Part 1-Capture:
It closed in on him, covering him from all sides. Darkness. Black as night and thick as fog it suffocated him devoiding him of any breath his gasping lips could capture. A chill crept around him and howled down his spine. The cold was intense within the omnipitent ebony cover that slowly crept over his warm pale skin. If there was anything to see in this black void it would be growing hazy by now. His senses were dulled by the cloaking of his face. Painful fire burned through his muscles as they lacked their vital oxygen. Every sullen beat of his heart scorched the flesh of his throbbing chest. A huge expanse of nothing that was swallowing him up in its infinite depths.
With his last bit of failing breath he croaked, "No..."
His voice sounded broken and distant to his own ears. It was as if his mind was separated from his body. Slowly the darkness now crept into his conscious, it covered his soul. He felt his very mind being smothered by the emptiness. Every corner of his being that it touched ignited a brilliant explosion of inky flames. Before his eyes memories of happiness and friendship were engulfed in the ebony blaze.
From the dark corners of his mind something echoed, "What's the matter? Aren't you impressed? Or are you scared? Frightened that you can't do anything, Korin no Date Seiji?"
In astonishment he watched as he was mocked from the shadows and as his very memory was erased.
"Oh come now, that's not very becoming. Why do you gape at my power? Do you fear me that much?"
Angered by the voice he attempted to retort but was met by a wash of pain at the very movement of his mouth. All that escaped him was the weakened thought, "Why?"
The presence responded, "Don't you know Korin? There is a time to everything on this feeble planet. In time you will learn. In time you will serve me. But now the time has come for silence."
The expanse of fire which had stopped when the being talked now continued to destroy his being.
On the verge of loosing himself to it he thought, "Please...help..."
He could see nothing. In the darkness he ran. The blindfold lifted. His eyes were opened. Standing in a room with Korin Ken in hand and the light sub-armor covering his body the voices spoke to him from the walls. A strange being struck out at him from the shadows. Lifting Korin Ken he struck out at his foe. Crimson petals stained in blood flowed in the wind around him. The Korin no yoroi formed around him. Then the voices started to speak to him again. That voice...that maniacal voice. It had haunted him for months after its owner died. For months after he had been freed. For months after his fateful trip to New York. Why had it come back now?
Again Seiji's eyes opened as he look to the open door. "What is it, Satsuki?"
"Are you ok? You look sick" the girl entered the room and slowly crept towards the bed.
Seiji could sense the concern in her voice. Granted he probably did look ill but it was not from any sickness. At least nothing that his family could help with, he was sure. "No, I am all right. I will be fine."
"Are you sure? You look like you've got a fever" her timid hand reached to his forehead as she checked his temperature.
"I am fine." he reassured her. "Do not worry."
"Well, you're burning up. I'm gonna go tell okasan." at that she hurried out of the room.
With a sigh Seiji closed his eyes. These nightmares had been plaguing him for months. Every morning he had awoke to the same state of shock. Most of the time he had been startled by the dreams so early that he had been able to recover before anyone noticed, but each night it grew harder and harder to find rest. Each time his eyelids closed the images of horrible memories and countless nightmares haunted the black shade. It wasn't until very late last night that sleep had overcome the nagging fear of dreams and his eyes had finally fallen shut.
"Seiji?" a feminine voice arose from the doorway.
"Yes, okasan?" Seiji's eyes opened again to glance at the concerned face of his mother.
"Seiji, Satsuki told me you had a fever." she moved towards the edge of the bed and calmly placed a hand under his mess of dirty blonde hair and on the pale surface of his skin.
Moving out from under her hand Seiji struggled to pull himself upright. "I am all right okasan. I will be fine."
"Seiji, lie down." she commanded with a sound of motherly reprimand in her voice, "You are burning up. I am going to call school and tell them you can't make it today."
Again Seiji slumped back and embraced the soft covers. This time his pale violet eyes didn't hide themselves under his pale lids. Instead he glanced at his mother over him with a small look of pleading in his eyes. "Okasan? May I make a phone call?"
His mother overviewed his passive figure with eyes full of concern. After spending a few seconds looking she responded, "Only one, and I want to see you right back in bed when you are done."
"Yes, okasan."
Slowly Seiji managed to push himself out of the bed. After sitting for several moments he had gathered enough strength to move his weakened form out of the bed. Gradually Seiji moved himself out of the room making a sluggish approach to the phone on his desk. Lifting the phone he was forced to blink a few times before he had enough control of his mind to recall the number. With his stiff fingers he dialed the phone from memory.
The phone on the wall rang. Its repetitive tone spread throughout the house. An auburn head lifted from its reading of the paper as a similar effect overtook the two other persons in the house.
"Sayoko, Shin? Will one of you get that?" a voice arose from the bathroom.
Calmly the a girl in one of the rooms rose from her spot on the couch and grabbed the phone on the nearby table. "Mouri residence, Sayoko speaking."
"Hello? May I speak with Shin?" the voice over the phone asked.
"Who should I tell him is speaking?"
"Seiji"
"Ok, hold on a second," she placed her hand over the end of the phone. "Shin! Seiji's on the phone."
At the mention of his name Shin rose from his seat in the kitchen and advanced towards the phone in there. "Sayoko, I've got it in the kitchen," he announced as he lifted the phone from the receiver. "Seiji?"
"Shin?"
"Yeah, it's me. What do you want? You sound terrible."
"Shin, I need you to come over to my house. There is something wrong."
"I can't come now, I've got school."
"Can you come after school? I need your help."
"Hold on.." gently Shin covered the phone. "Okasan? Can I go to Seiji's house after school?"
"Ok, Shin, but don't spend too long there, I need you to help me with something tonight."
"All right," he released the end of the phone from his grasp. "Seiji?"
"Yes?"
"Okasan says it's ok for me to come over after school. Can you wait till then?"
There was a silence over the line for a few moments, "Yes, I suppose I can. Please hurry though, I really need your help."
"Don't worry, I will."
A dull click sounded as the conversation ended.
Seiji stared at the phone resting on his desk. "Please, Shin," he begged, "I need your help." Clenching his eyes shut Seiji turned back to the bed. Somberly he proceeded to warmth of the inviting soft mattress. As the first strand of blonde hair made contact with the fabric of the pillowcase he slipped into a deep vengeful sleep.
Before it had a chance to ensnare him in its grasps he shouted out in protest, "No! Go away! What do you want from me?!"
For a moment the approaching void recoiled at the sound of his voice. He gasped in relief. It had stopped! His victory was short lived as the ebony mist lunged at him with greater speed and power. The void smothered his body. The frozen touch seared his pale skin as the dense swirling fog filled his body. A choked scream exited his lungs as the were drained of all air. His eyes felt as if they were burning within their sockets. Straining against it he slammed his eyes closed.
A world opened up upon his lids. He saw the inky poison course through his veins. His mind. His conscious. His soul. Invaded by an unfamiliar void that seethed with an evil power. Again the memories burned. Flaming before him in a brilliant explosion. The covers of darkness rose as the fire incinerated his mind.
The echo returned.
"We meet again. Now tell me boy, are you going to continue to resist me or make it easier for yourself?"
Using the last bit of his mind that he still possessed control of he retorted to the echoing presence. "I will never serve you!"
A painful laugh sent Seiji's body into flailing convulsions under the blanket of emptiness. "Wrong answer. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to stop me. If you hadn't resisted this wouldn't be as painful for you. You just made your first mistake."
The black now flowed forth like a wall of water released from a broken dam. It destroyed all in its path. There was no mercy for what stood in its way.
In his last bit of resistance he screamed. "No!"
"Don't worry, Korin no Date Seiji, it won't be long. I'm coming for you."
Lifting both hands he covered the surface of his face in their warmth as his eyes slowly sank shut.
"He's...coming?"
The question arose on the chaos of his mind. Cautiously his eyes opened to reveal a mere slit of violet and black. Wracked by the dream he stared at the purity of the white sheet beneath him.
"I can't take this..."
Letting his hands go limp they fell to the bed beneath him. The lashes of his eyes lifted revealing the full violet circle. Calmly he turned to the clock which rested upon his desk. The luminous red numbers displayed the time.
"2:45, Shin should get out of school soon. I hope he hurries." Bracing himself with stiff arms Seiji managed to hoist his abused body out of the bed. "Maybe I should try meditating until he gets here. It might help."
With careful steps and a slow pace he made his way out of the house and to the garden in the back. Finding a shaded spot below a large tree he sat. With legs crosses and hands resting within his lap he let his mind wander.
Among the clouds all could be seen. The people, those foolish little mortals, walking about their daily tasks. They were all so ignorant, so oblivious to the danger they had been in. If he had a face to express his emotions upon he would. He would frown upon this sad scenery. But he, Kyukyoku Aku, the ultimate evil, had no face upon which he would smile or frown.
He sat there as an dark entity, a void, floating above everything. Calmly watching, and waiting, for the time when it would be right to strike at his prey. With a touch of malice in his bitter evil voice Kyukyoku Aku spoke to himself.
"The time is almost ripe." He chuckled with his demonic tone. "Don't worry Korin no Date Seiji, soon you shall be mine and it will not matter for death will come swiftly to you. Although not until I've relished myself in making you suffer."
The vicious snicker arose in volume and intensity until it had evolved into a maniacal laugh. For what seemed like a good minute or two he sat there above the world laughing at his helpless prey. "It is time. Fear not, Korin, I shall be slow. I will enjoy watching you beg."
Swiftly he descended. Like a falcon diving for its prey. His form flew effortlessly through the air. The face of the earth was rushing up to meet him. Boldly he challenged its greeting, halting a mere centimeter above the surface. As one tendril of the black being made contact with the ground his form shifted. Instead of a open mass of emptiness he was now a black-clad person. Ebony hair slicked from the forehead to form a tight ponytail on the nape of his neck. Pale skin almost glowed with an eerie green aura.
As he moved the black leather that coated him followed his form silently with the silken cape trailing behind. Before him a pale boy sat, locked in meditation. Upon Kyukyoku Aku's arrival the boy's face contorted from a placid calm to a fevered worry. A devilish smile crept onto Kyukyoku's face.
"Don't fear me Korin, I come only to bring you suffering and pain."
As the statement was made a leather cloaked finger pointed to the boy. From it a tendril of inky black smoke flowed. The tendril expanded until a huge cloud surrounded the boy on all sides. With a flick of a hand the darkness lunged forth, devouring the pale boy in its cover.
Light sakura floated on the wind. They landed on the concrete making the day seem almost like a fantasy. Some small blossoms tangled themselves in the mass of reddish-brown hair that topped a passing boy. A smile crept onto the friendly face as it turned up to embrace the sun. As the sea colored eyes opened they stared into the cerulean depths of the sky.
"I wonder why Seiji wanted me to come over?" Shin asked himself, "He sure sounded like something was wrong, I hope he's ok."
Slowly his chin lowered from its upward gazing position so his ocean eyes stared at the path before him. While passing he observed the houses to his left. Each one was different in its own special way but Shin really didn't care for their designs. Swiftly he rounded a corner and walked up to one of the almost monotonous houses that lined the road.
Lifting his hand he knocked on the door. Around him in the trees the birds chirped and he could hear the soft breeze blowing through the trees. Although from the house nothing but silence escaped. Again he raised his arm a gently tapped upon the frame of the door. Still no answer came to him. Sensing something was amiss he tried the knob. The gold-colored metal twisted beneath his palm as the door silently swung open.
"Seiji?" He called out into the empty depths of the house. Taking one step into the home he questioned again, "Seiji, are you home?"
Pacing through the hollow depths the sound of his shoes on the floorboards was the only thing that came to his ears. Scanning every room he found no evidence that his good friend was home.
Suddenly there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Increasing the speed of his gait he moved through the house towards the garden. As he opened the door he was met with a scene that caused him to step back as his eyes widened in surprise.
A caped figure stood in the center of the garden before a cloud of dark smoke. The smoke was dense but still Shin could see the faint image of his friend trapped in its depths. Cursing himself Shin wished he had remembered his yoroi crystal, but he had left it at home on his desk. Bringing his head up he still decided to defy whatever was causing his friend pain.
"Stop it!" He shouted to the figure. Eyes still wide in terror he watched as the shape turned to face him.
"And what are you going to do about it?" he sneered, "You are powerless to stop me, Suiko no Mouri Shin."
Shocked by the voice of this being Shin stammered, "How...how do you...?"
"Know your name?" it finished, "I know a lot more about you than you think I do, Suiko. As for right now, Korin and I have business. I don't need you interfering. Why don't you leave?"
"I came here to help Seiji, and that's what I'm going to do!"
The figure snorted, "Hmph, you're persistent...I could use someone like you. How about it? Want to have some fun?"
"I'll never help you! No way I'm going to aid the force that threatens my friends!"
"Well well, but don't say I didn't give you a fair chance. You see, I always get my way. It doesn't matter to me that you don't want to join me, because you will."
After his final remark a small snake of black smoke exited his finger. It twisted and curved its way towards Shin's petrified form. As the inky black grew and surrounded him all Shin was able to do was scream.
Seiji sat bolt upright in his bed. His heart throbbed like a heavy drum as his heated skin was covered in an icy sweat. In pain he reached to his forehead and held the pounding surface in his palm. Labored breaths echoed from his open mouth as he tried to regain his senses. "What was that?" He asked himself. "Another nightmare?" Exhausted he fell back into his sheets. "Not more of these..." His eyes rested shut and images played upon their lids.
"Ni-chan?" a soft voice questioned from the doorway.
Again the swift darkness approached him.
His back was perfectly erect in the bed. The nightmare had jolted him awake like he had been struck by lightning. A blazing fluid coursed through his veins. The thin icing over his whole body sent a rigid shiver up and down his spine. Within his violet eyes his pupil sat so wide that there was only a small violet rim surrounding them. Gasping for breath with his burning lungs his heart pounded a constant beat which rang in his ears.