I'm so sorry you guys! I've been testing a lot, and had a lot of activties going on, so I'm afraid this isn't a good chapter for me. I'll improve on the next one, just don't kill me! *cowers in closet*
There's also some KeMilia in this chapter. I'll let you guys figure that one out ;D
Glitch refused to move from the corner of his cell, ever since the dark haired officer captured him and locked the reporter away behind bars. The raven haired boy's mouth was permanently sealed as he hid beneath the standard wall chained bed. Dark thoughts swirled about Glitch's head, tormenting him as he crouched in the shadow's cold embrace. He wanted to be back with Night Shade, to feel the ever present warmth flowing against his body, cradled gently, as if Glitch were a fragile porcelain doll. Glitch hated prisons. Taye was once sentenced to three months for shoplifting a local store. They needed to pay rent, and with no time to spare, Taye did what she believed best for her family. She returned home with a shaved head, concussion, and broken pride. Never again did she opt for city jobs, instead striking up an interest for horses at the local stable.
Glitch understood how Taye felt, caged up like a bird. At least he was the only one.
"Hey, kid. Are you going to eat something, or what?" Oblio knocked a few times on the steel bars, jarring Glitch from his thoughts.
"Piss off." The raven haired boy growled, turning away from the officer.
Oblio raised an eyebrow to Glitch. "Alright. I'll just leave it here, then," the officer spoke calmly, leaving the tray inside the holding cell.
"Damn kids these days. Can't even get a single sentence out of him..." He could care less about the kid's health. If he wished to starve, then so be it. Yet, Oblio still couldn't shake the odd feeling that he was missing an important detail.
"Don't come any closer!" Kerith cried, fending off the shadows with a blade darker than black holes.
"And why not?" The voice was neither masculine, nor feminine, but could be perceived crystal clear through the surrounding fog. "Don't you want my affection?"
"Leave me be, demon! Your presence omits pure evil, a most offending substance to the dark power residing within my body."
The shadow chuckled, thrusting out dark tentacles from its depths. Kerith attempted to block, but found his limbs useless, weakened by another unknown force. The tentacles pinned the blond hero tightly to a solid surface, his back slamming forcefully into the pavement. A ghost of a face appeared, grinning wider than any normal human could possibly manage alone, empty sockets where eyes should have been, mangled hair paler than faded cloth. The stench of decay lingered in its gums making Kerith almost vomit with a single breath.
"Now, now. We are one of the same, you and I. You possess darkness within your heart, as do I. There's no reason for you to fight against me." The shadow's commanding voice lessened considerably, an eagerness hidden within the words. A boney hand crept out to touch Kerith, but he wrenched his right hand from the creature's grasp and slapped the unearthly face.
"We are not the same! I am nothing like you!" The blond cried, only to be crushed against the wall once again.
"Silence! I've heard enough from you! Filthy peon!" It shrieked, lashing Kerith across the chest with a leathery tentacle.
Kerith groaned in pain, tears streaming out the corners of his eyes, as he combated the urge to succumb under the shadow's rampage. It struck again and again, igniting the blond's body with a fierce fire, drawing blood from even the most shallow of wounds. Kerith felt thick, crimson liquid drip across his lacerated torso, soaking the violet shreds of his outfit in a maroon hue. The shadow was grinning maliciously, reaching out to tear the remainder of the blond's shirt apart from the ribbons of blood-soaked flesh.
"I've got you exactly where I want you. There is no escape this time!"
"Bo, are you ready? If we don't perform the surgery soon, he may die of infection." Emilia called, presenting her standard operating tools to the blond lifeguard.
Bodie visibly winced simply by glancing at the instruments. "I...I don't have to pull it out, do I?"
"I'll do it, but you have to help restrain him."
"Why? Isn't he already-?" Emilia shushed her partner as the two approached their guest bedroom. A feeble cry of pain echoed across the wooden walls, ghosting past both pairs of ears. "-the hell?"
The brunette nurse extracted rubber gloves from the medical kit, stretching latex over her fingers and allowing the material to snap into place. She felt the writhing teen's temperature, his face contorted in agony as his eyes flicked side to side under paper-thin lids. Whatever he was dreaming about, it was adding extensive pressure and stress to his mind.
"He's suffering from a nightmare. A really bad one. I haven't been able to wake Kerith since you pulled him from the ocean." Emilia shook her head, dark brown curls swishing back and forth. "I need you to restrain him, B. Just until I can extract the bullet."
Bodie grimaced, biting his lower lip. "Alright, I will. But, how am I supposed to restrain him?"
"I dunno... just imagine he's a woman." Emilia shrugged, sliding the bedsheets away from the trembling blond's body.
"What the hell does- Emilia, that has nothing to do with me restraining Kerith!" The lifeguard shouted, oblivious to his teammate's constant shushing.
"What do you want me to tell you?" The brunette hissed, yanking Bodie to his knees with her brute strength. "'Pretend like you're raping him'- is that what you want to hear?"
The blond lifeguard flushed several deep shades of red, averting his eyes from Emilia's piercing brown. She was dead serious about Kerith's surgery to remove that bullet, and nothing, not even Bodie's intimacy issues could stop her rampage. Bodie breathed in deeply, calming his racing mind and heart, but only slightly.
"You aren't doing anything to him! Man up and hold Kerith down while I pull the bullet from his leg." Emilia growled, snipping off the blood-soaked pant leg containing the contaminated object. "Just hold Kerith's wrists above his head and situate your leg so it's pinning the good one down."
"Emilia, that even sounds wrong."
She finished tying off a tourniquet, ensuring minimal blood flow. "Well, do you want to pull a two millimeter piece of metal out of the side of Kerith's leg instead?"
Bodie shut his mouth after that. Figuring the use of his hands for any medical reason would be of good use, the blond lifeguard secured Kerith's wrists above his head with the thin bed sheet. Cautiously, he sat himself on the injured teen's lap, setting his legs on either side of the bed.
"Is this good?" He asked Emilia, daring not to turn around.
"Yeah. Just don't move your legs. You might kick me in the face." She muttered, peeling away the grotesque, infectious skin over Kerith's wound.
The platinum blond dancer stirred, a faint groan of pain escaping his lips. Emilia began the procedure, extracting pieces of metal cautiously, attempting to avoid contact with scarred muscle. Kerith flipped his head side to side, eyebrows furrowing in agony. Sweat poured off of his body, thick as blood, drenching his hair and shirt with liquid. Bodie brushed Kerith's bangs away from his face, retracting his hand to find it covered in salt water.
"Em, you got anything to cut a shirt off down there?"
She mumbled something about fragments and muscle tissue, but handed over a pair of small shears to snip away fabric. Bodie peeled the liquidated garment off Kerith's torso, the weakened male's skin glistening with perspiration. Bodie grabbed a standby towel and patted down Kerith's skin, removing a large proportion of liquid.
"Why would anyone sweat this much?"
"I think...it's because he's having a nightmare. His body is reacting the way it naturally would in real life, but because it doesn't possess the capability to sweat blood, water takes its place." Emilia replied, pulling yet another fragment of bullet from Kerith's wound.
"He's dreaming about himself bleeding? How did you even make that connection?"
"Psychology classes." Emilia grunted, searching for the larger portion of the bullet.
"Yeah, but..." Bodie sighed, "I just hope he'll be alright."
Everything hurt. His skin roasted in flames, wounds set to rot in wicked heat, his bones melting away as if they had been manufactured from lead. This...this thing was tearing him apart from the inside, out.
"Why don't you give in Kerith? It'll all be over soon," the shadow demon smirked, whipping him across the face once again.
"I'd...rather...die!" Kerith gasped between breaths, heat, torment, and pain chipping away at his willpower.
The shadow growled distastefully, grabbing a fistful of the platinum blond's hair, dragging his head forward.
"Listen here! I will not stand for this! You will submit to me!"
Kerith chuckled, enraging the shadow as it slammed his head into the concrete wall. The blond hero yanked his arms from their restraints, pulling forth his valiant sword once again. He sliced apart the shadow's writhing tentacles in mere seconds, descending upon the main figure retreating into its center.
"Don't think you can hide any longer, demon. You have no power over me!" Kerith cried, splitting the shadow's figure down the center.
It shrieked violently, collapsing on itself until nothing remained, Kerith's wounds disappearing with the horrid beast. He smiled softly, closing his eyes to bask in the natural darkness nestled deep within his mind. He had been freed.
"Gotcha!" Emilia announced triumphantly, removing the last of the bullet fragment from Kerith's leg.
Bodie released a small sigh, removing himself from the platinum blond as Emilia cleansed and bandaged the wound.
"He should recover fine now." Emilia wiped a few drops of sweat from her brow, satisfied with her work. "We'll just have to be on standby until he wakes up. I see his nightmare is gone as well."
Bodie scanned Kerith's face carefully, taking notice of his calm expression and unwavering aura of relief. It surprised the lifeguard to no end just how gentle Kerith's nature was underneath his snobby exterior.
"So, if Kerith's the hero, what does that make us?" Bodie couldn't place his finger on it. Something was most certainly off about this whole situation, but he let it be, at least for the night. Little did he realize, the darkness within himself had begun to fester and boil, a whole new side to Bodie taking shape.
Kerith inwardly groaned. How long had he lay here, unconscious? And, for a more important matter, where was here? Blue eyes snapped open, sunlight filtering in from a nearby window cast faded shadows across pale blue walls. Shifting tides echoed softly through the beach wood walls, the ocean's call mere meters away from Kerith's resting place. He most certainly wasn't in the PentHoüs, nor a prison (a destination Kerith wished to avoid at all costs), even so, he was still clueless as to his whereabouts.
A cheery voice jarred Kerith from his recent thoughts. "Bodie! He's awake! C'mon, I wanna talk to him!"
"Okay, okay, don't shove me all the way down the hall, Emilia."
Emilia and Bodie? No doubt RipTide had taken the fallen hero under their wings, a property constructed upon the beach provided an excellent hideout, at least for the time being. The door to Kerith's room opened, Emilia grinning ear to ear as she dragged a quite frazzled blond through as well.
"Kerith! How are you feeling? You aren't feeling worse, are you?" The brunette placed a hand over the blond hero's forehead.
"I-I'm fine. Really, I'm okay..." Kerith pushed her hand away, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
Bodie rolled his eyes. "Em, don't smother the poor guy. He's been through enough trauma, not to add 'excess motherly protection' to the list."
Trauma? What tra- Kerith rushed to stand and face Bodie, but in doing so, triggered a burning pain that shot up his left leg. His knees gave in, dropping Kerith's weakened body onto the floor. He groaned in undesirable agony as the collision and limb wounds pounded signals into his brain, making him feel increasingly lightheaded.
"Geeze, you're too much, y' know?" Bodie sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time today.
He slid his arms underneath Kerith's shoulders, lifting the injured teen back onto his resting place. Kerith's eyes flashed to the bandages wrapped around his leg, now conscious of the pain's origin, but still as confused as ever. Unless-
"What did you do to my leg?" It was directed toward Bodie, but Emilia was the one to speak.
"I removed the bullet. If I didn't, you might have died from an infection."
The platinum blond was silent, feeling smaller every minute as the trio sat in utter silence; Bodie constantly shooting him demeaning looks. Emilia cleared her throat, trying to lighten the mood, if not make everyone feel less awkward.
"We know about your other identity, Night Shade," Kerith froze. This couldn't be good. "So, Bodie and I decided not to tell anyone."
Oh cr – wait, what? The platinum blond dancer blinked a few times in surprise. "You-you're not giving away my identity?"
"No. Just be thankful Emilia managed to change my mind." Bodie scoffed, moving to the room's sea facing window. "While we're on the subject, you have to do something for us."
"Repayment for your services?"
Emilia chuckled, punching Kerith lightly on the shoulder. "Naw, what we want to know is your origin. You know, how you became Night Shade in the first place."
Why he even agreed to their request was beyond any explanation, but concluding all his achievements did remove a certain weight from his chest. Kerith wove together his childhood, second identity, hopes, dreams, and even a few of his fears. Emilia listened intently, absorbing every little story, every detail Kerith explained with great interest. Bodie...looked like he could care less. He simply gazed out the window, oblivious to Kerith's story. The brunette nurse planted herself firm beside Kerith and his troubles, squeezing his hand gently as the subjects of Jaryn and Officer Kanashimi rose to her attention. Ah, but there was something he was still missing! Why couldn't he remember?
"Oblio Kanashimi?" Bodie shook his head, staring out the window. "I heard he caught himself a kid yesterday. Said he was messing around with a 'criminal' of some sort. That guy needs to learn how to put work behind him and humanity first."
Of course! Oblio was the key.
"He has Glitch...!" Kerith gasped, attempting to stand once again.
"Kerith!" Emilia cried, throwing her arm around the platinum blond as his leg gave way once again. He grimaced, leaning into her for support. "You're in no condition to walk, much less rescue anybody."
"No, I have to-" His sentence was cut short as a fist connected with his solar plexus, ending all further conversations.
Bodie pushed Kerith backwards onto the bed with little resistance, frowning slightly as he stared at the weakened hero gripping his midsection in pain. "Stop trying to act so tough. We want to do something to help you, but all you do is push on by yourself. Eventually, that road you take will leave you all alone."
"B, where are you going?" Emilia stood to follow her partner, but skidded to a halt before an outstretched hand.
"I'm leaving. Stay here and make sure Kerith doesn't do anything stupid." Bodie growled.
"But-!"
The door slammed shut with a loud bang, leaving the brunette frightened and hurt. How could her partner be so cruel? Defeated, Emilia sank onto the bed space beside Kerith, burying her face between her hands. She sobbed quietly, wondering why Bodie had turned a full 180 degrees on her, dropping to a dangerously cold hearted man. A pale hand found its way onto her leg, patting it gently for comfort. Emilia cocked her head towards the blond hero, entranced by the caring smile that graced his lips. Even after an assault, Kerith could still gather the strength to comfort another, a priceless quality in Emilia's opinion.
"Why? Why is he doing this to me? Did I make him angry? Is it my fault for not being there for him? Tell me! Tell me what I've done wrong!" A fuse in Emilia's mind blew, tossing her into a turbulent ocean created from pain and misery. She slapped away Kerith's hand, pinning him to the bed by his wrists. "You're the hero, god dammit! If you're so great, do something about this! You're supposed to help people, not drive partners apart! Why don't you bring him back? Why? Why-?"
"Emilia..." Kerith spoke softly, accustomed to harsh emotional reactions, especially from women.
"Is it me? Does he just hate me? Or am I not good enough to him?" Tears dripped from the agonized brunette's face, softly splattering onto Kerith's cheeks. "I just don't know anymore...it's like he's become a different person."
The blond hero did recall an eerie presence Bodie was dragging along with him, one familiar to the shadow in the nightmare...
"My friends told me," Emilia began, "that if you asked Night Shade for something, and wished for it from the bottom of your heart, he'd grant your wish."
Kerith stared into Emilia's hazel eyes, finding himself drowned in sorrow and confusion, but intrigued by a spark of hope hovering just above the turbulent waters of her soul. She was close to breaking; Kerith had seen this look in Jaryn's eyes many times before she proceeded to rampage about the PentHoüs. If Emilia lost her spark, she'd loose an important part of herself to the fears haunting her mind, or possibly worse.
The brunette swallowed thickly, "Will you kiss me?"
It was a simple question and Kerith had a simple answer. He snapped his right wrist in close, dropping Emilia on top of him. She gasped softly, but was cut off by Kerith's lips pressing against hers, displaying a powerful urge of affection. Emilia closed her eyes, basking in the calm sensations that swept away her fears. Kerith moved his lips gently against Emilia's and she copied, running her fingers through his platinum blond hair. It was as soft as silk against her fingertips, and smelled faintly of strawberries, something she'd never expected from a guy. The pulled apart, panting softly for air. Emilia couldn't hold back her tears, and clutched onto Kerith, hugging the platinum blond as if the tide would carry him out to sea once again.
He did like her. Well, maybe not as much as Glitch, but Kerith appreciated everything Emilia did for him. The least he could do grant wish, one small act of affection for saving his life. Holding her close reminded Kerith of his sister crying, wanting him to chase away the monsters or whatever was terrifying to her. Emilia was the same, except that she was riding out the remainder of her metamorphosis, fear would become courage, darkness to light, and so on. Kerith ignited the brunette's spark and cleared away the dark waters surrounding the tiny flame, prepping it for future nurturing.
"Thank you."
Emilia whispered it so quietly, Kerith almost missed it. But no, the sound rang happily through his ears, filling the blond with joy. He held onto Emilia, the beating of her heart falling into synch with his own, connecting Kerith to her on a deeper emotional level than ever before. She was the first to do so, unintentionally of course, but that simple act unlocked something deep indie Kerith. The sound of crashing waves dulled his senses and Emilia's gentle nudging soon pulled him into a peaceful slumber.
A small ding directed his attention to the glass door. Bodie Aaron[1] entered quietly and made his way over to my desk, a curved smile upon his face. This wasn't an ordinary grin, it appeared to be more of a malice laced smirk twisted like a pretzel across the blond beach boy's face. It's ominous appearance did not settle well with my soul, but instead instigate a battle of wits and willpower.
"What brings you around here, Bodie?" I asked, watching the young man carefully.
"I came to pick up Glitch, if you don't mind." His eyes had darkened a shade, once sea blue, now a dull blue grey.
"License and ID, please." He handed me the two cards, a confident grin on his face. I ran the numbers through the Intel core, twice for Glitch's (so that's the boy's name, is it?)sake. "Here you are, I'll be right back."
I rapped on the cell door a few times, alerting Glitch to my presence. He glared for a few seconds, but continued moping in his corner once more. I rolled my eyes and opened the door, walking over to the cot and dragging the boy out from underneath the wall structure.
"Where's Night Shade?" That was the first question he had asked in two days, and I still didn't have an answer.
"I do not know of the criminal's location, nor if he is still alive. However, the matter at hand is that of another. Your friend, Bodie. He has come to collect you from this place." Glitch plowed right through me. He sprinted out of the cell in such a rush, I collapsed into the bars, unable to move thanks to to my weird angle. Oh boy, this was going to take a few minutes to get out of...
"Bodie! Thank god you came for me!" Glitch laughed, hugging tightly onto his favorite RipTide dancer.
"Hey there, G. I'm glad you're alright." From his shirt pocket, Bodie produced a few slips of paper. "I'm sorry I couldn't arrive here earlier. I almost didn't survive the fall."
The raven haired boy looked at Bodie with complex puzzlement. What was he talking about? As he opened the notes though, everything clicked into place.
"Night Shade?" Glitch whispered softly, watching for any signs of Oblio.
Bodie grinned. "That's me alright. I may have lost you once, Glitch, but I will never make that mistake again." He pulled the young reporter closer to himself, his hand brushing the exposed skin on Glitch's neck.
A chill crept down Glitch's spine, causing the boy to shiver. Something was off about Bod-er Night Shade. His darkness wasn't warm and concentrated, it spread over the area like a black shadow, icy cold and unforgiving. He didn't trust the new darkness, but Bodie did fit Night Shade's criteria, and he even possessed the notes taken from him on the first meeting with Night Shade (I wonder where he got them).
"I want you to be my boyfriend." The words came so suddenly, Glitch had no idea how to act.
"Oh, uhh, okay!" Everything felt wrong and mixed up, but it was the truth, Bodie proved that he was Night Shade! So how-?
"I love you, Glitch."
"I...love you too, Bo." Glitch squeaked, pulling away from the blond just as Oblio returned with his camera and satchel taken in as evidence.
"I apologize for my unfair treatment. There were found clean of any prints besides yours. Take care, young one." The dark haired man waved Glitch and Bodie off, returning to his work desk. The young reporter glanced back nervously, wondering why he suddenly possessed the urge to jump into Oblio's arms and ask for protection. Walking with Bodie felt as if he were trapped on a land mine, simply waiting for it to go off.
No matter the number, nothing changes. I continue to tell myself over and over again "Bodie has him, he'll be alright", but the words become twisted syllables, malicious and fraught with danger after each breath. It was then I remembered what vital piece of evidence I required to identify Glitch. I logged his fingerprints into the data base, revealing his personal information files and criminal record.
Two names stood out to me. Tekuno and Kanashimi.
I realized just how horrifying of a mistake I had created. I had just handed my little brother over to the devil.
[1] That's his legit last name. I didn't make that one up. Well, F***. Looks like Bodie isn't the hero after all.
Contest Results:
1. Kerith's savior is Emilia (she stopped his nightmare and infection)
2. Glitch's brother is Oblio.
Both munchymaxter and skie246 correctly guessed number 2!
Therefore, both are recieving one-shots of their own with whatever pairing of thier choice! And don't worry, 12053, I'll have some other contest too.
Review Please! ;D