Divine Worlds
By: S.R.
Shinohara
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Chapter XIII
Parasitical Darkness
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“Why am
I doing this again?”
“Because
you’re a kind man and can’t bear to disappoint so many people?”
Ryu gave
Kayoko a glowering stare. She sure knew how to hit the right spots. But
then, didn’t someone once mention she was half Faerie?
“Very funny.” Looking to the side as he tied the
bundle around his shoulders he muttered dryly, “Who would’ve thought the
demi-goddess was this popular…”
“She’s
hard to handle,” Kayoko agreed with a laugh as she fastened it securely with a
nod, “But she’s the kindest person if you bother to try and see further beyond
her antics…” Lowering her head, she grabbed his sleeve tightly as she
whispered, “Please…bring Lady Saori back…”
His eye
softened, patting her hand lightly before prying it off him. “I can’t make that
promise. I can promise I’ll give it my best shot though.”
“That’s
good enough,” she smiled, cheeks tingeing pink, “That’s all I can ask for
anyway…Lady Saori does what she wants and Lady Shiko is just as willful…it’s
why it’s so hard for them to gain control over one another…”
“I’m not
surprised,” he drawled with a sharp look to Kosuke.
The violet haired god sweat-dropped largely. “Now what’s
with that look, Ryu-kun?”
He
averted his gaze with an inward sigh. “Nothing…”
“Good
luck,” Kosuke uttered, scratching his cheek sheepishly, “Shiko will give you
one hell of a fight…and the Nayami might not let you take her so easily either.
Are you sure you wouldn’t like a sword?”
Ryu’s
face twitched uneasily. “No. I won’t need it.”
“Alright then. Just follow the path I showed you and you’ll
come to
Say
hello. Say hello to the god of death. Yeah, right. He still couldn’t believe THAT
god whom he served had come from the god of death. How could he casually
bring up, “Your son says Hi,” to him without smirking out of sheer amusement? Impossible.
“So
you go…” He was so used to it by now he didn’t even freeze in walking,
though he still shuddered. Her voice was just…gah. Too
creepy. “Allow me to help, little warrior in denial…”
A vein
popped on his head. Who is she calling a little warrior in denial?!
“You, moron.”
Whirling
around, Ryu’s eyes crossed when he came nose to nose with a dark stallion, its
coat a slick black and its mane a dark violet like the one he’d seen Isako
riding. But this one had ice blue eyes as sharp as his own,
and large black wings which were currently folded at its side. And it talked.
Quite clearly and deeply, with a certain amount of scorn in his tone that made
Ryu twitch. “What the hell…?”
“Yuugure…”
Even the HORSE shuddered!
“Hai,
Lady Isako,” it grunted, shaking his head and stomping the ground slightly
before he unceremoniously picked Ryu up with his teeth by his shirt and flung
him up to sit on top of him.
“HEY!”
There was something infinitely degrading about this, being flung up on him like
a sack of rice.
“Take
Yuugure…he will fly you there safely…”
Veins
throbbing on his forehead, Ryu sat there glaring at nothing as her voice faded
away, his hair that had stood on end relaxing. “Yeah…right…”
“If
you’re done glowering,” Yuugure grunted impatiently, wings spreading, “Hang
on.”
He took
off without warning.
And
unwarned, Ryu never had time to duck for the tree branches, smacking into every
single one of them before disappearing into a cave, his painful cries as he
smacked his head on a few rocks overhead echoing in their wake.
~*~ : * : ~*~
“The pretty boy?” Hiiro’s
eyebrow shot up as he sat with Kosuke for some tea during his visit, Tetsuo and
Kayoko off doing who knows what. “You sent him to try his luck?”
Kosuke
nodded with a soft smile. Hiiro recognized it well. It was the smile he got
whenever he spoke of any of his children. The smile of a father who loves
his children deeply… “The key to getting her back is anger…and Ryu-kun
seems to be the best at doing so lately, besides you. But I don’t think you
want to go into Nayami territory, Hiiro.”
He
averted his eyes angrily. “They’d skin me alive the moment I stepped foot
there.”
“See,”
he chuckled, “So Ryu-kun seems to be my best shot…and Isako-ane thinks so to…”
Silver
eyes hardened. If Isako was appearing to him then there was definitely
potential in him. As freaky as she was, the woman was as devoted to her family
as Kosuke was. If one of them was in danger or hurt, she searched high and low
for something or someone to help them. But what’s so special about him…? Why
that pretty boy of all people? It annoyed him greatly that Ryu could reach
her in the one place he couldn’t.
“Hiiro…”
Kosuke kept his gaze even but serious. “If you’re that worried about her…maybe
you should consider trying to-”
“I did.”
He cut him off before he could say it, his grin rue. “But you know how it is.
If I did, she’d hate me forever, and I don’t want that.”
“Too true.” Snickering, Kosuke laughed, “I never knew you
were such a romantic, otouto!”
His face
flamed. “Shut up!”
Kosuke
didn’t stop laughing for a long while, tittering as he tried to catch his
breathe before patting his shoulder muttering, “If it makes you feel any
better…” He laughed again. “…Of all the gods, I think you’re the best she could
choose…”
Hiiro
shut his eyes with a smile. “If she does one day agree to be yours, you have
my blessing…” …Arigatou, Kosuke-ani…that means more to me then anything.
“Now! Kayoko-chan~! Can we have more wine?”
“Sure,
Lord Kosuke! Right away!”
~*~ : * : ~*~
Languid,
partially opened sand colored eyes stared at the darkness enveloping her, the air
about her bare body frigid except for where the warm body of her lover lay.
Curling closer, she smiled peacefully, his chest shifting as Takeru let out a
deep chuckle, playing with her hair. “My little kitten is content…?”
“Very…”
Moaning slightly as he turned her onto her back, every part of her body
protested the movement until his face above hers came to view. Pale fingers
tracing age old scars that marred his otherwise smooth but still handsome face
and body, she welcomed him readily with a slight shift of her legs but stopped
when she felt him freeze, pulling away with his eyes narrowed. It wasn’t at her
but something else, red orbs glinting in the darkness. “Takeru…?”
“Someone
unknown comes into Kakure…” He was up and out of bed, throwing on a long shirt
lazily and tying it shut with a sash as he moved to their bedroom window to see
who it was. They’d already pissed him off by disturbing his and his woman’s
quality time.
He only
relaxed when he felt her press against him from behind, the black silk sheets
of his bed wrapped about her slim and hiding her perfect body. That alone made
him grumble more, cursing whoever came for disturbing them and making her have
to cover up her loveliness. “Aori…I have to go see who this fool is…”
She
nodded understandingly, disheveled cerulean hair tumbling over and around her
smoothly sloping shoulders in light waves. “I know…I’ll wait here…”
As he
sprouted his wings, his clothes already having changed, Takeru wanted to reach
out and grab her as she moved to re-dress herself. That was it. Whoever it was
that entered his kingdom was gonna get it. Painfully!
Diving
out the window, he took flight in the air and spotted Shiko down in the
gardens, napping among the black stemmed blooms which grew there. No sun resulted
in their odd colored stems and leaves but no one really cared. Normal green
would’ve made it too bright. Black fitted the Nayami much better. Lord Kakure
was somewhere inside Kageshiro’s main hall, the part that served as his home in
the kingdom he’d named after himself, so that meant it was up to him to deal
with the intruder. I’ll deal with them alright…Hang them by their damn
toenails over a lava pit for making me leave Aori! During our first night after
nearly a YEAR apart to boot! Oh, I’ll deal with whoever this is alright…
He
spotted the black horse, flying through the air quickly, with an arched
eyebrow. Lady Isako? But doesn’t she ride her other stallion, Kagerou,
everywhere? What is Yuugure here for? Narrowing his eyes, Takeru’s forehead
creased as he saw why. So its not Lady Isako after
all. But if they are to ride Yuugure then she requested it. Mentally
cursing, his plans for painful payback shattered, flying up to meet the flying
horse and its rider. “Yuugure.”
“Lord
Takeru, King of the Nayami.” Yuugure grunted as he flicked back with his
head, indicating towards Ryu. “This immortal youth comes with a request and
the aid of my mistress, Lady Isako.”
Crossing
his arms, Takeru’s long bangs blew forward, eyes narrowed sharply. “What is it
you come to my kingdom for?”
“The Goddess of Darkness, Lady Shiko. I wish to speak with
her.”
Takeru
did nothing but glare at him for a full 5 minutes before he pointed down.
“She’s resting, so do not wake her unnecessarily. If it can wait, wait.” That
said, he growled something inaudible and flew back to his palace, much faster
then he’d come.
“Seems
like you disturbed him and his woman,” Yuugure noted with a snort, “Bad
timing for you, kid.”
Ryu
knocked him on the head with his fist, a vein throbbing on it irately. “Who are
you calling a kid?”
Yuugure
obviously didn’t like being hit. He made his displeasure known, bucking Ryu
right off with an angry neigh before going off to graze Kakure’s fields without
a second thought. Kakure’s grass always tasted the best.
LOUD
curses fell from his lips as Ryu fell, mostly directed at the godforsaken horse
who was probably laughing at him. Damn animal. He’d forgotten why he never
liked riding horses much. Pretty to look at, but scary to
ride. They always bucked him off, even as a kid in his hometown.
But
instead of slamming hard into the ground like he’d prepared himself for, he hit
gently against something soft, blinking in confusion.
“Of all
people, I didn’t think you would come visit here,” Shiko smirked, her lips stretching
wider as he scrambled away with a choke, eye crossing, “What
brings you to Kakure, Ryu-san?”
For a
dark and quite nasty goddess, she sure did talk politely. “I don’t think I need
to answer it. You’re not stupid, Lady Shiko.”
Her
smirk only widened. “You’re right. I’m not.” Gracefully, she stood up in one
fluid movement, walking to a table. “Come. Have tea with me. I might as well
not let you have made a completely wasteful trip.”
Her
manners were freaking him. Honestly scaring him to the core. Face twitching
slightly, he sat down across from her and stared at the black liquid she poured
him dully. It smelt like tea but it didn’t look like it. It looked like ink or…
“It’s
not poison,” she grunted, annoyed. That was a much better attitude on her. It
seemed more fitting. “Drink it. It’ll keep the darkness from clinging to you.
It naturally clings to any living thing with life that enters Kakure and tries
to devour it.” Her face twitched into a slow smile as she noted,
tea to her lips, “It’s a parasite that way. Darkness feeds on everything light.
Gains strength from dark or negative emotions.”
“Is that
so?” Ryu looked absolutely bored. “Well, though I know the answer, I must ask
anyway. Will you return control to Saori and let her go back?”
Shiko’s
reply was swift and to the point as she drank her tea calmly. “No.”
“Oh
well.” Ryu took a sip of the black liquid easily. It was actually pretty good.
She
couldn’t help it. Dark blue eyes narrowed in confusion, eyebrow already lost within
her hairline. “That’s it?”
He
nodded, eyes closed serenely as he drank more of the surprisingly flavorful but
mild tea and legs crossed casually. “Yep. Personally,
I like it not having her there. Illusian is always quiet and I don’t have
headaches nearly as much. Very calm and tranquil, don’t you know. I actually
manage to get a refreshing sleep, now that nothing is waking me up at
godforsaken hours of the morning with her EAR-GRATING shriek.”
“EAR GRATING!?” Shiko expected the yell, but she
hadn’t expected how powerful her tug for control would be, nearly slipping from
the force of it. “LET ME OUT! Damn, Shiko, LET ME
OUT SO I CAN KILL THAT INSUFFERABLE IMMORTAL!”
She was
half tempted to do the same, gripping the side of her chair as she forced Saori
down. But the youth looked unaware that
he was causing such a problem, eyes still closed as he drank his tea, opening
them only to refill his cup. Completely impassive, really, and she was tempted
to believe him. “You don’t want her presence back at all?”
“Nope. Too noisy.” With an annoyed roll of his eyes he added, “And
no feminine charm in the least. She’s so masculine its
like being around warriors all day again. I prefer being in the company of
feminine women and girls…like Kayoko or that Lady Aiko.”
That did
it. With a ripping scream Shiko clutched her head, Saori forcefully pulling her
control away with such anger it actually startled her enough to forget to fight
it. Many Nayami flocked to the scene just as her hair and eye color lightened,
the heavy darkness receding to near nothing as Saori now stood there, hair
loose and disheveled, steaming mad as she stared him down with such a glare it
made him shudder, blinking in feigned ignorance. He knew that would get her,
but he hadn’t expected her to be this infuriated. The ground had shaken
with her scream. Note to self…never bring up that Aiko woman’s NAME.
Apparently, just hearing it will cause much destruction.
“WHAT THE HELL!?” Saori gripped his neck and
began shaking him rapidly, Ryu gagging as his one eye bugged out. “EAR-GRATING!? AND WHEN DID THAT VIPER
SINK HER CLAWS INTO YOU!? DID SHE GO SEE MY KOSUKE-PAPA WHILE I’VE BEEN GONE!?
DAMN YOU, ANSWER ME!”
Ryu
pounded hard on her arms rapidly and wheezed as loud as he could, “Gladly, but
you have to let me BREATHE you foul tempered DEMI-GODDESS!”
Still
snorting in rage, she let him drop with a growl, towering over him with a
deadly look. “Start TALKING. NOW.”
~*~ : * : ~*~
Takeru
rubbed his temple with a growl. He was glad Shiko had changed. She was getting
restless staying here doing nothing, but did Saori have to bellow so loud she
created an earthquake? It completely ruined the mood he and Aori had created at
the most IMPORTANT stage and only added to his frustration and
aggravation.
Wrapped
in the sheets, Aori peered over his shoulder to see what the commotion was.
“Oh, Lady Saori is back in control.”
“Hard to
miss with the entrances she makes,” he growled, “Let’s go back to bed, Aori…”
Gripping her arm, he blinked when she remained frozen to her spot, blinking in
confusion. “Aori?”
Her body
shook as she heard the voice under all Saori’s ranting. Sand eyes widened and
shook chaotically, falling to her knees despite Takeru’s exclamation of worry. …What
is he…? Ryu-san…what are you doing here…?
“Aori,
what’s wrong?” Frustration forgotten, he pulled her shaking form in his arms
with a concerned look. He remembered seeing it only one other time and hated
it. I never wanted you to look like this again, Aori…what did you see?
“Ryu-san…”
The name of her ex-husband made him tense angrily. “What is…Ryu-san doing
here…?”
It took
all of 5 seconds for those words to sink in. “THAT’S HIM?!” He pointed a
shaky finger out the window. “That guy is your ex-HUSBAND?!”
Aori
winced. She didn’t like it when Takeru got angry.
Her
wince made him calm slightly, holding her possessively as they sat down against
the trunk that was in front of his bed. “I’m sorry…I just…You never told me
your husband was a damn good looking and young guy. I thought he
was an old mortal with a Lolita complex like most are or something.”
Aori sweat-dropped. “You’re jealous?”
“Of
course. And angry.” Tenderly, he kissed her lips
longingly, his arm holding her to him tighter. “I don’t want anyone taking my
Aori away from me.”
“You have
nothing to worry about,” she smiled, though there was a hidden sadness behind
it as she met his lips and he picked her up to take her to their bed again,
“He’d never come to take me away…” He never loved me like you do…Takeru…
~*~ : * : ~*~
“Where the
hell is that damn horse…?”
Ryu’s
constant muttering was irritating her. The constant headache which was growing
rapidly worse wasn’t helping. “Too long…I was kept at bay too long and the
dark energy you always leave behind after having control is at a level too high
for me. It’s giving me a headache, Shiko.”
Shiko
didn’t bother speaking. She could feel her muttering and grumbling over losing
control still. Oh well, less hassle from her for awhile then.
“Damn,
you sure you can’t fly us out of here?”
Saori
gave him a dull glare. “I can barely walk straight. What makes you think I can
fly any better?” Holding her head, she fell to her knees, the darkness in her
nauseating and eating at her. I’m not fit to handle so much darkness…its too powerful to fight off…
“Oh,
geeze, don’t pass out on me!” Ryu was incredibly frustrated,
eyebrow ticking as he reluctantly picked her up in his arms. At least she’s
damn light. “Shit, come on, there has to be another exit…”
“You’d
need wings…” she muttered, “You can’t leave unaided unless you have wings…”
“Well I
don’t see myself sprouting a set anytime soon,” he growled, “So what am I
supposed to do? You’re not looking too hot either.”
Saori
gave a rue smile as she tried to explain it. “Shiko told you. Darkness is a parasitical
element. It naturally tries to devour life, and she always leaves a little
behind, though this time its more then normal because
I was gone for so long. I’m the daughter of the Lord of Growth – a creator of
life. It’s only natural I’d have a lot of life within me.”
“So it’s
eating you from the inside…” Ryu resisted the urge to groan in frustration, a
vein throbbing wildly on his forehead. “Can you EVER make things easy
for me? Just ONCE?”
“Nope,”
she chuckled deeply, cringing, “But I can try delaying the devouring process…”
A warm glow wrapped about her before her body shrank, Ryu barely holding onto
it as she became the little girl he recognized. An image of that extended hand
came to mind but he shook it away, staring at her at ease face. “How is this
supposed to stop it?”
She
didn’t answer. He really didn’t expect her to, the child appearing very weak
even if she didn’t look pained. In fact, she looked asleep. With a grunt, he
shifted her upright in his arms, a wave a pain picking at him. Ichiro…this
is how I should’ve held you when you were small… Walking, making sure she
didn’t wake up, he sighed, “I really am a selfish man. No wonder she left…”
“Where the hell have you been wandering you stupid mortal!?”
Yuugure came flying to a stop before him, intent on
torturing him a little when he noted Saori’s condition, nudging her with his
muzzle gently. “Get on. Her child form will only hold off the darkness for
so long.”
Ryu gave
up wondering why it was the annoying goddess had so many people protecting her.
It was only giving him a bigger headache, mounting Yuugure who obediently took
off gracefully, back into the sky as Saori remained tucked in front of him, out
cold. “Yuugure, how many forms does she have exactly?”
“Three,”
he answered, dodging rocks as they entered the caverns between Kakure and
Inferno easily. It was the quickest way back and the least dangerous. “While
she is Shiko she has knowledge of what goes on, but in this form Lady Saori has
no idea what she does. She originally only could go from child to adult, but
then Lady Aiko finally forced Shiko to appear as well. So she has 3 forms, this
one being the most…quiet. In this form she can handle darkness better for some
reason, so it won’t be as painful or eat at her as quickly.”
Ryu
flinched as he felt the heat of Inferno’s fires as they passed. Fire reminded
him of war and battle. Those things made him remember destruction too and he
didn’t like that. “I see. So that’s what she meant.”
“I don’t
like you, kid,” Yuugure grumbled as they broke out, flying high into the
sky and letting the wind cool heated skin gently, “But I guess I should
thank you for bringing Lady Saori back…”
“And why
do you want her back?” he couldn’t help asking with a bored frown. They
were almost there.
“She’s
my sister.”
Ryu
nearly fell right off his back and into the sea below with a yelp. “WHAT!?”
Yuugure
neighed in displeasure, bucking slightly so he didn’t fall and take Saori with
him. “It’s a complicated story that you’ll probably never hear about.”
Ryu
didn’t even know why it surprised him anymore. I know Lord Kosuke has many
children, but a HORSE among them? So he wasn’t limited to just human
looking children? He rubbed his head in silent pain. “Why do I bother
getting surprised anymore…?”
“I
don’t know, why do you?”
Ryu
bopped him on the head again.
And
Yuugure bucked him off…again. And this time, his landing wasn’t nearly as kind.
Just as
colorful though.
Sitting
in Lake Furousen, drenching wet with veins popping out on his head everywhere,
his face was shadowed and dark as he scowled, “Every time…Every time on a damn
horse its the same. That’s it, I’m not getting on a
horse ever again. No way. Damn animals always buck me right off…”
Tetsuo
and Hiiro just happened to be passing by on their way back from Illusian, the
latter bursting out laughing as he saw him. “What the hell are you doing,
pretty boy?”
Tetsuo
remained impassive, his gaze met with hard ice before it redirected itself to
Hiiro. “Damn horses.” He promptly stood and sloshed down the path towards
Illusian, not bothering to tell him Saori was back. He’d figure it out…soon. Or
Tetsuo would just remind him. Whichever, he didn’t care, he just wanted to get
dry and climb into bed. He was dead tired from all that he’d done, and all
before lunch too.
Snickering
as he and Tetsuo continued back towards Great Hall, Hiiro noted, “That guy is
an idiot, ne, Tetsuo?”
His face
was impassive as usual as he muttered, “A little on the ridiculous side, yes.”
“And
here I thought he was going to…get…Saori…”
Hiiro’s
face blanked as realization hit him.
Tetsuo’s
ears which popped out of his head twitched, hacking from the dust Hiiro kicked
up as he ran back. “And you’re on the simple side, Lord Hiiro…a really slow
simpleton…” He made a much more graceful turn, sprinting towards Illusian at a
slower pace. He could’ve turned into his true form and got their much faster
but, well, he didn’t want to. It wasn’t necessary.
“SAORI!”
Hiiro’s
joyous yell made Tetsuo sweat-drop. They’d be there for awhile. Might as well get used to it. He’d never leave her side for
quite a few days now.
The
thought made him cringe, a headache blossoming. Damn…weeks straight of that
insanity…
It was
enough to almost make him want to cry. Almost. But he
could settle for the mental tears. The many, many mental tears at the thought
of staying in Illusian for more then a few hours straight…
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