Forgiving Light

Chapter 14

We get home at three in the morning. The events drained me, and I know I need sleep. I'm scared, though.

You know perfectly well why!

I just don't think I can stand seeing those images again and again and again. It's depressing. It's frightening.

Kuro turns back into his raven form and sits on my shoulder. "Masssster, you musssst get a proper resssst."

"I know, Kuro," I sigh. I flop onto the bed, feeling the drowsiness take over. "I just...I just can't..."

Before I know it, my eyes close, and I go to sleep.

********

Someone's rubbing my back, saying things in a soothing tone. I can't open my eyes. That terrible scene keeps replaying over and over again.

Fingers brush my cheek. They brush tears away.

The sight of the blade falling jolts me awake. I don't acknowledge the person there for a while. For once, I know I'm not in my Prison cell.

When my eyes adjust to the dark, and I can trust my voice, I speak. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I heard you crying," Yuki states. "You can't lie to me anymore, Black Mist. I know you're upset about something. That angry and smug front is just a front to cover up what you're really feeling."

"I don't care if you know. Just...just don't speak of this to anyone." I reach out and stroke Kuro's sleeping form.

She sighs. "Okay. If that's what you want..." She gets up and leaves, closing the door silently behind her.

I sit up, unable to rest now that I'm fully refreshed. "Kuro, wake up," I command the sleeping raven.

When he doesn't wake up, I sigh. I reach over to the pouch and take out a full handful of seeds. I wave it in front of Kuro's beak, knowing he won't resist the temptation of food.

"Want some food?" I tempt. "You know you want some."

One of Kuro's eyes open. He stares greedily at the seeds, almost like a viper hunting a rat or something. After a while of staring, he flaps over to my hand and eats the seeds.

"What now, Kuro?" I ask the raven. "Should I take his soul now? Or should I just kill one of them to see what happens?"

Kuro looks up but doesn't answer.

"I guess it depends on the circumstances, huh?" I sigh, watching the dark clouds cover the moon. "You know what? I can't seem to remember my childhood anymore. I remember when I was in the Prison that the images of Astral and I playing together in our Early Years were vivid. I guess even that was taken. My memories of our innocent times."

A dull pain starts in my right shoulder. Actually, I think it's been there. I must have hit something when I fell and knocked my head.

I rub the gem on my shoulder, and the pain dies out. Dull pains are always the most irritating.

The door opens. I don't move.

"Who is it?" I call calmly.

"So, Astral was right. You are here," Tsukumo states bluntly.

"Really? Well, what does he or you want?"

He starts walking toward me. "I want you to stop this. What do you hope to accomplish by destroying the city?"

I close my eyes. "Blood is being shed. It's not enough. There must be more." I open my eyes again. "A sea of blood. Yes. A whole ocean of blood."

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Tsukumo repeats.

"I need to take my anger out on something, ne?"

"But why Earth?"

I give a short laugh. "It wasn't my choice. I have no idea how I got here in the first place!" Kuro flies to my shoulder, eyeing Yuma. "Then, I met Tar. The one you know as Edward. He and I were pretty good. He kept my a secret, and I got to sneak out at night to personally draw blood."

"But why do you want so much blood? That's what's confusing me. Plus, Astral said you're not the average darkness."

" 'Course I'm not, but there's no fucking way in hell that I would tell you my reasons for the blood-drawing. Too personal. Way too personal. Let's stay out of the personal stuff, okay?" I jump off the bed, Kuro flapping his wings wildly to stay on. I touch Tsukumo's forehead, and I smirk haughtily as his eyes go blank. "Now, tell Astral that the darkness is spreading faster than he can stop it. Even in you."

Yuma nods and walks mechanically to the door.

When the front door closes, I float over to the window to watch. After a while, I jump out of the window and follow Tsukumo to his house. I morph into my human form to keep away unwanted suspicion. When he gets to his house, I morph back to my spirit form mostly because it's more comfortable, but it's also better for sneaking around a silent place. Especially at night.

"Yuma, what are you doing up so late?" a red-haired female demands. She must be his older sister.

Tsukumo doesn't respond. I didn't command him to. I do command him to stop, though.

"Yuma, answer me!" The woman marches up to him. "What's wrong with you? You that you should answer, Yuma!"

I reveal myself to her and smirk. "Yuma here is my puppet," I explain. "He does as I command."

She scowls. "Who are you?"

"Me? My name is Number 96 Black Mist." I float up to her and touch her forehead and place my other hand over her heart. "You'll join me, too. After all, family has to stick together." With that, I insert evil intentions into her subconscious and dark energy into her heart since it will deliver the evil to all other parts of her body.

I get closer to her until my forehead is touching the hand that's on her head. "Now, be a dear and go to sleep, will ya?"

She stares at me with blank eyes and nods slowly. She pulls away from me and goes to her room like a child obeying her parent. I look back to Tsukumo and command him to proceed. He starts walking again.

Tsukumo enters his room and taps the Key, urging Astral out. Astral gets out with an irritated look.

"What?" he demands. Then, he catches the blank look in Tsukumo's gaze. "Yuma...no, Black Mist, what do you want? What damn message do you have?"

"The darkness is spreading faster than you can stop it," Tsukumo says. "Even in me."

A look of horror crosses Astral's face briefly before he slips on his stone mask. "I see. I suppose that means war, then."

"Yes," I answer. "My army will only grow. Every person Tsukumo interacts with will get a spot of darkness in them. Unfortunately, that doesn't include you." I chuckle. "Well, he is my puppet for a reason."

Astral looks to where I hide. "I will not fail this. I never have, and I never will." With that, he enters the Key once more.

I release Tsukumo and go back home.