[Rebel_the_Proud]

Kasumi


It was a quiet, rundown part of the city. One where there weren't many to see his form walking the streets. What would one say to his prescence? What would one do? He had seen the overcast of looks on him before, shunning him away with thier gazes. He did not want it this way. He wanted to be right, not what his kind was bred to be. Hooves clattered on the stone road as he walked in the silence, alone. The black sky above was dotted with an array of colors; stars. This was when his kind would travel the earth, spreading thier nightmares to the innocent who slept. He did not want that as his job. He shunned it from his life, shedding the way his kind was supposed to be. And now, all he wanted to do was make it all right.

(1)

[Feint]

A dreamsnare yonyuu flitted through shadows in the alleyways, jumping lightly from each cloak of darkness as if choosing not to be seen. She twirled softly on her toes, and with the flick of a wing landed in the next deep shadow. She was dancing to some invisible tune that she murmured under her breath whenever she recalled the words. She didn't dare sing it louder, not in the middle of the night. Nighttime was her playtime, but for that reason she never enjoyed it. Loneliness, seclusion, and secrecy were the rules of her life, and she hated it more than dancing where no one could see. It felt like she was being shouldered out of society. The dreamsnare landed gracefully on the end of the alley, and snaked her head around the corner. She couldn't dance anymore. The shadows ended for a long time. Her heart sank, and she stepped tentatively into the streetlight. Once in the light, it was seen that her pelt was odd. Instead of a deep black from head to toe, the bottom half of her body was snow white. From muzzle down to chest, then from there to the tip of her tail, her fur was white. Even her legs and underside of her wings were mostly snowy. She had the floating feathers Dreamsnares were famous for tied into her white mane, and the bobbed whenever she turned. The yonyuu smelled a presence and quickly stepped out of the light into the darker road. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped towards the scent against her better judgment.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

Hollow form continued its way down the lonesome road, hooves clattering as the sound echoed off the sides of the walls. The street lamps illuminated his path, as if leading him somewhere. The Nyghtmare came to the last of the street lamp, stopping before its lighted path and looked at the light. As if to mock the flicker of hope that he would one day be accepted, the light flickered and died, leaving him in the darkness...

But eyes were trained for darkness, giving him the ability to see in total darkness. A prescence alerted him and ears pricked towards the creature that had chose to hide. Nostrils flared to catch the scent and call it out, but it soon showed itself without him having to. Air coursed through his nostrils, blowing the sound of snort at her presence, ecpecting her to shun him at her sight of him. Kasumi waited for her harsh words to push him away as all the others had done before. It was nothing new and something he commonly expected as he waited in the darkness for another wave of pain to come.

[Feint]

But she didn't bring the pain. The dreamsnare stood where she could just barely see the nyghtmare half-cloaked in shadow. She waited expectantly, but nothing happened. She suddenly felt odd; what on earth was she expecting? Him to run away, start juggling? The yonyuu gave a tiny cough and introduced herself. "I'm Lolita," she said. Her voice was sweet and soft, as if she hardly spoke. "Good evening to you." She stopped, and felt like she was expecting something again. Lolita shifted on her feet nervously. It was strange, somehow, to have company. It was stranger still to think that company was the very thing she had been pining for not two minutes earlier. Only to be this awkward around it! She wondered if they would have anything in common to break this awful ice.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

At first, nothing. No sound, no movement. Then, ears pricked to a noise. It couldn't have been from her... and she couldn't be talking to him... could she? But it was her. Kasumi had seen her maw open and speak forth... to him. They weren't harsh words telling him to leave or be gone. They were spoken with a different tone, one he was far from used to. Kasumi didn't know if he should embrace it or push it away, but he knew if he pushed, he would only be doing to himself what everyone else had done to him. After the silence of his thoughts, the black Nyghtmare lifted his hoof in a graceful stance and dipped his head as if he were bowing. He was greeting her in his own way... the only way he knew how. Kasumi didn't know what to say. Even at his age, he was still considered a child when talking to others, as he had had very little practice. He opened his mouth to speak a few times, only silence coming out. Finally, words came forth with forced effort.

"Greetings... Lolita." He took a moment of pause, dropping his hoof to the ground with grace and ease. "I am... Kasumi."

Kasumi's voice was not scared or uneasy. It was dark and deep, but there was no mistake that there was a friendly sound to it, as if he was reaching out for another. Kasumi never took his eyes off of Lolita, taking in every part of her, as if afraid in a moment, she would be gone.

(3)

[Feint]

"Kasumi," Lolita repeated, and bowed in return. She blushed lightly. She wasn't expecting him to be so polite! A few hurried words, maybe, or a quick nod in her direction, possibly, but not this. His voice sounded so lonely, as did his searching gaze. She felt a pang of pity for him, and a bit of shame. She had a master who cared for her, though they rarely ever met. This man here had nothing. Her goal, Lolita decided, was to keep Kasumi here in conversation for as long as possible. What they talked about was nothing, only the amount of time. Lolita bit her lip as she thought for something to say. She smiled invitingly and asked, "Do you live far from here?"

[Rebel_the_Proud]

A sense of surprise, and relief, flooded the feelings of the Nyghtmare. She was still here, and not only that, she, the one called Lolita, was making the effort to continue the greeting into a conversation. Her smile was warm and welcomeing, and is if it was contagious, a glimmer of a smile hinted on the lips of the Nyghtmare. Kasumi took in her words like a sponge, searching the deepest aspects of his mind to give her the best answer he could. The question caught him somewhat off guard as it had been a long while since he had been to the place he called home. Again, he opened his maw to speak, having some trouble to put the words together, but managing just the same.

"Too long... has it been... since I have been home... But I live a great distance..."

His voice stopped working for a moment, possibly from the lump growing in his throat. Whether it was sorrow of speaking of home, or sheer happiness that she was here speaking with him, Kasumi allowed a moment for it go away and then continued. He wasn't too sure what to say but being she asked him of where he lived, the most obvious thing would be to ask where she lived.

"And you... Lolita?"

Kasumi's eyes never left her, still soaking in every part of her as if so afraid she would bound away in a moment and leave him there once more to be alone. But the fear was subsiding with every word she said, and every moment she lingered to speak with him. It was a newfound hope for him and a wonderful feeling of happiness that he hadn't been able to feel in years.

(4)

[Feint]

Lolita frowned slightly. Was he missing his home? She remembered how homesick she'd felt after a week-long trip to the Grand Cathedral. He seemed to have trouble with words--maybe home was a taboo subject for him? No more talk of home, then. Lolita scoured her mind for another subject, but she came up dry. She bit her lip again before she answered. "I don't live so far. . . Just a few blocks away, actually," she said with a nervous smile. What to say, what to say. Lolita nibbled her lip and cast her gaze down the street. Her eyes wandered from the row of streetlights to the side of the buildings, and up to the stars. She could pick out Orion, and the tail of one of the dippers. It was a lovely night. . . "Do you know any constellations?" she asked suddenly. She hoped he wouldn't mind all the random questions she was throwing out.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

The Nyghtmare's eyes flashed fear at the sight of her frown. Was she thinking of leaving? It didn't seem so as she continued to speak, but he was still afraid that she would be gone the moment he relaxed and lost the fear of her leaving. Kasumi took in her words, memorizing them and locking them away in his mind so that he may remember them again. Silence came and it scared him. He was used to the silence, but that was just it. He knew that with silence came lonliness. But yet again she broke the silence, easing his tension and fear. This time, Lolita's eyes were to the sky and Kasumi couldn't help but look to the same sky she was gazing at. The Stars. They were no stranger to Kasumi. He embraced them many a nights, just standing and looking at them. Silence followed her question as Kasumi looked over the stars, his eyes taking in thier every position. He knew of one constalliation for sure.

"Aries... That is my zodiac." Kasumi paused a moment, picking his symbol out of the sky. Without removing his eyes from the stars above, he continued. "That is all I know.... Many stars there are... There must be more constellations... You know more?"

[Feint]

Lolita nodded, still staring upwards. "I know a few. . . " she said, and her voice trailed away. Lolita gazed for a few seconds more before motioning to Orion, her favorite, with her nose. "That one, there. See the end that looks like a ladle? That's called Orion's belt. If you look carefully, you can see the end of his tunic and his bow. The bow's up there, more. See it?" Lolita looked over to Kasumi to see if he was struggling to find the faint stars in the blackness of the sky. "There's a story about that one, that one and Scorpio. They're in the same story. Want to hear?" she asked.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

Eyes never left the sky above as ears soaked in her words. He searched the sky, glancing from the tip of her nose to where it pointed, but he seemed to have a bit of trouble seeking it out. Kasumi, though a bit afraid he would scare her away, took a few hesitant steps closer to her, trying to see what she pointed out. He glanced at her to make sure she was still there, the fear of her leaving still wedged in his mind, but it soon faded away as he caught sight of the stars that made what she called Orion. His eyes brightened a bit as he was able to see it.

"I see..."

Kasumi looked to her as she spoke of a story about Orion and another one named Scorpio. He seemed to peak an interest in it, and cocked his head over, his black mane whisping over his glistening hide.

"I would like that..."





(6)

[Feint]

Lolita smiled slightly and looked down to collect her thoughts. She had a habit of forgetting important pieces of the tale. "It's Greek mythology," she said, to stall for time. When she was ready, she looked up at the stars again. "The goddess of war, Athena, had a good friend, a mortal friend, named Orion. They would hunt together every so often, and they would capture the most extraordinary beasts, like white deer that flew through trees instead of running around them. And of course they did, because Athena was a goddess and only the gods could find such things.

"Well, Athena had a husband, whom I have forgotten the name of, and he was jealous that Athena should spend so much time with a mortal. He was also suspicious of Orion, spending so much time with his wife. He made a giant scorpion and sent this great beast upon Orion when Athena was away. Orion was killed. Athena found out the next time she wanted to go hunting and put Orion's constellation in the sky as a memorial. Her husband didn't like seeing him there, so one winter he put the scorpion up there to chase him away. Now, all year Orion spins in the night sky, but when winter comes, he is replaced with Scorpio." Lolita let out her breath. She wasn't used to speaking for long all at once. She glanced at Kasumi, hunting for any sign of boredom. "I don't know the story of any others," she admitted softly.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

The crimson eyes of the Nyghtmare never left the Yonyuu as she spoke of the story, he soaking in every word. He liked the story and found it to be quite interesting, indeed. As she finished, his eyes never left her, still intriged by the story she had just told. In a quiet voice, he replied to her.

"Fascinating. Thank you... for sharing the story."

Kasumi smiled softly, having his first real conversation with someone. However, the only thing his mind could focus on at the moment was her... what did she think of him? Why hadn't she run like all the others? Kasumi was glad she hadn't, but what made her different from all the others that shuned him. After a long moment of silence, Kasumi's eyes shifting downward out of her gaze every now and again, the Nyghtmare decided to find out. He opened his maw to speak a couple times, though nothing came out, Kasumi trying his best to word his question right. Finally, he was able to get it out.

"Why?... Why haven't you run... from me?"

(7)

[Feint]

Lolita smiled. "Your welcome," she said, "I love mythology, and history. Anything from the minds and lives of people who lived hundreds of years ago fascinates me." She looked down towards a crack in the base of the nearby curb, and traced the fractures with her eyes. The unsafe feeling in her gut hadn't subsided any from when she first walked towards Kasumi in the dark. She had ignored it, but now it was starting to bug her. Everything that had happened so far led her to believe he was nothing to fear, but her instinct had never been wrong before. It confused her. She shifted her paws anxiously. He was so kind. . . Lolita realized with faint shock that her last thought couldn't apply. She didn't know him at all. He barely even spoke. Where did kindness ever appear? Mixed feeling swirled in her chest, but she stubbornly subdued them. She opened her maw to ask another off-the-wall question, but Kasumi spoke first.

"Why?... Why haven't you run... from me?"

Lolita looked up in shock. Her gut had nailed it. She should have run, and a long time ago! Lolita swallowed. Whatever he was planning would be revealed soon, and if he was even planning something at all. It was too late to take to heel now. She relaxed herself and shook her head. "I don't know. I never saw a reason to," she said softly.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

Her face spoke it all; she was afraid of him. Though she soon relaxed herself and spoke to him again, answering his question, Kasumi had seen what he had feared: she was afraid. Kasumi looked at her with a blank expression now, hiding all feelings from her. He took a few steps back, away from her as if she repelled him. Kasumi's nostrils flared, trying to figure out what he should do. If she was afraid, she should run. Run like all the others... The Nyghtmare snorted, angry. He reared letting out a shrill neigh that peirced the night and slammed his hooves before her, eyes burning with hatred.

"Go ahead! Run! Run like all the cowards that fear what they don't know! Runaway like the rest of them! See if I care!"

Anger spewed forth, blocking better judgement, but he didn't care at the moment. He was angry he had ever though to trust that anyone would ever trust him. After the years of being shunned, Kasumi knew he should have expected it by now and just got used to it. She was no different than the others. He tossed his head threateningly, pawing the road in a show of threat. In truth, he was pushing her away, having no intent on harming her. He did not want to hurt her, even if she was afraid.

(8)