Demise Game

35. paracosm

". . . [Y/n]?"

        You hadn't heard the door open.  You could have sworn you locked it when you closed it earlier, but everything was a blur.  Your body thrummed with energy, your wounds barely noticeable to you by now as you looked up with wide eyes.  The centerpiece dropped to the ground with another loud THWUNK, slipping from your fingers like grains of sand.  You met a dark blue gaze, shocked, with a dropped jaw to match.

        "I... sora?"

        The body at your feet slowly began to dissolve, turning to ash, and Isora's gaze flickered from you to the body and then back to you again.  He slowly spoke, and you could practically see the cogs turning in his brain.

        "What happened here?"

        "My doppelgänger.  I...  I had to kill it."  Your mouth felt like cotton, and you wet your lips, suddenly feeling self-conscious for some odd reason.  Isora's eyes seemed to pierce through you, and he took a step forward.  Instinctively, you took a step back, before hastily apologizing.

        "No need to apologize.  I'm...  sorry I couldn't get here sooner."  He seemed truly remorseful, and you watched warily as he approached you.  No doubt you were a sight for sore eyes.  Your hair was matted to your face with dried blood on your forehead, and the adrenaline wearing off was enough to remind you of the literal stab wound you had in your abdomen, fingers pressing into it as if the pressure might alleviate some of the pain.

        "It's fine."

        Something in his eyes was too dark, simmering there as if ready to explode in a fit of emotion that may very well hurt you.  It made your skin crawl, and you realized how on edge you were.  Instead of relief, you felt anxiety, as if Murphy's Law was about to come and punch you in the gut.

        Perhaps you were paranoid after that battle with your clone.  Perhaps Shuuen had managed to sow a couple seeds of doubt in your head.  Whatever it was, it had you take another step back as Isora approached you.

        His touch was gentle when he reached out to you, pulling you in a hug so light you could barely feel it.  "I should have gotten here sooner."  His grip then tightened as he buried his face into your neck, taking a couple of deep breaths before pulling away.  His hands reached up to gently cup your face, and despite the tenderness in his actions, there was something that was just not right.  The look in his eyes was too dead.  "I'm sorry for being too late."

        And then, his lips were on yours.

        You don't know what it was recently with everybody trying to kiss you.  It's not like you were trying to rizz everybody up, not intentionally, but it really shouldn't have come as a surprise.  You already knew Isora's feelings for you, but it still caught you off guard.

        He kissed you like he might never will again (and he probably wouldn't, considering you were getting real tired of people not asking before doing).  It was intense and all-consuming and succeeded, for just a moment, in getting your mind off of all the pain you felt.  It was only when he tried to deepen it, tongue at your lips, that you shoved him back.

        "What the hell!" You blew up, and he stumbled back a bit, eyes blown wide.  "You can't just—!"

        You were at a loss for words, and Isora sighed as if you were throwing a childish tantrum.  "I just wanted to kiss you one time before I set things right," he told you.  He approached you again.  "For what it's worth...  I really am sorry I didn't get here sooner.  If I did...  Maybe I could have saved you."

        He moved fast, and moments later new pain blossomed in your abdomen.  You slowly looked down, almost robotically, only to see a pocket knife sticking out of your stomach.