The Demons of Shadow Moon

Part 85 - Edgy Demons

The twins rushed over to the wounded Echo, their expressions a mix of worry and anger.

"Just what is your problem?!" Yukine's voice trembled with barely contained rage. The dim light from distant torches on the walls cast shadows across his face.

"You almost kill us, and for what?! Just to get us closer?!"  His eyes blazed as he glared at her, his voice echoing through the stone chamber.

"You have no right to try and force feelings!! Because of you, Luna could have been killed! Do you even realise that?! And what the hell do any of my feelings have to do with you anyway?! I'm sick of people trying to control me! Ruin me! You won't ruin this...! I'm not trying to win Luna's heart, alright?! That's not what I'm fighting for, so drop it!!!" Yukine announced.

Luna gasped, unsure of what to make of his outburst.

"Mistress...!" Haru growled, glaring at Yukine as Kyou helped Echo to her feet.

Echo's gaze met Yukine's, unwavering and calm despite the tension.

"Echo didn't mean any real harm, Yukine... You shouldn't have hurt her like that," Yurio said gently, though his voice shook slightly.

"Uh. Don't you feel the same?!" Yukine's voice was a raw snarl.

"Luna could have died... Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn't have given a damn about that, Yurio?!" Yukine snapped, his frustration boiling over.

"Uh! No! That's not what I was saying!" Yurio's face flushed with anger.

"Maybe he's just cranky without his mask..." Aki mumbled awkwardly. 

"This has nothing to do with my mask!!!" he yelled, his cheeks darkened, emotion overwhelming him. 

"Is that so, Yukine?" Echo interrupted, her expression unreadable as she stood behind him, a red mark on her cheek.

Yukine didn't turn his back to face her but simply fell silent. The tension in the air was crushing.

"Without your mask... you can't hide it," Echo's voice was calm, her gaze unyielding. 

"Something snapped into place just now, didn't it? ... what you've just encountered... is called fear," she continued.

He stuttered with wide eyes from her words.

"'Living' as a ghost demon is hard... empty. It's hardly living at all. You told me yourself that you'd given up. The assumption of dying being your only escape had been inscribed into your mind. So it was only natural that in that hopeless state, you began to lack fear of death. You didn't have a reason to cling onto life... but just now, you did, didn't you?" she added, her eyes softening.

"Just moments ago, you were clinging to it with everything you had. Now tell me, would you have put so much strength behind it if you alone were the one who fell?" she confronted.

Yukine raised his hand to cover his face, unable to meet her gaze.

"Echo... I don't think you should be--" Luna tried to defend.

Echo raised her index finger with a smile, not breaking eye contact with Yukine's turned-away face.

"Without your mask, you can't hide it, can you? Admit it. You've finally found something worth hanging onto life for. Otherwise, you would have let go..." Echo went on.

"Echo, what are you doing?" Luna mumbled with worry. 

"You see it now, don't you?" Echo's voice was soft but piercing.