The Threshold of Darkness and Light

Chapter 10

"Kina!!! KINA!!!!!" Yue called out her name as he ran towards a forest edge. "If I was John and I kidnapped Shui and Kina, I wouldn't keep them in the town. He has to have a place somewhere out in the forest or something! Maybe by a lake or...or..." But he stopped as a flash of blue light filled the sky.

"Did you see that?!" Nuriko turned and called out to Hotohori.

"YES! That has to be Kina....I just have a weird feeling it was!!" Hotohori replied.

"It came from somewhere over there!! Maybe a few miles away!!" Yue began to sprint towards the vague area the light had first sprung from.

~~

It would be nice if we could put away and throw out

Everything except what really mattered, but

Reality is just cruel.

In such times,

I see you laughing

Whenever I close my eyes.

~~

"Nnn..." Kina felt her head pound as she moved her body side to side. "H- help...where am I? W-what happened?" She tried to look around but all she could make out were trees. She stopped moving because it hurt too much. But Kina could feel her bishonen powers at work to repair her destroyed body. She focused her eyes on the sky above her. "Yue...r-related to me..." The words tore at her heart. Something about it seemed so...so wrong to her. "It's like I married my brother and had a child with him! Or my cousin! Or- or...no!!" She cried. Kina reached out with her hands, gripping onto the grass as an excruciating pain filled her body as it healed itself. She could feel her own warm blood surround her. This was the process of her strange bishonen power though, it would heal her but the pain would be almost unbearable. That was why most didn't use that ability. "No matter what loneliness comes...no matter what pain you feel, you mustn't close your eyes to it. Because even if you lose all your words, even if you say it doesn't matter, if you stumble, it will be there to help you up. That's what kind of thing it is." She heard the words of her mother. Kina closed her eyes as her voice ripped out of her throat and erupted from her body. The shrill shriek was so loud nearby birds flew away in fright.

~~

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,

That smiling face will

Have to stay with me without fail.

People are all sad, so

They go and forget, but—

~~

"DID YOU HEAR THAT!?" Nuriko called out to Yue who was running ahead of him.

"YES! IT CAME FROM OVER THERE!" Yue pointed ahead as he ran over some bushes. The three burst through some trees and into a small clearing. Kina was lying in the center, blood all around her. She was arched upward, silver tears smearing the blood down her cheeks, her mouth was open as scream after scream of pain came out. She couldn't think about Yue or her problems right now, all she could feel was the constant pain. It was as if a person was holding onto every part of her body and they were all pulling in the opposite direction. She fell back into the damp Earth, her breathing coming in rapidly. An eerie silence filled the air around her, as all that could be heard was her breathing.

"What happened to her!?!?" Yue began to run to Kina but was pulled back by Nuriko.

"She's healing herself." He whispered. "We should stand back."

"How is that HEALING!? It looks like she's in pain!!" Yue wiggled out of the purple haired bishonen's grip.

"Don't go near her! If you do, she could lash out her power at you by accident! She has no control of it or herself right now. It is the only way she can heal herself and by doing so she has to endure extreme physical pain." Nuriko explained.

"So I have to stand back and watch her suffer?!" Yue yelled at his friend. "I can't do that!"

Another sharp scream filled the air as Kina squirmed in agony. Her eyes showed no emotions except pure agony. It sickened Yue to watch with her; the amount of blood that surrounded her and her wiggling around in so much pain. It hurt his heart too much to just stand and watch.

~~

For that which I should love,

For that which gives me love, I will do what I can.

Back then, when we met,

It was all awkward.

~~

Yue ran towards her. "KINA!!!!!!" He cried out as he fell to the ground next to her. She arched forward again as she cried out, holding the high- pitched scream for a few minutes. Her body twitched, moving around in the puddle as she screamed. Yue looked in amazement as the huge gash on her arm and side began to regenerate. He was brought back to reality from another one of her screams. Kina began to get up, she was trying to move but with each movement, the gash opened a bit more, undoing all that she had just done.

"Stay still!" Yue called to her but she didn't reply. He gently grabbed onto her, placing himself so that he wasn't sitting on her but he was on top of her, holding her down by her shoulders. She couldn't stand or move now. Her last yell echoed off of the trees as her gash closed up and it appeared as if it hadn't even been there. Her eyes slowly opened. Kina found herself peering into Yue's open eyes, which were filled with tears.

"Y-Yue...." She whispered his name softly as the memories of all that happened fill her mind. Running away, John chasing her and cutting her arm and side badly. Using her bishonen power to deflect him away, causing her to fly towards the edge of the forest. Then she tried to heal herself. Kina felt her side. It was all healed. "Key of Love." Her mouth uttered the words and then the red head froze.

"I was so scared Kina! Don't do that again!!" Yue leaned down, bring her into a tender kiss.

"RELATED!!!! COUSIN!!! BROTHER!!! UNCLE!!!" Her mind screamed at her. Kina wriggled under Yue, trying to get free of him.

Yue pulled away, climbing off of her. He looked at her with a confused and hurt expression. "What's wrong?" The bishonen asked her gently. Nuriko and Hotohori both stood in the distance, watching the scene.

Kina looked at his smiling face and she couldn't stand to tell him. To tell him they might be related. That she didn't save Shui. That she was a failure. She didn't deserve him, related or not.

~~

We went the long way, didn't we?

We got hurt, didn't we?

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,

That smiling face will

Have to stay with me without fail.

~~

"N-nothing..." Kina tried to laugh but it came out sounding broken and lost. He looked down at her, his face filled with a lost innocence. "Please don't look at me that way...my heart is about to burst..." But he didn't hear her words as he stood up and grabbed her hand to help her up also. He felt her pull away from his touch. Yue's eyes went to the ground.

"Why did I pull away!? You idiot...you may be related but you still love him!!" She told herself but her mind wouldn't comprehend. Her heart still loved him yet her body and mind wouldn't allow him near her. "Everyone's heart has it's own free will, right? I don't see anything wrong with 'seizing the one you love'. No matter what, one must be responsible for their own feelings. Even if this is how it might turn out..." She thought to herself.

"Sorry you guys." Kina embraced Nuriko and Hotohori. "But hey! I found out John is behind this...he still has Shui. Somehow he convinced Shui that we abandoned her! And I figured out what the second key is. It's my necklace." She motioned to the silver necklace around her neck. Yue waited for her to embrace him but she just avoided his eyes.

"Sorry you had to go through that!" Nuriko smacked the back of her head playfully. A strange tension filled the air; everybody could sense how different she was acting.

"We'll get you cleaned up then let's make a plan of what to do. Without the second key, John can't and won't do anything. The worse he'll do is come after you again and we'll be ready this time!" Hotohori suggested and everybody agreed. The walk home was silent.

Nuriko and Hotohori both retired to their rooms, leaving Kina and Yue sitting alone in the living room.

"Why are you being so distant!?" Yue stood up. He couldn't bare it anymore; he had to find out what happened. "It's like you've put a plastic wrap around me so you don't have to touch me! It isn't enough! What happened Kina?!" He demanded as he grabbed onto her hand tightly.

"Let go of me." She whispered, her voice barely audible. "D-Don't touch me."

"Fine. If that is how it'll be then...then fine!!" Yue turned around and began to walk out of the room, fighting against the aching pain in his heart. He stopped and spun around to face her. "This isn't how a husband and wife are supposed to act! They should be honest..."

Her voice cracked as she uttered the words. Her heart screamed no but her lips moved any ways. "I don't want to be your wife."

"W...what?!" Yue's voice wavered. "A-after all we've been through?! All that is happening?!"

"I can't be your wife anymore!!" Kina stammered then turned and fled the room.

Yue stood there, stunned.

~~

Back then, when we met,

It was all awkward.

We went the long way, didn't we?

We got there in the end.