A/N - Uh…nothing to say? 

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Takato Takes a Stand

Love can't continue

As a mere dream

But if you lust after it, it becomes a beautiful but hollow shell

But still...

~Moon Revenge

                Aishuu grinned maliciously.  The next victim was going down.  He was paying a return visit to Ruki, and he made pointed efforts to make sure Takato would not interfere.  He wasn't quite sure why Takato was so fond of this particular human.  "Looks like fun…"  He again crept in, silent as a shadow.  Ruki was awake this time, sitting in the dining room, thinking about her mother's death. 

                Ruki's memory told her it was Takato, but her heart told her otherwise.  I am the Master of Darkness, defender of the dead…  Takato also couldn't fight if his life depended on it.  "It wasn't Takato…"  But…who was it?  The person had Takato's voice, his appearance…  She was reminded of the D-Reaper.  Anything was possible. 

                "Aw, isn't that sweet, little Ruki is thinking of her mother."  She whirled around…  And almost collided with the glaive.  Takato--or whoever was pretending to be Takato--was pointing that glaive right at her.  "Too bad that's the last thought you'll have." 

                "You're not Takato."  For the first time, her attacker stepped fully into the light.  She stared at him, seeing Takato, and not seeing Takato.  It was the eyes.  They had no light, no darkness, all they were empty pools of red.  She noted the poor condition of his body, clearly it had been under strain recently.  "Who are you?" 

                "Didn't I tell you this before?"  Aishuu hissed, grabbing Ruki's long hair.  "My, you have pretty hair…"  She squirmed and struggled.  She saw the glaive getting closer and closer.  Aishuu grinned broadly.  Suddenly, Takato awoke in his mind. 

                STOP!!  And he fought, for the first time, for control of his body.  Aishuu dropped Ruki and his glaive.  Ruki turned and looked, and saw Aishuu's red orbs vanish, and a different, sad, pair emerge.  Takato dropped to his knees.  "Takato…?"

                He turned and looked at her.  Suddenly, the world spun around, twirling around until he lost all sense of time as he passed out.