Golden Child [Rewriting]

*Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

She'd never wept like this before. She hadn't let herself cry after he'd betrayed her, because there was so much for her to do after she'd planned Sein and Suni's demise. All the feelings she'd left somewhere were resurfacing, and it felt as if she were reliving that night once again. It felt like she was a stupid fifteen year old again, standing in the dead of the night, with the Sovereign Prince gazing out from his window with teary eyes, and Kuro's dagger shining in the moonlight.

"I'm sorry, Vani." He had said, and it shattered her. She couldn't even look at him.

"Why?" She asked, it was the only thing she could force out of her chest, because it felt as if she were hyperventilating.

"I have to," he said, "you're ineffective."

"Doesn't it bother you?" She asked, with her tears glittering in the moonlight, "doesn't it bother you to even think of killing me?"

"I'm Hades, Avani. I don't think, I don't feel, I just kill." Kuro said, his dead eyes locking on hers.

"That's a lie, Kuro!" She enunciated his name, even though it felt foreign in her mouth, "you know that's a lie! You are not Hades, you are not some emotionless killer! How do you explain the way you were holding me last night, or how you were laughing yourself half to death at Ciel's jokes the other night. You're not Hades, you never were, Kuro! Abbadōn made you into this beast of a human, and you just accepted it! Why?" She screamed out as she tried to keep the river of tears from streaming down her cheeks.

"I had to," Kuro said, "I had to. Abbadōn needed me to be a monster, so I became one. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

She shook her head, and wiped her cheeks as a few stray tears escaped from her eyes, "burn for it, then, Hades." She spat his name out like it was poison, and poised her dagger in her hand. She charged toward him with her dagger reaching out toward him like a mother would toward a child she hadn't seen in a while, except her charge didn't love, it was filled with malevolence, and fuelled by betrayal. She'd never forget the look of surprise on his face as she struck him and ran away, disappearing into the night. She swore that night she hated him, she swore she'd kill him the next time she saw him, but now as she was sitting on the bed, waiting for Ignis to decide when he was leaving, she felt otherwise. She felt if she saw Kuro Lux right now, she'd jump straight into his arms, and Ignis would have to pry her off of his dead body if he wanted Kuro for himself. She lay and watched the ceiling for a while, listening to Nuri and Ignis argue, drowning in their loud voices. It felt suffocating for the second time that day, as if the Manor was going to eat her alive and then keep her in it's acidic stomach for all of eternity. She listened to their voices as they reached a crescendo like a twisted symphony, and wished she could stuff her head in a pillow and just drown out all of their bickering, but she couldn't. She lacked the willpower to so much as even move her eyes from one spot to another. A minute ago she had been ready to stab Ignis in the stomach, but now it felt as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs, and the only thing she could do was wait, wait for death to take the only person she ever loved away from her.

Ignis wasn't quite furious, but he was angry, annoyed, and impatient with Nuri and Milo. They were too pacifistic for his liking, and right now he wanted to kill Hades. He needed to kill Hades now more than ever, if he didn't, the monster would roam the earth forevermore and Ignis couldn't stand the thought of Hades taking another life. If he did, he was sure he'd go crazy, and do the same as Hades would, but he didn't want to. He knew what Avani said, about him simply becoming Hades, but he didn't want to. Something inside of him protested against turning into this demonic being that killed for fun, and didn't care about anyone. Except Avani. He ran the idea through his head, and the memories he'd experienced while he was in the coma burned his subconscious. He remembered the sensations he felt while she was in front of him, what Kuro felt, and somehow it made him seem slightly human, almost like his feelings for Avani could pardon the terrible crimes he'd committed. The feelings Kuro Lux felt for Avani Sai was something Ignis wouldn't have attributed to him. He was scared that because these strong feelings manifested themselves within Kuro's heart, he'd start seeing Avani differently. He could already feel it rising up within him, those unfelt feelings Kuro had for her. When she stood in front of him, telling him that he was about to become Hades, something inside of him resonated. He could feel what Kuro was feeling, he somehow understood why Kuro loved her. There was a certain, sinister charm to Avani Sai, in the way she preached at both the Lux brothers. Ignis knew it was stupid, thinking that way, he needed to remain focused on the impending future, he was destined to face Hades, and he was going to murder him, he was going to avenge his clan, and he was going to do it today, or soon. He was going to do it whether or not Avani approved, despite Kuro's latent feelings for her, it wasn't Ignis who loved her, it was Kuro. He had to, it would drive him crazy if he didn't.