Walking Delusions

a/n: We draw ever closer to the end. Events are going to start happening snap-snap now. I hope the pick up in the pace doesn't throw you off.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty: Falling Action

The angered climax was come and gone,
Questions are answered, undone.
Still I walk inside my dream,
Still I have my delusional reality.
My painted blood stains dry earth,
And an ageless cries for sacrifice.

They caught up to me before I managed to get far, Vincent suddenly appearing out of an alley between two buildings in front of me. The look on his face was empty, but a storm raged in his eyes. He wasn't any more fond of continuing to be in my presence than I was to remain in his.

I drew up short, staring at him as I clenched my hands into my fists. “What do you want?” I demanded, wondering if I would have to fight for my life.

He didn't answer, his eyes flicking past me. I heard the crunch of feet over gravel and rock. I turned to find Melath and Ivory behind me, the latter with a bored look on her face. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they wanted. Melath clarified anyways.

“We're heading to Nyorai as well,” he stated, one hand lingering on his rarely used sword. “It is safer to travel in a group.”

I snorted, crossing my arms. “Since when have you any of you cared about my safety.”

Ivory didn't even look at me as she spoke, her eyes eagerly on the horizon. “We don't. But Ryou did. And for his sake, we'll make sure your useless ass gets to Nyorai.”

“Your kindness is overwhelming,” I replied icily, a bit perturbed and a bit relieved. Though Ixion had said not to worry about the Hruby, I was still very much concerned. My knees were shaking much like Usopp in One Piece, a brave front but inside very much afraid.

If any of them had plans to say anything in return, I never had chance to hear them. There was a small sound, barely noticeable except by the warriors of the group. I didn't realize anything was amiss until Vincent's brow furrowed and Melath's frown deepened. I watched Vincent's hand drop to his sword, drawing it a few inches.

Ivory's grin widened and then suddenly, she was whipping her axe through the air, whirling in the same motion. Her weapon whistled through the air, neatly cleaving directly through the belly of the attacker who had snuck up behind her. The man coughed up blood and dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood spattering everywhere.

Time seemed to stop in that moment. Everything froze. Ivory's face grew frightening, plastered with small drops of sanguine fluid. Melath was already pulling out his bow, preparing to nock an arrow. Behind me, Vincent must have been ready for battle. But I couldn't see. And there was myself, standing there useless.

And then the swarm came. Ten, twenty, thirty, more and more until we were surrounded, It was as if they came out out of the very woodwork, pouring from every alley, appearing in every doorway. I wondered how they had hidden themselves in the town. I wondered how Vincent or any of the others had previously missed their presence. They all bore naked blades and were dressed in similar styles to the bounty hunters as before. But judging from the looks of murder in their eyes, they were not after a bounty. They wanted blood.

Fear struck my heart, turning my veins to ice. I could only gasp and back away, forgetting about the weapon on my back. It was of no use to me anyways. I couldn't aim to save my life. I would only turn the lovely bow into another club that wouldn't last long as a weapon of any kind.

The movement of time returned in the space of breath and the sound of weapons ringing filled the air. It became a blur as I struggled to see what was going on, nearly losing sight of my companions. Ixion's laughter resounded in my head as he cheered our attackers on, cackling mercilessly at the sight of the blood spattering everywhere. I felt trapped, at a loss for what to do.

One of the men came towards me, a half-axe clutched in his grip. He was yelling incoherently, feet pounding against the ground. I ducked his first wild swing, falling to the ground and crawling on hands and knees away. His axe sunk into the earth to the left of me and then to the right. I found myself whimpering as I struggled to get away, wishing that Ryou were still alive because he would have protected me.

The axe whistled dangerously over my body as I threw myself out of the way, ending up on my back and facing upwards. I saw death reflecting in the silver blade. I saw a familiar stance. Ryou had shown me this. He had also shown me what to do. It was worth a shot.

Sucking in terrified breaths, I drew up a knee and kicked out, slamming the heel of my foot into his knee cap. Felt it crack and crunch in a satisfying way beneath my heel. The man howled, his leg buckling beneath him. It was only a precious moment but it was all I needed to scramble to my feet.

As he struggled to regain his footing, I ran. I didn't care for finishing him off. I just wanted to find somewhere safe; I just wanted to be somewhere safe.

It was pathetic, but I did what I had to do to survive. I ducked and crawled, diving around people, playing the perfect escape artist. I could hear the sounds of fighting, Ivory's grunts, the twang of Melath's bow, Vincent's silent swordplay. Our enemies were crying out as they were slain with precision, but even my companions weren't without fault.

I saw it by accident, turning to gauge where I should go. I caught sight of blond hair swinging, of a finely honed axe cleaving through the air. Ivory was surrounded yet was steadily hacking away at her enemies. Limbs flew everywhere, stacking up around her until the ground was littered with bodies, some still moaning. Her face was streaked with their life fluid, her movement's choppy and angered.

Her eyes gleamed like a demon's and that smile, it was still on her lips, now painted red. It made me shiver in fear. And society had turned her into this monster.

Ivory killed and wounded with every swing of her axe, the haft and blade stained with blood and gore. Even so, she was hopelessly surrounded. The enemies simply kept coming as if they had an endless supply of sacrificial beings.

Someone had a spear.

Facing down three others, she didn't see the long shaft and sharp edge heading for her back. It pierced her right side from behind, coming out through to the other side with a sharp spray. I gasped out loud, hand coming up to my face as I backed up against a building.

Ivory jerked, faltering for only a moment before finishing her wild swing. Three men went down in a snap. The enemy behind her wasted no time in yanking his weapon back out, which had to hurt ten times worse. He aimed for another sharp jab. Ivory was already turning around.

She broke his spear in half with a well-timed slice, but the damage had been done, her own blood now streaming down her side. Her reflexes were slowed. Someone, I couldn't see who in the flurry of arms and weapons and men, slashed her across the backs of her legs. She went down to one knee, still fighting, still swinging that carefully honed axe.

And then they were stabbing, over and over, into her body even as she kept fighting back, trying to fend them off. Ivory went down in a sea of blades and anonymous strangers. All I could do was stand by and stare in horror, watching her demise. A part of me knew that I should have done something more, but another part of me was frozen in place, petrified by my fear.

Horrified, I struggled to swallow down my nausea. I nearly missed the two men who were aiming arrows in my direction. Hurriedly ducking, I fell to the ground and then scrambled to my feet, running again. In the madness, I fled blindly, crying out when something sharp nicked my arm. The warmth of the blood flowing brought everything into sharp clarity. I felt as if I were suddenly drowning in death and destruction.

My eyes caught something lying on the ground, abandoned and nearly trampled. It was Ryou's staff. Ivory must have dropped it at some point. There was no one around and I hurriedly snatched it as I ran by, nearly tripping over the added weight. It would work as an excellent bludgeon if necessary.

One hand clutched at Ryou's pouch. I was praying to gods that I didn't believe in. I was wishing that Ryou hadn't died. I was wishing that I hadn't ever appeared in this place. I had the thought that I was going to die, and then I wondered if I would be forced to suffer a death, only to be reborn again.

Suddenly, I was yanked into a nearby alley by the back of my robes. I screeched loudly, body flailing as I fought against the pull and nearly crashed onto the ground. I was pulled against a much larger body, a hand placed over my mouth.

“Shut up!” hissed a voice I recognized.

Movement out of the corner of my eye revealed Melath, face pinched with worry and his clothes stained with the results of the battle. Vincent was breathing heavily, I could tell by the heave of his chest against my back.

I elbowed Vincent, wanting some space between us. He grunted and immediately let go. I whirled on him, anger on my lips, but it faulted when I saw that he was injured. He had been sliced in the side. Nothing fatal but it was probably painful. And I had just elbowed him there.

He probably deserved it.

They didn't give me any time for questions, already taking off towards the other end of the alley. I followed after them, knowing that the enemy would be nearby. Sure enough, we were only halfway through before they started pouring in after us. We started running, though I already felt breathless.

“Where's Ivory?” Melath shouted back to me before suddenly whirling and whipping out his bow in a move so smooth that it seemed all one motion. He fired three arrows in rapid succession as he ran backwards, taking out three of the closest men to us.

I shook my head, trying to erase the image from my mind. “Dead.” My voice was absolutely toneless, dead almost.

There was no evident reaction, but I could see the subtle tightening of Vincent's shoulders.

“Runihura din,” Vincent hissed angrily, one of his hands clenching into fists. “Destroyer of life. Being with you is a death sentence.”

“It's not my fault!” I shouted, already panting for breath from our running. “I didn't ask for any of this!”

He glared at me from over his shoulder, grey eyes blazing with fire. “It's never your fault! We didn't ask to be your whim!” he yelled, fury emblazoned on his features.

My eyes widened in shock as suddenly I understood. Those words, that voice, it all clicked in my mind. Nename was familiar because I knew him. I had been dreaming of Vincent; it had been he to speak to me. I felt dizzy with the revelation, too much information crashing down around me at once. I wanted to ask more questions, to demand more answers, but could hardly catch my breath.

Why Vincent? Why did I dream of him? Why did he speak to me? What was I still missing? What was that vital link?

Our pursuers were getting closer, their shouts echoing along the stone walls. Melath drew to a sudden halt and I nearly crashed into him, Vincent easily missing the near pile-up. My head whipped up, my heart leaping into my throat as I caught sight of more enemies clogging the other end of the alleyway. We were effectively trapped.

If I hadn't been already, I was assuredly panicking now. My heart was leaping into my throat, strangling me with its fast and clipped beating. My palms were sweating, body covered in fear. The superficial wounds still bled, dampening my robes. I gripped tightly onto Ryou's staff as if its very presence would protect me, beginning to hyperventilate.

“Trapped like rats,” someone commented from the mass behind me, an amused chuckle slipping from his mouth.

“Couldn't be any more easier,” another added.

There was general laughter between the two groups surrounding us. It hit me in that moment that there was just something a little odd about the situation. But in my frantic state, I couldn't stand still long enough to think about it. I was too busy freaking out.

Melath and Vincent were standing back to back, prepared to take on the entire mass of soldiers. I didn't know how they thought that would actually work. I stood off to the side, feeling useless and hopeless. Not even the determination in their faces was enough to inspire me into bravery.

I watched Melath draw his bow and nock an arrow, prepared to take out as many from afar as possible. His supply was getting low, however, perhaps fifteen at the most. It wouldn't be long before they overwhelmed us. I felt this overwhelming need to faint.

And then it happened.

I saw the shadow first, but I didn't know what it was. A bird passing overhead, a small cloud over the sun. I did not think for one moment about an ambush from above.

They jumped down from the roof, three men, two of them tackling Melath and sending him crashing to the ground. A third dropped down in front of me. I did the most logical thing. I screamed and swung out Ryou's staff blindly, cracking him violently on the shoulder. I heard something snap sickly as he howled, hand rising to clutch the injured limb. I didn't give him time, backing up and swinging again.

This time I hit his head. The sickening thunk made my stomach churn, as did the blood and hair matting Ryou's weapon. But I wanted to live. Death was not an option.

Panting as if I'd run a mild race, I looked up to see that one of the men was already lying on the ground dead, a victim of Vincent's sword. He was grappling with the other and Melath was slowly rising to his feet. And just beyond them, our foes had crossbows, the arrows notched appearing far more dangerous than your basic iron-tipped. With us as easy targets in the middle, it didn't take a genius to figure where they were aiming.

“Melath! Look out!” I shouted, my eyes flickering between him and the archers.

He was clutching his head, blood streaming from between his fingers where he had been struck in the temple.

My warning was too late. He either didn't hear me, or maybe, I didn't speak at all. In the midst of the battle, it could have all been in my mind.

The sound of the crossbows firing resounded through the air, far louder than any gunshot. They mingled with the noise of Vincent viciously stabbing his opponent through the gut, the man's gurgle as he dropped to the ground.

I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate. I didn't want to watch the last of my companions fall.

I felt the whoosh of an arrow as it whizzed past my cheek, clipping my hair. It must have struck the building behind me because I heard a low thud. A pained grunt soon followed, matched with the solid thunk of three arrows. There were footsteps behind me, so close I could hear their breaths. My fingers tightened white-knuckled around Ryou's staff. But no arrows pierced my flesh.

I forced myself to peel open my eyes.

I gaped. Vincent had dove in front of Melath, guarding his lover with his own body. He had successfully blocked a few of the barrage but the rest had embedded themselves into his body, slipping through his defenses. His thigh, his shoulder, his hip, his arm... from my awkward angle, there were probably a few that I missed. It was a miracle he remained standing.

He wavered for several seconds as if he were going to fall before he squared his shoulders, clutched his sword, and suddenly charged forward. The three advancing from the group in front of us didn't know what hit them as a rampaging demon struck them head on. Two quick slashes and one man was already down, his sword cracked in two and head nearly severed.

Melath was left staring in horror, watching Vincent's blood drip to the ground. I imagined I would have the same reaction if my lover had done the same for me. In all the time I had known them, I had never seen one protect the other. It was an unspoken agreement, or something similar, that they believed in their own power. So why now?

I watched, body stunned into immobility, as Melath jerked to his feet, whipping out his bow within a manner of seconds. I didn't even remember him grabbing it from the ground where he had dropped it. He swung around, firing two arrows in rapid succession past where I stood, whistling by my cheek. I didn't see them hit their targets, but judging from the groans and thunks, they had struck.

My eyes swiveled between the two men, watching as Vincent's sword tore through the chest of one of his opponents, sending a spray of blood and flesh out from his body. He snapped forward, aiming his gore-slick blade for the last of his adversaries. As a result, he didn't see the man aiming for him with another crossbow.

I wanted to call out a warning, but it felt as if my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I was just an observer, a woman standing to the side as madness swelled all around me. I couldn't do anything but watch, like a ghost in the open. My heart clenched, my fingers tightened around Ryou's staff until they were bloodless.

I watched the arrow, the tip far more deadly than all the others, as it flew through the air. I saw Vincent turn in the midst of his powerful swing, unknowingly step right into the path of the projectile. It embedded itself into the middle of his chest with a spray of blood and Vincent went absolutely still, his body jerking.

From the distance, I could only see the slight widening of his eyes as he stood, almost unfaltering. His hand dropped to his side, his sword clattering to the ground in a noise that echoed too loudly for the clamor of battle around it. He managed to remain standing for all of a second before he slumped forward, dropping to his knees in a motion that was so slow it might as well have been planned.

The man who had fired the arrow smirked as he watched Vincent's chin drop to his chest, wavering as he knelt. His victory was short as an arrow whistled through the air, bisecting his neck and killing him in an instant courtesy of Melath. The elfin man had gone completely pale as he rushed to his lover's side, catching Vincent before he had a chance to topple over. Vincent's arms swayed limply at his side, blood already staining the ground around him in an ever-widening circle.

“Anne!” Melath shouted as his hands deftly plucked the arrows from Vincent's body, ignoring his lover's jerks of pain. I had never heard his voice so panicked and desperate before, not even when the Visnay had nearly killed Vincent.

I knew without having to ask what Melath wanted from me. His blood was useless; it wouldn't save Vincent. He wanted mine. It was as if he had forgotten about the battle at hand. I could only nod numbly and move forward, my eyes consistently aware of our pursuer's approaching. They were in no hurry considering we had nowhere to run.

I approached Vincent and Melath but even I could tell with a look that my blood wouldn't do anything for Vincent. The ground was stained scarlet, his clothes covered in sanguine rivulets. The blood was simply leaking out of his body in slow trails. I was amazed he was still conscious.

“Vincent,” Melath murmured, and the tone of his voice was something I had never heard before.

Stirring at the sound of his lover's voice, Vincent managed to raise his head, though he wavered in trying to remain upright. Drawing in rattling breath, Vincent choked out a garbled word that I translated to “sorry.” Melath understood perfectly.

I watched him tighten his lips into a thin line. “I forbid you from leaving me,” he stated firmly, but his voice faltered on the end, cracking audibly.

Bloody fingers twitched as if trying to life from the ground as golden eyes tried to focus on Melath. He coughed weakly. “I only... wanted to love... you,” he managed to gasp out, and I felt something in my own chest tighten.

Melath worked his jaw for a moment, obviously struggling to find words when Vincent's chest stilled and his head slumped forward. His entire body went slack in Melath's hold. It wasn't anything like the movies. That was all I could think. What happened to those long drawn out speeches, those moments of revelation right before death? It was so messy, so sudden. I could only stare in amazement.

Then a hand shot out, grabbing my arm with crimson-stained fingers and jerking me downwards. I hit the ground hard as Melath shoved me towards Vincent. But there was nothing I could do for him. I wasn't powerful. I wasn't god like my dream wanted to make me believe. I couldn't save Ryou. How could I save him? I couldn't even save myself.

Melath was shouting at me. But it was as if the entire world had gone silent. Even the approaching soldiers had been muted, the wind a whisper against my cheek. There was the thunk of arrows into the ground next to us, warning shots. I might have heard my name yelled from far away. It could have been Melath.

I swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling as if I was standing on a precipice. I looked down into this endless grey abyss, wondering what lay beyond the clouds. The edges were crumbling beneath me; a chill wind was blowing up, ruffling my clothes and hair. It carried the faint odor of burning wood and Pinesol.

I clutched Ryou's staff. Melath was yelling at me, face full of anger, but I didn't hear the words. Vincent was still slumped in his arms, body still and growing cold. Death was approaching at a steady pace, convinced its victims were ripe for the plucking. Ivory had already fallen. Ryou was long gone. I was utterly alone.

I was nothing. I am nothing. The thoughts crossed through my mind.

There was a claim that I had power but I could not use it.

It was then that I wished to be somewhere else. Anywhere else but here. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to lose Melath. I didn't want to see anyone else die. My hand snatched out, grabbing Melath and forcefully shaking him. He turned towards me, a rebuke on his lips. But it died at the wild look in my eyes. Perhaps there was insanity there. A part of me didn't want to see what he saw.

One of our opponents approached from behind and I screamed.

It was the only sound in the silence.

The next thing I knew, it felt as if the entire world around me was beginning to pulsate, pulling two entirely different directions at once. There was a sudden star burst of color, both neon and pastel, swirling inwards and throbbing outwards. It dragged me in and I, in turn, dragged Melath along for the ride.

As abruptly as the color had come, however, darkness quickly overtook it, sending me into unconsciousness or at least, what I thought was unconsciousness.

I was floating and flying through and endless sky, pinpoints of light like stars but not because they danced and moved, shifting forever. They twirled to a beat of their own making, to a song only they could hear. My hands lifted, wanting to catch the dancing lights. But there was nothing to grasp.

My fingers reached for emptiness and then the world dropped out from under me. Whatever had kept me in flight had vanished as I fell, body feeling weightless yet plummeting downwards. There was nothing below except for the dark shadows of what appeared to be an ocean.

I met an icy abyss, waves crashing over me. I gasped, struggling for breath, floundering in water as I was unable to swim. It splashed around me and I began to sink fast, a freezing blanket washing over me. Yet, I wasn't drowning. I sucked in breath after breath of water but didn't choke.

I sunk deeper and deeper, finding myself enclosed by black.

“Is this all a game?” I found the words leaving my mouth before I knew entirely what they were from. “What is this?”

There was laughter, gurgling with an echo, washing around me. My hands moved slowly through the water as if on time-delay.

“My dear,” a voice I might have recognized responded. “It all depends. What do you think?”

A frustrated howl escaped my lips, as well as the sudden urge to strike something violently. I was sick of being led around by mysterious voices and even more mysterious words. I wanted answers. I wanted a reality. I wanted to be free. And yet, there was a hidden, darker part of me that might have wanted to stay.

I growled low in my throat. “It doesn't matter what I think. I've died more times than seems likely. I should have died on more than one occasion. Everyone around me is dying!”

The voice washed over me. I felt my eyes closing as I fell backwards, bubbles rising up around me. Something brushed across my foot, but I didn't even have the strength to startle. I half-wanted something to eat me. But then, I would probably just be revived again. Never would I have thought that living forever would be something I dreaded.

“No need for hysterics, my lovely Anne. You were my star pupil, my number one choice. Do you not like what I've given to you?”

Something inside me managed to both freeze and rage in a firestorm. I felt a fire swirling in my belly, burning and shoving its way through my veins. Yet, my limbs went cold as ice, my heart stilling in its beat.

“What you've given to me?” I repeated in a dull voice. Was this voice, this person the one to blame for everything I had suffered.

It was then that I dropped out of the bottom, suddenly flying through empty air as water dribbled from my body. My eyes jerked open and I was nearly blinded by the hues of a sharp sunset, oranges and reds in full blossom. I tumbled and turned, arms flailing uselessly. I wondered when the madness would end.

There was laughter, but the voice didn't return. Or at least, not the same as before. Now there were many tones, many others speaking to me. One could have been Ixion. Another could have been Vincent. One might have been my mother.

They were all blending together in this confusion of noise that I couldn't discern one from the other. There was encouragement and mocking. Someone was telling me to give up. Someone was telling me to hang on.

Hands were on my throat. Invisible fingers pressed against my fluttering pulse, trying to choke the breath from me. I gasped and scrabbled at my neck, pulling up reddened scratches as my touches felt nothing. Yet, it still felt as if I was dying, struggling for air. A sense of fear gripped my heart, chased away by the terrifying realization that nothing would kill me. Not this in this illusion, not in his reality. But oh, how I wanted to die.

I was still falling, my clothes whipping around me. My stomach was climbing into my throat and pinpoints of darkness prickled the edges of my vision. My lips moved wordlessly, begging and pleading for something, anything really. The fingers tightened, and I swore they burned my flesh.

Someone cried. I felt the tears splash against my face. I hadn't even realized I closed my eyes.

“Mother!”

That wasn't me.

It was all I could do not to tear my eyes out from sheer frustration alone. I wondered if the madness would ever end. Or if I was already in sanity and somehow lost my way. If this was the end, finally.

Two steps forward, one step right. One hops, two hops, King Me. Click, click, clack, Victory. A roll of the die, snake eyes. That's a straight, no a flush, the same suite, it was all mine. Red Rover, send Sarah right over. Twenty points, thirty points, double-points, win. They were stuck in the Molasses Swamp, mired in syrup no getting out. Place your bets, ante up.

I folded.

With a gasp and a pulling over every muscle in my body, I was suddenly spat out of an empty space and found myself colliding directly with the ground. Well, to be more precise, I landed on top of Melath who had struck first. He grunted, a pained noise escaping him as I felt my head spinning. I felt as I had just finished a really bad trip on acid.

Dry heat first struck my nose, causing all the moisture from my body to suddenly suck out of me. I craved water in that instant, mouth gone dry and sweat beginning to build on my body. Melath stirred beneath me as I reeled from that strange experience, mind momentarily numbed to what had been happening before.

I looked up, finding that we had landed in the middle of a nearly empty street. My ears barely registered the sounds of screaming and feet running away as my eyes noticed adobe-like buildings and dusty streets. Everything was oddly blocked shaped, as if made from playdoh legos.

We were definitely not in Rocean anymore.

Melath began to rise, shoving me off of his back without any ceremony. I tumbled to the ground, head still spinning as I landed on hands and feet. It was hard to gain my grasp on normalcy, a part of me still feeling as if I were falling forever. I watched him groan from the corner of my eyes, groaning as he struggled to rise to his feet.

He spotted me first, crystalline blue eyes hardening in anger. It was then that his eyes slipped past me to the building behind me, widening slightly. He looked around suddenly, whipping his gaze left and right. It took him less than a second to realize that our current location was not Rocean. Instantly, his face darkened.

I had only an instant to register concern for my well-being before he was surging forward, hands grasping the front of my robes and jerking me towards him. I was face to face with his furious glare, looking into eyes gone maddened.

“Take me back!” he spat in spray of spit on my face. “You left him behind.”

It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant. I shook my head as he rattled my body, managing to gasp out an answer. “I don't know how I got us here in the first place,” I choked out. “Besides, Vincent's gone. You saw it for yourself.”

That was perhaps the worst possible thing to do. I watched him pale and then color with fury. “He's not dead!” Melath hissed in a voice gone dead. “I would know it. Dammit, girl! Do as I fuckin' say!”

“I can't!” I roared, my own patience beginning to reach its limit as the full extent of what was happening began to crash over me. I tried to pry his fingers from my robes but it was to no avail. “I don't know how. You're hurting me!” I hoped that I wasn't whining.

“I should kill you,” he countered before shoving me away from him with enough strength that I went sprawling backwards, scraping my palms against the ground.

I stayed silent, crouching on the street and keeping my distance. I didn't want to face the full front of his violence. Even if I couldn't die, I didn't want to experience serious pain only to be brought back to life with the memory of it.

I watched as Melath sat back on his heels, looking up at the sky. From our position he couldn't see the sun but we could tell that it came from the west. Not that it meant anything to me. I could tell he was trying to puzzle out our location, his movements slightly frantic. It was the most unbalanced I had ever seen him.

He growled angrily, one fist punching the ground. “I don't even know where the fuck I am,” he uttered, sounding absolutely defeated. His shoulders even slumped.

The realization struck me with all the subtlety of a hammer. It wasn't just a casual fuck between the two of them; it wasn't about master and servant. I didn't know how long they had known each other but it was about something much more, something much deeper.

It was about love.

Even for two men such as them, living in violence, ruled by their dominance, they had loved each other. The defeat in Melath's shoulders, the brokenness in his voice, it rattled through me and for the first time, I truly felt shame. For the first time, I felt as if it might have been my fault. And for the first time, I felt sadness other than over Ryou's loss.

Something clenched my lungs. “My god...” I breathed, watching Melath falling apart, body visibly shaking. “What have I done?”

He was stolid and frozen, but his eyes were becoming red-rimmed orbs as if he were two seconds away from releasing his emotion. Near tears. It didn't occur to me until then that I had never seen anyone cry in this world.

I knew better than to try and comfort him. Instead, I rose to my feet and turned away, giving him what privacy he needed. My foot skated over something and I looked down to find that Ryou's staff had made the journey with us. I scooped it up, holding the worn wood in my hands and rubbing fingers over the loved carvings. I missed Ryou.

I wondered if that strange dream, that melange of images had any meaning. I was falling and drowning, choking on hands wrapped around my throat. It was a game and I was merely a pawn? I didn't understand. Or was it all entirely something that my mind had made up to cope?

If I had thought that I couldn't understand before, I was sorely mistaken. I was no more understanding of my circumstance then I was when I first appeared in this dream. Or illusion. Or delusion. I didn't know what it was.

I was beginning to feel just a bit like I was on the edge of my ropes. I wanted to tangle my fingers in my hair, rip it out and scream at the top of my lungs. To run around in circles and repeatedly punch the wall until my fists turned bloody. To just relieve my frustration and fear on something, anything truly. I wanted to honestly go crazy since I felt I was losing my sanity anyways.

I heard a scrape of boots over sand-encrusted dirt and swiveled my gaze. Melath was rising to his feet, one slim-fingered hand on the hilt of his sword. The sudden teleportation or whatever it was had left his bow behind. The blade was his only defense now.

“It is all your fault,” I heard him mutter though he hadn't turned to look at me yet. The tension in his back was still drawn tight, his fingers white-knuckled around his sword.

I blinked rather stupidly. “What?”

Melath whirled towards me, silver hair slapping against his back. “It is because of you that he was in pain!” he shouted, jerking a finger towards me. “If I could kill you with these hands, I would bathe in your blood.”

Each word was spoken in a clipped tone, hissed out between teeth. The look in his eyes was nothing less than madness, than a distinct blood-lust. A part of me began to tremble, but not out of desire. Whatever nuance of sanity he had once held was beginning to fade, lost to his grief.

“I hate your very existence, do you understand me, Anne?” he continued and though I had always loved the sound of my name on his lips, this time it filled me with fear.

I unconsciously took a step backwards. “What are you talking about?”I demanded, hating the breathless quality to my voice. A part of me already knew, but I was scrabbling for words, fear making me stupid.

He stepped forward, trapping me against a building and his hands were suddenly on my shoulders, squeezing as they shoved me backwards. His fingers were so tight I could feel each individual digit and my bones creaked, agony ripping through me.

I winced. “Owww. You're hurting me.” I stated the obvious, as if it would encourage him to release me. I should have known better.

“No more than you hurt him,” he spat, one hand leaving my shoulder and traveling upwards.

Fingers lightly stroked my throat, an almost tender gesture before they wrapped around my neck. I suddenly flashbacked to the strange dream of earlier. Had I been dreaming of the future, of this very moment?

I coughed, one hand rising to his wrist and clutching it desperately. The other retained its grip on Ryou's staff but I couldn't think to strike him with it. I was afraid of the look in Melath's eyes, the once pure blue darkening to near midnight.

“Do you know why he fucked you?”

I started at the sudden question. “...what?” I gasped out.

“It wasn't his choice,” Melath informed me, his tone so dead that it might as well have rasped from the lips of a corpse. “I made him do it because I thought it would fix everything that you had ruined. You don't even know why he's cursed, do you? Why he has those markings?”

“Cursed?” I repeated, nausea coiling in my belly.

There was so little that I knew. I felt as if I was teetering on a precipice, my toes curled over the edge. All it would take was one tiny little tip and I would crash to the bottom.

Melath laughed, right in my face, a crazed, echoing laughter that chilled my blood. “Yes, cursed. Cursed by your very existence. Chosen before he was even born to be yours despite what he finds along the way. Cursed to wait for an entity that might never appear.” Every word was hissed and stilted, filled with hatred.

“I didn't even want him,” I somehow managed to gasp out as his grip became progressively tighter. “He hated me. I hated him. It was mutual. I don't know why I--”

I lost my breath in an instant. He cut it off for me.

“There is much one can do with a bit of hallucinogenic,” he rasped, sounding both proud of himself and disgusted. “It was easy to convince you after that. But even so, it didn't work. It didn't fucking work! The mark was even stronger and I was losing him to you. I was losing him!”

I gasped, unable to form a word. I felt tears prickle at the back of my eyes at the sense of desperation in his voice. He was truly losing it.

He jerked my head forward, slamming it once more back against the wall. “His pain is your fault!” he screamed, spittle flecking onto my face as I saw stars. “And now he's dead and it's because of you.”

The first tears that trickle down his face stun me into complete and utter silence, emotion in a normally emotionless man. All of my struggles ceased in that moment, something inside of me breaking at the sight. It seemed so wrong. His nostrils were flaring, his face was flushed with anger, but the tears that trickled were pure grief.

His grip eased enough for me to breathe and I hastily sucked in several gulps before daring to speak. “Will my death ease it?” I croaked, though I was still lost in the dark. “Will it bring him back?” I didn't mean to sound as sarcastic as my words emerged.

“Don't give me that bullshit,” he snarled, shoving me hard against the building before whirling away and giving me his back. “Your death would be mine in an instant had I the choice. But so long as you want to live, I can't raise a hand.”

I massaged my throat. “I don't understand.”

He didn't answer; I didn't expect him to. From all the other things he had said, it made some sense. But not enough that I truly comprehended anything. I wished heartily that I did however.

“It's true! I saw it, Ma!”

My gaze whipped to the side, seeing a crowd of about a dozen people approaching, the woman in the lead being pulled by a young child. I recognized him as one of the few that had been present and ran when Melath and I arrived. He was grinning excitedly in our direction.

“They appeared out of nowhere! It was magic!”

Typically, the mother was scolding. “Uryu! I've told you about making up stories,” she chastised, though allowed him to lead her along.

It wasn't until I caught sight of Melath frowning from the corner of my vision that I realized he couldn't understand what they were saying.

“Oh my!” the woman's exclamation was surprised. “Strangers.”

“Ask them where we are,” Melath demanded.

Biting my lip and swallowing thickly, still glad for being able to breathe, I complied. There was a murmuring among the crowd before the child grinned and bounced up and down on his heels. His answer surprised me.

Nyorai. We had somehow arrived in Nyorai. It was time that Melath and I separated then. I didn't want his death on my hands.

“We part here,” I informed him, stepping past his immobile form and gesturing towards the crowd. “If this is Nyorai, then surely one of you know where I can find Dainichi. I would appreciate any aid.”

As one, jaws dropped and faces paled. A few in the back of the crowd slowly backed away before turning and taking off in the opposite direction, fear in their expressions. No one offered the information, instead choosing to stare in my direction. It was as if they had all suddenly gone deaf and mute. It was frustrating.

But I was here in Nyorai now. I had the chance to end it all, to rid myself of this place. I ignored Ixion's amused chuckle as it filtered into my brain. He was excited as well.

“And where would you have me go?” Melath demanded hoarsely, his eyes flat and emotionless. Not just impassive, but lacking in everything, even the will to live. “Now that everyone is dead. Back to the forest?”

I shifted position, uncertain what he wanted from me. “You'll stay with the woman you hate?”

The smile he gave me was nothing less than sardonic, laced with hate. “Perhaps if I'm lucky, you will be the death of me as well.”

It was a testament to how much I had changed that I barely blinked. “If that's what you want,” I replied, turning back to the crowd. I was also frustrated by their behavior. “Can someone at least point me in the direction of the cheapest inn?” The air here was so fucking dry and I was in desperate need of a drink and some information.

The kid pointed with an eager finger. “The Way to Dawn's open. Someone there might help you out.”

Sighing, the mother smacked alongside his head. “Uryu!” she scolded, beginning to drag him away. “Don't help strangers!”

“But Ma!”

The crowd was already dispersing, our sudden appearance losing its novelty. I made plans in my head to find this Inn. Hopefully someone there would be willing to provide me the information I needed. I waited until they were all gone before speaking to Melath.

“I'm going to find Dainichi and I'm going to leave this world. Will that suffice?”

I could see his expression from the corner of my eye, as empty as before. “It is not possible for me to care any less.”

I sighed.

******

a/n: All I can say is, strap in and buckle down. Its only going to get worse. I do hope you enjoyed and look forward to your comments!