&& These Twisted Keys of Fate

[Dante]

There was the sharp echo of a laugh, probably Tohru’s, before the door closed with only a soft click, leaving him alone in the house, something that hadn’t really surprised him. What had surprised him was the fact that they hadn’t asked him if he wanted to go; had he really gotten that easy to read? He could only hope that he hadn’t; the walls he surrounded himself with were fragile, cracks appearing with every blow, his self control always threatening to falter. His other half couldn’t be let out; he didn’t know why he was so against it, but there was no other thought he had allowed about Inferno, other than the fact he couldn’t be let out, no matter what happened, or who aggravated him. Softly treading to the window, Dante watched as they left, shaking his head slightly. Who would want to go to the beach, where great crashing water left room for none, destroying everything in its path?
Or anyone.
A faint part of his mind said, causing Dante to rub his temples slightly; the onset of yet another headache flared to life. It was always after he thought something that must have to do with something in the past did he receive those headaches, and they had become more and more frequent, thankfully though, not an attack. Not yet anyway.

Turning away from the window, there was a sudden movement outside, making Dante turn back, red eyes dark; his aviator shades shielding the sun from his dark red eyes, and he saw someone that was familiar, and as soon as he turned around, Dante felt anger sweep up in his gaze, hands clenching into fists. It was unreasonable anger, he had never met Kureno before, but some part of him insisted that he had, and not only had he met him before, but Kureno needed to be hurt, badly. The headache flared up sharper, a sudden splash of white against an otherwise black landscape. A bleak landscape, that is. The only other mark was the bright red of either insanity, or pain. Mysteries left unsolved, his other half that seemed as though he wanted to kill him, not to mention knew more then he, and then this damn migraine that had sprung up from seemingly nowhere. And let’s not forget about the anger that Kureno had stirred up; needless to say, Dante was feeling very unsettled right now, his emotions a rollercoaster, up and down, without any warning of what was going to happen next.

Walking in fluid movements over to his desk, Dante picked up his two most important items; his knife, and his lighter. Not for smoking of course, but just for the flames themselves. There had always been something therapeutic about the flame, something that couldn’t be understood, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Thumb resting on the igniter, the sound of silence was suddenly broken by the single click of the door opening, although it had been locked when everyone else had left. Alertness springing into his mind, pushing the pain to the back burner, Dante stood up, making no noise as he stepped backward, so he was leaning against the wall and hidden by the shadows. The only thing that would have been visible, for with his sweatshirt hood pulled over his hair would have been Dante’s eyes, but he hadn’t taken off his Aviators, so even that was cloaked in the darkness. For a long moment there was silence, almost as though saying that there was nothing there. Long ago though, Dante had learned to trust his instincts, and now, they were screaming something at him; something that made his anger cool until he was nothing less than ice, as footsteps sounded up the stairs.

Kureno was like a slave to Akito, doing whatever she told him to do. If he was here, that only meant that Akito had to be here as well, probably looking for Shigure. Lips drawing back to reveal white teeth, it was all Dante could do not to spit out a curse. He had moved out for a reason, he didn’t need this temptation. He had already learned that when Inferno was close to the surface, he didn’t follow the same rules as everyone else. And Inferno was very close right now, thrumming just below the surface. It was all he could do to keep himself together and now Akito of all people had to show up. Thankfully his gaze was hidden behind his shades, something he never went without. Maybe though, if he stayed silent, then Akito would leave. Standing up, now that there was no real threat to be wary of, Dante went over to his bed, and picked up his sketchbook, absently doodling whatever his mind decided, keeping an eye on the door, and listening in the hallway for any indication that she was drawing near. It wasn’t long until he heard footsteps, steps that stopped in front of his door. And slowly, the wood swung open.

He had been correct in his guessing, and now Akito stood there. Coldness washed over Dante, as well as a deep hate that seemed to come not only from himself, but from Inferno as well. Without putting down his sketchbook, Dante said coldly, not looking at Akito;
”You just missed Shigure. Try the beach.”
His tone told her exactly what he thought of her presence, but at the same time, nothing about how close to the surface Inferno was. A perfect façade really, and it was going to be interesting, to see what happened. For, the tension that came from both made the air seem to crackle, much like Dante’s beloved fire.

This was one fire though, that he couldn’t manipulate…

[Akkii only.]

[/blockquote]

[X]

After that talk with Ren, Akito had quickly decided that she needed to see Shigure. Surely that woman was lying, but she still needed to see him. Though, in the wave of anger that had overcome her soon after Ren had walked away, she could hardly remember what the woman had told her, aside from the fact that it included her and Shigure. She had demanded that Shigure drive her to the house and then wait outside.

As the car pulled up the rocky path to the house, Akito watched. She’d been getting ready for some sort of dinner meeting before the incident, and so she was dressed nicely in a suit that made her look even more like a boy.
She stared at the house, and got out of the car with Kureno when they’d stopped. She considered bringing him in with her, to spite Shigure. But then again, she didn’t want the others to see him, either. So she made him wait outside.
”You don’t need to see anyone, Kureno. Just stay out here.”

The young head of house entered, observing the entryway and living room before walking through. Not seeing anyone anywhere downstairs, she headed up the stairs. Not much was going through her mind except that she had to find—and possibly hurt—Shigure. As she thought about him and the little that she recalled from the conversation with her mother, her pupils shrank and the urgency to find him became intense.

”You heard me right. We did it again.”
“You can even ask him yourself.”
“Go ahead. You’ll be late for your meeting, though.”

Akito shook her head. He wouldn’t, she thought. He wouldn’t dare. Not again. How stupid is he?

But it seemed the house was empty. Why the hell would they all be gone? Not only was it a day off, but it was winter. Where could they have gone? Surely not a vacation. Shigure would have told her first. Right?

As soon as she saw him, her eyes narrowed, and her pupils grew even smaller.
”You just missed Shigure. Try the beach.”
Akito nearly widened her eyes in shock, but instead she just stood there, calm, yet so obviously not calm in the least. The beach? Who in their right mind goes to the beach at all? she thought. Sure, she’d enjoyed the beach more when she was younger, but she’d grown out of that. It was often hot, and she had decided not to go into the waves anymore after… Wait, what? After what?
Suddenly it was as if she had a migraine. Her fingers went to her temples, pushing hard, trying to stop the shocking pain. This had happened before, but not very frequently.
Though the pain was still there, it eased up a little, and she got over it, ignoring the pain now.

She wondered why Ren would lie about that. Why would she want to send her here? Even if she thought Shigure would still be home, what was the purpose.
”Oh. I see,” Akito said coolly, still glaring at Dante. ”Tell me, why aren’t you with them? Oh! I know. You’re even more hated than that monstrous Kyo. Not even that disgusting Honda girl wanted you to come along. Correct?” Her expression was one of cold hate, a twisted smirk playing on her lips.

[Dante]

Once upon a time, those words would have stung like the sharp bite of a knife. And coming from anyone else, maybe he would have reacted differently. As he watched Akito though, it was almost as though he could see behind her carefully masked wall; he could see the vulnerability there, something that was so hidden from the others. Staring at her a long moment, Dante’s, not Inferno’s, mouth twisted into something like a smirk, before he gave a cruel chuckle. Just a chuckle though, Inferno was the only one who ever laughed, and he was still stuck below the surface, just under control. Maybe Inferno’s madness had leaked into Dante though, for at that time, the last thing he felt was sanity, or any type of control that he would have once felt, even in a situation like this. His mind, it pretty much felt as though it was shattered, bits lying here and there, the only thing standing was a giant wall. That wall was not perfect though, and with every crack, a voice seemed to enter his mind, and with that voice, came a sudden flash of something that he felt as though he should know, something that seemed as though it was once a part of him, a part of his past, whatever that was.

”You must feel so big under that mask Akito. You think you can defend yourself with words, but you’re as weak as everyone else. You can’t defend yourself; you were never healthy enough to train with the rest of everyone. I could snap your neck just like that, before you even had time to scream. Monstrous? Maybe. But guess what? You can’t touch me. Dante said, with another predatory grin. Flicking down his glasses slightly, there was an obvious difference in his gaze; one bright red, so bright even the whites were illuminated on the left side, the right, Dante’s normal eye color, just narrowed further than usual. This girl was testing his patience, something that he just didn’t have right now. Smoothly, he was suddenly out of bed, leaning against the wall, and casually flicking his knife up and down, catching it handle first with the skill of someone who has had a lot of practice. With the same ease, he threw it, catching the edge of Akito’s clothing and pinning it to the wall; just inches from her skin, grinning slightly the whole time. It was hard to determined who was in control here, but something, or someone, was going to get hurt before this was over.

Reaching forward, Dante grabbed his knife once more, and sheathed it almost absently, before turning toward Akito. He had put his glasses back up; it was impossible to tell who was in control right now. Some would argue though, that it didn’t matter. Grinning a savage grin, Dante stared at Akito in a cold, deadly, and almost amused manner. This was not the same person he usually was, or had once been, for that matter. Inside of his head, there was utter chaos though.
”I’m sorry Dante.
Please tell me you remember me.
Please don’t die Dante.”
The image came quite suddenly, but before he could register it, it was gone. He had recognized the building though, a beacon in the night, and one face glared at him, one with golden hair, and light blue eyes. The sense of knowing was quite suddenly, and with a cold determination, he knew he had to find that building, and that man. Akito was in the way though, and he didn’t want to hurt a girl, he never had liked doing that, even when he had too. Hesitation made him weak though, and as he stopped twirling his knife, he had pulled it out in the memory, a sudden sense of being shoved backwards filled him, as well as a sense of power. And then he moved, but the movement was not his own. Tipping the Aviator shades once more, Inferno revealed glowing red eyes, and a swift wink.

Quite suddenly, the alter ego grabbed Akito, and slammed her into the wall, back first.
”Stay out of my way, girl. You don’t have a fight in this battle.” The voice was rough, Dante was gone, just a spectator now in this game. He could read Inferno though, and he knew what was going to happen. It was time for a fight! Head held high, Inferno snapped the door off its hinges, and went down the stairs faster than thought possible. In his head though, voices were still whispering their calls, voices of something long forgotten. Images flashed across Dante’s mind, too fast to capture, but still there. Something was tugging at his mind, something that had been in the back previously. It wasn’t time to concentrate on that though; for quite suddenly, someone literally appeared in front of them, causing a collision of the two. Inferno faltered slightly, but Dante didn’t take control. He was too busy staring at hate at the one they had run into. A man with golden hair, and clear blue eyes. The man from the memory.
”Why, Dante, Inferno. What a surprise.” He said with a laugh, ignoring the knife in Inferno’s hand.
”Such a perfect little experiment you turned out to be! And now you want to kill me, and I’ll have to kill you. Remember what I said last time we met? Of course not, silly of me to even ask. You don’t remember a thing about your past life. Still, before you can kill me, you have to catch me!” The man said with a laugh, before sprinting off, not looking back to see if he was being followed. For a moment, Inferno and Dante, this was the only time they had ever agreed on something, waited, not wanting to make it appear as though they were following his orders. It was the sound of footsteps that caused them both to whirl; had Akito really overheard that whole thing.

Glaring, Inferno gave Akito a cold, bitter, predatory smile once more, before sprinting after the man, hell bent on getting him, and for some reason, killing him. There was no time as he ran, just pure determination, and how long he ran, was really up to how far away the man was running. Breath coming in short bursts, it seemed as though they had just set out, when it loomed in front of them. What they had been looking for, the building. Power seemed to flare from the building, and there was the man! He was leaning absently out the window, before grinning and beckoning for Inferno, or was it Dante who was in control now, to join him. Taking a deep breath, Dante felt all the images that had been threatening to drive him insane suddenly stop, and now, just that one, the one he had first heard and seen, played over and over in his mind. Dante let himself go, unleashing the true power of Inferno. Eyes literally blazing, Inferno laughed softly, and stepped forward, not bothering to see if anyone was behind him. He had a job to do.

[FAIL]

[/blockquote]

[X]

Akito had felt so victorious, saying something that she was sure would hurt Dante. He deserved it, after all. She could not recall ever being too fond of him, and why should she? She was god, he was a disgusting cat with less than no worth. He didn’t even have to exist. Her feelings of hatred for him had only increased when he had tried to burn down the Main House—in her wing of the building, no less!
When he said what he did, she stiffened in anger. But that anger quickly dissolved into fear, which flashed in her eyes for a single moment. She knew it was true that he could easily hurt her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.
She smirked at him despite her fear, trying to play along and not seem frightened or weak, even though it was obvious that how she acted around him didn’t exactly matter.
”It would be so fitting, wouldn’t it—for the reject, the hated one, the monster to kill its god out of blind anger,” she sneered, eyes still narrow.

The girl very literally jerked in shock at the sight of his gaze. One eye was bright red and the other was the usual darker red. A single word jumped into her mind. Inferno. Again, she was caught by surprise at the feeling that the word should mean something. She internally shook herself. Sickness was probably getting to her. Her head was overtaken by another wave of pain with the thought of ‘inferno’, but this time she’d been half-prepared, and masked the pain well.
She remained calm on the outside as he suddenly stood in front of her, playing with his knife. But in truth, she was terrified, and it probably showed in her ocean-like orbs.

Akito couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped from her mouth as the knife hit the clothing on her arm. She couldn’t keep her eyes from widening. She could almost feel the cool blade against her skin. She’d let her guard down, and shown how scared of him she really was. She fully expected him to strike her with the knife this time, but was quite relieved when he sheathed it and hoped he wouldn’t pull it out again.
The way he was smiling at her was fairly disturbing, but she pretended not to mind, trying to put the mask back up, though it was slipping still. When he revealed his eyes—both glowing now—the word ‘inferno’ jumped into her head once more, much more intense this time. But now, she didn’t let herself wonder. She didn’t want to have another headache, not at this particular moment.

Akito ended up accidentally allowing a yelp of surprise and shock as she was slammed against the wall by In—Dante. She wanted to erupt at him, yell, but then some sort of realization hit her.
She’d seen Dante do this before. From a different angle. Not to her. Suddenly the image came to her. He was shoving Ren against a wall, shaking a knife at her. She could hear his voice, despite how quiet he was, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She almost laughed when she saw Ren go even paler than she was.
She flashed to the present for a moment, just before her half brother walked out.
Half brother?
Everything came rushing to her at once. The first meeting, where his father had interrupted and made him leave. Then the second time, where he soon started staying with her.
Their first winter together had been Dante’s first sight of snow and so she’d bugged him about it, asking if he’d lived under a rock all his life before shoving him into a snow bank.
Then there was the ocean, when Hatori had taken them to the beach. Oh, what fun that had been, forcing Dante to come into the water at least a little ways. She waded further in even though Hatori had suggested she don’t go too far in. She’d been knocked over by a wave and nearly drowned because she couldn’t find herself able to resurface. Dante had come in after her, and Hatori soon after that, who had managed to bring them both back, since the water wasn’t that deep for him anyway.
Then when she was fifteen and Dante had walked in on her and Kureno. She’d been so angry… and been so cruel to him. And then she’d followed him out on the streets. He almost died that night, she recalled.
So many memories came rushing in at once, and then she remembered everything. She recalled it all, now.
And she’d just been horrible to Dante. Guilt was an emotion Akito scarcely felt, but she felt it now. She looked around the room, dazed, then rushed out and down the stairs. On her way out the door, Kureno gripped her shoulder firmly.
“Is there something wrong? I just saw Dante-san run out and—”
Akito shook out of his grip. ”Let go of me!” she snapped. ”I need to find Dante!”
She rushed off and Kureno called after her, but stayed where he was when she ignored him. She wondered if he’d forgotten, too.
After only a few minutes, she stopped, seeing Dante and D’Noir. She crept just close enough that she could hear what they were saying. Though she was only hidden by some trees here and there, she wondered if D’Noir had even noticed her. But he had run off as if he hadn’t, and when he was gone she approached Dante from behind. No, she approached Inferno. She should be able to tell by now.
Akito almost winced—almost—at the look she was given. Obviously, Dante didn’t remember. Had his alter forgotten as well, then? Or did Inferno recall completely?

She chased after him, but, of course, fell behind. Unlike her half brother, she was finding this run very long and very, very tiring. She went as fast as she could, though, breathing hard. It was cold in the light clothing she was wearing, but that would only encourage her to run faster. She focused on whatever she could to keep her mind off of exhaustion, like how puffs of breath came out of her mouth and nose like little white clouds.
Of course Akito recognized the route. But realization didn’t fully hit her until she saw the building looming ahead and Dante—or Inferno—entering.

“No!” she cried, voice hoarse, trying to catch up, though she was fairly far away from him. She had to stop, bending over and trying to catch her breath, watching as her half brother entered. How he even managed to get in, she didn’t understand. Last time he was near this building things had gotten really bad. So this made no sense.

[Dante]

Somehow, the hoarse cry that Akito gave off was heard by Inferno, and he paused, hand gently grasping the handle of the door. Carefully, Inferno turned to face Akito, the Aviators having fallen down slightly, and gave her a cold look. That look, as hateful as it was, told Akito what she had wondered; yes Inferno did remember. Sometime, D’Noir had either forgotten about Inferno, or had seen the hate that the alter had for Akito, and had decided to use it to his own accord. That didn’t mean though, that Inferno wasn’t going to show off, no matter how slight it was. Holding Akito’s gaze, Inferno shifted slightly, and then, the eyes became dark red once more. Almost as soon as that happened though, the knees went out from Dante, and his hands flew up to his head, grimacing against the waves of pain pounding against his skull. Before Dante could form a coherent thought though, Inferno brought himself back to the surface, and shrugged slightly as if to say
Well, now you know.
Grinning, Inferno pulled the shades back up, and went inside, locking the door behind him so that he wasn’t going to be followed. Akito had followed them this far; she wasn’t getting a step more unless she somehow had super strength to break the lock.

**

The building was dark; against the bloody colored sunset it had seemed as though there was actual light, but now, it was nearly impossible to see. Nearly, that is. This was probably the most sane Inferno had ever been, but without Dante having his memories, the other had no need to try to fight him, so his concentration wasn’t being divided into fighting two battles. And they both wanted D’Noir to die, so maybe having a common enemy was good for the two. No matter how long it would last. A soft laughter came from Inferno, one that rang with madness and cold certainty as he stalked up the stairs, not bothering to take the elevator. In his hand, he grasped the knife, only this time it was in his left hand. Inferno had always been left hand dominant; it was the only hand he could really use, although Dante could use both with equal skill. Reaching the top, and final staircase, Inferno slammed open the door, and met the cold, mocking blue eyes of D’Noir, whom was looking to be rather annoyed at the intrusion, though he couldn’t say that he hadn’t expected it. The room was perfect for fighting; it was simply a room, nothing to get in the way, nothing to aide someone in a battle. The floor was made of wood, but seemed to be stained in random brown patches…
Blood. Dante said softly to Inferno. He wasn’t fighting right now, and he had noticed exactly what Inferno had simply overlooked. Anger flared deep within them, both of them, and with only a curse, Inferno stepped forward, stance battle ready.

And then, D’Noir laughed.
”This has worked out so well! Dante can’t remember anything about his past, even when he is in the heart of it all! You may remember things Inferno, but you don’t care! Akito’s block has broken, but you know what? You two are going to die before Dante’s can, that way things will never change!”
D’Noir’s tone had started out normal enough, but toward the end, it seemed to ring with the same insanity that often filled Inferno’s. Speaking of the two, shock had replaced every other thought Dante had had moments ago, before Inferno laughed softly as well, his tone as cold as the one he had used to address Akito.
”And you honestly think you can kill me? As if it would be that easy?” Still laughing, Inferno suddenly lunged forward, but as soon as he did, he saw that D’Noir had expected that, and had easily blocked the knife, and managed to get a slice into Inferno’s wrist, surprising him to no end. Nobody had ever wounded him before, and sheer panic flared to life for once, before rage consumed Inferno. Nobody had wounded him before, and now D’Noir had crossed another line, a line with Inferno, not just Dante.

Teeth peeling back, Inferno dashed forward, and swung. Back and forth, the two fought, clinging of metal against metal, and for a while, there seemed as though there would be no winner here, until Inferno made a simple slipup. With both breathing hard, Inferno stopped in front of the window, watching D’Noir, or rather, the arm that held his knife. Maybe if he had been paying attention, he could have seen what was going to happen next; he could have prevented this whole thing. Suddenly, D’Noir dropped his blade, which was slick with blood as Inferno’s was, and lunged forward, grabbing Inferno, pinning his arms to his sides, and jumping out of the window… From the final story.

For a moment, it was as though they were stuck in freefall, and then, they began to fall. Air whipped all around him, making tears leak out of the corner of both men’s eyes. With a tremendous strength, Inferno freed his arm, and stabbed D’Noir with all his might, blood splattering all over his face, which was warm against the cold air. It was the last action of Inferno though, and with it, those gleaming eyes changed from bright red, to dark red of Dante, although the hate was equally matched there. Suddenly though, D’Noir laughed, and before Dante could react, reached for Dante’s wrist, and yanked off his Juzu beads. As soon as he did, horror played out in Dante’s gaze; his shades had fallen moment ago, and he hoped Akito had caught them, and would hopefully catch them --- Wait, when had he started liking Akito. Suddenly though, pain overwhelmed him, and Dante curled up into a ball, limbs extending and growing longer, sharp claws flickering to life; clothes ripping, though his pants stayed, thankfully.

The two men landed with a thud, one as a monster, the other knocked out from the blow, though he was still alive since he was still bleeding. Although he was a monster; one could see the horror written all over his face.
Monster. Abomination. Worthless. Need to get away. Must run. Must leave. Can’t be seen. Find a lake…
Although he didn’t speak, Dante’s thoughts were written all over his face. And as he turned to run, he felt something in his mind just shift. Memories poured into his mind, memories that had been long forgotten, by force.
The ocean, almost drowning when saving Akito, and laughing as soon as Hatori saved them, in an almost maniac form.
Discovering snow for the first time, and hitting Akito with a snowball after she pushed him into a snow bank.
Showing her how to manipulate fire, at least, for one small trick, and her pride as she went to show everyone else how to do it.
Of him almost dying; that explained what voices were in his mind.
And then, of less flattering memories.
He, or was it Inferno, trying to burn down Akito’s wing.
And then the memory of today, making him wince.

All those memories only fueled him as he ran. He couldn’t let his half sister see him like this; when he was in the cat’s second form, the true form you could say. With black fur and red streaks, it was obvious who it was. Pushing himself, Dante ran, faster and faster, until it seemed as though he couldn’t run any faster, just bent on running away. Never did he think to simply grab his beads. Finally, he came to what he had been looking for; a lake. He couldn’t swim in this form, and if things got too bad, he’d just jump onto the small islands, until there was no more ground under his feet. He wouldn’t ever have to be a monster again. Akito could forget about him. Taking a deep breath, Dante gathered himself up, preparing for the jump to the first island, when he heard something behind him. Whirling, he looked carefully, trying to figure out what would be foolish enough to approach him. Nothing sane in the mind would dare.

[/blockquote]

[X]

((This will be an EPIC fail. DX))

Akito was still trying to catch her breath when she caught Inferno to turn toward her. She rushed forward tiredly, although she knew it’s not like she could catch him. But she was close enough to see the glowing red eyes and the look he gave her. So he knew. She watched in something close to concern as his eyes changed to dark red for a moment and Dante fell to his knees and held his head in his hands. She wanted to run over and see if he was okay, but by now she’d stopped and before she knew it Inferno was back. She watched her half brother walk into the building, knowing full-well he’d probably locked the door behind him. But still she ran at the door and tried the door knob over and over. She didn’t bother trying to knock the door down or anything. That wasn’t a possibility. She waited outside the building anxiously, trying to sort things out.

What if he died? What if Dante got himself killed? What if he didn’t get the chance to remember? She sighed and wondered what could be going on up there as she began to back away from the building. Of course she wouldn’t leave, but for some reason she decided to keep her distance from i.
She never really heard any yelling, but then again it was a pretty tall building and would be difficult. She wondered which floor they were on. The windows all seemed to be open. She noticed that about the time Dante and D’Noir came hurtling out, and she gasped, though she didn’t run forward. She watched and saw that mid-fall, D’Noir pulled Dante’s beads off.

She watched them fall, almost as if in slow motion. It seemed soon after Dante—now in monster form—landed, he took off running. She ran forward and nearly forgot to grab the beads. She picked them up, keeping them around her hand so she wouldn’t drop them, then grabbed his sunglasses. He’d want those, she was sure. She rushed after him, exhaustion forgotten.

She was extremely relieved when he stopped. Do you remember now? she thought hopefully.
Akito wished he’d slow down. Running like that, he was far too fast for her, and for a while she lost sight of him. But it wasn’t hard to find him, it seemed.

For a moment, when she caught sight of him, she was hidden by the scenery, until she broke out to see that he’d turned to face in her direction.
Akito was gasping for breath, and some may even find it comical, though she did not. Her lungs hurt and burned and she was sure she’d be sore tomorrow. Her body was not used to this. She hated when she had to run after him, though it had only happened one other time.

“Stop. Please,” she said between breaths, tossing him his beads. ”Just… G*d, tell me you remember now!” she snapped, holding her head in her hands out of stress and weariness. She walked toward him, ready to jump at him and very literally latch onto one of his distorted limbs if he attempted to run. Knowing him—if he remembered—, he probably wouldn’t try to run with her attached to him. That would hurt her.

((Bleh.))

[Dante]

So it seemed to be that Akito had followed him once more, for some odd reason. Couldn’t she see? Couldn’t she smell? He was an abomination; yet she approached him with only fatigue, not fear. He needed to be feared, he was a monster. No, he didn’t need to be feared; he needed to be gone, just as that one time he almost was all those years ago. A monster had no path here, although Kyo seemed to be a doing a good job of staying out of Akito’s way, with his girlfriend and all. Dante had always been the outcast, and it was as though it would always be that. He had no people skills, and this was just another painful reminder exactly why he had no people skills. He couldn’t take the risk of someone seeing this; he didn’t want to give some innocent nightmares, not again. Backing up slightly as Akito came forward, Dante’s hind paws hit the edge, cool water hitting his tones, making him flinch slightly at the sudden cold, he had never liked water, for obvious reasons. It would be a fitting end, something seemed to whisper. The only problem was that water itself wasn’t his greatest fear; though for the past years he had foolishly thought so.

As Akito spoke though, Dante stopped backing up, mostly because it was still so new, but at the same time not, to be on friendly terms with her; sibling terms. As she tossed him his beads, something he was relieved about, he grabbed them. The transformation back to human was always faster, and easier than the one to beast, and merely moments later, it was not a beast from a horror story, just Dante. Who though, considered himself nothing different at the moment, as his mindset was pretty much the same as it had been before he had changed; thankfully though it wasn’t filled insanity, just a cold bleakness, his gaze dark, one without much hope. However, he stepped forward, and took his sunglasses, gently, from Akito with a quiet word of thanks.
”I remember, everything, at least, the past before, when we were kids.”
Dante said quietly, his sunglasses hiding whatever emotion he was feeling at the moment. He wasn’t dressed in much at the moment; but he was thankful that his pants had stayed, faded and ripped. His shirt though, was gone. Not surprisingly though, the coldness didn’t seem to bother him though, neither did his scars, which as usual, were visible.

Slipping his beads around his right wrist, a subtle gesture that told Akito who was in control at the moment, Dante turned and sat at the water’s edge; more proof that he did indeed remember the past. If he hadn’t, Dante would have never turned his back to Akito.
”Are you…alright?” Dante asked softly, looking at the night sky that reflected over the water. There was a distance to his tone, though it wasn’t indicated at Akito. No, it was indicated at himself, his self loathing clear with every small movement. Scooting over slightly, Dante made room for Akito to sit; if she wanted too. He could understand if she didn’t want to sit next to an abomination though; that was the natural reaction that most had to him, even if they hadn’t seen his other form. Although he was by the water’s edge, Dante did his best not to touch the water itself, rather, just watching it, drawing his feet up just before he could be touched by the icy water. Shaking his head slightly, Dante grabbed a chunk of wood, and his lighter, which had somehow like his knife, survived. Creating a spark, Dante turned quick enough to construct a small fire; if he wasn’t cold, then Akito must be freezing, since she wasn’t wearing anything heavy.

For once though, the fire didn’t seem to make his gaze dance, maybe though that was because of the glasses hiding his eyes, and with that his thoughts, from the outside world. Before Akito could ask him if he was alright though, he said quietly, looking back at the stars;
”One tries so hard to fight what they are; and then reality comes back with a sharp bite. It causes one to open their eyes to what they really are, and how even when they appear to be normal, there is no escaping what they really are. Worthless, an abomination, you’ve said it yourself, and you were—are dead right.”
There was no blame on Akito; that much was obvious. But as he spoke, all the self loathing, the self hatred, it all came out in one even tone. Dante didn’t look at Akito; but his attention was on her, waiting for her own reactions to what he was saying.
”Reality sucks.”
He said softly, under his breath, running a finger over his knife, which he had unsheathed, and watched as blood welled up on the cut, as though he needed the distraction.

”And I suppose it didn’t help that I was such a jerk before. Even not remembering, I should have kept my temper. This afternoon; trying to burn down the main house, it really only tells me what I am all that much more.” Dante said after a moment, a very bitter smile flickering slightly to life; seen only thanks to the light the fire cast. Akito would probably need to get back soon, but as soon as she wanted to leave, she could. He would probably stay out here tonight. He didn’t know though, what was going to happen when he did. Or how long he could last out here as he was; if it was going to start snowing then it was going to get awfully cold, really fast. But….he couldn’t face anyone else, put up a fake face, not right now. Not with what had happened.

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[X]

As he changed back his sister watched, obviously relieved that he wasn’t going to try and run again—she knew if he did, she wouldn’t be able to catch him this time, what with being out of breath, sore, and extremely dizzy. She felt like she was either going to vomit or pass out, and the lingering stench of Dante’s monster form didn’t help that. She straightened her posture, closing her eyes for what felt like a very large length of time after Dante took his sunglasses and confirmed that he recalled everything. She was still breathing heavily, and at first the cold helped. But then she began to notice it and felt goosebumps run up and down her arms and back with the cold. She did a good job of hiding her discomfort now, although she still felt more than a little ill from the running.

Akito opened her eyes again in time to see Dante slip his hand onto his right wrist, which she noted somewhere in the back of her mind that this was indeed him, and not his alter ego. Fortunately, she added silently to herself.
It was almost strange, almost new to consider Dante her brother—to think about him in a friendlier way than she had been for a while. D’Noir, she thought angrily. He ought to die for everything he’s done.

She managed a smirk when Dante asked if she was alright. “Well, I feel sick and lightheaded—but yes, I’m alright,” she stated simply.
The self-loathing she saw in him bothered Akito, but she didn’t say it—she didn’t even show it in her expression. She made her way over to him, making a point of sitting as close as possible without making things uncomfortable. When her brother made a fire, she was incredibly grateful.

One tries so hard to fight what they are; and then reality comes back with a sharp bite. It causes one to open their eyes to what they really are, and how even when they appear to be normal, there is no escaping what they really are.
For some reason, that statement struck a nerve in Akito. Not because it applied to him—no. It wasn’t that at all. In all honesty, now that she remembered things, she wasn’t right. It struck something that—subconsciously—she knew, and could never admit. She didn’t even allow herself to think of it, but really, it applied to her more than to him.
’You are no god,’ was the statement that she mentally kept her subconscious part of the mind from telling her. She didn’t want to acknowledge that fact.
Worthless, an abomination, you’ve said it yourself, and you were—are dead right.
“No!” she wanted to tell him. She wanted to explain to him that she wasn’t right about that. She’d been blind and rash. But then there were conflicted thoughts.
It would be hypocritical to deny what he said after so freely calling other cats that and not changing my mind, a part of her thought. But instead of either denying or confirming what Dante said, she remained silent for a while.

”Stop. Just… stop, Dante. Don’t say that.” Because then I don’t know what to even think, Akito added mentally.
She watched as a cut formed on Dante’s finger from the knife with something that might have been fascination, but also might have just been shock. In truth, it was a little bit of both. Her eyes flicked from the cut to his face as he flashed a smile holding no mirth or cheer but only bitterness. Part of her wanted to put that fire out so she wouldn’t have to see him smile at that. It pained her much more than she could have ever imagined. This was the same boy she’d laughed at and playfully teased when they were younger and actually played with as a child. She could never recall him really laughing—light chuckles here and there, but that wasn’t really laughter—but his smiles were something she’d liked to see when she was little. This bitter expression on her brother’s face was a distorted version of that look that she loved, and that scared her a little bit. Not that she said anything, of course.

((Nngh.))

[Dante]

There was silence between the two for a while, leaving Dante alone in his own dark thoughts. Silence was an enemy and a friend, one he had thought he had understood all too well. But now it seemed as though he didn’t even know the solitude, the feeling of being the outcast as he had always felt. No, that wasn’t exactly true, at least, not all the way. It was Akito who was throwing him off his game, and the memories that flashed through his mind, faster than he would have ever thought possible; it was making him slightly dizzy, not that it showed. At the moment, there seemed to be no real emotion on Dante’s clean cut features, for he had walled himself up pretty decently, good enough that even Akito wouldn’t be able to read him unless he let her. Gaze watching the horizon, he observed Akito from the corner of his gaze, not enough to alert her really to him watching her, but enough to see what she was doing, and how she was aside from what she told him. Just because someone said something, it didn’t mean it was true; lies had a way of becoming the truth after time, if told often enough.

She sat down next to him, something that did indeed surprise him slightly, but his sunglasses hid all emotion that played out in his dark eyes. The silence between them grew, but in a way, it wasn’t actually an awkward silence, it was indeed more of a self reflection silence. Akito seemed to be lost in her own thought, but also cold, not surprising. She had never been in the best of health, and for a moment, Dante’s mouth tightened in anger. Under his breath, he made a single vow;
”I will kill Ren and D’Noir and end this once and for all.” There was no doubting the certainty in his voice, though he didn’t look at Akito as he said it. Of course though, he didn’t speak everything he thought, the last line wouldn’t go over to well with Akito, she had a protective streak his memory told him.
Even at the cost of my own life.
It was a promise he would have made even if this hadn’t happened, provided he had his memory that is. Akito wasn’t the only one with a protective streak really; Dante’s was just a lot more violent than Akito’s.

In a strange way, it was almost as though he could feel her fear, and he turned his head ever so slightly toward Akito, reading the emotions she was giving off. Inferno was lurking closer then he liked, but there wasn’t enough power in the alter to do anything too drastic, switching took a lot out of them both. Especially with the battle and the…other incident, it left them both worn out, but in the cool air, there was only a numb feeling, which was quickly combated by the flames at his back. Turning, he looked at Akito once more, before shaking his head softly. He hadn’t meant to scare her, he was just feeling a little overwhelmed about a few things. He needed to go riding, but Shigure’s was a long way from here, and he didn’t think he would be back in time to really be able to actually be coherent on a motorcycle. Thank the stars that it was Winter break; two weeks of freedom.
”My apologies. Private musings should be just that; private.” Dante said quietly, still looking at Akito. Finally, he nodded, and pulled out his pocket a cell phone, one of the cheap little go phones.

Without looking back at Akito, he stood up, and dialed a number, making sure to hit star nine so that his number was hidden. Speaking softly, voice rougher as he changed his pitch as not to be recognized, Dante spoke rapidly in German for a moment, one of the exchange students must have answered to phone. A few names slipped through, but it was too fast for Akito to really pick them up, aside from maybe the location. Hanging up, Dante returned, expression neutral, but there was a touch of warmth in his movements, as he sat down next to Akito for a moment, although it was clear that he wasn’t going to stay for long. In fact, the sound of a car in the distance seemed to make him nervous, and he spoke quickly, but in English.
”Someone is coming to pick you up, you can’t be out here for much longer or you really will throw up. Feel free to say as much as you want about this, but I think it’d be better if we kept this quiet for a while. I’m going to walk to Shigure’s, but I’ll be watching until you get picked up. I’m not going to the main house yet, not with that restraining order and all.” There was a faint touch of humor in Dante’s tone at that as he kicked out the fire, before helping Akito to her feet. He was good at masking emotions, as she would know, but his true thoughts were for him alone to puzzle out. Stepping back, he seemed to fade into the shadows, though he took off his sunglasses for a moment so Akito would be able to see him. As soon as whomever had come came, and seeing that Ren wasn’t anywhere near here, Dante vanished.

His past was clouded with mystery, his future an ending he knew would come as soon as he lost a purpose. His present was the only thing that was clear; and things could change within a moment, as today. But, he had a drive, a promise to fulfill; he wasn’t going anywhere until he completed that. Time ticked quickly though…

[End.]

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