Chapter 9 is here! Farthest I've ever gotten in any story I've ever written, fanfiction or not. I'm very happy. Last chapter was very suspenseful, no? Bet you're happy I updated so fast. :3 This chapter is longer than last one, just like I promised!
I created Yume right after Retsu, so she was my second character to think up. Deciding on her name gave me hell right up until I introduced her though. I just couldn't find one that fit, no matter where I looked. Finally, while I was looking through a list of random Japanese words on the computer, Yume just popped out at me. It means dream, so I thought it would be good for sleepy little Yume, you know?
Anyways, on to responses. Yeah, 20 reviews! I'm so happy! This is just what I wanted! You guys are awesome.
dotYui: You snowboarded? And failed epically? That's okay, when I first started skiing, I think I spent 98% of my day on my butt, side, and wherever else you might fall on. The other 2% was when I was renting the skis and boots. ^^ You liked the second personality? I thought that would be a cool thing to put in, so I'm glad you like it too. And as for my cliffhangers, I just have to end my chapter on them. It builds up the suspense for the next chapter! And I update fast enough for it to be okay, right? ...Right?
Hajimeru Rinko: Yes, you are the 20th reviewer, and I'm so happy! I'm glad you like my story, and Yume's split personality. Thanks for reading, even though you're busy. What games are you playing? I'm always looking for good ones. Yume reminds you of Mukuro? Hmmm...
I think that's about it, so all I've got left to say is the usual: Please Review! You know you want to!
Our Sky
Chapter 9: Demon 3: Fighter
"You're a second personality, aren't you?"
Retsu's statement was met by dead silence. Kazuki and Jun were looking back and forth between their two friends, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The girl, whatever she was, had let her confident, malicious mask fall for a second, and she was visibly shocked.
"A second personality?" she asked. Her hair was obscuring her eyes, making it impossible to read what she was thinking. Then, she did the most unexpected thing possible; she laughed. "And all this time I thought you were so dumb!" she admitted through giggles. "Turns out you're the sharpest one here. Congratulations, you've found out our little secret."
"So, Yume did know about you," the white haired teen concluded.
"Of course she knew about me!" The giggles intensified slightly. "I'm her other half. And she thought she was being so clever with her little hints to you. I'll assume that's how you pieced it together, as there's no way you figured it out by yourself."
"Retsu, what's going on?" Kazuki asked, obviously confused.
"This girl isn't the Yume we know," he replied. "She seems to be another personality."
"I don't get it," the soccer player scratched his head. "If you're not her, then who are you?"
"Glad you asked," the girl said, finally getting herself under control. She straightened, a mocking glint in her eyes. Her staff now hung relaxed at her side, but there was still a hint of defensiveness in her stance. "My name's Kurohana. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Kurohana?" Jun echoed, looking slightly less confused than his blonde friend.
"Yep!" she affirmed with a smile.
"Who are you?" Retsu asked, bursting with questions. "Why do you exist?"
"Well that's kind of a rude thing to ask, don't you think?" Kurohana raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't usually go around asking people why they exist. I hope for your sake that you don't make a habit of it. I don't even know if there's really an answer to that que-"
"Don't fuck with me!" he shouted. "This is serious!"
An angry look flashed across her face, sending shivers up his spin. "You think I'm not serious about this?" she questioned darkly, grip tightening around her weapon. Kazuki and Jun took up defensive positions, but not fast enough. The girl lunged at them, staff raised to attack.
Kurohana swung the weapon in a wide arc, almost catching Jun in the cheek. He ducked out of the way just in time, but didn't see her foot coming until it collided with his chest, the hard sole of her black boot digging painfully into his ribs. He doubled over in pain, eyes swimming with stars, defenseless.
"Too easy," she smirked, raising the staff above her head and preparing to strike. Feeling another presence behind her, she whirled rapidly, bringing up her hand to block the blow aimed at her side. She caught Kazuki's fist smoothly, then jumped to avoid the kick that followed, meant to sweep her feet out from under her. The blonde smiled; she'd fallen for it. The girl's eyes widened when the hand previously in her grip slid away, grabbing hold of her wrist. Still in the air, she could do nothing to stop him from throwing her over his head, sending her flying towards the opposite wall.
Kurohana twisted in mid air, landing in a crouch a few feet away. Her boots left skid marks on the dojo's polished wood floor, but she paid them no mind. Her narrowed eyes were focused on the soccer player, flames burning in their crimson depths. Her mouth was twisted into a mad grin, face alight with violent amusement at the prospect of a worthwhile opponent.
"Please stop," Kazuki pleaded. "We're friends. I don't want to fight."
"Sucks for you." She stood, swinging her weapon expertly before renewing the fierce attack. Kazuki, to his credit, managed to either block or avoid most of the attacks thrown at him, but every once and awhile, a stray hit or kick would land. He tried to ignore the pain, but all too soon, they began to take their toll. He was slowing down, taking hits that he ordinarily wouldn't have. Before he'd found soccer, he'd trained in martial arts, so he was accustomed to fights like this. Even to an inexperienced eye though, it was clear that Kurohana was extremely skilled. Her motions were fluid, graceful, and completely unpredictable. The way she fought, it was almost like she was dancing. He was just a clumsy kid playing along.
He was on the verge of collapsing when he heard a loud, "Duck, idiot!" from behind. Kazuki did as he was told, and just barely avoided getting hit by the shinai that swung over him, colliding with Kurohana. She too had heard the shout, but unlike Kazuki, who had been playing sports and fighting together with Jun since grade school, and completely trusted any direction given by the other, she didn't have his automatic reflexes to the command. She'd had just enough time to duck part way, so that the bamboo sword hit her not below the ear, as had been intended, but on the side of her forehead. Unfortunately, it missed the temple, wiping out any chances of knocking the girl out, but the hit did send her staggering back, clutching her head.
A tiny trickle of blood escaped through her fingers, and when she looked up to glare at them, they could see that the source was a scrape just above her ear, almost hidden by the brown hair. "I will fucking murder you both," she snarled quietly. "Consider yourselves dead."
Kurohana readjusted her hold on the silver staff, gripping it tightly with both hands. She began to pace in a circle around her two wary opponents, occasionally faking a lunge, but never actually attacking. Her eyes flicked momentarily to the shinai in Jun's hand, and she was shocked to find that it was no longer there. Looking up quickly, she found it hurtling at her with deadly accuracy. She twirled out of the way just in time, and almost ran right into Kazuki. When did he get there? She wondered, but wasn't given time to think anything else, as she was too busy dodging the punch aimed for her.
Kazuki's fist met cold metal, and he realized he'd been blocked by the girl's weapon. She spun it in a half circle, and the butt of the staff collided with his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Kurohana brought her boot down on his stomach, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs. The blonde coughed a few times, struggling for breath.
"I told you," she whispered, leaning in closer. "Consider yourself dead." He gritted his teeth, frantically trying to remove her foot, but she only pressed harder. The sound of running feet came from behind them, but she barely looked up. Before Jun could even make a move, she was already behind him. Her weapon cracked against his head, and his eyes rolled back as he fell on Kazuki. To the soccer player's eyes, the shadows in the dojo obscured most of the girl's face. The only thing plainly visible were her narrowed scarlet eyes, glowing menacingly in the darkness. Just like a demon's. "Well boys," she started, an actual hint of regret in her voice. "It's been fun. But play time's over." She positioned the staff just above Kazuki's head, right between his widened green eyes.
"Yume..." he whispered.
"She's not here right now," Kurohana stated. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not as nice as her-"
"REBORN!" a voice cried from the corner. She whipped her head around, coming face to face with a certain white haired teen that she's all but forgotten about.
"Wha?" she exclaimed, backing away. "When'd you get there?" Wordlessly, Retsu grabbed her staff, preventing further movement. She swung it, trying to dislodge his grip, but the boy held firm. "Let go!"
"I will bring back Yume with my dying will!" he shouted, wrenching away the weapon. Kurohana was shocked, to say the least. Who the hell was this kid? Hadn't he been hiding behind his friends only moments ago? What was with the sudden change in character?
"Give it back, you bastard!" she demanded, stepping towards him.
A flash of pain shot through her. She fell to her knees, crying out as she collapsed, instinctively retracting into a ball. What was this? What was going on? The poisonous feeling spread, paralyzing her. Unknown to Kurohana, black tendrils had begun snaking up her arms and legs, covering her body in dark swirling patterns. Her vision was going red. Everything was acquiring a crimson glow, from the boy in front of her to the light filtering through the open door. On the outside, while her irises remained the same color, the whites of her eyes were changing, blackness swallowing them up.
The girl's spastic writhing stopped, along with the screams. Shivers still racked her slim form, but she had gone silent. Before Retsu's shocked eyes, she pulled herself to her feet shakily, barely able to keep herself up.
"Kurohana?" he tried, the flame on his forehead dissipating. He returned to normal, the previous experience seemingly forcing the transformation to a stop. He's need to get a manual on how the dying will bullet actually worked, and why it always stopped working at the worst of times. Ah, who was he kidding? Even if there was a manual, he would never read it. It'd just disappear into the black hole known as his room.
The girl looked up, and Retsu gasped at what he saw. Curling tattoos were emblazoned on every inch of visible skin. Her eyes had faded to a dull maroon color, while all that surrounded them was, instead of white, blackened in. Her gaze was fixed upon the staff in Retsu's hand.
"Give...it...back," she forced out, every word a battle. She moved towards him, but not of her own will. Kurohana felt like she was watching through the eyes of someone else, like she had no control of her own actions. Her body was moving with uncoordinated motions, like a badly controlled puppet, and she couldn't understand why. Even when she fought, she still had some control. She just chose not to use it. This was different though. This wasn't right. This was scary.
"W-what happened to you?" Retsu asked, unwittingly voicing both of their thoughts. "I don't understand what's going on."
That makes two of us, she thought bitterly. Her body lurched forward, making an almost drunken-looking grab for her weapon. The boy moved out of the way, then brought up his arm to block the punch aimed for his face. Her hand collided with the thin silver bracelets sliding around on his wrist. Retsu winced as the metal bit into his arm, bending with the force of the blow. He grabbed a hold of her wrist, and his eyes widened as images flooded into his head, almost overwhelming him.
Kurohana stained in blood, kneeling beside a body, red eyes wide with a mix of grief and wonder.
Yume covered in dirt, tears spilling from her silver eyes as they trace lines down her face.
A man, laughing maniacally as he kicks a younger Yume repeatedly. The tiny girl collapses on the ground, trembling, feebly trying to protect herself.
Retsu sank to his knees, covering his ears in a useless attempt to block out the pained sounds that echoed in his head. His eyes were screwed shut, trying not to see the horrid images. "Stop it!" he cried out. "Just stop. Please." The last word was uttered softly, almost imperceptibly under his breath.
"Retsu..." he heard Yume, or Kurohana, or whoever it was, murmur his name. He looked up hesitantly, afraid of what he might see. The image before him was the worst out of them all. And this time, it was really happening.
Tears streamed down her face, running over the dark tattoos marring the skin. Her eyes switched from red to silver with dizzying speed, never stopping on one for more than a few seconds. Both sets showed an amount of grief and pain that shouldn't have been known to someone so young, or anyone at all, for that matter. It almost broke his heart just looking at her.
"Help me," the two words escaped, carrying with them more sadness and hope than he'd ever heard before. She needed him. And he couldn't let down his friend. But what was he supposed to do in this situation that could possibly ever make things better for this mysterious girl? Kurohana had been right; he knew nothing about her, or about Yume. So what now?
Explanations on what happened with Retsu while Kazuki and Jun were fighting Kurohana is coming in the next chapter, so I don't want to hear questions about in reviews. Not to say that I don't want reviews. I do, trust me. Please?
