The coward and the bleeding shadows

Kenichi followed her her out of the lunch room. They walked around for a bit just walking and not going anywhere specific. She then looked back at him and asked him about himself. Kenichi didnt really have anything so say about himself that was interesting. He didnt want to bore her by talking about his training at ryozanpaku. He could tell her how he was bullied as a child but he thought that wouldnt be the best thing to do. "Well there isnt much about me really! What about you?"

"I...don't like talking about my past..." Shadow says simply, continuing to walk, looking straight ahead, a dark look in her eye. She tried not to let things get her down, but she truly did not like talking about that topic. Nor did she like talking about herself in general. If she had to admit it, she would do almost anything to be someone or something else, to be someone who wasn't feared just because she was what she was, someone who didn't make people leave a room just because she was in there...She wanted to be accepted, not feared. Loved, not hated. She sighs, and frowns.

Kenichi felt stupid. He just had to ask her that didnt he. From the way her aura changed kenichi could tell that her past was no walk in the park. She must have been through alot and him asking her to talk about it wasnt the smartest thing to do. Kenichi knew that if they were in fact gonna be partners they would have to be open to each other. Kenichi thought if he told his past she would tell hers.

"I was bullied as a child for being weak and small..." Kenichi says while looking up as the ceiling as he walks with his hands crossed behind his head. "Kids used to call me names like "Weak knees kenichi" and they would do awful things like gimmie wedgies and push me over. Then one day i wanted to get stronger and fight back! But not only for me but for all the people that are going through the same thing as me. I would become the protector of the weak! I would stand and fight the evil that everyone pretends not to see! So i joined a dojo called ryozanpaku. they taught me how to fight back and stand up for what i believe in." Kenichi smiled and looked at his partner. "I understand if you dont wanna talk about your past for some reason or another but just know if we're gonna be partners you're gonna have to tell me one day!"

Shadows listens to what Kenichi tells her, all the while they remained walking along, not stopping but just casually strolled wherever. She smiles at him when he finishes what he was saying, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. She was grateful that he had told her this. When he goes on the say that if they were going to be partners, that one day she should tell him her own past. She nods. "Yes...one day...but not now...But I promise...one day I will tell you..."

She sighs quietly, and notices that they were on a deserted street, and standing in front of a old, yet very nice looking house. Shadows looks up at it, her expressions almost impossible to read. Though it was quite clear that the house effected her in some way. She begins to tremble, her hands clenching into fists as she stood there, and her bottom lip begins to shake slightly. She wanted to move, but she couldn't, she felt as if she was glued to the spot.

Kenichi noticed shadow stop walking and she turned and started staring at something. Kenichi stopped beside her and looked to see what was she staring at. He saw a old house that was surprisingly in good shape. "Someone must be living there still" he thought out loud to himself. "Alright let keep..." he looked at shadow and saw her trembling. "Is something wrong shadow?" Of course something was wrong, She was trembling for petes sake. {What am i supposed to do?} He looked back at the house that she was staring at. {Its the house!} He didnt understand what was happening but he knew it must have had something to do with this house. He had to get her away from that house as fast as possible. He stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Hey shadow lets keep moving!"

Tears had begun to form in her eyes as she stared up at the house, she knew that it was empty. It had been empty ever since the day of that tragic incident. The day her entire world turned upside down. She could remember it all as if it were just yesterday. The tears spill over, and she barely hears Kenichi speak to her, nor could feel him shake her, as she was numb with fear and overwhelming sadness. Not even when he guides her away does she notice, her feet were moving on their own. Why...why did she have to end up there of all places?

Kenichi continued to shake her but he shook her a skosh harder than he had the first time. He watched as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Not knowing what to do he kept calling her name, Increasing the volume each time. Kenichi was equivocal as to what he should do so he just decided to get her away from that house. Kenichi grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along, going around a street corner. Kenichi thought it would be better if they went to her house. "Where is your apartment?" He said hoping she would hear him or pay him any attention.

Shadows blinks when she finally realizes she was no longer standing in front of what she called "the nightmare house". She didn't tell anyone else that's what she called it, she usually tried to stay away from the area in general. When Kenichi asks where he apartment was, she leads him in the direction of where it was, still holding onto his hand, clinging on to the small amount of warmth that she could actually feel. He was, in a way, like a life float for her, her saving grace. The tears soon stop, but she was still really down, and they eventually arrive at her place.

It was nothing fancy, and it certainly wasn't very big. They walked up a set of stairs, and she opens the door, revealing a rather gloomy and slightly gothic looking house. There was hardly any colors, almost everything was done in blacks, greys, and whites, but for something that depressing, it looked...nice. The only color in the living room where they were standing was a single red rose that sat in a crystal vase upon a small stand by the window. In the living room there was a two seated black couch, a black lounge chair, the floor was black marble, but there was a white shag carpet on top of it. A bunch of candles lit up the room, and a small bookshelf was there too, lining the top were black and white photos of people, what looked like a family of three. The walls of the room were black as well, with framed paintings of black and white and grey flowers, mostly roses.

Shadows looks over at Kenichi, and motions for him to sit down. When he does, she goes to the kitchen, and warms up some water, making tea for them both. When it was ready, he hands him a cup of green tea, and then sits down on the couch.

Shadow never answered kenichi, she just grabbed his hand and started walking. A light blush took over kenichi's face. He assumed that they were walking to her house. They eventually found their way to a small house. They walked up a set of stairs and shadow opened the door, kenichi walked in after her, closing the door behind them. He turned around and saw something that made him slightly depressed. He saw black and grey everywhere. The only things that stood out were the carpet, the bookshelf, and a red rose sitting by the window in a crystal vase. The room looked like a dark hole, the little light the candles gave off with the black walls made it very hard to see.

Through everything was dark he could see shadow motion for him to sit down on the couch. He sat down on the couch and watched shadow walk over to the kitchen and make some tea. Shadow Finished the tea and pours him a cup and sits down next to him. "Thank you!" Kenichi took a sip of his tea, the tea had a very sapid or pleasant taste. "The tea is good!" He took another sip before turning to shadow who was sitting right next to him. "So are you feeling better now?"

"I'm glad you like it." Shadow says softly, staring into her own cup. Even though most couldn't see very well in her house, she could see perfectly, as if the room was lit up with bright lights. Because even though she didn't let it on much, the real light of the sun often made her dizzy, the brightness of it all hurt her eyes. She was a being of the darkness, of the night. Shadows... And so, the only place she truly felt comfortable were places that were dark, like her home or when it was night time. She looks up when he asks if she was feeling better, and she shrugs. "Maybe...I don't really know."

She glances at the many different shaped portraits upon the bookshelf. She stands up, and picks up one of them, staring at it, before holding it out to Kenichi. It was of a man and a woman, the woman looked like an angel, but the man...he looked like a demon. But they were happy. "This...this is my mom and dad...this was taken a few days...before they were killed..."

Shadow's parents:

Kenichi watched shadow as she walked over to the bookshelf and got down a picture. She walked back over to the couch and held the picture out to show kenichi. Kenichi took the picture and looked at it, then he looked back at shadow. "Im sorry!" He looked at the picture again. Kenichi could barley take his eys off of her mom. Kenichi thought she was pretty. He looked back at shadow and smiled. "Your mom is very pretty. She must be where you got your good looks from!" He handed the picture back to shadow.

"No need to apologize..." She whispers, watching as he held the picture. When he says something about how he thought her mom was pretty, and that's how she got her good looks, she smiles slightly. "You think so? I think I'm more like my father...Even my mother used to say how much he and I were alike." She reaches out and accepts the photo back, hugging it to her chest, and closes her eyes, a soft sad smile on her lips. "I loved them so much...So very much." She gently sets the photo back, in the very center of them all.

She sighs, and sits down next to Kenichi, and stares at her hands. To her, only she could see the truth of that night...that night when things changed. In her eyes, her hands still were stained red with blood, with that crimson liquid that poured from her mother and father's bodies. That got everywhere, all over the floor and her clothes. The glinting of the sword that pierced her shoulder, the warmth of her own blood trickling down her skin. Her tears...how they poured like water flowing in a river, it seemed as if she would cry forever.

As she sat there remembering, she began to tremble, her whole body shaking. And once again, she was there...that night. She was sitting there next to her mama and papa, she was four years old again. The person was gone...her shoulder hurt so bad...but she didn't care...Mama and papa were hurt...She goes over to them, and kneels next to her parents, crying. 'Mama! Papa! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!!!' She screams, trying to keep the blood from flowing from their wounds, the red blood soon covering her arms and hands like a glove, and drenching the front of her snow white night gown, her pale white hair becoming a dark red. 'Don't worry...darling...even if we're not here...physically with you...know that we...are always...in your heart...' Her mother whispers, gasping for breath, reaching up to touch her child's pale round, tear-stained cheek. 'Don't cry love. I'll always be hear with you...' Her father reaches up to her as well, and clasps her hand weakly. 'That's right. Your mama and I will always be here with you...in here...' He reaches up and touches the place over her heart. A sudden warmth could be felt, and she looks down at where he had touched, a strange symbol had formed. It was of a red rose and a moon, surrounded by thorns and stars. 'This...is good-bye...' Her father whispers, and her mother kisses her hand, before both slowly fade away. 'MAMA!!! PAPA!!! NOOO!!!!!!!!'

As she remember this, tears began to fall, and she reaches up to the spot where to this day...that marking still remained. "Mother...father..." She whispers, her hand reaching to her shoulder, where she had been stabbed. After that day had happened, her silvery white hair had turned black, and her pale skin became paler, and icy cold to the touch. Her eyes had changed as well.

Marking:

"Then your father was an amazing person!" He says as he hands the picture back to shadow. He watched as she held the picture up to her chest and smiled.

"I loved them so much...So very much." She says as she places the photo back with the others. Kenichi watched as shadow came back to the couch. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness so it made things much easier to see. She sat next to kenichi and he layed back. He found this couch suprisingly comfortable for some odd reason.

Shadow sat there, Her arms layed on her legs, Staring at her hands. She sat there lost in thought. Kenichi wondered what actually happened to her parents, did they pass away? Did they abandon her? These questions ran through his mind as they sat there. Kenichi looked back over at shadow and he saw her trembling. She started crying again, holding her shoulder. He heard her whisper something, allthough it was faint he still heard it. She called for her mom and dad.

Kenichi scooted over some more to shadow and pulled her into his chest, holding her. "I dont know what its like to lose a loved one so i cant say i understand how you feel but what i can say is that i'll be here for you so you dont have to go through it alone." Kenichi squeezed her tighter and he continued to hold her.

Shadows gasps slightly when Kenichi suddenly wraps his arms around her, and pulls her close to his chest. He felt so warm...She buries her face in his shirt, and lets the tears flow freely, her hand reaching up to clutch on to him, to feel that he was real, and not a dream that was tricking her. She didn't want him to slip away, to fall through her fingers like sand...like her dreams. She listens as he tells her that he would be there, that she wouldn't have to be alone anymore... "Thank-you..." She whispers, before sitting back slightly. "I...want to show you something...something I haven't shown anyone before..."

She unzips the front of her dress, just far enough so it was easy to slide the fabric aside, showing the marking upon her chest where her heart lay beneath the skin. The rose was a dark red, much like the rose within the crystal vase. "This...this is what my mother and father gave me...as they died. I think...this is their marking, they live within it. No one could ever find their bodies, but I know what happened. They vanished...they vanished and took this form. My mother is the rose and moon, and my father is the stars..." She then pulls the fabric to show her shoulder, where an inch wide scar could be seen. It looked painful, even now. It continued to the other side, beneath her shoulder blade. "The man who killed my parents tried to kill me...but they couldn't. I destroyed them...But I was too late to save my mother and father..." She zips up her dress again, and lightly brushes her fingers against the two spots. "You're the first person I've shown that to...please don't tell anyone else."

She buries her face in his shirt and let her tears run free, She wrapped her arm around kenichi. She whispered a thank you before sitting back.

"I...want to show you something...something I haven't shown anyone before..." She started to unzip her dress, As she did this kenichis face turned apple red. "W-What are you doing?" He didnt know what she was doing but he liked where it was going. She showed him a marking on her chest and told him that it was the marking her parents gave her. he then showed him a scar on her shoulder that went around to the other side. She then showed him how she got that scar but failed to save her parents. she zipped up her dress and asked him to never tell anyone else about it, Kenichi nodded. "Im not gonna tell a soul!" He said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you." She says softly, and smiles at him. "I really do appreciate the kindness you've shown to me..." She looks away, wondering how she could repay him for his kindness. Then she got an idea, but would he be comfortable with it? "Um, since you're knew here, I'm not sure if you have a place to stay or not, and was well...I know it's dark in here, and kind of gloomy, but if you've got no place to stay yet, then you're more than welcome to stay here...if you want to that is...I have an extra bed that you can use, it's put away. But it'll be in the same room as me..." She blushes slightly, and turns away, and once she regained her posture, she looks at him again. "It's the least I could do to repay you for all the kindness you've shown to me."

Kenichi blushed when he heard shadows question. He always wondered what it would be like living with someone else. "Sure i'd love to live here with you" Kenichi hugged shadow and smiled.

"Alright then." Shadows replies softly, smiling at Kenichi. In the darkness she could see the blush upon his face, and she thought it was cute. He seemed like a nice guy...yes, he was very kind. She stands up, and motions for Kenichi to follow, and she leads him through the house, down a narrow hall, and opens a door that led to her room. It wasn't big, but it was nice. The walls were, once again, done in black, as well as the floor. The curtains were black as well. A black shag rug was upon the floor, and Kenichi would soon notice that there was very little white or grey in her room. The only white were a small stuffed rabbit sitting on a chair in the corner, the paper in the books on a shelf, and the whites in a picture. And, once again, there was a single red rose in a crystal vase, this time set on a small table in front of a mirror. The whole room would remind one of a slightly old fashioned gothic style room.

Shadow turns to look at Kenichi, and then looks at the ground. "I...I know it's dark...but it's more comfortable for me that way...even so...I hope you like it..." She goes to a closet, and opens it, pulling out what appeared to be a bed that folded up. She moves it to an empty space in the corner, and opens it, then going to the closet again, proceeds to take out sheets and a blanket as well as pillows, and makes the bed up.

Kenichi followed shadow down the dark hall and into a room. The hall looked like a dark hole. The room looked like the rest of the house, it was very dark, but he could see just fine since he had gotten used to it. He looked over and saw another rose in a vase and a white stuffed rabbit. Shadow turned to look t kenichi and she looked down on the ground and said she hoped he liked it. Kenichi thought she looked cute. she walked over to the closet and pulled a folded up bed and brought it over to the corner. Shadow took out some sheets, a blanket, and a pillow and started to makeup the bed. Kenichi went over and helped her. He then hoped in the bed and looked up at shadow. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome." Shadow replies, and smiles slightly. She then sits on the edge of her own bed, which was slightly larger than Kenichi's. She looks towards the curtains, which were closed against the now setting sun. "I'm sorry it has to be so dark in here...I hope you don't mind..." She glances at Kenichi, before looking away again. "It's just...It hurts...the light hurts me..." She sighs, and then scoots up on her bed, leaning against the pillows and staring up at the ceiling. "I don't remember when it happened...just one day, I woke up to find that daylight...burned...it hurt. And when I looked in the mirror, my hair had turned black...See, I used to have pure white hair..." She smiles, and closes her eyes. "I just wonder...if ever will come the day when the day doesn't hurt me..."

"Oh it's okay i can get used to the darkness!" He crossed his legs placing the right over the left leg and he crosses his arms interlocking his fingers, looking up at the ceiling. Much like the rest of the house it was dark. Kenichi felt more depressed thinking about it so he decided to take his mind off it. Kenichi looked over at shadow who was sitting on the bed and started to scoot up on her bed and lay down.

"I don't remember when it happened...just one day, I woke up to find that daylight...burned...it hurt. And when I looked in the mirror, my hair had turned black...See, I used to have pure white hair..."

Kenichi then tried to imagne how cute she would look with white hair but he snapped back soon after.

"I just wonder...if ever will come the day when the day doesn't hurt me..."

Kenichi didnt know how to respond to this so he just layed there quietly for a minute. He didnt like the akward silence so he decided to say something. "I bet you looked really cute with white hair!"

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Kenichi thought to himself.

Shadows looks over at Kenichi when he speaks up, her eyes glowing slightly in the dark room. "You think so?" She smiles softly, before taking a bit of strands of her hair in her hand. She was so used to what she looked like now...that she had almost forgotten what she looked like with white hair. Reaching over to the drawer that was by her bed, she opens it and pulls out a small silver picture frame, and tosses it over to Kenichi. "Well, take a look." She lights a small candle so he could see better, and waits for what he said about the picture. The black rabbit that was in the picture sat next to her on the bed, resting against the pillows.

Kenichi looked over at shadow as she rummaged through the drawer that sat beside her bed. He saw a small glint of silver. Shadow then tossed it at him and said "take a look". Kenichi sat up and picked the small picture off of his lap and he looked at it. It was still kind of hard to see the picture because of how little light the candles gave off but he managed.

"Is this you?! You're really pretty!"

"Yes, it's me...And thank you." She smiles, and takes the picture back, placing it once more in the drawer. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she looks at Kenichi, wondering why someone like him, so kind and caring...would want her as a weapon...she doesn't speak her thoughts, not wanting to worry him or cause him to get troubled. After a moment she lays down on her side, her eyes still resting upon Kenichi. In her arms she held the black rabbit, absently running a finger along one of it's long floppy ears. She wasn't sure what to say, she normally was left all alone, not really talking to anyone...this situation was new for her, and she was unsure of how to act.

Kenichi handed shadow back her picture and he laid back down with his arms crossed behind his head. He heard the covers on shadows bed rustle from her laying down. Today was a good day he thought to himself. He opened his mouth and let out a yawn. He was starting to feel really sleepy so he turned to his side facing shadow, who was looking back at him. "Im getting sleepy so im done for the night." He pulled the cover over himself and closed his eyes. "Goodnight shadow"