-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 37-
Reino watched as the man who called himself Zakai Ling walk off, the young woman of a ghost who he had seen in the man's memory stared back at him. She seemed almost sad, broken even. She placed a ghostly finger to her lips and shuddered. Shizuru hand moved towards the back of his head he figured he would have hugged him if he was the hugging sort yet neither of them really were. It was a simple motion one that told him that he was alright, that like the rest of them they would be there for him. Reino mentally shook his head. His eyes turned down towards the girl in his arms and he silently wondered if he could just lock her in a room somewhere and have Tomi come and get her. 'Not a chance, if he wants her at his side she would be at his side.'
Kiyora sighed leaning against him just slightly, "Are you going to do it or what?"
Reino was already pushing it, but it wasn't like Kyoko would be able to get away at this moment. Not with his own spiritual energy holding her in place, "Yes..." he placed his forehead against the back of her head. "Forgive me," he said softly. There was one more special ability he had. With his friends at his side, he could not get dragged or overwhelmed by another's memories. He could force the information he needed and he needed to know about her relationship with Tomi, because if this had become this man's weakness. Well, he really might just end up locking her in a room somewhere even if it meant that Tomi personally wouldn't come for her. At least no one, including his friends would be put in harm's way.
Red eyes flashed in front of him, they seemed almost to glow as he found himself looking into them. They seemed almost amused and he shuddered at them. "I don't think you should" This wasn't the right place in her memories, "Trust me on this," It was as if those red eyes knew something but he couldn't get a face to show itself no matter how hard he focuses in on those eyes, even if he knew for a fact that it was Tomi. Taking a deep breath he pushed further into her mind.
Reino thought as pushed deep and further into her memories, it was as if he was trying to shove the dark ooze. He mentally shuddered at how thick and heavy itself but each step took him further away from those glowing red eyes and then he was falling, this was normal, this was what it should be so he focuses on the single question. 'What is Tomi too you Kyoko-chan?'
A hand moved from the side of my face, no correction. Kyoko's face. Red eyes seemed to stare back at her with what I could only take as concern or worry. It was such an odd expression when I thought about Tomi but then I also knew he mastered that sort of thing. He could make you believe you were his best friend someone he actually cared about. Boris was much the same way and it made me sick inside yet Tomi rarely did it unless he needed something or wanted something. The moments where real emotion came through always scared the shit out me. It meant he wasn't able to control those emotions and he did everything in his power to keep control over his emotions.
"How are you feeling Kyoko?" She slowly sat up, the sheet falling from around her as she lowered her eyes and quickly pulled up the sheet. Red flesh peaked out and even I had to admit for someone alive she was fairly nicely built and perky at that. Her eyes trailed back towards his.
"Not so good..." she whispered and I realized how sore her voice sounded. He ran a hand through his hair for a moment as he pulled out a cigarette from his pack, "That's not good for you." I was surprised by how quickly she seemed to gather herself, her voice didn't sound nearly as sore but I knew that couldn't be right. She had pulled it from his hand and he frowned at her.
"Doesn't matter," he said reaching for it and she held it behind her back.
"Matters to me. What would I do if something happens to you?" she lowered her eyes, "You're my only friend..." she whispered and I felt like her heart was breaking. He sighed as he placed a hand on top of her head for a moment.
"What's the scariest thing in the world Kyoko-chan?"
She shuddered as she held herself for a moment, "Heth." I felt images or more correctly images wanting to burst through this one memory and I had to force myself not to ask who Heth was to focus on this moment. This memory.
"Wrong, people who can see into your mind, who can read your thoughts. They can use that against you," he said placing his forehead against hers. "Do you trust me to help protect your mind?" she slowly nodded her head. "We don't have much time Kyoko, Heth will be coming back for you. So just look into my eyes. Focus just on my eyes..."
He felt a large hand around the back of his neck. He was being yanked, he saw the girl herself, the first degree burns on her back, no he wouldn't be surprised if some of those had really been second degree. As though something had been tapped to her body in certain questions, what exactly was she going through at this moment. Why wasn't Tomi putting an end to it?
"Hello Reino" Reino eyes widen the image of Kyoko and Tomi disappeared, his head turned towards the voice that had come to his side, his neck was still in the grasp of that hand and the smile that showed caused him to shudder, fear was wrapping around him tightly. "I told you." A simple scalpel played among the man's free hand. "You just couldn't listen..." he said touching the side of his face with the scalpel, he expected to feel blood. "Only because I like you, Reino..." he said turning him around so they were looking face to face. "Only because we are family and I know," he said with a smile, the kind of smile that knew that if he tried this again he would be paying dearly for it. "I'm gonna let you keep your sanity," he said kissing the top of his forehead.
Reino's eye's shot open, he could still feel the lips on his forehead and he quickly looked down at the girl in his arms before quickly moving away from her and fully into the mist of his friends. The fact remained he was terrified and it was lingering. Dasuku dropped moved quickly looking at straight in the eyes, "Fuck man..." he wanted to know Reino could see it but he wasn't sure he could say anything because as much as his friend wanted to know what had just happened. He wouldn't ask him for the details. Reino felt his phone vibrate, he didn't care even as Miroku reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out. His eyes narrowed.
Reino didn't want to see it but his friend turned it towards him: That was your only warning. He didn't need to know who it came from, it wasn't from the number that Tomi had been contacting him from. Yet he knew deep down it was Tomi, somehow, she was holding a piece of Tomi's inside of her.
"That's not possible" he held his head, no he supposes it could be possible. If Tomi gave her blood at any point and time, but blood changed and turned it shouldn't still be causing a side effect unless there was something more to it. No, he never heard anything like this happening at all. Tomi learned everything from Boris. If Boris had this sort of power. This sort of an ability. He shuddered and then he heard her whimper as she held her sides. The effects were gone, but she shouldn't be in pain.
Ren closed his eyes, it was hard to focus in on Ren Tsuruga. Yet he knew he couldn't let Kuon out. He couldn't let Kuon follow her because there was no possible way he would be able to control himself around her at the moment. 'Damn hormones, get control over yourself she's fifteen and she doesn't even like us that way' and the pain that he felt in his chest seemed to aid himself just enough to refocus. He had to do something about his overactive hormones he was having issues with at the moment and Lady Luck had thought to bless him with two rather lovely women at his side.
The first hair was black and fell in waves around her, even with the brown eyes she looked to American for him. 'As if that had ever mattered before' he muttered at himself as he smiled down at her. The second one hair was about the shade his was now even the length seemed about right but her pale blue eyes did nothing to enhance her beauty. Somehow he was sure they were contacts. He could lose himself within them, they were both small enough to fit him perfectly at least in his mind and he was sure they were at least legal. Yet as they danced in what he supposed was a copy of Kyoko's dance, he found them lacking. Then again women always were lacking that didn't matter if he was Ren or Kuon. Sure he had plenty of girlfriends, even Ren had girlfriends and he cared about them but none of them had what Rick called 'their magic' to them. As the music stopped he pulled himself away from them. Yet something really did feel wrong somehow about it and he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Where you going?" he wasn't sure which one had asked but she sounded almost scared. He didn't know why he found himself turning around or even flashing both women one of his smiles.
He held up his hand, "The song has ended and I think I'm done with dancing tonight is all." The brown hair woman smiled sweetly towards him, guess maybe he had put it on too thick. Yet he really needed to keep Kuon locked inside, even if both of them or either one of them would have been perfect to fix the sexual frustration he was feeling. "Thank you ladies... but I need to check on my date." He told himself it wouldn't look good to take either of them off to the unisex bathroom, do his business with them and leave. Kuon could do that with no real issues but he wasn't Kuon at the moment. Yet even as he thought that he wasn't so sure he could either.
"Oh her?" she looked at him in a way that would have made a weaker man forget himself, "I wouldn't worry about her at all." He would have just put it up as jealously if it wasn't the way the black haired girl looked at the other woman. The way she grabbed her wrist before darting her eyes around the ballroom. Fear seemed to be leaking out of her. The other girl seemed to realize her error as she wrapped her arm around the black hair girls waist, "I mean, clearly she doesn't see how great you are. Like we do. I'm sure both of us can show you a really good time." Yes, now he knew something was going on. More so when the black haired girl began to kiss the other girls throat.
Pushing Kuon down was harder than he thought it would be at that moment, the music had begun to play again and it was perfect he supposed. He ran a hand down the side of the brown haired girl. "Is that so?" he said leaning in as if he was going to kiss her but he pulled back slightly. Her head nodded slightly as he pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. She swayed against him closing her eyes she sighed as she ran her hands around his waistband. "Want to explain what you meant earlier?" he said kissing her earlobe slightly. He hadn't forgotten what the other woman reaction. He wasn't surprised either as she pulled him away from her. His eyes turned towards the black hair girl, one look told him that she was less likely to speak up so the other would get his attention. "
"Acacia..." the girl hissed, "Don't say anything more," she paused for a moment before turning to look at him, there was pure fear in her eyes. Yet her voice didn't hold it, "He's just messing around with us now." She said trying to pull Acacia towards her.
"Ella, we can still..." she paused as Ren wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"That's right Ella, we still can if you want." he flashed one of his best smiles, the kind that never failed him. He was surprised when Ella shook her head looking at her friend. 'Seems I'm losing my charm.'
"Acacia do you want to go back?" There was something in the way she said it but it sounded innocent enough, but he felt Acacia pull from him. She was shaking as Ella took her hand and began to pull her through the crowd.
Acacia turned her head and mouthed three single words "He wants her" before turning away from him completely. Every part of him wanted to chase after them, demand answers but something hit him hard before he took even that first step. She knew exactly who his date had been and someone was here for her.
'He wouldn't have been stupid enough to come out of hiding' he thought as he made his way quickly back to their table. A sudden form of disgust washed over him for being so stupid to allow a damn kiss stop him in freeze him like those stupid dramas he played. He always felt they weren't realistic but damn it all if she didn't do that to him, 'It's because she's a childhood friend' he told himself as he walked.
'And what about what you want to do to her?'
He mentally shook his head, 'It's just cause I haven't had sex in awhile' there was no deeper meaning. 'And she doesn't realize she's doing because of what happened to her.' It all sounded reasonable to him, and that had been why he couldn't trust himself because she didn't know better.
'So you would if she did?' He mentally growled at his darker self.
'No she's still a... she's fifteen' he couldn't say child not when it came to her.
A/N: Acacia is a type of flower.
Additional note: Those born with red eyes are deemed to have been touched by demons. It is also once believed that these children if you looked into their eyes long enough, would cause your death or make you go insane.