xi. this fire

eyes
boring a way through me
paralyse
controlling completely

The room was large and spacious; unfriendly in its manner. On the screen built into the wall, a series of photographs (some color, some black and white, some grayscale with a sudden splash of red) flashed in rapid succession.

The huge, gaping holes for windows where covered in white sheets that had been stripped from the bed, which looked lonely in its nakedness, off in the corner. An air of desolation hung like dust particles. Faint finger stretches of light danced through the mourning windows.

Sitting in the middle of this, a dark haired teenage girl slowly and dully went through the process of burning thousands upon thousands of pictures, video tapes, and other treasures.

See Tomoyo.

See Tomoyo cry.

See the paper face of Sakura go up in flames.

Stubbornly, she tried to wipe away the childish tears. It didn't work. Her marble eyes, moments before so glass-like, had turned human.

She wished a nightmare would come and eat them.

Something cruel, and the shadow of humankind...pluck her eyes away, pop them between the teeth it had instead of eyes...

For nights, Tomoyo had stayed in her sanctuary of a room. It was like returning to the womb. Skittery, nervous, and sad; the poor girl.

Poor Tomoyo.

For nights, Tomoyo had stayed awake, refusing to return to the world of dreams she had occupied only a week before.

now
there is a fire in me
fire that burns

Her mother had given up in her adolescent daughter, and, instead, devoted all of her time to her work, flinging herself in a plastic world of toys. Dolls, she discovered, made much better daughters than the real thing.

Now, Tomoyo's only companions where the flame of the lantern she fed, and the whispering, shifting memories she tried desperately to purge from herself.

A strange fervor had built inside her tired body, and, the night she had stumbled home (much to her concerned mother's relief), she had dragged boxes of Sakura-chan out into the air, and had proceeded to began the ritualistic burning of that cruel little girl.

Syoaran had called her that night, and, she had foolishly picked the phone up. A mistake.

He hadn't been concerned for her welfare at all; instead, he had urgently begun to interrogate her on the whereabouts of Sakura. He had even gone so far to blame her with Sakura's disappearance: if it hadn't been for her confessing her love, then Sakura would still be there...

Alright. Maybe it was her fault.

Shaking her head, her fervor regenerating, she began to burn everything at an even steadier pace.

fire that burns

It loomed in front of her. Nakuru gaped. Finally, she had reached the Mountain.

Fright welled up inside of her, and she began to cry.

this fire is out of control
I'm going to burn this city
burn this city, burn this city

Dr. Cain carefully removed her glasses, and set them down on the gray machinery. She sighed through her teeth, accidently getting a paper cut from her book, and hissed softly.

In the corner, the Ego sat, crying silently, a dopy smile on its face, while it strangled its dolly in a good-natured manner.

Dr. Cain gripped her forehead, feeling a headache well-up. She hated babysitting the Ego (all of them, even its siblings, did).

And to top it all off...the Experiment was getting closer.

if this fire is out of control
then I
I'm out of control
and I burn

The scientists took notes silently on the floating body of the Superego. A hard glint of an insane sort of fervor shined in their eyes. They would do anything for this...

eyes
burning a way to me
overwhelm
destroying so sweetly

Tomoyo howled to her pillow, unlocked the door, and ran out of her room, into the unsuspecting house.

A lighted match led her way, and, as she ran sobbing out of the house, dropped to the floor, lighting the carpet into a sweltering garden of flames.

now
there is a fire in me
fire that burns
fire that burns

this fire...

Okay. I'm back.

butterflydreaming - I love The Sandman! I'm a little over-obsessed with it, in fact...I love, love, love the Endless. Thank you so much for comparing me to Gaiman! I am extremely flattered!