Author's Note: I want to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! They mean a lot to me and I am glad to see that people are liking this story so much! This chapter took me a little longer than I had wanted to get out. We've had to push all of our assignments for my class up by a week, so I was suddenly stuck doing two weeks' worth of assignments and papers in four days (which is not fun). I found some time today to get the rest of the chapter written and typed, so I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 6 Into the Nightmare, Part 2
Kuro laid down on his back as he heard Mahiru turn on the shower. His Eve may not have asked him about training today, but tomorrow was a different story altogether. Today had been exhausting enough, and he didn't think that he'd be recovered by tomorrow morning to fend off his Eve's nagging. He sighed heavily before finally getting under the warm blankets and turned over so that he was facing the wall. He'd worry about things tomorrow, right now though, he wanted to sleep. Kuro's eyes grew heavy as he heard Mahiru turning off the shower. He'd go to sleep fully as soon as he knew that Mahiru was safely tucked into bed. It was an old habit that he had formed, and it usually only came out when he was bound to an Eve. It was a slightly annoying habit, but it had been useful in the past so he didn't complain about it too much.
He heard Mahiru softly pad his way into the bedroom and over to his bed after turning off the lights. The vampire heard the bed creaking slightly and the covers rustling quietly as Mahiru settled in and got comfortable. Kuro also heard Mahiru's whispered "Good night, Kuro," before his Eve slipped into slumber.
"…night…Mahiru…" the vampire replied in a voice that was barely audible.
It wasn't long before Kuro felt his body fully relaxing as soon as he heard Mahiru's gentle breathing. He was about to close his eyes himself when he thought he saw something in the darkened corner of the bedroom. He was fully awake now as his senses screamed at him that something was wrong. He tried to move, but found that his body wouldn't respond. He couldn't even warn Mahiru that there was something in the room with them. Kuro grew frustrated with his own uselessness in this situation. Why couldn't he get his body to move?!
Another movement caught his attention again and his eyes narrowed slightly as they tried to train on whatever it was that was in the corner. It wasn't long before his eyes widened when he realized what was in front of him. The insane, swirling red eyes and stitched up smile loomed over him before heading straight towards Mahiru, and he was powerless to stop it. Kuro tried his hardest to struggle free, but the blanket he had covered himself with felt like it weighed a ton as it crushed down on him. No doubt the little demon was responsible for that.
The entire bedroom was soon enveloped in darkness and Kuro knew that he had to act quickly. He actually liked this Eve. He'd be damned if he let something happen to Mahiru. He thought quickly, trying to quash his rising panic. 'What is there that I can do? The little demon is annoyingly good at twisting orders… So what…' Kuro trailed off before he suddenly thought of something. It would be risky and it could go horribly wrong but…if there was one thing that he was starting to learn from Mahiru over the past few weeks, it was this; he had to try, even if it was a major pain in the ass.
Kuro closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He hated retreating into his mind, but in this instance it was necessary. He soon found himself surrounded by the familiar oppressing, clinging darkness that was his mind. A quick thought later and he found what he was looking for…the connection that linked him to Mahiru. He only hesitated for a moment before he took the chain into his hands and gave it a sharp tug. It was extremely risky doing this, but it was the only thing that he could think of that would keep Mahiru safe, at least until he managed to free his body. Kuro could feel Mahiru's presence coming closer to where he was, and he sighed in relief. He had been in time.
He could see Mahiru now. His Eve was almost to him when he saw Mahiru phase out slightly before completely vanishing. A cold sense of dread started to creep into his chest when he saw that. 'Why did he…' he started to question before he finally felt it. Something was trying to wake him up, and he had a pretty good idea on what it was too.
Kuro couldn't help the menacing growl that escaped from the back of his throat. The little demon was seriously starting to piss him off. He would deal with it later. Right now, he had to find Mahiru. Since his Eve wasn't technically a part of his mind, Kuro couldn't just think of where he was and automatically move to him, even if that would have been extremely convenient for the vampire. It would have definitely required a lot less energy on his part. Unfortunately, this meant that he would have to search for Mahiru the old fashioned way, and that was a major pain. He sighed heavily again before he began his search. Hopefully, if he was extremely lucky (which he most certainly wasn't because he was black cat), Mahiru would stay sleeping. Kuro knew that it was wishful thinking on his part, but hey, a guy could dream.
It wasn't long before the pestering sensation that was trying to wake him up stopped. Kuro couldn't help but to sigh in relief, glad that the little pest had given up on that. The quiet snickering that suddenly echoed around him, however, caused the vampire to jolt slightly. The little demon had retreated back into his mind, and he hadn't found Mahiru yet. Before he could issue the strongest, and most direct, order that he could did he hear an echoing yell calling his name. 'Ugh, Mahiru…your timing sucks, majorly,' Kuro thought as he groaned quietly. This was just what he needed! The snickering turned mocking and it was then that Kuro knew that the little pest would find Mahiru before him. 'Do NOT harm him,' Kuro growled to the demon that lurked within him.
[Heh, heh, heh… So…the little kitty cat does still have his claws~] was the response that Kuro received.
Kuro glared into the blank expanse that was before him before he repeated his order more forcefully, 'Do NOT harm him, am I understood?'
[But of course~] was the mocking reply. While the tone was something to be left desired, Kuro knew that the little demon would not actually hurt Mahiru now. …Well…at least…it would not hurt him physically. Emotionally and mentally were another story altogether though. "This is such a pain," Kuro sighed loudly. The only good that came from this was that Kuro could now sense the little demon a bit. It wasn't full-proof, but it was better than wandering around aimlessly looking for Mahiru.
[I've found him~] came the simpering sing-song voice after a few moments of silence. [Ahh… I know~ Let's play a game~]
Kuro didn't respond, but he did shift which direction he was walking slightly. He was annoyed that the demon, and therefore Mahiru, were rather far from where he was, and he had a feeling that the pest that masqueraded as a plush cat was only going to take Mahiru further from him.
[Hehehe! I won't do that, you silly cat~ Mahiru is quite the curious little creature~ I'm sure that you won't mind if I answer his questions, am I right~?]
Kuro gritted his teeth, but agreed. 'Fine. So long as you stop moving him,' he growled out. He knew exactly what the little creature was doing, but…he trusted Mahiru. He trusted that he would not actually fall for the demon's tricks and persuasions. He would not know what they spoke about until he could speak with Mahiru (the little pest hardly ever gave him a straight answer any more), so he had to put his faith in his Eve. He had to trust that Mahiru would not fall victim to the demon's games.
[Hahaha~! You're that fond of him already~? Silly cat~ You know that you're just setting yourself up to be hurt~] the little creature taunted quietly. [After all…humans are such fickle little things, am I right~?] it whispered.
Kuro hid his eyes at that last statement but continued to move in the direction where he could feel the demon's presence. He tried to picture where his little inner demon was to try and locate it quicker. This, again, was a risk that he was taking, as the demon always knew when he tried to do this. It would usually send back images that either sent him in the wrong direction or showed him things that he would rather forget. He had actually stopped trying this method years and years ago when it had sent him a very firm, and painful, reminder as to just why it controlled his power. But…this was an emergency, so he chanced it. Plus…it was sort of distracted with Mahiru, and he only needed to see a glance…
His hope started to fade when he continued to only see blackness. Kuro was about to retreat out of what he was doing when he saw it. It was 'that room'. He sighed warily. Mahiru had went deeper than he had anticipated. His pace quickened at little when he thought about it. There were many memories in that area that he did not want Mahiru to stumble into, whether by accident or not.
[Ah… You're no fun, Kuro~ What's the harm in letting him see? I thought that you trusted him~?]
The vampire's hands clenched tightly at that mockingly confused inquiry. He trusted Mahiru, yes, but…it wasn't a complete and total trust. He didn't think that he'd ever give his trust so completely and wholly to anyone else ever again. Not even to his current too trusting, too naïve, pain in the ass of an Eve. The risk of being so utterly crushed and broken again was too great for Kuro to chance.
[Come on~ Just one, harmless little peak~?] the demon tried to wheedle.
"No," Kuro replied firmly. His patience had finally run out. He needed to get Mahiru out of his mind before the little pest did something to him. Kuro could feel it getting antsy, and since there was now another presence in his mind (one that didn't utterly ignore its existence to the best of one's ability), the monster would soon do something to relieve itself of its boredom. This meant that a rather nasty confrontation between Kuro and the demon would be coming to a head soon. And Kuro was not going to be the one that backed down this time. Kuro claimed that he was a pacifist, he did find confrontations to be rather exhausting after all, but completely tearing apart a monster that lived inside of him couldn't really be counted as violence, could it? He didn't know, and it hurt to think about it. At this point though, he just didn't care.
Done with playing the demon's game, Kuro forcefully moved himself to the area that he had seen within a matter of moments. He could feel that the demon was closer now, and it had obviously sensed him and his rapidly angering mood. [Heeheehee~ It's been a long while since I've seen you so riled up~ I wonder though…if I'm going to face a poor little kitty cat, or will I be facing a murderous little lion~?] it laughed. Normally a comment like that would have seen Kuro faltering slightly, but not this time. The demon was in for a rather long overdue reminder that just because he didn't like to hold the power, it did not mean that the monster had free reign to do as it wished. And trying to attack and harm his Eve had been the final straw.
His growing anger caused him to phase closer again. He could finally sense Mahiru now. The boy felt safe, which caused him to sigh quietly in relief. It wasn't much longer before he could actually see his Eve. He looked to be shouting at someone, or rather, at something, which caused Kuro to smirk ever so slightly. Ah, it was nice not being on the receiving end of his nagging for once. Kuro was about to call out to Mahiru and gain his attention so then he could quickly, and safely, get him back to his own mind. However, he could only watch in horror as one of his memories suddenly flew into him. Mahiru faded out of sight and Kuro caught a glimpse of a stitched smile before it, too, vanished. Kuro growled lowly in his throat as he stalked closer. His eyes never left the swirling memory that Mahiru had been forced in to. He couldn't quite tell just what it contained, but it did not give off a horribly bad vibe. He couldn't conclude that it was exactly a "safe" memory, but at least he was assured that it didn't hold any of his less than savory moments. The Servamp was about to go in after Mahiru when he heard the quiet laughing again. He turned away from the memory slightly and glared at the demon that had reappeared.
[Ehe… So…it looks like the little lion has come out to play~] it said as its swirling red eyes fixed Kuro with a murderous stare as its stitched mouth grew impossibly wide as it smiled at him in contempt. [I'm a part of you, Kuro. Destroy me, and you go berserk~] it taunted when it saw the look in Kuro's eyes.
"You don't have to be completely annihilated, just mostly. So long as a shred of you exists, I'll retain my sanity," Kuro hissed out.
The cat-demon twitched slightly when it felt just how serious Kuro was being. Good~ It was about time~ [Ahahahahaha~ Would you chance such a thing~? Especially with Mahiru here~?]
Red eyes hardened even further. Both knew that the answer to that question was "no". Kuro would not chance it. "Why did you try to harm him?" Kuro eventually gritted out. As tempting as it was to slash the plush into ribbons, Mahiru was here, and he really did not want him to come to harm.
[Wasn't it obvious~? You didn't want to deal with him any more~ He was pushing your buttons, and you wanted him to stop. I was just answering your call~]
"Mahiru can be a pain, and he can be exceedingly annoying, but that does not mean that I want him dead!" Kuro replied furiously. Again, the demon was twisting his thoughts, mangling them until they no longer resembled anything even remotely close to what they had been. …Maybe…maybe it was time…for him to regain control over himself. The little monster had had control over his power for long enough. The cat-demon seemed to sense what Kuro's intent was because it skipped out of the way of black ribbon-like tendrils that had shot up from where it had just been standing.
[Say~ Wanna make this interesting~?]
Kuro's eyes narrowed again. "I don't think so. It sounds rather troublesome," he replied, as he watched the cat plush as it skittered around him.
[What's the matter~? Not going to attack~? I thought that I would be facing off against a little lion, but it seems that the poor little kitty cat is back~ I thought that you were going to rip me to shreds!] it laughingly screeched.
Kuro glared at it, watching it warily now. It was up to something, and he didn't want to be caught off guard. If this wasn't such a serious situation he would definitely be complaining about this being a pain. He could already tell that he would not be getting any sleep tonight. That was a given.
A slight movement in the darkness caught Kuro's eye. He glanced at it for but a moment before he felt the searing pain of claws digging into his chest. Growling lowly he wrenched himself away, and glared at the monstrous form that the cat plush had taken in his momentary lapse of concentration. It towered above him, with its red swirling eyes dripping with a black sludge. It was painfully thin with a malnourished look to it as each of its vertebrae and ribs could be seen protruding from it. It was painful for Kuro to look at, because he knew that deep down, it represented him, but, he couldn't think on that right now.
The demon obviously wanted to fight so… "Fine then. Just remember…that you've left me with no choice!" The thick black ribbon-like tendrils reappeared, wrapping around the monster as it screeched at him tauntingly. Kuro knew that the tendrils would not last long, but he didn't need them to. He just needed a distraction. The vampire darted forward as his hands changed into the black energy-like claws that he used for weapons. The creature broke free of the tendrils as soon as Kuro reached it. It moved back just as the vampire slashed, making it wail loudly as a small blast of Kuro's power was freed from it. The blast was a bit overwhelming for Kuro as his body immediately absorbed the loose energy. It left him feeling slightly dazed, for it had been a long while since he had felt that much power coursing through him. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind again, and watched as the monster suddenly took a keen interest in him. Kuro's guard instantly went up and he took a few tentative steps back and watched to see what he would have to dodge. There was no way that he'd be able to get in close again with it watching him so intently.
He didn't have to wait for long. Kuro tried to move away from the rapidly incoming clawed hand but found that he was stuck fast. The black sludge that was continually dripping from the monster's eyes and mouth held him down, and once again Kuro found himself unable to move. He braced himself for the impact, but when he turned slightly, so then his shoulder would take the brunt of the attack, he saw something that he did not wish to see. The memory that Mahiru was in was literally right behind him. If the memory was crushed not only would he lose it, but, he'd lose Mahiru too. He couldn't let that happen. His eyes flashed a light blue for but a moment and black tendrils covered in sharp looking thorns shot up to encase the memory right as the clawed hand slammed down into them.
The monster gave a victorious screeching noise before it abruptly started keening in agony. It recoiled sharply with only half of its arm following after it. The backlash from that was massive, and sent the memories that had been swirling around further back into Kuro's mind. Kuro himself was down on his knees with his head touching the ground and clutching at his abdomen from the sheer amount of pain from retaking that amount of control and power back. He refused to scream though, no matter how much it hurt. He had known what would happen if he severed an appendage, but just not to this extent! His body felt as if it was on fire while at the same time feeling as if it was being impaled over and over again by thousands of weapons. It was something that he had rather hoped to never experience again!
The monster recoiled back and grew smaller. The severed arm was still releasing more and more of Kuro's power back to him that had went unused for centuries. As quickly as the monster had appeared it was gone again, replaced by the little plush cat, with its arm still fully functional and intact. It skipped its way over to the still kneeling vampire and patted his head.
Kuro growled lowly when he felt that. The damn thing was a menace. "You…p-planned that…d-didn't you…?" he gasped out. It still hurt to move, and talking was no exception.
[You poor, silly little boy~] was the only response that he received before the demon cat vanished. Kuro was left still in pain on the ground and with something that he specifically did not want. He had given most of it to the demon-cat for a reason!
Kuro sighed angrily and closed his eyes as he tried to will the pain to go away. It eventually lessened to a dulled ache, and that was going to have to be good enough for now. He didn't have the time, or the energy, to bother with the ache for now. He finally sat back up and glanced at the memory that was still behind him. The thorns had long since gone and it was now time to retrieve Mahiru and get him back into his own mind. There was no way that he'd be able to try and spin this as some sort of weird dream. Mahiru had come into contact with his inner demon again, and who knows what it had told him. He groaned tiredly as his shoulders slumped at the thought. If he had thought that yesterday had been exhausting he knew that it was going to pale in comparison to what today was going to bring.
Sighing heavily he shakily stood up and touched the swirling memory gently. He glanced around slightly when the memory settled and vaguely recalled this place. It had been centuries since had visited this memory, so of course he couldn't quite place which one this was. It didn't take him long to spot Mahiru and he paled slightly when he saw himself and the woman who had been his first Eve sitting under one of the large trees. He hurried over as quickly as his aching body would let him, and was able to hear himself reply to the woman that he was still getting used to being a vampire. Mahiru looked so overwhelmed with everything that he hadn't even heard Kuro come up behind him. The vampire sighed quietly before gently tugging on the back of Mahiru's night shirt. It was enough to get him out of the memory. Before Mahiru could comprehend what had just happened, Kuro already had them back to the connection that tethered them together. Mahiru's eyes were closed, likely from the sensation of leaving the memory, so before he could get his bearings, Kuro quickly had his Eve's hand on the chain and pushed him out. Kuro waited until he could no longer sense Mahiru's presence within his mind, and then he waited a few minutes longer, just to be on the safe side.
Once he felt that it was safe enough did Kuro force himself to wake up. He blinked lethargically a few times before finally registering that he was back in Mahiru's bedroom. He groaned quietly before gingerly rolling onto his back with his arms spread out. He had managed to dull his mental pain to nothing more than an annoying ache, but unfortunately, he could not do the same for his physical body. He was in absolute agony and just wanted to sink into the amazingly soft futon and not move for say…the next ten to twenty years (or more if he could wrangle it out of Mahiru).
Knowing that he had to check on Mahiru did the Servamp use the rest of his energy to roll over onto his stomach to get to his feet. He stumbled slightly when he finally managed to stand up before he forced himself to make his way over to his Eve's bed. As much as he wanted to just collapse onto it (Mahiru was only a minor annoyance with already being in the bed, he'd just use his Eve for extra warmth), Kuro kept himself from doing so and looked Mahiru over carefully. He looked to be okay, but Kuro wouldn't know for certain until he woke up. Sighing heavily again, he moved Mahiru's bangs slightly to feel for a temperature. His Eve looked a tad flushed in the face, it was probably an after effect of being pulled into his mind, but he wanted to make sure that it was nothing serious. He pulled his hand away after a moment. Mahiru felt a little warmer than normal, but he didn't think that it was going to be anything to really be worried about.
The Servamp couldn't help but to sigh again as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. This was such a pain, and he meant that quite literally. His body was in agony, Mahiru had a slight fever, and, to top it off, he had been tricked into fighting against the being that held most of his power (and as a consequence, regained a portion of said power back). He was extremely concerned and annoyed right now. He was concerned about Mahiru and what he had seen, talked about or heard, as well as concerned over his fever. He was annoyed with the little demon for tricking him again, but mostly, he was annoyed with himself for falling straight into its trap. And that was the expression that was on his face when Mahiru woke up, though it did shift slightly into relief when he saw Mahiru open his eyes.
He watched as Mahiru blinked a few times before confusion started to haze over his warm, brown orbs. "Kuro…?" was his soft and confused sounding question.
Kuro couldn't help the sigh of annoyance that left him, and said the first thing that came to mind. "You're a major pain."
And, while that was true about Mahiru, this time, his Eve had done nothing wrong. Kuro knew that he was going to have to explain what had happened to his Eve, who was starting to look guiltier and guiltier by the second after he heard him say that. Really, he just couldn't deal with it right now…
Author's Note: I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I had a lot of fun with it! The only thing that I had completely wanted to do was the confrontation between Kuro and his demon, everything else I pretty much made up on the fly and rolled with it. The next chapter will probably not be released until either next Friday or Saturday, but if I can find the time to write it before then, I most certainly will! Please leave a review, fav or follow if you're enjoying the fic! See you all in the next chapter!