CHAPTER 10: Inner demons

"….i refuse" Kamui said drinking his tea with such calmed expression on his face, Hinoka, Ryoma, Oboro, Tsubaki, Miyu and Rin for their part were perplexed for his answer, the Elder brother barely had time to react before Hinoka slammed her palms on the table making the albino to take his cup before it could fell to the ground.

"You refuse?! But you´re going to be on trial! Is not like you can refuse! We have to do something about it!" Hinoka said looking at him with worry in her face.

"She´s right, we have to discuss this" Ryoma said scratching his chin deep in thought for a moment "We´ve to see your statement´s just in case, but I assure you that i´ll never allow it reach a trial" Ryoma looked at him, but his face still had that blank expression, then again the albino sighed.

"You have until i finish my tea to convince me" And just like that, before Ryoma could say a word Kamui drank the cup in one sip and left it at the table standing up he walked to the door not before talking one last time "Thanks for the tea, and don't think i don't want to talk with you but…..i just don't want to talk to you" with that said he left the room leaving them bewildered for his attitude.

"That´s….better than i expected" Tsubaki said scratching the back of his neck, Ryoma sighed as Hinoka grunted.

"Can't be blamed, after all what happened between him and us…im still mad though, i can't believe you let Yukimura do all that"

"…Is not like i wanted to, he said that there could be a way to get him back, but i never agreed to this" Ryoma said still mad but somehow ashamed of her words, it was true that he wanted to get his family all together, but seeing the consequences of his choice, he never expected that Yukimura would do something like that when he asked for her journal, one of the few mistakes he regretted in his life "I´ll make sure that Yukimura pays for what he has done to us"

"I don´t want to hear it, not right now" Hinoka said finishing her cup "I want to be there when you´re presenting your case against him, but i don't want to hear it, not until you find a way to help Kamui"

"There´s…..something else…." Both of them looked at the fidgeting maid who played with one of her bangs "But….i…..i don't know if…"

"What´s wrong Rin?"


"Wait, Milord, please wait!" Miyu said trying to stay at his side as he walked but Kamui refused to slow down, he continue walking and trying to push those words aside 'You'd be prosecuted for your crimes', his blood was boiling and his heart was nearly beating itself out of his chest, there couldn´t be more sickening words, seeing his calm face and his stern expression, saying those words as saving those villages, saving Flora or Kilma, or that blonde wyvern rider was a mistake, a crime, to preserve the lives of those who were close to him, step after step his head started to hurt and the thoughts were swirling around him, he needed to be alone, to calm himself before it started.

"Miyu, just leave me alone for now, i need….i need to think" Kamui said in front of 'his' room, with his hand opening the door slowly he tried to focus in something, sadly it proved to be in vain, as he finally looked up he understood it was already too late, feeling that cold breeze around him and seeing how the room was dark, feeling his heartbeat in his throat and his trembling hand on the doorknob, it was happening again before his eyes, that dark place, the light at the center of the room and that person in the middle of it, he tried to run from that place but looking back there was just another black void, again he was trapped before he could do something.

"Hey~ where are you?" he slowly turned to see that figure again, her cheerful movements and the way she giggled, the movement of her hair and the faint scent on the air, there was no doubt, it was incredible how much he remembered her, as fast as his heart was beating he could feel how his tears started to appear on his face as he tried to control himself, his hands on his ears trying to wake up for that nightmarish vision, regardless of his attempts the scene remained in front of "Hey! You said that you´d be nice this time! No cheating!" The figure stood looking around her, his body trembled and quietly took one back step after another, trying to elude her, his nightmares were bad, but these hallucinations were one of the worst thing he could´ve in that place, it was a perplexing feeling, the dread inside his body seeing how she happily giggled and looked in every direction bit his to look for him, the natural way her hair waged as she moved, the grace in her step and her cheerful attitude "….after all….." she stopped, slowly turning to his side, he felt that his heart was about to explode, just like the last time, with every inch of her face that was showing her figure started to wither and decay, her black and purple dress started to age taking an unnatural color, her pink skin lost her color with every passing second as her blonde hair lost her brightness, he started to blink trying to wake up, but every time he opened his eyes the figure got closer and closer, still turning to his direction and showing that sickening smile, her purple eyes gone and replaced for black eye sockets without light "…let´s stop hiding…just…." With one final blink she was in front of him, with her hands on his face and facing each other so close, her putrid breath and the cold of her hands, and that smile from ear to ear that was impossible, it was like her skin was pulled from the sides to force her smile that way and like her eyes, there was pure darkness inside her mouth.

Just give up and kill them all

He felt the floor under his left hand and how his body 'jumped' from the impact, like another nightmare, he could feel his breath, how he was struggling to breath and the cold sweat on his neck and face, he blinked a couple of time to make sure he was awake, seeing the room in front of him and how finally the light revealed his surroundings, a faint glimpse of relief surfaced in his mind just for a second before realizing that his vision was blurry and some objects in his sight shook in place, his head hurt as he felt that his heart could stop in any second, perhaps for the shock he didn't realize that his maid was at his side and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking at her he could see her lips moving but no words came out, just a deafening silence.


Oboro was running through the hallways, without breath and trying to keep pushing herself to the limit, not even a moment to leave her apron since she was on kitchen duty, she continued to run only stopping momentarily to hear the whispers of the maids and butlers, all of them with one topic in common, how the albino ran away of her retainer a couple of minutes ago with a face that would break the former queen heart, Oboro bit her lip as she continued for more than fifteen minutes, it was strange that he decided to go to the furthest part of the floor, having a personal place less than a minute away of his own room, it was until she found out Miyu trying to open one of the doors of the bathrooms at the east wing of that floor, the maid didn't see her until she was a couple of seconds away of her "O-Oboro?! Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked still trying to open the door without looking at her.

"Me? What about you? What are you doing here? Where´s Kamui?" she asked pushing the maid, for her faces he was strained and a faint claw mark on her left cheek was something she never expected to see on her "Just what happened?"

"I-I d-dont know! We were talking with Lord Ryoma and Lady Hinoka a couple of minutes ago and after leaving them we were returning to his room, but all of sudden he fell to his knees and started mumbling something, after i tried to check what was happening he had this panicked face and scratch me in his flee"

"Wh-What? But why?"

"I-I don't know!" Miyu finally unlocked the door as she sighed "….but whatever happened, we need to see if Lord Kamui is alright….just…."

"…..I understand, i wont tell Ryoma or Hinoka if i can, but i hardly believe that they won't find out…..after that….scream….." Miyu looked at her, and with a second look she noticed her attire, raising an eyebrow she was afraid to ask, but she had to.

"…..You were….in kitchen duty?" Oboro nodded "B-But that´s underground! We´re in the seventh floor, how y-"

"As i said, that scream was…..inhuman…..i….i don't think i can describe it" Oboro looked down for a moment, it was true that she was busy in the kitchen, but all the people were taken back for that cry, it had pierced their mind for a couple of seconds before they could react, a lot of people started gathering around the stairs, and now she could hear the footsteps behind her, both girls looked at the sides of the hallway and spotted a couple of soldiers getting closer to them, Oboro frowned as Miyu tried not to panic.

"Those are…..Yukimura´s men, what are we gonna do? I don't think that Kamui is in condition to handle this, not now"

"…is there anything at all that can be used as a weapon inside this bathroom?"

"Uh? No, Ryoma strictly forbid anything that coul-"

"Then i´ll close the door, just tell them that I´ve this under control" looking each other Miyu nodded as Oboro stepped inside locking the door behind her, with a sigh she looked around and smelled something bad, she couldn't point out what was the smell but it was familiar, the bathroom was untouched, everything in it´s place just for a bucket that was missing, moving carefully and looking for any sign of the albino, she heard some noises at the back of the big bathroom, the changing room was empty so the only option was the big bathtub behind to check, grabbing a towel just in case they weren't alone she prepared herself opening the final door, shyly she peeked inside and found the source of the sound, Kamui was at one of the corners lying on the floor and for his position he was grabbing the bucket with his head inside, some quick movements and the sound he made a couple of times make it clear the reason he grabbed the bucket and that disgusting smell on the air "K-Kamui? A-Are you alright?" the albino stopped for a moment and even if he didnt want to see her at that moment, he slowly looked at her, the stains in his mouth and that expression on his face, with some saliva falling from his mouth and the way he breathed, it was clear that he´s been vomiting for a couple of minutes "What´s the matter? Do your stomach hurt or something?"

There was silence for a brief moment, looking at each other, his expression was distant, it was like he was thinking if anything of what was happening was real or not, it was until he slightly laughed that he answered "…it must be nice….." he looked away for a moment and then returned to his bucket "…after all these years….seeing a Nohrian like this…you must be…really happy….." Oboro covered her mouth hearing those words.

"B-But you´re n-"

"Oh come on, be honest for once!..." he said cleaning his mouth with one of the towels at his side "….at least…that you´re being honest…..?" he looked at her as she nodded with worry in her face "…right…..like if…there was…..something for me…..in this place….." it looked like he was about to throw up again, but at that point his stomach was empty so it was only the remaining impulse, it was until that moment that Oboro noticed his state, the constant trembling in his hands, the way his body moved from one side to another and the emptiness in his voice "….Say….do me a favor…would you?"

"Um….yes, of course, if is something i can do t-"

"Oh yes, is something…..you can do…and you´re going to…..love it…" he said looking at her, then with a faint smile he continued "….just…..just kill me already…"

She was stunned by his words, the way he said it with that face, he was serious? She thought for a moment before she shook her head "….im sorry, but i can't d-"

"Oh come on! You said it yourself at the plaza, didn't you?" he slowly stood while he continued talking "You said it that YOU were HAPPY to kill Nohrian´s at the border the other day, right? Just do it already! You said that you would love it to do it with your bare hands, right?" he took her hands and placed them on his throat pushing her thumbs against his skin "Just like this, right?" he pushed her thumbs but she refused to do something "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! JUST DO IT ALREADY! WASNT THIS WHAT YOU WANTED BEFORE?! WHY YOU JUST DONT KILL ME ALREADY?!"

"Im sorry Kamui….im sorry if i said that before but…..i can't kill you" she couldn't think what was worse, that he got that impression of her or his face when she spoke and declined his offer, he looked down still with trembling hands.

"….just do it already…i…..i can't see her like that…..not…..not again" both of them fell to their knees as tears started to fall from his face "not…not again….not her….i….i beg you….not…..not again…" Oboro carefully placed her left hand on his head and the right on his back as she slowly embraced him, his body was still trembling and he felt so fragile in that moment, like if any bad move could break him, they stayed for minutes as he cried still trembling under her touch, Oboro remembered this, she remembered how Ryoma welcomed her at the castle at the young age of ten, when she cried at the arms of the former queen at the throne room after insisting being Takumi retainer at her age, now she was embracing that lost little infant who lost something precious, stained for the fear or guilt.

'Im sorry Kamui' Oboro though with a knot in her throat '…..im sorry that…..we took something so important from you…'


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well it has been a really long year, time to start 2018 and what better way to start with a fanfiction? Hope you enjoyed it and that you weren't taken aback for the small change in the story, still, im better with this kind of concept of the sudden horror or terror, not that i can write down something decent but at least i had to give it a shot, doing nothing would be worse.

Anyway, as always, any kind of review, Comment or PM is welcome, as always i need feedback to improve and hone the chapters so you can enjoy it as much as you can, im looking for a beta reader so if you can help me ut with some chapters that would be awesome guys.

Hope you have a great weekend and a great day/night, enjoy this New Year as much as you can and i hope you had a great time with your friends and family last year, a shame i couldn't share it with you guys L

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

SHIDESU! OUT!