Koban wa minna, and welcome to another dose of depression and angst.
Standard disclaimers apply, and all that rot. So here we go . . .
Kurama's POV
Hearts Blood
I stared in horror at the small body that lay at my feet. Blood was seeping into my carpet and staining my hands. Oh, Inari, no. Dropping to my knees, I gathered the black clad form into my arms. He looked up at me, blinking to clear his eyes of the thick scarlet liquid that dripped from his closed Jagan. His pale features were twisted with pain, but his body in my arms relaxed, knowing he was safe.
Safe with me. Safe from me.
Flashback
A light tenor chuckle rang through the air. A tall, slender figure brushed long silver hair over his shoulder, laughing at the stunned figure sitting in front of him on the bed. He had always wanted this little one for his own and now . . . oh, now. He grinned like no sane person ever could.
But the one before him stands, moving away. Relentlessly the amber eyed demon follows, pulling the struggling form into his strong arms. His lips clasp over the Jaganshi's, his tongue roughly forcing its way into his mouth. He pushed the other against the wall, pinning the smaller body beneath his own.
He reveled in the tenseness of the dark one as he resisted. But both of them knew it was useless. Both of them knew how it would end. A youko's lover rarely lived long enough to tell of the experience.
End Flashback
Tears began to well in my eyes. Oh dear gods. He had done this to my koi. /I/ had done this.
My fire demon's lips parted in a poor imitation of a smile. Salty tears began to trickle from my eyes as metallic blood trickled from his mouth. A small hand lifted to nestle in my hair, and the magma eyes tried to tell me what he was not capable of saying.
I bent down, touching my lips to his gently. His mouth was cold against mine and I had to pull away. I couldn't stand the freezing touch of one that had always been so warm, couldn't stand the taste of his blood on my tongue. The crimson fluid of despair, the kind that only comes from a heart that has been torn to shreds.
I sat with him all through the night, feeling the oppressive darkness press around us, drenching us with its forlorn shadows and broken promises.
His breaths were so shallow that they rasped in his chest, and I could see that every beat of his mangled heart was torture. The wall was beginning to color the slightest shade of pink as the sun rose in the east, carrying with it renewed hope. His chest lifted in the first steady breath in over an hour, then fell in rhythm. And lay still.
I wanted to cry, but there was nothing left. I was a plain of ice and snow inside, cold, and devoid of emotion. I stood, going to the window and watched the sun brush the horizon with gentle fingertips, as his had so often brushed mine. I held him closer to my breast, watching the sunrise as we had done so many times before.
After the sun had just crested the flat expanse before me, I sighed, reverently placing the limp form on the bed. Glancing around the room for the first time since I had awoken, I winced, closing my eyes and turning away. My room was in a horrible disarray, like a battle had taken place. I moaned.
One had.
My mirror lay shattered on the ground, the shards catching and refracting the light that hit them. Broken, never to be put back together, just like my heart.
Kneeling, I picked up one of the pieces, hissing softly as the sharp edges cut into my fingers, coaxing blood from the flesh. Three drops fell on the fragment of glass and I looked down. The reflection there shimmered silver for a moment and I glanced away. But all I saw were the other pieces, millions of incomplete double images that held the eye and then distorted.
Amber eyes looked into my green and he laughed at me. I could never escape him. I /was/ him. And he was destroying me.
I clenched my fists tightly, ignoring the pain as the glass bit into my palm. Turning away from his mocking façade, I went back and sat on the floor by the bed. Reaching out, I touched my lover's lips, the liquid on my fingers leaving a bright trail on his cold, pale skin. I had the sudden, inexplicable urge to see more of this curious fluid. This life-blood, that runs through our veins, keeping us alive. So precious a substance, but easier to find than gold, and even easier to spill, to waste. To deny life.
Holding the splinter between my fingers, I traced the blue line that ran half-way up my forearm from my wrist, watching in fascination as the scarlet spring welled up. Switching hands, I repeated the action on my other arm. It hurt at first, but the pain subsided, leaving me blissfully numb.
I held my hands in front of me, cupping the liquid that flowed into them. It trickled through my fingers slowly, the overflowed to spill over the tops of my hands, dripping to the floor beneath me. The edges of my vision grew fuzzy and I smiled, realizing what I had done, not even disturbed by the fact that I didn't care that it was too late.
I looked back to my koi, fondly gazing at his fuzz-softened features. I lay my head on his still chest, resting my arms on the edge of the bed. I took one of his hands in min and closed my eyes, unafraid of the darkness that came to me.
Kurama's POV
Hearts Blood
I stared in horror at the small body that lay at my feet. Blood was seeping into my carpet and staining my hands. Oh, Inari, no. Dropping to my knees, I gathered the black clad form into my arms. He looked up at me, blinking to clear his eyes of the thick scarlet liquid that dripped from his closed Jagan. His pale features were twisted with pain, but his body in my arms relaxed, knowing he was safe.
Safe with me. Safe from me.
Flashback
A light tenor chuckle rang through the air. A tall, slender figure brushed long silver hair over his shoulder, laughing at the stunned figure sitting in front of him on the bed. He had always wanted this little one for his own and now . . . oh, now. He grinned like no sane person ever could.
But the one before him stands, moving away. Relentlessly the amber eyed demon follows, pulling the struggling form into his strong arms. His lips clasp over the Jaganshi's, his tongue roughly forcing its way into his mouth. He pushed the other against the wall, pinning the smaller body beneath his own.
He reveled in the tenseness of the dark one as he resisted. But both of them knew it was useless. Both of them knew how it would end. A youko's lover rarely lived long enough to tell of the experience.
End Flashback
Tears began to well in my eyes. Oh dear gods. He had done this to my koi. /I/ had done this.
My fire demon's lips parted in a poor imitation of a smile. Salty tears began to trickle from my eyes as metallic blood trickled from his mouth. A small hand lifted to nestle in my hair, and the magma eyes tried to tell me what he was not capable of saying.
I bent down, touching my lips to his gently. His mouth was cold against mine and I had to pull away. I couldn't stand the freezing touch of one that had always been so warm, couldn't stand the taste of his blood on my tongue. The crimson fluid of despair, the kind that only comes from a heart that has been torn to shreds.
I sat with him all through the night, feeling the oppressive darkness press around us, drenching us with its forlorn shadows and broken promises.
His breaths were so shallow that they rasped in his chest, and I could see that every beat of his mangled heart was torture. The wall was beginning to color the slightest shade of pink as the sun rose in the east, carrying with it renewed hope. His chest lifted in the first steady breath in over an hour, then fell in rhythm. And lay still.
I wanted to cry, but there was nothing left. I was a plain of ice and snow inside, cold, and devoid of emotion. I stood, going to the window and watched the sun brush the horizon with gentle fingertips, as his had so often brushed mine. I held him closer to my breast, watching the sunrise as we had done so many times before.
After the sun had just crested the flat expanse before me, I sighed, reverently placing the limp form on the bed. Glancing around the room for the first time since I had awoken, I winced, closing my eyes and turning away. My room was in a horrible disarray, like a battle had taken place. I moaned.
One had.
My mirror lay shattered on the ground, the shards catching and refracting the light that hit them. Broken, never to be put back together, just like my heart.
Kneeling, I picked up one of the pieces, hissing softly as the sharp edges cut into my fingers, coaxing blood from the flesh. Three drops fell on the fragment of glass and I looked down. The reflection there shimmered silver for a moment and I glanced away. But all I saw were the other pieces, millions of incomplete double images that held the eye and then distorted.
Amber eyes looked into my green and he laughed at me. I could never escape him. I /was/ him. And he was destroying me.
I clenched my fists tightly, ignoring the pain as the glass bit into my palm. Turning away from his mocking façade, I went back and sat on the floor by the bed. Reaching out, I touched my lover's lips, the liquid on my fingers leaving a bright trail on his cold, pale skin. I had the sudden, inexplicable urge to see more of this curious fluid. This life-blood, that runs through our veins, keeping us alive. So precious a substance, but easier to find than gold, and even easier to spill, to waste. To deny life.
Holding the splinter between my fingers, I traced the blue line that ran half-way up my forearm from my wrist, watching in fascination as the scarlet spring welled up. Switching hands, I repeated the action on my other arm. It hurt at first, but the pain subsided, leaving me blissfully numb.
I held my hands in front of me, cupping the liquid that flowed into them. It trickled through my fingers slowly, the overflowed to spill over the tops of my hands, dripping to the floor beneath me. The edges of my vision grew fuzzy and I smiled, realizing what I had done, not even disturbed by the fact that I didn't care that it was too late.
I looked back to my koi, fondly gazing at his fuzz-softened features. I lay my head on his still chest, resting my arms on the edge of the bed. I took one of his hands in min and closed my eyes, unafraid of the darkness that came to me.