Shadows of The Heart 001

Currently Playing: Evanescence - Imaginary

Moving on. ^n.n^ Yep it's me again, the fox.

Well, thank Inari yesterday was at least somewhat mellow, nothing superstitious seeming to have happened. Life actually seemed normal yesterday. Again, I was with Himitsu and Max, we hung-out at the park again, but stayed clear of the Rock Gardens, but I had a feeling that within a matter of time we would find ourselves there once more. That just seemed to be something that was seemingly inevitable. -Sigh.- So sou, I spent my Sunday with those two, and let Rae go, this time with Jake and Logan, I didn't trust him with Ace just yet again, not after Saturday.But anyhow, moving on. Gomen ne, it's just a habit. Well then, it's back to school for us three again. Himitsu again caused a bit of ruckus, she did indeed end up wearing her school uniform, but--ahem--she made a few of her own touches and changes to it. So again, she wound up in the dog-house with Mrs. Yukimura, this time she just yelled at her. Himitsu snapped back sarcastically and then the teacher just told her to go home and change her outfit. Himitsu's eyes lit up at that voicing, "Really?" and Mrs. Yukimura nodded, so Himitsu zipped out of class and headed home to change. I just shook my head and went back to working on my research paper.

Himitsu came back around lunch time, and met Max and I at our usual eating place. Rae and Logan had wandered over to their table with Jake and Ace, and were almost instantly off on a whirlwind of conversation, most of which was done by, unexpectedly enough--Ace.

Anyhow, Himitsu joined Max and I and began to talk about normal things. Like certain events that were going to take place at the school this month, and such. But then they got off on the subject of the Rock Gardens, and at the mention of them, I immediately grew uneased. When the lunch bell rang I was glad to be away from that conversation and back in my classes. The rest of the day passed normally, as after school I headed home, and then moved on to working ahead on my Biology report. Rae, sat in the study with me, working at the computer on his English. So I listened faintly to his keystrokes while trying to figure out how to form my next page into a manner that Mrs. Yukimura would find interesting, and acceptable, but unique enough. Of course, I really didn't have much trouble with it. Half of it was practically done subconsciously, so I was done in less then a hour with the entire paper. Then again, I only had what--two pages left to do? ^n.n^;; So sou.

Then around seven or eight o' clock that night, my phone rang and it was Himitsu. She told me that she felt that something was uneased. That something was wrong. I asked her what she had meant, and she just said she didn't know, just felt that she needed to be somewhere besides her home. So I told that why don't we meet on the street corner and then just go for a walk, or something. She told me that that sounded good and would be there in five minutes tops. I arrived around eight ten and she was there at about eight twelve. "So," I said to her. "Tell me about it? What's on your mind?"

We started walking, and she began to tell me that all she knew was that she had this feeling that she needed to be somewhere else. Not at her home. I asked her where she thought she needed to be, and she didn't know.

So, we kept walking, and our ventures lead us to the park. We talked for a while and swung on the swings. Himitsu listened a little bit to one of my moonlight lullabies, before suddenly in the middle of my song. I stopped and gasped. Pulling out my cell I called a number, there was no answer. I tried a second number, still no answer both of the cells' users had not answered.

Earlier I had let Rae go with Jake, Logan, and Ace, to let those guys hang out, once I was sure Rae had all his school work done. That was around five thirty this evening. I hadn't heard from him since then. "Rae!" I suddenly gave an outburst of worry.

Himitsu looked at me with a baffled expression. "He didn't answer his phone, and I just called him. He was suppose to have been home at seven. Gods, I had been so blind. I had not noticed that he hadn't came home. I called his cell just now, no answer. I called Ace's cell a few minutes ago, no answer there either."

Himitsu looked at me with surprised fear being reflected in her eyes.

My own eyes suddenly fell to surprise fear as I felt an uneasement, my stomach sort of did a sort of funny flip-flop motion, and then I knew something was definitely wrong. A chill ran down my spine as I leapt up from the swing.

I turned to Himitsu. "I need to know if he has came home yet, that may be why his cell is off. But, I have to know for a certain."

I then turned and rushed home, Himitsu following. I arrived home and threw open the doors, slipping my shoes off at the door and rushing up the stairs. I arrived in Rae's room. Mina and Jou were out for the night again, so they wouldn't be home until late. I had nearly forgotten. I called Rae's name as I ran up the steps and came to the hall. I glanced at his door it was slightly ajar. "Rae?" I whispered and stepped towards the door. I carefully pushed in the rest of the way open, as a chilled breeze swept passed me.

Himitsu appeared in the corridor behind me. "You know, Fox, you shouldn't be rushing home alone like that. Without thinking, and after what happened on Saturday night? I would have thought you would have been more cautious." But then she saw me standing deathly still in the center of Rae's room. Rae never opened his window, and yet here it was now, wide open and seeping in the chilled autumn night air.

I stared at the window barely daring to breathe. "Fox?" asked Himitsu walking into the room. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

I shook her hand off my shoulder and rushed to the window and screamed Rae's name into the night. Himitsu flinched. "Fox, don't do that. What if--" but her words trailed off as she sensed an odd uneasement. I turned to her.

"Rae's gone, Himitsu. He should have been home by now. I remember his voice message on my cell. He arrived home just as we arrived at he park. He was alone..."

"But you said that you hadn't heard from him lately. And now you are telling me he left you a voice message?" said Himitsu skeptically.

I shook my head. "Forget what I said...the fact of the matter is that Rae was home--alone. Dammit." I cursed and slammed my fists into the windowsill.

"Alone?" Himitsu went all rigid. "What about Ace? Did he tell you anything? Did he leave you a voice message?"

I shook my head. "Iie."

"Damn," cursed Himitsu.

I then pulled the window shut. "I should have known better. I should have stayed home. Then we wouldn't be dealing with this."

"No, Fox," said Himitsu. "Don't blame yourself. I am the one who pulled you from the house. It's my fault that you weren't here when Rae got home."

I just shook my head, my hands trembling on the closed window pane. Suddenly I looked up, whispering, "The gardens."

Himitsu looked at me. "Nani?" she said, but I had already bolted down the stairs, reslipped on my shoes and began to rush towards the Rock Gardens. Himitsu soon catching up with me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt. "We can't go there...it's not...safe."

"Safe?!" I cried. "There is no place safe here anymore. Now, let go." I yanked my arm from her and spun around her, continuing to run.

"Fox!" cried Himitsu as she rushed after me, as only momentarily did we arrive at the gardens, and step into the gazebo. I slowly stepped into the center of the room, before freezing as a chill ran down my spine. Gasping I rushed to the side of the building and looked down into the stream that wound its way around the gazebo.

Himitsu stood in the gazebo's center now and just glanced wildly about the expansion. Then sensed the approachment of another, just as Max suddenly showed up. The lavender-eyed girl suddenly stopped as her gaze befell Himitsu and I. "Kira, Fox...thank god I found you. Jake--he's..." But then she saw the reflection in Himitsu's eyes and glanced towards me.

"Rae and Logan are gone as well, as is Ace," whispered Himitsu, and Max's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Rae, Logan, and Ace are all missing too," repeated my friend. Max then looked towards me, Himitsu followed her gaze just in time to hear a soft audible gasp from me. My back arched back as I drew back from the water. Max and Himitsu rushed over to me, and looked into the stream whereas I turned from the waters and glanced down at the gazebo's floor. There were markings there, written and drawn in blood. Himitsu pulled back from the water as well and looked at the floor signs. "The stream," I whispered. "It's flowing with blood, not water."

Max grimaced and pulled back, just as I heard the loud audible splash of what was usually water hit the surface of a nearby pool. The waterfalls suddenly went from spilling clear water, to now pouring crimson tainted water.

Himitsu suddenly stepped across the area, opposite Max and I. "Fox, you may want to look away." I glanced at her and then followed her gaze towards the ceiling. Crimson was dripping from it, like tears of blood, and that is exactly what they were. Blood drops, that hit the ground with a quiet dripping sound that made my stomach churn sickly. Himitsu then reached up and tugged on something, and I immeditately closed my eyes and looked away. I heard Himitsu choke down bile and felt Max tense beside me. I opened my eyes and looked up; instead of the Himitsu we had always seen and known there now stood, or rather hovered, a black-winged Himitsu.

"What the hell?" I gasped. "What the hell are you?"

Himitsu looked at me somberly. "I'm a half-dark angel," said my friend in an almost ashamed manner of speaking.

I then glanced down at the floor beside us, and with a surprised gasp and audible voicing of, "Ah!" I jerked backwards, two pure-snow white wings appearing from glowing slits on my back as I hovered over the stream of blood. In the center the gazebo laid a pile of dead bodies, all seeming to drip with crimson. Himitsu looked at me and her own eyes went wide. "What are you?" She gasped.

I glanced down at myself, noticing that I was hovering over the stream. "I'm a--I'm a half-light angel." Max just stared a the both of us like 'my-god.' I flew back into the building, but remained hovering over the mass of bodies that now littered the floor beneath us. My stomach began to do flip-flops as the scent of blood met my nose, and I cringed.

"My god," I said. "Wha--what happened?" Himitsu looked down at the mass and shrugged. "I don't know."

Max then gasped and looked down. I looked at her, when the mass had fallen onto the floor she had leapt back and clung to railing in a crouched position, like you would expect to see from someone who was half-cat, or at least had neko blood in their veins. We would learn Max's own secret(s) later. For now, I just followed her gaze and glanced down at the mass, it was gone, and so were the blood stains. The stream still flowed crimson, but the waterfalls no longer did. Landing, both Himitsu and I glanced around. My wings disappeared in a flash of light as I landed, whereas Himitsu's just tucked in against her back.

The gazebo looked as it always had, clean, no blood marks or anything. I glanced at Himitsu and she looked back. Max, slipped down from the railing and wandered over to us. "Now what?" she asked.

Himitsu shrugged, "I don't know."

Suddenly the ground beneath us began to seep this strange bluish smoke that slowly began to rise up encompassing our lower bodies. Gasping Himitsu took wing, and I followed her lead as I closed my sapphire-blue eyes and with a painful gasp did my wings reappear and then I to was airborne. Max had leapt back onto the railing. "What are we suppose to do now?!" asked Max.

I turned to Himitsu. "Let Himitsu and I use are wings..Maybe we can blow this smoke away!"

"It's worth a shot," said Himitsu as we both began to beat our wings and attempt removing the smoke, it seemed to be working until I heard Max gasp, as turning to face her she plunged face first into the blue smoke. I felt something strike me in the center of my back and also collapsed into the smoke, Himitsu soon following both of us. Our worlds spun and then we were lost to darkness.

Only to awaken to find ourselves trapped in this mysterious dome like thing. It looked a great deal like the gazebo, but everything was shrouded in shadows. It was a Black Dome, and its cojurer was a man we later discovered to be called Yami (darkness). And he was a royal pain in the ass.

To start off he tormented us, breaking both my wings, then began to go on about wanting Himitsu to be his mate and all this. Carrying on about light and shadow, life and death. Mentioning things about Max, and how she was interesting and all that. Then he had asked Himitsu why she traveled with a light angel, since Himitsu and I were complete opposite elements. Himitsu, as I soon learned was a half-dark angel, half-fire youkai. And me, well, as you already know, but as Himitsu soon found out, I was a half-light angel, half-kitsune. Light and Darkness. Earth and Fire. Both elements were complete opposites of the other. And Yami found this interesting, since Himitsu and I barely argued at all. We hardly ever fought. Not to mention we were such good friends. Close friends.

Inari only knows how long we were in the dome, it seemed like ages, but I am sure it had probably been only a matter of hours. But when lost in the darkness, said time frame seems endless. A dark eternity, and a forbidden paradise.

As things wore on we learned quite a few things about this Yami personage. He had taken Max from us; she had accidentaly leaned back against his shadow barrier and the shadows assimilated her, for the time being. He tormented us about the things he possibly may have done to her. Finding her to be so interesting, calling her a little kitty-cat and all the BS. He found me interesting as well, and how I kept praying to Inari. He asked who that was, and commented that that was a interesting being to pray to. Apparently, since he was Death he did not know about Inari, or as most people would know her as, she was basically a God personage. She was Life. And then Yami had wandered why a light angel would curse so much. Since I was calling him a bastard, and saying hell and damn, all those little curses.

But his greatest obsession was with Himitsu. Whenever she tried to escape she was thrown back, and Yami just found her amusing. I began to argue with him about he seven deadly sins, and how he was lusting after her, and of course--being the smart ass that he was--he'd say something like, "Well, I am the darkness. I am lust. I am seduction." And again, a bunch more BS.

But what really pissed Himitsu off was when, after she kept saying she wasn't ever going to mate with Yami, the lord got annoyed and as such, he quickened my heart's pace, threatening to Himitsu that he could kill me at any moment in time. The darkness drained all my light energy quickly..the only energy that I was even still living with was my earth elemental energy, and my own life ki. When they ran out, then yes...I would die.

Then he began to screw with our minds and keep appearing possessing the bodies of one of our other friends. He especially seemed to enjoy possessing Max's body..for--whatever reasons those were. -Shiver.- Hell, I don't think I even want to know. Yet, periodically he would possess another's body. He possessed Logan's body and flirted with Himitsu, hell, he kissed her passionately when he was in control of Logan's body, he kissed her twice or something, each filled with a feverish desiring. And then he would take on Rae's form, possessing his body. As under Rae he would brush his hand under my chin and flirt somewhat with me as him. Himitsu got pissed at that and told him to leave me alone. Rae's hand fell harmlessly away from my face, as he looked to Himitsu. "But he's the one she loves," he told her plainly, before disappearing and reappearing as Max.

By now the whole possessing thing was seriously getting on Himitsu's nerves. Eventually, Yami took a break and let Max talk to us, and then taking control of her, he looked to Himitsu. "So now you know. The only way to kill me, would be to kill the host that I possess. The only question is, which is it going to be?" He waved his hand, and Logan and the others appeared. Except for Ace; we learned that the reason Ace wasn't present, and why Yami did not take control of his body was because he said that Ace was too much 'like him,' too many similarities. So he sent Ace to some sort of club or another that supposedly he liked. Like I said, Yami was a complete jerk.

Turning back to Himitsu he whispered, "So which is it going to be? Rae," he changed to Rae's form. "Jake," shifted to Jake's form. "Logan?" possessed Logan's body. "Or Max?" he shifted possession back to our lavender-eyed friend. Then handed a blade to Himitsu.

Himitsu backed away. "I won't do it. I can't kill any of them. They are all friends of mine."

Yami stepped towards her still in possession of Max's body. "You don't have a choice. You must kill one of them if you are to escape. Otherwise you will be stuck here, forever." Himitsu glanced at me. "Would you like to talk to Max? Hear her words on the matter?"

Max's eyes then rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed, with me catching her. Yes, I did get back onto my own feet after Yami placed his curse to quicken my heartbeat on me. My life ki managed to hold me up there. I was still at a loss with my light powers, my powers of healing and light transfigurations were lost to me. Since light really cannot survive in the dark. I only lived because only half of me was an angel, the other half was a kitsune, and as such my kitsune blood balanced out my angelic and helped enable me the ability to survive in the dome, otherwise Himitsu would have lost me a long time back.

Once Max woke up, Himitsu collapsed beside me and looked at the girl I held in my arms. "Kira..." whispered Max. Himitsu leaned in to better hear her. "Listen to me, I want you to kill me...kill me and then you will be free. I am not afraid to die..and once the barrier is down there will be just enough time left for Fox to manage a revival spell, but only just enough for a one-time shot. You don't make it and then I will be lost. Do it, kill me!" She gasped as Yami snapped back into her body, I leapt back and Himitsu stood looking at Max.

"Have you decided?" said Yami as he stepped towards Himitsu. He kept coming until he was an arm's length away. If he wanted to he could embrace her. As such he did, and Himitsu raised the knife, closing her eyes she drove the blade forward as it came in contact with Max' heart.

"I'm sorry, Max," whispered Himitsu. Max gasped, and then collapsed, the darkness clouding her eyes, as Yami left her body. The barrier fell and I rushed to Max's side. Raising my hands to the blade wound, I close my eyes and concentrated, as only momentarily did Max awaken and gasp, sitting upright and gasping for air. My eyes opened as Himitsu and I looked at Max.

The boys were all gone, and as we later learned they had been returned home safe and sound. Max, was alive and safe. Himitsu didn't have to mate with Yami, and Yami's curse on me was lifted. All the evil we endured in that dome was forgotten by the others of our group, but we remembered every bit of it. We couldn't forget it even if we had tried, it would always remain. We could never forget, not like Ace and the others could, and did..

For them it all disappeared with Yami's supposed death, for us, it would forever remain, and as for Yami..I say supposed, because before the barrier died entirely away Himitsu had heard whispered in her ear, "We will meet again." And that voice was his, that voice was Yami's. We hadn't seen the last of him,. Iie, not by a very long shot.

After all that, we all went home and I took a shower. I had to at least try to cleanse myself from the evil I had seen. I needed to erase the scent of death that seemed to have been carried with me after that event. I needed some time to think, I needed some time to clear my head of things, of memories--the memories of my parents, those painful memorations that the event seemed to have brought back into the light of my mind. I would never forget...I knew that. But at least it was a memory that I could push into the very backs of my mind.

And with that...I think I am going to end it there friends..for now.....
Ja ne.

Secrets here are hidden bare, as with time they await at the chance for release.....