Looking at the girl curiously, the dragon said, “You… know him?”
Sakura, who had been staring at the demon that was now plunging down from the top of the cliff towards Hisoka at the bottom, watched in amazement as she tried to recall how she knew this man, or if that’s what she was really feeling. Her mind was a mass of confusion, both for Hisoka and this mystery man who sought to slaughter him the first chance he got. She could have easily mixed up her real memories for something that she never actually experienced. In a world of dreams, how are you to know what is real and what is not?
But now as she stood in front of Hisoka, she couldn’t help but stare at the demon with great black wings high above them. She felt as if she had known both of them for a very long time but the feeling was like a distant memory or a dream even that didn’t hold any validity in the real world. A moment passed by that felt like an eternity as she stopped to think. Time felt as if it had slowed down all of a sudden; the demon stopped falling, the massive red clouds in the sky stopped churning over upon itself, the cool, putrid wind of death stopped its wicked song that tried so very hard to drive her insane. This whole world was crazy. Every last bit of it. Nothing around her seemed to be real; the appearance of the dragon within the Dreambomb, the angelic figure of Hisoka, the mystery devil man, this world of seemingly endless death and destruction… This had to be a dream. But what dream would be so frightful, so real? The questions were endless.
Who was Hisoka, anyway? She had never known him before they met in psych class that day, and before that she saw him after the accident five years ago. That was all she really knew about him except for these odd feelings she had deep inside, feelings she tried to hide, to forget, but they only resurfaced again later. Like scratching an itchy sore and causing it to bleed, she kept scratching at her vacant memory until it hurt too much to even blink away. These were feelings that she’d rather leave untouched because she was afraid, afraid of the unknown; there must have been a reason to forget them in the first place, if that is what she had done. Why was she forced to remember these things now?
As she turned her gaze back to Hisoka before her, lying in a pool of his own blood, she felt her soul shrivel up inside in horror. He looked just like a wounded angel with his enormous, white wings hanging limply from his strong shoulders. The blood from his wounds oozed darkly red down his bare chest and arms, almost as softly as one sheds a tear. He looked so weak and tired from the loss of blood. Sakura wondered how he managed to stay alive with all of those severe wounds. Any normal person wouldn’t have stood a chance. Each cut was worse than the last; out of all of his ghastly injuries, the gash in his upper chest frightened her the most. The cut was deep and went straight into his chest with blood continually pouring from it with no end in sight. His face was the most puzzling, however. With all of his inflictions, his face showed no indication of feeling any pain or fear at all; it was near emotionless, inhuman. What sort of human denies his own pains and thinks than nothing more of them than a slight annoyance? This had to be a nightmare. Something like this couldn’t be real, so hideously evil and devilish.
"Wake up, you stupid!" Mukashi yelled at her, smacking her back with his little arms in frustration and anxiety.
How much time passed by while she was in deep thought, she didn't know, but she could see demon still felling from the side of the cliff. There was still time left to do whatever Mukashi so desperately wanted her to do in the first place.
Looking at the little golden monster hovering beside her, Sakura shook her head violently, grasping it as if she had a massive headache. "I can't take much more of this…" She looked up to Mukashi with swollen, watery eyes. "What do you want me to do?"
Finally! The time has come! Grinning brightly, Mukashi said, "Good!" With nothing more than a little wink, he turned back into the little ball and fell into Sakura's hands. "I need you to throw me at him."
Nodding, Sakura did so without another though. "Good luck!" Sakura threw the ball at Hisoka as if she was a pro pitcher, but the ball curved strangely in its flight and did not physically touch Hisoka. Instead, it flew over his head and stopped completely in its tracks. With the demon in the background, the Dreambomb began irradiating a golden light, piercing through Hisoka's frozen mind.
**********
He heard it, heard it speaking to him in the pulsating rays of the most brilliant, golden light. Raising his head, Hisoka looked at the sphere as if he were a child gazing upon a new toy. He wanted to reach out and grab it but his arms wouldn't move. He tried to look away but he couldn't do that either. It was like he was frozen in time, an immobile statue waiting to be set free. He could feel the anxiety well up inside of him and he knew whatever this sphere was it was going to save him. Its gorgeous hymn played quietly in his mind and he embraced it freely.
I am the light, the thought, the memory…
What once was will soon be again… The
answers lie in five scattered pieces. The
one without an end has already been found.
Grasp this sphere and I will show you.
Almost without a mind of his own, Hisoka obeyed the voice he heard echoing from within the orb. All of his surroundings seemed to melt away into nothingness as he focused solely on this one, seemingly insignificant object. Wrapping his hands around the glowing sphere, Hisoka closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. Falling into some sort of daydream, he felt suddenly at peace, his body feeling lighter and lighter and then he began to float up into the sky like a lost balloon. So high into the sky he rose, and then behind a cloud, he saw the golden shimmer of the sun. He wanted to grab it, to fly higher than it, but he couldn’t. It’s light held him back almost as if there was an invisible wall between he and it. And so he decided not to fight it. Floating across the beautiful blue sky Hisoka pictured in his mind, he closed his eyes again and let the air current take him away. This instant of peace would be the last he would ever experience.
In the next second the orb burst into flames of gold fire and spread all across Hisoka's body. Screaming out in both pain and shock, Hisoka stood holding the orb tightly in both hands, his two wings outstretched to keep his balance from the force. He felt as if he was just hit with a huge bolt of lightning or fireball. Every inch of his body ached and his head pounded to the beat of his heart that raced faster than humanly possible. He had to gain control over the sphere or else…
And then it happened.
Through Hisoka’s faltering hands, the shining orb escaped his grasp and hit him square in the chest, next to the dagger wound. Like a light feather floats through the thick air, so did the orb submerge itself completely through Hisoka's flesh, deep inside his body. He didn't feel any pain when it entered his chest nor did he afterward, but he could feel a lingering heat emanating from within. Placing a red-stained hand over the area where the orb entered, Hisoka could feel the heat pulsating inside of him, giving him power. And then he heard the voice again, only this time it felt much closer.
"Take this. You can defeat that monster with just the thought."
Piercing out of his right hand, the tip of a dagger began to seep out of his arm. It was the same dagger as before, the same one that the demon used against him three times in a row. Just the sight of it reminded him of the pain again and he nearly fell to his knees.
"Keep it together! You can win if you just believe!" The words rang out loudly in his mind over and over again. "If you just believe… if you just believe… you can win!"
The voice was right. He could win. He could take control over this situation and crush it under his feet. That demon that wished to kill him would have to settle for nothing. Nothing more than his own destruction! Hisoka glared up with red eyes at the monster falling down toward him. How stupid he was! He was falling down upon a newly sharpened knife just waiting to be used. And in the next thought, Hisoka grabbed the dagger that finally emerged from his hand. With just the slightest thought, the weapon he held suddenly grew to the size of a long sword, the hilt and cross bars remained in the shape of a dragon's head and wings, but the shiny blade changed in more ways than one. It was now about three and a half feet long and the white steal appeared to glow with a shadowy hue, mysterious and deadly. Hisoka stood with the blade in his hands, waiting for the demon to fall closer.
Almost… almost…
**********
Looking onward in amazement, Sakura couldn't believe what was happening. Seconds after she threw the Dreambomb at Hisoka, he changed… He changed into something she had never seen before. He hadn’t grown another head or another pair of legs, but his eyes changed drastically when he came in contact with the orb. It was like Mukashi was influencing him somehow, forcing him to… To what? Turn evil, just like the demon on the cliff? Something wasn't right. What was happening to him?
"It's all my fault," Sakura whispered to herself as she fell to her knees on the dusty soil below. "It's all my fault. I've turned him into a monster."
It's all my fault! I've turned him into a monster!
Shh shhh. It's not your fault, Sydirna.
He can't help what he's become… and if that's a monster, then we're all
doomed.
But we already are! Can't you see the fear in the townspeople's
eyes when he walks by? They think he's
the one committing those murders! Who
can blame them? I'm scared, too!
Sydirna, you must have more faith
than that. Ryuu wouldn't hurt a soul,
even if he was forced to.
What was that? Out of no where, two voices cried out loudly
in her heart and mind, breaking free from her limited memory in her weakened
emotional state. Who were these people
she heard? Sydirna and Ryuu? Those names sounded so familiar and yet she
still couldn’t put a finger on the answer.
Maybe it was this world that was getting to her. Yeah, this dream world was possessed with
crazy, infernal beings that sought to devour her mind! She wouldn’t let them. No, they wouldn’t destroy her mind! Not here, not now… Not until…
Have you heard the rumors? They say that your boyfriend is the one
behind these killings. Isn't that
spooky?
That's just a bunch of nasty
rumors. You shouldn't believe in those
kind of things floating around school.
But what if they're true?
Boyfriend? But who…?
Ryuu… Are you all right? You've
got me really worried…with all this talk about destiny and our path…
The path of destiny is hell. Don't ever forget that.
Listen
to me, Sydirna! I don't want you going
near that…that monster!
Father,
please! Don't call him that.
He
is the one behind these murders! How do
you expect me to feel? All I want to do
is protect my little girl. We have a
long history, our family. For years
we've protected the flow of time and watched the growth of destiny in this
world, but that boy is nothing but a bump in the road! Certainly you must see that.
Father,
no…
I
will not have you disobeying me! You
are not to see him again!
D-daddy?
I won't believe it! I won't!
He couldn't have done something like this! It wasn't him!
All the evidence points to him.
He was there that night those people
were killed!
We even have witnesses who saw the
whole thing and can vouch his whereabouts.
No!
It's not true…
I'm sorry, Sydirna, but he's guilty.
He will appear before the judge
tomorrow.
Ryuu… Ryuu? Listen! You have to run away! They're going to lock you up if you don't! Please, even if I'll never see you again,
you have to get away!
The path has already been
chosen. How can anyone run away from
their chosen path?
…Ryuu…you're not making any sense…
Trust me. We'll see each other again, someday.
Ryuu…Please don’t do something we’ll
both regret… Please…
Don't cry… I'm sorry this has to be so hard on you. If only…
Ryuu……
This will not be the end.
…the end…the end…end…
…end…
That voice… She knew that voice. The sound felt so close
to her; she thought she could reach out her hand and touch that person she
heard so well. When she looked around
and couldn’t find the source of the voice, she bowed her head, a stream of
tears running down her face onto her leg.
Could the mere sound of someone’s voice defeat her spirit?
He has caused too much
heartache! He must be dealt with!
The time has come to put that fiend
away!
There will be no trial! He’s guilty! Now, perform the ritual!
Even if he dies, the evil spirit must be vanquished!
Destroy that demon!
Demon…? No, h-he’s not a demon… Please, you must understand! Reiko! No! You don’t know what you’re doing! Please stop! Ryuu!
"No…… No…”
Slowly falling back into the black in-between world, Sakura sat watching as Hisoka collided with the demon. In a swift moment, everything turned white from the impact. Then just as swiftly they hit, Sakura was flung into the black hole of the cross between.
The voices seemed to be gone. All she could hear was the sound of her own labored breathing, but then across the darkness, she saw the face of…that man! He was the one she had seen before in the cross between, the same one that Hisoka fought in the dream world. But he looked somehow different when he appeared before her. His eyes shone gently gold, and his red and white hair wasn’t a mess like it had been before; it was neatly combed even if some still hang in his eyes. Still that didn’t hide the light that came from those two spheres. Sakura felt as if he could light the darkness with just his eyes. Those eyes supported her when she thought she could no longer take the sound of the voices racing through her mind.
Then just when she thought everything would be all right, the man disappeared.
“No! Don’t leave me!” she began to cry, desperately calling out to the man that was never there. “Please! I-I’m lost… I don’t know what to do!”
No response.
Again falling to her knees, she wanted to disappear just as the man had through the thick blackness that surrounded her in every direction. Why couldn’t she just disappear? Then she wouldn’t feel this sorrow, this pain, and she didn’t even know why she felt that way. Why did she even care about either of these two men? They both upped and left her when she need someone the most. Not even Mukashi came to kick her in the back. She was entirely alone.
With nothing more to do, Sakura let her tears flow from her eyes. At least the sound of her sobs covered up the unending echo of silence.
Don’t
cry, Sydirna. I’ll…always be with you…
Quickly raising her head to the sound of the voice, Sakura stared through the black mist, searching for the source of the voice. But no one was there. All she had left was the memory of a voice trying to keep her from breaking.
**********
Hisoka's bedroom was cold and dark. Any spiritual light that might have lit the room was gone. Only the little lamp on the desk next to the bed was still lit. Aiko sat in her chair, holding her son's hand gently. Kaori sat in a corner of the room shrouded in dark shadows overlooking Sakura as she lay motionless on the floor. It had been nearly an hour since she entered Hisoka's dream, and Kaori could only imagine what horrors she was seeing there. Her gaze slowly shifted to Hisoka, lying on the blood-stained sheets and wondered how one small life drag so many others into a swirl of problems?
"Destiny. Who ever thought it up should have been killed," Kaori spoke quietly to herself.
She knew all too well about destiny and fate. It was her father who dragged her into it all, and his father before him, and his father before him for a countless number of centuries before. It was a part of her family history, the Nagamero clan. They were a group of gypsies, psychics to foretell the lifestream of destiny, its path and those centrally involved with it. That is why she was so interested in taking on Hisoka's case, unlike the others back at PCM. Hardly a handful of employees there believed in such an obscure thing as destiny. Those few quickly became her friends and then were quickly fired by the company for their “incompetence.” Sooner or later she knew she would be next. There was no room for a misfit in the world of biased employers. The PCM would try their hardest to split her from this case, but she would always come back on her own accord. Always.
Kaori couldn't figure out why or how Hisoka stuck out so much more than all the other insignificants did. Perhaps it was her family history at work. She was known to unintentionally tap into the stream of destiny and learn interesting facts about life that way. How she was able to do so still remained a mystery to her. It was just one of her many skills that must be honed and mastered. Until then, she would follow her gut feelings, and they told her to stay near this kid. He would open the path to all of her questions and down that road she would find her own reason for existence, a reason to live.
Then just as she was beginning to feel at peace with her surroundings, Sakura's piercing scream reminded her of the cruel reality of circumstance. Jumping up to comfort her, Kaori said, "Whoa, whoa… It's okay. You're all right."
Staring wide-eyed at nothing, all Sakura could say was, "No…. no…. no…"
Looking at the poor girl, Aiko said, "She's dramatized! What happened?"
"Sakura? Speak to me. Are you all right?"
She shook her head, frowning as two large tears fell from her eyes, her lip curling sorrowfully. She couldn't hold it back any more. Grabbing a hold of Kaori, she began sobbing on her shoulder.
"Shh shhh… It's all right… Everything will be all right."
Shh shhh…
Everything will be all right…
No, no… The voices… Was that just her imagination in the dream world…or was she trying to remember something…? She heard Kaori's words echoing in her mind just as that one voice had in the dream… Was that Kaori that she was speaking with then? Why did they all call her Sydirna? Who was she?
Before she could respond in any way to Kaori's soft words, Aiko suddenly broke into tears as well.
"He's awake! He's awake!"
He wasn't awake, at least not fully. Hisoka could still see and hear the demon, the orb, the voices… all of them so commanding. He gave into the tumult of sound and he found a sword in his hand. With it he won his freedom from the demon that plagued his dreams. But how much longer could he continue to hold the beast at bay? He raised his hand to his chest to feel the warmth beneath there and he grinned darkly, knowing he would have the strength to battle him again.
"Hisoka! Are you all right? Please, say something!"
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw his mother hovering above him like she always had before. Why did she have to be so close, sticking her nose into everything? It annoyed him so much that they had to be so worried! He could take care of himself! Then when he was about to smack his mother’s hand away, he felt a sudden chill as the heat within him subsided. Looking up at his mother, he felt his own tears run down his face.
"Mom…"
"Oh, Hisoka!" They embraced warmly, never wanting to let go again. Hisoka felt safe within his mother's arms, but he knew it would never last forever. Letting her go, he looked around the room and saw Kaori with Sakura in the center of the room. When he tried to move out of bed, a burst of pain ripped across his body. He coughed, nearly choking. Wiping the corner of his mouth after the spasm passed, he noticed it was blood. He was coughing up blood! Shocked, Hisoka looked and felt his body for any injuries, the memory from the dream still feeling so real. He didn't have one single cut on him, but he still felt injured, weak.
This is
all a dream… And yet, you’re making it
real.
That monster… Could what he said be true? Hisoka felt the sheets below him. They felt hot and sticky and he knew what it was before he looked to confirm his suspicions. They were all red, red with blood, his blood…
Turning back around, Kaori looked up at the boy. He returned the look, still frightened by the realization. The beating memory of the dream wouldn't stop tormenting him. He tried to block it out, but nothing seemed to work. He didn't want to break down in front of his mother or the girl from school, so he tried to fight it back. But it just bit him even harder.
You are destined to die…