Well no one's reading it, but I'm still gonna continue it, either way. Will fix full errors someother time.
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Chapter 18: Feelings from the Past.
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As the tunnel continued to weave into the unknown, Satoshi couldn't help but shiver slightly, conscious that the area seemed to be getting colder with each step that he took. The whole concept was absurd, and he knew it, but still...
:Something is going on,: he thought in grim conclusion, :and Scarlet is behind all this...:
As much as he liked to tell himself this, though, he knew that he wouldn't be getting an answer from Krad, since the Ice Demon had been separated from him. Not permanently, of course, but it was better not to have someone talking to him, especially when it came from Krad.
With a sigh, he continued relentlessly, trying his best not to lose consciousness as the bitter cold seemed to blast out at him. It wasn't long before he reached a strange looking portal, and, without another thought, he stepped inside, vaguely noticing that, as it closed up, a thin sheet of ice began to form.
The world whirled around him, flashes of power seeping through him, freezing him, and he frowned, as if noticing that something wasn't right.
"Is this how you play with all of those who step in here?" he asked out loud, wrenching his mind away from the jerking powers and bringing his focus back to the current situation.
As if his words had affected them somehow, the portal seemed to shatter, throwing him out of it forcefully. Landing onto firm ground lightly, the blue-haired boy took a long look, trying to get his surroundings. It didn't take long for him to recognise the tall buildings that were boxed next to each other, and the tall building that was the apartments that he was forced to live in.
"Why am I..." he muttered, but another voice, one extremely familiar, broke the silence unexpectedly.
"I'll see you then, Saehara! Hiwatari-kun!"
"Niwa...?" Satoshi frowned again, as he caught sight of the redhead stepping out of the building, looking like he usually was, blissfully happy and undoubtedly naïve to a turn.
As Daisuke passed him, the blue-haired boy thought that he would panic, but was slightly surprised when he passed him without a single glance. Watching as the redhead ran off, he was about follow, but something about the whole setting just didn't feel right.
:I'm not part of this,: he decided, :just a spectator. The past is playing itself again?:
He stopped sharply as his eyes caught a flash of someone moving in the opposite direction. On impulse, he ran after it. Doing his best to keep up with the moving figure, as the sun began to set, casting shadows everywhere.
Breath coming out in ragged gasps, Satoshi felt his energy beginning to drain away from him, and the night suddenly seemed incredibly cold, giving him the fleeting memory of Krad's presence. He cursed himself slightly for losing sight of the moving figure, as he continued the now darkened streets, trying to work out why he was there in the first place.
"Cold..." he muttered, "the power..." he stopped abruptly, remembering what had been said, "a supporting element. Ice..."
"Correct," said a voice close by him. It was soft, like the person didn't want to be seen at all.
"Where are you?" he demanded, "Show yourself!"
A dim light close by was the only light source for miles, as well as the moon, as someone stepped out to confront him, and he took a step back out of surprise, "... you."
Akane gave him a slightly crooked smile, as if amused by his reaction, "I am so glad you decided to come. I thought for a moment that you wouldn't be able to keep up with me."
"Why are you here..." he asked, frown increasing, "of all people to that I have to meet here, you..."
"You don't trust me, of course," she cut in smoothly, "but, still, you suspect me and will do anything to get the answer to all your questions, no?"
"I think you know the answer to that," Satoshi said shortly, trying hard to ignore the bitter frost that seemed to seep into his skin. Akane merely stood there, under the dim light, as she watched him silently. With a small sigh, she produced a small rock-looking item, which seemed to emit an unidentifiable aura.
"You think I'm doing this for fun?" her voice suddenly seemed more stressed out, "Do you think that I enjoy seeing the worlds suffer because of the Flame's fading power? I think you need to reconsider your own answers, Hiwatari-kun," she held out the rock, "glittering, is the soul of ice. Now, only you know the answer to this, and, you alone, can solve it."
Satoshi didn't move, "Why do you know so much?"
"Are you going to ask me that again?" she shook her head, "You know that I won't answer it, Hiwatari-kun... or, should I be calling you Hikari-kun?"
"You know about Krad as well," he snapped, pushing away the uncomfortable feeling of her knowledge, "how is any of that possible. You... how are you connected to all of this?"
"Blood is blood," she said simply, dropping the rock to the floor, "and no more than is the power spread."
As the small item hit the floor, it created a metallic 'ching' type of sound, which echoed all around them, cutting through the silence abruptly. As she stepped back, the rock began to glow a cool blue colour that seemed to creep its way all around the scenery.
Akane shook her head, "Hikari... ice hunter..." she whispered, "you have to trust people a bit more... or you might find yourself alone, when you need company the most..."
"Wait--" Satoshi started, but he was no longer talking to anyone as the girl mysteriously vanished into the darkness, as if swallowed whole by the strange force that had taken him there in the first place. His mind was filled with suspicious questions, questions that needed an answer, and couldn't be found by just analyzing a person after many years. With a sigh, the blue-haired boy moved swiftly over to the small rock, noticing that the floor was now covered with a thin sheet of ice, which glistened mysteriously in the little light that was shining over them.
He hesitated for a moment, considering the item with half-raised eyebrows, before he picked it up. Despite its first glance, it was as smooth as marble, and cool, not cold, as he held it in the palm of his hand. The shimmering mist that seemed to surround it continued to thicken, and the area around him was soon engulfed by it, obscuring his view drastically.
Almost at once, Satoshi could hear a voice, one that seemed strained, calling for help. A male's voice.
"Help me..."
"Who are you?" the blue-haired boy called into the darkness, "Why are you asking for help?"
"You... you can hear me?" the voice suddenly seemed surprised by the outcome of someone actually responding to his call, "How... how is it possible?"
"I'll ask again: who are you?" he repeated.
"Well, you see," the invisible seemed to shift uncomfortably, "I... I am the spirit of the flame of Ice."
"..."
"I was trapped here when the Flame itself started to die off. I... I could do nothing, but watch, and wait. So please... can you help me?"
"And how am I supposed to do that, exactly?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow, still lost in the thick mist, "I can't even see you."
"Oh, that's the simple part," the voice laughed lamely, "you're holding me right now. My spirit is trapped in that small rock. So, if you could find a way to release me..."
Shrugging, Satoshi took another look at the smooth rock, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. But almost as soon as he'd worked out where the spirit was, it shattered, and a small wisp of light blue mist seemed to escape from it.
At first it was shapeless, but before long, it began to take form into a person. Surrounded by the light blue mist, the boy, as it was, was about as tall as Daisuke, and had hair, which seemed to float around without the help of the wind.
"... I should thank you," he bowed, "I am, as you know, the spirit of Ice. You can call me Shiro."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow, "Now what are we supposed to do now?"
"You're looking for the supporting flame of ice, no?" Shiro smiled slightly, "You know, as part of the Hikari family, you should know how to get it yourself."
"And how do you know that?"
At this, the smaller boy shrugged slightly, waving his hand a bit so that the surrounding mist began to fade away, "It's in your blood, of course. You can't reject something like that, you know."
"..."
"Now," Shiro gave Satoshi a half-smile, "shall we get going, Hikari-san? We only have forty eight hours."
Not bothering to tell the smaller boy off about using the last name that he really didn't want to remember, Satoshi shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed Shiro, who started off into the darkness at a fast pace.
---
Krad looked around him, recognising the dim lighthouse scene as the first place he'd met the 'Wing Master'. His eyes narrowed at the memory that slid through his mind again, replaying it as if it had been only yesterday that it had happened.
::Why am I here?:: he asked himself, ::What is the meaning of coming back here?::
"Do you really want to know?" asked a voice behind him, making him turn slowly.
"Who... are you?" he demanded softly, eyes resting on the person before him, "I don't think we have met before."
It was a girl, not unlike Towa herself, but her hair was a deep shade of purple, like Dark's, done up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing a black robe that swept to the floor, while eyes seemed strangely bleak and empty. Inclining her head slightly, her face remained expressionless, as was her voice as she spoke again, "I am... the supporting element of the Flame. My name if Elena."
"How can you be the supporting flame?" the blond frowned, "You're in the form of a person."
"Perhaps," Elena blinked, and then went to the edge of the lighthouse, peering into the sea, "but, you see, the Flame itself, and all of its supporting flames, are alive, like the creations of the Hikari family, no?"
"..."
"We were created when the worlds were formed," she whispered, "we have no owner, no one to look up to. We do not even know each other, or who the Flame really is. We have always been... alone."
"And what am I supposed to do?" at this, Krad smirked slightly, though it was out of confusion.
"You have hurt many people in your time, Krad," she looked up at him, "the Niwa family, your host, the last member of the Hikari family, and... Dark. Do you not care for any of them anymore? Or..." her eyes narrowed, and, for the very first time, showed feeling, "have you thrown away the last link to your humanity? Are you just a demon, wandering the earth?"
"Shut up," the blond hissed, wisps of energy beginning to form, "you don't know anything about me."
"Oh, but I do," as a slight breeze began to blow, her clothes began to ripple slightly, and her hair trailed gracefully in all directions, "I know many things about you, but, the question is, do you truly know yourself?"
"..."
"You cannot find the supporting flame of Poison, if you do not know yourself," she held out a pale hand, "come. We will start from the very beginning."
As much as he didn't want to see the past, Krad accepted the offer, his only excuse that if the world were to die, then he would never have the chance to get Dark back...
---
"Why are we here?" Satoshi frowned, staring up at the Niwa estate.
Shiro smirked slightly, eyes alight with mischief and wonder, "The supporting flame is here, no? Can't you feel its power? The cold fingers touching your very soul, trying to freeze you to the very core?"
:So that's what it was,: thought the blue-haired boy, nodding slightly, :the power of the spirit.:
"You are a very cold boy indeed," chuckled the smaller boy, seeing that Satoshi was occupied with his own thoughts, "for, is that not what the Hikari name means? Ice Hunter. No one can defy the fate that is set for them, although the Time Keeper herself... she had more will power and determination than any that I know of. That is why Celes-sama chose her to be the one to wait..."
"So... Celes is the one truly behind this..." he took a look at his hands, "but then, what about the Flame?"
"The Flame has always been watched by the Time Keepers," Shiro shrugged again, "but the Flame seemed to know that soon, its time would run out. So, It called Celes, who is, as you know, a priestess that asked of the Niwa and Hikari conflict. She never got the answer, but still, she waited. And knowing the Time Keeper seemed essential, as the Flame would show no signs of weakening for who knows how many years. So, the void was created."
"So there seemed to be a forewarning? Is that what you're trying to say?" Satoshi took another look at the large mansion, wondering slightly how Daisuke could live there, being an only child. Of course, he had family, he reminded himself.
"That... we don't really know?" the smaller boy looked sheepish at the question, "but, if you don't know, the Time Keepers had to have quite a long life span, since they were a very rare bloodline, who didn't mingle with the world outside, which created problems."
"So, you don't know who the Time Keeper is?"
"No. We have never met her, as we are all in different dimensions, but we know that she has been in conflict since she found out that you and Niwa-san would be involved."
"I see..."
Without another thought, Satoshi pushed the door open, and entered the Niwa house, surprised at how sterile it seemed to be. The power stabbed into him unexpectedly, and he cringed, as the pain seemed to seep all around him.
:This power...: he thought, :Ice...:
"Fire and Ice, ne? Celes?"
"Yes, those are the opposing elements, Scarlet. Do not forget."
"But the Niwa and Hikari families, they..."
"True, child, true. If I could, I would take you to meet them, but... they are afraid. We cannot risk your safety, or theirs."
"So fire beats ice, and the ice of the Hikari family is... getting colder... and the fire remains the same..."
"What makes you say that, Scarlet?"
"Fire will always melt Ice, Celes, always... no matter how cold it gets, the flames will melt them away..."
Satoshi shook his head, trying to get his mind to refocus onto the current situation. The cold power still seemed to seep into his skin, into his soul, his heart.
:Fire melts Ice...: he repeated, only vaguely recognising the echoing of Celes' and Scarlet's voices, :Niwa and Hikari...:
"The two families have always had a rivalry between them, but two members, they became good friends."
"Really? Celes, did they get together?"
"They might have, but... things happened. I do not know what exactly, but then the history of Dark, and his blond counter-part, Krad, began. Strangely though, Krad is not as well known."
"So... they never got together? That is so sad..."
"Scarlet..."
"Does that mean that they're alone? Like... like now?"
"Now?"
"I mean, the future. Hikari Satoshi, and Niwa Daisuke... will they have to be alone as well, like before? Can they not be happy? I know that they marry, to keep the bloodline alive, but... will it always be this way?"
"Scarlet, please, do not talk about the future. You know that that is bad luck. And if someone was to know you could..."
"... the darkness is all around us. No one, from either family, will be happy; I can see it. Will Dark and Krad... will they never be free? Will they be trapped in the darkness, like me?"
"Akane..."
The sudden use of another name made Satoshi jerk up, remembering where he was... but something about the faded conversation seemed true. On his side, of course: Daisuke had family, a girl he liked, and liked him back, but he, he had nothing.
Many times before, he would tell himself that he didn't need anyone, but as time passed, he knew that that was all a lie. He needed someone, but he knew that fate couldn't be fought, so he pushed away what he wanted away.
"Can they not be happy?"
The voice had been sad, full of sympathy, and, he noticed, longing and sadness.
"No... we can't be happy, until this curse ends," he replied unconsciously.
Suddenly the cold power seemed to disappear, forming a large mist together, forming a small broach with an icy blue center. He took it, frowning, as Shiro ran up to him.
"So you got it? Great! Come on, we have to find the next one!"
As Satoshi followed after the smaller boy, and they entered another portal, his mind threw a couple of questions that had come after hearing the voices of Celes and Scarlet.
:'Akane?' Takada...: he frowned, a hand curled around the broach, :is she somehow connected to Scarlet? But... in which way?:
"Blood is blood, and no more than is the power spread."
:Blood...:
---
The air was strangely still as Krad found himself dragged by Elena, who seemed unconcerned with the dead that had settled before them. Her hair remained in place as she continued at a neck-breaking pace, at the same time not stumbling over the hem of her robes.
It was only when they reached the heart of the forest close by, she stopped dragging him, letting him go and turning to face him, face unreadable as she analysed him.
"Why did we stop here?" he asked, looking around him and not meeting her gaze.
"... your past... is a sad one, no? Like that of Dark's," replied Elena, voice monotonous and held no emotion of any sort, "the power of hate is inside of you. No... not hate, loathing. But... you cannot hurt your host, for that would mean you would throw away your last chance to freedom, if that is what can call it. So... you direct it onto your other half, Dark, as well as his host, who has done nothing to you, the blood of the Niwa family. "
"Shut up..." hissed Krad.
"You try to seduce your host, hoping that he will accept, so that you can push him away forever. You do not truly care about him, do you, Krad? You just want a body of your own again, so that you can be with the one you love again..."
"I said SHUT UP!" without another thought, the blond sent a beam of white energy in her direction, hitting her.
She turned her head slightly, unaffected by the onslaught, "You cannot kill the truth," her eyes flickered somewhat, and tears began to form, "the power of poison, which is the key to your loathing, has seeped in your skin, into your very blood, and you are the one who generated such power. You... you hurt people to get what you want. You do not care for the wellbeing of others. Why are you like this, Krad? I... I have always watched over you, in this dome. I... think I fell in love with you, but... your heart is no longer there. Over the years... it was replaced by a void. A void that you cannot escape from, and... you did not care. You did not..."
A purple aura began to surround her, "You knew how painful it was, no?" she whispered in a soft voice, which surrounded him and the entire area they were in, "To be alone all day and night, I thought you would understand me... my feelings. But... I should have known. My feelings would never be returned. I... once I spoke to Scalet-sama, but she, she already seemed to know that it would never be," she shook her head, "I was a fool..."
Her tears fell to the floor, and it began to ripple like water, making Krad draw back in surprise, and the purple aura got stronger still, "I know now, that I was brought here to be alone, but, it does not matter," through the light, she gave him a small smile, "I cannot be here anymore, but please, save the Flame... this is my parting gift to this world..."
The power seemed to seep out of her, forming into a broach with a dark purple center embedded in it. Slowly, Krad bent down to pick it up, the aura still being emitted fitfully.
"Oh, and," as Elena began to fade, she turned away, "Akane-sama, she also needs friends. Will you not talk to her when you see her next time? I will always be watching, of course."
Silence filled the now empty area and the blond ice demon stood there, holding the broach.
"What..." he muttered, "did she mean by that?"
Snorting slightly at the strange turn of events, he walked off, unknown to the fact that he was being watched.
::The past is the past,:: he thought, trailing back to her words, ::and there is no more to it. And... I have no intention of letting Niwa or Dark off lightly the next time we meet.::
At this, he entered another portal and was swept off.
###
Scarlet's hand wrapped itself around the small item, a gleam of metallic silver emitting from it. She drew back sharply, catching sight of her younger half, who held up a golden feather importantly. Seeing that she was noticed, the young Scarlet smiled.
"I knew that you would be here one day."
"Yes," she couldn't help but smile slightly, "and I knew that you would be waiting for me. Of course, with the turn of events now..." she took a look at the sun, "time has been wasted. We have to hurry."
"Will you accept your fate, though? Our fate?" the small Scarlet held up the glowing feather, "Now is the time to test your control over the Flame itself."
"I do not control the Flame," she sighed, hand reaching for the feather, "but... fate can always be changed by the holder. And I," touching the feather lightly, she took it, "will make sure that my fate will change. And the Niwa and Hikari blood, they, too, will change fate."
"So we can only hope?"
"Yes, we can only hope now."
"But... you will never forget who you truly are, no?" the younger girl began to fade with the background, "You will always be the same... do not forget your name..."
Scarlet smiled slightly, "Takada Akane. I know."
The small girl smiled back, and faded completely.
The feather that she was holding began to glow once more.
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