Polo Cometh! *Captured* (Us only, please.)

Okay, so, we know our plot bunny. *Holds up bunny*

Rules:
Basic ones.
Word minimum... eh... 400?


My Charrie:
Ebony Keys
Ebony
24
Feminine
Capturer.

Name: Kougu
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Appearance: Kougu is tall, yet he is by no means muscular and powerful. His limbs are abnormally long, and he is thin. Not slender nor healthily fit, but downright skinny and gawky. His fingers are extremely long, even for his tall frame. He has a very pale complexion. That, combined with his skinny build and the permanent signs of insomnia marking his face, give him the appearance of being permanently unwell. He has long, black hair that often falls down over his eyes, and constantly covers the long, ugly scar on his left temple. His eyes are a dark, midnight blue that seem to hold a distant, haunted expression, though it is well hidden behind his layers of disguise. His expression is always kind and gentle, with very few situations causing an exception.

Ebony was six years his senior. Not old enough that people thought it was disgusting, but not young enough that it wasn't considered strange in modern society.
She had been watching him for the past weeks, watching him leave for school and come back. She was invisible to him, though, and that was a good thing. That meant she could watch him, study, formulate, wait for the perfect moment to take him away.
She saw him wake up in the middle of the night, mind racing with nightmares. She wished she could go inside, hold him and comfort him and wish them all away. But not that night, not the next.
She watched him interact with his family, with people on the street. Ebony saw, and wished; she watched, but she never touched. Getting involved was dangerous, she knew; it caused many problems.


Today, she sat at the kitchen table, a dog curled at her feet. An untouched apple and bowl of cornflakes sat on the table. She picked up the spoon and began to eat her cereal, mechanically chewing and swallowing. Each spoonful was brough carefully to her mouth, inserted, then deposited the food and exited, returning to the bowl. The food was then cewed exactly five times before being swallowed, and the process was then repeated.
Next came the apple, witch was brought to her lips, bitten of in equal amounts, chewed four times, then swallowed. A much more simple process than that of eating cereal.
She finished, then stood up quietly. She had already been dressed for that morning, a simple pair of jeans on her legs, tennis shoes, and a tee-shirt. Her black hair was brushed very carefully and pulled back into a ponytail. She didn't look like a bad person, and she didn't really believe she was one. She just seemed like any person you would see on the street.
The dog was quiet as she stood; he was a very quiet dog that had taken forever to find. His name was Maxwell, and she never called him Max. She found nicknames unnesscessary, and called everyone by their actual name. The dog was a bermese moutain dog, but he did not drool, because Ebony hated drooling. He was a good dog that did not jump onto the couch when he was not invited or making her pet his head when she did not want to or howling in the middle of the night.
He was a good boy, he was.
Ebony checked the clock, and it was only five thirty in the morning. Plenty of time to prepare herself for Kougu to go to school. She moved into the living rooom, in front of the TV set. She did not watch it- she hardly ever did. Instead, she had a book in her hand. It was not a silly romance novel, it was a very good book. She invited Maxwell onto the couch beside her and let him stay there, running her hand down his silken back.
Two hours later, she closed her book, shooed Maxwell off of the couch, and started outside. She stood in the yard, a rake in hand, pulling up leaves.
Pulling up leaves and waiting.

546 words, baby!

Emptiness. The house was empty, just as it always had been… Since that night. The cupboards were empty, because Kougu seldom had the appetite for food nowadays. The picture frames were empty, because somebody had removed the subjects. Not just removed them, but promptly ripped them to shreds – then watched unblinkingly as they curled painstakingly amongst the leaping golden flames to perish into cinders. The only photos that remained were those depicting a woman. A beautiful young woman, and her baby girl. These pictures were already empty to Kougu, since the subjects were out of sight, and thus: Out of mind.
At least, that was what he wished. Unfortunately, his mind was one thing that was not empty. Of course, that did not stop him from trying endlessly to wipe it blank – sometimes slipping so deep into a daydream that he almost forgot to resurface. Yet try as he might, the memories remained. They lingered in the back of his mind, haunting him, contaminating his mind’s eye with the poison of truth.

Kougu sat now upon a couch in the middle of the lounge. The slight indentations in the seat cushions proved that he used this couch often – unlike most things in the big, empty house. In his hands, Kougu held a tiny Japanese puzzle box, an intricate wooden cube with a hundred or more little wooden slides. If he got them all into the right places, it would pop open. This particular puzzle was one of his most prized possessions. It was one of precious few high-level puzzle boxes constructed by the greatest Japanese artists of the age. Few were those who could successfully solve it… Though of course, he had solved it numerous times: Starting with when he had got it. An innocent five year old boy, he had taken the little box in his delicate palms, and let his long fingers dance upon the wooden slides – finally solving the complex puzzle barely over 5 minutes later. He held no pride in this accomplishment, not in any of his others. In fact, he sometimes wondered if the word even existed, or if ‘pride’ was simply an illusion created by the human mind to counteract guilt.
Guilt
Now that he understood. How could he not? He was drowning in it… Endlessly drowning… Suffocating… Choking for breath…
With a soft cough, Kougu’s long fingers stretched out and deposited the solved puzzle on the low Japanese coffee table in front of the couch. He stared unseeingly at it for a moment, then pushed himself to his feet and gazed around the room. It looked the same as it always had: Numerous bookcases full of the most complex looking books most people saw in their lives. Things like advanced medical science, fighting techniques and all sorts of other topics that one certainly would not expect an 18-year-old boy like Kougu to be reading about. Well, their expectations were correct. He did not read them… Not any more. Aside from those thick, leather-bound volumes, there were also some dusty old books with Japanese symbols on the spines. These, too, Kougu had read once. Once… A long time ago.

He turned his attention away from the bookcase and walked toward the window, running his long fingers through his messy black hair as he stared at the spotless glass. The house was spotless throughout, in sharp contradiction to Kougu’s own rather untidy appearance, to which he seldom paid much attention. But the house… The house had to be perfect. Out of habit, he slaved to keep it in its flawless state. He was glad of the labour… It gave him something to do and distracted him from his thoughts – effectively saving him from himself countless times.
Kougu’s dark eyes slowly refocused upon the glass until he found himself staring at his reflection in the dim glass. His midnight blue eyes were deep and soulful – yet it was as though they had curtains drawn over them, masking every single thought and emotion that went through his mind. Beneath his eyes, dark rings stretched to his cheek bones, making his pale face seem sickly and skull-like, and showing clearly the self-induced insomnia from which he suffered. Kougu blinked at his reflection a moment longer, then came to his senses and turned away, utterly repulsed by the sight. He moved with light, skillful steps toward the front door – making barely a sound on the dark wooden floorboards. He stalked over to the door, then checked his pockets for his key. Not there. Not unexpected.
Next, he checked the hook on the wall. Not there either. Shrugging vaguely, Kougu reached into his other pocket to pull out a pin with which to pick the lock. Yet instead of a pin, it was a set of keys that his long fingers fished from his pocket. Kougu frowned at these in distaste, then hung them on the key hook and continued searching his pockets for the hair pins he always kept close at hand. No matter how hard he searched, he simply could not find them. Kougu raised his frustratedly frowning face to glare at the door, then glanced around. His gaze soon came to rest on the keys, and his expression brightened. Almost smiling at this rare stroke of luck, Kougu grabbed the keys off the hook and inserted them into the lock. Without bothering to turn them, Kougu pulled the handle down and stepped outside.
He hadn’t had any need to lock the house anyway.
Once outside, Kougu pulled the door shut behind him, then turned to walk down the garden path. Forgetting about the three little steps leading down from the door, Kougu too a step forward: Onto nothing. He did not bother swinging his arms around for balance, since he knew that he was falling anyway. So Kougu resigned himself to falling, and caught himself on his palms before he hit the ground. He clambered to his feet, then glanced around with an unfocused, placid expression.

Not bothering to dust himself off, Kougu began strolling down the empty street. If he felt the cold, early morning air through his thin T-shirt, or the icy asphalt beneath his bare feet, then he showed no indication of it. Instead, he drifted mindlessly down the street with his eyes focused nowhere in particular, and his mind a thousand miles away.

((Oh wow... There were a BUNCH of typos in there. ))

((Sorry... *hides* I'm too lazy to proof read... ))

I meant for me... lol. I didn't see your post. Slow computer!

I am jealous of your skills.
Very.
Then again, still somewhat of a beginner.
I gotta think of how to reply....

Oooopsy... My bad! Hehe! I didn't see ny errors in yours though... O.o I must have been blined by the bright white light of SKILL WORSHIP! *bows down at feet*

I am jealous of your skills. *thinks* You will trade with me! (You do not have an option)

Haha! Good luck... I didn't give you much to work with. Sorry! D:

Also, don't fee inclined to try post at the length I'm posting - it will vary hugely, and I don't have the time to get all caught up in another insane 2000 word post RP... Haha! But I'll feel bad if you're posting 2000 and I'm posting 500, y'know...? So yeah.. I think we should have a minimum of 400 words, but after that, just type until we've got all we want in the post - not push to poof it up with extra padding and length.

You know what I mean?

(Poloish Gibberish translation: Polo feels intimidated and does not want to be scared away by episcome prickly pear posts.)

I get it, Polo. *pats head*
Imma still jealous.
And still thinking...
BTW- The BME freaks me out with my own quotes. I don't think that's natural...

((I used the run-ons in purpose, giving her more CrEePyNeSs))

Ebony paused her raking, watching the boy leave the house. He was a good boy, like Maxwell... Except for his untidyness. He should know that no male should leave the house in that state, and that she really did not like that he was not very neat, and would he please fix it for tomorrow's walk thank you.
She wanted to go over there, and brush his hair... Brush it and brush it, untill his hair gathered in the bush and he asked her to please stop because it hurt and she would you're okay you're okay and keep going untill his hair was to her liking. He had such nice hair.
She wanted to fix his clothes, maybe even give him a tie and he would I don't want a tie and she would put one on anyways and tighten and tighten and tighten untill he made funny noises and turned blue and then she would loosen it loosen it and watch him turn the right color again.
Yes, because he should be much neater.

She knew her boy would not say anything, but she wished. She watched him fall and scrape his palms, get up and keep going. Blood gently trickled down his fingers, and she watched it, mesmorized. It was a deep scarlet, standing in contrast aginst his pale skin. It left a beautiful, ruby trail behind it. She wanted to take a knife and make more rubies spill out.
There were many things Ebony wished, but she would not do.
Not yet.


She watched him come farther down the street, down and closer to her. Her heart raced, flooding her body with warmth.
Today? Today? her mind asked. Will you today? She started to panic, her mind flooded with questions.
Today? Today? Today today? Todaytodaytodaytodaytoday- she cut herself off, taking a deep breath. She had the guest room ready, and a pick-proof lock installed. She had the opporotunity...
Today?
Her fingers dug into her palms, and she dropped the rake. How would she get him inside?
Had he eaten?
Was he hungry?
Did he need something?
She cursed herself for not watching that morning when she had the chance. It was a bad book, a bad one... she would have to burn it.
An idea came into her mind. She smiled briefly, before racing up to the boy. Her boy.
"Hello," she said. She glanced down at his hand, before continuing.
He'llrejecthe'llrejecthe'llreject....
"You're hurt. Come inside, I'll bandage you up."

Kougu jumped as a voice startled him out of his thoughts - thoughts so deep that he had become so lost in them he had almost forgotten himself. Just daydreams... Childish ones, like one reads about in fairy tales. He entered new worlds in his mind. Perhaps from the shapes of the clouds in the sky, the shadows cast upon the dark tar of the road by the swaying trees beside it... Light caught in a water droplet. Worlds were everywhere... Everywhere. And within them, there was peace. Peace and happiness... And contentment. But there was no suffering, no hurt, no betrayal... There was no darkness, because the memories could not follow him there. They could not follow him, because in these dream worlds of his, he did not exist. That was where the peace came from... That was why he could not get enough of the daydreaming. It was like a drug, and he was dangerously addicted - so much so that he put his mental wellbeing, or at least what remained of it, in danger.
These thoughts all flashed through Kougu's mind in the brief moment that he stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared beside him. "You're hurt. Come inside, I'll bandage you up." The words dashed through his mind again and again, circling around his head, but he did not hear them - not a single one of them, for his attention was elsewhere.
Too close...
His heartbeat quickened, and Kougu tried to make himself escape, but his limbs were frozen in place. Much, much too close... No, he couldn't take this risk! Nobody must come near him! Not now, not ever! Not after what had happened... He would not risk it again!
Through sheer willpower, Kougu broke through his petrified state and leaped away from the girl, standing a short distance back and watching her cautiously - seeming somewhat calmer now there was enough distance between them that she could escape... He knew it didn't help, not really, but it helped him to believe that it did...
Calmer now, the woman's words gradually soaked into Kougu's mind, and this time he processed them. He glanced down at his hands, watching the crimson blood pooling in the little scrapes. "No, thank you... I don't think you ought..." Kougu trailed off into silence, his eyes gradually sliding out of focus as he continued to stare at his own pale palms, watching the blood gnaw gluttonously at his flesh, as though it was so desperate to escape that it would devour its host from the inside out to achieve it. He envied it. It could escape... It was lucky. He could not escape... He could never escape, because the memories would continue to haunt him - now and forever.
A heartbeat thudded in his eardrums, then another, then quicker, then skip one, and faster still... The pounding of his racing heart deafened him as Kougu stared and stared at the slow-flowing blood pooling on his hands. It was too much like that time...

A pair of tiny, pale hands flashed before his eyes - then darkness. The hands again. The image flickered, but this time it remained. Then, slowly, the pale skin was set aflame with crimson - the blood falling thickly over the familiar palms like a pair of silk gloves.

Kougu shook his head violently, mentally shoving the cruel memories away. This was dangerous... He couldn't be here... He couldn't be around people. "I have to go." He whispered, shooting the woman a brief glance. The emotion in his dark eyes was hidden by his invisible mask, but the distant, haunted expression remained. That would always remain.
Kougu clenched his jaw against the pain that suddenly flared up in his head - reminding him yet again of just how unstable he was. "Thank you for your offer." Kougu muttered quietly - forcing a faint smile of appreciation in the girl's direction before turning to face back the way he had come. It was not safe for him to be out here... He should never have left the house - not when people were out... He needed to get back, and fast.

IT'S NOT FAIR.
NOT.
FAIR.

I feel bad that I'm not posting nearly as much as you. Polo, your epicsomeness is not fair. It makes other people feel bad about themselves. Like George! = George
- I'll never have Polo's skills.

Quality over quantity my friend.
*eats George*
Problem solved.

Besides, my posts always get shorter as it goes on - that last one was under 700... The next one will probably be down to 500, and so it goes on.

Just look at the QUALITY. o_0 I WANT your friggin skills! Haha!

((Wait, are we allowed to swear on here?))

((Urrrm... Methinks it shouldn't matter too much, but maybe use an asterix, just in case? *** ))

((Me thankies! Will use star thingy called an axsterix.))


Ebony watched the boy leave, her anger levels rising at an alarmingly fast rate. She clenched her hands, the sharp nails splitting the soft skin of her palm. The red juices leaked out, staining her fingers and hands. Her hands were covered in small, semicircle marks from the number of times she had done this. She turned, and stalked off into the house. The house had very few windows, and it was not a very pretty house, nor was her street the most populated.
She screamed.
"D*mmit! D*ammit, d*mmit, d*mmit! You stupid little b***h! Why the h*ll would you think he'd EVER accept!? D*mmit!"
She flew through the house, knocking over things. She broke the glass vase, then picked up a piece. She was cut almost as soon as she picked it up, and smiled. She squeezed-hard- and blood ran fast and true down her hand, staining the white carpet. The feeling she got was extraordinary- a release. She squeezed again, cutting her hand even deeper. Like the boy... Fury flooded her again. There was nothing left to knock over, to destroy... Nothing but Maxwell, who kept getting in her way.
"Maxwell, you are not a good boy! You are a bad boy, and I don't want a bad boy in my house!" she shouted. She dog whined, and she smacked it with the glass. It cut into his nose, and blood began to matt his fur. It only made him whine and cry louder, and she frowned.
"I must have to cut the vocal cords," she growled, grasping the dog, removing his collar, and bringing the shard to his neck.
***********
Ebony looked around her house in puzzlement. Who had done this? She certainly had not. She turned around, and found Maxwell at her feet. Maxwell, now dead and his neck cut to the bone. Drying blood coated the carpet, and his fur. Her lips did not tremble, but she sighed.
He was such a good boy... she thought. She tisked at the carpet, putting her hands on her hips. She'd never get that out.
She grabbed the dog, and a shovel, on her way to the backyard, slinging the corpse over her shoulder. She placed the dog down and dug quickly, her powerful arms repeating the practiced process. Beside the freshly dug graves were three others- all with dogs in them.
James, Alexander, Isabella... and now Maxwell. She set him carefully down in the grave, refilling it quickly with dirt, then placed the collar on top as a marker.
Her walking was calm as she walked into the house again. She picked back up the furniture, threw away broken things- or repaired them, if she could- then started to clean the carpet.
By the time she was done, it was about noon. Her lunch hour. She put away her supplies quickly nd quietly, sitting down at the table. Though she was not hungry, is was important that she sat at the table for the right amount of time, or her schedule would not be right. Though, her feet felt cold without Maxwell at them. She would get another dog in the morning.
*********

Not as good as the other posts, I think.... but I replied!

Kougu staggered up the steps back toward the house. He tugged the front door open and walked in, then froze in horror. His eyes darted to the room just to the right of the entrance. All he saw was the door... A door held tightly shut with chains, padlocks, combination locks, and just about every other sort of locking mechanism one could imagine. Obviously, nobody was ever meant to go into that room... Yet Kougu knew what had happened in there. He remembered it all too well...

Slowly, oh so slowly, the pain that had been building in the back of his head erupted into a violent flurry of agony. Kougu gasped and doubled over, clutching his head in pain. This was too much... He remembered- He remembered- He remembered...

Slowly... Slowly... Everything faded to black.

Darkness. Silence. Cold... Or was it heat? He could not tell... He felt numb - paralysed and useless. His senses failed him... Kougu could hear nothing, smell nothing, see nothing... He tried to reach a hand out in front of him, only to realise that, in this world, there was no physical embodiment of his mind. That was why he had no senses... He was an observer. Merely a guest lost within his own memories...
A flash of white.
Darkness again.
He saw!
Then it all came rushing to him. First he felt it - thick, sticky and damp. It soaked his clothes, his hair... It flowed over his skin like a bubbling river - the gluttonous liquid seeming as though it wanted to devour him from the inside out... Or from the outside in? How could he tell... It was everywhere!
Then he smelled it. There was so much... So much blood! It smelled like sinners. It smelled like death... His tongue darted nervously over his lips, and Kougu instantly spat in a panic - but he could not rid himself of the taste. The bittersweet, metallic taste clung to his taste-buds - caressing all his senses like an overly protective mother caresses her child. Clutching it tighter, squeezing it to her chest, until the helpless thing is crushed - the life squeezed from it - and it goes limp. This was how Kougu felt now... He went limp, and fell backwards.
And fell
And fell
And fell
And fell...
It seemed never to end. He was spiralling downwards. He could see the blood now! It was ruby red, scarlet, crimson, thick and curdled, congealed, dried and flaky, sickly maroon, free flowing - barely as thick as water... It was in all forms, swirling around him, drowning him...
And still he fell!
Their faces flashed before his eyes: The woman, her wide, pleading eyes... The trembling of her dainty lip as they beseeched for her life... And the child that clung to her, with such purity and innocence written on her glorious features that she might have been an angel, sent right from the gates of Heaven...
The image shattered, and darkness resumed.

A bloodcurdling scream leaped to his lips, but it got no further, and died there - slowly fading into nothingness as though it were something alive... Never letting a single sound pass his pale lips.
Kougu dropped slowly to his knees, clutching his head in his hands. His fingernails bit into the skin of his face, and his eyes slowly widened - staring blindly at he spotless wooden floor beneath his knees. He began trembling, and a film of sweat formed over his face. It beaded glisteningly on his brow, the crept slowly down, and dripped from the sharp ridges of his cheekbone onto the perfectly polished floor. Kougu trembled more - the horrifying images of his past consuming his sanity as they ripped and tore at his pure, innocent mind. They were like feral beasts - long black claws that glinted like steel, and fangs exposed by a sickly snarl. Deadly sharp, shining, and curved to reap life... The embodiment of his memories in his tortured daydreams were the embodiment of horror itself. He shook his head rapidly, then dragged himself over to the wall and leaned against it - sweating and shaking feverishly.
He felt sick... Bile was rising in his throat...
Suddenly, Kougu retched and scrambled for the door - unable to stand being in the house a moment longer.

He tripped and stumbled down the stairs, falling over his oversize feet and striking the ground hard. A spatter of blood burst from his lips, the crimson pearls soaring gracefully through the air to hit the ground with a fatal splatter.
The pain!
It raged violently in his head like nothing imaginable! Like slowly having white-hot needles inserted under the fingernails... Slowly, so slowly, pushing through the tender skin in a haze of incomprehensible pain.
Like having one's eyeballs dug out with a blunt spoon until blindness consumes... There was no comparison. If somebody was to cut out every one of his bones whilst he still lived... If they ripped his chest open, reached between his ribs, and squeezed his damp, throbbing heart until his life was crushed into pointless mincemeat, the pain would not compare.
Nothing could compare to the anguish his own mind forced him to endure...
If there was any escape, any at all, He would welcome it with open arms.
The pain struck again, and Kougu retched more violently. He clapped a hand over his mouth, then slumped onto the ground, shaking like never before. Slowly, so slowly, his helpless tremors faded into nothing and he lay still, perfectly motionless and lost somewhere in the deep, black abyss of unconsciousness...

((Sorry, that was terrible, dramatic, overdone and a failure... But I had a very enjoyable evil moment trying to describe it. ^_^ ))

((Okay, thinking... want it to be capture time, or no? It's the perfect opporotunity...))

((CAPTURE TIME! Ebony will be happy. By the way- she is supposed to be able to pick up people easily. She ish strong!
Also- you make me and regurgitated George [ ]feel bad with your long posts.))

Ebony was, once again, outside- her schedule required that she come back out. Usually her boy took quite the long walk, and now was when he came back. She frowned as she watched him come out- it was not right, not at all. He should be coming back, not this! He should not be falling, she should not see rubies on his mouth, and he should get up. He always got up, even that one time when he almost didn't. She waited, waited five or ten or maybe fifteen minutes before thinking about going over. She had clothes for him, they were the only ones on the street, and the guest room was back in order... Once more, the familiar thought came back to her mind.
[i]Today?[/i}
"Yes, today is the day..." she whispered, "Today is the day..." She smiled.
She stepped foward with her right foot, her legs a ittle shaky. Then another, less so. Another, another, another, another, anotheranotheranotheranotheranother-

She was there. She stood over his limp body, her eyes soft and affectionate. She leaned down and scooped him up, carring him bridal style, one hand wrapped close to his head, close enough she could feel his hair... Her fingers stoked it gently, the mass thick and surprisingly soft. She kissed him on the forehead, softly as too not rouse him from his slumber.
She must go back to the house. She took another step, walking fowards, fowards, fowards, fowards untill she was at the house. The door slid open easily, and she walked inside, shutting it with her body and turning to the staircase. The guest room was upstairs, at the end of the hall.
She carried him effortlessly up each stair, up up up to the top. She moved down the long hallway, opening the guest room.

It was a rather small room, hardly furnished. A twin mattress lay on the floor, a thin blue blanket the only thing on top of it. A closet opened to the wardrobe Ebony had carefully selected for him, complete with ties. She would use one when she dressed him in the morning. Smiling, she shifted him so that she could peel back the blanket, laying him carefully ontop of the bare mattress. She aranged him thing limbs to a sleeping position before tucking the blanket up around him. She stroked his hair, kissing him on the temple. She turned back to the door, locking it from the inside with her key. Smiling, she sank to the ground and waited for him to regain consiousness.

It was some time before Kougu came around this time. Usually he regained consciousness within a few minutes, but this time the pain had been so severe… Just the memory of it made his facial muscles twitch as he lay there on the soft mattress. He would need to take some of his pills… He had to… Soon… But the mattress was so soft, and he was so tired… It must have been months since he had really slept, and the thick, dark rings below his eyes and the exhaustion of his gaunt features showed it well. Kougu’s eyelids flickered as the memory of a nightmare flickered before his vision, and suddenly he became restless. This was why he did not sleep… Why he could not allow himself to sleep – no matter how comfy the mattress was… Wait- Wait… Mattress? He had passed out outside!

At this realization, Kougu’s eyelids darted upwards. His midnight blue eyes darted around the unfamiliar room – roving briskly over the ceiling. It did not take him long to realize that this was not his house.
With that unnerving thought in mind, Kougu bolted upright. He winced and clutched his head in his hands for a moment as the pain returned. Pills… He needed his pills…
Thoughts hazy with pain, Kougu stared around the room in an unfocused fashion. Where exactly was he…? And why? And how?
Finally, his eyes jerked toward the door where a woman sat on the ground, smiling strangely at him. She looked vaguely familiar… This was strange, since he seldom saw people nowadays… Then it hit him: She was the woman from that morning! So she had ended up helping him after all… But why? Why?! Didn’t she understand that it wasn’t safe – especially without the pills… He needed the pills…
But no, of course she did not understand. How could she? Nobody knew… Only he knew, and that was why he had to seclude himself… To spare them.

“Thank you for your care.” Kougu murmured politely to the girl – his voice calm and quiet. He swung his legs off the mattress and got to his feet with surprising athleticism – keeping as far from the woman as possible. Already, his being alone in a room with her was risky… Too risky… He couldn’t take this risk – the consequences were too severe, and the danger was too great. He had to get out… Quickly, before he did something he would regret!
“I appreciate your trying to help, but I really shouldn’t be here.” Kougu explained gently, shaking his head. “I should get back.” He clenched his jaw against the pain in his head, hiding all clues of it from his expression. He needed to get out. To get home. To get to safety… To sanity… The pills-

Ebony watched calmly, her voice cool as she replied. "I don't want you to go, Kougu," she said. She would keep control.
Not like the last time...

The earth was snowy, cold, as she made her way down the street. Down, farther and father, to the boy's home.He was fourteen, she twenty one. A seven year difference...
She had been watching him, too, and she knew his parents were at work. They would not be back until late at night, and he always forgot to lock the door.
She smiled.
Her feet made a soft crunch as they moved across the sidewalk, up the driveway to his door. She knocked sharply, hearing him stand up from the chair at the computer and walk over to the door. His footsteps were soft, and the door creaked loudly as he opened it.
"Silly boy, don't open the door to strangers. That's not a very smart idea..." she said, covering his mouth with a gloved hand. She pressed on a nerve in his neck, feeling him go limp against her arm, she picked him up, and started carrying him back...
-Four Months Later-
She saw him. She saw him almost out through a broken window. Fury filled her.
"You are a bad boy, Timothy! No bad boys should be here!" she shouted, pulling him in. She had a piece of rope coiled in her hand, and agrily began wrapping it around his neck.
"No bad boys!" she shouted, pulling tight on either end. It was not for amusement to-day, like she meant... he was not a good boy anymore and should not get games.
His face changed colors, and he made funny noises, but she didn't stop.
He went limp. She kissed him on the still-warm temple, going out to her graveyard, where he would be buried with the other bad boys.
Her shovel was very dirty from so much use.

"The door is locked, so you can't leave. I have everything you'll need right here, in this room. You will be my guest for a little while, and if you are good, it will be very enjoyable. Don't be a bad boy, though; I don't want a bad boy in my house. Bad boys make me very upset, Kougu, and you don't want me upset." She smiled at him.
"It is nearly dinner-time, and I would like to know what you would like. You think about it, and I will ask for you to tell me in a moment.
"Now, see, I don't want you to leave. I will have your belongings brought here, if you would so wish, and maybe sell your house. I am sure there would be someone who would buy it. You are going to live here with me, Kougu."
"You are going to live here and be a good boy for me," she finished.
"Now sit down, my boy, I want to know what you want now."

Kougu tilted his head to the side slightly and watched the girl with a bemused expression as she spoke. She did not want him to leave? Well, he had never been the sort to deny people their wishes. He simply couldn’t… He didn’t have the heart.
Thus, Kougu acquiesced to the girl’s wishes, and sat down on the bed again – watching her with calm curiosity. He examined her closely as she slipped off in thought – though he did not really take note of any of her physical aspects. No, he was watching her expression… Wondering what she was thinking, and why she had brought him here.

She turned back to him then, and began to explain. Slight confusion joined the curious expression on Kougu’s pale face, yet still he did not seem at all disturbed by the situation. “I can’t go back to the house?” He questioned innocently – deliberately avoiding using the word ‘home’ as he always had. It was not his home… It was his father’s house. He had no home – he had only a place to stay, fill of cold, bitter memories. “It isn’t my house.” He pointed out helpfully, though he did not say whose it was, for fear the words might burn his lips. My father… He wondered vaguely how the woman knew his name… Why she wanted him to stay… But he found he did not really care, either way. What did it matter? If it made her happy, then who was he to object? No – he had no right. He had lost his rights when he had become a sinner… When he had lost his innocence. “I thank you for your kind offer, but I am not hungry at present.” Kougu explained suddenly – politely rejecting her offer. He hoped she would not be upset… He hated to see people upset, and she seemed the sort who would get upset rather easily. She was a little like himself in that way… Assuming his estimations were correct, which they usually were. “Thank you for your hospitality.” Kougu said brightly, glancing toward the girl with an expressionless face, yet gratitude in his tone. “May I ask why you wish to do this?” He questioned curiously, tilting his head slightly to one side to contemplate her answer. He was glad of the distraction she provided to him, causing him almost to forget his pain, and thus forget the pills. He found it somewhat fascinating being in the company of another person for once, he had to admit… Though the locked door upset him. What if something happened…? There was no quick escape. What of she could not get away? He must keep his distance… Be vigilant… Be careful.

Ebony frowned- why would he not eat now, it was obviously suppertime-, then pulled her face back up into a nicer expression, a passive face of of calmness. He would not have dinner with her, then; either he ate now or waited untill the morning. She had a schedule, and he would have to learn it. He would learn it, soon enough. He was going to stay here, and Ebony was going to make sure of that. Escaping was not a good thing; she had made sure this room had no windows to go through. She had chosen this room specifically for that prupose.
"No, you will not return back to your house," she said, answering his question- or statement, it was truely hard to tell. "You are to remain here, with me. I will take care of you- I will feed you, your clothing is in here, and you already were on a place to sleep. I will not cause you harm, my love; I will not cause harm to those who are good boys and listen. You see, you have no need to go back to the hose now. Everything you could need is here- and if you would like something, I may go and get it for you, love- as I have already explained before, dear Kougu. You will remain here, in this room, most of the time that you are with me. If you are a good boy, I may let you go into other rooms with me," During this time, Ebony had walked closer and closer to her boy.
"Why am I doing this, you ask, my dearest love. That can be answered simply and with a long explanation; the simple answer is this. The simple answer is that I love you, Kougu. There is a much better, longer explanation for that... You see, you would not accept me if I did not do this. You would stay away from me, you would not love me. Oh, but I love you, dear Kougu; I have seen you wake in the middle of the night, from those few times when you let yourself sleep; I have watched you every day when you go outside. Kougu, I know you so well... yet you are complettely oblivious as to who I am. If I did not take you with me, my sweet boy, you would never love me back..."
Her feminine hand had reached out, stroking Kougu's hair. She loved his hair; it was nice and thick and dark and soft, even though it needed to be cleaned and brushed. She could fix that; she would let him for to-day. She was more patient; she would not play games utill later. She ws still unsure if he deserved to play yet...
Ebony's fingers twisted in his hair, though she stopped herself and unwound them. Ebony is not playing with Kougu to-day, she mentally scolded herself. Not today.
He was the best boy so far. They always got too scared of her; he was a very good boy so far... But what about tomorrow?


Okay, cruddy reply, but I really needed to.

Kougu listened patiently as the girl explained the situation – his expression one of polite interest as he observed her endlessly moving lips. If he tilted his head slightly to one side, the light would reflect off those moist surfaces – forming tiny sparkly shapes in his mind’s eye. Shapes that could form an entire world… A world into which he could escape… Kougu’s attention began to wander, and his dark blue eyes slid out of focus as he drifted off into his own imagination – letting the woman’s words wash over him and only half taking them in. He nodded automatically when he sensed it was needed, but for the most part his attention remained fixed in his own personal dreamland, this own little refuge that he had created in his own mind to save him from himself.
Kougu was lost so deep within his peaceful fantasies, that it came as a complete shock to notice that the woman suddenly stood right beside him. Kougu’s breath caught in his throat, and he froze – rendered incapable of movement by the panic staying his limbs. Too close – not good, too close – not good, too close – not good. This could be dangerous… This was dangerous! Why was she so close to him? Didn’t she see? She had to get away! A sharp intake of breath gave voice to Kougu’s panic as he felt the soft touch of the woman’s fingers in his untidy hair, but the pressure of the shock acting upon him was so great that at first he could not respond. “Not good.” He managed finally, muttering under his breath to himself. “Not good, not good, not good, not good!”

Jerking himself out of his thoughts, Kougu tugged away from the woman and threw himself against the wall, pressing his back into the furthest corner as though determined to make the wall swallow him up.
“No!” He scolded, shaking his head in a frenzy. “No, you can’t come near me!” His voice rose slightly now, and Kougu looked the woman directly in the eye – his usually placid gaze now burning with the intensity of his determination to uphold this one and only greatest law of his. “You can’t!” Kougu reiterated, emphasizing his point. “It is simply too dangerous, and you must stay back. I cannot take this risk.” He shook his head rapidly, refusing to accept the reality that she had just touched him… Refusing to believe that he could have allowed such indecency to take place. “Love, hate…” He muttered bitterly, continuing his speech with eyes downcast, speaking more to himself than to the woman now. “What does it matter, anyway? They all boil down to the same thing in the end.” He paused a moment, trailing calmly into silence, then suddenly snapped again. “Love is a myth! There is no such thing. No real love. Not for us… Not for people. We’re a flawed race, Miss. With us, love is never unconditional, nor selfless. Always, for the eternity of past, present and future, it has been ‘I shall love you, if-‘ or ‘I shall love you when-‘ You do not love me. Believe me, you do not, for nobody does – nobody can. And I? I love you – of course I do – only I hate you, too. There is nothing. Nothing, you understand? This world: It consists only of life and death, and nothing in between.” He shook his head and lapsed into silence, partially ashamed of his outburst, but not really caring in any case. It was as he had said… Beyond life and death, what mattered? He had been alive before the outburst and he was alive now. Why ought he to see further than that?