DIVERGING PATHS
Chapter 3 : Parted
Setting sun,
you cool the East
and let the blanket of the night
fall upon us all.
He stood solitary on a mountain's edge, overlooking the land below, and gazed at the shifting colors of the sky, a mix of warm and cool tones, as the sun sank on the horizon and night trailed in its wake. Alone, she and his own companions elsewhere for the moment, he was left with the thoughts ever present on his mind of late as the winds of fate blew, carrying the scent of change which signaled the turning point that the lives of all those concerned were about to undergo. It was inevitable, an unstoppable force that could not be escaped, only met and dealt with as destiny willed no matter what outcome were to lie ahead.
Such a soothing touch,
it induces the sleep that all need
to know the truth in themselves
and the power of the evil
that resides within shadow.
As the last rays of the sun disappeared entirely, leaving only the cloak of night and its twinkling jewels hanging overhead, he could not help but think of her and the battle to come. The thoughts that continuously circled his mind were not of himself but wholly reserved for her and the enemy, that insidious spider that wove his web again and again around them as he sought to entrap them within his dark plots. Because of the enemy's intent to either defile and corrupt her purity or eradicate her completely, the worry over even the smallest chance that such an event were to truly occur always remained to plague his soul.
Were she to be taken from him, no matter the manner, he would be unable to bear it.
Whatever the cost to himself, no matter what sacrifices he would have to make, he would give everything he had in his power to ensure her safety and well-being. To live on with his infinite lifespan without her was a price he was wholly unwilling to pay. Though he knew she would abhor such thoughts, her tender heart wishing no sacrifices upon any mortal or immortal being under her care, he would risk all that he was, life and soul, to see that she continued to breathe and upon this earth even were he to fall and be parted from her in spite of all his efforts to remain by her side.
So many thoughts come in and leave my mind.
Those of the present,
the past,
tomorrow.
Despite the dark possibility of defeat that clouded his consciousness, he was resolute and had no intentions whatsoever of failing, not when the prize at stake was so important. In times such as this, when keeping fading hopes alive became difficult, when distance parted him from her, he took solace in his memories of her as he always did. They trickled slowly across his mind in a random pattern, a mixture ranging from the past to hopes of the future but all centering around one ultimate goal, to take the steps necessary in ensuring that their destinies were to be bound to each other.
They had gone through too much to let things end easily, were it meant to at all, and have their chance at forever slide from their grasp.
It brought fresh worry to his heart, knowing that she felt the same desire to shield him as he did her for her mortality, when compared to the strength of youkai kind, made the chance that harm would befall her that much greater. He prayed silently, an action he only ever undertook for her, to whatever kind gods that had brought her unscathed through past skirmishes to continue their work and see her safely emerge in the one to come. Though he was fully aware of the power she possessed, as well as that of her companions, he was unable to completely vanquish his concern for her health and her heart, knowing she would suffer unbearably at any losses that would undoubtedly come the morrow.
It is today that I write to,
today which captivates me
to the point of exhaustion.
Soon, it would be soon. He could feel it in every fiber of his very being that the end was drawing near when the final resolution would be reached, answering the question as to whether it would be the spider that triumphed or be the one to be obliterated once and for all. A multitude of thoughts bombarded him, inundated with every possible scenario that could occur and that he mentally prepared himself to face and overcome, fortified his warrior's spirit and desire to emerge victorious. For they, he vowed, would be the ones to succeed.
I am out of the good,
a place and way I long to be,
that I have never truly been.
He prepared himself for a grueling battle, to fight by whatever means necessary to survive for he knew well that the enemy would use any method within his grasp, no matter how underhanded or despicable, to turn the tides to his favor. That spider was a cunning creature that would use the slightest weakness or inattention on the part of his opponents to strike and win the advantage. As long as that sinister enemy had the slightest bit of life and deviousness left within its flesh, he would always seek a way to make a comeback and take his vicious revenge by attacking with triple his previous devastating force until his goal was achieved.
Such was an event that he would not allow to happen, not with her life at risk.
He had a plan to deal with the spider once and for all, although he had refrained from telling her, knowing her pure and tender heart would disapprove of the harshness of his methods and the danger involved. Even knowing that she would protest, had she knowledge of what he intended, he was resolved to see it through.
That will change,
for of you I will go there,
work for the key to iron gates high above scale,
bars too tightly woven to squeeze between,
I will not cheat like so many around me,
I will accomplish by sweat of passion.
Afterwards, when it was over and they were finally together, never to be separated again, he would allow her to scold him to her heart's content for they would have finally attained all the time in the world, free from restrictions that attempted to keep them apart. A difficult goal to achieve, certainly, but not impossible as he had every confidence that his plan would succeed and was equally sure that she, loving him as she did, would forgive him and come to see his side of things eventually.
A thought.
A memory
through still alive in my mind
a memory in a day without you.
Remembering her loving nature made the silent longing in his heart worsen as he looked out across the plains below, cast in the shadows of the time that hovered between night and the early morn, into the distance that he could easily cross to reach the place where he knew she was located, no doubt slumbering in the presence of her comrades. Such thoughts had him desiring that her sleep be restful as the events that were to unfold with the coming of the new day might lead dark dreams to plague her in the nights to follow afterwards.
If the heavens were merciful enough to allow him to remain with her in the end, then he would soothe away any nightmares that chased her.
That desire gripped him, as did the memory of her as he recalled how last she looked before they had parted. Despite the dire situation that had loomed closer at hand, she had remained fairly unruffled, any concern that may have lingered in her expression had been without regard for herself and directed towards her companions and, especially, him.
You were in that thought,
I will succeed and you are a part of that.
Thank you.
Though he disliked concerning her so, despised any cause that made her eyes darken worry, he had been reassured by the proof of the depths of her feelings for him that had seen their relationship through difficult situations in the past and would, if the Fates were benevolent, in the future. That last night they were together, her love had been very evident in the warm smile she had bestowed upon him, the parting embrace, the farewell kiss, all of which became memories that drove him on.
Thoughts of her always gave him the strength to do what he must, was transformed into the fuel for his determination to succeed.
No matter how hard things became, how much his soul cried out to be with hers even though the temporary separation was necessary, he bore it with a patience that she would be proud of. It was knowing that she suffered similarly, bravely, that he forced himself to do just as much, to be worthy of her affections.
I dream without you,
but of being forever with you.
Yes, he took solace in his memories for, though she was not by his side physically, she was ever with him in his heart. And soon, very soon, the hour would come when he could take her, keep her by his side for all time and, once old enemies were cast aside, deal accordingly with any newcomers who dared to even think of coming between them.
Morning sun begins,
another path to the evening West,
leaving the day to its own means,
its own choices.
He was set, the time for their paths to converge once again was upon them. A new day was beginning, a day he knew would change it all, for better or worse. It was time for him to start out on the journey that would take him to the place where the paths of their destinies would be decided, clear the obstacles that stood in their way once and for all in a final battle to end all battles. There was absolutely no going back. For his happiness, for hers, for theirs, it would be seen through to the very end whatever that end may be.
The skies show my heart.
Clear.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
AN: Lyrics from poem entitled End by Ryan Drake.
Okay, one more installment left. Will they be together or will they be parted? All to be revealed (obscurely, of course) in the epilogue to come. (^^)
Chapter 3 : Parted
Setting sun,
you cool the East
and let the blanket of the night
fall upon us all.
He stood solitary on a mountain's edge, overlooking the land below, and gazed at the shifting colors of the sky, a mix of warm and cool tones, as the sun sank on the horizon and night trailed in its wake. Alone, she and his own companions elsewhere for the moment, he was left with the thoughts ever present on his mind of late as the winds of fate blew, carrying the scent of change which signaled the turning point that the lives of all those concerned were about to undergo. It was inevitable, an unstoppable force that could not be escaped, only met and dealt with as destiny willed no matter what outcome were to lie ahead.
Such a soothing touch,
it induces the sleep that all need
to know the truth in themselves
and the power of the evil
that resides within shadow.
As the last rays of the sun disappeared entirely, leaving only the cloak of night and its twinkling jewels hanging overhead, he could not help but think of her and the battle to come. The thoughts that continuously circled his mind were not of himself but wholly reserved for her and the enemy, that insidious spider that wove his web again and again around them as he sought to entrap them within his dark plots. Because of the enemy's intent to either defile and corrupt her purity or eradicate her completely, the worry over even the smallest chance that such an event were to truly occur always remained to plague his soul.
Were she to be taken from him, no matter the manner, he would be unable to bear it.
Whatever the cost to himself, no matter what sacrifices he would have to make, he would give everything he had in his power to ensure her safety and well-being. To live on with his infinite lifespan without her was a price he was wholly unwilling to pay. Though he knew she would abhor such thoughts, her tender heart wishing no sacrifices upon any mortal or immortal being under her care, he would risk all that he was, life and soul, to see that she continued to breathe and upon this earth even were he to fall and be parted from her in spite of all his efforts to remain by her side.
So many thoughts come in and leave my mind.
Those of the present,
the past,
tomorrow.
Despite the dark possibility of defeat that clouded his consciousness, he was resolute and had no intentions whatsoever of failing, not when the prize at stake was so important. In times such as this, when keeping fading hopes alive became difficult, when distance parted him from her, he took solace in his memories of her as he always did. They trickled slowly across his mind in a random pattern, a mixture ranging from the past to hopes of the future but all centering around one ultimate goal, to take the steps necessary in ensuring that their destinies were to be bound to each other.
They had gone through too much to let things end easily, were it meant to at all, and have their chance at forever slide from their grasp.
It brought fresh worry to his heart, knowing that she felt the same desire to shield him as he did her for her mortality, when compared to the strength of youkai kind, made the chance that harm would befall her that much greater. He prayed silently, an action he only ever undertook for her, to whatever kind gods that had brought her unscathed through past skirmishes to continue their work and see her safely emerge in the one to come. Though he was fully aware of the power she possessed, as well as that of her companions, he was unable to completely vanquish his concern for her health and her heart, knowing she would suffer unbearably at any losses that would undoubtedly come the morrow.
It is today that I write to,
today which captivates me
to the point of exhaustion.
Soon, it would be soon. He could feel it in every fiber of his very being that the end was drawing near when the final resolution would be reached, answering the question as to whether it would be the spider that triumphed or be the one to be obliterated once and for all. A multitude of thoughts bombarded him, inundated with every possible scenario that could occur and that he mentally prepared himself to face and overcome, fortified his warrior's spirit and desire to emerge victorious. For they, he vowed, would be the ones to succeed.
I am out of the good,
a place and way I long to be,
that I have never truly been.
He prepared himself for a grueling battle, to fight by whatever means necessary to survive for he knew well that the enemy would use any method within his grasp, no matter how underhanded or despicable, to turn the tides to his favor. That spider was a cunning creature that would use the slightest weakness or inattention on the part of his opponents to strike and win the advantage. As long as that sinister enemy had the slightest bit of life and deviousness left within its flesh, he would always seek a way to make a comeback and take his vicious revenge by attacking with triple his previous devastating force until his goal was achieved.
Such was an event that he would not allow to happen, not with her life at risk.
He had a plan to deal with the spider once and for all, although he had refrained from telling her, knowing her pure and tender heart would disapprove of the harshness of his methods and the danger involved. Even knowing that she would protest, had she knowledge of what he intended, he was resolved to see it through.
That will change,
for of you I will go there,
work for the key to iron gates high above scale,
bars too tightly woven to squeeze between,
I will not cheat like so many around me,
I will accomplish by sweat of passion.
Afterwards, when it was over and they were finally together, never to be separated again, he would allow her to scold him to her heart's content for they would have finally attained all the time in the world, free from restrictions that attempted to keep them apart. A difficult goal to achieve, certainly, but not impossible as he had every confidence that his plan would succeed and was equally sure that she, loving him as she did, would forgive him and come to see his side of things eventually.
A thought.
A memory
through still alive in my mind
a memory in a day without you.
Remembering her loving nature made the silent longing in his heart worsen as he looked out across the plains below, cast in the shadows of the time that hovered between night and the early morn, into the distance that he could easily cross to reach the place where he knew she was located, no doubt slumbering in the presence of her comrades. Such thoughts had him desiring that her sleep be restful as the events that were to unfold with the coming of the new day might lead dark dreams to plague her in the nights to follow afterwards.
If the heavens were merciful enough to allow him to remain with her in the end, then he would soothe away any nightmares that chased her.
That desire gripped him, as did the memory of her as he recalled how last she looked before they had parted. Despite the dire situation that had loomed closer at hand, she had remained fairly unruffled, any concern that may have lingered in her expression had been without regard for herself and directed towards her companions and, especially, him.
You were in that thought,
I will succeed and you are a part of that.
Thank you.
Though he disliked concerning her so, despised any cause that made her eyes darken worry, he had been reassured by the proof of the depths of her feelings for him that had seen their relationship through difficult situations in the past and would, if the Fates were benevolent, in the future. That last night they were together, her love had been very evident in the warm smile she had bestowed upon him, the parting embrace, the farewell kiss, all of which became memories that drove him on.
Thoughts of her always gave him the strength to do what he must, was transformed into the fuel for his determination to succeed.
No matter how hard things became, how much his soul cried out to be with hers even though the temporary separation was necessary, he bore it with a patience that she would be proud of. It was knowing that she suffered similarly, bravely, that he forced himself to do just as much, to be worthy of her affections.
I dream without you,
but of being forever with you.
Yes, he took solace in his memories for, though she was not by his side physically, she was ever with him in his heart. And soon, very soon, the hour would come when he could take her, keep her by his side for all time and, once old enemies were cast aside, deal accordingly with any newcomers who dared to even think of coming between them.
Morning sun begins,
another path to the evening West,
leaving the day to its own means,
its own choices.
He was set, the time for their paths to converge once again was upon them. A new day was beginning, a day he knew would change it all, for better or worse. It was time for him to start out on the journey that would take him to the place where the paths of their destinies would be decided, clear the obstacles that stood in their way once and for all in a final battle to end all battles. There was absolutely no going back. For his happiness, for hers, for theirs, it would be seen through to the very end whatever that end may be.
The skies show my heart.
Clear.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
AN: Lyrics from poem entitled End by Ryan Drake.
Okay, one more installment left. Will they be together or will they be parted? All to be revealed (obscurely, of course) in the epilogue to come. (^^)