The Circle of Darkness
by
Jennifier D.

Additional notes:

/-/.../-/	depicts flashbacks

*...*		depicts thoughts

//...//		depicts dream sequence

Disclaimers: All characters are not owned by me [I _wish_] but the 
setting and ideas are original.

Date started: 270102




V:


/-/
His mouth was set in  a hard line. "You're dreaming if you think you 
can save him."

"I will."

"None of them have been spared before... so why do you keep thinking 
that this one will escape his fate?" The petite man glared at his 
companion.

"Dream... Listen to me," The other began, a pleading look on his face. 
"I really want to help him... he needs me..."

"You are a fool, Illusion! An absolute fool! Falling in love with the 
Shadow Mage... how can you? All of us know that they can't live for 
long... I told you so many times not to get to know him too well or 
intimately, but you simply have to! Why must you...?"

"I'm sorry..." The taller man held the other close, a pained look on 
his face. Dream had been with him for as long as he could remember... his 
eternal companion, his eternal brother. But there were times like this, 
when their opinions and choices had clashed that the two of them found 
it difficult to look at each other even. And he was upset over this 
fact.

They were not lovers because he had declined to get into that 
relationship. He knew that the other was very fond of him, but he also knew that 
the other didn't want any emotional attachment or baggage of any sort 
when the two of them had to finally part. He knew that the other never 
really loved him... in that manner. He just felt that there were times 
where the other needed someone to confide in, and it was just convenient 
that he was there.

"Dream..."

"Shut up." Dream sighed, then pushed him away roughly. "Leave now... 
Don't let me see you with him again. I won't spare you the next time."

They were the First... and it was a sad but eventual fact which they 
had to accept. They were not sure who placed them here in this world, but 
they wanted no emotional attachment of any sorts. Because they all 
lived for too long, they were often forced to watch the world pass by them 
as if in a blur. They were also witnesses to the death of their loved 
ones, their own children and their own descendents. That was why, after 
the initial try, they all shied away from getting a partner and formed 
teams instead. The teams worked in twos, and they usually partnered for 
life.

He was tired... so tired that he didn't want to think about anything 
else anymore. Sometimes, he wished that he could die, but... he had no 
say in this matter. Their own existence was an enigma, even to 
themselves, and despite several desperate attempts to figure out who was the one 
who placed them there, they came to no conclusion about the matter.

"Illusion?" Dream watched him carefully. Although the two of them were 
going to be separated due to this dispute, he was sure that he would 
meet each other again pretty soon. The current Shadow Mage didn't have 
much time left anyway... "Take care..."

Illusion sighed. "You too."

The other nodded his head before he disappeared, and white feathers 
began drifting to the ground slowly. Illusion sighed, then disappeared 
too, the black feathers indicating his existence drifting gently to the 
ground to join the white. Not long after, they were tossed by the winds 
into the sky, creating an intoxicating mixture of dancing black and 
white spots in the otherwise pure blue sky.
/-/


-----


Shinya sat behind his drum sat, panting heavily. He had been practicing 
his part for hours, yet he could never seem to get it right. He could 
never seem to hit Yoshiki's standard. For all that and more, the drummer 
was extremely angry with himself. He wanted to accomplish so many 
things... and he never seemed to be able to do a single useful thing, even 
for himself. 

The first and foremost thing he wanted to do most was snaring the heart 
of a certain blue-haired bassist.

He wasn't quite sure when this started, but it seemed as though it had 
always been like this... that he had always secretly admired and loved 
the bassist furtively. Though he managed to hide everything under a 
stoic mask, there were times where he wished that the other would notice 
him... even a moment would be nice. Any moment away from the red-haired 
guitarist. Often, he wondered how did the two of them get together, 
since they were of two clashing elements... yet they seemed to prove the 
impossible, as Dir en grey had often managed to do effortlessly.

He knew that things in their band were never as easy as it looked.

Die and Toshiya had always been off doing things and making decisions 
on their own, something which pissed Shinya off greatly. It wasn't the 
idea of the two of them doing something as controversial as that, but 
more of the fact that they were proving themselves to be selfish, 
conceited individuals by doing all these. Maybe Shinya himself had a skewed 
perspective of life, but he had always thought that things which held the 
potential to cause drastic changes in people's lives ought to be 
discussed over before a conclusion was made. In Toshiya and Die's case, they 
might as well be taking the matter into their own hands, with the way 
they deal with those issues. 

Yet, there was one thing about them which he could agree with 
feverently, and that was their loyalty to Yoshiki.

Yoshiki was the one who picked them up, a group of four First Class 
mages and one Oracle who were still struggling with their own abilities. 
He was the one who taught them and groomed them into such perfect 
people, and for all that and more, they were all immensely grateful and 
indebted to him.

With a soft sigh, the drummer began to pack his things away. He felt 
regret that he could never be as great as Yoshiki himself, but he knew 
that, for the blond drummer's sake, he should at least try. If Yoshiki 
wanted him to try and become a leader, he would try. That was the least 
he could do for the other.

Someone cleared his throat softly before Shinya and the drummer's head 
snapped up, the air around him starting to churn violently as a 
protective measure. The stranger, who was standing unruffled between the sharp 
winds only smiled slightly at Shinya, who had already paled several 
shades by then.

"Yu~ki..."

"Good afternoon, Shinya-san." Yu~ki bowed, a sardonic smile on his 
face. "I'm afraid, I'll have to interrupt you from your evening practice to 
assist Mana-sama for a certain visit."

With a twist of his wrist, the winds twisting around him suddenly 
shifted and slashed at Shinya instead, throwing the drummer back violently. 
There was a sickening crack as Shinya's head connected with the 
concrete wall behind his drum set and he slowly slide down the wall with his 
head bent forward at a strange angle.

The churning winds took on a violent edge, as they created a small 
maelstrom in the studio, turning all things astray and tossing the loose 
song sheets into the air as they were whipped around. And soon enough, 
the squall died down, leaving a studio devoid of any human's presence, 
with the papers drifting slowly to the ground like broken feathers.

At the back of his drum set, Shinya's bag lay hidden by the piles of 
overturned instruments and objects in the room, forgotten.


-----


"Mana-sama."

Mana's eyes flew open the moment Gackt teleported into his room and got 
down onto one knee. Mana stretched out a pale, slender hand and Gackt 
took it respectfully, pressing the back of the Shadow Mage's smooth hand 
to his lips in a familiar gesture. Mana reached up and cupped Gackt's 
left cheek in his hand, then ran the thumb over the prominent cheekbone 
lovingly.

"You may rise."

And Gackt got up from where he was kneeling on the ground, dark hair 
falling forward to cover his face. Mana placed his hands on his laps 
elegantly, a regal look slipping onto his face when he finally spoke.

"I need you to do something which may cause you certain inconveniences. 
Are you willing to do it for me?"

Gackt bowed his head submissively, his face empty like that of a 
mask's. "I'll do anything for you with pleasure, Mana-sama."

"Good," Mana smiled. "Very good."

"Come closer, Gakuto."

Gackt did as told and Mana could see his face clearly, totally devoid 
of any emotion whatsoever. 

The latter smiled. 

Gackt was his most prized possession. Only his and nobody else's. And 
Mana derived joy from the fact that Gackt he himself knew that too.

"I need you to help me do a very simple task. The success of it all 
lies in whether you are willing to carry it out."

He reached up to touch the flawless face, then leaned back into his 
seat with a satisfied smile when Gackt didn't move away.

"I want you to kill someone."

There was a significant pause as Gackt digested the information with a 
startled look. But just as soon as his features revealed his surprise, 
they returned to normal; cold, emotionless and proud.

"His name... is Kirito."

At this, Gackt's back stiffened. Mana smiled.

"I trust that you will not fail me, will you, my Dark Prince?"

Gackt only bowed, then murmured softly in reply.

"You wish is my command, Mana-sama."

And Mana started laughing, even as the room started filling with black 
feathers, the memento Gackt often left behind after a teleportation, 
especially if his thoughts were occupied. It was often a sign of 
distraction on the mage's part, since the residual of such objects were an 
indication of a rash teleportation or an incomplete one.

Somewhere in another part of Tokyo, an Oracle stirred restlessly in his 
dreams, the fate he dreaded arriving on black-feathered wings.


-----


Kirito sat on the bed beside Aiji, watching the sleeping Oracle with a 
shuttered look on his pale face. He reached out and smoothed back the 
hair that was tossed across the guitarist's face while sleeping, then 
smiled slightly. Throughout the years, he had been looking so hard... 
trying so hard to find Aiji. When he finally saw the guitarist performing 
for KALEN, one couldn't imagine the amount of joy he felt at their 
first meeting.

The Oracle was shy... yet he was also bold at the same time, leaving 
his real name and contact number for Kirito after their initial meeting. 
There was a healthy amount of hidden steel beneath his gentle 
demeanour, and because of that, Kirito felt a strange sense of pride in his 
boyfriend. He knew that Aiji was someone who would never give in to Mana, 
no matter how menacing and vile the latter could get. He had his own 
pride... and his own reasons for doing things which he did.

Sometimes, Kirito was afraid... that Aiji went Wandering for him. After 
all, Kirito wasn't in the safest of positions in the faction. In fact, 
his post was a place many yearned to elevate themselves to, and since 
there was only one such position available, they would have to get rid 
of their predecessor first. Yet, the vocalist didn't feel a single trace 
of fear over whatever suggestions that situation could foretell. He 
knew that he could trust in his team members to watch his back for him 
should the need arise. And he trusted Aiji to always tell him what was 
going on. Maybe he was being too trusting... thinking that he could attain 
unwavering loyalty from his band members. For Kohta, he understood, 
since he was both his brother and good friend. Though the both of them 
might fail in the department of understanding each other now and then, the 
fact that they were siblings was as undeniable as the truth of their 
bond to each other. Jun... was such an old friend, he could have been a 
second brother to himself. And Kirito knew that he could trust that man. 
If not for the reason that they knew each other in the same way one 
would known oneself, then it would be for the fact that Jun had always 
harboured a secret fascination for Kohta. It was just a pity that his 
brother was, more often than not, too dense to notice such things happening 
around himself. Then... Takeo. That man had always been something of an 
enigma to Kirito, since he was often more quiet than not, and the look 
in his eyes sometimes hinted on things which normal people wouldn't 
want to know. Of course, Kirito knew that he himself was far from normal, 
but such looks could also be an indication of danger to himself, his 
friends and family. Yet... there was never an instance where Takeo had 
ever betrayed him, or a single moment where the dole-eyed man wanted to 
do anything contrary to what Kirito had set out to do. Furthermore, he 
owed Kirito. A few years back, Kirito saved him from being killed by a 
large group of lesser mages, whom Takeo had somehow managed to irritate 
without doing anything much, apparently. The drummer knew that he was 
indebted to Kirito, but the vocalist never said anything, and thus Takeo 
had left it as a silent understanding the both of them shared.

Now... Kirito was getting worried. Not because Mana was turning madder 
by the day, or mages within his faction were all turning against each 
other. The reason behind his worry was what Aiji actually saw when he 
went Wandering the last time. Kirito was not scared of dying, but he 
wanted to know the reasons behind Mana wanting to kill him. Yet, his 
boyfriend had sealed his mouth on the matter ever since he came back from a 
meeting with Mana. Kirito suspected that it had something to do with 
what Mana said during the meeting, but nobody knew what he spoke for sure, 
unless they were one of the Oracles present.

"Kiri..." Aiji opened his eyes blearily, then tugged at Kirito's shirt. 
"Not asleep yet?"

"Hm." Kirito only gazed at his boyfriend quietly, pained lines almost 
invisible yet still there. "I'm alright. Don't feel like sleeping, 
that's all. Go back to sleep, Aiji."

Aiji yawned, then nodded his head, curling an arm around Kirito's hand, 
which was placed beside his face. Kirito closed his eyes briefly. He 
was getting very tired. Too many secrets... one day, they would all 
overflow.

And he knew, with a sinking feeling in his heart, that the one day 
would be arriving pretty soon.


-----


GLAY's blue-haired guitarist closed his eyes, a pained frown etched 
between his eyebrows. He reached out blindly, and a warm hand grasped his, 
squeezing his hand slightly. Hisashi opened his eyes, then gave a 
silent sigh. Jiro was simply gazing at him quietly, a clouded look in his 
usually clear eyes. The bassist looked down for a moment, running his 
thumb over the back of Hisashi's hand before he looked up again.

"It's almost time..." Hisashi murmured quietly from where he sat. Jiro 
nodded his head but remained silent. "Shall we...?"

"No, Hisashi. We promised that we won't interfere this time. Remember 
what happened the last time we tried that? Everyone was worse off than 
before."

"True..."

Hisashi reached up to touch Jiro's cheek gently, a small smile on his 
otherwise often stoic face. "You never change, do you know that...?"

Jiro smiled.

"Yes. And that applies to you too, Hisa-chan."

At that, Hisashi groaned. "Just remember, _don't_ address me in this 
manner before them."

"But why? It sounds _so_ much more endearing..." Jiro pouted cutely at 
the blue-haired mage, who rolled his eyes with an exasperated look.

"They will be picking at it for ages. I'll never live it down, Jiro."

"But that's what I always call you!" The bassist looked as though he 
was having fun. Too much fun, in fact, and it was all at the expense of 
his boyfriend. "It isn't as if they don't already know that the two of 
us are-"

"Jiro."

Jiro sighed animatedly, then kissed Hisashi lightly on his left cheek 
before he got up from the couch and stretched lazily like a cat. He gave 
a small bow before turning on his heels to head for the bedroom. "Good 
night, Hisa-chan."

"I'm not sleeping out alone tonight, am I?" Hisashi's gaze was trained 
on Jiro like a hawk's, and the latter sighed again.

"Well, since you don't want people to know about our relationship, 
isn't it better to leave everything clear-cut then? Then they won't have to 
play guessing games either."

"You know what I meant when I said that."

Jiro paused, then blinked a couple of times. He grinned at Hisashi 
slyly, raising an eyebrow slightly as an emphasis. "So... what do you mean, 
Hisashi of GLAY?"

"JIRO!"


-----


Masa's worried eyes darted between Gackt and You, who were discussing 
the arrangement of the instruments in the new song Gackt had just 
written. He didn't dare to tell Gackt anything after he returned from his 
unnerving encounter with Kozi. He guessed that some part of himself was 
afraid of hearing the truth from Gackt's lips as well. The Fire mage's 
words seemed to ring in his ears endlessly, reminding him of the fact 
that Gackt had never spoken to him about his past. Or mentioned his 
motives for joining the White faction either. Masa felt both guilty and 
indignant upon having those thoughts. After all, Gackt might be his 
boyfriend, but he was not obliged to tell him everything. On the other hand, if 
Gackt had trusted him... he would have told him. Something within 
himself ached terribly over this fact. It suggested that Gackt had withheld 
truths from him because he didn't trust him enough... and the lack of 
trust, was somehow justified by the reason that Gackt didn't love him at 
all. He knew that his thoughts were currently in a jumble. His 
reasoning was totally skewed and he was simply thinking such thoughts due to 
uncertainty and fear. But he couldn't stop the little voice inside him 
from pointing out that all these made sense too.

"Masa? What's the matter?" Ren tapped the guitarist on his shoulder 
lightly, and the latter startled from the sudden intrusion on his 
thoughts. Ren grinned at him. "Thinking naughty thoughts about Gaku again?"

The bassist sighed dramatically. "Can't you get your head out of the 
gutter for a single moment of the day? If this goes on at this rate, the 
both of you might as well adhere yourselves to each other."

"I wish..." Masa murmured, but shook his head with a smile when Ren 
quirked an eyebrow in question. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh." 

"What you the two of you talking about?" Gackt peered at Ren and Masa 
curiously as he looped his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

"Oh. Your sexual prowess." Gackt's eyes swivelled over to stare at Masa 
when the comment popped out of Ren's mouth.

"You didn't."

"Oh yes we did. He said your-"

"REN!" Masa's face was now coloured in a lovely shade of scarlet and he 
turned to Gackt, flustered and embarrassed. "We didn't talk about that! 
Really!"

"I believe you." Gackt smiled at Masa, who was all ready to sink into a 
puddle of shame and horror on the ground. "Now as for Ren..."

"Spare me!" Ren yelped when Gackt caught a handful of his shirt and 
dragged the violently protesting man towards You, then dumped him on You's 
lap.

"Now, little brother, he is your problem... All yours." With that, 
Gackt stalked off to his boyfriend, who was still standing at the same spot 
trying hard to conceal his flamed cheeks.

You blinked, confused, whereas Ren got off him in a hurry, blushing 
terribly. "Gaku! Stop acting like an idiot!"

Gackt ignored Ren's protests in the background and turned to his 
boyfriend instead, waving a hand before the guitarist slowly. "Hello? Earth 
to Masa..."

Masa gave Gackt a weak grin, then bowed his head slightly. "I'm 
alright, just a little hungry."

"It's okay, we can go for lunch now."

Masa nodded his head quietly. "Good..."

"...because I need to talk to you about something rather urgently."


-----


A powerful Level One Illusion mage teleported himself in Yoshiki's Hall 
of Fame, causing part of the reality in that place to twist and 
distort, revealing the vortex which he stepped out from. The petite man then 
slouched at where he stood, making him look smaller than he already was. 
Then, like the gathering of air particles, the air above the seat on 
the throne thickened rapidly before it revealed Yoshiki sitting there, 
smiling faintly.

"I know you will come, Kiyoharu."

The current vocalist of SADS, formerly from KUROYUME, snorted when he 
heard Yoshiki's comment. "Don't be too presumptuous, Yoshiki."

"I wasn't being presumptuous..." Yoshiki's smile grew when he saw 
Kiyoharu rolling his eyes. "I am merely more observant of your behaviour 
patterns, that's all."

"Oh really," Kiyoharu began sarcastically. "You definitely know me 
better than I do."

"I really wouldn't dare to claim that, Kiyoharu. Now, _that_, will be 
presumptuous."

Kiyoharu made an annoyed sound, then crossed his arms. "Just cut all 
that crap and get to the point, will you?"

"Ah, so now we are ready for serious talk?"

The vocalist bristled. "Don't make me repeat myself, Yoshiki."

Yoshiki sighed. "I'm sorry... I'm getting old. My memory fails me 
often. My apologies."

"Whatever."

"Now, Kiyoharu... I need you here rather urgently now because Mana has 
apparently taken one of my Oracles and somehow dug the truth of the 
traitor out from him. As for which truth it is, I'm not sure, but I trust 
that Oracle to not reveal information which will harm everyone 
drastically. I believe that Mana didn't harm the Oracle during the 
interrogation, but the same can't be said now for he has already lost all 
usefulness to the Shadow Mage."

Kiyoharu gave Yoshiki a bored look. "So? What has all these got to do 
with me?"

"Be patient. I'll get to your role in this whole affair now. I need you 
with me for the final confrontation with Mana."

"That's all?"

"Yes. I need you there... as a witness."

The smaller man shrugged. "If that's all, I'm going. I can't stand 
around here to entertain you all day. I have more important things to 
attend to."

"You can do as you please, Kiyoharu. Neither of the existing factions 
have the ability to hold you back even if they want to."

"Good."

And that was all Kiyoharu said before he disappeared back into his 
vortex, causing ripples in the reality to spread out from the point where 
he vanished. Yoshiki leaned back in his throne with a tired sigh, before 
he opened his eyes again and beckoned for the mage who had been hiding 
in the shadows to step forward.

"Yoshiki-sama..." Kaoru slipped out of the shadows easily, as if he was 
an extension of them, then bowed low before the mage. He opened his 
mouth to ask a question but hesitated and snapped it shut instead, afraid 
to voice his queries without Yoshiki's permission.

"Speak your mind, Kaoru." Yoshiki smiled.

"I was just wondering... about the rumours." Kaoru's voice was so soft, 
it was barely audible in the room.

"Which rumours?"

"The ones about the traitor... I mean, even Kyo has Seen the traitor, 
but he refuses to say anything..."

Yoshiki closed his eyes for a moment, yet the gentle smile never faded 
from his face. It had never ceased to amaze himself when he came to 
realise the amount of patience he had when dealing with Kaoru. It was 
probably Kaoru's attitude. Sometimes, the leader of Dir en grey could do 
certain surprising things which reminded Yoshiki strongly of hide. And he 
missed the pink-haired guitarist. They hadn't been friends for so long 
for nothing. The loss of that guitarist had torn a hole in his heart, 
and he knew, with certainty, that the wound had yet to heal.

"That's because by doing that, Kyo will destroy the future. He knows 
what he's doing, Kaoru."

"But..."

"The future has a certain path to follow, and though Oracles are gifted 
people who can catch glimpses of it, they will know better than to 
jeopardise their own futures by revealing truths which will cause gigantic 
changes in the world. The point from where one Oracle, no matter how 
weak, reveals the truth, it will become the epicentre of destruction. 
Oracles will be assaulted by premonitions non-stop. It will be like a game 
of 'Choose your future'. Nothing is definite, certain truths may 
overlap with fallacies and nobody will be able to get a coherent answer out 
of them." Yoshiki sighed softly. "Are you sure that this is what you 
want, Kaoru?"

"Kyo may even die because of this, due to the fact that he's a very 
powerful Oracle."

Kaoru shook his head sadly. As much as he yearned to know the truth, he 
knew that there were certain areas which he could never go. He was 
already pushing his luck when he came to Yoshiki for answers.

"Thank you, Yoshiki-sama..."

"Take care, Kaoru, and always be on your guard."

"Hai."

"And stop thinking about avenging hide."

Kaoru looked up, surprised.

"Yoshiki-sama?"

A sad look filtered onto Yoshiki's face and he closed his eyes, a frown 
appearing between his eyebrows. Memories assaulted him, like a broken 
film, played endlessly in little bits.

"I understand the reason behind this motive of yours, but it's too 
dangerous, Kaoru. And I'm sure, hide doesn't want to see you die under 
Mana's hands. Two of them are more than enough for us. I may not know Kami 
well, but I'm sure that he was a respectable and upright man."

Kaoru's head was bowed and Yoshiki smiled when he saw that the other 
was trembling slightly.

"Be strong. Live. That is what he wants you to do."

"Make him proud of you, Kaoru. Regardless of where he had gone, make 
him proud of you."

Kaoru gave Yoshiki a pained smile and disappeared in a burst of purple 
flames. Yoshiki sighed, then relaxed into his chair again. Barely a 
second later, his eyes steeled and he sat up straight, irritation painted 
all over his face.

"Stop creeping around if you want to see me, Mana."

Shadows from around the corners of the room seemed to dart across the 
carpeted ground, coagulating in the centre of the room before they 
assumed the shape of a human. The shadows fell off that figure in fragmented 
pieces and soon, Mana was revealed, standing there looking extremely 
regal in a black lace gown. Klaha and Yu~ki bled into existence behind 
him, their heads bowed.

"It's been some time since we've last met, hasn't it, Yoshiki?"

Yoshiki narrowed his eyes at the blue-haired man, then looked away 
nonchalantly. A blond was thrown at Yoshiki's feet, his limbs bound by a 
spell. Yoshiki startled at the sight of his student, whose eyes seemed to 
plead him to stay away even though he didn't utter a single word. Blood 
had matted his dark blond hair to the side of his head, making him look 
extremely haggard.

"Shinya...?"

Mana smiled.


End: V

Date completed: 310102
Last revised: 170202

to be continued

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