Enlightened Dark
by Tanith
Chapter 1
"Nani?!" a normally husky male voice rift the air when an unknown hand landed heavily on his shoulder. "Who are you?" Duo demanded, not in the mood to be messed with right then. He just wanted to have a nice drink, bury himself for a while. Not have to think... about anything. No reply was forth-coming but the hand had yet to remove it's firm grip on his shoulder.
"Man, just leave. I'm not in the mood for a fight." No answer. He tried to turn, tried to see exactly who had picked one of the worst possibly nights to bother him. He had no reason anymore. He never had, only a despairing sense of loss... of emptiness. If he was forced to fight, he would fight recklessly. And he would win. Even if he wanted to die he was cursed to live. That was how things worked. He had learned that.
The angry red scars on his wrists proved that.
He tried to turn to see the person keeping him from entering the bar he was standing in front of. But he was stopped by a low, rumbling chuckle before he could bring his body to make so much as the slightest twitch. The person behind him bent, his strangely dry breath now beating steadily into the shell of his ear, his grip tightened on Duo's shoulder enough to bruise.
"Who am I," the man gave a chuckle again, wisps of feather soft hair brushing against Duo's cheek. "Now that seems to be a popular question. Who am I..? I'd like to know the same thing myself," the man stated, dark voice contemplative. And then he was walking, dragging Duo after him by his painfully firm grip on his shoulder. "That's a question that needs answering," he continued, his breath completely normal even as his pace sped up so that Duo had to almost jog to keep up, or risk falling down to jagged black concrete. "Maybe... Maybe you'll be able to do that for me. After..."
"After?" Duo asked when the man did not finish, his brain not completely registering what was happening. His steps faltered now and then, but he was forced onward by the impossible grip on his shoulder, his long chestnut braid flapping behind him. The man stopped abruptly, steadying Duo when he came crashing to a halt, nearly falling with the effort. He looked around, his gaze quickly flitting over the man, trying hard not to focus on him.
They were in front of what looked to be the back door to a run down night club that had most likely been out of business for some time. The man turned, eyes boring down at Duo and he found his gaze unwillingly drawn to him. He was thin and taller than the braided man, his hair falling around his face haphazardly, glowing nearly black in the glare from a street light that has lost its cover.
The man gave a slight nod and Duo's eyes shot up to his hard cobalt ones. Glasslike. But they did not glint in the light. It seemed just the opposite as Duo continued to stare into them, feeling as if his soul were being sucked slowly out from the depths of his body, but unable to stop it or look away. Beautiful. "After," the man repeated firmly following the nod.
He released Duo's shoulder then, and turned to the door and the sound of a key turning in an old, rusty lock reached his ears. Duo could have run, but he did not. Unexplainably, he no longer wanted to get away from this man if he truly ever had before. Right then, his life did not seem so hopeless. The door swung open, hinges groaning with effort and the man walked into the darkness beyond, beckoning with a outstretched hand for Duo to follow. "Come."
He obeyed, his mind not even questioning the action as his followed after the man, Duo's gaze affixed to his back. They stopped again in the middle of a room, the inky darkness tangible, nearly suffocating. Nearly, but then it was suddenly comfortable. Warm. And then the light came, clinging cloyingly to the walls, chasing even the dimmest of shadows from every corner. And Duo shuddered, the feeling that this devouring light could never be natural dancing through him
The man stood before Duo, a hand lifted, running a single, gentle finger over his smooth cheek. Duo shivered. So cold. The man leaned forward, his lips brushing against Duo's neck lightly, the hand gripped his chin firmly, yet tenderly. Then something replaced his lips, pricking sharply against his flesh, and Duo's vision flashed white, drowning out all image as his eyes rolled comfortably back into his head. His lids fluttered shut as sensation washed over him. Blissful. No, it was indefinable, unlike anything Duo had ever felt before. As if he was floating on the highest cloud and yet sinking deeper into murky blue depths at the same time. It gave Duo reason.
The man then pulled away, ignoring the sharp cry of distress as the sensation was ripped from Duo. He caught Duo easily when he tumbled downward, nerves still in utter shock, and cradled him to his frigid chest. Duo's eyes opened, focusing on the man's face as a visage of a smile played across his lips, never quite fully forming. His head bent close to Duo's, spiky brown hair framing them both as he whispered deeply, breath washing over Duo's lips. "Now. Who am I?"
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