"Betrayal"

Doumeki stared wordlessly at the King of Butterflies. From this close he could smell the earthy musk of Watanuki's body, undercut with the fruity sweetness that came from being surrounded by flowers and nectar all day long. It soaked into Doumeki's muscles as his grip tightened around the pins. He swallowed hard, banishing the notion that Watanuki was incredibly appealing right now. He didn't need much reminding that he had just watched his friend kill another spirit after all, but damn that smell, and Watanuki's loose, low kimono did all kinds of things to distract Doumeki's concentration.

It was Watanuki who broke the silence. He noticed their quite obvious height different and growled.

"I won't have you looking down on me," he said, glaring flatly at Doumeki, who didn't know how to interpret that look any more than if he were before a real Monarch.

Watanuki waited expectantly, patience clearly draining from his expression with every second Doumeki failed to get the hint, until he felt that he was given no choice but to raise his voice to an intimidating roar.

"Kneel!"

Fright jumped in Doumeki's shoulders, and he found himself following the order immediately, dropping to the ground and bowing his head.

"That's better." Watanuki raised a leg and hooked his foot under Doumeki's chin, lifting his face. "Now, kiss my feet."

Doumeki blinked in a "are you serious?" kind of way.

"Watanu-guh!"

Watanuki pushed his toes into Doumeki's Adams apple. "I said...Kiss. My. Feet."

Doumeki obliged, if only to buy himself time to form some kind of plan. He slid his hand along the side of Watanuki's foot, gripping his ankle lightly as he pressed his lips against the arch. Watanuki's skin tasted as sweet as it smelled.

"Do you know what the punishment is for killing one of my butterflies? I assure you it is much worse than a spider's curse."

"Watanuki." Doumeki followed the long white leg of the seer up to meet his eyes, "You're possessed, you don't know what you're doing."

"I didn't say stop." Watanuki's smile only widened and became more amused and he lifted Doumeki's head higher with the top of his foot. Doumeki had no choice but to oblige. He kissed this time with his tongue, trailing hot wetness across Watanuki's foot. He felt the Monarch shiver, and inhaled thickly.

This was supposed to be a punishment, right?

"I don't know what you're taking about. I am King here. My whole life I've been King." Watanuki said empirically.

"Maybe your whole life as a butterfly...If you have always been King and lived here then how do you remember who I am?"

Watanuki's fine black eyebrows drew together like tipping bridges. "What-What do you mean? You're Doumeki. You are-"

"Who am I?" Doumeki cut back. "Where do you know me from? How did we meet? What is our relationship?"

"I..I don't know." Watanuki stammered as Doumeki wrapped his tongue around the King's toes. "All I know is I am filled with annoyance when I look at you."

Doumeki pushed out a laugh. "Of course."

Watanuki yanked his foot away and stood squarely before the archer.

"Explain."

"We know each other from school. If you have always been here then how do you know me if you haven't been to school?" Doumeki continued. "You've been possessed. That black choker around your neck is proof of it."

Watanuki's hand went to his throat. "That's impossible. I'm-I'm...!"

Doumeki took out his bow, raising it to eye level. A golden spiritual arrow formed as Doumeki pulled the bowstring back to his cheek. Was he really going to do this? Shoot Watanuki? What if he missed? What if he hurt him?

"What are you doing? Wait-!"

...He was going to have to hurt him a lot more in a moment...

Doumeki fired. His arrow cut through the air faster than Watanuki could react, and it hit its target dead on: the centre of the black choker around his neck.

It shattered like glass and tiny shards of obsidian clinked to the ground. Doumeki wasted no time. He discarded his bow and ran at Watanuki, taking him by the shoulders and pinning him to the floor. He had to be quick about this...or else...

Still stunned from the hit Watanuki groaned and moved slowly beneath Doumeki, as the archer pulled the four beautiful pins from his belt. A bead of sweat rolled down his face and his heart was in his throat making it very difficult to breathe or swallow. He picked up the first pin, grasping it just before the blue jewelled head like the hilt of a sword, and raised it high above his head.

Watanuki's bi-colour eyes blinked open and focused just in time to see Doumeki driving the first pin into his upturned palm. The horror and sheer disbelief that flashed across his face was nearly enough to halt Doumeki's plummeting hand. But not quite. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, and drove the point of the pin deep into the soft flesh of Watanuki's palm, right through to the obsidian floor beneath them.

"AAAAHHH!"

Watanuki wailed in the most acute agony as the metal point pushed through his skin, through muscle, blood, and bones, and became wedged in the floor.

"Dou-Doumeki! What...! Why? It hurts! It hurts-! Take it out! Have you gone insane?"

Watanuki's hand throbbed in strong dark pulses with pain as blood readily bubbled out from the wound.

Doumeki's expression was strained and shadowed. He reached for the second pin.

Watanuki felt another rush of fear. "Oi, stop. Doumeki, no." He gripped Doumeki's sleeve with his free hand. "Don't-"

Doumeki seized his wrist and held his hand down against the floor, palm up. He appeared to be trembling, but never the less he raised the next pin in his free hand. The long thin shadow of it fell across Watanuki's face.

He stared up in rising horror. "Doumeki, stop. No! Please! Doumeki, stop it!"

Doumeki ground his teeth, knuckles white and eyes hidden. Then he drove the second pin down.

"NOOOOO!"

As the pin hit the floor the resounding crack of it imbedding itself in the shiny rock was drowned out by Watanuki's scream.

Doumeki let out the breath he was holding, his shaking hands released the pin newly imbedded in Watanuki's palm like it had suddenly become hot and hunched over the seer's body like he had lost all strength.

"P-Please. Please stop. P-Please..." Watanuki's voice was hoarse and broken by tears. His hands, skewered by the pins were shining ruby red in the light. The blood was spilling out and staining his wings.

Doumeki stood shakily and Watanuki lifted his head to watch as the archer moved to sit by his feet. Watanuki let his head fall back against the floor. "Doumeki...!" He pleaded, knowing that his ordeal was far from over.

"I'm sorry." Doumeki mumbled, grasping the third pin and lining it up with Watanuki's recently kissed foot. He drove it home and Watanuki howled in agony again, his one free limb kicking and lashing out in protest.

As the echo of his pain died out Doumeki readied the final pin, gripping Watanuki's ankle and stretching his leg straight. The seer was too weak to fight. Watanuki's chest was heaving with strain, his face was shining with tears and blood was eating its way through his kimono. His wings were rapidly losing their vibrancy.

Doumeki positioned the point of the last pin on Watanuki's foot.

"Doumeki...Doumeki, I hate you." Watanuki spoke in weakening panting breaths. "I really..." his eyes fell shut. "...hate you."

Cursing himself a thousand times over, Doumeki pushed the final pin through Watanuki's foot.

"My, my, what a sight."

Yuuko and Mokono stood in the corridor before the hollow of the door. Doumeki stood backed by the cool evening light, panting, robe disheveled, hair a mess and with a face contorted in repressed rage. Watanuki hung in his arms, patches of blood staining his pale skin and apple-white kimono.

"I did it. I paid the price!" Doumeki's voice was cracking. "Now save him!"

Hey guys, if anyone is interested I've complied a playlist for this story! (as I tend to do, I get a lot of inspiration from music) I can't link it but here's a list of the songs corresponding to each chapter, they are all on Youtube so if you like this story check them out! Only two more chapters to go! Ja ne~

Monarch Playlist

01 - Saw Something - David Gahan

02 - Trouble - Midnight Red (Taylor Swift cover)

03 - Spellbound - Lacuna Coil

04 - Evil Angel - Breaking Benjamin

05 - Grenade - Bruno Mars

06 - You Wanna Touch Me - KAZAKY (watch the video omg so hot)

07 - Cursive Eye - I:Scintilla

08 - Apologize - Timberland

09 - What I Want - Chris Daughtry ft. Slash