* - * - *

He watched them from the shadows. Dear Yuki and his friends, being all cozy and having fun in their little picnic. He could see the glow in Yuki's eyes, and even the monkey-boy had ceased his constant caterwauling. The atmosphere of companionship lay thick upon the clearing. It was a touching sight.

It was a disgusting sight.

And in the middle of it all was the girl. This scrawny, pitiful girl who had no power beyond what had been granted her. For a weak, foolish creature, she had far exceeded his expectations; not even he had foreseen how quickly the Ashari boy and his own dear brother would succumb to her charms. Already she had broken through their defenses. It won't be long now before she destroyed them completely.

The power was changing. The heavens sang with it; the very earth trembled from it. The forces that had kept the balance of his realm in this time beyond time had shifted inexorably outward, and beyond his borders the rest of the world writhed as he grew in strength with each passing day. The City of Mizaka had nearly fallen. Its inhabitants were scattered and divided, fighting amongst themselves in a mindless panic while their leaders gradually lost their wills and their wits. He need not waste time on that city; his people had already seen to its downfall. The Shukari's desire for vengeance had smoldered through the ages; his people need not wait for long for his rebirth.

But Ryuukama still fought on. And it was in Ryuukama, the city of magic and healing, that the greatest threat to his plans of revenge and conquest lay. The Duke's will was proving to be formidable, but even he had a weakness. Even now his daughter lay wasting away, and the Duke's spirit was faltering. The city's survival hung in the balance; when the Duke fell, the city would follow.

And the kingdom would at long last be his.

The girl was the key. It was through her that the protection spell surrounding the Ashari boy would be broken; it was she who would deliver his greatest weapon into his hands. Not the bauble merged in her body, as they all seemed to believe, much to his amusement; it was the child of sorrow himself. The twice-cursed child of sorrow. After all, the only way to defeat a protection spell of this nature was if the bearer of the spell himself broke it of his own free will.

And when she had fulfilled her purpose, the girl would die.

It almost made him smile. Dear Yuki had become attached to this girl, even fancied himself in love with her. He himself had set them on this course, but all of a sudden the idea infuriated him. He and the beautiful young Sohma prince were far closer than brothers could be. How dare Yuki give to that girl a part of him that he constantly denied his own flesh and blood, the one who had granted him immortality? It was intolerable. Yuki was his, body and soul. He would not allow this filthy little slut to take his brother away from him.

But the girl will die. The child of sorrow will see to it. And what of Yuki then, when he finds he had lost his precious Honda-san? Poor, sad Yuki. So broken-hearted. But he would be there to comfort him. Yuki, his dear little brother, would hide from him no longer. Everything would be just as the Goddess willed it.

From the depths of the forest, a pair of ebony wings unfurled, and with a harsh cry the hawk launched itself into the air, circling over the forest once before returning to the tower.

Soon, he decided. Very soon.

-------------------------

Author's Notes:

Whoa. This is weird. I actually finished this update last week. This is probably not me writing. I'm probably still asleep in bed.

I'm trying my best to keep an even hold on the romantic parts, not too fast but not too slow. Although I like reading romance, I haven't really tried writing it, so I'm not sure if I handled the Yukiru moments well. Um, in case I didn't, please tell me so I can fix it up.

And to everyone who waited (once again, I sincerely apologize-I know it sucks to wait for an update) and somehow kept on reading and reviewing, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH! with much teary-eyed sniffling

Book 2 is about to reach its climax. Please continue to read, minna-san. Reviews are more than welcome. You guys are the best.