Galatea
Sixteenth Movement: Pygmalion Unbound
"As once with prayers in passion flowing,
Pygmalion embraced the stone,
till from the frozen marble glowing,
the light of feeling o'er him shone."
Friedrich von Schiller
Daisuke eyed Satoshi like a hawk the next day, catching glimpses of the boy whenever he could while remaining unnoticed. 'Ne, Dark! He doesn't look any different…how are we supposed to know if it worked?'
He could almost feel the thief shrugging in his mind. 'Like I'm supposed to know? Try asking him if he's still crazy about his curse. If he calls you an insensitive bastard and punches you, chances are it didn't work.'
Frowning, Daisuke shot another glance down to Satoshi, who was eating a bentou underneath one of the trees in the courtyard. It had been some months since the Hikari boy had stopped joining him on the school roof, and so Daisuke alone, with only Dark for company, was stuck spying on his friend from above.
He squinted his eyes and struggled to focus on Satoshi's face, and noticed his mouth moving. Being too far away to make out the words but seeing no one else nearby, he concluded that Satoshi was either speaking to Krad or had gone schizophrenic. He shuddered at the thought of another personality seizing the boy—no, one was definitely enough.
'…I don't think it worked.'
'Like I said,' Dark sighed, 'You wanna know for sure, go ask him. I'd advise you to be subtle or something, but I really don't think that's your strong point, so it's probably useless.'
"Hey! I can be subtle!" the redhead pouted, packing up the remains of his lunch and sipping the last of his juice pack.
'Dai, you wouldn't know subtlety if it pranced around nude under a full moon then smacked you over the head with a two-by-four.' Grinning slyly from inside the boy's mind, he added as an afterthought. 'Don't think about it too much… Heads can be used for so much more enjoyable activities.'
"I…wait, what are you talking about?"
'See? You wouldn't know it.'
Satoshi flopped onto his couch most ungracefully and flipped forward and back in the book he had resting upon his chest, groaning inwardly at the monumental task laid out before him to complete. Eyelids drooping, after five minutes had passed he finally realized he'd been reading the same paragraph three times through, not really comprehending anything the author was trying to explain, and at this rate the fourth time wasn't doing much good either.
"Why on earth did I sign up for this gym project?" he moaned to himself, flinging the book onto the coffee table and slapping a hand to his forehead.
'"Ballroom dancing", Satoshi-sama?' a curious voice piped up from his mind, and he shot to attention, then relaxed again, face contorting into an annoyed frown. 'This is what you're throwing a fit over?'
Satoshi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and picked up the book again, growling to his curse, "A bit obvious, isn't it? Weren't you paying attention at all earlier? And I think I can do without a commentary from you on this—I'm going to have a hard enough time…a week is hardly long enough for me to get this down…"
He scanned the pages, running his eyes over diagram after diagram, each a more jumbled mass of dashes and feet than the last, and he hung his head in defeat. "I'm never going to get this by Friday…"
'Satoshi-sama…' a voice called tentatively.
"Krad—just be quiet—if you're not helping me then you're hindering me, alright? Let me concentrate on th—"
'Satoshi-sama,' the voice continued more forcefully, and the boy's eyes shot up as the image of a tall blonde appeared directly in front of him, staring down, with one hand outstretched to his host. 'If you must learn to dance, then why not learn to truly dance?' Blue eyes narrowed in confusion, and he pulled back slightly, but Krad did not let his hand fall. 'Really, what other form of entertainment do you think there was in the seventeen hundreds besides balls? And a Hikari, missing a social event like that? Preposterous!'
"What are you…?"
The image heaved a sigh. 'You must learn to dance, am I right? And you're not going to learn properly by reading some book. The true art of dancing comes only in the doing. Now come—I will teach you.' He beckoned the boy up from the couch and stepped back into the middle of the room.
Frozen in place—from both shock and confusion—it took Satoshi a moment to register Krad's call, but he quickly shook his head and tentatively stood, still eyeing the being before him warily. Was this…really Krad? It just didn't fit…dancing lessons and a centuries old curse…
Having moved the coffee table off to the side to give them more space in the center of the room, the two stood facing each other uncertainly. Face a blank mask, Krad spoke first. 'We start off facing our partner, with our shoulders parallel—I will demonstrate the steps first, then you will play the lead male part, and I will follow with the female routine to prepare you for your performance.'
He straightened up and raised one arm, cocking the other at an angle. 'You, as the male, should place your right hand slightly underneath the woman's left shoulder blade, keeping it at a right angle to your own body—like so.' He reached around underneath Satoshi's left arm and rested his phantom hand on his back, cupping the boy near. 'Your left arm will be raised and positioned so that she might rest her hand lightly on it—keep it held out from between the two of you.' Guiding Satoshi's own hand to the correct position, he held his left arm out, 'Do you understand that much?' Looking the blonde over one more time, he nodded. 'Good, now you do it.'
He frowned but did as he was told, straightening up as best he could, and trying to position his arms around the image before him as that same image had just held him. It wasn't, actually, a difficult stance to take, save for one problem. "It's…you're…I can't exactly find the right way to hold—because you're not real…" he muttered, frustrated.
'It matters not, all you must do is memorize the stance and recreate it with your partner—I…I do not expect you to be able to move with me as you would another human…this is simply practice. It is enough, isn't it?' A hesitant nod. 'Very well then, you're to learn the English Waltz, correct?'
'One two three, one two three, one two thr—Satoshi-sama…you're turning your shoulders again, and you must keep your body weight forward, no prematurely leaning to the side. The motions will come nat—'
"Alright! I get it!" Satoshi barked angrily, "I just—I know what to do, we've gone over it time and time again, but I'm starting to think it'd be an easier task to simply let you do this presentation in my body…hey…" A devilish glint flickered in his eyes as he stroked his chin in thought.
Krad, though, didn't appear to find the idea intriguing and tapped his foot in annoyance. 'Satoshi-sama, I don't understand what you find so difficult about all this, it's a simple English waltz; be glad your sensei doesn't have you doing a Viennese Waltz or Quickstep…'
The boy nodded his head, waving off the admonition, "I know, I know, just…"
Krad crossed his arms, 'Just what?'
"I don't…I'm…nervous, I guess…Dancing's not something I suppose I'm all that comfortable with. Painting is one thing—a spatter on a canvas, then it goes off to be viewed and I don't have to see the critics. But this, it's in front of people. What if I step on her foot, or miss one step—then the entire balance is thrown off…"
Stepping forward and cocking his head in thought, Krad held his arms out in ready position. 'Come, Satoshi-sama…from the top…'
"I told you what my problem was—weren't you listening? Just practicing isn't going to help—"
'Trust me.' He held his right hand out, and Satoshi gently lay his own in the palm of thought and will, its pale astral glow making his own skin seem more pallid in its light. 'Look into my eyes…look up at me and at me alone—keep focused on me, and you won't lose your step.' A preparatory weight shift, and the boy took the cue, no longer diverting his eyes to his feet to assure he wasn't stepping on Krad's boots, nor out at their arms to assure they were keeping proper distance from each other. As one unit, they moved forward, back, shifted to the left and right, twisting clockwise and counter-clockwise—all the while, with Satoshi keeping his gaze locked on Krad's.
The golden eyes smiled along with their owner as they completed a turn which Satoshi had only moments ago failed, 'Wonderful, wonderful…right front, hold hold, right back, left side, right side—perfect!'
It was amazing—though he had no partner of form or substance even, he was executing the twists and turns as if in the arms of a master artisan of dance, and indeed—Krad had probably been to more balls than Satoshi could count. A simple point of focus, and everything flowed, as if the golden being were threading magic through their conjoined palms, filtering it down through the soles of his feet in perfect waltzing rhythm.
'See? Did I lie to you?—All you need worry about is keeping that concentration with you during the presentation. Dancing is simply another art form, and as a Hikari you can't help but master it once you give it your blood-ingrained focus.'
Satoshi suppressed a smile, pulling his arms away from their posts supporting the weightless Krad. "Alright, alright…but therein lies the problem…"
"Next up, Hiwatari-kun and Fukuda-san!" the teacher called across the room, smiling at the two students she'd just called to come up and give their presentation. It wasn't, on first look, a difficult project. In their gym classes, students had been split up into pairs to give a report on some type of dance: classical, modern, ballroom, social, fast, slow, any type of dance—they simply had to explain and demonstrate it. Simple enough, right? Well, that's what Satoshi had thought at first.
After spending five days practicing under the ever-hawklike gaze of his curse, constantly pointing out minor faults in his form and molding him to perfection, he felt he'd finally managed to get his little bout of nerves under control. Focus was the key, focus, he had to repeat the mantra.
His partner was Fukuda…Fukuda…he couldn't even remember her given name. All he knew was that she was one of the gaggle of girls who hung around with that younger Harada twin all the time, giggly and moony-eyed. He'd suggested they simply practice separately for the performance this day, and she'd immediately agreed, hanging on his every word. Mildly disgusted, he conjectured he could have suggested she go jump off a cliff and the twit would have done so without hesitation.
"Are you ready, Fukuda-san?" he asked flatly, offering her a slight bow, and she giggled annoyingly, nodding her head in affirmation. "Good, let's begin." As accustomed, he wrapped his right arm around her back, molding his fingers to her shoulder blade, with his left held out for her to grab. She too seemed a bit nervous—as would most girls, at the opportunity to dance with Hiwatari-kun—and he offered her a reassuring smile as the music started.
The first few steps passed uneventfully, as under the watchful eyes of their thirty classmates they twisted and turned across the floor in rhythm to the easy music. On the third turn, though, the toe of Satoshi's foot caught on the hardwood floor, and he stumbled slightly, missing his next step and knocking their pair off.
"W-wait…damn," he cursed softly under his breath, trying to pick out the start of the next round, straining his ears to hear the familiar pattern of beats…
'…May I have this dance?' a surprisingly welcome voice whispered soothingly in his ear, and his eyes widened in relief.
'Calm down, now, Satoshi-sama…Breathe, do not get flustered, focus on me…on me alone…' The image he'd been faced with the whole week flickered into view, until Fukuda-san was all but forgotten, and to him it was simply he and his curse dancing a slow elegant waltz across the floor, with each step of the phantom boots in perfect synchronization with the Fukuda girl's.
'Flow gracefully, just like before…You are Hikari Satoshi, my Tamer, my focus…let me be yours…'
A sharp gasp erupted from the middle of the small audience, and several gazes snapped to the wide-eyed redhead who'd made the noise, mouth hanging open in absolute shock.
Some chided him with narrowed glances, while others settled for a harsh, "Shh!" To his left, Saehara elbowed him and hissed, "What's your problem, Daisuke?"
Gaping mouth struggling for words to explain his shock and failing, he settled for brushing it off, "N-nothing…I'm fine…sorry…"
The other students turned back to the dancing Fukuda and Satoshi at the front of the room, but Niwa Daisuke simply slunk lower and lower into his chair, mind clouded with confusion.
Of course he was the only one who gasped, of course he was the only one who would look up there and slip into shock. Because, of course he was the only other one who could see the display being performed.
Everyone saw Fukuda-san, everyone saw Hiwatari-kun…but he and Satoshi alone knew that while the two humans glided across the floor in tempo, it was really Krad and his host up there.
He'd seen Dark's astral image thousands of times, it was how they interacted with one another when they were alone, or at home. It simply was easier to think of yourself as talking to another person rather than a voice in your head. And he knew that Krad could do this as well; but both were just that: image. Hikari and Niwa magic, that was all, not flesh and blood—not without their hosts.
And right now, Krad had positioned his image directly over Fukuda-san's body, to where only he could look up and see what face Satoshi was really looking at as he entered the last part of the dance. He was literally waltzing around the gym floor in the arms of his curse—in front of his entire class! Never mind that of that class, Daisuke alone knew this.
"Hiwatari-kun!" his partner hissed to him, and he blinked a few times to shift his focus through Krad's image at the irked girl in his arms, "Your eyes! You're supposed to keep eye contact with your partner, remember?"
"Ah—gomen…" he replied lamely, and moved his gaze dutifully from a few inches above the girl's head to her face itself as they'd been instructed. After another beat, though, he instinctively turned his eyes back upwards while keeping his face forward, and couldn't help the upward tugging up his lips, nor the pink tinge that marched across his cheeks as he was showered with encouragement.
'Excellent Satoshi-sama! Keep going, you're nearly done—step front, hold hold, step back, right side, left side, turn and— stop!' The dance ended, and the human partners separated, as did Krad, with Satoshi offering the girl a curt bow, and receiving in return a low curtsy that nearly sent the giggling girl tumbling forward headfirst onto the floor.
Daisuke watched in a mixture of curiosity and worry as Krad's image bowed low to his partner before fading away, leaving Satoshi to make his way back to his chair as he and Fukuda were applauded profusely. The Hikari boy passed Daisuke's desk halfway back, and the two locked gazes for a split second, before he broke away and quickly resumed his seat.
This Satoshi…this Hiwatari-kun…was different from the Hiwatari-kun he was familiar with. His Hiwatari-kun would have never stooped so low as to accept help from Krad, especially not on something as trivial as a school project. What was going on here?
He got the chance to ask as soon as the bell tolled, dismissing them to their respective classes.
"Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke had to raise his voice a few extra decibels to overcome the after-class din that accompanied the throng of students all pushing to exit the gym and return to the normal classroom, and the red-head scrambled through them as best he could to catch up with the Hikari boy, "Wait—Hiwatari-kun!" He finally broke free into the main hallway a few steps away, still calling out—and still being obviously ignored.
Fed up with waiting to talk—and with being continually brushed off lately every time he tried to talk with the blue-haired boy—Daisuke angrily reached out and gripped the wrist nearest to him, jerking the unsuspecting Satoshi off to the side where they could get some semblance of privacy. "What the hell was that?" he hissed angrily, face flushing with ire seldom seen in the Niwa boy.
Satoshi adjusted his glasses as if nothing had happened, maintaining his usual cold glare, and easily snatched his wrist back free from the grip. "What was what, Niwa? Were you unsatisfied with Fukuda-san's and my gym report? If you're really that interested, I can direct you to a few books that might be of some assist—"
"What was he doing up there?" Daisuke gripped his shoulders, as if shaking sense into the boy, "He was…you were…"
"Dancing?" Satoshi finished nonchalantly, as if it were a perfectly normal everyday occurrence nowadays. "Really, I don't see that it's any of your business what he and I do outside of Dark."
"So you…you actually…meant…to dance…with Krad?" It was apparent that this was something Daisuke was having a hard time comprehending—though it wasn't like anyone could blame the poor boy, after all. Krad had tried to kill him—seeing him dancing a waltz with the same boy who'd confessed his love to him only a couple of months ago would unnerve even the most level-headed of people.
Satoshi turned his head to the side, "He…we practiced…for today…" His gaze, though, was drawn back forward as Daisuke's head began to move from side to side in abject refusal to accept that this was really happening.
"No…you mean…you're letting him! You're letting him win!"
"…What?"
Daisuke nearly exploded, holding his voice in check only because there was still a throng of students passing by a few feet away around a corner—a throng who really didn't need to be involved in the Niwa/Hikari feud.
"Don't you see? I thought you were the shrewd, calculating former police commander! You're Hiwatari-kun—the one who's always cynical, always looking for the angle everyone has, suspicious of anyone you meet, and you…you're actually falling for him! You're letting yourself be—be used by him!" He pounded the wall with a single fist in frustration, "This is Krad! Not Dark—"
"Oh believe me, Niwa—" Satoshi's voice dropped to a silky threat as he leaned in close, interrupting Daisuke's tirade, "I know full well that he's not Dark…and I don't care."
Hastily pushing the Hikari boy back to a more comfortable distance, the redhead continued undeterred, "Then he's already won. That display back there, the dancing—that's not the Hiwatari-kun I know! He would never have let Krad take advantage of him like that. He's using you! Winning territory, getting you over to his side. I'll bet he's been a great guy to be around lately, hasn't he? You're actually starting to not mind him being there in your head, aren't you?"
"Sh—shutup!" Satoshi stammered, eyes narrowing in malice, but all his will could not silence Daisuke once he got started.
"Don't you remember? Before? How he's taken you all those times without caring about any pain it caused you? How he's murdered? He did—you remember! And he'd kill Dark if he could catch him, you know he would! 'Cause that's all he cares about, his damn 'Hikari honor'—"
"That's not—"
"Not true?" Daisuke laughed incredulously, "I never thought I'd see the day when Hiwatari-kun would actually defend his own curse… He really does have you wrapped around his finger now…What happened to the Hiwatari-kun who yelled in front of the entire school that he hated Krad! Bring him back—because this one isn't thinking clearly!
"You warned me once that I was giving Dark too much control over my life…that what happened to you would happen to me if I didn't watch myself…But it looks to me like the opposite has happened…except I'm pretty sure Krad's not going to be as gentle with you as Dark is with me."
Shaking his head to keep out the words, Satoshi backed against the wall, "He is…he is, though…"
"No, he just wants you to think that—he's leading you on! Nothing more! The closer you are to him, the less you'll fight back, and—you can't let that happen!"
Somewhere down the hall a bell dinged loudly, signaling that the next class period had begun, and they were now late. Daisuke pulled back reluctantly, "He…he's hurt so many people… You, me, Dark, Harada-san and Riku-san…so much pain has been caused by him, and I just—I don't want to see it again… I know that Hiwatari-kun hurts a lot…I just want to take away the thing that's hurting you… Him."
Satoshi straightened up and readjusted his shirt, which was crinkled from leaning back against the wall. He gathered his books which had slipped to the floor back into his arms and stared at the redhead in contempt, letting the words drift away into the furthest recesses of his mind for later contemplation.
"A few months ago…I might have believed you… But now…I don't think I need to anymore. Your aim is off, Niwa—you don't even know who you're shooting at now, whether it's me, or Krad, or if you should be looking at something inside yourself as the reason you feel such pain right now. Before you worry about my pain…worry about your own.
"I neither want nor need you concerning yourself with my private affairs. It's my life—let me live it as I wish, and take what mistakes may come on my own." He gave a curt bow. "Please don't speak to me again. Good-bye, Niwa Daisuke."
He turned on his heel and slipped away down the hall silent as death, and the redhead could only stare at his retreating form in wonder, with the realization that this was the first time the Hikari boy had ever addressed him by his full name.
And for some reason he couldn't pinpoint…it felt like it really was good-bye, as if they would never see each other again.
How was it possible, Krad wondered silently, that a boy who during the day possessed such a cold tongue, a biting wit, and a guilt streak a mile long, could be so transfigured by the filtered moonlight that he resembled an angel here and now, come to Krad on Earth to taunt him with visions of what he could never aspire to?
It was simply too cruel to stand and watch from afar, too tempting, rendering him as helpless to change his fate as Tantalus reaching for the elusive apple above his head.
So instead he sat.
It was nigh on two in the morning, and Satoshi had fallen asleep in his after-school clothes, sitting propped up against the back of his bed with his knees drawn up to his chin. In his lap—and now nearly falling to the floor from his feeble grasp—was a copy of some obscure tome of literature he'd been assigned to read. And this same tome, it seemed, had facilitated his slip into dreamland. His glasses rested shakily on the bridge of his nose, sliding down halfway, and his chest rose with an even rhythm before falling back, rocking the book steadily from his lap.
It was almost impossible to resist, the boy was too adorable in that position, like a small child ready for a parent to carry him off to his bed. And had Krad form, he no doubt would have taken it upon himself to make the sleeping Hikari boy more comfortable. As it was, he settled for relaxing onto the bed beside him, simply seeking the chance to watch him further.
There were no masks now, no false pretenses put up to guard against the world, no frowns or smirks, no cold glares or blank stares. The face glowed, reflecting the pale moonlight, rendering Satoshi almost ethereal, as if he didn't even belong on that plane but was astral as Krad—oh, what he wouldn't give if the boy too were astral…
But…Satoshi wasn't astral. He was human, with flesh, blood, a beating heart, a tangible body…everything Krad was not. And just once…just once he wanted to feel that, to know what it was like to brush fingers across the smooth skin of the cheek, not to merely imagine he could sense it. To run a hand through the wispy blue locks that fell across Satoshi's eyes, to know their softness, their tension, their give and pull. And to taste…to taste lips…what would it be like?
Eyelids quivered faintly, fluttering open slowly, and Satoshi suddenly sensed another presence in his bed next to him and shot awake, startled at the intrusion. His pulse quickened in the blink of an eye, then returned to normal just as swiftly as he registered just who was next to him. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, he queried, confused, "…Krad?"
The blonde was lounging on the opposite side of the mattress, golden head propped up in the palm of one arm, resting on his elbow, with a blank face trying to suppress an amused smile. 'Gomen, Satoshi-sama…I woke you…'
"What're you…" He trailed off into a great yawn and covered his mouth wearily, setting the book which had almost slipped to the floor over to the side, and placing his glasses carefully in the bedside table with it, "…doing…on the bed…?" He finally finished the question.
It was obvious that the boy, even though he appeared to want to start a conversation, was still halfway between the waking and the dreaming world—and was well on his way back to slumber land. Humoring him, Krad merely replied, 'Only watching you sleep, Satoshi-sama… You are so beautiful when you sleep…'
The compliment was completely lost on the teen, drunk on fatigue, and he let out another loud yawn, shaking his head to try and ward off its effects. "Shouldn't you be sleeping…too?" he queried innocently, pushing his body forward to slide down into a more natural sleep position, and he pulled a pillow close, burying his face into it. Krad smiled down at him, golden eyes laughing at the question Satoshi would surely only ask when he didn't even know what he was asking.
'I will…but I want to watch you for a while longer…'
"Mmm…'kay…" The words were lost, muffled by the pillow, and feathery eyelids drooped lower and lower to cover his icy depths. Krad looked on in rapture as he felt the boy's consciousness drift from physical to astral, back and forth, struggling at once to be awake and asleep—impossible from a human point of view.
'You did not refute me this time…when I told you that you were beautiful…you let me, you obliged me…aah, Satoshi-sama…'
The sleeper's eyebrows knit in worry, as if he'd just encountered a bad dream of some sort, but soon relaxed back again, and Krad pushed himself up to where he was leaning over the prone form like an anxious parent watching a sick child. A clump of his bangs had separated and was tickling his eyelid, he could see the skin twitching in annoyance, and he wanted…wanted to brush it out of the way, to let his Satoshi-sama sleep on, undisturbed. How cruel that he shouldn't be allowed to sleep uninterrupted!
But he could not brush it away. Even something so simple as batting away an annoying hair or two…his cursed astral form could not do it. No matter how much thought or energy or entreaty he put into the vision…it was image, always and forever. Without flesh or form, without touch or sense. Granted such feelings…only when it least mattered…when that which he wanted to embrace so much was beyond his reach—within himself.
'I wish… I wish I could…just once…touch you…'
He knew it would do no good. He knew it would only hurt. And yet he did it anyway. He reached out to move the strands of offending hair, and frowned when his fingers simply passed through the follicles with nary a thought given.
Like it didn't even matter that he wanted them to catch, like it didn't even matter that he needed it, like it didn't even matter that he existed in thought…it only mattered that he didn't exist in body.
"…Why're you sad…?" a soft curious voice murmured, and Krad gasped lightly, "…Krad…?"
Nothing ever got by the boy, in even his most inattentive state, half-asleep…his half-lidded eyes still caught the faint shimmer in his curse's gaze, watching them glaze over shiny. But Krad was unwilling to let himself be caught like that, and simply shook his head, smiling broader to placate him, and it seemed he succeeded as he rolled back over onto his back, eyes clearly shut now.
Liar…
He might have convinced Satoshi, but that did not stop a single tear from slipping free and sliding down his smooth cheek, before falling like a drop of rain onto the bed…real…
He cursed to himself—would that he were that tear…
But…but he had to try it…just once. It would be like his hands through Satoshi's hair, just as everything was that way. He was a thought, an image, a ghost of an existence, known to few, seen by fewer…he didn't matter.
This, though…this did matter. And no matter how much it hurt, how physically or emotionally it killed him, he would try it as many times as need be, until he either succeeded or faded away, defeated. And he would not be defeated.
He placed his hands as supports on either side of the sleeping former, taking in eagerly the slow rhythmic breathing. Lids drooping, he leaned forward and brushed his own lips across the barely-open ones of his host as best he could manage in his state, and lingered for the length of a heartbeat before reluctantly pulling back.
It wasn't real, he couldn't feel it…but he could know that he had done it, and that was enough. He could think about it, know that it had happened, even though there was no sensation, no fireworks, no electric jolt that a kiss was supposed to be like. Simply knowledge, all in his mind, all in Satoshi's mind…but it was there…
"Mmnn…s'warm…" a muffled voice commented wearily, and he unconsciously shifted onto his side and shuffled towards Krad's image, pulling the covers closer.
…Had he felt it? The kiss…had it been real? No, no…no it had most certainly not been…but astral as he was at the moment, and with Satoshi half-asleep, then by chance the two may have crossed astral lines for a brief second, and as a lucid dream, the sensation had been registered as real. Perhaps nerves had fired, muscles tensed even, all in response…to something that had simply been in his mind.
All a dream, but at times it could be real. He could be real…
And, for Satoshi-sama's sake…he would try again and again and again…because…because…
Because much as he hated to admit it, Niwa Kosuke was right.
Because he loved him.
There weren't grains enough of sand on all the beaches and strands of all the oceans of all the worlds—both astral and physical—that could count the number of times he'd stared at his Tamer with nothing but lust and base desire threading through his being, marveling at every curve and contour, letting his golden eyes roam freely over the hills and plains and valleys that made up Satoshi's perfect form.
But right now…right now he could not pretend that when he stood beside the bed and gazed upon that body that anything below sheer awe drove him to stare. No…this was Satoshi-sama, a god in human form, his own angel of light. His angel…not to covet, not to possess, but to set free and love from afar, to watch over, to protect. Right now Satoshi was no human, not a fourteen-year-old man-child. No…here and now he was exactly as Krad himself: art given life, pure, perfect, flawless, blameless. He was as whole and unmarked as anything formed by Hikari hands in all the generations since his own making.
Yes…YES!
Yes, oh that was it, YES. It was so utterly simple when one thought long enough about it.
Satoshi-sama was…a wonderful, beautiful, work of Hikari art…formed of flesh and blood rather than stone and metal. With breath and life and thought and feelings—with…true beauty…truly enviable beauty...
He was simply another work of art that Krad was bound by invisible bonds to protect, protect from the Niwas, protect from Dark—to keep close to himself. To keep close to himself…or at least to watch from afar. His Galatea, his precious, precious Hikari Satoshi.
'I will save you…you who do not want to be saved, I will save.'
If there was one trait that had been quite thoroughly imbued in the blonde by his creators, it was a stout resolve—the ability to carry through most any task he set his mind to.
So if he was bound and determined to protect that host of his from anything that might hurt him—anything—then by the gods, he would.
Stealthily checking to be sure that his host was still deep in slumber, Krad abandoned his astral form and set to work.
It took a few minutes for Daisuke's sleep addled brain to actually comprehend that there was a real person standing outside his balcony window, and it wasn't just some angel he'd dreamed up. Though, clad completely in white with such pale skin, and bearing such huge white wings, it was understandable that the boy would mistake his visitor for one of the more ethereal realm.
The two stood facing each other, Daisuke hesitating to let the other boy in until it was explained just what his friend was doing at his house at that hour of the night…standing outside his window with wings.
"Hiwa…tari-kun?" he tested hesitantly, letting his fingers rest on the latch to open the balcony window. All that was returned was a simple greeting nod, for Daisuke's voice probably couldn't have been heard through the glass. It suddenly hit the Niwa boy that whatever Satoshi had come for, it certainly had to be important—or rather, at three in the morning it had better be important, as Dark put it—and he turned the latch, pulling the cord to open the window.
It was unreal, seeing the great wings he'd previously seen only on the Hikari boy's curse. They folded close to their master as he stepped regally forward into the small room without a word, then bent at rest behind him. Daisuke closed the window behind him and turned to stare unabashedly.
He hadn't even known it was possible for the hosts to bear the wings of their curses—of course, after that incident at school, Daisuke supposed he should have suspected it was feasible. Hiwatari-kun just…stood there. In the middle of his room, looking for all intents and purposes like a ghost.
The Hikari boy was clad entirely in white, from his immaculate overcoat, woven from some material Daisuke couldn't identify, down to his impeccable shoes which looked as if they'd never stepped foot on the physical plane before. Gone were the thin wire frames the boy usually wore—though Daisuke knew Satoshi didn't really need them—revealing a bright, determined pair of eyes he'd never noticed before. Hiwatari-kun was…staring at him.
Satoshi's gaze was usually so blank and distant, as if he was perpetually staring beyond the years at all the pain that surely awaited him; that gaze…never voluntarily met Daisuke's. It was like the other boy was almost ashamed to look him in the eye. But tonight… Hiwatari-kun held himself differently, carried his head high and proudly, more sure of himself—more…comfortable. Those eyes stared right at Daisuke—no…right through him.
They stared at him with something Daisuke dared to consider hunger, something almost devilish had Satoshi smiled in the least. Rooted in place as he took in the sidereal vision that had come to visit him, the Niwa boy couldn't move an inch, even when his friend approached him so slowly it was almost like he was stalking him.
Closer, closer the boy stepped, steadily closing the distance between the two, his expression never changing. His footfalls were silent on the carpet, and the only sound that cleft the quiet was the ever-quickening thump of Daisuke's heartbeat.
There were no words, for Satoshi chose not to speak, while Daisuke couldn't. The Hikari boy came to a stop only when he'd approached within barely an inch of his rival, leaving a teasing distance between their lips as if daring the object of his recent desires to do something about it.
And Daisuke, true as he intended to stay to Riku, could not for the life of him figure out why Satoshi was behaving this way…and why he couldn't help being drawn in. He'd never considered the other boy like this—they were friends! Well, he liked to think they were, even if the Hikari boy had wanted something more. Still—this just wasn't like Hiwatari-kun! He'd never…never…
"And you…rejected this…"
Satoshi finally smiled when he hissed these words, with a thin upward twitching of his lips that just revealed his teeth—a decidedly wicked smile, something else Daisuke would never have expected his friend to effect.
This Hiwatari-kun…something was so wrong… It was almost like…someone had taken Krad's personality and transplanted it into his host. This Hiwatari-kun was aggressive, where Satoshi was usually so passive; was self-assured, almost cocky, where Satoshi was usually so quiet and reserved.
'Daisuke—DAI! Get away! NOW!'
As if on reflex, Daisuke jumped backwards and collapsed onto his bed, completely snapped out of his stupor. "Hiwa—Hiwatari-kun! What're you—?"
"It certainly took you long enough," Satoshi laughed softly, "Senses dulling in your old age, Dark?" A pause, and that wicked smile was back, leering now. "And you, Wing Master…I could have had your pants halfway down your legs before you had enough sense to react, I'd wager. Honestly! As if Satoshi-sama would stoop to such…plebeian seduction techniques!"
Daisuke, the poor boy, repeated the only thing he could in response to this: "Hiwa…tari…kun…?"
'Not him.' Dark saved his Tamer from further embarrassing himself and slipped into his astral form immediately, arms crossed and offering their visitor his most menacing glare he could conjure. 'Not him at all… How's that stolen body, Krad?'
"Wha—stolen body?" Daisuke ran his eyes over the body of his friend again, finally twigging as to just what was going on. "That's…" His expression then shot from confused to furious, and he hissed in a low voice so as not to wake anyone, "You! What're you doing here? Why do you look like Hiwatari-kun?"
Krad rolled Satoshi's eyes, sighing dramatically. "Oh don't act as if this is something new to you, boy—I know for a fact that your Dark has taken your body before without fully transforming. It's simply another one of our little 'perks.' Now—" He plopped onto Daisuke's couch on the opposite side of the room motioning for the boy to do the same, "—let's chat."
Daisuke eyed the other boy warily, while Dark tried his very best to convince his host to transform—whatever Krad was there for, it certainly wasn't for a curse-to-boy talk, and that meant it wasn't good.
'No…' the boy returned after some consideration, in a moment of daring and insight. 'Not yet…I want to see what he's after. If he really did come here to try something, he would've done it in his normal form…'
'So he just wanted to surprise you! Using that kid's body!'
'And if he wanted that then he would've done it before we realized that it was him, don't you think? He wouldn't have waited until you realized what was going on!'
Dark was silent for a moment, and his host knew he was frantically trying to come up with a reason for Krad's showing up outside their window in the dead of night in his host's body. 'I…dammit. Alright. Fine—you two have your little talk. But I'm telling you now, Daisuke…he tries anything, and I'm taking you without question. I don't like sitting here unable to do anything, and I don't intend to.'
Daisuke gave his silent assent, then turned back to his guest, countenance grave. "Fine…what's this 'chat' you came for?"
Krad's gaze narrowed slightly—he hadn't actually expected the Niwa boy to accept so easily, and almost regretted the lost opportunity to bind the boy hand and foot to make him listen. Still, this would prove easier if Daisuke went in willingly. He might actually listen, and Krad wouldn't have to take…measures.
"Well then, I suppose I'll get right to the point. I'd like you to…reconsider the implications of your relationship with my host." He frowned and turned away, "Even after how you've treated him…all that you and that Dark of yours have done to him…he seems to still care for you for reasons I cannot fathom. And…it now appears that I've been one with Satoshi-sama long enough that I've adopted one of his nasty little habits." A pause. "…I give up."
"You…what?"
'You…what?'
"I'm telling you to stop leading him on and do something about his affection! You don't deserve his attentions and yet he's intent on lavishing them on you—just…do something, don't leave him there to flounder!" Krad slammed a fist into the cushion and leaned backwards, eyes closed. "I give up…I cannot be you…not for him."
"You—you want me to…love him?"
The troubled eyes shot open again, and Krad hesitated to stoop and respond. "He…he needs it…you've no idea…"
Daisuke felt that familiar sensation creep over him once again—the sensation he'd felt when Satoshi had confessed to him those months before. His heart clenched in his chest, and his stomach gave a few leaps. But more than feeling sick, the boy now felt…perplexed. Confused—not just at the proposition itself, but at the one posing it.
Dark's eyes never left Satoshi's form, staring so fiercely at their visitor that it was almost as if he could see Krad himself lurking just beneath the boy's flesh, moving the body like a puppet with threads of Astral. He could not, however, stare hard enough to uncover Krad's reasoning…and it was this that piqued his interest most.
Why would the blonde even consider asking something like this of Daisuke…especially when taking into account Krad's own feelings for his host? Dark was sure his rival quite loathed the Niwa family…so why propose forging this alliance? One he'd worked so hard to keep from happening?
…Krad stood to gain nothing as Dark saw it. Satoshi…would simply be happy.
Simply…be…happy…
"I…no! I just—I can't just feel something like that for Hiwatari-kun just because you ask!"
Krad tried his best to keep his mask of politeness in place, hands itching to knock some sense into the boy. "Then I suggest you make a concerted effort, Niwa. I asked you nicely. I don't intend on repeating such a request."
"Well, I'm sorry," Daisuke retorted, "but I can't be that—and there's nothing you can to do convince me or force me to."
"Oh, can't I? I take that as a challenge, boy."
Dark bristled, hands fisting at his side, but stood down at a sharp glance from his Tamer. "No—you can't. Love…you can't force someone to love someone else. I would think you'd know that better than anyone else."
Krad's temper was growing shorter with each reply. "I came here to civilly ask you something for once, Niwa—not for some lecture on what I can and cannot do! If I wanted that, I'm sure my own Tamer would be more than happy to comply! This is about Satoshi-sama's well-being and happiness—"
"You don't seem to care too much about his happiness if you're trying to make me care about him! How do you think he'd take it, knowing that the only way to get someone to love him was to have his—his—astral bouncer lining people up for him like some yakuza member?"
"I do care! I—" Krad caught himself quickly, snapping his mouth shut, then glared in true Satoshi fashion. "The point of my coming here is that Satoshi not know. And what he doesn't know can't hurt him. So—provided you do as you've been kindly asked—I see no problems."
"Except that I don't love him!"
"And why not?" Krad snapped in response, "You're damn lucky to have any Hikari fixated on you! Let alone one so superb as Satoshi-sama!" He stood now and shook a finger angrily at the boy, "I have stood by these past few months and watched in silence, I've not lifted a finger with respect to the relationship between the two of you, but that stops now. I'm so tired of—of standing there unable to do anything while he pines for you, or watching him sulk after one of your stupid little tiffs wherein you showered him with false claims of my treachery!
"Who's the real traitor here, Niwa boy? I, who've stayed by his side day and night, comforting when I could, staying silent when I couldn't—or you, who's consistently been the very reason he needed comforting?"
"Then why?" Daisuke huffed, frowning, "Why ask me—force me to do this, if I'm such a bad person? You want your Satoshi-sama associating with the likes of me? You want a treacherous Niwa like me…to love him?"
'…Because…' Dark's voice echoed inside his mind, 'It's because…he loves him. Krad loves Creepy Boy. I mean…really loves him…' The thief shook his head and smiled wryly before disappearing, retreating back into the boy's mind for the remainder of the conversation. If this was heading where he thought it was heading, then he certainly didn't want to witness it.
Daisuke's eyes were wide and unblinking, prompting Krad to stiffen, on guard, at the unusual change in the boy's demeanor. "Krad…loves Hiwatari-kun…?"
The other boy made a strange sound, like that of all the air in his lungs suddenly contracting, leaving him breathless. His eyes shook in a combination of frustration that he'd been found out and fear that the Niwa boy would somehow use the knowledge against him.
"Tha—no way! There's just…how could Krad—"
"Do shut up with the melodramatics! I couldn't care less whether you believe it or not." He frowned and sank back into the couch, arms crossed. "That stupid thief never did know when to keep his nose out of other people's business… None of you Niwas seem to possess that ability."
Daisuke ignored him and continued to shake his head—this was Krad! The homicidal maniac who'd killed Commander Hiwatari, who'd nearly killed Daisuke himself! How was he expected to believe that the golden demon of the Hikaris even possessed a heart capable of such a complex emotion as love?
But, if Krad did…if Dark was right… His mind began flitting through his memories of all that had happened lately. The recent dancing incident, Hiwatari-kun's night out in Krad's body, that compromise the two had regarding Dark…
Dark was seldom a bad judge of character, and…well, he did know Krad best… So if he said that Krad…loved Hiwatari-kun…in that way…maybe it was true. Maybe…Daisuke had been wrong this whole time: that Krad had changed, did want a new relationship with his Tamer, did want Hiwatari-kun…to be happy…
Happy?
How in the world could Hiwatari-kun be happy…like this? How could he ever have any sort of relationship beyond host/curse…with Krad?
"No!" Daisuke snapped, suddenly regaining his senses, and Krad glared through Satoshi's cold blue eyes. "I won't let that—it's just…wrong! To treat Hiwatari-kun like that! You…him…how could you? Don't you understand…how cruel that kind of relationship between you two would be?"
Krad pulled back, astonished that this Niwa was speaking to him in such a manner. Instead of addressing the subject Krad had come to speak of, Daisuke had apparently decided this merited attention first. "I beg your pardon?"
"All this time…you've just been playing with him! Everything you've been doing that rubbed me the wrong way, your stupid compromise, that night out in your body, and that display during gym! You—do you have any idea what you're leading him to think?" Krad opened his mouth to respond, but Daisuke took the liberty to answer for him.
"That you two could possibly have any sort of relationship! You're his curse! You're not even real! You keep saying how well you know him, how he's the most important thing to you—well look what you've done! Obviously you don't know that Hiwatari-kun…he'll take it seriously!
"You…if you really love him…" Daisuke lowered his head, "then he'll notice it before long, if he hasn't already… And he'll believe you, and—after seeing how he's acted lately, he'll return those feelings." His gaze darkened, "Then what'll you do?
"There's a saying, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'…but what about experiencing a love that could never have been in the first place? Isn't that…the cruelest joke of all?"
Krad stood silently and stared at Daisuke for a moment, unsure of what face to make, then opted to instead pace the room as he gathered his thoughts. "You seem fond of analogies, little Wing Master…let me offer you a new one. There once was a sculptor…in ancient Greece. His name was Pygmalion. He was an artist among artists; I dare even propose that he may have been an ancestor of our Hikari line, so skilled was his hand. And as most of our profession are, he was quite withdrawn, opting for marriage to his work rather than a woman of flesh and blood. This didn't stop him, though… He one day took up his mallet and chisel, and from a gleaming white block of marble…carved a most beautiful figure. And he fell in love with this figure, a love that he also thought could never be…
"But the goddess Aphrodite pitied the poor man and granted his stone maiden life." He smiled softly, a patronizing expression. "You see, love always finds a way."
Daisuke didn't rise to the bait, keeping his voice soft and level. "And where are your gods, Krad? The ones who will grant you life? A real life? Get your head out of the clouds—tell me of even one time when you could touch Hiwatari-kun!
"You can't, can you? Because you never have. Never. You can't touch him, let alone hold him! So what'll you do on nights when he cries—because I know he cries. I've seen it in his eyes, that lost, empty sadness. What will you do when that happens? Or do you think that just because you simply exist, all his problems will magically disappear? Hell, you are half his problems!
"I haven't known Hiwatari-kun for very long, I admit. You've one-upped me in that area, but I know at least that what you want will only hurt him. I…I don't love him like you do…but I do love him. As a friend—a friend I don't want to see hurt."
Krad narrowed Satoshi's eyes viciously and spat, "But little Wing Master, don't you realize…that by your very words you hurt him more than I ever could?"
"At least…" the Niwa boy replied coolly, "I never gave him false hope of something that could never be. At least I've always been honest." Krad looked away now, frowning in the darkness. "I didn't lead him on, I let him get over me—and you want to bring it all back! Can't you just…leave him alone? Let him live his own life the way he wants. You hate me, I accept that—but I'm not your Tamer! I don't care what you try with me, but you have such power over him! You can hurt him…so much!
"You always…only hurt him… Wouldn't it just be so much better…if you weren't with him anymore?"
Aphrodite is dead
"If you truly love him, then shouldn't you do what's best for him? Even if he doesn't want it? Even if you don't want it? You're the curse, you're the one who's not supposed to be here. If I were you…I'd give it some serious thought." Daisuke sighed and walked back over to the window, pulling the latch and lifting it open. "But what do I know? After all, I'm just a stupid Niwa." His gaze hardened. "Get out. Give Hiwatari-kun back his body as soon as you get back to his apartment, and never take it without his consent again. You have your own form; don't hide behind his face in front of me ever again."
Smiling softly, Krad stood and shoved his hands into his pockets, wings folding close as he stepped outside. "That, Wing Master…is one thing I believe I can consent to. Good night."
In a shower of feathers, he was gone.
Daisuke glanced at his clock—nearly four in the morning now. He was surprised their talk hadn't roused any other members of his household but reasoned that Krad had probably placed some sort of barrier around his room so they wouldn't be disturbed.
'Got it in one…you're getting pretty good at this kaitou business, Dai…'
Daisuke blushed lightly at the compliment, "Well, I do have a pretty good teacher, after all." He could sense the thief inside his mind swelling with pride, and added, "Mom's been preparing for this for a while, after all." Immediately he felt the pride burst like a popped balloon and couldn't help the snicker that forced itself over his lips, "Kidding! Kidding!"
He shut the window back and latched it securely, drawing the curtains and plunging the room into near-darkness. Marching back over to his bed, he hopped back in and snuggled underneath the covers, resolved to speak to Hiwatari-kun the next day at school to discuss…well, something. He didn't really know how much he would feel comfortable speaking to the other boy about. Krad would most likely kill him despite Satoshi's protests if Daisuke dared breathe a word about the blonde's feelings toward his host.
Still…Krad and love. It just didn't fit! The emotions that had flashed across that face when Daisuke had spoken those words were enough to convince him that the blonde was in earnest, further supported by Dark's realization and belief. Daisuke shook his head…it was ludicrous how different Krad was now from when they'd first met.
He'd actually stooped to asking a Niwa for help—his sworn enemy! Had even sought to use that same Niwa as a replacement for himself in a position Krad had fought so long to attain in Satoshi's life. It was almost like…
Redemption. For murdering Satoshi's adopted father. That was the only conclusion Daisuke could draw: He'd killed Hiwatari Kei—for some reason the Niwa clan still couldn't fathom—and now thought he could rectify the situation by offering Daisuke's love to his Tamer.
'…Close…but not quite, Dai…'
"You're still awake?" The Niwa boy had been sure that his thief would be out like a light by now, attributing his earlier comment to a simple moment of consciousness between dreams or something. "So…what do you think? Still sure that…well, that Krad really…?"
Dark paused a moment, then returned brusquely, 'I already told you what I thought.'
Flushing lightly in embarrassment, Daisuke returned, "I—I know, but I just…I guess I was kinda curious… You know Krad better than me, after all."
'So in short, you want to know…what would make a curse forget his duty, abandon his post as clan protector…simply for the love of his Tamer?'
"I…what?"
Dark wisely changed topics. 'He'd do it, you know.'
"Who—what? Who would?"
'Krad…you tell me I know him…and I'm telling you he'd do it.'
Swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, Daisuke pressed, "Do…what?"
'…Seal himself.'
Daisuke blinked—that hadn't been what he was expecting to hear—then smiled softly, "No…I just suggested that. He'd never listen to a Niwa; it'd hurt his pride too much. Even Hiwatari-kun's not as important as Krad's pride."
'…I think you've got it backwards, Dai…'
"What?"
'You know, if he did Seal himself…'
"If he did…then what?"
A deep pause. '…I'd be gone too.'
The pause persisted, neither speaking again, though from the boy's erratic brainwaves Dark could tell he was still trying to convince himself that Krad would never listen to him and that Dark had nothing to worry about. After fifteen minutes or so, the waves slowed and calmed, and it seemed Daisuke had reached some conclusion and won himself over.
Dark, however, couldn't brush the evening's events off so easily. He'd seen that look in Krad's eyes, even through the Satoshi-mask he wore. He'd not missed that stalwart resoluteness that so signified a Hikari—fight to the death, perish with one's sword in one's hand. He knew how impossible Krad would be to deal with once he got a notion in his head, and for the first time in this tenth incarnation…he was actually disappointed in his Tamer.
That Daisuke could be so blind, so cold, so uncaring and unthinking as to suggest an actual Seal…it shook the kaitou to his very core. He did know Krad, Daisuke understood that much.
And that meant he knew what Krad meant to do.
The blonde would take Daisuke's words to heart—would seriously think over them, despite what the boy believed. Krad would think, consider, conclude…and Dark couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.
The ultimate weapon: one they could use against each other just as effectively as it could be used against them—the Seal. The consummation of their battles, intended to never be used and yet always threatening them. It was simply that Krad would never give his own consent, and neither would Dark's Tamer, so both Hikari and Niwa clans were kept from using the spell, from putting an end to the feud.
Until now.
Daisuke had tipped the scales—had given Krad reason to cave. Given Krad reason to consider that spell that was never spoken of…
And yes, Dark was frightened. More scared than he'd ever been before. More scared than he'd been on that rooftop with Niwa Ryuichi, more scared than he'd been when Daisuke had nearly melded minds with Hiwatari…
More scared than ever…because this time there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.
As soon as Krad reached the apartment, he shuttled Satoshi's body back to bed, being sure to cover it up well against the cool spring night, then released his hold over the neural connectors, letting his Tamer slowly fall into a sleep cycle.
It was absurd. He phased into astral form and began pacing like a caged lion, casting a glance every now and then over to the sleeping boy, brows knit in concern. There was no way a Niwa could be that intuitive, could touch that closely to the truth. Niwa Daisuke was too entangled in the clan war to be able to offer unbiased help.
And yet…Krad had gone anyway, hadn't he? Krad had been the one to seek the boy out, to ask him to return his Satoshi-sama's feelings, hadn't he?
"Wouldn't it just be better…if you weren't with him anymore?"
He wanted to laugh. And cry. Scream and rage and drop off into deep slumber.
'And just how might you have responded to that question, Satoshi-sama?' he queried of the sleeping form before him, reaching out to brush away a hair he couldn't touch. 'Would you have run away like I did?' A pause.
'No, you most certainly would not. You would never back away from that boy, never be run off. Yet I don't dare conjecture how you would have responded…
'Do you still hate me?'
There was, of course, no response still. 'I wonder, do you even appreciate how serious I am? That when I say I'd do anything for you, I mean it? Do you realize that now…there is nothing more important to me than keeping you safe, happy?
'Do you understand…what kind of sacrifice that is for me?
'What kind of sacrifice…I'm going to make, just for you?'
Much as it pained him to admit it, Niwa Daisuke was right—for once in this incarnation, the brat actually had exhibited some insight. It was cruel to make Satoshi put up with him, to hope for any sort of requited love. And it would be even crueler to force the boy to endure his advances any longer. Satoshi wanted no part in this war—so be it.
Krad would end it.
'I do hope you've said your goodbyes to your Niwa, Dark…'
'Isn't it about time, Satoshi-sama?'
"Time?" He splashed a bit of water on his face the following morning, then reached for a towel to mop himself dry. "Time for what?" Dark hadn't sent out another notice, had he?
'Time…to kill the Niwa boy, of course.'
Satoshi stared, dumbstruck, at his reflection in the mirror, letting the towel he'd been using to dry his face fall away slowly. "What did you just say?"
'Don't pretend you misunderstood me, Satoshi-sama. With yesterday's fight…you've successfully broken all your ties with that Niwa boy, and there's no reason for you to neglect your duty any longer. I've tolerated it this far in the hopes that my interference in breaking you two up would not be needed—and it seems I was correct in that hope.'
"Duty, duty—what the hell are you talking about!" This was completely unlike Krad, and his cold words were eerily reminiscent of what he'd come to dub the "old Krad." "I'm not—I'm not killing any Niwa, least of all Daisuke!" He glared daggers into the mirror at the being locked behind his eyes, and turned away in disgust, tossing the towel to the floor as he stormed off into his bedroom and sank onto the bed.
'Deny it all you like—' Krad slipped into astral form and stared down at the body slumped on the mattress, his arms crossed disdainfully over his chest, '—but you cannot run from the Hikari family any longer. Haven't my actions of late gotten through to you? Being of our line isn't all bad, you know. And had you even a modicum of sense you'd realize that that plebeian Niwa line doesn't even deserve the title of "rival" to us. Really—killing that boy will almost be a blessing, he's so…apathetic…doesn't even acknowledge that he has an enemy in you…'
Krad was actually…serious! "That's because he's not you! He doesn't blindly accept fate! He makes his own! He's a Niwa, yet he paints as well as any Hikari—he's a kaitou, yet all his ideas are his own! If he can change his destiny as a Niwa, why can't I change mine!"
'Because—!' Krad's voice took on a tone that was equivalent to a slap in the face, and Satoshi actually scooted back a bit at the snappish shout. 'Because you're better than him! Your destiny doesn't need to be changed—it's already enviable! You are a masterful Hikari, Satoshi-sama! Last of a line of artists descended from the Renaissance masters, and even further back! And the Niwas wish to take that from you, that pride. Are you telling me you're going to let them do that!'
"I just—I don't want anything to do with this line anymore! No more battles, no more rivalries, no more Hikaris and Niwas—I just want to be normal!"
'But Satoshi-sama…normal doesn't suit you, you know?' The boy narrowed his eyes, and Krad bent down to stare straight at him at eyelevel. 'Are you trying to tell me that all this time my efforts to draw you nearer have been in vain?'
"Draw me…nearer? What're you…?"
'This! All this!' The blonde extended a hand out to encompass the room, their living situation, 'You and I—you can't deny we've been on better terms of late than ever before. For what other purpose would I possibly try and strengthen our bond than to build up your power to fight the Niwa boy and Dark without my interference?'
Satoshi stood abruptly and clenched his fists in disbelief, "You—were—baiting me! This was all…"
'To separate you and the Wing Master, of course,' he remarked, as if it should have been the most obvious observation in the world, 'It makes the killing all the easier, when there is no connection between the two. Hosts before you have learned that well enough. And then by building up our own relationship—'
"Th—that's why you…all this time…" His brows furrowed pathetically and his gaze fell to the floor as he bit his lip in frustration
A sharp laugh interrupted his thoughts, and he heard the most horrible words the blonde had yet to utter drift to his ears:
'Wh—what? You thought…you thought I was actually—actually falling for you? That I desired you in any way beyond your body! You really thought that I cared for you even remotely beyond your physical self, didn't you!' It looked as if it was taking all his self-control to keep himself from collapsing into fits of laughter at the ludicrousness of the realization.
Clapping hands over his ears to try and drown out the grating laughter, Satoshi doubled over and balanced on his heels, rocking on the floor. "You…you…used me…my em—emotions…"
'That's what I do, Satoshi-sama. Use you, if you won't do it yourself. I had to cut off your ties with everyone, because you weren't going to on your own. Hiwatari, those fools you used to work with at the police station, and most of all—Niwa Daisuke.'
"But—but, Kosuke! You let me…let me talk to him…!"
'That Niwa man's "talks" were actually fortuitous—they served their unintentional purpose well enough. Actually made you think of something else besides the Wing Master all the time—and even better was the fact that you often thought of me. Hah! I could not have planned that part better myself, I do believe.'
"No…no, you…lied…always?"
'Virtually.'
"Never…for any other reason…?"
'Nothing is more important to me than restoring Hikari honor. Least of all petty human emotions like love. If you want to indulge in that, it's your decision—feel free to attempt it with something or someone a bit more transient than me, though. And do it after you kill Dark's Tamer.'
He shook his head fiercely, still staring at the ground with his hands clamped over his ears, and his voice cracked in pent-up anger, making it evident that he was on the verge of tears. "I'm not—killing Niwa! You can't ask me, and you can't make me!"
'Oh, can't I?'
"You can't!" His eyes shot up, quivering and puffy, and he sniffed loudly, "I refuse to let you this time! Never again—I'll never let you hurt him—kuso!" He slammed a fist into the floor and heard something crack inside the hand.
Lies lies lies…always more lies…He'd given himself over, just like before, to the thrilling, enticing lies that Krad carried around like little treats to pull his Tamer in closer and closer.
His comforting words which flowed forth so profusely when he most needed them…the constant presence that was at once curiously annoying and reassuring, letting him know that Krad, at least, would never leave him or abandon him, would never change if Satoshi didn't want him to…
The voice that hissed like fire, enveloping his senses through and through, curling up around him like a constrictor…and he'd wanted it…
He'd let himself be taken, let himself be tricked and deceived…He'd welcomed the isolation Krad had drawn him into—isolation from friends, from family, from all but the demonic curse himself—because…he wanted to be wanted.
Had wanted to think that maybe…just maybe…there was life beyond Niwa, warmth that could be experienced without the redhead, comfort…that could exist inside his own mind. And so he had accepted, eventually, that perhaps Krad truly had the best of intentions—that his little episodes of seeming to care were not feigned, but real, real reflections of a changed being.
And he had…liked it…would even go so far as to say…he had loved it. Had wanted to never be separated from this new feeling, this emotion welling up in his center that came when an astral smile rippled across Krad's image—a smile worn for his Tamer to see and to enjoy and to reflect back at the blonde, a real one.
"Let me never lack the chance to see that again…" he could have easily requested to no one, so enthralled was he by this change that had swept over him, completely overpowering his senses like a great swell in an ocean storm. Except he could have resisted, if he'd wanted to—he could have tried to have seen the ploy for what it really was. A plot to win his affection, to win his heart, as a prize in some petty contest of wits and deviousness.
For if Satoshi would grow to love his own curse, then he would deny that same curse nothing.
All his life, from the moment he'd been able to comprehend the order, he'd been taught to kill his heart—to let no emotion seep through. For a dead heart cannot be molded, cannot be twisted and taken for personal usage, and now look!
Daisuke…he had been so gentle with Satoshi's heart, he remembered… Always gentle, always kind, always always always a Niwa…warm, bearing, forgiving…
But Krad was like a rusty knife caught by hooks that twisted and turned inside his heart, ripping and tearing the tender flesh and yanking out chunks of the boy's very soul as he uprooted himself from the place of honor he'd attained in his Tamer's life now.
A web so carefully and skillfully weaved…that he'd been caught completely unawares.
"Get. Out. Now."
'Out? Surely you jest, Satoshi-sama. Peeved as you may be at this point for being deceived, never forget that it was your own foolishness that led you this far. If you'd simply complied with my requests from the start I never would have dragged you this far, and it would all be long over by now.'
"Just—shut up! Don't talk to me—anymore! I never would have, nor will I ever, agree to kill Niwa! You never had a chance of gaining that power over me!"
'Oh but I think I did—and that's precisely why you're getting so angry now, isn't it?' That same perverse laugh again echoed in Satoshi's skull, 'To think that I'd stoop to loving a human with my makers' pride at stake—really, you can't seriously have thought that, could you?'
"But I…I…"
'Did? And I thought you were one of the brighter ones… Ah well, I suppose I was wrong on that one aspect…'
He should have known it, should have known it from the start: there was no reason for Krad to start cooperating with him, he could take Satoshi's body whenever he wanted, could kill Dark or let him go, whatever his whim was, and the Hikari child could have done nothing to stop him—so why make the pact, why make the agreement with his Tamer?
Simply to strengthen their bond…simply to gain more power over him…
"No…" The voice had less of a quiver now, and he eased himself back upright, letting his hands fall back to his sides as he stared up at his curse with a new determination, "No…you were the stupid one if you thought that you ever had a chance to draw me that close to attain your goal. And you were even stupider to have just thrown it all away—any chance you might have had at keeping me near." He laughed harshly, "You've just shown your hand, and have lost me. You lose, Krad."
The smirk faded in brilliance from the blonde's face, but wasn't entirely lost yet, 'This battle over asking you to kill Niwa of your own volition…I will concede that I have lost it. But—' He raised a hand to stop any interruptions which might have followed, 'I do not need your permission to finish this long war. I suppose I will once again have to take matters into my own hands.' A light shrug, 'It can't be helped.'
He closed his golden eyes in concentration, and Satoshi had but a moment to comprehend what he was trying to do—not nearly enough time to try and prevent the inevitable.
With a pitiable cry he sank down to his knees and clutched his chest, crying out as if Krad's knife had been suddenly ripped from his heart with no warning at all. Deep in his chest the familiar clenching of muscles assaulted his nerve endings, like being caught in a red-hot clamp that at once burned and crushed him.
The pain ebbed away for a few seconds before attacking anew inside his head, and a throbbing erupted from his skull that felt as if Krad were actually trying to physically break out, slashing at the walls and chains binding him with the invisible knife he'd just plucked from Satoshi's heart.
'Is it painful, Satoshi-sama? You can make it stop by yielding to me, you know.'
Amazingly the blue-haired boy managed to find a scratchy voice, though it was dotted with bouts of coughing, "I'm n-not…yielding…anything…to you…least of all…my body…"
Krad shook his head in mirth and countered in a sickeningly sweet sing-song voice, 'I'm sure that's not what you would have said just yesterday… You really actually were falling for a being you couldn't even touch weren't you? Pathetic…that you'd be that desperate…'
From his spot crumpled on the floor, still clutching his chest like a heart-attack victim, he wheezed back, "You played…with my emotions…I was just…another game…to you…"
Just…another…game?
Golden eyes vacillated uncertainly from reflecting a mocking smile to a forgiveness-seeking frown. For deep inside the astral makeup in what might have been a heart, given time to flourish with the right person, Krad shuddered unconsciously. He was pulling this off too well, it seemed…Satoshi was already tumbling back down the hill the two had worked so tirelessly to scale—back to square one…back to hatred.
'Quite—but it was such an enjoyable game, I will admit.' No, no…it was never a game, Satoshi-sama…I swear it…I did love…
"You were laughing at me, always…watching me fall…"
'As I said—it was such an enjoyable game.' I wanted to catch you…I wanted to…wanted to…
"It was all…a lie…"
'And nothing but.' Anything but…please…believe me…
Satoshi paused—he had heard everything he needed to understand that he'd been fooled, tricked, played with, and so he said the words that hadn't touched his lips in so long that they actually felt very foreign, bitter. But he was well used to the unpleasant sensation of crushing hopes—and of having them crushed:
"I hate you…"
'Yes, you hate me so much…' And yet…I still love you…
"I hate you!" His voice rose in volume, and the tears returned to his eyes. "Dammit, I hate you, Krad! I hate you!"
'But not nearly as much as you almost loved me, right?' I'm so sorry…but it will hurt less this way, I promise…
"I could never feel more strongly about you than this! Never! You—conniving bastard!" His hands curled into fists again, and it looked as if he was just barely holding himself back from lunging forward and taking a swipe at the image—only held at bay by the knowledge that such an action would only make his curse smile even more at the futility of it all.
'My my…such words… It seems as if you're a little angry at me…' He leaned forward and settled his hands on his hips, cocking his blonde head to the side in a querying manner.
'You would love it if I were somehow sealed, would you not?' The crux of his argument, and it didn't take Satoshi a moment to even blink before he spat out his acid laden response to the question, fury mingling with betrayal.
"Yes—and may you rot in whatever eternity in Hell accompanies it."
Krad pulled back, closed his eyes, and muttered a soft, '…Thank you…' before concentrating one final time and banishing his beloved Tamer to the darkness of unconsciousness, never to lay eyes on the boy again.
'…Forgive me…Satoshi-sama…'
Author's Notes: SO sorry about the long time between last update—almost a week and a half! But blame the site; it didn't seem all that inclined to let me keep to our regular schedule. Anyways, I'll update from now on, I suppose on Tuesday evenings, so get ready for mid-week delight. Or, well, I don't suppose that'll last long, as next chapter's the last! Well, there is a litle epilogue too, but next one will end it. Enjoy! Next week: no spoilers this time, haha, suffice to say I look forward to reactions.