Iñaki sighed as she stopped far from eye or ear shot of her companion. She smiled slightly.
'Well, at least he understands...' Her face grew cold as her thoughts returned to Rashi.
"What the hell is he thinking?" she wondered aloud. "Honestly, sending me a unicorn's horn. I refuse to touch it. It'll curse any who touch it." She sighed again, her thoughts quickly moving to the dream. "Gee, guess I'm not the only one who has problems."
"No," a voice suddenly came from behind her, "But your about to have another problem dumped on you. Don't scream. I won't hurt you...much." Iñaki gasped as an unknown figure led her farther from where she had left Xantus. Once a good distance away, the figure slowly lowered the collar of her shirt, tracing the lines of her neck and shoulder. Suddenly, without warning, something sank into her shoulder...
And she was floating. Her senses were gone, and she felt peaceful as her vision blurred and blackened. Then, something fell into her mouth and across her lips, and through instinct, she licked her lips and swallowed. The floating ended more suddenly than it had begun, and she felt the weight of gravity pull her to the ground. She was screaming, not aloud, but extremely loud, through her mind. She felt herself dying, yet at the same time living, though not fully going either way. When the transformation stopped, her fear was replaced by hunger... Not normal hunger. It was... It was...
'Blood. I smell blood.' She jumped slightly as a dark nymph was thrown before her, it's face scared.
'Scared. Scared is more fun.' Without warning, Iñaki jumped at the nymph, biting, clawing, tearing at it's flesh. When it stopped moving, she satisfied her hunger. As it subsided, she slowly started coming back to her senses.
"Well," came the unknown voice, a malicious amusement in it's air, "I guess you know what to do. And I don't think you need training in magick at all, so... Ta, ta." She watched in fascinated horror as the figure turned and left. Once it was out of sight, she lied down, away from the nymph's body, and fell into a state of conscious sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Damnit. I'm back here again. But something's different...'
"Iñaki." She turned, but still saw only the shimmer. The shimmer shuddered at her, if shimmers so possessed the ability to do so.
"...Sid?"
"Iñaki. What have you done?"
"What? What do you..." She paused as memory of the nymph's scared face came back to her mind. "I... I didn't mean..."
"But you did."
"Sid? Sid! Please don't leave."
"I can't stay. I can not stay in the presence of evil."
"Sid! Please!"
"I'm sorry Iñaki."
"Sid!" The shimmer faded away, and the area became very dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"NO!" Iñaki screamed as her wings, long forgotten, suddenly burst from her back, tearing her clothes from her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Xan...tus?" Xan turned at his name, now back in his human form. Something told him by the quality of Iñaki’s voice that something was wrong. He couldn't have been more right.
"Iñaki? Iñaki!" He ran to her as she fell to her knees. She looked into his obsidian orbs, and he almost backed away at the dull green hers had become. "Iñaki... What...happened?"
"Xan, don't leave me! Please!" She suddenly threw herself at him, crying into his shoulder. "He's gone... He's... Gods, I don't even remember his name anymore! He's gone... Rashi's gone... Please, don't leave me." She looked up into his surprised eyes. "Don't hate me. I didn't..."
'Please,' she thought. 'Please. Show me. Show me I'm not evil. That you aren't repulsed by me. Please...' Without realizing it, she leaned up and gently brushed his lips, looking away quickly in apology.
"I-I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean..." She looked back, her eyes begging.
'Please. Take me here, now. Don't leave me alone. Even if you don't mean it. Even... Even if it's not me...'
Rashi stood atop another hill as he watched the demon transform
Iñaki. He lowered his head and sighed.
"I knew that would happen." He
looked back to where Xantus was standing, now in his true form,
talking to his comp-dude. "Damn you Xantus...you should have KNOWN not
to let her wander on her own." an exasperated sigh left his mouth as
he blurred away after the demon that changed Iñaki.
"Hello, darkened one." Rashi said, with an evil smile on his face.
"L-L-Lord Rashi?!" The demons cold, unfeeling eyes were suddenly full of mortal fear.
Rashi took a step toward the demon.
"Did you not know the girl was under my protection?" His voice was stern and angry, yet eerily calm as he spoke.
"Y-You said not to attack the one with the unicorn horn. She had none
on her..."
Rashi's rage took the best of him.
"THAT’S BECAUSE HE HAD IT!!!!" Rashi's arm flew in the direction of Xantus. The demons eyes followed suit.
"N-No… I-I'm sorry lord Rashi! Please, FORGIVE ME!! PLEASE!" the
demon's eyes became suddenly life-filled as tears of blood streamed
his face. The blood of his many kills. The demons hand rose to his
face as he felt the blood. He looked down at his now reddened
hands. "No.."
"you know what is happening to you, don’t you Moratie?" Rashi's face
grew twisted and more evil than before. "All the blood you have ever
taken is being removed from your very being. All the souls you stole
are being freed." Rashi turned his head. Partly to divert his nose
from the stench, and partly because he knew the soul would be lost
in the realm, not returned.
"NO!!!" the demon let out a blood curtly scream of pure silence as he
faded to dust. Rashi turned and walked away, returning to his post.
He looked down up on Iñaki and Xantus. "What?!" Iñaki had just kissed
Xantus and was now suggesting herself unto Xantus. "Iñaki…your bond
with Sidneil...if you cheat on him...you'll… you'll......" Rashi
remembered back to Iñaki and Sid’s oath and the bracelets that bind
them. "No.."
Rashi felt the blood boil in his veins; his hair began to stand on
end as his body temperature rose.
He formed a miniature ball of energy, about the size of a quarter,
but more powerful than a hundred nuclear bombs. "Just one
shot.....just one shot..." He narrowed is view onto Xantus and took a
firm aim..."you wont be the cause of her death, Xantus Magus-Brother
to the Darkened family.." Rashi launched the miniature murdering ball
at Xantus......
Bonds Broken