Their New Adventure
Their New Adventure
Chapter One
By
Pyry Cole
This is a free fan fiction and is not to be distributed for profit. Also, the characters and places involved in this fiction do not belong to me and are trademarks of the Ban-Dai Corporation. Now that that's out of the way on to the story!.
Chapter One: From the world of dreams
The soles of his shoes tapped on hard stone as he walked down the streets toward the bamboo thicket that held the old shrine. A gentle breeze rustled through his brown hair and a few autumn leaves were taken with it, getting stuck between the strands. It had been exactly five years since that evening, and he had come to this spot at this night for every one of them.
The breeze then was gentle and his spirit at peace for the time. He remembered it perfectly, how he had been content that he could say it with such confidence. Pointing the drive toward the shikigami and releasing him with his words. "Byakko no Kogenta. Here, our contract... is terminated!"
He hadn't realized at the time what had happened. Things went well for the first year, and he had even acknowledged Mo-Mo Chan's affections. Even as they dated his thoughts began to weigh on him heavily. He liked her, but it didn't feel right. No matter what he did it just did not work out, and there was a lingering thought, an emptiness which grew inside him.
He was 19 years old now. He was surrounded with good friends like Teru, Souma, and Mo-Mo. Even Yuuma had come around. Still, he felt lonely, no longer was he alone. But his heart yearned for a place near him to be filled, that deeply he knew there was only one who could.
The young man placed a small offering, a single rose, next to the old white drive and gave a very simple prayer, "Be well... Kogenta."
He smiled over the heartache, thinking of the shikigami he called "partner" as the pale moonlight illuminated the shrine. Having visited the shrine, he walked back to the Tachibana apartment, a place he called home with his grandfather, or at least the closest possible thing he had to one. The walk was the same as any night he would go through the tight streets, peaceful, short, and uneventful. He opened the door to the main room quietly and crept into his own room, careful not to wake his grandfather.
There was much occupying the young man's head, and little to fill the void in his heart. He drifted to sleep on his bed, quietly and peacefully, unaware of a presence around him.
He found himself in a room along the halls of the Fukumaden, waiting for something in Naraku. Through the thin rice-paper walls a shadow approached, and a faint jingle followed its steps. When the shadow appeared he spoke, though it was not his thought or will to speak.
He spoke in a deep, booming voice that was not his own, "Why do you approach? Why have you ventured into the plane of Naraku, where you do not belong? Do you wish something of me shikigami?"
He has had this dream many times before. Every, the shadow would approach, and Riku would say that same line, and the shadow would stay for a moment, but then run away without a word and he would wake up. However, it seemed that this time was different.
A quiet and familiar voice came, which Riku could never have forgotten, even if he tried, "... yes..."
Even though he could hear clearly the voice on the other side of the wall, he could do nothing, and it was as if his words were dictated for him, keeping him from saying what he wanted.
"And what do you wish of me?" Riku responded, once again in this voice that was not his own.
"I... Byakko no Kogenta wish to protect Tachibana Riku from the darkness in his heart." the familiar shadow said
"So... this is your desire," Riku said, still unable to speak of his own will. " Very well, it shall be granted, at cost." He finished.
"At cost?" the shikigami inquired with his echo.
"At cost of immortality and the majority of your shikigami powers" Riku had been forced to say. "Do you still wish to continue this contract?"
Riku thought to himself, "no... don't do it... don't do it Kogenta! Don't do it just for me." The voice of the shikigami declared, "Of course I do! Riku still needs me, and I let him send me away without knowing it!" Kogenta calmed down, "I left him too early... I'm a bad shikigami for letting him let me go early. It's the only thing I can do.. Please." His voice was shaking. Riku could almost hear the tears of regret through the voice of the shikigami.
"Kogenta!" Riku yelled, springing up from his slumber. Finally able to control his body, he panted, recovering from the mental struggle of his dream. The dream hadn't progressed that far before, but part of him was certainly glad that it had now. If only in his mind, Riku got to hear Kogenta's voice again. After recovering Riku laid back down to go to sleep again.
As his senses became dulled, and his mind was slowly lulled back into the world of dreams Riku could hear a faint and somewhat unfamiliar sound as a light glowed faintly from somewhere in the room. He was too tired to truly take note and just fell to sleep as the light had grown in intensity.
Riku had awakened to the smell of morning air and could hear the birds outside. However something was strange. There was another smell in the air, it was hard to notice but it was there, and there was another sound, breathing. Neither the sound nor the scent belonged to Riku. He felt something press against his body and shoulders, jerking him quickly from his slumber. His first vision was blurred and Riku's reaction to a seemingly unfamiliar body on top of him caused him to scream in fear and surprise, rolling off the bed and forcing the unsuspecting stranger to the floor.
As the stranger fell Riku heard a distinct sound that echoed through his mind. It was one he could not easily forget. It was a very large brass bell. He quickly rubbed his eyes and woke up more completely. Before him on the floor was a familiar figure. It was clad in a silver fur with blue stripes and clothed in a very familiar pair of oversized bright red leggings held by a simple rope belt and a tight armor-like grey/black shirt with metal shoulder pads. He continued to scan, staring into the deep red of the creature's pendant, and then eventually into the deeper red of the white tiger's ruby eyes.
Kogenta blinked. He was dumbfounded by Riku's reaction at first, having been tossed to the floor. Riku of course could not believe his eyes.
Kogenta quickly stood up shouting and pointing accusingly at Riku "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What do you think you're doing!? Greeting me like THAT!? What!? You're not happy to see me!? Is that it!?"
Riku was still staring in disbelief, "K... K... Kogenta?" he stammered
"Of course it's me." Kogenta responded smugly,
"What other shikigami do you think would put up with your lack of..." Kogenta was interrupted mid sentence by Riku leaping out of bed and clasping his arms around him in a tight embrace. Kogenta smiled softly "... respect"
Tears welled up in Riku's violet eyes as he continued to hold onto Kogenta. "I am happy... happier than you know! I thought I'd never see you again! I started to want you to return... I couldn't stand you being away forever. I'm so happy you came back!" he rested his head on Kogenta's shoulder.
Kogenta just smiled knowingly at Riku, who had grown much taller so that he was eye-level with the shikigami. Unable to stroke his hair, Kogenta just wrapped one arm around Riku to return the embrace and ran his claws through Riku's hair at ear level. "I never left. You're the one toujinshi that I couldn't leave, even if you couldn't see me. I was still watching you. You're so different from the other humans."
Kogenta said glumly, "I'm sorry Riku..."
Riku responded to his words, "for what?"
"I was supposed to make you happy... and I left you... I'm a terrible shikigami." Kogenta cried
"Don't say that. You're not bad. You gave me hope, and courage. You gave me happiness and friends. You chased the darkness in my heart away." Riku answered
"But it didn't last..." Kogenta countered, "If I made you happy why had the darkness returned?"
"Because, Kogenta. Though I was happy, I couldn't stop thinking about you." He said
"I... I knew it... it's what I did isn't it... because I... I killed your..." Kogenta blubbered, but was quickly silenced by Riku.
Riku began to articulate "I already told you several times before you left... I wasn't thinking about that. I was only thinking about you. The new darkness came from not having you with me... not knowing if you were at my side. Kogenta.... Kogenta... I... Love you!"
Kogenta smiled and laughed "I already knew that. I love you too... you're the best friend and toujinshi a shikigami like me could..." Riku interrupted him "No. I mean... I really love you... I can't imagine my world without you, I want you with me forever, Byakko no Kogenta. Will you... be mine to love?" Riku said quietly but firmly. Kogenta wiped a tear from his eyes, and blushed, intoxicated by Riku's words. "I knew what you meant... I've been watching you. But to hear you say it... yes I will. I shall stay by you, Tachibana no Riku."
Kogenta grabbed Riku's head at the back, just below the ears and pressed his forehead against Riku, locking the stare of his ruby eyes into the violet of Riku's, "I promise" he thought to himself... "So... this is what love feels like... real love." Riku tipped Kogenta's head upward, and locked his lips with those of the shikigami briefly. The tiger's lips were soft and supple, and he wished it would linger more.
They backed up a step to look at each-other. And then they heard a sound. Kogenta's stomach rumbled for the first time. He blushed.
A deep shade of red could be seen under his fur and he brushed his hand through the back of his white and blue hair. He flashed a humiliated grin "Uhm... Riku... Got anything to eat?"
...To Be Continued