Sweet Possession
by Marduk
* * *
This story, although it was bouncing in my head for a while, is written as a gift fic to Tenchi Kaze. My most important note here is that this is an AU, and I neither own Digimon nor the basic storyline here. The latter is based on an elaborate story-arc from "Sluggy Freelance". I'm not sharing which one, but it should be obvious if you are familiar with the comic strip. Another point: relationships (as in platonic and familial) are somewhat altered from 'canon' (the concept upon which I spit! Sorry. Bitterness keeps coming through. Mimi and Daisuke are NOT romantically engaged, and I'm tempted making them related). Anyway, please keep this in mind: unless shown in the fic, none of the Digidestined have met before. They also are not Digidestined. In this world, there is no access to the Digiworld. This is completely and totally an AU. It is dark and yaoi-ish, so weak of heart and closed of mind, stay away.
* * *
Asimov. Baum. Pratchett. Anthony. Thousands of other names were represented by the books there. The bookstore, a small affair hidden in a back alley of Tamachi, was haunted by a young man wandering among them. His violet eyes, stained with tears, glanced at books at random, hoping to find a new story of a world he hadn't seen yet. Oz? Narnia? He'd read all of them here. He leaned against a stack of Rowlings, sighing. He fought once again to keep the tears away. He would not cry. Not over-him. He was 31 years old, not some love-struck teenager. He wouldn't cry. Just because the only excitement he had in life had abandoned him, didn't mean he had to cry. He could handle himself.
"Why?" he asked quietly, the tears forming in his eyes. For another time-he had lost count of how many times he had cried-the tears flowed down his cheeks. Angrily, he fought for balance, his hand gripping the shelves. Suddenly, they caught on something. He glanced at the book. Bound in brownish leather, the title was written in spidery script. Beneath three elaborate runes lay the title. There was no author.
//Liber Urbis Diabolorum//
"The Book of the Devil's City," he whispered, afraid that the name itself would carry power. He opened the book to the first page, where the same spidery script adorned the title page.
//A most thourough Account of the Magicks available to Those who have Courage enough to seek Them. Arranged and carefully checked for Inaccuracies and other Errors by Thomas Abram.//
With trembling hands, the violet-eyed man turned the page, where a table of contents lay.
//The Covenant for Those who would use this Book-p I
The Basics of the most simple Magicks-p III
Voodoo and other various Curses of Revenge upon another Person-p VII//
He slammed the book shut, panting. Voodoo? Magic? He shook his head. None of it could be real. Magic simply didn't exist. However...
"If it *does* exist, I can torture him..." he mused thoughtfully. "Make him suffer..." He smiled, and turned to the front counter.
"Hello, Ichijouji-san. Found something you haven't read yet?" the blond woman asked cheerfully. Ichijouji handed her the book, and she smiled. "Ah! One of our older ones. It's second-hand, so there's a discount. Bound in leather, too!" She carefully filled out a receipt and handed it to him. "By the way, Ken, since when have you been interested in magic?"
"Since Motomiya Daisuke crushed my heart."
* * *
//The Covenant for Those who would use this Book.
Welcome, O most worthy Holder of this Book! If You have found this most unholy Book, It is certain that You hold the Potential to be a Witch. Note to Males: The Office of Witch is held by both Men and Women, with the same Name. However, It is a Necessity to inform You of the Price One must pay for the Use of such extra-ordinary Powers. If You wish to use the Power this Book can grant You, recite the following Pledge.
"I, [speak name here], a Mortal of worthy Strength, promise that in Exchange for the Powers of Witchcraft and Sorcery, I will give Aid to the Powers of Darkness. Having made this Pledge, I fully realize the Powers and Gifts I will receive, and know well that every Ounce of Power I receive can be used to grant all my Desires and Wishes."
This Pledge does not give One's Soul to the Powers of Darkness; It merely pledges Aid to those of Evil. Do not take this Pledge lightly, though. It is not to be made by the Faint of Heart.//
Ken sat back from the book, frowning. The words of the book seemed so serious, so forbidding, yet the powers it promised...He lifted the book up, and began to speak, working to impose capital letters where they were used.
"I, Ichijouji Ken, a Mortal of worthy Strength, promise that in Exchange for the Powers of Witchcraft and Sorcery, I will give Aid to the Powers of Darkness. Having made this Pledge, I fully realize the Powers and Gifts I will receive, and know well that every Ounce of Power I receive can be used to grant all my Desires and Wishes." The words hissed in the dark apartment, fizzling out, and when Ken had finished speaking, the air hung, full of energy. Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Ken, scrambling to hide the tome, found himself sprawled on the floor when his elder brother walked in.
"Ken? Are you all right? You look a little...flustered." Ken glanced up at the bespectacled face of his brother, and found himself speechless.
"Erm...I-well, you see...Osamu, I..."
"Never mind. I probably don't want to know. By the way, I had a visitor today. A friend of yours, I think. Yagami?" Ken pushed himself onto the couch he had been slumped off of, and growled.
"Hikari? What did she want?" Osamu walked over to the couch, and sat down next to his brother.
"She said that she, Taichi, and Miyako are all worried about you."
"I notice neither Daisuke nor Iori was included in that list," Ken muttered. "Of course, I understand that Iori hates me, but Daisuke..." He trailed off. Osamu started to massage his little brother's shoulders.
"Come on, ototou, it's not the end of the world, is it?" Ken sobbed angrily, and tried feebly to push away the other bluenette.
"You don't understand!" Osamu sat back, and caught sight of the leather-bound tome.
"Magick?" He glanced up, almost amused. "Ken, cursing Daisuke isn't going to solve anything. Dark magic and broken hearts do not mix." There was silence, and Ken glared at his brother. "But, if you're going to get involved, remember this: never, ever, EVER mix a love potion with alcohol." He stood up, and gave a glance to Ken. "Are you going to be all right?" Ken nodded, slowly and uncertainly. "I'll see you in a few minutes." His bedroom door closed, and Ken again returned to the book. 'Voodoo and other various Curses of Revenge upon another Person'...
* * *
"Ow!" Daisuke swore, rubbing his neck. "Gods, it's like someone's squashing my neck with a rolling pin!" Miyako, sitting cross-legged on his bed, smiled indulgently.
"Have you thought of seeing a psychiatrist? It could be psychosomatic." Daisuke glared at her.
"Or, you know, he could be suffering from guilt pangs," Hikari added cheerfully.
"Listen, you two," Daisuke hissed. "Ken and I broke up for a very good reason. I do not regret what happened, nor do I feel guilty. Now how about we go back out to the main room, where you can mock me without traumatizing my sleeping place?" He stood up, and pulled Hikari off of his bedroom floor. The brown-haired woman groaned, and stood up, pulling the purple-haired woman after her. "Ow! Damnit! Now it feels like someone's tenderizing my leg!" Hikari grinned at him.
"Mimi *has* been sleepwalking lately, and you know she has a tendency to cook in her sleep."
"Are you implying she's been trying to make me into some sort of filet mignon?" Daisuke demanded indignantly.
"You're not tender enough," Miyako replied, a hungry grin on her lips. "And besides, without proper seasoning, you'd taste like old gym socks." Daisuke stared at her for a moment, and collapsed into a nearby chair.
"You know, I can't tell if you're joking about this," he said sulkily. Miyako exchanged a grin with Hikari before returning her attention to the cinnamon-haired boy.
"Judging the way I've seen her handling things," Hikari said, sniggering, "She's probably not kidding. Besides, I see her point. You would not be good to eat. Yama-kun might be a better choice. After all, he's got a more sedentary lifestyle. Less muscle, make him lean and tender, mmm..."
"Now it feels like someone is shoving garlic up my nose," Daisuke complained, having ignored the brunette's journey into speculative cannibalism. "I feel like I'm being tortured by a twisted, confused voodoo priestess. Ow! Dammit!"
* * *
Ken very deliberately placed the small plushie in the microwave, and set it to "Defrost". He sat back in the kitchen, smiling grimly.
"In a few seconds, Daisuke will start to feel dizzy, confused, and will start exhibiting the signs of heat stroke."
"Ken? Are you in here?" Ken strided from the kitchen, almost grinning maniacally.
"Hey, Yama-kun," he replied, hugging the blond man lightly. "Coming to make sure Ken isn't about to shoot his brains out or something? Because I assure you, I'm fine." *Beep Beep Beep* He glanced back into the kitchen. "Sorry, I've got something in the microwave." Yamato smiled and followed his friend into the small area.
"It's nothing quite so mundane as that," he replied cheerfully. "I just decided that, as your current best friend, I could offer to visit you to help cheer you up." Ken, swinging open the microwave door, looked at the blond with a gleam in his eyes.
"I could think of a few things that would cheer me up," he responded, grinning. Yamato sighed, and placed an arm on Daisuke's shoulder.
"Ken, listen, I know you're upset about Daisuke, and I know that I have expressed interest in you in the past. However, I'm not willing to do anything if it's only reb-what in the *hell* is that?!" He pulled the charred fabric from the microwave, and frowned at it. "Ken, is this Daisuke?"
"No; it's an effigy," he responded, pulling away from the blond. "And consider that your last chance at me." He snatched away the voodoo doll, and stalked over to the same couch on which he had first read the "Liber". The book still was resting on the coffee table.
"The City of Demons? Is this new reading, or have you got a new hobby?" Ken snatched the book up, and glared at Yamato.
"It's a magic book. It's where I learned to make this voodoo doll." Ken turned away. "The book has given me great power. Power beyond your imagination." He reached out a hand, and a pair of mugs drifted from the kitchen and hung before them. Another gesture, and a pile of papers flew into the air, spinning around them in hypnotic patterns. "You see? Incredible power! And it's all mine..."
"Ken, you can't be serious!" Yamato snapped. "No one just 'gets' these powers. There's always a price." Ken smiled at Yamato in a way that indicated that Ken was using smaller words than necessary to make sure that his audience understood.
"Yama-kun, this book doesn't give these powers to whatever yahoo picks it up. Obviously, it's last owner didn't get any use from it."
"Either that, or it destroyed him," Yamato muttered.
* * *
"Oh, 'niisan!" Hikari bubbled, handing him a pile of papers. "There was a bunch of mail for you, and someone came to the door complaining about some recent transactions. I mean, sometimes I don't think you have what it takes to handle business affairs online. Don't you agree with me, Miyako?" Miyako was staring nervously at the ceiling. "Miyako?" Miyako looked at her suddenly, shaking her head violently.
"It's been eerily quiet upstairs," she commented. "Has Daisuke been working on any...you know, projects?" The lights suddenly flickered and died, and very loud swearing could be heard from upstairs.
"My guess would be yes," Hikari commented dryly.
* * *
"Dai-kun, if you had told me that the button would do something like that, I wouldn't have pushed it!" Mimi snapped, sulking on the couch. The smoking remains of what could have once been a computer, or a paper shredder, or even conceivably a small nuclear fusion reactor, were gathered in a corner of the room. Daisuke shot glares at the pink-haired woman who, besides being his roommate, was also his constant annoyance.
"Well, it could have been worse..." he muttered. "You could have taken out the food processor." Mimi rolled her eyes.
"So, when are we going to get power back? I've got a date with a cute scientist later tonight, and my HAIR'S FRIZZING!" Daisuke grabbed a flashlight and headed out the door.
"I don't even know why I let you live here," he muttered angrily.
"Because I'm cute, rich, and easily amused!" Mimi shouted after him. "Is this a taser?"
* * *
"I'm really annoyed that you keep calling this 'evil'," Ken commented absently. "It's not good or evil-it's just power." He reached over for his phone, and pulled out a sheet of paper. He dialed a number, and waited a moment. "Hello? Is Owikawa-san there? Yes, I'm calling from the Rising Sun Credit card company. I was wondering if Mr. Owikawa would be interested in a free up-oh." He returned the phone to the receiver, and stared at Yamato questioningly. "What?"
"You're telemarketing? Why, Ken?"
"It's part of the Price for my power," he explained. Yamato stared at him, disbelieving.
"Telemarketing?"
"I didn't say there wasn't any evil involved, Yama-kun." He carefully wrapped the voodoo doll's leg in the phone cord, and hung it upside-down. "Evil is part of the Price."
* * *
"Hello, Daisuke. How are you doing today?" The short, smug woman who owned the building smiled at the man hanging upside-down above the steps to the basement.
"I should think it was obvious," Daisuke replied, annoyed.
"Have you been taking drugs?" she asked curiously. "I mean, just because I haven't heard of one that does this doesn't mean that-"
"I'm guessing it's a voodoo doll," Daisuke interrupted. "And could you hurry up with the power? My roommate has a date."
* * *
"Rosa, I hope you're ready." The young woman nodded.
"I must eliminate Target A. If impossible, I must locate Gound Zero, and halt events there. Beforehand, I must blend into society." The doctor nodded, running a nervous hand through his graying hair.
"Good. Do you have the halt/reverse temporal blaster?" She nodded. The doctor approached the controls for the Machine. "Prepare yourself. I am sending you to Odaiba, Japan, three weeks prior to the Ascension. The future-the present, rests in your hands." He diplomatically did not mention that there would be no thanks, no honors. She knew that, but this was not the moment to discuss it.
"Dr.! There's been a security leak! The Spirals-ack!" The doctor flipped a switch, and Rosa vanished in a flash of light. Then, the doctor himself entered the Machine, and grimly waved goodbye as the electronics sped him to where no one else would be able to follow.
* * *
"Ken, maybe you should stop with the voodoo doll thing," Osamu commented sternly. "I mean..."
"Oh, I'll drop it," Ken answered from the living room. "I just started a new chapter in the 'Liber' anyway. 'Pain and Torture for the Accolyte'." Osamu glanced from the kitchen in at his brother.
"Ken, I am worried. Maybe you could lay off the magic for a little bit, ne?"
"No," Ken replied, focusing his attention on the "Liber". "Daisuke will feel every ounce of pain he has dealt to me, inflicted a thousand times more upon him. Make no mistake of that." Osamu returned to the kitchen, where he found himself wondering whether voodoo really did work, and if so, what was making it work. He knew power didn't come from nowhere, so logically, something must have the power, and was giving it to Ken.
"But...whatever it is can't just want to help Ken, could it? It has to want something in return; the only question is...what?"
* * *
"Hello, Mr. Hida. Nice to see you out and about again," the librarian said cheerfully to the short, surly brunette. He managed a smile, and made a beeline for the astrology section. She was used to him doing this. He always left the library at closing time, telling her about vague prophecies of death and destruction. Most of the staff called him Hikari, for obvious reasons. She watched him go, and found herself wondering if his predictions had any merit.
Iori slid into a seat, and, carrying half a dozen astrology texts, began to consult with them the position of the skies the night before. The stars had been speaking about the Catastrophe, but he had to find out how much time they had. A week? A month? He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Humanity's only hope was the book, and he had yet to trace it. And then, after the book, there was the need for the Storm-Breaker, and the right events, and the prophesized "Battle atop the Building of Ore, between the most unholy Demon and the Fool of Genius", whatever the hell *that* was supposed to mean. Suddenly, his pen fell from his fingers.
"Holy crap."
* * *
"Target 1 discovered. Per description, he is a 31-year-old brunette, living at referenced residence. Several other notables are present in the vicinity, including the first documented casuality of the Catastrophe. This is Rosa reporting in. I must now find a way to make contact with Target 1 in order to assassinate him. He-llo, handsome." There was a pause. "Disregard last remark." The young woman walked (stalked was a better word to use) across the street, and approached a rather menancholy bluenette. "Hey, cutie," she said, reaching out a hand. "What's a guy like you doing running around out here alone?" He looked Rosa up and down, and smiled faintly.
"I was coming here to visit a friend of mine. Actually, I was just leaving. You know, would you like to go grab a cup of coffee or something?"
"Si," Rosa replied. "I'd love to."
* * *
End Part 1. Please tell me what you think! This is only the beginning, and I assure you that this is not really going to be a Roken (I have no idea what you'd call a Rosa/Ken, but this isn't one). It definitely will spice up, but for now, this is sort of a prologue.
by Marduk
* * *
This story, although it was bouncing in my head for a while, is written as a gift fic to Tenchi Kaze. My most important note here is that this is an AU, and I neither own Digimon nor the basic storyline here. The latter is based on an elaborate story-arc from "Sluggy Freelance". I'm not sharing which one, but it should be obvious if you are familiar with the comic strip. Another point: relationships (as in platonic and familial) are somewhat altered from 'canon' (the concept upon which I spit! Sorry. Bitterness keeps coming through. Mimi and Daisuke are NOT romantically engaged, and I'm tempted making them related). Anyway, please keep this in mind: unless shown in the fic, none of the Digidestined have met before. They also are not Digidestined. In this world, there is no access to the Digiworld. This is completely and totally an AU. It is dark and yaoi-ish, so weak of heart and closed of mind, stay away.
* * *
Asimov. Baum. Pratchett. Anthony. Thousands of other names were represented by the books there. The bookstore, a small affair hidden in a back alley of Tamachi, was haunted by a young man wandering among them. His violet eyes, stained with tears, glanced at books at random, hoping to find a new story of a world he hadn't seen yet. Oz? Narnia? He'd read all of them here. He leaned against a stack of Rowlings, sighing. He fought once again to keep the tears away. He would not cry. Not over-him. He was 31 years old, not some love-struck teenager. He wouldn't cry. Just because the only excitement he had in life had abandoned him, didn't mean he had to cry. He could handle himself.
"Why?" he asked quietly, the tears forming in his eyes. For another time-he had lost count of how many times he had cried-the tears flowed down his cheeks. Angrily, he fought for balance, his hand gripping the shelves. Suddenly, they caught on something. He glanced at the book. Bound in brownish leather, the title was written in spidery script. Beneath three elaborate runes lay the title. There was no author.
//Liber Urbis Diabolorum//
"The Book of the Devil's City," he whispered, afraid that the name itself would carry power. He opened the book to the first page, where the same spidery script adorned the title page.
//A most thourough Account of the Magicks available to Those who have Courage enough to seek Them. Arranged and carefully checked for Inaccuracies and other Errors by Thomas Abram.//
With trembling hands, the violet-eyed man turned the page, where a table of contents lay.
//The Covenant for Those who would use this Book-p I
The Basics of the most simple Magicks-p III
Voodoo and other various Curses of Revenge upon another Person-p VII//
He slammed the book shut, panting. Voodoo? Magic? He shook his head. None of it could be real. Magic simply didn't exist. However...
"If it *does* exist, I can torture him..." he mused thoughtfully. "Make him suffer..." He smiled, and turned to the front counter.
"Hello, Ichijouji-san. Found something you haven't read yet?" the blond woman asked cheerfully. Ichijouji handed her the book, and she smiled. "Ah! One of our older ones. It's second-hand, so there's a discount. Bound in leather, too!" She carefully filled out a receipt and handed it to him. "By the way, Ken, since when have you been interested in magic?"
"Since Motomiya Daisuke crushed my heart."
* * *
//The Covenant for Those who would use this Book.
Welcome, O most worthy Holder of this Book! If You have found this most unholy Book, It is certain that You hold the Potential to be a Witch. Note to Males: The Office of Witch is held by both Men and Women, with the same Name. However, It is a Necessity to inform You of the Price One must pay for the Use of such extra-ordinary Powers. If You wish to use the Power this Book can grant You, recite the following Pledge.
"I, [speak name here], a Mortal of worthy Strength, promise that in Exchange for the Powers of Witchcraft and Sorcery, I will give Aid to the Powers of Darkness. Having made this Pledge, I fully realize the Powers and Gifts I will receive, and know well that every Ounce of Power I receive can be used to grant all my Desires and Wishes."
This Pledge does not give One's Soul to the Powers of Darkness; It merely pledges Aid to those of Evil. Do not take this Pledge lightly, though. It is not to be made by the Faint of Heart.//
Ken sat back from the book, frowning. The words of the book seemed so serious, so forbidding, yet the powers it promised...He lifted the book up, and began to speak, working to impose capital letters where they were used.
"I, Ichijouji Ken, a Mortal of worthy Strength, promise that in Exchange for the Powers of Witchcraft and Sorcery, I will give Aid to the Powers of Darkness. Having made this Pledge, I fully realize the Powers and Gifts I will receive, and know well that every Ounce of Power I receive can be used to grant all my Desires and Wishes." The words hissed in the dark apartment, fizzling out, and when Ken had finished speaking, the air hung, full of energy. Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Ken, scrambling to hide the tome, found himself sprawled on the floor when his elder brother walked in.
"Ken? Are you all right? You look a little...flustered." Ken glanced up at the bespectacled face of his brother, and found himself speechless.
"Erm...I-well, you see...Osamu, I..."
"Never mind. I probably don't want to know. By the way, I had a visitor today. A friend of yours, I think. Yagami?" Ken pushed himself onto the couch he had been slumped off of, and growled.
"Hikari? What did she want?" Osamu walked over to the couch, and sat down next to his brother.
"She said that she, Taichi, and Miyako are all worried about you."
"I notice neither Daisuke nor Iori was included in that list," Ken muttered. "Of course, I understand that Iori hates me, but Daisuke..." He trailed off. Osamu started to massage his little brother's shoulders.
"Come on, ototou, it's not the end of the world, is it?" Ken sobbed angrily, and tried feebly to push away the other bluenette.
"You don't understand!" Osamu sat back, and caught sight of the leather-bound tome.
"Magick?" He glanced up, almost amused. "Ken, cursing Daisuke isn't going to solve anything. Dark magic and broken hearts do not mix." There was silence, and Ken glared at his brother. "But, if you're going to get involved, remember this: never, ever, EVER mix a love potion with alcohol." He stood up, and gave a glance to Ken. "Are you going to be all right?" Ken nodded, slowly and uncertainly. "I'll see you in a few minutes." His bedroom door closed, and Ken again returned to the book. 'Voodoo and other various Curses of Revenge upon another Person'...
* * *
"Ow!" Daisuke swore, rubbing his neck. "Gods, it's like someone's squashing my neck with a rolling pin!" Miyako, sitting cross-legged on his bed, smiled indulgently.
"Have you thought of seeing a psychiatrist? It could be psychosomatic." Daisuke glared at her.
"Or, you know, he could be suffering from guilt pangs," Hikari added cheerfully.
"Listen, you two," Daisuke hissed. "Ken and I broke up for a very good reason. I do not regret what happened, nor do I feel guilty. Now how about we go back out to the main room, where you can mock me without traumatizing my sleeping place?" He stood up, and pulled Hikari off of his bedroom floor. The brown-haired woman groaned, and stood up, pulling the purple-haired woman after her. "Ow! Damnit! Now it feels like someone's tenderizing my leg!" Hikari grinned at him.
"Mimi *has* been sleepwalking lately, and you know she has a tendency to cook in her sleep."
"Are you implying she's been trying to make me into some sort of filet mignon?" Daisuke demanded indignantly.
"You're not tender enough," Miyako replied, a hungry grin on her lips. "And besides, without proper seasoning, you'd taste like old gym socks." Daisuke stared at her for a moment, and collapsed into a nearby chair.
"You know, I can't tell if you're joking about this," he said sulkily. Miyako exchanged a grin with Hikari before returning her attention to the cinnamon-haired boy.
"Judging the way I've seen her handling things," Hikari said, sniggering, "She's probably not kidding. Besides, I see her point. You would not be good to eat. Yama-kun might be a better choice. After all, he's got a more sedentary lifestyle. Less muscle, make him lean and tender, mmm..."
"Now it feels like someone is shoving garlic up my nose," Daisuke complained, having ignored the brunette's journey into speculative cannibalism. "I feel like I'm being tortured by a twisted, confused voodoo priestess. Ow! Dammit!"
* * *
Ken very deliberately placed the small plushie in the microwave, and set it to "Defrost". He sat back in the kitchen, smiling grimly.
"In a few seconds, Daisuke will start to feel dizzy, confused, and will start exhibiting the signs of heat stroke."
"Ken? Are you in here?" Ken strided from the kitchen, almost grinning maniacally.
"Hey, Yama-kun," he replied, hugging the blond man lightly. "Coming to make sure Ken isn't about to shoot his brains out or something? Because I assure you, I'm fine." *Beep Beep Beep* He glanced back into the kitchen. "Sorry, I've got something in the microwave." Yamato smiled and followed his friend into the small area.
"It's nothing quite so mundane as that," he replied cheerfully. "I just decided that, as your current best friend, I could offer to visit you to help cheer you up." Ken, swinging open the microwave door, looked at the blond with a gleam in his eyes.
"I could think of a few things that would cheer me up," he responded, grinning. Yamato sighed, and placed an arm on Daisuke's shoulder.
"Ken, listen, I know you're upset about Daisuke, and I know that I have expressed interest in you in the past. However, I'm not willing to do anything if it's only reb-what in the *hell* is that?!" He pulled the charred fabric from the microwave, and frowned at it. "Ken, is this Daisuke?"
"No; it's an effigy," he responded, pulling away from the blond. "And consider that your last chance at me." He snatched away the voodoo doll, and stalked over to the same couch on which he had first read the "Liber". The book still was resting on the coffee table.
"The City of Demons? Is this new reading, or have you got a new hobby?" Ken snatched the book up, and glared at Yamato.
"It's a magic book. It's where I learned to make this voodoo doll." Ken turned away. "The book has given me great power. Power beyond your imagination." He reached out a hand, and a pair of mugs drifted from the kitchen and hung before them. Another gesture, and a pile of papers flew into the air, spinning around them in hypnotic patterns. "You see? Incredible power! And it's all mine..."
"Ken, you can't be serious!" Yamato snapped. "No one just 'gets' these powers. There's always a price." Ken smiled at Yamato in a way that indicated that Ken was using smaller words than necessary to make sure that his audience understood.
"Yama-kun, this book doesn't give these powers to whatever yahoo picks it up. Obviously, it's last owner didn't get any use from it."
"Either that, or it destroyed him," Yamato muttered.
* * *
"Oh, 'niisan!" Hikari bubbled, handing him a pile of papers. "There was a bunch of mail for you, and someone came to the door complaining about some recent transactions. I mean, sometimes I don't think you have what it takes to handle business affairs online. Don't you agree with me, Miyako?" Miyako was staring nervously at the ceiling. "Miyako?" Miyako looked at her suddenly, shaking her head violently.
"It's been eerily quiet upstairs," she commented. "Has Daisuke been working on any...you know, projects?" The lights suddenly flickered and died, and very loud swearing could be heard from upstairs.
"My guess would be yes," Hikari commented dryly.
* * *
"Dai-kun, if you had told me that the button would do something like that, I wouldn't have pushed it!" Mimi snapped, sulking on the couch. The smoking remains of what could have once been a computer, or a paper shredder, or even conceivably a small nuclear fusion reactor, were gathered in a corner of the room. Daisuke shot glares at the pink-haired woman who, besides being his roommate, was also his constant annoyance.
"Well, it could have been worse..." he muttered. "You could have taken out the food processor." Mimi rolled her eyes.
"So, when are we going to get power back? I've got a date with a cute scientist later tonight, and my HAIR'S FRIZZING!" Daisuke grabbed a flashlight and headed out the door.
"I don't even know why I let you live here," he muttered angrily.
"Because I'm cute, rich, and easily amused!" Mimi shouted after him. "Is this a taser?"
* * *
"I'm really annoyed that you keep calling this 'evil'," Ken commented absently. "It's not good or evil-it's just power." He reached over for his phone, and pulled out a sheet of paper. He dialed a number, and waited a moment. "Hello? Is Owikawa-san there? Yes, I'm calling from the Rising Sun Credit card company. I was wondering if Mr. Owikawa would be interested in a free up-oh." He returned the phone to the receiver, and stared at Yamato questioningly. "What?"
"You're telemarketing? Why, Ken?"
"It's part of the Price for my power," he explained. Yamato stared at him, disbelieving.
"Telemarketing?"
"I didn't say there wasn't any evil involved, Yama-kun." He carefully wrapped the voodoo doll's leg in the phone cord, and hung it upside-down. "Evil is part of the Price."
* * *
"Hello, Daisuke. How are you doing today?" The short, smug woman who owned the building smiled at the man hanging upside-down above the steps to the basement.
"I should think it was obvious," Daisuke replied, annoyed.
"Have you been taking drugs?" she asked curiously. "I mean, just because I haven't heard of one that does this doesn't mean that-"
"I'm guessing it's a voodoo doll," Daisuke interrupted. "And could you hurry up with the power? My roommate has a date."
* * *
"Rosa, I hope you're ready." The young woman nodded.
"I must eliminate Target A. If impossible, I must locate Gound Zero, and halt events there. Beforehand, I must blend into society." The doctor nodded, running a nervous hand through his graying hair.
"Good. Do you have the halt/reverse temporal blaster?" She nodded. The doctor approached the controls for the Machine. "Prepare yourself. I am sending you to Odaiba, Japan, three weeks prior to the Ascension. The future-the present, rests in your hands." He diplomatically did not mention that there would be no thanks, no honors. She knew that, but this was not the moment to discuss it.
"Dr.! There's been a security leak! The Spirals-ack!" The doctor flipped a switch, and Rosa vanished in a flash of light. Then, the doctor himself entered the Machine, and grimly waved goodbye as the electronics sped him to where no one else would be able to follow.
* * *
"Ken, maybe you should stop with the voodoo doll thing," Osamu commented sternly. "I mean..."
"Oh, I'll drop it," Ken answered from the living room. "I just started a new chapter in the 'Liber' anyway. 'Pain and Torture for the Accolyte'." Osamu glanced from the kitchen in at his brother.
"Ken, I am worried. Maybe you could lay off the magic for a little bit, ne?"
"No," Ken replied, focusing his attention on the "Liber". "Daisuke will feel every ounce of pain he has dealt to me, inflicted a thousand times more upon him. Make no mistake of that." Osamu returned to the kitchen, where he found himself wondering whether voodoo really did work, and if so, what was making it work. He knew power didn't come from nowhere, so logically, something must have the power, and was giving it to Ken.
"But...whatever it is can't just want to help Ken, could it? It has to want something in return; the only question is...what?"
* * *
"Hello, Mr. Hida. Nice to see you out and about again," the librarian said cheerfully to the short, surly brunette. He managed a smile, and made a beeline for the astrology section. She was used to him doing this. He always left the library at closing time, telling her about vague prophecies of death and destruction. Most of the staff called him Hikari, for obvious reasons. She watched him go, and found herself wondering if his predictions had any merit.
Iori slid into a seat, and, carrying half a dozen astrology texts, began to consult with them the position of the skies the night before. The stars had been speaking about the Catastrophe, but he had to find out how much time they had. A week? A month? He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Humanity's only hope was the book, and he had yet to trace it. And then, after the book, there was the need for the Storm-Breaker, and the right events, and the prophesized "Battle atop the Building of Ore, between the most unholy Demon and the Fool of Genius", whatever the hell *that* was supposed to mean. Suddenly, his pen fell from his fingers.
"Holy crap."
* * *
"Target 1 discovered. Per description, he is a 31-year-old brunette, living at referenced residence. Several other notables are present in the vicinity, including the first documented casuality of the Catastrophe. This is Rosa reporting in. I must now find a way to make contact with Target 1 in order to assassinate him. He-llo, handsome." There was a pause. "Disregard last remark." The young woman walked (stalked was a better word to use) across the street, and approached a rather menancholy bluenette. "Hey, cutie," she said, reaching out a hand. "What's a guy like you doing running around out here alone?" He looked Rosa up and down, and smiled faintly.
"I was coming here to visit a friend of mine. Actually, I was just leaving. You know, would you like to go grab a cup of coffee or something?"
"Si," Rosa replied. "I'd love to."
* * *
End Part 1. Please tell me what you think! This is only the beginning, and I assure you that this is not really going to be a Roken (I have no idea what you'd call a Rosa/Ken, but this isn't one). It definitely will spice up, but for now, this is sort of a prologue.