Chapter Eight:
Strangers in a dark hole
I don't remember hitting bottom, but there is solid earth beneath me. The air is humid, like some mildly tropical breeze. I'm lying on the floor, which would indicate that I did fall, right?
I don't know anymore. I'm probably dead, and this is some mild for of my personal hell. At any moment, I expect to see flashes of Ken, my Ken, kissing Davis, or TK, or anybody else. That would definitely complete my hell.
But, no. Now I get to stand here, entirely confused, annoyed, and pissed, as the wind blows warmly around me. I really wish that those in charge of fate and destiny would get their acts together, and give me a hint. As if the day wasn't confusing before, I've fallen through the tower floor, and ended up in some deep pit.
I wonder if there are snakes? I'm not really scared of snakes, except for the poisonous ones. With my luck, I'm probably in a nest of them. Hooray. Of course, lying here on the ground is probably not the wisest option if I'm in a pit of killer snakes.
I push myself to my feet, feeling the dry dirt rub into my palms. I'm not hurt, as far as I can tell. In fact, I feel like I just woke up from some freaky dream. My hands don't hurt, though I know I rubbed them raw on the roof. My torso feels fine, though there was blood dripping from it to my pants earlier. If I was dreaming, now would be a good time to have Tai come jumping into my bed, throwing pillows at my head like he always does.
He won't, of course. He's waiting for me in the house. Upstairs, or downstairs, or whereever he is. They're sitting impatiently with Lisa, and maybe Danaria, while I try to save Ken. I sigh, thinking of him. I'm not giving up, but I really don't know how I'm supposed to do anything, stuck in the bottom of a hole.
Walking would probably be an idea. I look up sharply. Somebody just spoke.
"Hello?" I know it's a stupid thing to say, but no one ever claimed that I was a genius. "Someone there?"
Of course. Do you often hear no one speak? Ha, ha. Funny. Now I'm hearing sarcastic voices with an English accent. Quit whining, and walk this way. What way?
A beam of light appears ahead of me, illuminating the shape of a young man, maybe twenty-five years old. He's holding a torch in one hand. "Hello."
Hello, Ishida. Follow, please. As if I have a choice. I follow him, watching his brown hair as it sways against the nape of his neck. He looks kind of like Ken and Sam, but with darker hair and skin. He could pass as a relation. Stop thinking so much. You're giving me a headache.
"Stop reading my thoughts, and they wouldn't bother you." Okay, I did not just say that. He turns to glare at me with gray eyes, the hand holding the fire reached out toward me. "Hey, if the thought fits, deal with it."
Ishida Yamato, you are an interesting person. I thought that telepathy would add one more item to your roster of things to whine about.
"You're funny. All in all, it's fitting. I'm assuming that you're either here to help me, stop me, or tell me what to do, right?" He smiles, turning back around to lead me again. We're going through some earthen tunnels, probably built under the house. The walls are rough dirt, packed tightly to allow us ample walking space. "Where are we going?"
The next part of your challenge will determine whether you and your friend live. That's nice. Of course, it doesn't entirely depend upon you.
The little bastard is putting me in my place! Oops. Sorry. You can stop glaring at me now. "I said I was sorry!"
We're here. Be thankful that I'm forgiving. He's led me into a wide cavern, the sod ceiling nearly ten feet over my head. There are torches lining the walls, as if others met in this place regularly. In front of me, I can see a desk and chair, behind which sits another man, this one older than my guide.
"Ishida Yamato, known to his friends as Matt, seeker of Kindness, holder of Friendship. Step forward." I do so, obeying the authority in that deep voice easily. He looks up, a middle-aged man of maybe forty, if not older. "Welcome, Matt. Please, come here."
He's wearing a business suit, like some CEO in a corporate headquarters. I walk forward bravely, imitating Tai's swagger. He smiles at me, his eyes kind, but hard. "Hello." I bow deeply, bending forward at the waist. "How may I help you, or how can you help me." The look he gives me indicates that he's surprised at my abrupt tone.
"Straightforward enough. I'm glad to see that you have a backbone, son. You're going to need it." Thank you, that was very encouraging. "What would you do for love, Matt? You have let go of your fear and jumped. Hung out over a ledge that nearly gave out. You have decided to face a demon; all because you think you'll live if you do it. If you can save Ken, then the world will automatically right itself."
"And you're here to tell me that that isn't the case, right?" His smile is grim when his aged brown eyes meet mine. "I'll do whatever it takes. I'll save Ken, as soon as I figure out how."
"I thought you'd say that. Here lies the problem: a living man cannot cross into the lair of the demon. Only the dead and dying can cross the line. Would you die for your lover? Is he worth it to you?"
"Is that the next part of the puzzle?" He holds his hand out, palm up, opening his fingers as he does so. In the center of his palm lies a piece of paper, the bold writing on top familiar. I reach out slowly, taking it from him, and hold the paper up in front of me.
"Search for me, look for me,
Give me a shout
Ask for me, demand me
Figure me out."
Pretty, isn't it? I turn to the raven-haired man, but he's facing away from me, walking around us in a circle as we talk. There's more.
I look back at the paper, but the words have changed.
"Touch me, hold me
Cradle me tight
Lie for me, die for me
Don't give up without a fight."
Is that what I have to do? Kill myself to save him? I've contemplated suicide: I won't deny that. But I decided to live, on the chance that I could find love in my life. I have great friends, and a wonderful family. After all my soul-searching, I have to let go of everything I've fought for and lived for, simply to have a chance to save Ken?
"It's a hard choice, one that we understand very well." I look up, meeting brown eyes. "You can turn back, you know. We can give you a choice. You can live, and we'll erase the memory of what has happened here today. Ken will stay where he is, but you will go on with life, oblivious to what is missing from it."
Go on with life without Ken, and not possibly know it? Hardly. In the past few years, I've settled my life into a routine that purposely seeks him out. He gives me something to succeed for, something to work toward. He is my goal, and ambition, and reason. He is my life.
"Please, tell me what to do. I'll do anything. Poison, or hang myself, or whatever. Just tell me how to get to him." I can feel my throat clogging with emotion again, but I don't care. "I'd give my life for him, if you would tell me how."
They look at each other, a silent communication that I can't read. They nod, another silent signal. Gray eyes turn to me. Follow. I look at the older man, but he's turned around in his chair, and faces the dirt wall. I follow the younger one, feeling the path beneath my feet becoming uneven. You have made your choice, now you must follow through with your decision.
"How?" He doesn't have a torch this time, so I'm left to stumble in the dark, following the sound of his footsteps.
I would beg for love
Give for love
Live and let live for love.
I would kill for love
Greed for love
Cut my wrist and bleed for love.
"That's very pretty, but that doesn't answer my question."
You'll know when the time comes. Know what? I am so confused. I'm on my way to be sacrificed, following some weird guy, no offense, through some messed up maze. No offense taken. You still talk too much.
Thank you, friend, for pointing that out. I think that I like underground hermits as much as I like demons and freaky gatekeepers, and stupid people who can't live up to their promises. This whole day has definitely gone down hill fast.