DIVERGING PATHS
Chapter 2 : Together
This broth of life,
As it slips easily down my throat.
warmth into the soul that cannot exist,
in any more of a wonderful way.
Rejuvenation and life.
He was certain that this was what humans called 'contentment' as he knew no other way to describe his current condition, being far beyond the realms of what most other pure-blooded youkai were given to. From his own experience, he was well aware that those of his kind were consumed with a restlessness, a hungering desire for something more whether it be for power or otherwise, that drove them to wander the lands in order to search out the means to put a surcease to the indefinable longings that possessed them. It was a fruitless quest as youkai were rarely satisfied with their findings, always greedy for more and consuming as much as possible in an effort to stave off the emptiness that demanded to be filled yet never was. After all, it was impossible to satisfy a craving when one did not know its source.
He had been similar once upon a time, but he had risen up and away from the likeness to his brethren as, unlike them, he now understood the source of his longings.
Although, achieving such a feat was not something that he had been able to accomplish alone. Perhaps that was the reason that the majority of youkai were never satisfied, because they were too possessive of their privacy to let another within the protective barrier of emotional walls and glimpse their weaknesses for fear of losing their strength and power. With that crucial step remaining untaken, youkai were unable to move forward and grasp that which they unknowingly longed for but mistook for a hungering for more to be consumed. And so, they continued to stay in that cold and lifeless state of limbo, ever searching for that elusive something that would complete them but remained ever out of reach, unaware of the true prize that he had finally obtained.
He now reveled in the knowledge that he had been able to rise above the rest of his kind, been able to overcome his doubts and find the strength to reach for and strive towards the answer to his longings. And this was his reward, the now, the memories of what had occurred to reach this point, the memories that were still to be made. As he was more attuned than ever to the awareness of his life's blood coursing through his veins, he was determined to face whatever obstacles that may arise in the future. He was not afraid to face what may come as the desire to never again step back into that empty emotionless existence that plagued his kind gave him the strength of heart, mind, and soul to confront any that would dare to get in his way.
The bright stars guide me to that which is of interest,
Any who will be patient for it to find them,
teach them,
stay with them until they join those stars.
I am one already,
He let thoughts of enemies and others slip from his grasp as he focused on the other presence beside him. Under the night's sky, the dark black of which was dotted with a multitude of tiny lights, they had both been able to slip away from their traveling companions to steal yet another moment alone together away from intrusive eyes. To him, since that first night they had talked with one another, despite his resolve to stay away, some mysterious force had continued to draw them together. He knew now that it was the pull of her presence combined with his own deep-seated longings, so buried and faint that he hadn't noticed at the time, which had paved the way to binding their souls even closer. As their paths had continued to cross, with the starlight as their guide, they had met under the cover of darkness with an increasing frequency with the passage of time.
I know not limits to the amount of life and,
to share that with you,
Is now my entire purpose.
Watching her slumbering countenance as the warmth of her body pressed against him, was absorbed by into him, he felt a peace that had never experienced until she had made her presence known in his life. He was eager to share more such moments with her, more of many things life had to offer to them, in the near and distant future.
However, aside from bring hope, thoughts of the near and far future also brought him worries.
Despite the pleasure he took in her companionship, a niggling uneasiness managed to worm its way into his thoughts more and more frequently. Though they had overcome the invisible boundary that separated their races, the differences between them were still there and impossible to ignore much as he would rather not think of such concerns. For she was as mortal as he was youkai and the lifespan of each was vastly dissimilar. Although he had made no mention of it to her as of yet, during the course of his travels, he had kept himself open to obtaining a method that would bring the diverse span of their lives to an equal level. By all the powers that he possessed, if there was a way for their lives to be bound together for all time, then he would seek it and make it theirs.
Let me in,
you did.
Let me speak,
you did.
Let me touch you
with all the wondrous,
beautiful things that I have known,
I have experienced,
I have loved.
For all she had done for him, all she had taught him, all she had shown him, he would not willingly lose her to any force whether it was of the physical or the non. The one thing he would absolutely not abide was to be parted from her forever. To have time's final gift of death steal her away was quite different from traveling down separate paths for, in the case of the latter, he was certain her companions would risk their own lives to ensure that she remained in this world with him until next they were able to meet again.
As the light of dawn crept over the horizon, he regretted, as he always did, having to release her from his presence once more.
It was ever thus, reality always intruding upon their solitary moments together, thrusting them back to their journeys and the companions accompanying them, the only knowledge of comfort being that they were sure to come together again on another night. For, no matter how far apart their travels took them, he swore to always find her wherever she may be. He, who had changed so much since experiencing the emotions she bestowed upon him, could never leave her long without him by her side and vowed, now and forever until the end of their time together, to always be there to the best of his abilities to share whatever pains or pleasures life chose to visit upon them.
I love still,
you.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
AN: Lyrics from a poem entitled Middle by Ryan Drake.
Well, the only thing I have to say is that I hope everyone can follow what's going on since I'm being deliberately vague and obscure, leaving it up to the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks. Now, rolls up sleeves to get back to work on the next two chapters. (^^)
Chapter 2 : Together
This broth of life,
As it slips easily down my throat.
warmth into the soul that cannot exist,
in any more of a wonderful way.
Rejuvenation and life.
He was certain that this was what humans called 'contentment' as he knew no other way to describe his current condition, being far beyond the realms of what most other pure-blooded youkai were given to. From his own experience, he was well aware that those of his kind were consumed with a restlessness, a hungering desire for something more whether it be for power or otherwise, that drove them to wander the lands in order to search out the means to put a surcease to the indefinable longings that possessed them. It was a fruitless quest as youkai were rarely satisfied with their findings, always greedy for more and consuming as much as possible in an effort to stave off the emptiness that demanded to be filled yet never was. After all, it was impossible to satisfy a craving when one did not know its source.
He had been similar once upon a time, but he had risen up and away from the likeness to his brethren as, unlike them, he now understood the source of his longings.
Although, achieving such a feat was not something that he had been able to accomplish alone. Perhaps that was the reason that the majority of youkai were never satisfied, because they were too possessive of their privacy to let another within the protective barrier of emotional walls and glimpse their weaknesses for fear of losing their strength and power. With that crucial step remaining untaken, youkai were unable to move forward and grasp that which they unknowingly longed for but mistook for a hungering for more to be consumed. And so, they continued to stay in that cold and lifeless state of limbo, ever searching for that elusive something that would complete them but remained ever out of reach, unaware of the true prize that he had finally obtained.
He now reveled in the knowledge that he had been able to rise above the rest of his kind, been able to overcome his doubts and find the strength to reach for and strive towards the answer to his longings. And this was his reward, the now, the memories of what had occurred to reach this point, the memories that were still to be made. As he was more attuned than ever to the awareness of his life's blood coursing through his veins, he was determined to face whatever obstacles that may arise in the future. He was not afraid to face what may come as the desire to never again step back into that empty emotionless existence that plagued his kind gave him the strength of heart, mind, and soul to confront any that would dare to get in his way.
The bright stars guide me to that which is of interest,
Any who will be patient for it to find them,
teach them,
stay with them until they join those stars.
I am one already,
He let thoughts of enemies and others slip from his grasp as he focused on the other presence beside him. Under the night's sky, the dark black of which was dotted with a multitude of tiny lights, they had both been able to slip away from their traveling companions to steal yet another moment alone together away from intrusive eyes. To him, since that first night they had talked with one another, despite his resolve to stay away, some mysterious force had continued to draw them together. He knew now that it was the pull of her presence combined with his own deep-seated longings, so buried and faint that he hadn't noticed at the time, which had paved the way to binding their souls even closer. As their paths had continued to cross, with the starlight as their guide, they had met under the cover of darkness with an increasing frequency with the passage of time.
I know not limits to the amount of life and,
to share that with you,
Is now my entire purpose.
Watching her slumbering countenance as the warmth of her body pressed against him, was absorbed by into him, he felt a peace that had never experienced until she had made her presence known in his life. He was eager to share more such moments with her, more of many things life had to offer to them, in the near and distant future.
However, aside from bring hope, thoughts of the near and far future also brought him worries.
Despite the pleasure he took in her companionship, a niggling uneasiness managed to worm its way into his thoughts more and more frequently. Though they had overcome the invisible boundary that separated their races, the differences between them were still there and impossible to ignore much as he would rather not think of such concerns. For she was as mortal as he was youkai and the lifespan of each was vastly dissimilar. Although he had made no mention of it to her as of yet, during the course of his travels, he had kept himself open to obtaining a method that would bring the diverse span of their lives to an equal level. By all the powers that he possessed, if there was a way for their lives to be bound together for all time, then he would seek it and make it theirs.
Let me in,
you did.
Let me speak,
you did.
Let me touch you
with all the wondrous,
beautiful things that I have known,
I have experienced,
I have loved.
For all she had done for him, all she had taught him, all she had shown him, he would not willingly lose her to any force whether it was of the physical or the non. The one thing he would absolutely not abide was to be parted from her forever. To have time's final gift of death steal her away was quite different from traveling down separate paths for, in the case of the latter, he was certain her companions would risk their own lives to ensure that she remained in this world with him until next they were able to meet again.
As the light of dawn crept over the horizon, he regretted, as he always did, having to release her from his presence once more.
It was ever thus, reality always intruding upon their solitary moments together, thrusting them back to their journeys and the companions accompanying them, the only knowledge of comfort being that they were sure to come together again on another night. For, no matter how far apart their travels took them, he swore to always find her wherever she may be. He, who had changed so much since experiencing the emotions she bestowed upon him, could never leave her long without him by her side and vowed, now and forever until the end of their time together, to always be there to the best of his abilities to share whatever pains or pleasures life chose to visit upon them.
I love still,
you.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
AN: Lyrics from a poem entitled Middle by Ryan Drake.
Well, the only thing I have to say is that I hope everyone can follow what's going on since I'm being deliberately vague and obscure, leaving it up to the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks. Now, rolls up sleeves to get back to work on the next two chapters. (^^)