A/N: Oh my Goddess, we actually updated. I am shocked.
JC: We have been working on our stories, believe us. We just haven't been working on the RW ones. (Sweatdrops) We also got hurt a few weeks ago and have had to pace our writing.
Kathrine: This was written because of the ever faithful and enthusiastic fan it seems to have gotten.
JC: Crimson Blade has been begging for this and we could say no.
Kathrine: So here it is!
JC: Okay, now we are working on about four stories right now. True Bloods got lost. -- We have to rewrite the whole chapter all over again.
Kathrine: We hate our computer sometimes.
JC: Anyway, why don't yall enjoy this and hope it satisfies ya.
Disclaimer: Did it a few chapters back. Go check them out for it.
Warnings: Seiji torture, Angst, Evil demons, lots of bad themes. Don't flame unless you want retaliation. Constructional criticism is welcome to make us better writers. And this is the edited version, new title and all.
/BOLD/ = Seiji's mind
/ ITALICIZED/ = Spiritual Plane / Flashbacks
Conflictions for the Heart
By JC and Kathrine
Chapter 7
Shuten had to come up with a plan of action quickly. He knew that Korin would not last much longer through the torment he endured. But I must rid him of this wretched demon before I even have a chance of helping him, he realized. He said he has fused himself with Korin, so I must first destroy his anchor to his unknowing vessel. Yet even he knew that such a thing was easier said than done. He would first have to find what part of the boy's soul he'd fused himself to.
" Such a thoughtful look on your face, spirit," Shikaisen smirked. " Are you giving in before you have even begun?"
" Never would I submit to your likes, demon," Shuten growled vehemently. That's when he realized how familiar all of this seemed. He has taken over part of Korin much like the way that damnable priest would enslave Kayura! But that also presented that a very familiar problem. To free Kayura there had to be a sacrifice… me. Can Korin still be saved without someone forfeiting his life?
" I see you're putting quite a bit of determination into this," Shikaisen almost laughed. " If you want, I'll let you have a head start on this. I have no fears about whether or not you will succeed and Korin is at a point that he will start to beg me for release soon enough." He smirked through his hideous features. " It will be amusing to watch both of your efforts." With that he seemed to fade away, going to enjoy events from the safety of his own refuge.
" Arrogant bastard of a demon," Shuten spat. He knew he couldn't follow the other unless he knew where he was going and he couldn't sense the demon's aura traces anywhere to guide him. It was obvious that he was experienced and knew what he was doing by the way he acted, so sure that the red-haired former Masho would fail. Now he was even more determined to win, not only to help Korin and Anubis, but also to beat the arrogance out of the other spirit.
But I still have to find out how he is fused to Korin, he told himself. If I severe the connection between them than Shikaisen will be forced to flee before he himself is sucked into the Abyss of the Forsaken. He looked back at the scarred door that led to the inner most sanctum of the young blonde's mind. He now knew it had been Shikaisen who had tried to enter but was unable to, meaning that the blonde still fought against him, whether he believed him his subconscious or not. That meant he still has a chance before everything was too far-gone to be saved.
Spirits must fuse with a spiritual aspect of a person, he reminded himself. How did all of this happen? Why has this demon taken root here to begin with? Why does he want such fatal revenge against Korin? Not much made sense to him. He had known that things were taking place in Nigenkai, but not exactly what was going on. He has to be a former enemy that was defeated, he assessed. But why attack Korin? Would he not go after Rekka instead? Why does he hate Korin so?
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They had been waiting for quite some time, but neither knew how long. Rajura knew that they needed to leave, to return to the real world, but he wasn't sure he could make Anubis leave with him. How do I convince him it is for the best? He wondered. The blue-haired man then made his predicament all that worse…or maybe simple depending on your view of it.
" What is it, Gen?" he questioned. " There is something you're wondering about."
" I believe we should return to the living world," he replied bluntly deciding against playing the run around.
" What?!" the other man's eyes went wide for a moment. " We can't leave! Shuten might come back! What if he can tell us something about Seiji?"
" I will keep a pathway to this plain," he told him. " But we must go back. We cannot further the search for Korin if remain we're here, simply waiting for answers."
Anubis was silent for a moment, thinking about his comrade's words. He knew the other was right, but he couldn't deny the fear that he felt, the fear that if he left than he wouldn't be able to get Seiji back. There was nothing else they could do in the Living Realm, but Shuten might be able to find something. But what if by staying here I am only making things worse? he asked himself. I could be out searching for him instead of here, wallowing in fear and self-pity. Seiji needs me, I can't fail him again.
" Anubis?" Rajura awaited him answer.
" Hai, we should return," he agreed. " We might still be able to find him on our own while Shuten searches."
" Indeed," Rajura nodded. " And as I said, I will keep a pathway open for when Shuten does return with something." He turned to face the blue-haired man and placed his hands on the sides of his head. " Are you ready, Yami?"
" Yes," he told him. The white-haired man closed his eyes and pulled them away from the plain, using his power to return them to their true realm.
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Naaza sensed it and quickly turned towards the two inert figures. Rajura's eyes flashed open as he took in a deep breath of air and Anubis' eyes regained their humanity. The others shifted all attention to the two warriors when Rajura slowly stretched, forcing the lethargy that had settled from his limbs. " Everything went as expected?" Naaza spoke to him, extending a hand to help the former Gen Masho to his feet.
" Yes, he is searching as we speak," the white-haired man confirmed. " I will keep a pathway open for when he returns."
" That won't hinder you?" the green-haired man questioned.
" I will be fine," he assured him.
Naaza accepted this and moved his eyes to Yami Masho who remained in his sitting position, though he was indeed in his right mind. He understood his reaction. It had to feel somewhat strangely for him after seeing Shuten again. He didn't know what the blue-haired man could be feeling, but he suspected it left him feeling confused. " Yami…" he started, but stopped when he heard something in the wind. He moved and saved himself from being struck by a fair sized rock that had come towards his former position.
" What the…?!" Kongo's eyes went wide before spinning around in the direction that the rock had been thrown from. " Who the hell would just throw something like that?!" The bushes didn't move and he moved forward, moving through them as much as he could.
" They are gone," Rajura told him. " As is Tenku." Suiko looked about instantly and found it to be true. Rekka seemed somewhat shocked by this and was Nasuti. None of them had seen Tenku leave. " Do not worry, he shall return shortly."
Anubis stood without a word spoken and wandered into the brush nearby. " Where is he going?" Nasuti wondered out loud.
" To get this," he answered as he exited. He held in his hand a hand-sized rock that seemed to be wrapped in something. He noticed it was some kind of yellow paper that was tied onto the rock by what appeared to some sort of string.
" It is a message," the blue-haired man explained as he removed the string. " She tied it on with a shoestring."
" She?" Suiko raised a curious brow. " How do you know whoever it was a she?"
" I know," Anubis replied. He unfolded the paper from around rock and held it up. " Where water meets land at the time of God's opposition is where you shall find you're quarry. She doesn't want to be known for actually helping us, hence why she wrote this."
" What does it mean?" Kongo asked. " And who sent it?"
" The girl from the club," Tenku answered, emerging from the trees in the park.
" Where the hell did you go?" Rekka demanded.
" It doesn't matter, I know where she was talking about," he replied.
" You know where Seiji is," Anubis eyes were full of hope that only two of them could see. " Take us there."
" C'mon," he motioned for them to follow him. " You three will have to ride with me seeing as I know you don't have a car." He pointed at the three Masho. " Thank Gods I drove myself or we'd have a real problem."
" Enough talk, take us to Seiji," Anubis told him coldly.
" Fine," Touma agreed as they hurried. He didn't tell them where he had gone because he himself was confused by it. Everything was confusing him lately.
------Flashback------
He watched as the rock was thrown for he remained slightly distanced from his friends. He saw the black hair from as the person moved around the bush to run. He took after her immediately, using a little of his yoroi's speed to beat her around the corner before she saw him. He waited and was greeted with him running right into him. If he hadn't been prepared she would have plowed him right over, but he stopped her, catching her arm before she could take off again.
She was, to put it lightly, shocked to see him as the one that had halted her departure. " How the hell did you get here?!" she demanded, obviously not having seen the events from earlier.
"I know shortcuts," he lied. " Now why did you throw it? What are you up to?"
" I don't know what you're talking about," she tried to play oblivious once again. " You're crazy!"
" And you just chucked a rock the size of my fist at my friend's head," he stated calmly. " Why?"
" None of your business," she told him. " I can do anything I want!"
" Are you trying to help us find Seiji?" he asked, watching her become stiff in his arms. " If you are, why not just tell us?"
" Look, I do things to stay alive," she told him. " Some of it I ain't proud of and some I wish I could undo. Some things on which I wish I could have chosen a different path. ' Where the water meets land at the time of God's opposition is where you'll find your quarry'."
" What?" He gazed her a confused look as he released her arm. " That's where Seiji is?"
" Get there before he decides to move on," she told him.
" Why are you helping us?" Touma asked her. " You said you didn't want to die."
" I don't know," she shrugged. " Maybe I like to live the turbulent life sometimes." She then backed away, crossing the street. " You better hurry if you actually care about him as much as I think you do." She turned away from him and ran across the street, not even watching to see him race back to the others. He knew where to find Seiji.
------End Flashback------
Why did she help us? He still didn't understand. Why was that night so crazy? Why had Seiji been taken by a madman whose sister seemed just as estranged? Why was he feeling things he'd never felt before just at the thought of the blonde swordsman?
" Tenku, get going," he was jarred from his thoughts by Anubis' impatient words. He then realized that he was already in his blue two-door corvette and the Masho had already situated themselves.
" Yeah, we better hurry," he agreed and he started the car and pulled out into the street. He looked in the mirror to see that the red jeep was right behind him. He couldn't think about all of this now. They had a friend to save.
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She watched from the darkened street as the two cars full of the people she'd been watching drove off towards the destination. She had actually followed the blue-haired boy from where she had hit him in the alley a few blocks away. Something had seemed different about them, they actually cared about someone other than themselves. She'd lost them when they'd gone into the park, but had found them at the sound of yelling.
Why did I help them? she asked herself. She couldn't explain what it was about them that had set her off. She had been helping her brother with these 'pick ups' for months now, keeping him happy to keep herself alive. Why had she so easily decided to seal her own fate? Caril would kill her for sure now because he knew she was the only one who would sell him out.
Sighing, she pulled out a small picture from within her pocket, staring at it as she felt wetness on her cheeks. The picture was of her, hair longer and eyes happy, and another woman with deep blue/black hair and bright brown eyes. " Fey," she whispered before slipping the picture back into her pocket and trudging down the empty street, memories of someone lost to her on her mind.
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He'd been searching for a long time, checking through every aspect of Korin that he could for the link connecting him that vengeful demon, Shikaisen. It was almost as if there really was no bond between them and he'd simply taken residence within the boy's mind. But he knew that wasn't true, no spirit could do such a thing. He just had to search harder and check even the parts of the blonde's soul he'd never thought of before.
Right now he was in what seemed like a corridor of sorts. He knew this to be the memories that were closest to Korin's heart and soul, whether they were ones that traumatized him or ones of that were dear to him deeply. He then noticed that this place in Korin's soul felt different. It was like something wasn't right about it, something he couldn't quite understand yet.
He walked past each door slowly, touching them lightly as he passed. By touching he could tell whether or not they were good memories, or ones best left within the recesses of the blonde's subconscious. He was coming to the end of the corridor when he found three doors.
These three were different than the rest, one looking like the sliding panel from a dojo, leaving the red-haired spirit to guess it was something about his family. The one beside it was pitch black with the carving of a wolf on it, a cut across the creature's left eye. He knew exactly what was behind that door and was almost ready to open. But the final door was one that drew him in. It was green, a large symbol of a stylized lightning bolt in the center.
This is the door that leads to everything he links with his yoroi and the time he spent with the other Troopers, he guessed. But what does he have behind it that he holds so close to him whether good or not? He reached out his hand, touching the door slightly. Good memories were behind this door, he knew that. He was about to delve deeper, but he was suddenly shocked as if electrocuted by pure energy.
He was thrown back, hitting the 'wall' of the other side of the corridor hard. His eyes were wide, staring at the door as bolts of electricity sparked from it. That was the sense of distortion in the hall, the feeling of not belonging. He now knew where Shikaisen had linked himself.
" Very good," a voice that was quickly becoming distasteful laughed. He stood to his feet, his head turning to glare at the demon he wanted to vanquish so desperately. " You have found my anchor, but what will you do about it?"
" I will destroy it!" he exclaimed as if it was so obvious.
" Destroy it?" the other seemed curious about his words as he smirked. " But by doing so you will destroy what ever is behind that door. All the boy's memories that are there will be gone. Are you willing to do that?"
The redhead's eyes finally filled with realization. I don't even know what memories are behind that door other than them being something that means very much to Korin, he told himself. If I destroy them he will lose all connected to them. How can I take something so dear away from him? What could that do to him? Now he understood why Shikaisen was so confident. He knew the former Masho would hesitate do such a thing, especially without knowing the full extent of the consequences.
What can I do? He asked himself. How can I save Korin at the risk of destroying him in the process? He didn't know what was the right path. He only hoped that the others were able to get to the blonde and save him before he was forced to make that decision because he wasn't sure if he would be able to.
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Seiji heard the door open and was secretly thankful. That meant his tormentor would stop touching him. He shied away from the other's hand as he went to touch his abdomen. He was so close to actually retching everything he'd eaten in the past month back up that he'd take any reprieve that was given to him.
" Nickson!" a voice called. His kidnapper gave him a small smirk.
" See, my 'friend' did come over to play," he teased. " We can have lots of fun. Right, my little toy?" That's when a form came into the doorway of the room. His eyes were blinded by pain, but he could still see clear enough. The man had black hair cut close to his head and dark brown eyes that seemed so familiar.
" Oh Gods, I knew he sounded familiar," the man gasped.
" You know him?" his tormentor, whose name seemed to be 'Nickson', questioned.
" Do you even know who you got there?" the man asked.
" No, he's my pet, that's all that matters," the other told him.
" Well, say hello to Date Seiji, heir to the Date Dojo in Sendai," he explained. " I thought I'd never see him again."
The blonde finally recalled who the other was, his eyes widening in shock. " Kazamatsuri Shingo…" he whispered. It was the same boy that he had faced the day he received Korin no Yoroi, though no longer a boy but a man.
" Glad you remember me, we've have lots of catching up to do," the black-haired man smirked and Seiji knew that his situation had just gotten a whole lot worse.
A/N: Yes, we made Shingo the villain…AGAIN. I think we're the only people who use him so often.
Kathrine: He threw something at Seiji! I hate him! He deserves to be made evil!
JC: You don't like anyone who hurts Seiji.
Kathrine: Only I get to do that!! He's mine!
JC: Damn you're possessive. Oh well, Star Lin you better get the next chapter of Hunter's Tale ready 'cause we're going to be posting the next chapter of OVoRWwaCT soon! We had a deal!
Kathrine: We know this was short, but it's because we want to hold on the suspense for the ending. Only one more chapter and an epilogue to go, now.
JC: We hope you like it well enough. And we hope the editing is okay.