Wow, I had to dust the cobwebs off of this story, aha. Sorry its been a while since I uploaded guys. I promised to finish these but I seem to suck in fulfilling that promise. Sorry, truly. Anyway, were continuing through the past and learning the truth about the legend of Taboo. Where will this story lead?
Dark cloud clotted cross the sky, letting rain unleash its fury on the ears. Thunder tore apart the heavens in a heaving growl. Lightening exploded in ripples of light connecting the forever apart land and sky. Wind blundered in whirlwinds, destroying everything in its paths, howling a whistle of fury. Hard, lime scale stone was being carved and chewed by the fearsome storm. Her fingers bled and ached, her feet blistered and bruised her skin was frozen and wet, but she didn't give up. She pushed on. It was supposed to be impossible to climb the mountain, she didn't care. No matter how much she was pushed back, she would climb even further. Her, silk, shoulder-length hair whipped and tangled in the wind, lashing out against her pale, ivory skin. Ice blue eyes blinked away the tears of rain falling down her cheeks. The storms cries shrieked in her ears as she pushed further up the mountain, it's sharp, silvers-stone scales cutting at his bare skin. Torn, brown fabric ripped from her dress, snagging on a uprooted tree which tumbled past her in the wind.
Suddenly, a tumbling, stampede of large, uprooted trees came crashing down the side of the mountain, directly at her. A tree came slamming into her back as it pushed over her, crushing her body against the side of the stone with a painful amount of force. Kouki let out a loud shriek of pain as her body rebounded from the stone. Fortunately, her hands remained frozen and stiff as they locked around the stone edge where she clung to and she remained still. Kouki tried to move but a hot, burning pain vibrated across her body. She hissed, retreating back to the edge of the stone. "I can't stop here now." She muttered, tears brimming on the edge of her eyes. "I can't. I can't. I can't!" Kouki snapped. "I WON'T!"
Lunging out in a desperate attempt, she leapt to her left, reaching for a crevice in the stone for her hand. She was so close. Just a little further. Her fingers fastened around the wedge in the stone, swinging her body over. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. The burning sensation exploded all over her body in response to her jerked movements. Kouki screamed in pain, tightening her fits until they turned pure white. Rain swept over her body, and over her skin. It's ice cold touch didn't stop the burning. It radiated through her back, bring her to tears. "I...I can't." Kouki whispered. Slowly, her fingers began to loosen on the crevice and her little finger slipped. "No!" She snapped. But she couldn't help it. Her body felt weak, the pain was forcing her muscles to render in pain. She tried to suppress it but it didn't work. Then her third finger dropped. "No. No. No!" She desperately screamed. "I can't. I must stop this. I must stop the plague. I need to help them. PLEASE LET ME HELP THEM!" She screamed into the storm. At the same time, her last two fingers slipped from the gap. Her body was taken hold of by gravity and she began to fall. 'I came all this way! I can't let it end in nothing!' Tears rolled down her cheeks as the wind took hold of her body in a free fall plummet. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, closing her eyes in sorrow.
"KOUKI!" A voice screamed. A firm, strong hand clasped around her wrist, jerking her from her fall to a halt. Pain burned throughout her body, dragging out her conciousness. She lifted her head, whipping back black hair curled around her face. Dark, chocolate eyes looked at her with fright. Warm, tanned skin was drenched by the rain and soft, brown hair clung to the corners of his sharp, gentle face. "Akio...?" Kouki whispered as black blotches fluttered around over her vision. "KOUKI!" He called again, in a deep husky voice. It really was Akio. "Akio, you...save me." Kouki whispered, feeling her body slip from conciousness. She heard his voice calling her, each time getting more faint. Until she completely fell into the darkness.
A alluring heat fluttered over her aching body. The howl of the storm raged on. She felt dry, warm and safe. Big, blue eyes fluttered open, looking up to see an amber tinted rock ceiling above her. Sharp Icicles of stone aimed directly down above her, shaking under the force of the wind. Crisp crackling crunched in her ear. She turned very slowly, to see a blazing fire dancing across the dissolving wood like fairies on a river. "Good you're awake." A deep, masculine voice greeted half-heartedly. Kouki used her arms to push herself up. A sharp pain shot through her back and she retreated back down to lying flat. Instead, she sighed, turning her head towards him. Akio's strong, broad body sat on the other side of the flames, illuminated a dark, gold by the flames. His dark, brown eyes shimmered like honey and his brown hair streaked with gold.
"Akio." Kouki greeted with a half-hearted cheerfulness.
"Not happy to see me?" Akio sarcastically replied, keeping his eyes down on the fire, probing it with a damp stick. Kouki remained silent.
"Amira sent you I suppose." Kouki implied.
"Something like that." Akio replied. Once again, silence filled the cave. Kouki, once again pushed herself to sit, ignore the radiating pain through her back. "You shouldn't sit up." Akio warned. Kouki ignored him, pushing herself up anyway until she was able to lean back against the wall of the narrow cave. "Never mind then." Akio mumbled. Kouki sent him a glance before she turned to look out of the entrance of the cave. Bandages wrapped around her torso, fingers, arms and legs where she had been cut. Akio must have done it. Unintentionally, Kouki's gaze slipped across the stone floor. Akio refused to meet her gaze, he just sat there, watching the fire crackle and burn. Rain poured over the entrance of the cave like a transparent curtain, draping across.
For a long while it remained silent, until Kouki finally broke the cold atmosphere. "Thank you...for saving me I mean." she finally said, show casing her usual, childish grin. Akio turned to look at her with surprise, and nodded.
"You're welcome. You seem fine. I didn't think you would catch a cold." Akio smiled devilishly, teasing her. (Note: Akio is referencing the saying; 'Idiots can't catch colds').
"Hey!" Kouki snapped. "Don't be mean Akio! I didn't catch a cold because of my awesome body tolerance!" Kouki proudly announced, holding a fist against my chest.
"Yeah, but you have a nack for getting into trouble and worrying everyone Kouki." Akio tutted. Kouki's hand slowly dropped down into her lap. She clasped her hands together, soothing her naked fingers over the soft bandages of the other ones.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry." Tears began to well in her eyes as her head dropped, black hair spilling over her face.
"Kouki, this isn't like the time when you ran into the forest. Me and Amira found you before you got into trouble. But this time it's different. It's Taboo Mountain. Don't you understand?" Akio said, his voice dropping into a low and stern tone.
"I know, I know but I couldn't sit around and do nothing!" Kouki retorted, her hands balling into fists on her lap.
"There's nothing you can do by climbing this mountain. You'll get yourself killed!" Akio snapped back.
"No. I'll plead to the Gods. I'll get them to stop it. Surely if they hear me they'll-" Kouki cried before Akio cut her off.
"What? You think that your precious Gods will hear your plea and come down from heaven and save us all?" Akio spat. "The Gods aren't like that! They won't help mere people like us. If they truly cared for the villagers they would have stopped the plague ages ago!"
"No! They will stop it. They have to stop it."
"Stop being childish Kouki." Akio yelled. Kouki froze. Everything in her body stiffened, growing numb with a cold stemming from her heart.
"Is that it? You think I'm being childish. You honestly think I'm just some stupid little girl playing around!" Kouki snapped, clenching her hands so tight that her fists went white.
"Yes, I do. You can't go around playing with Gods. They are not a force that someone like you should be messing around with." Akio slammed the stick down into the fire, letting the moisture hiss and crackle as the flame engulfed it.
"I'm not! I'm not some fragile girl who runs around the forest. There may be a two year age gap between us Akio but that doesn't mean I'm a child. I'm seventeen now and I'm able to make my own decisions about how I help the village."
"You getting killed and enraging the God's more isn't helping the village."
"I won't get killed. It takes a lot to kill an Idiot right, Akio!" Kouki shouted. Ignoring the searing pain down her back, Kouki shoved herself up to stand, using the wall behind her as support.
"Where the hell do you think you're going!"
"To the top of this God forsaken mountain!" Kouki staggered towards the entrance, moving at a brisk pace.
"KOUKI!" Akio snapped. A fist crashed into the wall ahead of her, blocking her path. Another slammed right down to the other side of her. Kouki froze, her face turning. Akio stood over her, his brown eyes burning with anger directed at her.
"Let...Let me go Akio!" Kouki demanded.
"No." Akio replied in a dangerous, threatening growl. Kouki watching him for a long moment as his muscles tensed and stiffened under his skin. After a long, painstaking moment, his gaze dropped. Akio straightened his body, and stepped back, dusting the rock from his blood covered knuckles. Kouki sank down the side of the wall to her knees in pure shock. Never, not once, had she seen him like that. Akio was always stern but he never frightened her. Not like that. "Sorry." Akio apologised softly, leaning back against the opposite wall. Slowly, Akio slipped down the wall to the floor. He pulled his legs up to his chest, and rested his head in between his forearms, propped on his knees.
"I'm sorry Akio." Kouki apologised too, rising back up to stand. Her legs shook, not from the pain that numbed her back, but from the shock. She gathered what was left of her courage, straightened her body and stepped out into the rain. "I know the price that has to be paid." she whispered softly. The transparent curtain pulled apart, drenching her as she passed through, coating her in the water of the storm. And then she left, leaving Akio alone in the cave, think it would be the last time she would ever see his face again.
Ooo! Bet you didn't expect that? So Kouki continues here adventure up Taboo mountain while Akio's been left in the cage. What will happen now? How did this happen? What happens that makes the troubled two become the Star Key and Knight Protector?
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-A-ccentric