POLO! (Again xD)

I watched as the curse hit him, and relished every second of the suffering. Anger flared and temper dangerously thin, I fled from the house. I ran out of the doors and into the garden, scaling the fence easily. I didn't care where I went, anywhere was better than in there. After a few minutes I stopped, gasping for breath and tears streaming from eyes.

Kai still did not react as the curse was lifted. He glanced at his hand with vague amusement. It seemed to be twitching. This held his attention for a while as he poked it delightedly, amusing himself with its twitchy response. Then he seemed to remember Sierra. He got to his feet and looked around, wondering what he should do. If she wanted to be alone, he would be stupid to go after her... At the same time, he could not bear the thought of her getting hurt... Kai began to gnaw on his fingernails nervously, glancing around. He still didn't completely understand what had triggerred the attack... What exactly had he done wrong? Finally, Kai decided that he would keep his distance from Sierra... Yet he had to keep her close enough that he could help if she was in trouble. Whisking his wand off the floor, Kai set off after her.

I clutched my head with both hands. This had to stop. Letting go of my head, I glanced around me. I was in a field...an odd place to be right next to a street. But then I realized I wasn't near any street. Just how long had I been running for...? The cold morning breeze whipped around me, it seemed a foolish place to stand, in plain view of anything around me. Or above me.

Kai jogged slowly after Sierra, enjoying the feeling of the cool air on his face. He still kept his distance letting her think she was alone, but his senses were alert and he was ready to jump out and help her should anything go wrong. Kai's body still ached with the aftereffects of the crutiatus curse, but it was a good pain. That sort of pain was the sort of pain he doubted he could live without... It completed the moment, in some strange way. It trained his senses and helped him push his body beyond its limits. This pain was closer to an ally than an enemy.

'Why am I so angry?' I breathed. I still didn't regret what I did to Kai, it felt like accomplishing something for the first time, I felt a welling of grim satisfaction. Yeah he deserved it. What's to stop you from doing it again? I thought. I had no idea wether he'd follow me or not, but I guessed the latter.

Kai quickly cast a silent disillusionment charm over himself, watcing Sierra closely. What was going on...? He understood that she was angry, but she had never struck him as the type to resort to such extreme measures of punishment... The crutiatus curse... If it had been used on anybody other than him, the pain probably would have been near unbearable. Kai sighed softly, keeping an intent gaze on her. He wished desperately that he could apologise, but how could he make it seem sincere if he did not understand...?

The strain was just too much, I began to feel the walls of my mind close in, my thinking space was becoming tinier and tinier...I sank to my knees, clutching my head vigorously.

You've lost.

The voice rang loud and clear in my head, as though it was right next to me. 'No...no...' I whispered. It was barley audible, but my voice was dry and cracked. I grabbed my hair, as though the thing inside my head would react to the extreme pain I was causing.

You will die like your mother. Slowly. Alone.

Kai instantly discarded his disguise as he saw Sierra begin to fall. He rushed to her side, quickly dropping to his knees beside her and gingerly resting a hand on her shoulders. He recognised her actions. They were achingly familiar... "Close your mind." He whispered, gripping his wand tightly in his hand. He hoped he wasn't mistaken... It was a guess. A risky guess... But it was all he had. The hope that she was not acting of her own accord... He was banking on it.

I whimpered and continued to grip my head tightly. I tried to force my mind to close, but the force was just too strong. It was like pushing away a brick wall...

You've lost.

It repeated itself. It was as soft as silk, yet there was a dangerous edge to it, like a piercing shard of glass...

How long will it take to realize that you cannot fight me?

I was fighting for breath, it felt as though it was constricting me, squeezing me with a hope of squeezing the humanity out of me...

"Sierra!" Kai shook her gently, his voice sharp as he attempted to break through her thoughts. He fingered his wand thoughtfully. If he had to use it- If there was no other way- But he didn't want to. Only in a worst case scenario... Besides, he didn't think he would be able to do it. He hadn't the heart... His father had known that all along. If only his power had matched his personality... Kai shook his head, forcing his thoughts back to the present. He couldn't drift off in thought now! This situation was... Achingly familiar. He had to do something.

'Kai do something!' I breathed, as it felt like I had been winded. I keeled over, each second it felt as though I was being stabbed with a knife.
The voice gave a grim, rasping laugh.

Do you really think you can kill me?

"I can't think what to do..." Kai murmured helplessly, glancing around desperately. It seemed he would have to take extreme measures after all... He sighed, bowing his head so that his hair fell down across his forehead, casting a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry." He said softly before pointin his wand at her. "Legilimens." Kai felt himself flung forward into her mind. This was a long shot, but it was the best hope he had. He searched for Voldemort's voice, his presence... He would force him out. It had to work... He had to make this work...

I felt his mind force towards mine, and I made no attempt to block it. Two minds were now inside my head, one causing pain and the other trying to stop it. My head was pounding...if something wasn't done right now I was sure I would go mad...The voice yelled in surprise and forced it's way towards the other, trying to ward it off. I was getting confused...I couldn't tell who was who...I was starting to loose consciousness....

Kai suddenly sensed Voldemort's presence. It had worked! He blasted all his power toward fending off Voldemort, pushing him away. Kai thought he heard the distant echo of an angered yell, then everything went black as he immediately left Sierra's mind, temporarily losing consciousness from the effort. His arm leaned heavily on Sierra's shoulders as he went momentarily limp, exhaustion showing in his ashen features.

I groaned and fell flat on the grass, struggling to breathe. There was a distant hiss and a yell of fury...and then...gone. I gave a heavy sigh of relief and let my eyes close. Pain tore through my body, pulsating slowly in my head where he had attacked me.

Kai flopped uselessly onto the ground as Sierra fell. His head thumped down on the grass, suddenly jerking him back to reality. He sat up slowly, rubbing his head with a bemused expression, then glanced over toward Sierra. "You okay?" He asked, crawling over to her and touching the back of his hand to her forehead. "Sorry about that." He added brightly, not seeming particularly concerned about the any part of the situation. "It was the best plan I could come up with." He explained with a shrug, his pale face slipping into a sheepish grin.

I stared at him hatefully. Was he acting like it was all a joke? Like I was putting on an act. I managed to struggle to my feet, picking up my wand.

Kai shrugged off her glare, disregarding it and climbing slowly to his feet, his back turned toward her. He had done his best, but as usual it was not quite good enough... Still, there was no point in letting it get him down. If he kept a smile on his face and joy in his heart, it would give him more strength to resist... Even if it was acually faux. Kai sighed, then dropped to the ground again, folding his arms behind his head as he lay on the back, looking up at the sky. The stars were out again... In his mind, they could become anything... If he entered into their world, perhaps he could escape reality. It was more peaceful up there with them... Things made sense when you could look down on the world from a million miles away... If only it was real. Deep down, he knew he would never escape... His escape was only the foolish daydreaming of a child, the only way he knew to ease the suffering and carry on in the hardest of times. To keep up the willpower he needed to be himself...

I looked away form Kai, he was too happy for me. How long would it take to kill Voldemort, to end the life that so deserved to be ended? For how long would I remain under his watch, just an empty shell ready to do his bidding? For now I was dangerous. Then my thoughts wandered to Kai. He was dangerous too. We both were.

Kai continued to stare mindlessly at the stars, his eyes glazing over as he slipped into some sort of trance, forgetting the world and everything in it. At that moment, his mind was inaccessable. It was dead to the world, living in a world of its own. The bright starlight cast an ashen glow over Kougu's pale skin, adding a grey tinge that brought out the contrast between skin and hair, making him seem almost vampiric in the ashen light. His dark eyes stared unseeingly up at the sky, evading reality to the point that he even forgot to blink, giving his eyes a dead, glassy quality. Kougu's mind drifted far from the body that housed it, travelling back over familiar routes that he would rather have forgotten. The memories that bound him to an inescapable weight of guilt. The memories that had him constantly leaning toward a selfless suicide in the deepest most dismal corners of his mind... Those strange hidden pockets that even he did not know were there unil they were upon him, those thoughts he had locked away...

I looked up to the sky, wishing something would happen to take my mind off the current issue. To great relief, my wish came true. I squinted as a dark shape appeared out of nowhere, illuminated slightly by the bright stars. To my annoyance, it wouldn't take my mind off anything.
'Mage!' I caught the small owl in my arms as she tumbled from out of the sky. Inspecting her further, I noticed she was covered in blood. I knelt down and placed her on the ground softly. She was limp, and I just prayed that it was no more than unconsciousness.

"Mage?" Kai questioned, instantly jerking out of his reverie to bend over the owl, concern writted clearly in his features. It seemed to trouble him deeply to see the poor bird in such a state. He bit his lip, his dark blue eyes darting desperately over the small feathery body, searching for a sign that she was going to be okay. "Is she okay?" Kai asked softly, not wanting to intrude on Sierra's sorrow to see for himself. Worry for the small owl pumped through his veins like a deadly poison, causing his limbs to sieze up and his throat go dry. His dry tongue darted nervously over his lips as he continued to stare at the small inert mass.

'I don't know!' It came out sharper than intended. I pointed my wand at the little creature. 'Ennervate.' Some red sparks flew from the end of my wand, and with a weak hoot, the owl opened her eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief. 'You gave me a right scare.' I breathed. Mage tried to flutter around onto my lap, but flailed around and landed with a thud back on the ground.

"Her wing?" Kai asked softly, regarding the little creature from afar, relief clear in his eyes as he watched her antics. She was alive... That in itself was a great relief. Kai grabbed his wand out of his pocket, whispering "Lumos." Before turning his attention back to the owl. He knew some weak healing magic, but he had a feeling Sierra would prefer him to keep away. People usually did... He couldn't blame them, he usually did do more harm than good. Still, he could not help but be concerned for the little owl. He began to gnaw on his lip again as he watched her, hoping Sierra would be able to do something.

I stared out of the corner at my eye at the figure that was Kai. I was partially glad he was here, I'd be able to ask him to fix her wing is needs be. I gingerly reached down and felt her wing. Sure enough, there was a clean break. I nodded. 'Broken.'