Shin's eyes opened and he forced himself up. "Oh my god...Genro..." His fist clenched over his aching heart, his eyes closing as crystal tears fell down his cheeks. "Genro...don't cry..." He whispered to no one, just wanting the pain to go away. "I'm here, my King..."
He started to stand, looking out the bedroom window. His own tears started to fall faster as he touched the glass. Looking over his shoulder, Shin sighed and picked up one of his stuffed animals, a little brown puppy in a black T-shirt and little skinny jeans. The one he had affectionately named Tasuki. He hugged it to his chest, burying his face in the soft fur, before he suddenly started to sob. Unable to stop, even as the reasons for it seemed to fade from his mind.
Shin walked with shaky steps down the stairs. "Ed...ward?" He called, "Are you still...still here?" He had Tasuki under one arm, holding himself up against the wall with the other. "Edward?"
Edward was lying on the couch, his hair spilling over onto the floor. Music was coming out of the speakers as he slept. "Mmm...hey, darlin'. You've been out for quite some time..." He slowly sat up, before his eyes went a little wider and he made a visible inspection of Shin's tear-streaked face.
Shin looked away a second. "I think...I think I need a hug. Bad." He gave a tiny shudder, "I just had...I think...the worst nightmare ever. I woke up and now..." He had to control the shaking in his voice, "Now, I just...c-can't stop crying..."
"Come'ere, hon," He slipped his arms around Shin and gave him a wonderful hug. He still smelled like the tea, like the jasmine in it. It soothed the almost hysterical redhead. "Tell me all about it."
"I don't...really remember a lot..." Shin sat there, letting Edward hold him, feeling him ooze comfort and empathy. "I left someone...and they were hurting so bad...they were killing for me and dying on the inside and...and..." He burst out sobbing again, dropping Tasuki to the floor and wrapping his arms around Edward.
He blinked, pulling away from the dark-haired boy, holding his head as it started to pound. Things were starting to get fuzzy. Something wasn't right about this. "...Edward, does the name Genro mean anything to you?" He asked. He didn't want to bother with 'Tasuki,' since he got the feeling that his boyfriend would just bring up little stuffed puppy. "I know that it...means something to me but...ugh..." He started to feel woozy. Something wasn't right, and he suspected the tea, "...I think this Genro guy is in trouble..."
"Hmm...Genro? I don't think I know of any Genro, Shin...who is he?"
"Hes...ugh...I don't..." Another sharp, burning pain shot through him, "I don't know, but...he's in trouble and...I need to help him." He winced, looking up at Edward, "What...what did you put in my tea?" Suddenly, he couldn't move at all. He felt like all the strength had been drained out of him. "Edward, what have you done?"
"Your will is strong, just as she said. I thought the tea would have mind controlled you like it did your parents. Hmm...maybe I'll have to up to dosage next time..." Something about the laugh that came from him made a chill run down his spine.
His eyes widened. He knew that voice, he knew this process. "...Tomo? You work for the Endless Night?" He was incredulous, "Tomo, let me go. Sera will stab you in the back as soon as look at...AH!" A longer, sharper, pain, like a raging inferno, enveloped him, "Tomo...why?" He looked up at who he had thought was his lover with tears in his eyes. "Why are you letting her do this?"
"Oh...spare me the tears, my sweet. I could really care less. I've been used and abused my entire life...after a while...you learn that you like it. Plain and simple. Your tears...your illusions of love...they don't mean shit to a guy like me..."
"They're not for you, you son of a bitch..." Shin groaned, "They're because I feel like I've got a...goddamn...hot poker in my stomach..." He glared at Tomo from the corner of his eye, "And what the hell - my APPENDIX? You couldn't come up with a better medical issue."
Agony, it was pure agony. The agony that he had felt in his dream. He leaned back against the couch, just feeling more pain, more fire. "Gen...ro..." He begged, "GENRO!" He screamed it, feeling his female side scream it too, just before he passed out.
"...Nyguen..."
Madeline looked around, before she started to glow red again, floating as she cried. Like she always had when the Endless Night had come after her. The tiny, translucent wings appeared again, her glow spreading out to every corner of the room. As if warding the terrible woman away.
"Oh, calm yourself child, I'm not here for you." She appeared in a shimmering black nightgown. "Genro, you must feel so...lonely. Allow me to...ease the burden of your loss."
Genro backed up as quick as he could on the bed, grabbing little Madeline and trying to protect her. He reached for his Tessen but...
"Oh, that dangerous thing is over here...behind me, Genro. No need for hostility. The mistress allowed me to...sample your prowess when we siphoned off Shinju's memories and I must say, I'm rather...impressed, Genro-sama..." Her voice was soft, sensual, wanting.
Madeline looked up at the woman, sniffling a minute before...she screamed. Stone cracked and burst into flames all around Nyguen. As if warning her to stay away from Genro, he wasn't hers.
Nyguen smiled at the small child/creature. "You are a powerful one, aren't you? Hm...I really don't want to harm anyone right now. Genro, come with me. Let me help you ease your pain..."
Genro looked Nyguyen up and down. "Please leave. I can't take this; I just want my wife back." All of it just made him think of her, made him want Shinju back.
"Your wife and now your child are gone." His heart dropped again. She sounded too serious; her eyes were too cold to be making it up. No…not Shinju and…their baby…
Madeline stood, still glowing, glaring at the vampire-woman. "She come home." The toddler stated defiantly, "She come home." She looked to the door, before her eyes closed and her little fists clenched. "Go 'way, vampywe."
Nyguen smiled again. "Tasuki, Soul of the Star of Passion...if you don't come with me now I shall level this fortress...and everyone in it."
"No." She wrapped her arms stubbornly around Genro's leg. "No." A hole ripped behind Nyguen. "'kuma." Madeline ordered, pointing towards the darkness.
Nyguen shook her head. "My Mistress will take care of him soon enough. Genro, don't listen to the whelp. Come with me; let me...work your stress out..."
However, instead of the 'kuma she was expecting...what appeared to be a giant pink teddy bear grabbed her, pulling her through the hole and gulping her down, before the hole closed. Madeline giggled a little, looking up at Genro. "She come home." She assured, before sitting back down and yawning.
"What...the fuck...just happened?"
"kuma..." Madeline shrugged, yawning again before just passing out against his leg.
"Shin...Shin, honey. You need to wake up. You've been out for six hours."
"ungh...wha...?" Slowly, Shin's eyes opened and he started to sit up. "What...happened?" He held his pounding head.
"Shin...tastycake are you alright?" Edward, the love of his life, leaned over him with one hand against his flame red hair. His eyes were nothing if not concerned, and his bottom lip was deliciously swollen, like he had been chewing it with worry the whole time that Shin had been out.
"I...I think so." He blinked a second, before starting to stand, a little wobbly. "Oh, jeez. Edward, babe, let me lean on you. We can head upstairs to my room."
He smiled and gave Shin a soft kiss on the lips. "You remember me now?" He asked softly.
The redhead returned his kiss, before looking a little surprised. "...why wouldn't I?" He asked, "It's my appendix that's faulty, baby, not my brain."
His love smiled. "You hit your head, silly. I was worried that you had a concussion." He helped Shin up. "I wouldn't want to see that sexy ass of yours in the hospital, now..."
"Oh, p-shaw. You'd like it." Shin rolled his eyes with a devilish smirk, "It'd give you a chance to dress up in a cute doctor's outfit and come 'treat' me when my parents were away."
"Hmm...I should hit you on the head more often then, baby."
He gave Edward the cutest puppy-dog pout he could manage. "Do you reeeeeally wanna hurt me?"
Edward leaned his head against Shin's shoulder and licked the length of his neck. "Only a little..."
Shin shuddered, his eyes closing. "Heeey, at least let us get upstairs." He purred, his hand tightening on the railing, his other arm wrapped around Edward's waist. The dark-haired one smirked widely, nipping gently where his neck met his shoulder. It was going to be a long trip up the stairs.