So my computer has been on the fritz lately... hence why this chapter took forever... Anyway, enjoy!
15
Shusei managed to get a good lead on Hotsuma despite his current state.
What's going on?! It's like I don't know who I am. Where I am?
"Is that all you can do? Run away?" Grave's voice called from somewhere around him.
Shusei stops and turns on his heels.
"Where are you?" He calls out to his surroundings.
"I'm everywhere."
Shusei wanted to challenge him to come out and face him, but realized there was nothing he could do in his current state.
He hears footsteps racing from behind him but by the time he turns around he is tackled to the ground by the blond.
Damn, he's fast.
Before he could focus on the Hotsuma in front of him, he hallucinates another Hotsuma calling out for him in desperation.
Not again!
"What are you doing?" The real Hotsuma asks.
"I don't know!"
"Good freaking excuse that is!" Hotsuma yells.
"Get off!" Shusei pushes him off. He grabs his head with both hands trying to block out all the stimuli from his surroundings in an attempt to gather his thoughts. He silences the wind whistling through the trees and the real Hotsuma's voice but the hallucinations keep coming. The fake Hotsuma yells at him and berates him for being useless and selfish. It brings Shusei to his knees and in a whimper he asks to whichever Hotsuma will answer, "Am I really better off dead…"
"Damn it, Shusei."
The next thing Shusei knows, he's back on the ground with a very real and very mad Hotsuma on top of him, his hand balled into a fist. Shusei brings his hand to his chin and realizes he was punched by the blond.
"Knock it off with this crap! If you were really better off dead do you think I'd go outta my way for you! I didn't think you could be this dense!" He yells, enraged by Shusei's self-loathing.
Shusei looks down, ashamed of the way he's been. He gathers himself the best he can, which isn't well at all, and looks the real Hotsuma in the eye, "Then...please help…"
Hotsuma is torn by Shusei's pitiful expression. He sees in his eyes the pain and despair of what he believes to be his past life tormenting him, "You idiot." He says as he walks over extending his hand to his friend and partner. Before he can pick him up Grave's voice rings out again.
"Well isn't this cute?"
Hotsuma's eyes turn to daggers as he tries to locate the voice, "Grave." He calls out.
"Oh, you remember me? I'm honored God's Voice."
"God's Voice?" Shusei repeats quietly, "You are God's Voice."
"Shusei…"
"That's right, Shusei. Are you remembering now? What's wrong? Are you not enjoying your memories?" Grave asks faking concern.
"Why not show yourself!" Hotsuma taunts, "Are you scared?"
"What? Me scared of you? Don't flatter yourself."
"Then why not come out and show your ugly face?" Hotsuma screams to his surroundings, which he now notices is in a forest near the edge of the city. Shusei must have been going back to the cirque.
"You'll regret that…"
Hotsuma and Shusei notice a veil of light surround them and the area. If it wasn't accompanied by a menacing presence, Hotsuma would have said it was beautiful.
"A barrier." Shusei says with a hollow voice as if he hadn't said it at all.
"Shusei…You're seeing the truth aren't you. Do you know what you are?" Hotsuma asks.
"Maybe. I think so…yes."
"Then you know, "Hotsuma stutters, "That we are destined to fight together right? You and I…we're Zweilts."
"We can't be." Shusei says flatly.
"What!?" Hotsuma yells in surprise, "Just when I thought we were getting somewhere."
"You don't want me. You left me."
Hotsuma's jaw drops, "Not this shit again! What makes you believe that?"
"You left me for dead." All trace of emotion and life left Shusei as the words came out of his mouth.
Not able to physically knock sense into him again, Hotsuma drops the fist he didn't know he made. The look in Shusei's eyes was beyond anything he could handle. He lowers himself to his knees to be eye to eye with Shusei, "What do you want me to do then?" He asks.
Shusei remains quiet. There's nothing he can say anyway.
...
The adrenaline has worn off and Hotsuma kneels in the dirt not even caring about anything going on around him.
I guess being a Zweilt is all about pain.
He glances to Shusei who looks like nothing more than a corpse now.
"Well this seems familiar now doesn't it?"
The two Zweilt look around them and focus on the same direction. Hotsuma stands abruptly as a shadow appears from the treeline.
"Finally…" Hotsuma growls.
Standing before them is a beautiful Opast. Short grey hair and matching grey eyes accompanied by a devilish grin. Dressed from head to toe in black flowing garments lined delicately with white trim complementing his chromatic appearance.
The sense of familiarity and the unknown battled inside Hostuma, "You…"
"It's been a while, hasn't it Hotsuma. You've hardly changed." Grave greets him. He looks down pathetically at Shusei, "Oh Shusei, this has been a fun game hasn't it. Although you don't seem to have appreciated it." He laughs.
"What have you done?" Hotsuma asks. Since Shusei has been beyond his help, there's only the Opast to ask.
"You can see it, can't you? The memories are coming back are they not?" Grave asks while studying the claws on his hand.
Hotsuma recalls all the dreams he's had. The rain, the despair, and Shusei…. He sees the images but can't make sense of what had happened. The memory is there but it's not perfect.
"You two are really amusing. I've enjoyed my time with you. But sadly, duty calls. I'm afraid this game must come to an end." Grave says coyly, "But before that, I'd like to see you suffer just a bit more." He laughs.
Hotsuma braces himself, not prepared for whatever is about to happen.
"You really don't remember do you?" Grave says legitimately shocked, "Luze and Elegy, you remember them, yes?"
His gut churned at the names and the hatred they bring. The name sounds familiar to Hotsuma, but he can't quite picture their faces.
"Perhaps this little trick will remind you." Grave says as his form begins to change, the beautiful grey eyes dull to a dark brown, a familiar suit replaces the elegant garb and the smell of cigar smoke begins to fill the air.
He changed into Tanaka.
"It can't be…" Hotsuma breathes out, "All this time…"
Graves voice remains as the image of Tanaka laughs, "Oh, now you see!"
The form changes back into the elegant Grave, the Opast.
"If you've known all along, why…" Hotsuma has a hard time saying the words, "Why didn't you kill Shusei long ago?"
"Well, that' just wouldn't nearly have been enough fun." Grave says like it's obvious.
"So you took Shusei in as a part of some freak show just to toy with him?" Hotsuma accuses but feels a glare from Shusei at the term freak show, "No offense." He says quietly to the brunet.
"That's exactly right." Grave smiles.
"You sick bastard…" Hotsuma growled, a fire burning in his stomach. To have spent years and years torturing Shusei was more than Hotsuma could endure.
"And you, Hotsuma…Perhaps you'll remember this." Grave says as his shape changes once again into a perfect image of a bloodied Shusei. His voice a perfect imitation of Shusei's speaks, "Do you remember? All those years ago?" He says as blood drips from his mouth and multiple wounds and pooling around his feet.
Hotsuma winced, finding it hard to stare at the image.
"You remember…"
Shusei's painful memories and the nostalgia of the image before him was like a punch to the gut. He stumbles back as a powerful feeling of nausea overcomes him.
"I remember… back then. In our other life…" He whispers to himself. His eyes are glazed over, not able to see this world but images of the past instead.
The pieces are finally coming together.
"Hotsuma." A quiet voice calls.
He looks over to the real Shusei.
"You wouldn't…." He gathers his strength, "You wouldn't betray me… would you?"
"Never."
"It wasn't you then, was it? Back then."
"No."
"So you two finally see. Too bad it's a lifetime too late." Grave laughs once again returning to his original Opast form, "The other Opasts were all about bloody combat. Not me. I like to toy with my prey. I'm not skilled with a sword or spear. Turns out, I am a master of illusions. And what a better way to kill my opponents than to let them kill themselves!"
In case you don't know, Grave is pronounced Grah-veh, in keeping with the Opast's being named after musical notation.
Next chapter probably won't be up quick. It's a pretty long chapter and it needs a lot of work. I may or may not post it in two parts.
Thanks for all your reviews! They really keep me going!
