A/N: Ruby-Tears; Taka did die AFTER Kyo. I think you were confused a bit by
the dream sequences. The ones that kept on repeating was the time when his
parents died and when Kyo himself died, in Taka's arms, remember?
Bee: Kyo burned down his own house accidentally? Wow, good guess! But. . .no. Hahaha! He didn't do it. Remember when Kyo told Hisoka what his powers were, he had said that when he was alive, it didn't really surface. It was only when he became a Shinigami that the power came out. Now THAT, is a major clue I'm giving here, concerning Kyo's past. . . .
Rinny: "Shh, it's okay," Kyo murmured gently in her ear, fingers brushing back Rinny's soft, silky hair and he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "See, Kelly has updated a new chapter and I get to be tortured again." Rinny shivered with delight and anticipation as that same mouth trailed softly down her cheek and rested lightly on her rapidly beating pulse. "You like that don't you? Kyo-Torture?"
. . . . . (hmm)
Miss Misery: You are so right. We must not waste what life has given to us, right? *winks*
Ice-Phoenix: ( ^ o ^ )
Hcbenitez: I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'm happy you liked Kyo's incantation. I thought it was kinda cool myself *smug*
Warning: A Taste of Lemon! But who from???? Crazed-Kyo!
Pairings: Kyo x Taka, Kyo x Akuma (WHAT????????)
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies!
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 14: The Enemy Within
________________________________________________________________________
He was sitting at a table, under a brightly striped umbrella, one of those huge ones that sidewalk cafes have, as the sun shone down from a clear blue sky. There were a few more of those tables with umbrellas, stretching down the road from either side of him and he could see his reflection from the display window of the café opposite him. Strangely though, there wasn't anybody else there. It was like a ghost town.
Kyo frowned. The last thing he remembered was that he was getting Taka some coffee when he was suddenly dreaming again. . . sure enough, just at the very edge of the last table and chairs, circling the picture perfect scene like an island, he could see his nightmare being played out, like it was on a giant, round movie screen.
But there was none of the crippling fear or grief that he usually felt when confronted by those visions. Instead, he felt oddly detached, as though he really was just a spectator to someone else's life movie. That was good, he thought. Yes, very good. He didn't like the nightmares anyway and if they can't touch him here, all the better. In fact, everything that happened before he came here seemed to fade away, as insubstantial as smoke and just as meaningful.
He looked again at the nightmare playing around him and he wondered who Taka was and why was he crying.
He turned in his chair as he felt a prickle between his shoulder blades and where the chair beside him had been empty a few moments ago, there was now somebody sitting in it. He smiled.
"Konnichiwa."
The stranger nodded and gave a smile back in return. Kyo was fascinated by the man. He was so beautiful. . . his smile was like a ray of sunshine breaking through a cloudy day and it made him insanely happy that he was the recipient of that smile.
"Who are you?" Kyo asked. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the man. His eyes were gorgeous, a deep yellow gold that was like Wa-who's name was it that he wanted to compare the stranger before him to? He frowned as he tried to remember but decided that it wasn't really important. As long as the man was here by his side, he was happy.
"My name is Akuma," the man told him and his voice sent shivers down his back. It was pure melody to him and seemed to hint at something deeper, something that was forbidden but all the more exciting because of it.
"Akuma," he repeated softly. Demon. It was. . . appropriate somehow. This Akuma was too beautiful to be a mere human, so beautiful that it was almost evil . . demon. . .Akuma. "Did you bring me here?"
Akuma nodded. "Yes, I wanted to keep you safe. Safe from those painful memories you keep hidden away. So I brought you here. Are you angry?"
Kyo looked shock at that. "Angry? Why should I be? You were protecting me, thank you."
They sat there in silence for a while but Kyo didn't mind. He loved looking at Akuma. His eyes, his hair. . .they were an amazing color, his hair. It was so red. So red that it looked like it was on fire. . or like blood. He wondered how it would feel, sliding between his fingers, falling over his face, caressing his cheek. . .
He blushed furiously. Why was he thinking like this? It was crazy! He turned his face away from the man and tried to control his breathing, praying that the blood in his cheeks would recede. He dreaded at the possibility that Akuma might be offended at what he was thinking and would leave him here, all alone. He didn't want to be alone.
"Kyo." It was a soft call, whispering his name, throbbing with promises. He found himself quickly turning back at the call, to find that Akuma was mere inches away from him, those golden eyes burning into his.
Akuma lifted one pale hand, as pale as the rest of him, the skin so white that it was like paper instead of skin. It didn't detract from his loveliness though, in fact, it enhanced it, setting off the blood-red hair perfectly. That pale hand cupped his cheek and he let out a gasp. It felt like his cheek was on fire from that simple touch. He turned his face into that cool palm and before he realized it, he kissed it tenderly.
He stopped suddenly in horror. What had he done? Akuma was sure to detest him now, would say he wasn't normal. That what he was doing wasn't right. He cringed slightly, waiting for the rejection, but instead, Akuma gave a low chuckle and his thumb rubbed sensuously over Kyo's lips, slow and smooth and Kyo hungrily licked it, tasting the sweet and slightly salty taste of the skin and he gently sucked.
Akuma continued to chuckle, the sound a deep purr in his throat and he pulled his hand away. Kyo let out a whimper and leaned forward, wanting to taste and feel again. Akuma proved more than willing to give him what he so badly needed and he pulled the boy close, his hand gentle yet insistently pushing at the back of his neck, drawing him in a for a kiss.
The first contact of lips to lips sent waves of fire through his body. He gasped as he felt his groin tighten with sudden need and Akuma took the advantage to dart his tongue in, flicking and gently stroking Kyo's. He felt as if his brain would melt next, the desire was racing through him so strongly that he couldn't breathe. The taste of Akuma's mouth was strange. It was salty, and yet sour, the combination bringing to mind the taste of blood.
He should be repelled by that. How could somebody's mouth tasted like blood? But he loved it. He wanted to taste it again and again. It was like wine to him, the taste bubbling intoxicatingly through and through and he leaned deeper into the kiss, moaning with desire.
But after a while, Akuma pushed him gently away and Kyo whimpered at the sudden loss. He wanted more, surely Akuma did too? He leaned forward again but Akuma stopped him gently, a hand firm on his chest. He wanted to die from the disappointment and thwarted desire burning in his body.
"Not now, my beautiful Kyo. They're coming for you."
Sure enough, just at the edge of his hearing, he could hear someone calling his name desperately, urgently. The sun seemed to grow darker then, the sky grayer and he knew it meant that Akuma was going to leave him. Sudden fierce rage consumed him and turned his vision red, as red as the blood of Akuma's hair and he hissed in anger.
He wanted Akuma and he knew Akuma wanted him but they, whoever they are, just had to come along and interrupt them. They would pay for this, he vowed. He'd make them pay.
Akuma chuckled again and he stroked Kyo's cheek softly and the boy felt his anger draining away. He wanted Akuma so badly. . .
"They're coming for you and I can't stop them. And I can't come to you. They're trying to separate us, they don't want us to be together," Akuma whispered in his ear.
"I'll kill them," Kyo swore. They were fools to try and separate him and Akuma and they would suffer for their mistake. He'd make sure of it.
Akuma laughed in sheer delight and the sound was like heaven to Kyo's ears. "Find me. When you wake up, they'll try to stop you from coming to me. But you have to. You have to find me. Then we can be together. . . and nothing will stop me then from ravishing you, dear, beautiful Kyo."
The promise hidden between the words made him dizzy with desire. They WILL pay for this, he swore again as the idyllic surroundings disappeared with a shimmer, taking Akuma with it and once again he was fully encompassed within his nightmare. But he paid no attention to it, ignoring the screams and the fire. He concentrated instead, on the voice that was calling to him.
They would pay for this. They would pay.
________________________________________________________________________
Before the scream had even died in the air, Taka had vaulted over his desk and ran over to Kyo. The boy had collapsed on to the floor after letting out that fear-filled scream and he lay motionless on his side.
Taka gently turned Kyo over on his back, ignoring the rest of his co- workers who were trying to crowd around them, asking what was going on. His heart constricted in sudden fear. Kyo's eyes were open but they were blank, staring off unseeingly into space. The only consolation he had was that Kyo was still breathing, though shallowly.
Quickly, he swept Kyo's limp body into his arms and with Watari and the rest of the office following worriedly behind, he took Kyo to the hospital wing, laying him down gently on the bed after Watari had pulled down the covers for him.
It was now over an hour since they had put Kyo into bed but the boy showed no signs of waking up. They had tried to close his eyes but every time they did, they would just drift open again, staring on into nothingness. The rest had been briefed about what was going on and they stayed by Kyo's side, keeping vigil. Hisoka though, had gotten up and he, Tsuzuki and Watari were discussing together, speaking softly. After a while, they beckoned to Taka, wanting him to join them.
He left Kyo's side reluctantly and stood before them. "What is it?"
It was Watari who explained. "I think, judging from his condition, it's safe to say that Kyo's trapped in his nightmare, right?"
Taka nodded. Kyo had all the signs; the sudden dilation of the pupils, the stiff body. . .
"Hisoka thinks he can get Kyo out of it."
Taka was startled at that. He looked at the boy who stared back at him, a determined look on his face. He knew the risks involved. Hisoka would have to go into the nightmare himself and pull out Kyo's consciousness from it. If he failed, Hisoka was likely to get stuck in the nightmare with Kyo and might never get out.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly.
Hisoka nodded. "I want to help him. We all want to help him."
"Tsuzuki?" Taka asked the amethyst-eyed man who gave him a grin in answer.
"If I could do it also, I'll be in there right now, dragging Kyo out by his hair if necessary."
Taka closed his eyes as tears threatened his vision. He was grateful to them. More than that. He couldn't afford to lose Kyo, not again. He was willing to do anything to prevent it. "Thank you. But I have to warn you, his nightmare will be pretty bad," Taka answered.
"That's part of the reason why most of us here are Shinigamis, Takashi-san. Because of our nightmares," Hisoka said gently.
He then sat off to one side, watching Hisoka anxiously, as the boy gently cupped Kyo's hand in his and closed his eyes.
Please, God, I can't lose him. Not again.
________________________________________________________________________
It was fairly easy for Hisoka to slip his consciousness into Kyo's. Too easy in fact and he quickly raised his shields in case it was a trap.
Everything around him was black at first and slowly, like the curtains before a stage, the darkness lifted into a gray shimmer and finally, he was in Kyo's nightmare.
There was fire everywhere and without meaning to, he flinched back from it. After a minute, he realized then why it had been so easy to slip in. The nightmare he was walking through was. . . weird. It was like walking down a corridor, with the nightmare playing on the walls. It was like a movie being played out, distanced and unreal.
Hisoka felt doubt and uneasiness roiling in his stomach. The whole thing was wrong, somehow. The sooner he got Kyo out of here, the better and he started walking down the corridor, calling out Kyo's name.
It felt like eternity before he finally got to the end of the corridor where the nightmare suddenly coalesced into something more substantial than the nightmares before. In fact, it was all around him now, the fire and the screaming. He tried to ignore the heat and flames and called out Kyo's name again.
"Kyo! Kyo, where are you? It's me, Hisoka! Kyo!"
He walked deeper and deeper into the nightmare trying to peer through the flames and smoke covering his vision. Wait, was that Kyo? He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the figure standing off a little way in front, black silhouette against red fire. "Kyo?" he called out.
The figure came nearer and as the fire roared up in fresh fury, his face was highlighted, thrown into stark relief.
It was Kyo. He let out a sigh of relief and held out his hand to the older boy. "C'mon, I'm going to get us out of here."
Kyo just stared at him for long seconds, the expression on his face unreadable. He ignored Hisoka's outstretched hand.
"Kyo? Are you okay?" There was something wrong here, he could feel it. Tentatively, he lowered his shields a little and tried to read Kyo. All he got was utter blankness. He blinked in surprise before understanding dawned on him. Kyo had probably shut himself off, not wanting to drown in his own nightmares. Hisoka couldn't blame him. From the bits and pieces he saw, he was pretty sure he was going to have nightmares about it himself.
"C'mon, Kyo! We have to get out of here, Taka's getting worried sick about you," Hisoka insisted.
That seemed to get through to him and he extended his own hand out slowly and grasped Hisoka's. The younger boy concentrated hard then, trying to control the hellish landscape around them and slowly, the roar of the fires faded, the dancing flames receded, and the whole scene slowly started to fade, growing tattered at the edges and with a final wrench, he smothered the dreams completely.
The blackness returned and slowly, he drew back to his own body and he could feel his mind slipping free of Kyo's.
Blingking in the suddenly too bright lights, his vision came back to him and he looked up to see that Kyo had regained consciousness and was staring at him. Hisoka smiled in relief. "Welcome back, Kyo."
He felt his hand which was still holding on to Kyo's being gently squeezed in return. And without any warning whatsoever, a tidal wave of rage swept through him, raking him from head to foot and he was literally thrown back by the force of that rage. He flew across the room and felt himself slammed hard against the wall, sliding down to the floor in a boneless thump.
He didn't even have time to scream as the pain rolled over him and he sank into darkness.
________________________________________________________________________
The waiting was killing him. Even though it had only been 15 minutes after Hisoka had joined his mind with Kyo's, he felt his impatience and worry tearing at him, eating him from the inside. Only Tatsumi, Kacho, Tsuzuki and Watari were in the room with him, keeping watch together. Everyone else had been shooed out of the room before Hisoka had went into his trance by Watari and Tsuzuki. They did not want to risk overloading the boy's empathy.
He didn't know how for long he could stand this. He had started to fidget and when a hand rested on his shoulder, he nearly jumped in surprise. It was Tsuzuki.
"Don't worry," Tsuzuki said in a low voice. "If anybody can get Kyo out of this, it'd be Hisoka," he assured Taka.
He wasn't sure if he trusted himself to be able to answer Tsuzuki without breaking down so he just nodded when from the corner of his eye, he saw Hisoka gave a little shake. A moment later, Hisoka slowly sat up, having slumped over Kyo when he went in his trance. He was about to ask Hisoka what happened when Kyo blinked and started to sit up.
Taka didn't now whether to laugh or cry with joy. Instead, he just sat there, at the foot of the bed and gave a shaky smile at Kyo. Kyo ignored him and continued to stare at Hisoka. Something was wrong with the way Kyo was looking at the boy. He opened his mouth to say something when Hisoka said, "Welcome back, Kyo."
Kyo didn't say anything, he just kept on staring. Taka was getting seriously worried and was just leaning forward, trying to get Kyo's attention, when without warning, Hisoka gave a gasp and the younger boy was suddenly thrown across the room by an invisible force, only to slid down to the floor, passed out.
Tsuzuki leapt to Hisoka with a strangled cry and as Taka watched in complete amazement, Kyo suddenly jumped off the bed and pressed himself against a corner, his eyes narrowed and face filled with rage.
"Kyo?" Taka slowly slid off the bed and approached Kyo cautiously, much like he did with Muraki. Kyo was eyeing them warily, looking for all the world like a trapped animal. When Taka got too close though, he hissed at them.
"Where's Akuma? Where is he?"
"Kyo," Watari said softly, approaching Kyo from another side, hands held up to show he was harmless. "Kyo, Akuma's not here remember, you're safe. He can't get to you here."
"It WAS you. You people took Akuma away from me. How dare you?"
If they were surprised then, they were completely stunned now. They could only gape at Kyo in astonishment and Kacho took an unconscious step forwards, trying to comfort the boy. But with a last hiss, Kyo shimmered and a moment later, disappeared.
"Chijou! He went down to Chijou!" Tatsumi shouted. "Hurry! We have to get to him before Akuma does!"
* * *
He didn't know to where he was running to and he didn't care. All he knew was that he could hear Akuma calling him now, his voice low and insistent, guiding him, promising him. He wanted Akuma so bad he was nearly crying with it.
His breath burned in his chest as he continued to run, heedless of the people he passed or knocked over. In his mind, he could see Akuma's smile, Akuma's eyes, he could taste that blood-sweet flavor of Akuma's mouth again.
He could feel the call getting stronger, getting nearer, when he suddenly found himself knocked to the ground. THEY were here. They had materialized right on top of him and there were at least three of them trying to pin him down to the ground. He struggled to throw off his attackers but they were insistent. Strong hands clamped down on his legs and hands, heavy weights settled against his back, preventing him from getting up.
NO! Akuma was going away! The voice was getting fainter, filled with sadness and unfulfilled promises and he howled in misery and anger.
"Kyo! Kyo, it's me Taka! Taka! Kyo, look at me!" one of the more insistent ones of his pursuers, his hands pushing Kyo's head down to the dirt had crouched low, trying to make eye contact with him.
Soft, auburn hair fell across his face, and Kyo remembered that the man had been wearing glasses but now it was gone, probably flew off when they landed on him. With the glasses gone though, he could now see the man's eyes clearly. They were a dark forest green with flecks of gold and they were now shadowed with some fierce emotion. Kyo stopped struggling for a moment, lost in those eyes.
"Yes, Kyo, it's us. You remember us, right?" Another voice came to him from above but he ignored it. All he could see was those eyes, eyes of green and gold.
Gold. Akuma.
With a sudden scream of rage, he felt his power building up inside him, wanting to be unleashed, and he did so, letting his fury fuel it.
In the back of his mind, he heard a distinctive snap of something breaking, but before he could find out what it was, all hell broke loose and he knew no more.
* * *
Watari lay limp on the ground, several feet away from where they had originally pinned down Kyo, and he thought to himself, it was just one of those days. Days when everything started out fine, and you thought to yourself; hey, it's gonna be a great day! But before you know it, you've jinxed yourself and even before lunch is over, the day had gone to hell.
Hell. Yes, it had felt like hell had suddenly exploded right in their faces just now. Kyo had actually called up his power, trying to shake them off, and when it happened, the earth beneath them had suddenly gave a mighty roar and the Shinigamis found themselves flying through the air and had landed with painful crashes on the hard ground.
The scientist gave a groan of pain and sat up, slowly, and with much wincing as several cuts and bruises healed. He blinked and started to cough. Dust had filled the air and he waved his hands around his face, trying to clear his vision. After several minutes, the dust settled down and he got a good look at his surroundings.
Everyone was on the ground like he was and a chorus of groans filled the air. Time to earn my keep, Watari thought wryly, and he made his rounds, checking up on the others. They were all sporting various bruises and cuts like he did and they were healing fine. Terazuma had a particularly nasty cut on his forehead but it too cleared up okay.
Takashi was still lying on the ground, unmoving and Watari hurried over, worried. Takashi had been the one to get the blast full on, being the closest to Kyo and the sensei was lying on his back, gasping, and Watari saw a deep, jagged cut across his abdomen and he winced in shared pain. Stomach wounds would be more than a little painful and would take more than a few minutes too heal.
Taka waved off Watari, gasping out instead, "Kyo, check on him, please."
Watari nodded and made his way over to the boy. Kyo had apparently hurt himself too in the blast and he was unconscious. Other than that, he sported no visible injuries. The boy had scared them, running off like that and screaming for Akuma. There was no doubt now that Akuma had placed *some* kind of curse on him. But how?
Tatsumi had come to crouch beside him, his once immaculate suit now rumpled and stained with dirt, his hair mussed. If Watari wasn't worried to death about Kyo, he'd be tempted to give a kiss to the secretary. Tatsumi looked positively adorable like that.
Kyo was starting to come around, eyes blinking open and staring bemusedly at them. Watari and Tatsumi tensed in preparation for another attack but Kyo seemed to have regained his senses and he looked at them with a frown, noting their more than slightly disheveled state and the almost wary way they looked at him.
"Watari? Tatsumi-san? What happened?" his throat felt dry and scratchy, like he had been screaming and he coughed. Had he been screaming? Why would he be screaming?
Watari and Tatsumi exchanged uneasy glances. It was Tatsumi who spoke though, saying, "Don't you remember what happened?"
Kyo sat up slowly, gingerly. His body felt like someone had taken a large, dirty stick and had beaten him from head to toe with it. He groaned. "I was, we were all at the office and I got up to get some coffee for Taka. . . ."
Bits and pieces of the events of the last couple of hours filtered in slowly through his brain. Coffee. Yes, he had been getting coffee for Taka when all of a sudden he had been caught in another one of those dreams. And he had collapsed.
"I was dreaming again."
Watari nodded, his face unhappy. "Yeah, and we couldn't wake you up. We took you to the hospital wing and Hisoka. ."
The dreams. He had been stuck in his dream but this time, it was different. There had been someone else there. . .Akuma. His eyes widened then as he remembered everything that had went on in the dream. Everything.
He found himself on his knees, painfully retching, dry heaves wracking through his body and Watari rubbed his back soothingly, saying that every thing was going to be alright.
How could it be alright? He had let Akuma. . oh my God, "Hisoka!"
Watari quickly held him down as he struggled to break free and quickly assured him, "Hisoka's going to be okay, Tsuzuki's looking after him right now."
He slumped against the blond in weary relief. "I'm sorry," he said miserably. He didn't know why he had acted like he did, all he could think about then had been wanting to see Akuma and . . .
He tried throwing up again but nothing came up. Oh, god, how was he going to face Taka. . . "Taka! Where's Taka?"
Watari was quick to assure him, "Takashi's okay! He's fine! Don't worry about it!"
There was something wrong, he knew it. Both he and Tatsumi looked kind of uncomfortable and without warning, he suddenly sprang up, knocking aside Watari's hands and brushing past Tatsumi. His eyes searched the area frantically and they rested upon a still figure, wearing familiar clothing.
"Taka!"
He ran in stumbling, weary steps and fell down beside the sensei, eyes wide in horror. Taka gave him a shaky smile. "Hey, you're alright."
Kyo could only stare numbly at the wound gaping in Taka's stomach. "I hurt you," he whispered instead.
"It's okay, see! It's closing up already," Taka waved a hand and watched Kyo anxiously. "It's not your fault Kyo," he continued softly, and the boy flinched back, eyes still wide and staring. Sure enough, the wound was closing up and in a few seconds, all traces of it disappeared.
"I hurt you, I hurt you," It was all he could keep on saying, repeating it over and over. He was dimly aware that Taka was shaking him, saying something, but all he could see was that wound, dark red blood trickling out. . .he had hurt Taka. His Taka. He had hurt him.
For the third time that day, Kyo collapsed.
________________________________________________________________________
~to be continued~
________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Did ya guys liked it? Did you? Did you? Tell tell tell! Ja ne!
Bee: Kyo burned down his own house accidentally? Wow, good guess! But. . .no. Hahaha! He didn't do it. Remember when Kyo told Hisoka what his powers were, he had said that when he was alive, it didn't really surface. It was only when he became a Shinigami that the power came out. Now THAT, is a major clue I'm giving here, concerning Kyo's past. . . .
Rinny: "Shh, it's okay," Kyo murmured gently in her ear, fingers brushing back Rinny's soft, silky hair and he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "See, Kelly has updated a new chapter and I get to be tortured again." Rinny shivered with delight and anticipation as that same mouth trailed softly down her cheek and rested lightly on her rapidly beating pulse. "You like that don't you? Kyo-Torture?"
. . . . . (hmm)
Miss Misery: You are so right. We must not waste what life has given to us, right? *winks*
Ice-Phoenix: ( ^ o ^ )
Hcbenitez: I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'm happy you liked Kyo's incantation. I thought it was kinda cool myself *smug*
Warning: A Taste of Lemon! But who from???? Crazed-Kyo!
Pairings: Kyo x Taka, Kyo x Akuma (WHAT????????)
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies!
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 14: The Enemy Within
________________________________________________________________________
He was sitting at a table, under a brightly striped umbrella, one of those huge ones that sidewalk cafes have, as the sun shone down from a clear blue sky. There were a few more of those tables with umbrellas, stretching down the road from either side of him and he could see his reflection from the display window of the café opposite him. Strangely though, there wasn't anybody else there. It was like a ghost town.
Kyo frowned. The last thing he remembered was that he was getting Taka some coffee when he was suddenly dreaming again. . . sure enough, just at the very edge of the last table and chairs, circling the picture perfect scene like an island, he could see his nightmare being played out, like it was on a giant, round movie screen.
But there was none of the crippling fear or grief that he usually felt when confronted by those visions. Instead, he felt oddly detached, as though he really was just a spectator to someone else's life movie. That was good, he thought. Yes, very good. He didn't like the nightmares anyway and if they can't touch him here, all the better. In fact, everything that happened before he came here seemed to fade away, as insubstantial as smoke and just as meaningful.
He looked again at the nightmare playing around him and he wondered who Taka was and why was he crying.
He turned in his chair as he felt a prickle between his shoulder blades and where the chair beside him had been empty a few moments ago, there was now somebody sitting in it. He smiled.
"Konnichiwa."
The stranger nodded and gave a smile back in return. Kyo was fascinated by the man. He was so beautiful. . . his smile was like a ray of sunshine breaking through a cloudy day and it made him insanely happy that he was the recipient of that smile.
"Who are you?" Kyo asked. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the man. His eyes were gorgeous, a deep yellow gold that was like Wa-who's name was it that he wanted to compare the stranger before him to? He frowned as he tried to remember but decided that it wasn't really important. As long as the man was here by his side, he was happy.
"My name is Akuma," the man told him and his voice sent shivers down his back. It was pure melody to him and seemed to hint at something deeper, something that was forbidden but all the more exciting because of it.
"Akuma," he repeated softly. Demon. It was. . . appropriate somehow. This Akuma was too beautiful to be a mere human, so beautiful that it was almost evil . . demon. . .Akuma. "Did you bring me here?"
Akuma nodded. "Yes, I wanted to keep you safe. Safe from those painful memories you keep hidden away. So I brought you here. Are you angry?"
Kyo looked shock at that. "Angry? Why should I be? You were protecting me, thank you."
They sat there in silence for a while but Kyo didn't mind. He loved looking at Akuma. His eyes, his hair. . .they were an amazing color, his hair. It was so red. So red that it looked like it was on fire. . or like blood. He wondered how it would feel, sliding between his fingers, falling over his face, caressing his cheek. . .
He blushed furiously. Why was he thinking like this? It was crazy! He turned his face away from the man and tried to control his breathing, praying that the blood in his cheeks would recede. He dreaded at the possibility that Akuma might be offended at what he was thinking and would leave him here, all alone. He didn't want to be alone.
"Kyo." It was a soft call, whispering his name, throbbing with promises. He found himself quickly turning back at the call, to find that Akuma was mere inches away from him, those golden eyes burning into his.
Akuma lifted one pale hand, as pale as the rest of him, the skin so white that it was like paper instead of skin. It didn't detract from his loveliness though, in fact, it enhanced it, setting off the blood-red hair perfectly. That pale hand cupped his cheek and he let out a gasp. It felt like his cheek was on fire from that simple touch. He turned his face into that cool palm and before he realized it, he kissed it tenderly.
He stopped suddenly in horror. What had he done? Akuma was sure to detest him now, would say he wasn't normal. That what he was doing wasn't right. He cringed slightly, waiting for the rejection, but instead, Akuma gave a low chuckle and his thumb rubbed sensuously over Kyo's lips, slow and smooth and Kyo hungrily licked it, tasting the sweet and slightly salty taste of the skin and he gently sucked.
Akuma continued to chuckle, the sound a deep purr in his throat and he pulled his hand away. Kyo let out a whimper and leaned forward, wanting to taste and feel again. Akuma proved more than willing to give him what he so badly needed and he pulled the boy close, his hand gentle yet insistently pushing at the back of his neck, drawing him in a for a kiss.
The first contact of lips to lips sent waves of fire through his body. He gasped as he felt his groin tighten with sudden need and Akuma took the advantage to dart his tongue in, flicking and gently stroking Kyo's. He felt as if his brain would melt next, the desire was racing through him so strongly that he couldn't breathe. The taste of Akuma's mouth was strange. It was salty, and yet sour, the combination bringing to mind the taste of blood.
He should be repelled by that. How could somebody's mouth tasted like blood? But he loved it. He wanted to taste it again and again. It was like wine to him, the taste bubbling intoxicatingly through and through and he leaned deeper into the kiss, moaning with desire.
But after a while, Akuma pushed him gently away and Kyo whimpered at the sudden loss. He wanted more, surely Akuma did too? He leaned forward again but Akuma stopped him gently, a hand firm on his chest. He wanted to die from the disappointment and thwarted desire burning in his body.
"Not now, my beautiful Kyo. They're coming for you."
Sure enough, just at the edge of his hearing, he could hear someone calling his name desperately, urgently. The sun seemed to grow darker then, the sky grayer and he knew it meant that Akuma was going to leave him. Sudden fierce rage consumed him and turned his vision red, as red as the blood of Akuma's hair and he hissed in anger.
He wanted Akuma and he knew Akuma wanted him but they, whoever they are, just had to come along and interrupt them. They would pay for this, he vowed. He'd make them pay.
Akuma chuckled again and he stroked Kyo's cheek softly and the boy felt his anger draining away. He wanted Akuma so badly. . .
"They're coming for you and I can't stop them. And I can't come to you. They're trying to separate us, they don't want us to be together," Akuma whispered in his ear.
"I'll kill them," Kyo swore. They were fools to try and separate him and Akuma and they would suffer for their mistake. He'd make sure of it.
Akuma laughed in sheer delight and the sound was like heaven to Kyo's ears. "Find me. When you wake up, they'll try to stop you from coming to me. But you have to. You have to find me. Then we can be together. . . and nothing will stop me then from ravishing you, dear, beautiful Kyo."
The promise hidden between the words made him dizzy with desire. They WILL pay for this, he swore again as the idyllic surroundings disappeared with a shimmer, taking Akuma with it and once again he was fully encompassed within his nightmare. But he paid no attention to it, ignoring the screams and the fire. He concentrated instead, on the voice that was calling to him.
They would pay for this. They would pay.
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Before the scream had even died in the air, Taka had vaulted over his desk and ran over to Kyo. The boy had collapsed on to the floor after letting out that fear-filled scream and he lay motionless on his side.
Taka gently turned Kyo over on his back, ignoring the rest of his co- workers who were trying to crowd around them, asking what was going on. His heart constricted in sudden fear. Kyo's eyes were open but they were blank, staring off unseeingly into space. The only consolation he had was that Kyo was still breathing, though shallowly.
Quickly, he swept Kyo's limp body into his arms and with Watari and the rest of the office following worriedly behind, he took Kyo to the hospital wing, laying him down gently on the bed after Watari had pulled down the covers for him.
It was now over an hour since they had put Kyo into bed but the boy showed no signs of waking up. They had tried to close his eyes but every time they did, they would just drift open again, staring on into nothingness. The rest had been briefed about what was going on and they stayed by Kyo's side, keeping vigil. Hisoka though, had gotten up and he, Tsuzuki and Watari were discussing together, speaking softly. After a while, they beckoned to Taka, wanting him to join them.
He left Kyo's side reluctantly and stood before them. "What is it?"
It was Watari who explained. "I think, judging from his condition, it's safe to say that Kyo's trapped in his nightmare, right?"
Taka nodded. Kyo had all the signs; the sudden dilation of the pupils, the stiff body. . .
"Hisoka thinks he can get Kyo out of it."
Taka was startled at that. He looked at the boy who stared back at him, a determined look on his face. He knew the risks involved. Hisoka would have to go into the nightmare himself and pull out Kyo's consciousness from it. If he failed, Hisoka was likely to get stuck in the nightmare with Kyo and might never get out.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly.
Hisoka nodded. "I want to help him. We all want to help him."
"Tsuzuki?" Taka asked the amethyst-eyed man who gave him a grin in answer.
"If I could do it also, I'll be in there right now, dragging Kyo out by his hair if necessary."
Taka closed his eyes as tears threatened his vision. He was grateful to them. More than that. He couldn't afford to lose Kyo, not again. He was willing to do anything to prevent it. "Thank you. But I have to warn you, his nightmare will be pretty bad," Taka answered.
"That's part of the reason why most of us here are Shinigamis, Takashi-san. Because of our nightmares," Hisoka said gently.
He then sat off to one side, watching Hisoka anxiously, as the boy gently cupped Kyo's hand in his and closed his eyes.
Please, God, I can't lose him. Not again.
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It was fairly easy for Hisoka to slip his consciousness into Kyo's. Too easy in fact and he quickly raised his shields in case it was a trap.
Everything around him was black at first and slowly, like the curtains before a stage, the darkness lifted into a gray shimmer and finally, he was in Kyo's nightmare.
There was fire everywhere and without meaning to, he flinched back from it. After a minute, he realized then why it had been so easy to slip in. The nightmare he was walking through was. . . weird. It was like walking down a corridor, with the nightmare playing on the walls. It was like a movie being played out, distanced and unreal.
Hisoka felt doubt and uneasiness roiling in his stomach. The whole thing was wrong, somehow. The sooner he got Kyo out of here, the better and he started walking down the corridor, calling out Kyo's name.
It felt like eternity before he finally got to the end of the corridor where the nightmare suddenly coalesced into something more substantial than the nightmares before. In fact, it was all around him now, the fire and the screaming. He tried to ignore the heat and flames and called out Kyo's name again.
"Kyo! Kyo, where are you? It's me, Hisoka! Kyo!"
He walked deeper and deeper into the nightmare trying to peer through the flames and smoke covering his vision. Wait, was that Kyo? He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the figure standing off a little way in front, black silhouette against red fire. "Kyo?" he called out.
The figure came nearer and as the fire roared up in fresh fury, his face was highlighted, thrown into stark relief.
It was Kyo. He let out a sigh of relief and held out his hand to the older boy. "C'mon, I'm going to get us out of here."
Kyo just stared at him for long seconds, the expression on his face unreadable. He ignored Hisoka's outstretched hand.
"Kyo? Are you okay?" There was something wrong here, he could feel it. Tentatively, he lowered his shields a little and tried to read Kyo. All he got was utter blankness. He blinked in surprise before understanding dawned on him. Kyo had probably shut himself off, not wanting to drown in his own nightmares. Hisoka couldn't blame him. From the bits and pieces he saw, he was pretty sure he was going to have nightmares about it himself.
"C'mon, Kyo! We have to get out of here, Taka's getting worried sick about you," Hisoka insisted.
That seemed to get through to him and he extended his own hand out slowly and grasped Hisoka's. The younger boy concentrated hard then, trying to control the hellish landscape around them and slowly, the roar of the fires faded, the dancing flames receded, and the whole scene slowly started to fade, growing tattered at the edges and with a final wrench, he smothered the dreams completely.
The blackness returned and slowly, he drew back to his own body and he could feel his mind slipping free of Kyo's.
Blingking in the suddenly too bright lights, his vision came back to him and he looked up to see that Kyo had regained consciousness and was staring at him. Hisoka smiled in relief. "Welcome back, Kyo."
He felt his hand which was still holding on to Kyo's being gently squeezed in return. And without any warning whatsoever, a tidal wave of rage swept through him, raking him from head to foot and he was literally thrown back by the force of that rage. He flew across the room and felt himself slammed hard against the wall, sliding down to the floor in a boneless thump.
He didn't even have time to scream as the pain rolled over him and he sank into darkness.
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The waiting was killing him. Even though it had only been 15 minutes after Hisoka had joined his mind with Kyo's, he felt his impatience and worry tearing at him, eating him from the inside. Only Tatsumi, Kacho, Tsuzuki and Watari were in the room with him, keeping watch together. Everyone else had been shooed out of the room before Hisoka had went into his trance by Watari and Tsuzuki. They did not want to risk overloading the boy's empathy.
He didn't know how for long he could stand this. He had started to fidget and when a hand rested on his shoulder, he nearly jumped in surprise. It was Tsuzuki.
"Don't worry," Tsuzuki said in a low voice. "If anybody can get Kyo out of this, it'd be Hisoka," he assured Taka.
He wasn't sure if he trusted himself to be able to answer Tsuzuki without breaking down so he just nodded when from the corner of his eye, he saw Hisoka gave a little shake. A moment later, Hisoka slowly sat up, having slumped over Kyo when he went in his trance. He was about to ask Hisoka what happened when Kyo blinked and started to sit up.
Taka didn't now whether to laugh or cry with joy. Instead, he just sat there, at the foot of the bed and gave a shaky smile at Kyo. Kyo ignored him and continued to stare at Hisoka. Something was wrong with the way Kyo was looking at the boy. He opened his mouth to say something when Hisoka said, "Welcome back, Kyo."
Kyo didn't say anything, he just kept on staring. Taka was getting seriously worried and was just leaning forward, trying to get Kyo's attention, when without warning, Hisoka gave a gasp and the younger boy was suddenly thrown across the room by an invisible force, only to slid down to the floor, passed out.
Tsuzuki leapt to Hisoka with a strangled cry and as Taka watched in complete amazement, Kyo suddenly jumped off the bed and pressed himself against a corner, his eyes narrowed and face filled with rage.
"Kyo?" Taka slowly slid off the bed and approached Kyo cautiously, much like he did with Muraki. Kyo was eyeing them warily, looking for all the world like a trapped animal. When Taka got too close though, he hissed at them.
"Where's Akuma? Where is he?"
"Kyo," Watari said softly, approaching Kyo from another side, hands held up to show he was harmless. "Kyo, Akuma's not here remember, you're safe. He can't get to you here."
"It WAS you. You people took Akuma away from me. How dare you?"
If they were surprised then, they were completely stunned now. They could only gape at Kyo in astonishment and Kacho took an unconscious step forwards, trying to comfort the boy. But with a last hiss, Kyo shimmered and a moment later, disappeared.
"Chijou! He went down to Chijou!" Tatsumi shouted. "Hurry! We have to get to him before Akuma does!"
* * *
He didn't know to where he was running to and he didn't care. All he knew was that he could hear Akuma calling him now, his voice low and insistent, guiding him, promising him. He wanted Akuma so bad he was nearly crying with it.
His breath burned in his chest as he continued to run, heedless of the people he passed or knocked over. In his mind, he could see Akuma's smile, Akuma's eyes, he could taste that blood-sweet flavor of Akuma's mouth again.
He could feel the call getting stronger, getting nearer, when he suddenly found himself knocked to the ground. THEY were here. They had materialized right on top of him and there were at least three of them trying to pin him down to the ground. He struggled to throw off his attackers but they were insistent. Strong hands clamped down on his legs and hands, heavy weights settled against his back, preventing him from getting up.
NO! Akuma was going away! The voice was getting fainter, filled with sadness and unfulfilled promises and he howled in misery and anger.
"Kyo! Kyo, it's me Taka! Taka! Kyo, look at me!" one of the more insistent ones of his pursuers, his hands pushing Kyo's head down to the dirt had crouched low, trying to make eye contact with him.
Soft, auburn hair fell across his face, and Kyo remembered that the man had been wearing glasses but now it was gone, probably flew off when they landed on him. With the glasses gone though, he could now see the man's eyes clearly. They were a dark forest green with flecks of gold and they were now shadowed with some fierce emotion. Kyo stopped struggling for a moment, lost in those eyes.
"Yes, Kyo, it's us. You remember us, right?" Another voice came to him from above but he ignored it. All he could see was those eyes, eyes of green and gold.
Gold. Akuma.
With a sudden scream of rage, he felt his power building up inside him, wanting to be unleashed, and he did so, letting his fury fuel it.
In the back of his mind, he heard a distinctive snap of something breaking, but before he could find out what it was, all hell broke loose and he knew no more.
* * *
Watari lay limp on the ground, several feet away from where they had originally pinned down Kyo, and he thought to himself, it was just one of those days. Days when everything started out fine, and you thought to yourself; hey, it's gonna be a great day! But before you know it, you've jinxed yourself and even before lunch is over, the day had gone to hell.
Hell. Yes, it had felt like hell had suddenly exploded right in their faces just now. Kyo had actually called up his power, trying to shake them off, and when it happened, the earth beneath them had suddenly gave a mighty roar and the Shinigamis found themselves flying through the air and had landed with painful crashes on the hard ground.
The scientist gave a groan of pain and sat up, slowly, and with much wincing as several cuts and bruises healed. He blinked and started to cough. Dust had filled the air and he waved his hands around his face, trying to clear his vision. After several minutes, the dust settled down and he got a good look at his surroundings.
Everyone was on the ground like he was and a chorus of groans filled the air. Time to earn my keep, Watari thought wryly, and he made his rounds, checking up on the others. They were all sporting various bruises and cuts like he did and they were healing fine. Terazuma had a particularly nasty cut on his forehead but it too cleared up okay.
Takashi was still lying on the ground, unmoving and Watari hurried over, worried. Takashi had been the one to get the blast full on, being the closest to Kyo and the sensei was lying on his back, gasping, and Watari saw a deep, jagged cut across his abdomen and he winced in shared pain. Stomach wounds would be more than a little painful and would take more than a few minutes too heal.
Taka waved off Watari, gasping out instead, "Kyo, check on him, please."
Watari nodded and made his way over to the boy. Kyo had apparently hurt himself too in the blast and he was unconscious. Other than that, he sported no visible injuries. The boy had scared them, running off like that and screaming for Akuma. There was no doubt now that Akuma had placed *some* kind of curse on him. But how?
Tatsumi had come to crouch beside him, his once immaculate suit now rumpled and stained with dirt, his hair mussed. If Watari wasn't worried to death about Kyo, he'd be tempted to give a kiss to the secretary. Tatsumi looked positively adorable like that.
Kyo was starting to come around, eyes blinking open and staring bemusedly at them. Watari and Tatsumi tensed in preparation for another attack but Kyo seemed to have regained his senses and he looked at them with a frown, noting their more than slightly disheveled state and the almost wary way they looked at him.
"Watari? Tatsumi-san? What happened?" his throat felt dry and scratchy, like he had been screaming and he coughed. Had he been screaming? Why would he be screaming?
Watari and Tatsumi exchanged uneasy glances. It was Tatsumi who spoke though, saying, "Don't you remember what happened?"
Kyo sat up slowly, gingerly. His body felt like someone had taken a large, dirty stick and had beaten him from head to toe with it. He groaned. "I was, we were all at the office and I got up to get some coffee for Taka. . . ."
Bits and pieces of the events of the last couple of hours filtered in slowly through his brain. Coffee. Yes, he had been getting coffee for Taka when all of a sudden he had been caught in another one of those dreams. And he had collapsed.
"I was dreaming again."
Watari nodded, his face unhappy. "Yeah, and we couldn't wake you up. We took you to the hospital wing and Hisoka. ."
The dreams. He had been stuck in his dream but this time, it was different. There had been someone else there. . .Akuma. His eyes widened then as he remembered everything that had went on in the dream. Everything.
He found himself on his knees, painfully retching, dry heaves wracking through his body and Watari rubbed his back soothingly, saying that every thing was going to be alright.
How could it be alright? He had let Akuma. . oh my God, "Hisoka!"
Watari quickly held him down as he struggled to break free and quickly assured him, "Hisoka's going to be okay, Tsuzuki's looking after him right now."
He slumped against the blond in weary relief. "I'm sorry," he said miserably. He didn't know why he had acted like he did, all he could think about then had been wanting to see Akuma and . . .
He tried throwing up again but nothing came up. Oh, god, how was he going to face Taka. . . "Taka! Where's Taka?"
Watari was quick to assure him, "Takashi's okay! He's fine! Don't worry about it!"
There was something wrong, he knew it. Both he and Tatsumi looked kind of uncomfortable and without warning, he suddenly sprang up, knocking aside Watari's hands and brushing past Tatsumi. His eyes searched the area frantically and they rested upon a still figure, wearing familiar clothing.
"Taka!"
He ran in stumbling, weary steps and fell down beside the sensei, eyes wide in horror. Taka gave him a shaky smile. "Hey, you're alright."
Kyo could only stare numbly at the wound gaping in Taka's stomach. "I hurt you," he whispered instead.
"It's okay, see! It's closing up already," Taka waved a hand and watched Kyo anxiously. "It's not your fault Kyo," he continued softly, and the boy flinched back, eyes still wide and staring. Sure enough, the wound was closing up and in a few seconds, all traces of it disappeared.
"I hurt you, I hurt you," It was all he could keep on saying, repeating it over and over. He was dimly aware that Taka was shaking him, saying something, but all he could see was that wound, dark red blood trickling out. . .he had hurt Taka. His Taka. He had hurt him.
For the third time that day, Kyo collapsed.
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~to be continued~
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A/N: Did ya guys liked it? Did you? Did you? Tell tell tell! Ja ne!