose black flames kill both enemy and master from her. She summoned me to the Real World only once. At that time, she said her goodbyes to me. She told me that the only thing she would miss in life was me." I closed my eyes and angled my face away from Tsuzuki, knowing it holds a bittersweet smile. I remember her last caress as she ran her hands over my face and kissed my forehead, speaking those words. "She made me promise only one thing: to 'serve my next master well.' However, she did ask me one last favor. She bid me stay by her side until the end. I couldn't refuse. I circled her, watching as she burnt to ash in my fire. The odd thing was, it seemed to cause her no pain. She seemed… happy, and for that, I was glad."
"But wouldn't her spirit have gone back to Hades? What happened to her?" Tsuzuki demanded.
"No one knows what happened to her. Certainly, her spirit never returned to Hades." I sighed. "So now you know, Tsuzuki. Now you know the origin of your inheritance." I fell silent, remembering the way she moved and spoke, her warm cinnamon scent, the way she loved my hair, how long it was when she was alive, how she used to scowl in the beginning when I would pick her up, but she would wrap her arms around my neck anyway, and how, as time went on, she would smile instead, but mostly, I remembered her: the only creature to ever captured my heart, the only woman I ever loved.
.:fin:.