Saiou no Hana
BL
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Historical
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Drama
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BL | Historical | Drama |
He turned away in disgust.
Whoever had raised those altars, he wanted nothing to do with them. A terrible possibility tore at his heart, but he forcefully pushed it away. As for whatever poor souls they belonged to-
It was none of his concern.
He lit a piece of incense and settled back on folded knees before his parents' altar, but he could not concentrate enough to pray. The screen loomed off to one side. He could not block it from the periphery of his vision. Something about it taunted him. He felt as though he was being watched, and judged.
Shion sighed. This was useless. He could always come back some other time.
"I didn't think you'd return so soon.” Kagamine greeted him with a playful grin. "Did you suddenly stop believing?"
"No," Shion responded curtly, not bothering to wait for him.
The boy hurried to keep up. "Is something wrong? You seem agitated. Did you see something strange inside?”
"Nothing unusual."
There was absolutely no way he was going to tell Kagamine about the bloodstains. The troublesome youth would insist on examining them for himself and speculating endlessly about where they'd come from. He just wanted to forget them.
"Shion-" The boy pulled firmly at his shoulder. There was an intense look in his emerald eyes. "Why are you hiding things from me?"
"I'm not."
"You know, you’re a terrible liar." Kagamine hesitated. "I thought for a moment you might’ve found blood back there. Kamui often came back with bloodstains on his clothes. Yes, I know that doesn't sound unusual to you, but he wasn't fond of hunting, or clumsy with a blade, or anything like that-"
The world tilted dangerously. Shion suddenly got very dizzy. His head felt as though it was going to burst. "I'm tired, Kagamine,” he murmured. “I want to lie down.”
The boy caught at his waist to keep Shion from falling to the ground. "Let me get you to the fortress,” he urged.
“No. Just for a moment. Right here-”
Blood. There was blood everywhere. The sea and sky were crimson, the earth no more than a clot of burgundy between them.
A blood-soaked figure stood with dripping hands. His face was smeared with it, his curving lips-
*I've come to offer you my invitation, Shion.*
He stared at it in terror.
*What's the matter? Won't you accept? Isn't this what you wanted, after all?*
Wake up, he told himself. You absolutely have to wake up-
He felt the solid ground beneath him and sighed with relief.
Kagamine must have settled in beside him. He turned his head to gaze at the boy, but a blood-smeared face smiled back at him instead. Shion tried to shove it away, but his body would not move. His limbs would not obey him.
*You can't escape me, Shion. You belong to me now.*
"This is a dream," he insisted. "Only a dream. I can wake up whenever I choose-"
*No.* The figure leaned over him and pressed the back of a bloody hand against his cheek. *You can't, and if you could, I'm afraid you wouldn't like what you’d find lying beside you.*
The other hand clutched at his wrist and raised it up for Shion to see. Blood was dripping from it now as well. He stared at it in mute dismay.
His companion laughed, pressing his wrist down above his head as those blood-smeared lips gently kissed him. The atmosphere was heavy. Shion could hardly breathe. Rivulets of blood trickled down his arm.
*Do you still want to wake up, Shion?* The thing that was no longer Kamui laughed softly again. *You allowed me to possess you. You didn't even put up a fight. No prayers, no altars, no offerings. Nothing but shame and regret.* Scorching breath fell hard at his ear. *Now your offering will be blood, and in return, I'll offer you my protection. You’ll never have to regret anything, ever again.*
The dripping blood on his arm had stopped falling. His skin was utterly clean.
Surely Kagamine was safe. Surely, but- if he was not-
Shion bore no responsibility for it.
*There,* the spirit whispered excitedly. *Exactly like that. See how easy it is?* The blood disappeared from the figure’s face and clothes and hands, and there was Kamui, just the same as Shion remembered. They lay in a grassy clearing. The sun was shining, and sakura blossoms drifted lazily along on the wind.
He knew it wasn't real, but soon, so very soon-
He’d forget that anything else had ever existed.