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Dreamscape	By : sakurazukamori6 Category: +M to R > Mirage of Blaze Views: 18142 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mirage of Blaze, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Takaya, dripping blood and sweat stumbled out of the club and into the cool, wet night. Rain poured from the sky, drenching him from head to toe, the seemingly unending downpour making his clothes stick to his skin and his body shiver uncontrollably. An overwhelming exhaustion, like the dark rain clouds overhead, swept over him, dug into his bones and ripped the strength from him. He knew he had to leave this place before the cops showed up, and so his leaden feet carried him over to a dark alley across from the club. He stumbled into the wall, slick with water and grim, his back sliding down until he found himself seated. Takaya, putting his face in his hands, breathed in the night air, stale with smoke and urine. He gagged and choked on the sob he�d been holding back.
He vividly remembered the kill, can still smell blood like sweet, cloying perfume around him. The stuttering images flitting through his head and making him dig his fingernails into his scalp as he tried to forget. He�d never killed someone like that. He�d never felt what it was like to feel a body shiver and give up its last shudder of resistance, before it was taken away with the ebb and tide of death. He had always felt like he was an outsider looking in whenever he fought. Always felt a sort of detached distance between himself and his opponent, between the situations. And even with Bishamonten evaporated into nonexistence, he could still feel the warmth of the hilt, a touch memory daggered into his palms and making them itch with awareness. He felt wild and unbearably lonely as he lay slumped over himself, clutching his head, tears rushing down his face. Warm, salty, and stinging like sand when they connected with the prickle sensitive skin of his bare arms.

He felt a yearning like no other to see Naoe at that moment, and it made him cry even harder, a sob ripping itself from his throat and killing the last amount of restraint within himself. He was aware of footsteps approaching, aware of familiar voices and the sudden whisper of arms holding him. But even when he felt the presence of his friends that drench of loneliness seemed to choke him even more.

�C�mon Takaya. We gotta get out of here.� Haruie whispered, as if to a child. She slipped an arm gently around his shoulder.

�Christ, he�s a mess.� Chiaki took off his jacket. He stooped in front of Takaya and draped it around his shoulders. Yuzuru, who was also with them, stood stock still as he witnessed Takaya, usually so strong and stubborn, crying miserably, drenched in blood and rainwater.

�I got him.� Chiaki said and Haruie moved back to let him pick Takaya up. He let Takaya cry on his shirt and had to look away when he heard Takaya whisper Naoe�s name, something so agonized and lonely that he winced from the mere sound of it.

Takaya twisted his fingers in Chiaki�s shirt as his friend carried him, and his body was distinctly aware that this wasn�t Naoe, that Naoe didn�t smell like this or carry him this way. And it hurt. It hurt so much. Like someone was driving a nail into the flesh of his hand.
�We got an address from Ranmaru�� Chiaki said, and his voice didn�t sound as sure as it wanted to be right now. �But when he realized you killed�� he huffed out a breath, as if he was frustrated with his choice of words, but continued on nonetheless ��he bit his tongue and killed himself.� Chiaki hefted Takaya up to get a better grip, and the motion jostled Takaya�s head from the purchase it had taken against his chest. �We�ll find him. Stop crying.� Chiaki said unsurely and he felt terribly awkward, the role of emotional support straining his personal resources, as he didn�t have much experience in consoling others.
Haruie had run ahead to get the car, her heels echoing down the lonely road, her head turning from left to right and unsuccessful in finding traces of anyone. As if the oppressive darkness and fresh rain had swept everyone away and they were the only ones spared from the flood.
��..
Lightning flashed through the sky, as they made their way to the building. It was an abandoned warehouse shrouded in complete darkness. Not a light outside or in. Takaya felt instant panic at this scene. There should be guards, he reasoned. There should be someone posted at the doors. Nobunaga wouldn�t just leave Naoe alone, unless he�

He was about to rush the door, but Chiaki grabbed him by the forearm. �It could be a trap. Let us deal with this. You�re in no condition to be using your powers.� Takaya, hearing those sharp words from Chiaki, instantly deflated. He let them pass him by as both possessors walked towards the entrance carefully.
�Takaya.� He heard Yuzuru�s soft voice call to him, a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
�I�m so tired.� Takaya whispered and looked to his friend.
�I know.� Yuzuru squeezed the top of his friend�s arm and arranged his other hand so it was around his shoulder in a light hold. Takaya slumping against his friend in a manner of defeat, the energy sapped from his body, watched both possessors circle around the building. Chiaki made to reach his hand for the door, but it slowly creaked open on its own. He looked to Haruie and she nodded her consent.
They walked in, leaving Takaya and Yuzuru standing out in the rain. Takaya had the urge to break away, to run after them and see for himself, but he couldn�t just leave his best friend out here. Nobunaga was dead, but that didn�t mean he had to be careless. The seed of the evil kings had withered away, but to just up and leave Yuzuru would be heartless. He still felt the sting of what he�d done to his poor friend and it made him want to fervently apologize, even if Yuzuru didn�t understand why he was offering such things.
�Yuzuru�I�m sorry.�
Yuzuru who had been looking at the entrance of the warehouse, flicked his eyes over at Takaya. �Takaya what�s wrong?�
�Just�know that I�m sorry for this crap. I don�t mean to put you through this.� Takaya shook his head to stop his friend from disagreeing. �All of this is my fault. You have nothing to do with this and you get sucked in anyway. It�s not fair to you.� Takaya said more forcefully, his sadness over not seeing Naoe overflowing into his speech.
�Takaya.� Yuzuru said with a voice that plainly chastised. �You know, when that guy held me captive, he told me something�� The hand on Takaya tightened. �He said�that the reason they�d found me was because you told them where I was. He said it was because you cherished a�dirty mongrel more than your best friend.� Yuzuru bit his lip and looked pained, and then realized that the look on his face may be giving Takaya the wrong idea. He hurriedly explained. �No--I mean�Takaya.� Yuzuru said to get his bearings straight, because saying his friend�s name always made him feel calmer. �You did what you had to do. It was a desperate situation and--�
Takaya�s eyes flew towards his best friend�s face. �How the hell can you forgive me so easily?� Takaya�s voice cracked, his eyes, shamed with guilt, drifted away to the entrance of the warehouse, gaze searching fervently for any sign of Naoe. Even when he was talking to his friend, he just couldn�t stop thinking about the other man. It made him feel even worse.
�Yeah, I forgive you so easily, because there�s nothing to forgive.� Yuzuru said, and his voice was firm. It was confident. It had faith in the world and the words that were being spoken. �Takaya, you had no choice. They were gonna kill him! We�re best friends Takaya. We�ve been best friends for so long, I can�t even remember a time when you weren�t around.�
�But Yuzuru�� Takaya hung his head in more grief.
�We�ll always be best friends and I don�t ever want to hear you saying stuff like that. Think about how that makes me feel. If I had been the one responsible for Naoe�s death and your sadness, I don�t think I�d be able to live with myself. Just because I�m too weak to fend for myself�you�ve always bailed me out of trouble Takaya. How could I ever be mad at you?� Yuzuru suddenly hugged him and Takaya overcome by his words and the action, let himself be hugged.
�I�m sorry.� Takaya whispered, head hurting, eyes too dry to cry anymore. He was using everyone as an emotional crutch and it pained him that he wasn�t strong enough to handle his problems alone. He�d always had Naoe selflessly fill that role for him. The older man having no qualms about sheltering him and taking the necessary steps to rid him of his pain. He�d never realized before, but without Naoe�s support, without those arms that could brace him up from his grief, he really couldn�t cope with these things on his own. And it pained him even more when he recalled how ungrateful he could act, how easy it was to forget who was always comforting him. �I�m sorry.� And at this point, he wasn�t just apologizing to Yuzuru, but to Naoe too.

Yuzuru smiled. �It doesn�t suit you.�

Takaya shook his head. He wasn�t a humble person by nature, it didn�t go well with his image, but his rough, prideful exterior had for these past few days been dragged through the dirt. He wasn�t strong enough to keep a fa�ade that had no purpose when the person he used it on the most wasn�t here. Weariness from guilt and loneliness were pulling down his barriers and it made him feel vulnerable and pathetic. The state he was in, he thought, actually did suit him, despite Yuzuru�s kind and gentle words. This frightening ache in his chest was something that felt familiar to him. It was something that he�d worn like armor in a past life. It was how he�d kept everyone away. Intrinsically, he felt it deep in his heart, this pain he knew it very well. He had been defeated by it in the past, and now, was he to be defeated again? He�d thought he was stronger than Kagetora, but had he only been tricking himself. He looked to Yuzuru to his side and knew that his self-doubt and pitying nature were things that would continue to follow him through each life. It never went away. It stuck by him and only with the aid of those closest to him would the burden become bearable. He needed to depend on people to survive. It was sad, but he needed these people, he needed his friends, he needed Naoe, like he would need air.
�I bet he misses you.� Yuzuru whispered and held him by the shoulders. �He frowns a lot when your cranky...You might not notice it--because he�s always kinda looks like he�s frowning�� Yuzuru�s smile broadened. ��But I can tell how at peace he is when you�re happy.�
��..

He felt a sharp pang in his chest when he saw Chiaki and Haruie walk out of the building. Chiaki was the first to come out, painful grimace set in place, but trying to mask itself under the certain way he set his jaw. Haruie followed closely behind, her head down, bangs obscuring her expressively pretty eyes. It wasn�t hard to figure out that something was wrong. Takaya had waited with bated breath for their arrival. He tried to fool himself into thinking that Naoe was right behind them and if he looked hard enough he would find him�

That had been two days ago.
He still hadn�t heard word from Naoe. He�d gone over to the man�s ransacked apartment to see if luck was on his side, but it was obviously a long shot. How hard he wished for it, Naoe wouldn�t conveniently be waiting there for him. He walked through the apartment, straightening up things along the way that had gone askew in the time of the owner�s absence. His fingers ghosting over the corner of the bed smoothed over the wrinkles, an urge to lie on this bed that they�d shared many times over and not get up until Naoe had come for him hit him suddenly. But even with that urge, he hadn�t been able to sleep for those two nights, lying awake as if cursed by an insomniac, his eyes unblinking at the ceiling of the bedroom. Chiaki came to give him updates, sometimes awkwardly bringing him food and words of kindness. Both Haruie and Chiaki when asked never told him where they searched for Naoe. He wanted to follow after them, but they never told him anything. He thought it was because they were searching in places that might upset him. Places that would point out they had already given up and now they had to find the body and lay it to rest.

Two days and still nothing, those harsh words echoed around in his head, making him feel even more useless and lost. He didn�t think he could stomach another day of this. It was unthinkable. If Naoe had died, then he should be able to reincarnate�It would take time, unbearable amounts of time and he would have to wait, but�he�d wait. He�d wait, like Haruie was waiting for her lover.

He could wait.
But then Nobunaga�s words kept repeating in his head. �There were ways to trap a soul�� A cold horror was always freezing over him as he waited. Those words didn�t want them to be together. If Nobunaga had done something, then would he ever see Naoe again? It hurt him that he couldn�t be certain, but he could do nothing about that. The only thing that was definite in his world, the only thing he did know for certain was that he would wait. He�d be patient. It would be horrible and he�d be lonelier than he could stand, but he�d wait.
��..
�Go get some sleep.� Haruie, seeing him off at the door, waved and slowly made her way towards the elevator. They had just come back after having dinner. Haruie had made a comment that he was looking skinner than she liked. She thought to solve that by sitting him down and making him eat.

�Takaya.� Haruie called out and stopping in opening his door, he watched the woman tentatively approach him. �It�s only been two weeks. We�re still looking. Naoe could have gotten away and--�
�I�m not stupid.� Takaya sighed and watched the key in his hand. �I�m not stupid. I know what it means when its getting to the point where I can�t even smell cigarette smoke in the sheets anymore�� He passed one of his fingers over the cold metal of the spare that Naoe had given him, ��but I�m lonely�so I�ll wait.� He told her and she also looked down at the key in his hand. She put her hand over his.
�Just remember that we�re right here.�
�I know.� Takaya said, trying to placate Haruie�s matronly side. �You should be going home and getting some sleep. You have bags under your eyes.� He told her without any usual meanness in his voice.
�Why I never.� She said, voice comically offended, keeping the sorrowful light in her eyes at bay for a few seconds. She tilted back and forth in her spot, unsure to leave without further words. The far-off look in Takaya�s eyes however had her shaking her head, small, saddened smile on her face when she realized that Takaya was already lost in thought and her presence here didn�t factor either way into his mood. She backed away from the door.
�You take care. I�ll stop by tomorrow and I�ll bring Chiaki.� She smiled and waved, turning around for good, her eyes meeting his for a split second before she turned the corner.
Shoving the key into the lock and opening the door, Takaya toed off his shoes at the doorway. He threw his jacket on the couch, his socked feet padding across the cold floor and reaching the bedroom by instinct. The apartment felt colder than usual, drafty with a hint of the weather outside. Takaya stopped in front of the bedroom door, his body stiffening up.
There was a noise that caught him off guard, the sound of shuffling beyond the bedroom door. He stilled his body and attuned his ears in an attempt to pinpoint the noise, his stomach simultaneously flipping with fright and anxiety.
Takaya put his hand on the doorknob and turned, eyes squinting to peer into the darkness of the room. He caught sight of the white ruffle of the curtains, as it blew in the wind, saw the window gaping open and the scene of city lights laid bear before it. He swallowed the lump in his throat, fully opened the door and moved towards the window to close it. There was an open magazine on the floor, the one that he had been trying to read today, the wind leafing through the pages and continually flashing an ad for a corvette.

He stooped down to pick it up, and a shadow that he didn�t recognize as the fluttering of the curtains moved.
Takaya tensing looked up. The magazine was still in his hands, still fluttering like wings, glossy pages brushing up against his knuckles, as they rustled in the wind. He could hear his breathing as it stuttered out of him, his heart thumping a mile a minute in his chest, and the heavy whistle of the wind. His gaze focused on the red dot only a lit cigarette would impress upon the darkness and on the person behind it. He dropped his magazine.
�Did you miss me?�
..............................................................
A/n: Sorry for the general lateness. Ah well I�ve reached the point where I can say that next chapter will definitely be the last. Finally, some of you are saying, well I�m also breathing out sighs of relief along with you. I�m tired. Anyhoo, I hope you can stick around for the last chapter and as always, reviews, criticisms, and all out shouting is accepted and appreciated.
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Dreamscape