Thank You Korsakovia and Beyblade-Lover for your positive and encouraging reviews. This chapter is the next installment in this story. This chapter was very hard for me to right, for one simple reason, that it's not easy to maintain a writer's POV when the character's life is being whispered in poignant words, against a backdrop of tumultuous emotions. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please don't forget to review.
Chapter 7
Ashiyaan entered first. The large circular bed was decorated with rose petals. A crimson hue lit the bedpost up, while a warm, bright glow illuminated the rest of the room. Kai pulled Ashiyaan close in a tight embrace. The hug symbolized many things; love and faith, hope and joy, sorrow and healing. No tears made their way out this time. It was as if his demons were almost willing to go to bed now. Ashiyaan held her husband close, reveling in his strength. The day was done. And she was content. She was tired and sleepy. She held Kai's hand and gently led him to the bed. Caressing his neck, she moved to undress him. As she placed her hand on the hem of Kai's tunic, he held her hand and looked into her eyes. There was fear and hope in his, innocence and love in hers. She gave him a small, encouraging smile and pulled at his clothes again. This time he did not stop her. Each moment seemed excruciatingly long as Kai sat unmoving, like an oak, while she slowly removed his clothes. He held his breath, as she pulled off his undershirt, only to hear a gasp behind him. He let his breath out and sighed.
Ashiyaan was taking her sweet time to undress her husband. She knew he would be beautiful and exquisite. But once the delightful task was over, she saw the very last thing she had expected to see. Yes, Kai was lean and ripped. His body was made up of hard planes that cut at the right angles. The man was meant for wild nights of sin and sex. His back was straight and strong...and ... marred with scars upon scars upon scars. She held back her sobs as her eyes took everything in. There were innumerable long welts and thick scars that looked horribly like whip marks. There were old but deep and angry looking stab wounds, satiny raised mounds of flesh that looked like burns and other scars of which she could not tell the source. Her breast heaving and her mouth dry, she trembled as she moved around to survey his chest. The hard torso she loved pressing herself against was as scarred as his once lovely back. His chest and stomach too were covered in whip marks and old burns. The cruelest of these injuries was a large brand in the center of his chest, in the shape of a phoenix. In certain places, she could see raised, bony structures under the skin; these were broken ribs that that had either healed clumsily or not healed at all. Ashiyaan was terrified of looking at her husband's face. Perhaps she thought he would be angry. But he wasn't.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. Even the bones mended themselves well. Don't worry", Kai's tone was gentle but his words seemed clipped.
Ashiyaan embraced him again and let her tears fall freely. Awkwardly, Kai placed his hand on her back and let her cry. A few minutes later, he led her to the bed and brought her a nightgown from her bridal trousseau. She smiled at him lovingly and went to change in the washroom. Kai waited patiently for her to come out. He was lost in thoughts, when she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She lay him down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin, as if the flimsy sheet could somehow protect him from whatever horrors had befallen him in a past she hadn't shared with him. 'Who had hurt him so badly ? What else had they done to him ? Had it all been done at once ? Had he screamed ? Had they tied him down ? Why had they hurt him ?', The questions were screaming at Ashiyaan's mind. She felt betrayed to a certain extent. She felt she had the right to know these things and that Kai should have told her before marrying her. She knew she would ask him for answers. But tonight was not the night for this. Moreover, the one thing no revelation could change, was that she loved Kai and that he loved her back. Sighing, she put an arm around him and slept.
The demons didn't scream that night, and blood did not gush out of the wounds of his soul. The phoenix's song was not one of lament, but one of faith. Warmth surrounded the poor, wounded boy as he wept for the family he had never had. A man ten years his senior, came and picked him up.
"Destiny has a different plan for us, young Kai. Don't weep. It will all be good.", said the slate haired man.
Crimson eyes met crimson eyes, as a gentle breeze blew around them. Nodding, the little boy picked up his blue blade and walked back. The man absentmindedly rubbed the phoenix brand on his chest, as he realized that the touch somehow felt much gentler than his own.
Kai woke with a start, to find a sleeping Ashiyaan gently stroking the phoenix brand on his chest.
That was the seventh chapter folks. I hope you like it. I'm really sorry I've taken so long to update. I was too busy with college work and family issues. Please do review and let me know how you like where the story is going.