halo 'n horns [klance au]

30. Hated and Hurt

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Lance

I was uncharacteristically nervous. Never before had I been afraid of what Keith would think on one of our adventures, but now, as we sat in the taxi shoulder-to-shoulder, I felt my nerves twitching with anxiety.

This was, after all, the last stop, so maybe I was nervous because of that, but maybe it was because I'd never been here before. I had merely researched it and decided upon it because of it's beauty, but what if Keith didn't like it?

Speaking of which, the devil beside me seemed perfectly at ease. His lips were lifted in a soft smile, something I wasn't used to, and he'd let me tie his hair back in a ponytail. It was getting outrageously long, might I add. Another thing I wasn't used to was Keith's hand on my thigh, his fingertips on the inseam of my joggers.

My lips were a little swollen from his kisses, but I didn't mind. The hickeys were new, dark purple and red and hiding just below the hem of my sweater. I blushed at the thought of last night and earlier this morning- he'd been needy in a way that was extremely attractive and made him seem vulnerable, both of which I adored.

But now, he was the same devil he'd always been, just his hand was just a few inches from my-

"You can get out here. Your total is ¥1400," the cab driver interrupted my thoughts. I handed him the money before stepping out of the cab after Keith, blinking as the early evening sun hit my eyes.

A slow stream of people trickled into a small walkway framed by a sign that read "Arashiyama Bamboo Grove". Keith's eyes went wide as he looked beyond the sign to the tall stalks of bamboo that waved slightly in the breeze.

"Wow... he murmured and I felt his hand slip into mine, interlacing our fingers.

I smiled softly. "Let's go."

...

The grove was absolutely stunning. We didn't mind the crowds that much- even with the quiet chatter and occasional crowds of people on tour guides- because of the beautiful scenery that surrounded us.

Light filtered through the leaves and stalks of bamboo above us, scattering moving splotches of sunlight across the trail and our faces. The wind whispered through the bowing bamboo, ruffling my hair and Keith's loose t-shirt.

It was almost like we were underwater, breathing in the fresh scents of life and completely secluded and alone. At one point, we were able to escape to a section of the trail where no one was walking and Keith turned on me, pushing me back lightly until I bumped into the railing of the trail. His eyes were bright with sunlight and happiness and he kissed me softly, his hands resting lightly on my hips.

"I want to stay here forever," he told me, pressing his face into the curve of my neck.

"Let's never leave," I joked softly, but immediately regretted it when Keith's remorseful eyes met mine, his pretty pink lips parting slightly.

"I wish we could," he whispered, pulling me closer and closer until I thought I'd drown in him. Keith's eyes were oceanic and soft and captivating and every time I looked at him, I wanted to dive in and hold him to my chest, let him leave marks on my skin so that I'd remember him forever, let him sink into the crevices of my mind and wallow in my heart.

The desire and longing that I'd felt since the day I'd met him had turned from hopefulness to friendship to love, and I truly believed that, if we only had the time, I would truly fall for him. But it was too late- we were too late.

My devil, with his eyes like galaxies and soul like a nebula, was consuming me whole. His love was a black hole and I didn't mind falling in. I wanted to. I wanted him.

The bamboo forest, a sea of green, swallowed us as we delved deeper and deeper into it's mysteriously calming depths, my breath catching in my throat every time we turned around a bend and a new display of beauty was presented to me.

Keith's hand tethered me to the ground as I imagined my consciousness floating through the tall stalks of bamboo, the leaves on my skin and the light on my face. It was paradise. And it was over too soon.

...

Since we had left the hotel mid-afternoon, ate lunch at a little deli, and then walked around and shopped until early-evening, we emerged from the bamboo grove at around 6pm, which was fine with me- the sunset over the roof of the Tenryū-ji Temple was gorgeous, spraying the sky with pink and red and orange.

The Temple had a small forested area around it that enclosed a small, serene pond. Keith and I walked under the large, leafy oaks and sighed, breathing in the tranquil air.

"That was perfect," Keith sighed. I had been afraid that he'd break the silence, telling me that it was time for him to leave. His eyes told me that he knew that he had to.

I reached for his hand, but as my fingers closed around his palm, he yelped, jerking away. I stared in shock at Keith's hand as the skin I'd touched turned red and irritated, like a rash or a burn. Keith hissed in pain.

Instinctively, I reached forward, trying to comfort him or see what had happened, but the devil stepped back and, to my sickening surprise, he recoiled, eyes flashing with what I could only assume was fear.

Hurt and confused, I stepped back. "Keith?" I asked, unsure.

Keith cradled his hand to his chest, looking up at me. His eyes had darkened. They were no longer the beautiful galaxies I loved. His shoulders hunched, Keith growled at me, an inhuman, frightening noise from the back of his throat. It ripped through my heart.

I watched in horror as the red burn slowly began to creep up Keith's hand, reaching his wrist and then his forearm, smoking. "What'd you do to me?" Keith cried out, piercing the tranquil air with his voice.

"Keith, I-" but before I could answer, the devil before me had sprouted his horns, rivulets of blood trickling down his forehead to his eyebrows, falling down his cheeks like tears. And there were real, salt-water tears too, from both Keith and I.

"You're breaking me, Lance! What are you doing, you're hurting me! I'm breaking!" he screamed, his tail slashing back and forth as he writhed. I felt ugly, awful, disgusting, but all I could do was watch. I was too afraid- I didn't want to hurt him again.

As the red burn spread up Keith's arm, to his shoulder and neck, I noticed a dark, swirling wind starting to form around him, bending and weaving and snaking as it grew thicker and thicker. I realized with a start that it was Keith's Energy, dark and sinister, rising from the ground itself, as if supplying him from it's home in the Underworld.

It began picking up pace, swirling around the devil. I reached out, trying to break through it, but as my fingers graced the strands of Energy, a shock of electricity leapt up my arm, sending a tremor of pain through my body.

"Just cut it off, Keith! Please," I yelled over the wind, screaming at the devil above his own howling. "It doesn't have to end like this!"

In one final, agonizing moment, the burn spread down Keith's chest to where his heart would have been. Keith's eyes locked with mine, all black, malicious, hurt and angry. And he whispered his next words to me, barely audible, but I heard it louder than his screams.

"I hate you," Keith whispered. His Energy came crashing in.

...

ahhhhahahahaha oops

qotd: pancakes of waffles?

aotd: put pancake batter in a waffle iron.

i love u <3