Forward Author's Note: I just want to thank all of you for taking time out of your day to read this. Writing this story inspired by a very interesting (and evil) character, has been a roller coaster ride. I've incorporated some personal elements throughout the story, and it is a personal mission to get this finished. I apologize that I don't seem to follow a schedule with writing, also for the length of the chapters. I know there are hundreds of great Enmu fanfiction out there, and I thank you for taking the time to read mine even though it is a bit off the beaten path of what people are seeking. I had two goals in mind when I started Seductive Nightmare, and I will share those with you at the end. One thing that amazes me is all the twists and turns this story has taken as if it has a life of it's own. I already have chapter 9 started, so there should be another update soonish. I must stop writing such long chapters, lol. Writing them isn't the problem: it's the editing! Hope all is well and good with you in the world, and that seeing this makes you smile. Warning: I don't do these, but suicide will be mentioned in this chapter. If you are sensitive to the topic, you may not wish to continue reading.
The pounding in her head eventually forced her eyes to open. Mandi groaned, her hands instinctively going to her temples in an attempt to massage the migraine out. What had happened, and where was she? All Mandi could summon to mind were fragmented images and thoughts. She had been kidnapped by some kind of quack doctor. "No, not a doctor. A monster," she thought to herself more coherently. He had blackmailed her, promising not to kill his maid in exchange for her complete submission to whatever his disgusting mind could think of. "And he can read my thoughts, I have to remember not to think anything around him," she reminded herself.
Something soft and silky shifted against her skin. She focused her gaze on her arms and saw she was wearing a pretty pink kimono. By the way it clung to her skin, it was the only thing she was wearing. Mandi couldn't remember where the kimono had even come from as she didn't remember owning something so elegant. "That's right, the kimono had been a gift from the good doctor, and now I'd like nothing more than to burn it!"
Mandi took a deep breath and tried to sit up, only to fall back against her bed. The pain in her head was white hot and throbbing. She was also quite tender between her legs. He must have raped her again after he promised he wouldn't, or she was still sore from his previous activities; it didn't matter. She had been violated in ways that turned her stomach, and he could continue to do as he pleased as long as Sarah's life hanged in the balance. With a hand pressed firmly to her forehead, Mandi sat up and wondered how Sarah was fairing. She prayed that the doctor had kept his promise. "What is his name? I can't seem to remember it. Why do I forget things so easily? What's wrong with me?!"
Looking to her left, she saw a glass of water sitting on top of a folded piece of paper on the table next to her bed. Her throat instantly went dry looking at the water, but she hesitated before reaching out and senselessly drinking it down. "He could have drugged it." No, that wouldn't really make sense at this point, and she guessed that it wouldn't be something to kill her even if he had.
Gingerly grasping the glass, she drank it down. The water was room temperature, but it slaked her thirst. The water hadn't tasted any different, either. Setting the glass back down, she reluctantly grabbed the piece of paper and unfolded it. Seeing his neat penmanship again was such a contrast to the wild thing he really was.
Mandi,
I need to talk to you as soon as you wake, precious. You had another one of your spells when you, I mean after you...well, please just come and talk to me when you wake up and see this. I need to explain something. I apologize for your clothes. I promise I'll get you new ones.
Enmu
Mandi swallowed hard and grimaced, the paper shaking in her hands. His typical articulate manner was odd and askew despite the neat handwriting. She was afraid of what he would have to tell her, because if it bothered him enough to write awkwardly like that to her, she wasn't sure she wanted to even know what had happened. She surmised it was probably going to equate additional ridiculous demands and a wild story. She read the line about her clothes a second time and swore. "Just how much of my stuff is he going to destroy? It's not enough he owns my life now?"
She felt like a petulant teenager in during a 'life's not fair' fit. But it wasn't, was it? Enmu had stolen her and her life. What else could he take from her? Maybe he planned on destroying all of her clothes and might suggest that she walk around naked. Mandi wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he tried. Still, she had this uncanny sense of guilt for how she was behaving at the moment. He wasn't forced to leave her a note, a note that was written very out of character and borderline bashful.
"Fuck you, E-N-M-U!" she sneered out loud, crumpled the letter in her fist, and tossed it to a corner of the room.
Like hell she was going to get up out of bed and go searching his huge house for him when an axe was being cleaved between her eyes. She snorted, and realized that she probably knew exactly where geek boy was hiding at: his laboratory. The memory of many nude photographs of her hanging up on a string, not to mention her panties, compelled Mandi to shut her eyes tight. Little by little, bits of memory were coming back to her, and she fought off waves of nausea.
She remembered stabbing him with the broken katana and him failing to die like a good little monster. Enmu also prattled on about some dream she had where she had mentioned the word 'beloved'. It was probably just another one of his excuses at emotional manipulation. Okay, so whatever Enmu was, he clearly wasn't human. Most men thought they could read the minds of women, but this thing actually could. She cupped her hands over her ears and groaned into her pillow half from the migraine and the other half of what he forced her to do to show her obedience.
"Oh my gosh!" she moaned, also recalling his head between her legs. Warmth crept up into her cheeks, and she was thankful that Enmu wasn't in the room to see and gloat at her weakness. It was only her body betraying her, not her mind. "Think, Mandi! Is there anything you are forgetting that's important?"
The key! Of course! Before Enmu had attacked her, she remembered that she had unlocked the front door and put the key back where she found it in his laboratory. "So there is still some hope of me getting out of here-fuck no! Sarah! If I leave, he is sure to kill her!"
Mandi tried not to cry, because she knew she'd just be inviting more trouble for her already throbbing head. Perhaps, there was still a way for her escape plan to work out. She wasn't sure how yet, but she knew she must bury that thought deep down where Enmu's greedy little fingers couldn't touch.
She waved her hand in such a fashion to catch the special motion sensor near her bed to turn the lights off in her room. If Enmu wanted to talk to her, he knew where to find her. She wasn't going to heed the call of his little pseudo apologetic piece of paper. Mandi's head felt like it was being crushed in a vice. "That little piece of shit can come talk to me himself, and when he does I'll-"
"You'll what, precious? Do go on! I'm simply intrigued to know what you believe you could possibly do to me."
Mandi's thought was culled instantly. She returned Enmu's soft voice with a dismissive leer.
"Tch, and what happened to that spitfire attitude that I admire so much?"
"You tell me oh great mind reader and rapist."
"Mandi, please," Enmu's acerbic tone evaporated, "something happened when you, uh-"
She froze, the fall in pitch of his voice catching her attention. Was this a trick? She couldn't play mind games, not right now. Honestly, she never wanted to play them again, but she knew she had to, for the time being, level with him. "Take things one day at a time, and if one day is too long then one hour," she considered before she spoke.
"Enmu, I can barely comprehend words right now; the pain I'm feeling in my head is a 10 out of 10-". The bed dipped down next to her, and Mandi gasped in surprise. "How can you move that fast?" she whispered.
His fingers were touching her temples tentatively. Her gaze dithering, Mandi's eyes peeked at his glowing turquoise ones, a shiver of fear running down her back. Seeing the square markings down his cheeks, his pale skin, and not even seeing him move was a sobering reminder that he definitely wasn't human. Mandi averted her eyes from his, too afraid to open them but also too afraid to close them. The pain in her head began to melt away little by little as if it was being drained away. She sighed in relief.
"When I said I wouldn't hurt you, I meant it. What happened when you discovered where my lab was hidden, I was more or less pissed that you had outsmarted me. I lost control, and I'm sorry for that. For centuries, all I ever took pleasure in was a human's misery," he whispered softly. The soft lithe to his voice soothed her nerves.
"Centuries?" she asked. "How old are you?"
"I'm really not sure. I don't remember. I need you to sit up and look at me, please." He put an arm around her waist and helped Mandi to a sitting position. Her robe slipped open a bit, spilling the swell of her cleavage out. She blushed and quickly pulled it snug around her, unable to meet his gaze.
"Please, I need to see your eyes a second," he reminded her.
Mandi sighed again, trying to cool the blush on her cheeks and locked her gaze with his. Why was she blushing in the first place? Her heart began to race when she met his luminescent eyes. While usually playful, the expression on his face was stoic and calculating. She was bemused that Enmu was actually examining her for something and remained sincere. He looked to her left eye and then to her right, back and forth. There was a long pause before he spoke.
"Your right pupil is dilated more than your left. The right side is usually where you get your migraines?" Mandi nodded. He brought his fingertips back to her temples, and a smile of relief played across her face. Enmu smiled back at her.
"I promised I'd help you figure this out, too. I hadn't forgotten. It's something else I'm working on, actually. I had heard rumors about it once before I met you many years ago, but I had never tried it."
"What is it? Some kind of medical testing?" she asked.
"No, it's more like a kekkijutsu, or a blood demon art."
"You lost me, I'm sorry. I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Because you don't know what I am, precious. But I'll talk more about that later. You're not in any kind of immediate danger from what I can tell, but the fact that your one pupil is dilated is definitely indicating something awry. While I can't cure the issue at the moment, I can help take away the pain." Reluctantly, he lowered his fingers, setting his hands in his lap. "How's your head?"
"Better, quite a bit. Still a dull ache there, but nothing like it was. Thank you, I guess."
"Are you comfortable in here or would you rather talk somewhere else?"
"I'm guessing 'no' isn't an option? Can I at least get some clothes on?" Enmu grinned at her, his fangs gleaming.
"Well, I suppose. I, uh, I'm sorry about your clothes. I promise I will get you more. I'll grant you anything you desire, precious."
"My freedom?"
"That's the one thing I won't give you," Enmu said bitterly.
"Why?"
"Because there is more going on between us than you know, let alone what I know. We need to work together on this. I'm going to step out for a moment, get changed, and we will talk about this. Please, on this one matter, don't fight me. Remember, your promise. Wouldn't want Sarah to get involved, would we?"
Even though she could feel Enmu's chagrin at his last comment, something felt different as if there were something he was trying to conceal. Because Sarah's life was being used as leverage, she didn't want to press her luck. Until she knew for certain Sarah was safe, she'd have to continue masquerading as a willing participant in whatever he fancied. She met Enmu's gaze, bit her lip, and averted her eyes to the floor to clear her mind of mutiny and murder.
"Good girl," Enmu praised and immediately covered his mouth with his left hand, snickering. Mandi jumped at the sound of his growing laughter.
"What's funny?" She gaped at him in a curious sort of fear.
"Do I still look 'good' to you?" He bit a finger, quelling the fit of giggles that rose higher and higher in his throat.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Mandi remarked in umbrage.
"The dream I gave you when you first arrived here! I enraptured your body and had you orgasm in your sleep, but I screwed up by not wearing my glamor. You saw my oni markings. You remembered them when you woke up and mentioned it. I laughed it off by saying, "I hoped they looked good on me." You then replied, "I think it'd be hard for you not to look good,". So," Enmu laughed yet again, "do I still look good to you?" He closed his eyes and tittered against his hand.
Something soft and white immediately connected with his face. Mandi throwing the pillow at him only added fuel to the fire. Enmu doubled over, laughing. He was enthralled by the embarrassment radiating off her, and it also aided him in regaining the upper hand on his emotions, at least somewhat.
"GET OUT!"
"Remember, precious, you don't give orders here. I give them!" Enmu straightened up, beaming at her. "I really should stand in here and watch you change to make sure you don't do anything stupid." Another pillow collided with his face. "Then I'm definitely standing right here to watch! A girl having a temper tantrum needs to be reprimanded. Strip, now!"
Mandi glowered at Enmu for a brave moment realizing that he wasn't going to budge. Throwing the pillows at him was not the wisest decision she had ever made. "I should have thrown that damned Macbook at him instead!" She bit her tongue, taking a deep breath and tried to assuage Enmu's fragile ego.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thrown the pillows. Please, leave. I'll just take a minute."
Enmu shook his head, grinning, and indicated with his hand for her to hurry up. "She looks too damned cute for her own good flustered like that!"
Mandi huffed, getting up from her bed and stomped over to her dresser. Angrily, she yanked out a tshirt, pair of jeans, socks, pair of panties, and a bra. She gave one last glance at Enmu as a silent plea, but he remained standing in front of the door like a simpering sentinel. Biting her lip, she loosened the belt of her silk kimono. "Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU, YOU BASTARD!" She startled, knowing well and good that he'd heard that thought with ease the second he cleared his throat.
"That belt you're holding right now," he soothed, "feels nice against your skin, yes? Well, it feels nice against my skin, too. Like the other night when you came into my room, you tied my wrists up with that silk belt, your breasts dangling above my mouth, and you sucked my-,"
"S-stop. P-please j-just stop, Enmu," Mandi sniffed, degradation in full form. "If you expect me to listen to anything you have to say with any kind of seriousness, please stop teasing me. Whether I came into your room or not and did whatever I did-."
"Oh, you did, precious, and you did it so well! But, I'll humor you this once. I'll even leave the room to show you that I can be a true gentleman if you merely obey me." Enmu swished a hand through his silky, black hair, cleared his throat again, and darted out of the room faster than she could blink. Mandi stared at the door a few seconds before believing he was actually letting her off the hook.
Enmu pressed his back into Mandi's door, his eyes tightly shut. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He needed to cease baiting and humiliating her if he expected her to listen to him at all let alone getting her to open up and help him unravel the mystery of exactly who he was and what they were. He considered ducking out of her bedroom before watching her strip was a wise move, too. Even mentioning her tying him up in one of her trances and sucking his cock was starting to cloud his mind. Seeing her naked body wouldn't have helped him in the slightest, but now he couldn't stop picturing her curves beneath that pink kimono. He was in such a reverie that he started to fall backwards when Mandi opened the door.
"Um, I'm done. Are you okay?" she asked, peering through her cracked doorway.
"Yeah, just thinking." He put his hand in the door and gently pushed it open. Mandi backed up and sat on the edge of the bed, the awkward silence becoming deafening. She watched him, waiting for him to dive into whatever he was going to try to sell her. Enmu looked around the room, anywhere except directly at her, unsure of where to begin.
"So, what are you exactly?"
"I'm an oni. Basically a demon or more like a vampire as to what you'd consider me. There's a bunch of folklore about oni being like ogres or trolls, but clearly I am not."
"You aren't?"
"Very funny," he quipped acidly. "While going out into the daylight would be a death sentence, I'm quite difficult to kill.
"How unfortunate."
"Will you please stop interrupting me? I was nice and didn't follow through with punishment after you bashed me with your pillows." Enmu walked up to the bed, forcing Mandi to look up at him and scowled down at her.
"Sorry," she whispered solemnly. The intimidating weight of his gaze and posture convinced Mandi to hold her tongue. Enmu had no trace of a smile on his face any longer.
"When you plunged that blade into my chest, I have to admit that you took me by surprise, but what you did to me was no more than a mere paper cut would be to you. In fact, I'd heal faster than your paper cut would. I was shocked, however, because that is a broken Nichirin blade. It's a metal that is forged with scarlet crimson iron sand from Mount Yoko which is exposed to sunlight for most of the year. The only way I can be killed would be to be beheaded by one of those old blades, something you'd never be able to do from your lack of physical strength. Oni are also vulnerable to a poison derived from wisteria flowers which you won't find here, so don't even bother searching for that. I'm also immortal, so there is nothing you can do to get rid of me, precious."
"I wasn't joking when I said I was on a special diet. Obviously, you know by now what that is, but your blood is special."
"I'm not trying to be rude, but is that why you kidnapped me?" Mandi questioned, genuinely curious.
"No, but I'll get to why I went to such an extent to bring you here. I drink blood to heal but also as a source of sustenance. Oni generally consume the blood from younger humans and primarily women. There are humans, you for example, who have a rare, extra nourishing blood we oni called 'marchei'. Drinking a little of yours is like drinking the blood from many humans. The scent of it alone is enough to drive most oni mad with blood lust. I've had to keep myself well fed while being around you so as to not lose control and actually kill you."
"You-so you've killed extra people just by having me here? I really am cursed! All I do is bring death to the people around me!" Mandi covered her face with her trembling hands.
"Do you really want to get into a battle of ethics with a sadist? You're thinking that I'm a monster, because I kill humans in order to live."
"You don't value human life!" she shouted, looking up at him finally.
"That's right. I don't. Just like you don't value the lives of the countless animals you've consumed. If you were a vegetarian, you could debate with me a little more on this."
"Since when did a cow try to murder a farmer for supper? That's a piss poor example, Enmu!"
"Is it?" Enmu knelt down to the floor and lifted her chin with a finger so that they were face to face. Mandi tried to look away, but Enmu applied enough pressure with his finger to dissuade her shying away. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent and smiled at her.
"Your way of judging a life's worth is entirely different from my own. I haven't been human for years, and my morals and standards couldn't be further from yours. I don't expect you to fully understand. You simply cannot. In my own sort of way, I'm cursed, too. It's difficult for me to equate value to a your mayfly existence other than one purpose: dinner." Enmu paused a moment, a smile once playing again on his lips as he ran his thumb over her own. "Contrary to human table manners, I find playing with my food prior to consumption highly agreeable."
"You're a monster," she whispered.
"And this is some innovative news to me, precious?" He kissed her quickly and stood up before she could react. "But," he paused with a sigh, "my life changed when I first saw you. Again, I was going to kill you. I had every intention of it and hunted you down. Your neighbor, Tanka, told me about you and how you were all alone before I killed her. Practically forbidden fruit hanging above my hungry mouth."
Mandi gasped, a stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. She didn't need to speak for Enmu to hear the accusations flying against him.
"Oh, stop your sniveling. She was as good as dead." Mandi blanched, brushing away the tears. "She had terminal cancer and all she had to look forward to was an agonizing death. I spared her that, at least," he coaxed, trying to purchase back some of Mandi's admiration. He just would remain mum on how he killed Tanaka by giving her a nightmare of her dead husband.
"I was standing at your window, and you were having a nightmare. You turned your head, opened your eyes and said, "Come back to me, my beloved." The feeling you gave me...it was as if I was hearing a melody of a song I'd long forgotten and instantly remembered it. I know that probably isn't a really relevant explanation to a human, but I lost my humanity years ago. I went into your machiya and watched you for a time, studying you. I started forming my plan to get you to my home then, although my intentions at the time were not good nor honorable. I couldn't comprehend what you'd come to mean to me. It's like...you've awoken something sleeping inside me for centuries, and I need your help to understand what it is exactly that you have awoken. That one word has efficaciously altered my entire life, my entire being. I'd never been anyone's beloved for as long as I can recollect."
Mandi stared at him, a little too bewildered to speak from trying to take everything in. She brought a hand to her forehead nonchalantly, sweeping some of her hair behind her ear. Rather fidgety, she then adjusted the collar of her shirt and then rubbed her arms with her hands though she was not cold.
"I think...I think I knew you," he hedged, trying to soften the blow of her being his reincarnated lover. The insecurity in his own voice was palatable even to his own ears.
"How could you possibly know me if you are centuries old? That doesn't make sense."
"But you know me! When you are in a trance at night, you know who I am. When I...," Enmu started blushing, "had you in my bedroom, you zoned out and became the other woman who knows who I am or at least who I was. When she saw the oni markings on my face, she asked, "Beloved, what happened to you?" She faded back out like a radio losing its station, and you woke up as you are now."
"So what you're saying is that I'm what...like your girlfriend from another life?" Mandi pinned him with her critical gaze. He knew that she'd have a hard time believing him.
"I'd say calling someone 'beloved' is a little deeper than just a mere girlfriend, wouldn't you say?"
"Then what do you need my help for? If you've been alive for hundreds of years, how do you not remember if I'm your whatever you want to call me?"
"Because I lost my memories shortly after becoming a demon! I can't remember!" he stammered, his voice wavering more than he intended.
"Are you crying?!"
"No!" Enmu quickly spun around and wiped his cheeks with the sleeve of his black coat in case there were any salty betrayals declaring otherwise. He didn't anticipate becoming this poignant trying to explain who and what he was to Mandi, but remembering how he had held her in his arms and feeling love even if it was from another person was chipping away at his sanity. He'd opened his heart to her, and being scrutinized by her unbelieving stare caused more fissures and cracks to form. He didn't think he could speak without his words rolling out of his mouth like a tempestuous storm surge.
"Well, I'm sorry, 'beloved'," she hissed, her voice laced with unbridled venom, "but I-." Before she knew what hit her, Mandi was flat on her back, and the air that had been in her lungs rushed out with a loud whoosh. Enmu was straddling her, his face mere inches from her own. His whole body trembled with fury. She cringed, his fingers digging painfully into her shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to look away but didn't dare.
"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING SAY THAT WORD AGAIN DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I WISH I COULD JUST GO THROUGH WITH MY ORIGINAL PLAN TO TORMENT YOU SLOWLY AND THEN KILL YOU WHEN YOUR SANITY FINALLY CRACKED?! I DO YOU THINK I ASKED FOR YOU TO COME IN MY LIFE AND FUCK EVERYTHING UP?" He shook her against the bed, his hands at her throat now squeezing painfully. She flung her hands up to his fingers in an attempt to wrench herself free, her air supply already dwindling to the cusp of panic.
"I could do it. Right now." He squeezed tighter, his eyes blazing with ire. He panted, glaring down at her. All he had to do was strangle her, and his problems would end. His old self was screaming at him to do it and quickly. "I should kill you. I'd free you from this miserable human existence you hate so much and in doing so, I'd allow myself to go back to my old life." The lights were starting to dim around Mandi's vision.
As if realizing what he was about to do, Enmu cried out and Mandi found she could breathe again. She grabbed her throat protectively, coughing and choking, not able to get enough oxygen fast enough. Enmu had disappeared. Terrified, Mandi rapidly scanned her bedroom until she viewed Enmu cowering in a corner, his face in his hands. If she had been unsure of him crying before, his sobs of anguish confirmed it now. "Why is he crying when he almost killed me?!"
"Because you don't know what I was before I met you, Mandi. You may have had a taste of experiencing the old me, but it's a mere shadow to the demon I used to be. For years, I'd torture people, torment them before killing them. I can manipulate a human's dreams, and I'd took great pleasure in giving someone the dream of their heart's desire before turning it into a nightmare just to see the twisted expression of fear on his or her face. When they'd scream, I'd rip out their throat and bathe in their blood. I'd even use humans to manipulate the dreams of others using my kekkijutsu. It was my source of entertainment. After meeting you, I no longer relish who I used to be."
Mandi sat up with a hand still clutching her throat. Everything Enmu had said was making her head reel and spin like a dreidel. Nothing made sense except how evil Enmu truly was, but there was something else happening. She looked at his hunched frame on the floor and actually felt pity for him. A maddening sensation in her wanted to actually go and console him. Before she realized her body was in motion, Mandi was already kneeling down next to him on the floor and encircled her arms around him.
Enmu was equally shocked to find Mandi embracing him. He looked at her over his shoulder, unable to hide the tears in his eyes. "And she's hugging me after I just choked her! There's so much warmth in her touch." Enmu closed his eyes and pressed his body into hers, taking the warmth she was offering. Abruptly, he looked back at her, bewildered. Her scent had changed and seemed to be evenly matched as if both of her personalities couldn't decide who would emerge. Sadly, Mandi's had won, because she jolted up in surprise and ran to the other side of the bedroom.
"That...just now. Why did you do that?" he questioned.
"I-I really don't know. It was as if I-,"
"Wasn't yourself," Enmu finished. "Do you believe me now?"
Mandi studied him, still visibly shaken. Did she believe him? While there was definitely something odd that just happened, how could it possibly be true? "And even if it is, do I want it to be true?" Some force had urged her to go and comfort Enmu, but it sure as hell wasn't herself. Desperate to change the fact that she just embraced her kidnapper, she popped out a question.
"H-how did you become what you are? What do you remember?"
Enmu sniffled, wiping his cheeks again with the back of his sleeve. Gracefully, he stood and meandered over until he was standing in front of her. Thankfully, all the anger that was in his face was now drained back to its usual whiteness except for the tattoos.
"I don't know how he came to be in existence because I wasn't privileged enough to know. However, there is one creator of the oni." There was noticeable contempt on his tongue at the mention of a creator, and Mandi furrowed her brows at Enmu. "One night, he found me by a well. I was distraught by something that I didn't even realize that I had suffered a fatal wound let alone that he was eating my guts. I should have been dead at that point, but I must have said the right words because he decided to turn me into an oni on a whim. It was at that point I remember my previous life and memories vanishing like a puff of smoke in the wind. All I wanted to do was please my new creator and ascend the ranks of my fellow oni to gain his praise."
"He created you by eating you?!" she shuddered.
"No. An oni can only be made by another oni, a very powerful one. A demon with weaker blood likely cannot succeed in creating another. He injected me with some of his blood. The more humans I killed," he flinched at his own words, "the faster I gained his attention and eventually procured a spot in his prized twelve kizuki. That's what the kanji symbol in my left eye stands for 'Lower Moon One'. It was back when there was a ranking system. I don't know what happened to him or any of the other upper six moons."
"What you mean six? I thought there was twelve of you."
"There, uh, was. He had called us all together in a meeting to dispose of all the lower moons for being so weak. I managed to find his favor once again and he let me live but not before he slaughtered the rest of them before my eyes." Enmu bit his lip, fidgeting. Like Tanaka, he wouldn't divulge how much he had enjoyed seeing the other demons being ripped apart by Muzan.
"What's his name, your creator?" she asked.
"Ah, I cannot tell you that, precious. That would be another way for me to die, suicide. There is a curse placed upon all of us oni. If any of us were to breathe our master's name, we would be instantly killed by him. Since I do not know what happened to him or any of the other upper moons, I'd rather not say his name to take a chance."
There was silence between them for a minute. Enmu stared into Mandi's gorgeous blue eyes alight with terror but also curiosity. He reached to take her hand, and he beamed with happiness when she didn't pull away even though it was from fear. He held her hand tenderly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I really am. I won't do that to you again, and if I feel myself losing control, I'll leave the room. I'm not usually someone who lets my emotions get in the way of anything, but that is how serious I am about how much you mean to me. Please, forgive me." He adroitly kissed her cheek and bowed his head.
Mandi didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. Although Enmu had confessed his original murderous intent, he had a hundred chances to kill her and only flew at her because of a moment of poor judgement on her part and using her sarcasm as a means of defense. While she didn't deserve to get choked, she understood why Enmu went off. Again, she reminded herself that she would have to work with him. Mandi met his gaze and nodded once.
"Enmu, I have a favor to ask, and I really need you to comply if you are able to. You can hold my hand so I can't run, but I really need to be outside for a second and breathe some fresh air. Please!" Enmu took her other hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"Lucky for you, it's night out. It's one request I can grant. Not for too long though, because it can get chilly at night here this time of year. I really also need to get back to work in my lab. I'm sure you want time to process this information, because I know you don't entirely believe me." He paused carefully, tilting his head to the side. "You could help me, you know." He guided her out of her bedroom and past the door leading into his massive closet. Mandi made absolutely sure to think of seeing the forest, the stars, and nothing else.
Walking down the steps into his private study, the lights turned on and the trains in the corner started running. She saw Enmu smile brightly at the sight of them and it almost made the corners of her mouth turn up as if his smile was contagious. Mandi did, however, cast a quick glance to the spot where she'd found the key to the front door and noticed it was no longer anywhere in sight. Because he was so focused on his trains, he didn't bother to read her mind at that moment. Quickly slipping a key that was entirely different from that of the front door into the lock, Enmu cracked the door open.
"I'll need to carry you, precious. It will be easier because there is no light in this stairwell, and I don't want you to fall." Mandi obediently put her arms around his neck. He scooped her up and in the blink of an eye she was standing underneath the moon and stars, the wind whistling through the thick trees. There wasn't much in the way of stars that she could see, but feeling the air on her cheeks and inhaling the earthy scent from the forest made her smile. Enmu watched her happily while holding her hand.
"So, will you help me, precious?"
"Hmm?" Mandi was in a dazed reverie of her own.
"You know I have the power to make you sleep and manipulate your dreams. If you are willing, I'd like to try to work with you. I want to enter your subconscious and dreams to see if I can find any keys to my past, our past, and provide you with information on who you were other than the little bit of conversation I can get from you before you pass out. Maybe, it will give me clues to your headaches, too, although I doubt that they are related."
Mandi inhaled deeply at the cool, summer air kissed by a touch of the approaching autumn and sighed serenely. Closing her eyes, she could feel the possibility of freedom tantalizing her, and knew that she would do whatever she could to obtain it. Enmu, while eerily correct about some aspects, was clearly insane and dangerous. Her heart had not felt this light and free in years, and she was willing to acquiesce to anything at the moment to throw him off guard.
"Of course, I'll work with you. It'd be stupid of me not to, and I'd like to know the answers to some of my past, as well. I'll also try to keep an open mind about everything you say."
Enmu's heart leapt at her promise.
夢 夢 夢
Mandi's stomach growled, and Enmu looked at her. He chuckled.
"It's probably been awhile since you've eaten; why don't I take you back inside so you can go get a bite. I think Sarah's in the kitchen at the moment."
"I wouldn't want to trouble Sarah," Mandi replied, dreamily. "Can we stay out here a bit longer?"
"Not right now, precious. I need to get back to my lab and work on some things. Also, it's getting close to dawn and I don't feel like burning. No, you don't need to wish that the sun was up immediately. I'm trying not to read your thoughts, but some of them are far too loud." Enmu looked over at her with his eyebrows furled.
Mandi bit the inside of her cheek and peered up at the stars one last time before she felt Enmu's fingers in the small of her back, guiding her back inside her gilded cage. She was still his prisoner after all whether he saw it that way or not. While walking back through his laboratory, Mandi made another quick visual inventory for clues as to what Enmu was working on or means of escape. Mandi saw nothing of interest. He marched her back up the stairwell through his closet to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. He gave her a playful shove out the door.
"Enjoy your meal, Sleeping Beauty," he said, smiling. With a wave, he spun around and shut the door leaving her standing out alone in the hallway.
She stood staring out at his garden and watched the babbling brook. Her mind was a tangle of questions, self doubt, and buried rage after knowing all that he had done to her and yet expected her to cooperate and consider him as a romantic partner. She was also trying to bridle her anger at this other personality that obviously had a penchant for greeting Enmu with open legs. She doubted his story and the whole reincarnated lovers bit, but he was telling the truth about certain things that happened to her. It would explain the blackouts but not what was causing them or the migraines. Mandi wished dearly that she could meet her other self and kick her ass for helping her get into this mess.
A peal of laughter rang through the hallway, hers, when she realized how ridiculous it sounded. "Me punishing myself because of dreams I can't control. At least I'll tell myself that they are just dreams. That's it! It could be me simply having strong, reoccurring dreams and Enmu believes that we are reincarnated lovers!" She cringed at the thought of being Enmu's anything now. Though she denied it to herself, she still found him and his oni form oddly attractive. The way that black trench coat swished around hips when he walked and how muscular his thighs looked under those tweed pinstripe pants...
"No, that's enough! Stop thinking about him, because you don't want him to hear you and come running! thinking you are ringing the dinner bell!" She shook her head as if meaning to shake the thoughts away and headed towards the kitchen.
True to Enmu's prediction, Sarah was in the kitchen cooking some kind of chicken dish Mandi didn't recognize. Mandi studied her with a woeful expression, wondering what Sarah would think if she knew she had gladly traded her freedom to spare her life. Sarah looked up at her and smiled and invited Mandi to eat what she was cooking.
"Yeah, please. It looks and smells delicious!" Mandi forced a smile and sat down at the granite breakfast bar.
She gazed around the kitchen not wanting to stare at Sarah and make her feel uncomfortable. It was difficult for her to keep a calm but forced smile on her face as if there was nothing wrong in the world. Damned hard. "But everything is wrong in the world, my world at least." She sighed, cupping her hands over her face and yawned, suddenly dead tired. Mandi hoped that she wasn't going to have another fainting spell hit her, especially in front of Sarah. "What happened here? She looks so different compared to the last time I saw her!"
Sarah was actually smiling while she cooked and set a steaming plate of chicken and vegetables in front of Mandi. Shocked at the transformation of the maid overnight, Mandi forgot her manners and didn't say thank you. This Sarah and the Sarah that Mandi first met could have been two completely different people. She had this healthy glow about her and wasn't carrying herself as if she had weights tied to her shoulders. The difference was so extraordinary that Mandi watched her as she ate her supper without realizing it. Sarah cleaned with felicity and seemed to be humming a tune to which Mandi was unfamiliar. Sarah glanced up, catching Mand's gaze and walked back over to her. She motioned if Mandi was okay.
"I'm okay, I guess. Are you okay? Last time I saw you, well, I was worried about you," she confessed. Sarah, with jubilance, busted out her notepad and began jotting down words at a good clip. She set the note in front of Mandi in plain view. There was no trepidation in her fingertips when she set down the note nor did she look cautiously around for Enmu.
"I'm perfect! I'm so happy to be working for Enmu! He increased my pay by a very generous amount. Since I'm sure you know what he is by now, he also promised me nothing but good dreams of my family every night!"
Mandi stared at the note. Sarah likely could hear the sound of Mandi's jaw hitting the floor. How could that be possible? Enmu had threatened to kill Sarah and was willing to follow through with his intent had she reneged on their bargain. It didn't make sense that Enmu would sprinkle generosity on someone that was just a chest piece for him to use. She prayed Enmu was serious when he said he had work to do in his lab.
"Sarah," she looked up at her in bewilderment, "are you sure you're okay?" Mandi received an equally puzzling look in return and another note.
"Yes, of course. Why? Is everything alright with you?" Mandi read the note in further disbelief.
"But Enmu didn't-he didn't threaten you or anything?"
"No, not at all. I'll be honest that it's something he would have done, but he's changed. Almost as if it was overnight. He apologized for treating me cruelly and then promised increased wages and good dreams. It has to be because of you, and I have you to thank for it!" Mandi scoffed, her eyes rolling.
"If he's such a great boss, why will he kill you if I refuse to do what he wants?" she cried out, exasperated.
"What?! No, no! He's different. He never said anything like that to me. Maybe it is just a misunderstanding. Would you like me to go and speak to him?" Sarah's eyes were full of concern.
Mandi pushed herself away from the bar and her delicious, half eaten meal, dropping her fork rather roughly. She was glaring but not at the happy maid standing before her in confusion.
"No, thank you. I'll be talking to him about this right now. Cover your ears, Sarah. Seriously, cover you ears." Mandi turned heel and stomped out of the kitchen and back down the hall leading to the laboratory.
"ENMU TAMIO! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
Glad she heeded Mandi's warning, Sarah said a quick prayer that everything would be alright. She knew and believed that Enmu was no longer the demon she had first met and bartered with.
夢 夢 夢
He heard her well before she made it to the closet door and actually cringed. He damned himself for not thinking to say something to the maid in order to keep his agreement with Mandi private. He had to do some quick thinking, because he had no idea on how to talk his way out of this huge blunder. He turned, walking up his stairwell and could swear he heard a funeral dirge being played in his head. "I could just make her sleep and confuse her reality with dreams," he mused. Yes, that would likely be the only solution. He certainly couldn't tell her the truth now, could he?
He grabbed her wrist and blocked her from decking him in the face. He couldn't discern the weakness and fragility of humans, really. He was tempted to laugh at her pitiful attack, knowing full well she threw all her strength into that punch, but that would be unwise indeed if he wanted to calm the current shit storm. Enmu was, after all, fighting for her affection, but he seemed to have a knack for naturally fighting against it.
"What's the matter, precious?" he cooed nonchalantly.
"You know perfectly well what's the matter, asshole!" Her cheeks blossomed red with anger, and Enmu had to resist hard to keep from smiling at her.
"Yes, well, perhaps it wasn't the wisest decision I've ever made." Looking away, he yawned, still holding her wrist from striking him.
"I'd fucking ask 'How could you?', but since I know you're a heartless wretch there's no need!" Her words stung. Mandi drew up her left hand to take a swing at him, and now he was standing holding both her wrists above her head. Although the discord was intense, he couldn't deny how turned on he was getting not just by the lovely shade of color in her cheeks but also the position he was holding her securely in.
"Language, please," he replied with the most blasé tone he could muster. He was trying hard not to laugh.
"How can you just stand there and act as if you aren't sorry in the least?! No remorse at all?!"
"It's complicated. As per our earlier conversation, you should understand why that might be the case. And fighting you," he looked up at her hands held above his head, "while fun, is not as much fun as it would be for you to cave into your desires about how much you want me. Yes, even now. You can shake your head all you want. I don't even need to read your thoughts, Sleeping Beauty. Your body is giving you away. I'll admit, what I did certainly wasn't heroic, but I am trying to be more of a gentleman and all for you. It's rather exhausting work for an immortal."
The look of dismay and outrage on Mandi's face was priceless! He knew she was not capable of understanding how a person could be as vindictive and manipulative as he, but then he hadn't been a person in a few hundred years. The force against his hands diminished, and he felt Mandi withdraw her wrists and hang them limply at her sides, her mouth ajar in disgust. He smirked and concluded since he would tamper with her memory after, he could afford to bathe in the sweet array of torment she was feeling a few minutes longer. "Once a nightmare, always a nightmare."
"But I don't regret it. Watching you completely powerless," he smiled, closing his eyes, "is a huge turn on for me. Especially watching you get so flustered. I could pin you against the floor here in the closet and fuck you like the bitch in heat that you are, and you'd stop resisting me in seconds. Your body would force you to give in to my touch. Because you want me, precious."
He glowered her down, his eyes glowing at her in the dimly lit room. He was starting to consider it, but the only thing that stopped him was the promise that he had made to her the other day. He assured that he wouldn't fuck her unless she asked for it and even went as far as to lock his door at night to prevent her 'other' from coming into his room. He'd given up a lot for Mandi by doing that, and he had heard her at his door every night since that promise. "No, I shouldn't do it. I should at least try and do the right thing here. Time for dreams now, love."
Enmu drew his left hand up to his face, and Mandi started to shrink back to where she was starting to fall. He lowered his hand, and realized that she wasn't cringing in fear but actually starting to faint. He was holding her up in a flash, her body limp and heavy in his arms.
"Mandi? Are you okay? Answer me, please!"
She was out cold. He was anxious but could hear and feel her pulse beating. He looked down at her, amazed at how she went from fury to dismay and now being in a fitful slumber. At least she saved him the trouble from using his blood demon art on her. He was about to pick her up and put her in her bed when she cried out in her sleep. He frowned. "How can she have a dream that fast? Sounds like a positive nightmare, too! That will be extra work for me, but I'll cloud her mind and help her forget the promise I made her give me. Just...something doesn't feel right here. Not at all."
He touched her forehead to glimpse at the nightmare she was having so he'd know what to expect when he would be in her subconscious. Suddenly, he had a wave of sleepiness crash over him, and he found he could barely keep his eyes open. Enmu slumped against a wall of his coats and slid to the floor. "What in the hell is happening? It's like she's pulling me into her dream! Fuck! If she does this then I won't be able to control it!"
There was always a risk when he chose to enter the dreams of a human. On his terms, he could invade and take control of it and the dreamer and shape the dream to whatever he desired. It was why he always had used other humans to raid dreams, because the risk of getting trapped in the mind of the dreamer was too great. It was no different than watching a movie; he would be powerless to stop or alter it and would be confined until the dreamer woke up. He wasn't being careful enough and now found himself in the vortex of Mandi's mind. Enmu moaned in unison with Mandi in her sleep.
A small bedroom, its features were blurred to him. Enmu eyes trailed the corners of the room. The bedroom was too eerie, too familiar. He saw a window come in to focus. It was night. He could hear distorted voices in the background as if Mandi was somehow trying to shield herself from whatever it was she was dreaming. "She's clever, even unconscious." he thought.
Enmu couldn't make out enough details, because Mandi was refusing to see. Although he knew it was useless, he tried his kekkijutsu to take back control of the dream. Nothing. He was merely a passenger now. Blurred movement caught his attention and then, he was enveloped in darkness. A closet. A commanding voice pierced through the blackness causing Enmu to jump.
"Her name is none of your concern!"
Enmu's eyebrows raised up, his hands cupping his mouth. "Oh no! No! No! NO! Mandi, wake up, please! Stop dreaming!" He couldn't block out the conversation or stop Mandi from hearing it.
"She didn't die here! She died at the hospital from a traffic accident! There was nothing that could be done to save her," a female voice cried out. "Please, kill us now! I know what you are!"
"If that's true, you won't live to tell a single soul about it." It was his soft voice he heard now. "Gods, no! Please, Mandi! This is just a nightmare! It isn't real!" Mandi's father called out a final time to him in the darkness as if mocking the apparition he was hiding.
"Any moron who would believe that they would be able to escape this situation deserves to die. You're nothing but an animal, a murderer, and you are surrounded by a hell of your own making. There will never be anyone who could possibly love a monster like you, and I doubt that you are even capable of loving. You don't know what love is, and you don't fucking deserve it! It's the only comfort to me knowing that you will always be alone. I hope the sun scorches your black heart to a crisp!"
Tears pricked Enmu's eyes, and he lowered his hands from his face. He was staring at a very young Mandi who was peaking out of her closet in terror as she watched him rip her parents to shreds. He didn't believe in any gods or goddess, but he was willing to pray to whomever had the power to stop Mandi from remembering this when she woke up. His heart pounded like a drum in his chest, deafening. What happened next made his demon blood turn to ice.
Mandi, the young Mandi in the dream hesitated before leaving the closet. Instead, she slowly turned her head to the left and pinned Enmu on the spot. He froze. She was actually seeing him in her dream. "This has never happened before! It shouldn't be happening now!" He tried to reach out and touch the child in front of him, but his hands swished right through her as if she were a hologram. He started hearing her shrill, piercing scream. Her eyes never left his.
The scream rose higher and higher. It was like Mandi's mouth was inches from his ear and ricocheting at full volume making his eardrum vibrate painfully. Enmu's hysteria was starting to paramount the rising scream until he felt something hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him back. He was dealt another blow to his chest, only this time he had been kicked. Enmu woke up, opening his eyes in dread.
Mandi had stopped screaming, her right hand clinging to the side of face. She was on her knees and panting. He lay on the floor of a closet, his closet, the familiar scent of cedar tickling his nose. Enmu sat up, rubbing his chest. "Oh fuck!"
"It was you!" she choked out. "Y-you murdered my parents!"
Enmu could do nothing but stare in horror at her. Speech was lost. Her father's words were an infinite echo. Maybe he was right; he deserved to die for all the atrocities he committed. He was nothing but an animal. Tears started beading his luxurious lashes, and they poured down like rain. What he wouldn't give to right the wrongs and take away the pain he could see in his beloved's eyes.
"Mandi," he stammered, "I didn't know! I had no idea!" His sobs were constricting his throat and making his voice barely audible. He reached out for her, but she naturally dodged his hands. He was on his knees now as if begging, pleading, and she was rising to her feet.
She was shaking her head in disbelief. Enmu knew that if she had a stake in her hand, whether wood or Nichirin, he'd feel it piercing his heart. The convictions she stacked against him wrought colossal, crushing weight, and his shoulders bowed. He tried to stand up but stumbled. He rubbed his chest with his left hand trying to soothe away the gnawing pain. "Why does my chest hurt so badly?" With concentrated effort, Enmu was on his feet. Mandi had backed up against the wall by the door. Enmu stood and lurched until he was standing in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't know, precious! If I could undo what I've done, I would! I didn't want this! I didn't want to hurt you!" he cried, his hands on her shoulders. Mandi gaped at him silently. Enmu was shoved harder this time, hard enough for him to stagger and crash back down to the floor. Nonplussed, he watched Mandi dart out of the room.
He closed his eyes and bellowed in agony. He'd never be able to fix this! How could you bring someone back from the dead? "You don't know what love is, and you don't fucking deserve it! It's the only comfort to me knowing that you will always be alone!"
Her father's words to him all those years ago reverberated incessantly between his ears. Tears continued to roll down his tattooed cheeks. Angrily, he tried to scrub the marks away, longing to be human again. Pure. It took him a few seconds before he realized he heard the front door being wrenched open.
Enmu flew down the hallway to the front door as fast as his demon ability allowed him. "How could she have escaped?! Sarah didn't help her!" As he reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the surface, her shapely calves disappeared up and out of sight. He sped up the stairs and felt his fingernails just brush the hem of Mandi's tshirt, snagging it before hearing it shred as she leaped into a patch of sunshine. "Fuck!" Enmu held his arm up with a hissing snarl, almost walking right into a dancing beam of sunlight himself.
Mandi heaved and gasped for breath, her hands on her knees. She was safe from him and safe from his hands within her sanctuary of light. The sea of trees lie before her, beckoning. The Aokigahara was a formidable emerald fortress, but she could distinguish a safe path of sunlight peeking down from between the trees here and there. Mandi straightened and turned around to face Enmu, looking at him with perplexity. Her brain was shrieking at her to flee while she had the chance, but she could perceive the voice of a woman similar to her own begging her to stay.
"Mandi, please, don't do this! I'm not mad, and I won't punish you! Just please, come back to me. You'd only get lost out there, precious. You'd never be able to find your way out of Aokigahara. People go there to die, not to escape. Besides, you aren't dressed worth a damn even though it's summer. Please, come back with me and we'll talk! I'll tell you anything you want to know just please," he sobbed uncontrollably, "please don't leave me again!"
Their eyes dueled. He could put her to sleep right now, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to do it. It would be the final strand of any potential trust snapping if he played that trick. He was trying to reason with what humanity she had rekindled. The tears made his eyes glisten like turquoise marbles, and he could see some sort of pity in her eyes, bereft for what he was and what he had lost. Mandi looked back into the forest. She clapped her hands over her ears and crouched down on the ground, thwarting the untoward voice.
"Fuck you! You're dead, and your 'beloved' is nothing but a savage beast!"
Enmu stared at her, his heart fracturing into a million pieces. "So, this is what humans call love. Why would anyone want this? It hurts more than anything I've ever encountered! It's far more torturous and sadistic than giving a dying woman nightmares of her dead husband." He had to give it one last try before panic eroded away what rational thoughts remained. He was still in utter dismay at how she had caught him off guard.
"Mandi, please look at me. No, I won't put you to sleep. I could right now and have Sarah come up here and get you, but that would be what the old me would do. Trickery. My desires were paramount over what anyone else wanted. But you want me, too. Part of you does. You hate me right now, and I deserve every bit of you cast my way. I deserve it, and I could no way make amends for what I did. But had I known who you were or what you were, I never ever would have killed your parents. You can see the emotion on my face right now! I haven't felt emotions since I became an oni, none that were good. Please, don't do this!"
Mandi locked eyes with Enmu again, a different of expression on her face. Illegible. Her thoughts were blocked, and all he could do was stare at his beloved on the verge of escaping him. She cast a final at the tangle of trees ahead of her and back to Enmu, shaking her head. She fled. Her stocking clad feet pounded the pavement until she got to the edge of trees and disappeared in the sea of green. Enmu's scream echoed far into the forest until Mandi could no longer hear it.
夢 夢 夢
Mandi let out a scream of her own from the joy of escaping, her adrenaline pumping. She had done it! She had single-handedly fooled that son of a bitch and escaped! The best part of all, she didn't have to worry about Sarah getting murdered. She was now there of her own accord, and Mandi was free. She squealed again in delight and slowed her speed down. Rather the trees began slowing her down.
She started weaving her way in, out, and around tree after tree, dazzled by the sea of emerald and fresh air. She remembered that the Aokigahara was only a little over thirteen square miles and while finding civilization might be difficult, she wouldn't wander forever. Mandi stopped for a moment, leaned on a nearby tree, and clutched at a stitch in her side.
While it was morning, there was limited sunlight penetrating the thick forest. It was also eerily silent. Mandi rubbed her hands over her arms wishing she had had the chance to grab clothing let alone a pair of tennis shoes. Had she believed her escape plan would succeed, she might have packed a couple things that could be grabbed easily. With every sharp rock or tree root she stepped on, she reminded herself to be thankful she was stepping on them and not walking around trapped in Enmu's house.
Occasionally, she would turn abruptly and look behind her as if Enmu was chasing her down. "But how could he? He can't. I have at least until the sunset before he comes hunting me, and I know he will. That's a given." Still, she felt the hair raise up on the nape of her neck as if she were being followed. Mandi hesitated at the stillness of the forest that seemingly closed in on her making it difficult to breathe.
This just wasn't an ordinary forest, and she recalled what Enmu had said to her before she ran off. "Suicide forest," she mused, looking ahead as far ahead as the eye could see. "How many of these suicides are actually Enmu's scraps from dinner?" Mandi walked faster despite being barefoot. She brought a hand to her throat where Enmu had choked her, and she blamed that as the reason she was having a difficult time breathing and not on account of fear.
Casting another wary glance behind her, she pressed forward only to stop a few moments later cursing under her breath after stepping on another sharp stone. She turned around and took a few steps back in the direction she had come, hesitating. "What in the hell are you doing?! Do you really want to go back there? That little voice in your head isn't real and even if she was, she died many years ago. You're free!"
Within the confines of the forest, she didn't feel as free as she did when she broke loose of Enmu's grasp. Mandi had yet to see any signs of human life, and she was unsure of how far she had traveled. Walking was slow going, because the terrain was rocky and uneven. Mandi looked up at the sky, trying to establish a sense of direction. She turned around and continued walking away from Enmu's home. "Or at least, I think this is away from him."
There was no alternative to consider; Mandi simply was not lost. After all, if she kept walking in a straight line, she would eventually hit something; she had to. She swallowed and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Suddenly, she heard a branch snap in her vicinity and quickly found herself face planting, scraping her cheek on rock. Glancing around, she was relieved and yet saddened to see she remained alone.
Mandi sat up, dazed a bit from her fall, cupping a hand to her cheek. It was only bleeding a minuscule amount. Certainly not life threatening. Pondering if her blood would help Enmu in tracking her, she quickly brushed it aside. It was out of her control at this point. Nothing was in her control. A tear rolled down her cheek followed by another, and she hugged herself, rocking back and forth.
He had been the one who murdered her parents all those years ago. She could recall the coppery scent of blood in the air, how it stuck to her and the carpet. She remembered looking up at her Winnie the Pooh light on the ceiling and noting the balloons he was holding now speckled with her parents' blood. He was responsible for not only destroying her life once but twice. Enmu had purloined everything, her past and future. Mandi was bewildered at how Enmu could have planned not only kidnapping her but orchestrating her parents' death. She surmised that he might have been telling the truth however. "Still, what are the odds? And it doesn't matter now. I hate him! I'd kill him if I could!"
That nagging voice was back in her head again as if fighting to take control of her thoughts. Mandi clamped her teeth down hard on her tongue to remain in focus. Standing, she brushed some dirt and leaves free from her t-shirt and jeans and continued forward, trying to concentrate on a single point deeper in the forest. Much to her chagrin, all the trees looked identical. They were nothing more than emerald prison bars, still a captive to something.
Her long, silver hair was starting to cling to the back of her neck. Mandi's t-shirt and jeans were sticking to her skin uncomfortably. Her head swam from trying to exert herself faster than the ground and trees would allow. She wasn't just running from Enmu but also from herself, or at least the 'her' that had been involved with him. "And where do you think you're going to be safe when the sun goes down?" the delicate voice in her head reasoned.
Well, she had to try. With any luck, she'd find someone to help her and maybe Enmu would simply just forget about her. Mandi scoffed at that last thought and found herself tripping again, catching herself in time. She damned her maladroitness, and pulled her hair free from her sweaty neck to cool off. The heat and humidity were making her migraine come back with a reckoning. Mandi stopped to rub her temples for a moment and examined her surroundings. An exasperated cry erupted from within the silence of the woods.
The same rock Mandi had cut her cheek on was now under her feet. She had trudged a full circle. "It can't be the same rock. It's not the same rock! It's not!" She took a couple steps further, her legs wavering, trying to bed down the panic that wanted to arise. She passed by another tree that also appeared familiar. "But I've been looking forward to keep a straight line!" Mandi brought a hand to her face to wipe off the tears and surveyed her surroundings, confused.
There was no indication any longer from which way she had come nor could she make out a direction that she had been walking. Time was beginning to blur together in a painful loop. 5 minutes seemed like an hour, but the sun was higher in the sky. She could just make out the brightest point which was now overhead. Mandi debated screaming for help; while she knew she was safe from Enmu, he might have employed Sarah's aid in the search. Screaming was no guarantee of finding any rescue, but it might get her caught.
An insect of some sort had crawled on her hand and had sunk its pincers into her finger, bringing her back to her grim reality. Mandi cried out, slapping her hand and crushing whatever the bug had been. She felt a similar nip on her left ankle and broke into a sprint, hysterical. Her hair was wild about her face, and leaves and twigs weaved into it as she ran. The smell of the once refreshing air now was far too humid and earthy. Cloying. She stumbled again, falling back to the ground, harder this time. Sweat caused dirt to adhere easily to her hands, face and clothes. Her jeans at the knees were torn and bloody from repeated falls on the sharp rock. Staggering, she clawed her way back up with the aid of a tree and started running again, throwing all caution to the wind.
The terrain Mandi scampered along started sloping sharply downwards and momentum seized control. She found herself falling again only this time, her right ankle wasn't falling in the same direction. There was an audible snap. Mandi's face connected with the sharp, slippery stones, knocking the wind out of her. She could taste blood in her mouth, and the one side of her cheek was bathed in warmth. With trembling hands and a hyperventilating grimace, she reached down and freed her right foot from the rocks that enmeshed it.
She stared in disbelief at how her right foot was now slightly cocked to the side. The full pain of the break hadn't hit home just yet. Foolishly, she tried to stand up and walk as if nothing had happened only to crash back down hard on her left knee, shredding her jeans even further. Blood was beginning to seep into the denim surrounding her knee. She dug her nails into the mossy rocks trying to crawl her way to civilization, insanity at her futile escape on the tip of her tongue. Mandi inched a foot and then another, but a sick, clammy wave of pain washed over her, and she knew that her goose was pretty well cooked.
Mandi let out a scream of both pain and terror. She was nothing but a bundle of blood, bruises, and dirt, and come nightfall, a monster would start hunting her down, a monster that could detect the scent of her rare blood with ease. She squeezed her eyes shut and slid her hands forward to try to make any purchase along the mossy, slick terrain. Her left hand seized around a sharp rock, cutting her palm. She looked, picked up the rock, and examined it. A bubble of blood had formed on the line in her palm from where the rock had cut her. She gripped the rock in her shaking fist, mustering up the courage on the prospect she was now fully considering. That soft voice in her head halted her before she brought the rock to her wrist.
"No, don't do that. You really don't want to do that, I promise. A human's life is so short, and you have so much to live for, Mandi. Don't you know how loved you are? Your parents, your grandparents, they wouldn't want to see you go through with it. Killing yourself won't take you out of this forest. Your life is more precious than you know, and I'm going to prove it to you. You yearn for peace, yes? So do I. Let's help each other. Trust me."
"No, I don't want your help! I just want to-," she spoke to herself out loud. The colors and light in her vision shifted, and she knew she was a mere minute away from having one of her fainting spells, one that she'd be unable to wake up from.
"No, no, please! He'll find me come nightfall! Stop! Sto-."
夢 夢 夢
There was blackness when Mandi batted her eyes open. Someone was holding her hand and gave it a squeeze, and she smiled in the gloom. She had made it somewhere safely after all! Before she opened her mouth to thank the stranger who took her in, she saw 2 turquoise orbs to her left. Panicked, Mandi flailed her arms, causing the motion sensor lights to trigger a soft glow.
"Shh, Sleeping Beauty, don't move so quickly. I'll heal your ankle, but I had to splint it first. You have got to be more than a little sore," soothed a soft voice.
Mandi opened her mouth to scream but gasped in pure shock at the state Enmu was in. He had been burned. His charred, milk white skin peeked out various places through his black trench coat and pinstripe pants. The tattoos on his right cheek were singed off. The fatigue was so heavy in his face that there were dark circles under his eyes. The hand holding hers was also charred black around the knuckles. She tried to pull her hand away, but found she couldn't.
"I know, you don't need to ask. Yes, I was burned. Pretty badly, although not as bad as I feared. I'll heal. I'd been working on it for a couple of months, but I never got around to testing it. Now, I know it needs more testing." Enmu gave a weak laugh. "I was working on a nightshade amulet, something I once heard of in a video game, actually. Sounded like it'd be a fun project to try, and it worked to a degree otherwise I'd not be sitting here with you now. I made it from the moonflowers you saw downstairs in my lab along with hastily crushed moonstones."
"But how did you-,"
"Find you? It was by your blood at first, but it kept throwing me off as if you were walking in circles which, now that I think about it, you probably were. I heard your scream, but the sunlight impedes my senses exponentially. If you didn't have such rare, marchei blood, I don't know if I would have found your trail. Then, I heard you calling out to me for help." Enmu's was face solemn.
"I didn't. I passed out."
"Correct. You didn't, but she did."
"No. Damned me to hell is what she did."
Enmu stared at her, frowning. He looked away, letting go of her hand. Immediately, Mandi missed its warmth, and gazed at Enmu with sorrowful eyes. She examined the burns on his body and face. He willingly sustained burns to his whole body, because he went off in a panic to try to rescue her from getting lost. He could have left her till the sun went down and easily found her then, but he chose to put his life at risk in order to find her.
The words 'I'm sorry' filled her head, but her mouth couldn't speak it, not after all the evil he had done. His eyes returned to her, staring her down. His gaze was too direct and spoke a language she could only attempt to understand. There was no smugness to be found in those strange eyes of his. There was, however, the look of satisfaction, satisfaction of finding her relatively safe. Mandi had never seen him look so utterly defeated and weatherworn. His soul was crying, but he was hiding it behind a mask. She shifted her weight and groaned.
"Sorry, I tried healing you the best I could, but until I'm healed myself, I cannot do more for you than what I've already done. You'll likely be tender for a couple days. I haven't been burned this bad in many, many years, but I never concerned myself with healing anyone else."
"Enmu," Mandi pinned him with her blue eyes, "please, let me go. I won't tell anyone about you, I swear."
"No."
"Why?"
"I think you know the answer to that, precious. I'll never let you go." He shifted forward, pressing his forehead to hers and whispered, "I cannot live without my life, I cannot live without my soul."
"You quoted Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights who is likewise a villain. Please, while I get the romantic notion you're trying to set-,"
"I was being serious. You aren't just some 'random' or 'typical' girl like you think you are. You're my soulmate, and I can't live without you. I refuse to go back to that existence."
Mandi gawked at him, bemoaned. She let out a soft wail and pushed him gently away from her, and rolled off the bed to the hard floor, crying out in pain. She couldn't walk, but she could still crawl. Enmu watched her struggle, whimpering and groaning as she heaved and crawled her way out of his black bedroom. His expression was impassive.
"Perhaps, that front door is still unlocked and he'll let me escape," she thought deliriously. "Yes! I can see the front door. I'll manage up the steps! I'll-,"
She could hear lazy steps behind her from Enmu's white Danskos clicking along the black marble flooring. He could easily apprehend her now if he wished; he'd put a stop to this before she hurt herself. It amused and hurt his already aching heart to watch her. After all he confessed, she wanted nothing from him but to escape. He didn't understand it. Excluding the whole love triangle, what truly was so bad about her staying here?
He watched her make it to the front door, and climb up on one knee to reach the handle and yank on it with futility. She yanked hard and faster on the handle, her exertion coming out in huffed sobs. Sarah was in the kitchen and watched Mandi with a look of pain. She looked to Enmu and shook his head, holding up a finger. He quickly signed with Mandi's back to him.
"Let me take care of it. She's not herself right now."
Sarah nodded, still visibly worried, but went back to cleaning. Enmu made his way to Mandi who was in hysterical tears from the door not opening and grabbed her left ankle and began to drag her back towards him. She clawed at the marble, anything to gather purchase only to be scooped up in his arms. He carried her back into his bedroom and set her on the bed, deftly sitting behind her, wrapping his arms around her. Her body heat, her scent even though she had been sweaty and in the woods all day just made him sigh contentedly. If she hated him forever, at least he had this. He hugged her to him which made her just scramble for escape even more.
"Mandi, love," he said ever so softly, "think, please. Where else do you have to go? You promised you'd work with me and help me remember who I am, let alone me helping you figure out your past as well as your health. I'm still your doctor, precious." He held her gently, but with a firm grip.
No words came from her mouth; perhaps, she was past words at this point. Enmu knew she was in a lot of pain and really was not herself at all although he doubt the circumstances would change much. He was, however, concerned that she would hurt herself if she kept having hysterics like this.
"Love, please, calm down. Remember, your ankle is broken and you smashed your left knee pretty hard." Still, she struggled against his grip. He could see that he couldn't leave her alone.
"Mandi, this is your last chance. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but if you don't calm down I'm going to have to put you to sleep."
"Fuck you! Go ahead and do it, you asshole!" Enmu frowned at her vulgar language. (character, not language)
"Well, since I'm injured, I have a better solution," he crooned, pulling the strap and her bra strap down off her shoulder. "The faster I heal, the faster I can make you feel better, and not just your pain but your body as well."
"No! STOP! Enmu...aahh!"
Enmu bit down into her creamy shoulder, her delicious blood filling his mouth. He moaned against her shoulder, closing his eyes. He made sure he didn't hurt her, but he bit deeper than usual. He slurped against her shoulder, a trail of blood running down her back and licked it quick before it could touch her shirt.
Mandi moan half in protest and the other half pleasure. Her body was warming up and heat traveling between her thighs. She bucked back into Enmu in a feeble attempt to get him to stop. He pulled away for a moment, his mouth sounding wet.
"Mmm, I won't take too much, precious," he breathed into her ear, "Just enough to weaken you so you won't try to *lick* escape me again. I need you to sleep for now *slurp*, because you need the rest. Resist me all you want, Mandi White. You will be mine!" He moaned into her shoulder, his cock beginning to throb. He reached up under her shirt, cupping her breasts, squeezing them, and rubbed her hardened nipples through her bra. Another deep moan elicited from his girl.
"You ARE going to love me again, Sleeping Beauty. I'll make you love me!" He continued to feed on her until her movements slowed and eventually stopped all together. He pulled away, swallowing the last of her delicious blood. She would definitely be out for at least a day, and that would give him enough time to heal his wounds and then to tend to her.
He stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his right hand, sighing contentedly. Already he could feel the magic of her blood working away on his burns, and he was revitalized. He took her jeans off her and folded them on the bed. Being respectful as he could now, he took her bra off and laid it upon the jeans. He knew she'd be more comfortable sleeping this way. He loved the way her silver hair glowed against his black bed. Pulling back the covers, he tucked his Sleeping Beauty in and leaned over kissing her full on the lips.
Yawning, he decided he should probably nap as well. It would be a shame to let such a poor girl sleep by herself, and he'd wake long before she woke up. Also, sleep in addition to blood helped heal an oni faster. He undressed, leaving his ruined clothes on the floor and climbed in naked next to her, cradling her body to his. He brushed back a lock of her hair, and wrapped one arm protectively around her.
"I'll fight for you, precious," he whispered in her ear. "I never knew that I could feel this way, and you really leave me with no choice."
A/N: Wow, I think I clicked my heels after finishing with this! Thank you for your patience; I know it took me a while to update my story. I hope you all feel that the wait was worth it The song for this chapter is Morgan Page "Fight for You". I certainly believe Enmu won't give Mandi up even with a fight. Thank you for all the likes, kudos, and comments!