Later that night, Shuichi tossed and turned in his sleep.
Salve Raphael cuius spiritus est e montibus orta et vestis aurata sicus solis lumina...
Shuichi whimpered, thrashing over onto his stomach. Yuki Eiri watched him from across the room. Scooting his office chair slightly away from Shuichi without realizing it, he bit his lips in thought.
Shuichi was a god. No, not a god. An angel. No, that was far too cliché, and belittling to him... Yuki couldn't keep his thoughts properly in line, walking numbly over to the bed where Shuichi still seized about, making small moans.
~~~~~~~
Ryuichi looked in the mirror for the first time since Raphael had... since Shuichi... no... Ryuichi sighed, slumping over the dressing vanity. Its surface was littered with colorful objects, neon in particular. Anything that was bright, vibrant, demanding to be seen.
Has his hair really grown that long without him noticing? No, shouldn't think he would notice, he hadn't noticed anything else either. There was always that perplexing distance there... Ryuichi shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear it. This only gave him a headache, and so he stood, holding a brightly dressed Kumagorou to his chest, looking into the mirror at the long haired Ryuichi that looked back. He wasn't blind anymore, but... why wasn't he happy with what he saw?
~~~~~~~
"No... not him... not him... not Raphael... m'Shuichi...not him...NOT HIM!!!" Shuichi wailed, kicking and flailing about. Yuki had seen enough. He shook the boy, who was still trying to convince a voiceless audience of who he was. Tears ran down the singers' cheeks, and he was clearing losing the argument.
"Shuichi!" Said Yuki just as loudly, and with a bit more force. This was starting to scare him. He yelled the singer's name many times, but Shuichi was too frightened to even wake himself up. One would think that his hysterical crying would be loud enough to rouse the dead, but Shuichi slept on, trapped in his own personal hell.
~~~~~~~
"Well, if it isn't Raphael, The One of Bargains, the Purveyor of Sound. To what do I owe this wondrous pleasure." A man with long, cascading blonde hair said to Shuichi. It...seemed male, at least.
"I'm not Raphael, I'm Shuichi! Stop calling me that!" Shuichi moaned, covering his ears. This was painful! The voice of the being near him was beautiful, yet horrid, fluid yet sharp as glass.
"Yes, yes. Shuichi. You'll know by now that you are not. You are a placeholder for Raphael, nothing more, nothing less." The being said in an emotionless tone.
Shuichi felt something in his mind snap.
~~~~~~~
Tohma Seguchi wandered around his home slowly. He was hungry, but his stomach still hurt him a bit. Mika had gone out to get his prescription filled, so he was alone. Not good. Being alone let him think. He pressed a finger to his temple, sighing.
"Must put this in simple terms." He muttered to himself. "Shuichi is some sort of holy being. There. Ryuichi was healed by him. There. Simple."
Tohma sighed again, banging his head on the kitchen counter with a thud.
~~~~~~~
Yuki was quite relieved when Shuichi sat up in bed, looking more calm than he had before. Almost... too calm. Yuki narrowed his eyes at the singer. Shuichi turned to him, looking through him rather than at him... and smiled.
No. Thought Yuki. Not a smile. A hideous grin.
"Shuichi?" Yuki asked quietly, and with more than a little uncertainty. Shuichi's voice was calm and, Yuki realized with some horror, much much older.
"Uesugi Eiri. I'm afraid the one called Shuichi will not be returning to you."
~~~~~~~
Hiroshi ran as fast as his feet could carry him. Something was wrong. The connection he usually had to Shuichi had been broken.
No, not broken. Ripped, savagely ripped.
~~~~~~~
Yuki began to get angry. He grabbed the pink haired person in front of him by the collar.
"You!" Yuki cried out, sounding half angry and half extremely dismayed. "Give him back!"
Shuichi's face smiled grimly. "He is gone. He could not handle having me inside him. He let go." Said Shuichi, but with the voice of Raphael.
Yuki paled. "Let... let go?" He squeaked. It was impossible. Could Shuichi really have just... given up? Let go? Let himself be taken over by this... this THING?
Yuki let his arms drop the pink haired person in front of him. He sank back into his chair, feeling every bit as shattered as he had been the night he killed Kitazawa.
Raphael took this moment of disbelief to change form yet again, showering the room with a light so painful it burnt your eyes, yet still so beautiful you couldn't but look at it.
And then he was gone.
~~~~~~~
Hiroshi threw himself against the door repeatedly. It couldn't be now, it just couldn't! One last heave sent the door groaning to the floor. He ran into the room that he knew was the bedroom, throwing open the door.
His eyes widened as he saw the last remnants of Raphael's energy dissipate.
"No..." He whispered. His eyes grew watery, and he felt something in his chest tightly painfully. Shuichi was gone.
He sank to his knees, screaming the name of his best friend in a tormented, fractured voice.
He didn't hear Yuki screaming as well.
Salve Raphael cuius spiritus est e montibus orta et vestis aurata sicus solis lumina...
Shuichi whimpered, thrashing over onto his stomach. Yuki Eiri watched him from across the room. Scooting his office chair slightly away from Shuichi without realizing it, he bit his lips in thought.
Shuichi was a god. No, not a god. An angel. No, that was far too cliché, and belittling to him... Yuki couldn't keep his thoughts properly in line, walking numbly over to the bed where Shuichi still seized about, making small moans.
~~~~~~~
Ryuichi looked in the mirror for the first time since Raphael had... since Shuichi... no... Ryuichi sighed, slumping over the dressing vanity. Its surface was littered with colorful objects, neon in particular. Anything that was bright, vibrant, demanding to be seen.
Has his hair really grown that long without him noticing? No, shouldn't think he would notice, he hadn't noticed anything else either. There was always that perplexing distance there... Ryuichi shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear it. This only gave him a headache, and so he stood, holding a brightly dressed Kumagorou to his chest, looking into the mirror at the long haired Ryuichi that looked back. He wasn't blind anymore, but... why wasn't he happy with what he saw?
~~~~~~~
"No... not him... not him... not Raphael... m'Shuichi...not him...NOT HIM!!!" Shuichi wailed, kicking and flailing about. Yuki had seen enough. He shook the boy, who was still trying to convince a voiceless audience of who he was. Tears ran down the singers' cheeks, and he was clearing losing the argument.
"Shuichi!" Said Yuki just as loudly, and with a bit more force. This was starting to scare him. He yelled the singer's name many times, but Shuichi was too frightened to even wake himself up. One would think that his hysterical crying would be loud enough to rouse the dead, but Shuichi slept on, trapped in his own personal hell.
~~~~~~~
"Well, if it isn't Raphael, The One of Bargains, the Purveyor of Sound. To what do I owe this wondrous pleasure." A man with long, cascading blonde hair said to Shuichi. It...seemed male, at least.
"I'm not Raphael, I'm Shuichi! Stop calling me that!" Shuichi moaned, covering his ears. This was painful! The voice of the being near him was beautiful, yet horrid, fluid yet sharp as glass.
"Yes, yes. Shuichi. You'll know by now that you are not. You are a placeholder for Raphael, nothing more, nothing less." The being said in an emotionless tone.
Shuichi felt something in his mind snap.
~~~~~~~
Tohma Seguchi wandered around his home slowly. He was hungry, but his stomach still hurt him a bit. Mika had gone out to get his prescription filled, so he was alone. Not good. Being alone let him think. He pressed a finger to his temple, sighing.
"Must put this in simple terms." He muttered to himself. "Shuichi is some sort of holy being. There. Ryuichi was healed by him. There. Simple."
Tohma sighed again, banging his head on the kitchen counter with a thud.
~~~~~~~
Yuki was quite relieved when Shuichi sat up in bed, looking more calm than he had before. Almost... too calm. Yuki narrowed his eyes at the singer. Shuichi turned to him, looking through him rather than at him... and smiled.
No. Thought Yuki. Not a smile. A hideous grin.
"Shuichi?" Yuki asked quietly, and with more than a little uncertainty. Shuichi's voice was calm and, Yuki realized with some horror, much much older.
"Uesugi Eiri. I'm afraid the one called Shuichi will not be returning to you."
~~~~~~~
Hiroshi ran as fast as his feet could carry him. Something was wrong. The connection he usually had to Shuichi had been broken.
No, not broken. Ripped, savagely ripped.
~~~~~~~
Yuki began to get angry. He grabbed the pink haired person in front of him by the collar.
"You!" Yuki cried out, sounding half angry and half extremely dismayed. "Give him back!"
Shuichi's face smiled grimly. "He is gone. He could not handle having me inside him. He let go." Said Shuichi, but with the voice of Raphael.
Yuki paled. "Let... let go?" He squeaked. It was impossible. Could Shuichi really have just... given up? Let go? Let himself be taken over by this... this THING?
Yuki let his arms drop the pink haired person in front of him. He sank back into his chair, feeling every bit as shattered as he had been the night he killed Kitazawa.
Raphael took this moment of disbelief to change form yet again, showering the room with a light so painful it burnt your eyes, yet still so beautiful you couldn't but look at it.
And then he was gone.
~~~~~~~
Hiroshi threw himself against the door repeatedly. It couldn't be now, it just couldn't! One last heave sent the door groaning to the floor. He ran into the room that he knew was the bedroom, throwing open the door.
His eyes widened as he saw the last remnants of Raphael's energy dissipate.
"No..." He whispered. His eyes grew watery, and he felt something in his chest tightly painfully. Shuichi was gone.
He sank to his knees, screaming the name of his best friend in a tormented, fractured voice.
He didn't hear Yuki screaming as well.