~Chapter Eleven~
Book of Shadows
Drain all the blood and give the kids a show,
By streetlights, this dark night,
A séance down below.
There're things that I have done,
You should ever know!
And without you is how I disappear,
And live my life alone forever, now.
I'm so far away from you.
~This Is How I Disappear, by My Chemical Romance
Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.
A huge shadow flickered in the corner of my vision, resembling a man with wings of black and eyes of crimson blood. I squinted in the general direction of the shadow, because it seemed so very important for me figure out whether it was a human, or a spirit, or something else nefarious in nature. My muscles still weren't responding to any direct commands; thus, I had to continue staring straight ahead, oblivious to the danger looming in my future. I focused the majority of my attention on the yellow floor beneath my feet.
And the floor appeared to be getting closer, and closer, and closer, and closer…
Shigure's P.O.V.
Last night was admittedly one of the most interesting, amusing, and pleasurable experiences of my lifetime. I was considered by many to be a relatively cultured young man, but there were still many people, places, and situations in this world that could still surprise me. Making love to my curious girlfriend was certainly among these, and it was a learning experience, too. Now, I'd be the first to admit that having sex with the small blonde woman was amazing, but it was also something that couldn't easily be described or written in words. Besides amazing, anyway!
Needless to say, Sammy was very special to me, and making love to her had been a decidedly different experience. She was actually one of the few women in my life – past, present, future, or otherwise – that could be considered my girlfriend, and not merely a friend with benefits. Our relationship was so much more permanent than those nights spent with my other girlfriends – if one could refer to them as such, anyway. My dating experience typically involved fucking, rutting, and one night stands. Not healthy relationships.
Actually, I'd only ever had two girlfriends before, and that was in high school. One of these, er, supposed girlfriends was Ayame. The curious snake had been experimenting with his sexuality, and his flamboyant personality had urged him to parade through the high school hallways whilst wearing a frilly yellow dress, makeup, and a blonde wig.
And I'd fallen for the disguise.
Many things had changed since those days, though. My life was finally beginning to change, and, hopefully, for the better. I'd matured into a more caring individual, one that could care for his friends without thinking of them as temporary allies or assets. People were not merely pawns to be ushered across the figurative chess board, nor were any of them to be considered checkers, should that be the game of preference. Hatori might be perceived as a battleship, but…
Even I am an insignificant pawn in this old game, aren't I? I thought, resigned, and with a bitter smile. The Sohma family is comprised of nothing more than villains, and there is no reason to give us – any of us – a happy ending.
There was no such thing as "Happily Ever After."
I desperately wanted to be free from the clutches of this dark curse, of course, and searching for the woman to break the family curse became a secret obsession of mine. My girlfriend was not the first to fall into my grasping clutches, and the blonde witch probably wouldn't have been the last, either. But the sneaky little witch had managed to worm her way into my heart. I'm certain that she had not intentionally done so, but the naïve girl had somehow proven to me that hurting the people dearest to my heart was not a good way to gain said freedom. That reward could only be gained through friendship…and love.
Before, I'd willingly isolated myself from the rest of the family, going so far as to move into an abandoned house in the middle of the goddamn woods. That should have been a clear indication to anyone that my deepest desire was to be left alone – but, no…!
Those closest to me still chose to follow my escape into the woods. Ayame, Hatori, and I were childhood friends, but neither one of them was allowed to live – or visit – with me at my new house. Still, Ayame and Hatori came to check in with me on a regular basis, occasionally bringing with them a few other members of the Zodiac. Like Yuki and Kyo.
I'd been subjected to another unexpected addition to our crazy little family shortly thereafter, as well. Miss Tohru Honda was certainly an oblivious, naïve girl. Nevertheless, Tohru had also managed to wrap us all around her little finger, unknowingly changing our very way of life. She was not destined to be our savior; however, the brunette had become a dear friend to many of the people within our family. I personally considered the young woman to be a little sister.
Tohru, as a high school girl, was also a very sweet piece of eye candy. Please insert perverted smile here.
And Samantha Steel had soon joined our growing family, as well. The Jackal Witch was not the nicest person in existence, nor was she overly kind to strangers, acquaintances, or friends. She had developed severe trust issues as a child, and often found it difficult placing her trust in other people. Those people didn't really deserve that trust, either. Her fears, while crippling, were often a necessary survival skill.
And I'd learned from my girlfriend that most magical entities were raised to be cunning, cruel, and emotionless. Many of them found amusement in torturing those born without any magical powers. Unfortunately, Sammy forgot that she would not be rejected by our family for being a witch, and she often slipped into the latter category, as a safety precaution. She distanced herself by pranking the living daylights out of people that annoyed or scared her. Poor Yuki had earned himself a spot on the top of her hit list, too. Wam, bam, rat jam!
Okay, I would admit it – my girlfriend was pretty damn nasty to most people. I'd still fallen in love with her, though, and she had eventually fallen in love with me, as well. The American had managed to find a niche among the ranks of our family, working hard to support the three other teenagers that lived with us, and often helping them with difficult homework or preparing for extracurricular activities. It was a rather dysfunctional family, to be certain, but it was our family. And I wanted to protect each and every single one of them. Even that damn rat.
Once upon a time, though, that thought would have been the last thing on my mind. I had never been very close with my immediate family, as neither one of my parents could stand the sight of their cursed son for too terribly long. Sohma Seiji and Nakamura Kaya hated me.
In their eyes, I was merely a stupid dog – and a mutt, at that. Seiji was a poor excuse for a father and ignored me constantly, never once speaking a word to or about me. I would have preferred that he beat me, to be honest, because that would have at least been an acknowledgment of sorts. Kaya, my mother, refused to touchme, and the stupid bitch made a habit of openly staring at me, instead. And I was supposed to be the mutt? Ha!
It should come as no surprise, then, that my friends were so much more important to me. Back then, Hatori and Ayame were the only two people that could make me smile, laugh, scream, or even cry. Every other person was to be manipulated without a care and then used for my own personal gain. Nobody else in this world mattered to me, and nobody ever would, either.
Well, I'd thought so, anyway. And I had continued to think so, until that point in time that my house was overrun by numerous crazy youngsters, of course. Damn crazy, stupid, hormonal teenagers…
Now, I was beginning to have second thoughts on the matter. Living through twenty nine years was a relatively short time frame, indeed, and it would not be long before yet another year had passed by. I would be nearing my thirtieth birthday, as well as that tender (please insert: stupid) age at which many males in this country began seeking a permanent relationship with their better half. My other half was typically the prettiest, dumbest, and horniest woman in the local bar. That thought had amused me to no end, because, well, who would want to marry a whore?
I'd had countless women over the course of that lifetime, of course, but most of them could be labeled as hookers or gold diggers. None of them would – or could – ever compare to my little lover, Sammy. She was an incredible young woman with a heart of gold, despite her sweet and sour disposition. The Jackal Witch had a penchant for attracting my attention and convincing me to focus solely upon her, too.
Not that it bothered me too terribly much, because Sammy had the most amazing and delicious pair of breasts in the eastern hemisphere. Damn, I really wanted to touch her, now – or possibly myself, if this train of thought wasn't derailed soon…
Speaking of which, Sammy had finally started to experiment with her sexuality. The naïve prude had taken to exploring the contours of her own body with timid curiosity. I'd discovered this due to an unexpected visit to her room one night, after the small witch had eaten dinner with the rest of the family and retired for the evening. She'd been in the private restroom, relaxing in a bath of warm water and, strangely enough, gently rubbing her tiny hands between her twitching legs. Whimpers, and moans, and soft whispers of my name slipped through the crack in between the slightly open door and the bedroom wall. Kami, I was in Heaven.
I had wanted so badly to touch her then, too. Instead, I'd spent a good portion of the next hour crouching in the dark shadows next to the sink. My large form was hidden behind a pile of fluffy bath towels, all of which were covered in yellow rubber duckies. Beady black eyes stared at me in accusation the entire time, but the oblivious witch never once noticed my presence, even though my canine form was more prone to noisy bursts of panting – and drooling.
But I'm certain that the puddle of water beside the porcelain sink was obviously coming from a very serious leak, because horny mutts were no longer permitted in that particular wing of the house. Sammy had forbidden it about two months ago, shortly after the she discovered my perverse interest in her panty drawer. That, however, was merely an excuse – it seemed as though the young woman had wanted a bit of privacy to begin exploring her own sexuality.
And I clearly wasn't supposed to know that she had been masturbating; however, Sammy was a tad more vocal than most women. But, I must admit that this was putting it mildly. The truth of the matter was that the little witch was a screamer. And I desperately wanted to be the one to make her scream.
Of course, I'd always wanted to seduce the cute little witch and ultimately have my way with her, but that was a story for another time, yes? It was only just beginning, and the first chapter of the story had yet to be completed. Our date had ended last night, but the next part of the story involved something a little more complicated. It was much more permanent, too.
I wanted to marry my girlfriend, Sammy. And I wanted to have her by my side for the rest of our lives. Akito be damned!
Ayame returned from his office a moment later. The energetic snake smiled widely at me and asked, "I assume that you came here today with a question or two for me, yes?"
His cheerful words caused my lips to curl upwards into a small smile, effectively brightening my dark and bitter demeanor. I said nothing in response to his words, but the amused grin on my face encouraged the snake to continue onwards with his crazy antics, per the norm. Ayame wasn't normal, though – not by any means!
He quickly struck a dramatic pose, resting both of his hands against the sides of his thin waist and bellowing, "I urge you to ask me anything!" Then, Ayame swept into an elegant bow. "Be my guest, 'Gure-san!"
If Sammy were here, she would have started singing that ridiculous song from The Beauty and the Beast. While I disliked watching movies made by either Pixar or Disney, my much younger girlfriend greatly enjoyed them and often recited the words along with the characters. It was a very sweet and endearing sight to behold – and a very annoying one, too. Nevertheless, I had watched the cartoonish movies with her, if only to spend time with my girlfriend and hold her curvy form against my chest for an hour or two. Please insert another perverted smile here.
"Well, I'd been hoping to ask one of my friends for some of their wonderful wisdom, but it appears that he is unavailable at the moment," I lazily drawled, resting the bottom of my chin in the open palm of my left hand.
"As a dog, you could have difficulty seeing certain colors, mi amigo," Ayame whined, "but you aren't blind, are you?"
My gray eyes were practically glowing with amusement. "No, I'm just not certain as to where my wise friend might be at the moment, mi amiga," I happily exclaimed.
He commenced flailing his thin arms around in a crazy manner, clearly annoyed at the play on words. "Hello~! I'm right here!"
Ah, yes. My gray eyes flickered with amusement, then, at the realization that the flamboyant snake would probably be casted as the equally flamboyant candelabra, Lumiere. And I would probably be the fierce Beast. That wouldn't be a problem, either. Sammy would fall in love with me and the two of us would be married at the end of the story! I smirked at the thought. Who wouldn't want a piece of this, though?
"That is certainly very true, Aya," I cheerfully agreed. My lips quickly twisted upwards in a wide grin, and I quipped, "But, Ha-san isn't here right now. He is a very busy man, after all."
Aya, on the hand, was very lazy. The snake was easily distracted, so he only focused on a few specific things – that included the proper maintenance and upkeep of his clothing business, the friendship between the three of us, and the happiness of his girlfriend, Miine. I smiled softly at the thought. In other words, Aya dedicated himself fully to the important things in life, and his attention never wavered from them, well, ever. He was actually a little OCD.
And thus, I had planned from the very beginning to ask the crazy snake for his advice regarding the impending situation with Akito. I would also need his help with my wedding, if – or rather, when – the head of the family agreed to support to the union and gave us his blessing.
My childhood friend visibly deflated at the cheeky response, not having realized that my words were spoken in jest. He allowed his trembling lower lip to protrude outwards in a pathetic pout and loudly wailed, "That is a horrid thing to say to your best man, 'Gure-san!"
I snickered at his desperation and evilly said, "Oh, really? I'd actually pegged you as something along the lines of a flower girl." Then, I leered at his ridiculous outfit, which consisted of a wedding dress, a bouquet of flowers, and a bonnet.
Finally, Ayame seemed to understand the nature of my jokes, and he gasped in mock outrage, exclaiming, "How rude…!" His golden eyes were now glittering with mirth, too.
"I'll just have to settle for the wisdom of another friend," I sighed at the realization and began shaking my head back and forth in apparent resignation. Well, I was probably going to regret this, but – "Would you be willing to help me, then?"
The snake eagerly concurred, twirling around and announcing, "Naturally, I will do everything within my power to answer your questions!" He paused for a brief moment, before nodding solemnly to himself in response to some inner question. "Yes, I will make him proud!"
Ah, Hatori seems to have had an even greater effect on him than normal, I mused, glancing at the snake as he darted to and fro, all the while gathering scrapbooks, samples, and instruction manuals. Perhaps it has something to do with the incident involving Kana, as well.
Ayame had resumed dancing happily around the cluttered storage room and through the piles of miscellaneous brown boxes. He gracefully leapt over a fallen mannequin, landed soundly on his feet, and finished the interpretive dance with an exaggerated pirouette. The artistic snake then attempted to do a split, which effectively scarred me for life. Yes, Ayame was a good dancer, but it was always a bit of a shock for me to see my childhood friend bouncing around like a ballerina.
Thankfully, Aya was now wearing the white wedding dress this time around, and not the neon pink and green tutu that he usually favored. That tutu had sparkly, black sequins, too. It thusly reminded me of that nasty fruit – watermelon. Which I hated…
"Oh, Shigure~!" Ayame exclaimed, clapping both of his hands together in glee. He tapped a slender finger against the glossy page of a magazine. "I do believe that this dress would be a perfect match for your delicate little lover!"
I joined the younger male at the table, near the back entrance to the store, and warily eyed the collection of journals that were now stacked upon the wooden surface. Apparently, Ayame was planning to reference every wedding magazine printed since the Cold War. And I would hate to have to strangle him for coercing my girlfriend into wearing a chastity belt. I refused to abstain from sex until after the wedding ceremony, even if that was the traditional thing to do. Waiting for that night would probably kill me.
Because I would not suffer alone! Ayame would die with me, perhaps as the suicidal Juliet to my lovelorn Romeo. And I could now only pray that my childhood was not truly gay, and – oh, that rhymed! But, I digressed. Dating my gay childhood friend would be rather awkward, in spite of our pretend flirting…
"That one is quite lovely, Aya," I agreed, staring down at the traditional kimono with a critical eye – it was made of yellow, pink, and white cloth. "However, I think that it might be a little uncomfortable for a foreigner to wear something like that to her wedding, ne?"
Ayame sighed dramatically, before licking the tip of his index finger and flipping to another page. "Oh, I suppose that you're right, but it would be absolutely divine on her!" He glanced at one dress, frowned, and then skipped to the next page – and the next, too. "No, no, and no…"
"Are you already having problems with designing the perfect wedding dress, dear Aya?" I asked, teasingly, and with a sneer that lacked true malice. It was a joke, after all.
"Perish the thought!" Ayame exclaimed, pressing a delicate hand against his chest in horror. He truly hated being doubted. "I will definitely create a dress worthy of the blonde maiden…" The snake glowered at me in mild annoyance. "…or rather, the bride."
My wide grin was one of mixed emotions: there was pride, amusement, and even a bout of mild embarrassment lingering along the contours of my mouth. Most importantly, however, there was that smug satisfaction of a job well done. After all, I was the primary reason that the angry snake was now refusing to design a white wedding dress for my girlfriend. You see, Sammy had been an innocent virgin – before last night, that is. Again, I would like to insert a perverted smirk here.
I was actually beginning to fear that my lips might freeze in the shape of that creepy smile. And then, I would always look like a pedophile. Which I was not! Sammy was sorely mistaken on that account, because I was only interested in fondling my girlfriend, and not the rest of the young female population. Although Tohru was rather cute…
Ayame was suddenly twitching in excitement. "Yes, I will overcome the obstacles that you have so kindly presented," he loudly declared, pointing a finger at the ceiling in triumph. "Fear not, Sammy-chan! Ayame the Amazing is here to save the day~! Hahahahaha!"
Nervously, I sweatdropped at the crazed gleam in his golden gaze. "You know, I haven't even proposed to her yet," I casually pointed out. Let's face it – Ayame was going to berate me for that stupid mistake.
But, Ayame waved away that concern and (please excuse the pun) doggedly insisted, "You needn't worry about that, 'Gure-san!" The snake firmly clasped a hand over my twitching left shoulder. "Sammy-chan would neverreject you, and she will certainly give you her hand in marriage! Perhaps even a foot!"
I wasn't so sure about that, though, in spite of the fact that my girlfriend appeared to be quite smitten with me. Sammy wasn't very good at hiding her feelings, either – she constantly wore them on her sleeve. And I knew that the she was in love with me. The small blonde female was relatively inexperienced in the dating department, though, and she'd only had a few boyfriends before stumbling across our mutual attraction and acting upon it. None of them were as serious as our relationship, but she admitted to having a few other romantic partners in the past – like that damn witch, Kazuya.
On that note, I'd begun to wonder if there were more to that story of hers, the one concerning that evil bastard, Kazuya. It didn't seem very likely that the two of them had met under benign circumstances, considering that neither one of them was entirely human. Sammy also spoke of him in a wary tone of voice; it indicated that she could no longer trust him. That sort of thing usually implied that the people involved in the conversation had once been, well, involved.
So it seriously bothered me that the blonde female had protested my presence at their meeting later this week – especially since that idiot was a witch, as well. He was a very strong magical entity, with a wealthy family and access to an insanely large fortune to boot. My shy girlfriend had even admitted that the two of them were close at one point. Seemingly, Mister Kazuya had tried his hand at wooing the young witch. He offered her bouquets of wildflowers, dinners at expensive restaurants, and a diamond ring upon her finger.
Marriage! Fujioka Kazuya had tried to offer marriage to the small blonde witch. And Sammy had probably considered it, too. Because Kazuya was filthy…stinking…rich!
I sighed wearily, pinching the thin bridge of my nose in frustration. Kami, I really hate having competition! Then, I smirked darkly, not even bothering to stifle the amusement raging through my veins. Ah, yes! The dumbass obviously hadn't succeeded, as she was now dating little ol' me, instead…
But I wasn't doing much better on this end, either. I might have convinced the blonde witch to join me for a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant, but then, the success had for the evening had officially ended. I would never have expected that our very first date together would be so utterly complicated. Not in a million years!
Admittedly, I'd fretted over the details of the date for almost a week. And I had only planned a simple evening for the two of us, because it would be our first romantic date with one another. We would sit together and eat a delicious dinner prepared by some of the best chefs in Tokyo, Japan. And I would constantly tease my girlfriend about her ridiculous status as an innocent virgin, touch her inappropriately a couple of times, and eventually stalk – er, well, follow – the angry young woman back to our house. Yes, it would be a typical date, ne?
The evening had morphed into a rather troublesome fiasco, though. It was not intentional on my part, and more than likely came as a surprise to Sammy, as well. Everything seemed to be going according to plan – up until the time that the date had officially begun, anyway. Sigh.
First, I'd unwittingly attracted the attention of one of the horniest women on this godforsaken planet, and on an evening that was dedicated solely to my girlfriend. I might have taken her up on that offer about a year ago, but now, the thought of sleeping with such a loose woman only repulsed me. It would be akin to hooking up with a prostitute. Then, I'd managed to transform into a damn dog during the ensuing fight between the horny woman and my girlfriend; the latter of whom was apparently just as horny, it seemed.
I was relieved that the clever girl was able to create a diversion that allowed us to escape with the secret of the family curse intact. Scurrying through the deserted alleyways had been fun, as it had (predictably) reminded me of those secret agent movies, but it was also worrisome that the true nature of the curse might be revealed to other outsiders. That part of the date was not fun in the least…
In the end, Sammy had discovered a new love hotel on the corner of the main street leading back downtown. She'd even convinced the clerk on duty to give us the best suite in the place, which was probably due to her incredibly surprising ability to flirt with men. Honestly, I hadn't truly expected the little prude to be capable of charming anyone, least of all a complete stranger that seemed to make her so painfully uncomfortable.
While I was grateful for the chance to spend a little quality time with her, it came as a surprise that the little blonde witch had actually permitted my sexual advances later on. In fact, Sammy had seemingly been very pleased with the foreign sensation of being touched by a male in such an intimate manner. We had made love together for the first time, and then, everything seemed to fall right into place. I was in love with Sammy. And Sammy was in love with me. Presto!
But I never once stopped to consider that promising myself to her was an act of utmost stupidity, perhaps even an act of betrayal. After all, I couldn't actually promise that the two of us would be together forever. Not yet.
Akito would not readily agree to such a thing, nor would he be willing to trade our subsequent freedom for my happiness. That bastard despised happiness, laughter, and love, especially as none of those things had ever involved him. He wanted to witness the ending of the curse, but the cruel man refused to give so much as an inch on his position in regards to Tohru Honda and Samantha Steel. Neither was a welcome addition to our family, in his opinion, and he refused to permit either of them an ounce of happiness.
And I wanted both of themto be happy…
Hesitantly, Ayame placed a warm hand over my own. He smiled sadly at the worried expression on my face and whispered, "That is not the cause of your fear, though, is it?"
"No, it is not," I softly agreed, squeezing the fingers that were resting over my own – the old, familiar comfort was a welcome one. "I'm so afraid of losing her, because Akito will probably refuse to give us his blessing. He hates both of us, remember?"
Ayame cocked his head to the side in though, brushing a lock of silver hair behind his left ear as he slowly said, "I'm not so certain that he would reject the idea of a union between the two of you, Shigure."
His entire demeanor had changed into one of utmost sincerity, and he was being pretty serious, too. This was a rare occurrence, as the snake preferred to channel a more optimistic point of view – one that bordered on naivety. My childhood friend was never one to mince his words, though, and the majority of the students at our high school had wanted him to be the student body president for a reason. He could charm his way out of a wet paper bag. And Ayame wasn't even that clever!
I leaned backwards in the wooden chair, crossing both arms over my chest and staring at him through narrowed eyes. His words were incredibly suspicious, to be sure – there wasn't any reason for him to have inside information on the inner workings of the Sohma Estate. Akito despised the snake, mainly due to the fact that he could not stand his colorful and cheerful personality; it made him physically sick to be in the same room with Ayame.
So, I was more than a little curious as to how the snake had come across this supposedly secret information. It was top secret, after all! And Ayame could never be as subtle as James Bond. His clothes were much too bright.
"Akito has been speaking about a possible marriage, then?" I finally asked, refusing to succumb to the comfort of false hope. Marrying Sammy would be like a dream come true, as corny as that sounded.
Ayame hummed in acknowledgment and focused his attention on the floor, muttering, "He apparently regrets harming Ha-san." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Apparently, Akito wants to begin expanding the cursed part of the family."
"Oh," I murmured. It suddenly dawned on me, just like that – "Wait a minute! You've been reporting directly to that stupid bastard, haven't you?" I slammed a hand against the tabletop and snarled, "Damn you, Ayame!"
He flinched at the anger in my words, a sign that the snake actually regretted his underhanded actions. "I'd apologize for doing so, but it was necessary at the time," Ayame explained. "None of us really understood the risk of permitting an outsider to have access to our deepest secrets, Shigure…"
I snorted derisively at that pathetic little explanation and quipped, "On the other hand, I distinctly remember escorting our friend, Tohru, into the lion's den a little over a year ago." A frown now marred my lips. "And Tohru was as much of an outsider as my girlfriend, if not more so!"
"There is a big difference between your girlfriend and Tohru-chan, though," Ayame pointed out, reaching forward to trace a finger over the outline of a simple wedding dress, a design that was actually quite pretty.
My childhood friend did not continue with that absolutely enlightening speech of his, however, so it was up to me to question that statement. "And I am infinitely curious about that difference, Ayame," I growled, sarcastically, and with an angry frown on my lips.
Ayame paused, presumably thinking on his words, and said, "Your girlfriend has proven to all of us – time and time again – that she is the witch mentioned in the old prophecy."
"Your point in this being…?" I lazily drawled, feigning nonchalance and examining the nearest fashion magazine with gray eyes. Acting like a stupid, immature brat was my specialty.
He sighed at this lack of understanding. "In other words, Samantha Steel is capable of breaking the curse, which means that she is also capable of inflicting another curse upon us, too," Ayame carefully explained.
Another realization then flickered to life in the dark corners of my mind. I groaned quietly in disgust – it was rather obvious, now – and murmured, "Akito wants to keep an eye on her, lest someone else takes advantage of her magic and knowledge of the family curse…"
"Yes, Akito is taking every precaution necessary to ensure the survival of the family." Ayame nodded solemnly to accentuate his point, before returning his attention to the floor. He hesitantly murmured, "And Akito found a possible enemy through our research, too."
It was as though time had frozen, forcing every cell in my body to stiffen as the words echoed in the silence of the cold storage room. I couldn't believe it! Those paranoid idiots had actually found someone that was trying to capture or harm my girlfriend! That wasn't possible, though, was it? Sammy was a strong witch, and she was definitely capable of taking care of herself. No one would dare harm the clever girl, or…
A distant memory darted forward, pushing its way to the front of my brain. I'd been too curious for my own good (a trait that was typically associated with the aggressive cat, Kyo) and forced the reluctant witch to tell me about her previous boyfriend. This person is an individual capable of casting magic, isn't he? Sammy had lowered her gaze, to the quiet and empty street, instead of my face. Yes, Shigure, this man is also a magical entity. And he's very, very powerful, too. Her small fingers had tightened around my own, because the witch was obviously afraid of something – or someone.
The snake paused once more, but this time, it was an almost awkward moment of silence. He revealed, "That enemy – or rather, that man – has been watching your girlfriend for almost a month, now…"
My mouth promptly dropped open, clicking audibly at the unexpected descent. "You must be joking!" I hissed in surprise, honestly feeling rather sick at this sudden development – there was some creepy ass witch stalking my lover!
"There is nothing funny about this situation, my friend," Ayame vehemently protested, shaking his head back and forth in denial. "And I would never lie to you about such a thing, not even if the head of our family demanded it!"
I ran a shaking hand through my black hair, horrified, and desperately pointed out, "But, I would have noticed them, Aya!" My eyes were brimming with tears, something that had not happened in many years. Not since Hatori had been hurt by the head of our family. "I'd have sensed that something was wrong, right?"
Golden eyes were sympathetic, watching sadly as the first tear made its way down the side of my face. "I doubt that even you, as a dog with amazing super senses, could have known that this man was prowling around your backyard," Ayame murmured, as though to console me.
My pupils dilated somewhat, shifting into the more common shape of my canine form. I startled at the sensation of the change, blinked in surprise, and growled, "Yes, I would have, dammit!"
It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain control of my mostly human form – the subtle changes in my posture and physical appearance were proof of that fact. First, I realized that the growling was a significant change; however, it wasn't the most prevalent of them. My hair was a few inches longer, both of my eyes were almost black in color, and the tips of my teeth were much sharper, as well. This partial transformation had never happened before, but it was a welcome familiarity.
Now, I was allowing the cursed spirit of the dog to control me, and there was no going back.
Follow your instincts, Shigure, I thought to myself, attempting to focus on the past month spent with my girlfriend – hour by hour, day after day, and week to week. There had to have been some sign that this guy was hanging around!
Wearily, Ayame covered both of his eyes with a large hand, shielding the emotions burning there, like hellfire. "Shigure, there is no possible way that you could have foreseen this happening…"
"No! There would have been footprints in the grass – it's always very dry this time of year – or a set of old tire tracks perhaps," I stubbornly insisted, reminding him of the fact that it was now late summer. "We would have noticed something like that, since none of us own a bigger form of transportation. No motorcycles, bikes, or cars."
Yuki was a pretty smart kid, so the clever rat would surely have noticed a difference concerning the exterior of the house, considering that he was so protective of his little flower gardens. And Kyo had been taught to recognize subtle changes in details, thanks to his martial arts training with his master, Sohma Kazuma. But, Yuki and Kyo hadn't even mentioned anything out of the ordinary. Or course, I was also well aware of the fact that the neither one of them would tell me if something were bothering them, anyway.
As expected, Tohru would be next to useless in this case. The oblivious brunette was not the brightest crayon in the box – more like a dark brown, or a pasty white – nor was she particularly interested in the world around her. She often had her head in the clouds. My girlfriend, though, ignored her strict training as a witch, choosing instead to act like a (well, somewhat) normal human being. The eccentric young woman had several heightened senses, including better eyesight than her human counterparts, and she was also a rather smart girl. Unfortunately, Sammy was a ditzy blonde at times, too. As such, Sammy probably wouldn't recognize any noteworthy changes.
And I was a genius, of course! The sudden appearance of an evil – and possibly psychotic – killer shouldn't have managed to surprise me. It was impossible! Even now, I was frantically searching through my memories and trying to remember even one instance that something had been amiss. There should have been a new resident in the neighborhood or a suspicious animal –anything at all! Yet nothing came to mind.
I groaned and gently rested my forehead against the cold surface of the table in defeat. "It should have been blaringly obvious, too, because we live in the middle of the fucking woods!"
Inwardly, I was now berating myself for my own stupidity. We really did live in the middle of the woods, a dark, isolated place that probably wasn't very suitable for two young women to call home. I scowled, annoyed, and angrily cursed the location of my house for the first time in my life. No wonder people were constantly trying to destroy the damn thing! It was a menace to society.
"Well, I suppose that it must be one of the normal people that regularly travel near your house, then," Aya conceded the point in apparent realization. "For example, one of the students taking a shortcut through the woods, or the neighbors, or the postman…" He ticked off a finger for each one of these people and continued listing various examples.
Postman… I froze at the recognition of that one word, which was a seemingly innocent reference to a respected profession, and began puzzling through the mess of thoughts that had arisen from hearing it. Sammy started acting strange around a month ago, and the postman actually brought her that mysterious package by about a month ago, around the time that the stalker supposedly appeared. My brow furrowed in confusion. What was the name of the sender, though?
"Oh!" Ayame had apparently recognized that this silence was an epiphany of sorts, and he wiggled around on his seat in excitement. He grinned and eagerly asked, "Did any of that information manage to jog your memory, 'Gure-san?"
I nodded slowly in agreement, admitting, "About a month ago, the postman came by the house with a strange delivery. It looked like a normal package, but there was this strange emblem just under the address, almost like a calling card."
Kami, I'm starting to sound like one of those horror movie fanatics! I cringed at the realization, before promising myself that something like this would never happen again, even if my ditzy girlfriend had to be cocooned in a blanket of bubble wrap for the rest of her life.
"That is odd…" Ayame raised a silver brow in confusion, though, clearly not understanding the significance of the odd marking, and calmly inquired, "Was there anything else about the situation that seemed out of the ordinary?"
A frown steadily pulled at the corner of my lips. "As a matter of fact, the postman claimed that it belonged to the new resident, which was strange, because no one had even reported either one of the girls living with me," I warily explained.
"The only person that would have known about their new living arrangements, then, would be the man stalking your girlfriend," Ayame solemnly concluded, as though it were obvious.
Indeed, I found it to be much too obvious. It was so obvious, in fact, that my friend must have been coached in answering my questions. Ayame was only providing answers to a few select things, almost as though he were attempting to nudge me in the right direction without giving any important information away. Akito was probably blackmailing him, if that were the case. Perhaps Miine would be in danger, should he choose not to cooperate. Or Akito might have threatened to make a snakeskin purse out of his precious silver scales.
The former was more probable, but the latter certainly served as an amusing alternative, ne?
Ayame sighed softly, as though listening in on my thoughts, and placed a finger against each of his temples, respectively. He remained deathly silent, in spite of the fact that he obviously knew something important about this man. His golden eyes were clouded over in thought, a sign that he was attempting to muddle through some inner turmoil. The war that was being waged within his mind had been initiated by Akito. And Akito was now focusing every bit of his attention on ending the family curse. That could mean only one thing, then…
This mysterious stalker was actually the key to breaking the curse. He would be able to help my girlfriend bypass the restrictions placed on her powerful magic and break through the bindings wrapped around each one of us by the family curse. The Zodiac would be free!
Finally, I decided to take the initiative, since my childhood friend was impersonating a mime, and softly whispered, "You were told the name of this person, weren't you?"
"Yes, I've known about his true identity for quite a while, now," Ayame hesitantly admitted, fiddling with the buttons on his oriental jacket to release excess energy. "I stumbled across it in the notes that your girlfriend has been keeping."
"Sammy-chan has been working on breaking the curse this entire time?" I asked, dumbfounded, before shaking my head to clear it of that surprising revelation.
I've more important things to consider, like the fact that my childhood friend knows all about her creepy stalker. I paused, narrowed my eyes in thought, and continued – And I have decided that, in the essence of saving time, we will thusly refer to him as a creeper. He is one part creepy, and one part stalker; thus, he is the Creeper!
"Indeed." He gazed straight into my steely gray eyes and nodded once in agreement. "Akito apparently promised that he would allow the two of you to be married, so long as she agrees to do everything within her power to break the curse on our family," Ayame quietly elaborated.
I stared at the quiet snake in disbelief. Sammy had only made the agreement to gain permission for officially becoming a member of the family. Well, I knew that my girlfriend wanted to marry me, at the very least. Hallelujah!
Ayame tentatively continued the explanation. "Sammy-chan wanted to keep it a secret, though, in case she failed to successfully break the bindings on the cursed spirits possessing the members of the Zodiac…" He paused briefly, then solemnly added, "…or mistakenly ended her own life in the process."
The snake continued to fidget and squirm under the pressure of my steely gaze, more than likely feeling a bit uncomfortable with the unwavering attention. He nervously cleared his throat a few times, a noisy sound that only served to irritate me further. It reminded me of that obnoxious garbage disposal that my girlfriend had installed in the kitchen sink, the one that had scared Tohru. The poor girl had almost suffered from a heart attack the very first time that she experimentally tugged on the power button.
Honestly, I had found the occurrence to be rather funny at the time, though. But I had always been a bit of an asshole, so that came as no surprise to any of the other residents in our household that my initial reaction was to laugh myself silly. Sammy joined the Dark Side, too, and her loud shrieks of laughter easily overshadowed my quieter chuckles. Almost laughed myself to death, we did. And speaking of death…!
I glared at the quiet snake, daring him to maintain his stubborn silence in regards to the matter at hand. Unfortunately, Ayame chose to comply with that dare. He must have taken it as a given that the dare was of the double dog kind. Because I was a superbly amazing canine, after all!
Needless to say, Ayame was keeping his incredibly big mouth shut, possibly for the first time in his life. He was seemingly wary of the consequences that would be created by betraying the trust of the head of our family, and rightly so! Akito had a very nasty temper, and he was more than capable of succumbing to temporary insanity, in order to harm a disobedient member of the Zodiac. But I was much, much worse…
"You mean to tell me that my naïve girlfriend has been recklessly endangering herself from the moment that we met?" I queried in a dangerously quiet tone of voice, which signified the dark anger rushing through my veins. "Sammy-chan is not a martyr or a sacrificial lamb, Ayame!"
The snake made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, before desperately exclaiming, "And I know that, Shigure!" He fisted his hands in the tangled locks of silver hair that cascaded over his shoulder. "Sammy-chan is a sweet girl, and she does not deserve to be treated as such, but…"
"Then, please!" I quickly channeled my inner police dog and continued with my harsh line of questioning. Angrily, I demanded, "Explain to me why you feel the need to protect the bastard that forced her to do so!"
I was not truly mad at my best friend, in spite of the bitter sting of betrayal that was squeezing at my heart. Truthfully, I was feeling disgusted with myself for having ever trusted either one of them. Yes, Sohma Akito had always been a sneaky, conniving bastard, but this person standing before me was someone that had earned my trust! Ayame was my friend, dammit. And I was so very angry at myself for trusting him, because it could have placed my poor girlfriend in an early grave. Screaming at my friend was the only way for me to divert my attention to something else.
He appeared to believe the same thing, because he began screaming at me, too. "Because I am sick and tired of fretting over the fact that some random stranger will discover our family's secret!" Ayame suddenly bellowed, standing up so quickly that his wooden chair fell over.
"Oh, Aya…" I murmured, softly, and with a sad expression on my face.
His angry voice softened, then, and he painfully whispered, "I hate being cursed, Shigure…"
Sadly, I smiled up at the forlorn snake, completely understanding the reason for his betrayal at that moment. I'd always hated being burdened by the weight of a cursed spirit, because talking to a stranger – someone outside of my immediate family – practically guaranteed the discovery of that cumbersome secret. It was a painful and lonely existence, indeed. Kinda boring, too, come to think of it…
And I would not have survived that tedious existence without my two best friends, Hatori and Ayame. Nor could I have matured into a more thoughtful individual without the love of my girlfriend. Sammy was just as important to me as these two knuckleheads, even if the two of them were determined to wreak havoc on my love life. Thus, I would protect them all to the best of my ability, and that meant chasing down the stupid witch that was now stalking my girlfriend.
"Do you know anything about a Fujioka Kazuya?" I asked, curious, and with a snap of my thin fingers, as if to recall some forgotten memory. "He appears to be some sort of magical entity, too, perhaps a male witch." And a sneaky bastard, too!
He startled visibly, not having expected me to be aware of this person, it seemed. "He's the heir to a very old and rich family, one that has dabbled in the politics of this country for over five centuries," Ayame murmured, and with a subtle wince.
"So, Kazuya has an interest in politics, does he?" I smiled grimly at this bit of information, because attempting to hide the body of a rich politician might actually prove to be a little difficult.
Okay, Fujioka Kazuya is not someone to idly threaten, then… I wryly mused, before pushing the discovery away with a careless shrug. On to Plan B!
I lifted a single black eyebrow in question and pointedly stated, "That doesn't explain his interest in my girlfriend, though…" He was a stalker, but there had to be some logical reason for his obsession!
Now, Ayame refused to meet my eyes, which had been staring deep into his own, searching for the truth. He bit his lower lip, before hesitantly admitting, "Akito wants them to meet and end the cycle of this curse, because that man is actually a…" The snake stiffened.
"Are you okay, Ayame?" I asked, worried at his sudden silence. It was as though the snake had looked into the eyes of his distant relative, the basilisk, and been petrified as a result. I poked him in the forehead. "Is anybody home, my friend?"
My sensitive ears chose that moment to register the faint sound of the soft whirring of magic, pained whimpers, and loud, panicked screaming. Ayame and I immediately darted towards the door that connected the dark storage room to the front portion of the clothing store, practically shoving ourselves through the damn hole in the wall at the same time. We rushed over to the pair of screaming girls, neither one of which was in any position to answer our questions.
My girlfriend, for one, was convulsing on the floor. She displayed all of the symptoms of an epileptic suffering from a grand mal seizure, save for the mysterious glowing of her magical blue tattoos. Steam was now rising from the runic markings, the majority of which were slowly being covered in thick, black burns. Miine did not seem to be faring much better, though, because the white witch was attempting to heal the burning tattoos with her own magic. As it were, she was not succeeding, either.
"Oh, Kami…!" Miine sobbed, desperately attempting to keep her glowing hands over the tattoos, even as the magic of the unconscious black witch fought against its opposing element. "I can't seem to heal them, Aya!" She sniffled pathetically. "This spell is too strong for me to counter!"
I placed a hand on her shoulder, so as to steady her – and to keep her from running away. "What is wrong with my girlfriend, now, Miine-san?" I hurriedly asked, staring down at the pair of shaking girls with scared eyes.
"I swear that it wasn't my fault," Miine whimpered, trying to ascertain that no one would blame her for this, because failure was a good possibility at the moment. "She just stared convulsing on the floor like an epileptic!"
Suddenly, Miine screamed in disgust, and she frantically darted away from the black tendrils that were slithering across the tiled floor, towards the pair of stunned witches. The small dark threads of magic were thin, but as strong as steel, if their heavy weight was any indication. Black magic appeared to be fueling their progress. And I could only watch in helpless horror as the thick cords began slowly wrapping around and around the motionless form of my small lover.
My senses returned to me. "Epilepsy doesn't explain those creepy shadow tentacles clinging to her like a second skin!" I snapped at the frightened girl and began kicking at the tendrils that were slipping past the defenses of her white magic.
Miine cast a quick wind spell at the same tendrisl, before returning her attention to that last comment. The white witch quietly whispered, "Well, I've got an explanation for that, but you aren't going to like it, Shigure-san."
"Please feel free to explain at your own pace, my darling," Ayame cheerfully chirped, all the while dancing over the mass of black threads that were now covering the floor like an ocean of darkness. "Take your time!"
Miine glowered at the flamboyant male, probably in response to his sarcastic words, and she replied, "Black tendrils like these are referred to as the essence of a Book of Shadows." She cast another quick wind spell at the wriggling cords. "But the threads are only activated if a witch ignores a Blood Summons!"
The white witch continued to hack mercilessly at the black tendrils with her wand, but she was the only one, it seemed. Ayame had tripped over a display of topless lingerie and, as a result, landed on the tiled floor in a rather ungraceful heap of tangled limbs. I had willingly chosen to stop attacking the evil threads that were wrapping themselves around my lover, simply because the strings kept regenerating themselves – the damn things were reproducing like rabbits!
Now, Ayame and I exchanged confused looks from our respective positions on the tiled floor. We were both dating witches, but neither one of was overly familiar with the terminology involved with their magic. What the fuck was a Blood Summons?
Warily, I turned to the white witch and called, "Would you care to explain the workings of that particular spell, Miine-san?" To which my childhood friend nodded frantically in agreement.
Miine huffed in annoyance, seemingly at the fact that neither of us understood her words. "The Blood Summons is a spell cast by a powerful black witch – or a demon – to summon a person that has bonded with them!" She jumped over a particularly nasty pile of black cords. "Duh!"
Those words – minus the addition of that one duh – seemed to serve a warning of sorts. Sammy immediately ceased screaming like a wounded animal, whimpered faintly, and suddenly drifted back into consciousness. She focused all of her attention on some unseen entity that was surely standing behind us. Both of her icy blue eyes widened marginally, which was also strange and a tad eerie, due to the apparent lack of a pupil in either one of them. The Jackal Witch appeared to be flickering in and out of our vision, disappearing beneath the black ocean of twisting tendrils, threads, and cords. Her small form slowly began to disintegrate, almost like a cheap impersonation of a movie hologram. Then, Sammy simply vanished.
I panicked and darted forward, hastily searching through the remainder of black tendrils, most of which had been broken into smaller pieces at her departure. Snarling, I turned to the other witch and demanded, "Where did that damn girl go?"
"There are a number of people that could have summoned her, including someone from her old coven or clan," Miine whispered the words softly, before squaring her thin shoulders and tensing against my possible anger. "But, I'm guessing that she merely went to the caster of the spell."
Contrary to popular belief, I did not believe in striking women, so my hands remained curled at my sides. "Who could have possibly summoned her, then?" I asked, staring down at her in clear disbelief.
Miine did not dignify this question with a response, choosing instead to hide her sad expression behind a curtain of chestnut brown hair. I bit back a cry of pain, because that was something that my girlfriend always did, as well. Still, I must have released a sound that could be interpreted as anger, since the white witch ducked for cover, using her taller boyfriend as a shield. Neither one of them would budge an inch, so my attention shifted to the stronger male that was protecting her.
"Ayame!" I growled at the younger male, barely resisting the urge to shift into my canine form, which was howling deep inside of me for release – and his mate. "Who…summoned….her?"
Ayame hesitated for a brief moment, but at the sight of such anger darkening my face, the snake admitted, "Sohma Akito."
***Author's Note***
Now, I want to note a few important things! The last chapter written in our horny mutt's view involved a conversation with Hatori. (Sexy Dragon! XD) So, I decided to explore his relationship with Ayame, too. Next, I wanted to lead up to the twelfth chapter, which will introduce the antagonist, Fujioka Kazuya. ;) And lastly, there was a cliffhanger! Mwhahahahaha!
P.S. Please read and review! If you do, tell me why you think Shigure is only partially transforming into a dog! And I want to hear about your thoughts for the next chapter! Do you think Akito and Kazuya will win, or will they die at the hands of the hero and heroine? Your choice, peeps! I'd like about 92 reviews, if at all possible. At least 90 reviews!
***IMPORTANT!***
I've heard about the recent petitions on this site and stuff. Do I need to remove the lemons in this story? Please let me know, okay?
