Persona - Mask of Origins

Yuki decided to take a bath while she waited for Zain to come back.

 

Zain growled as shadows drew near. "So do we just kill them all or is there one in particular you want dead?"

Daieko hushed him and stepped toward the oncoming shadows, "Come now, let's be civil. Unless you want me to sic my new pet on you." The shadows hesitated and a hiss came from behind them. "Why Mr. Deathchild, I didn't know you had a new pet. What's this one's powers?" Zain looked from the shadows to Daieko and back, confused. "He's simply a much stronger version of you. Why, his Persona is quite the opposite of him. Now, down to buisness."

Daieko and the shadows moved off into a corner of the cemetary and Zain sat on the gravestone, "What the hell? He's doing buisness with them?"

 

Yuki finished her bath and got dressed in casual clothes.

"Zain better get back soon. I hope I don't have to go looking for him."

 

Daieko pulled a needle from his sleeve and stole small amounts of blood from the shadow he was after, with Zain as his protection and leverage against them, "Very good. You'll get your toxin and I'll get what I want, correct?" He'd never told them what he wanted and since they never had given him anything, they assumed he meant peace.

Zain blinked lazily, it was getting late and Daieko was taking too long.

 

Yuki yawned as she flipped through a book.

 

Zain watched Daieko hurry back to him with a bottle of black liquid and a grin on his face. "And what the hell is that?" "Their blood silly. Jeez, don't you know your own blood when you see it?" Zain frowned and scowled at him, "That ain't my blood, buddy." Daieko shrugged and pushed him toward home, "Go home, we don't need you anymore. You did a wonderful job today."

Zain was still shaking his head as he stepped into the house, "I didn't even kill anything. How can that be a job well done? Man, that guy get's creepier the more I see him. Dealing with shadows...stealing their blood...and sending Shemhazi after me. What have I gotten myself into."

 

Yuki had fallen asleep on the couch with the book over her face.

 

Zain smiled at the normalicy of Yuki. "Hmm, how I'll miss these days. I'm so sorry Yuki. I promised to be your brother and now I'm failing you miserably." His red eyes probed her sleeping face after he'd taken the book from her face. "I wonder what you dream of."

Daieko ran home like an excited little boy during christmas. Adding the blood to his potion, he grinned as it changed colors again, "Excellent... Soon it'll be ready and then...well, as if I'm going to give my finest creation to that abomination Zain. He's already beyond the point of return. Shem, I just can't help him anymore. Did you see his eyes behind those glasses? Pure red of the shadows themselves."

 

Yuki tossed and turned.

 

Zain reached a hand over her to wake her and caught sight of his claws. "Ah!" closing his hand and hiding it behind his back, he nudged her with his other hand, slightly less clawed than the other, briefly wondering, What's happening to me? I thought Eden would be able to hide this.

 

Yuki yawned as she woke up. She jumped when she saw Zain.

 

Zain jumped back, he'd forgotten his sunglasses were on his head again, "Uh, s-sorry." pulling them down with his clawed hand, he grimaced and stood, letting his shoulders drop, "Yuki...I understand if you're afraid of me. I'm sorry I'm so hideous now. It's selfish of me to wish for the days when everyone thought I was just really handsome. Lust...a simple emotion that I wish people would go back to feeling for me instead of fear." he turned away from her and stared at the wall.

 

"It's not that, Zain, you just startled me."

 

He half smiled and closed his eyes, "Of course. That's all it was." His embarrassment heated his face and shame cooled it. "What were you dreaming of? It obviously couldn't have been pleasant."

 

"I dreamt of being attacked by shadows, and saw that one of them was you."

 

He flinched and recovered barely in time, smiling easily as he turned around to look at her, "It's just a dream then. I'd never hurt you Yuki." It's what he thought and believed in, but he knew one day he'd become a shadow if Daieko didn't finish his cure.

 

"I know. I wouldn't let you hurt me anyway." Yuki said.

 

Zain laughed but refused to comment. He felt horrible. How do I explain? How can I make sure this doesn't come true? Why did I have to put myself so close to the light. he thought miserably.

 

Yuki stretched as she got up.

"I guess I better head to the store."

 

His eyes followed her but he didn't move, "Ah, ok. I'll see you later then." His mind darkly added, If I'm still alive when you get back. Shaking his head, he flopped down on the couch and dug his guitar from the side of the couch.