#he sensed i was planning on killing him and adding his tombstone to my collection

[jupiterbyrd]

i put callmekevin's jim pickens in my sims 4 game. and my current head of house is married to his daughter. i just got this popup

I'm scared.

[pocket-luv101]

Across Time || Chapter 21

Fandom: Servamp Ships: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht

Summary: Mahiru falls into a well and is taken to a new, fantasy world. He comes across a half-blooded cat demon trapped in a tree. After he frees Kuro, he helps him collect the shards of the sacred jewel. (KuroMahi, InuYasha AU)

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || Ch.3 || Ch.4 || Ch.5 || Ch.6 || Ch.7 || Ch.8 || Ch.9 || Ch.10 || Ch.11 || Ch.12 || Ch.13 || Ch.14 || Ch.15 || Ch.16 || Ch.17 || Ch.18 || Ch.19 || Ch.20 || (Ch.21) ||

“Mahiru!” Kuro called his name as they fell through the darkness of the mirror. He didn’t know where they were or why his brother attacked them. He shoved those questions aside to focus on saving Mahiru. A few feet from him, Mahiru was trying to center himself as they rapidly descended. He couldn’t see the floor and he worried the landing might kill them.

He shrugged off his haori, he tore the fabric to make it longer. He tied his sword to one end so the weight would help the makeshift rope reach Mahiru. Kuro tossed it towards Mahiru who gripped the tessaiga tightly. He seemed to understand his plan and nodded up to him. With all his strength, Kuro pulled him upwards until he was in reach.

Once they were closer, Mahiru was able to grab his hand. They pulled each other closer and he wrapped his arms around him. Relief washed through him the moment he felt Kuro’s protective embrace. The wind rushing past his cheek reminded him that they were falling. He searched the darkness for something they could do to save themselves.

“I can sense the ground approaching. Cats land on their feet but this might hurt. Can’t deal.” He muttered and adjusted his hold on Mahiru. Kuro cradled him against his chest to protect him the crash. He felt Mahiru’s heart racing through his chest and squeezed him gently. No matter what challenges they might face in the mirror, he would protect him.

Mahiru reached up and cupped his face in his hand. He whispered a chant and warmth spread throughout Kuro’s body. He didn’t understand the ancient spell but he knew that he was giving him his spiritual energy. After he completed the chant, Mahiru summoned a barrier to surround them. He prayed that his spells were enough to support Kuro.

Kuro couldn’t take his eyes off the ground and prepared himself for the impact. The barrier touched the ground first and it slowed their fall slightly. As he landed, the ground cracked and shifted beneath his feet. He lost his footing but he didn’t let go of Mahiru and continued to protect him. They fell to the ground with Mahiru on top of his chest.

For a moment, they merely laid on the ground together and tried to catch their breath. Mahiru was the first to move and he sat up. He immediately looked over Kuro’s body for injuries caused by the fall. Aside from a few scratches caused by debris, he was uninjured. He ran his hand over his cheek lovingly to heal the tiny marks. “Did you cut your feet during the landing?”

“Your spell protected me.” He reassured him and placed his hand over Mahiru’s. Kuro didn’t let go of his hand as they stood and glanced around their surroundings. The ground began to glow and the light drew their attention to it. A small gasp escaped him when he found that they were standing on a large mirror. Cracks covered the ground like a spiderweb. “I hope we don’t fall through again. I only want to go through something like that once in my life.”

“At least we’ll be together if we start falling again.” Mahiru said. He didn’t know how they would be able to escape the mirror. He closed his eyes and projected his spiritual energy to search for anyone nearby. A sigh of disappointed told Kuro that he couldn’t find someone. “I don’t sense Misono or Hyde. Are you able to smell the flowers?”

“No.” He shook his head and a frown passed over Mahiru’s face. Kuro tenderly squeezed his hand to reassure him and the tension left his face. They didn’t exchange a word but the gesture was comfort enough for Mahiru. “The only thing we can do now is wander around and hope we find a route out of the mirror. Be careful not to cut your feet on the broken glass. Do you want me to carry you? I’m a demon so the glass won’t hurt me.”

“I’m fine.” Mahiru was grateful for Kuro’s kindness but he couldn’t ask him to walk through the mirror on his own. He wanted to face the challenge together as partners. “We should clear the shards so the only thing we have to worry about are the cracks.”

He stretched out his hands before him and created a wall with his spiritual power. Slowly, he moved the wall forward. The glass shards were also pushed forward when it met the wall. Mahiru carefully stepped on the clearing and then grinned up at Kuro. “Your control over your power has gotten better. You know a lot more spells too.”

“I can support you in fights but I’m not confident fighting on my own yet.” Mahiru admitted. He did his best to study new techniques but his powers were best for protecting or healing others. The compliment from Kuro made him smile with pride though. He didn’t enjoy fighting so he preferred that his powers could help others.

They explored the dark room with little to help them find their way. Mahiru stepped onto a piece of the mirror and the image beneath him changed. He looked down where a hazy scene played before them. In the glass, a young Misono was speaking with a blond boy. They held a mirror between them and Misono asked: “A mirror? It doesn’t look powerful.”

“That makes the mirror all the more powerful. This heirloom will protect you so always keep it close, Misono.”

The words made Mahiru recall the story Misono told him earlier. His brother had given him the mirror and it allowed him to see everything in the inn. Did the mirror also store the things it had seen? He placed his hand on Kuro’s arm to stop him and gestured to the mirror. He told him his thoughts and added: “These are Misono’s memories. We might be able to find a way to escape if we watch.”

“Can it show us how Misono and my brother met? When I faced him earlier, he said that he owed Misono his life. We’re demons but Lily has always been a good person. He wouldn’t sell those black jewel shards unless he thought it was to protect someone he cared about.” Kuro hadn’t spoken with his brother in years but he still had faith in his kindness.

“I don’t sense a spiritual energy within the mirror so I can’t manipulate it. I wonder how we can search the mirrors for memories.” Mahiru mused and knelt on the ground. He touched the image and a cold wave suddenly rushed over him. He recognized the sensation since he felt something similar when Misono used the mirror’s power on him.

His vision blurred for a few seconds. Mahiru rubbed his eyes and then he opened them to find that the world around him had changed. They were in a castle but the layout was different from the others he saw in the feudal era. Kuro was still beside him but he appeared confused as well. He started to ask him where they could be but then he noticed Misono in the distance.

Misono was a young child and he rolled a marble on a low desk. The violet jewel hit the mirror beside him and then slid off the table. He rushed to catch it but his brother was faster. “You shouldn’t play with the shikon jewel, Misono. I don’t have to remind how powerful the jewel is. The demon souls we used to empower the jewel has made it more powerful but unstable as well.”

“I know that, Mikuni.” Misono pouted. “There’s nothing for me to do while you’re gone. I can only play shogi with Doubt Doubt and I’ve already defeated him five times. It’s not a fun challenge anymore.”

“I have time before I need to deliver the jewel to the buyer. How about you play with your brother? I have to warn you that I’m much smarter than JeJe.” He chuckled and sat across the table from Misono.

“Licht told us about two human brothers who tainted the jewel years ago.” Mahiru hands flew to his mouth when he realized the implication. “I thought that they died.”

“We died over eighty years ago.” The voice caused them to turn around to where Misono stood behind them. Kuro drew his sword and Mahiru gripped his bow yet it quickly became clear that Misono didn’t intend to fight them. He was walked past them and watched the past with lonely eyes. His hands shook slightly around the mirror.

A butterfly landed on the mirror and Misono forced himself to take a deep breath. He turned the mirror and changed the image projected around them. The floor turned to dirt and the first thing Mahiru noticed was a smashed tombstone. Touma stood over the grave but Mahiru knew that he was simply a memory Misono was showing them.

Misono rose out of the grave and coughed dirt from his lungs. Confusion covered his face and he looked around him. He placed his hand over his heart yet he couldn’t feel his heartbeat. His brows furrowed together and he tried to make sense of how he was alive again. A mirror was dropped in front of him and Misono hesitantly picked it up.

“I have resurrected you. Tomorrow, I will do the same for with your brother. The knowledge you two possess may be useful to me. Now, follow me and I will give you shards to taint.” Touma told him. His eyes were cold and Misono gripped the mirror. He summoned shards behind Touma and aimed them at the man’s heart. Without taking his eyes off Misono, he said: “I heard tales of the Alicein siblings. Your pride is the only thing greater than your intelligence.”

Misono screamed in pain and clutched at his chest. Touma took out a pouch and squeezed it in his hand. The pressure on his chest increased and he was forced to lower the mirror shards. “I have revived you but I still hold your life in my hand. I suggest you work with me. If either of you try to betray me, you will die a second time. I promise you that it will be much more painful as well.”

“Since that day, I have made tainted shards for Touma and Mikuni travels the country to sell them. Touma wishes to cause chaos throughout the country. My brother and I believe that he was something more planned but he hasn’t told us.” Misono explained and bit his lip. “Touma is always watching me but my mirror is the only place he cannot enter.”

“I’m sorry that we had to be so aggressive when we attacked you. We wanted Touma to believe that we were fighting.” The butterfly on his mirror spoke and transformed into Snow Lily. He bowed to his brother and continued, “I heard that you were freed but I couldn’t believe it at first. I’m so glad that you’re safe and you are friends with Hyde again.”

“It’s a long story but yours must be a complicated one as well.” Kuro said and nodded towards Misono.

“Once I learned that the curse was broken, I went to see you again. But Touma attacked me. He would’ve killed me if Misono hadn’t been there. He hid me in his mirror and created an illusion that tricked Touma. He thinks I’m dead. I owe Misono my life.” Lily told them. “The Alicein brothers don’t want to help Touma but it’s impossible for them to fight back.”

“Thank you for saving my brother.” Kuro said to Misono. Lily was slightly surprised that his brother was so open with his emotions when he could be awkward in the past. He would show how he cared through his action rather than direct words. He wondered if something had happened to change him. “You can’t fight Touma but you intend to, don’t you, Misono.”

“Yes.” Misono looked down at his mirror. “My brother and I have talked about it many times but we can’t face Touma directly. He can kill us instantly.”

“You want our help? That must be why you dragged us into your mirror where Touma can’t see us here and we can talk freely.” Mahiru was relieved that he wouldn’t have to fight Misono and Lily. “We’re happy to stop Touma. Do you know where he is?”

Misono nodded and flipped his mirror again to change the scene around them. A large castle towered over them. Kuro didn’t recognize the landscape around the castle that could help them find Touma. He looked up at the horizon and noticed that there was light veil over the castle. “Touma’s castle is located beyond the lake of illusions. There is a barrier around the castle as well. It’s nearly impossible to enter it.”

“Do you know if Touma has a weakness?” Mahiru asked.

In answer, Misono lifted his mirror again. “My mirror remembers everything it has seen. For a time, Touma held it. I found a memory that may help us defeat him.”

Mahiru was confused when the reflection wasn’t of Touma. He saw his mother within the mirror and he gasped. He hesitantly touched the image and the world became dark around him. The only light provided for Mahiru was a dim fire in the distance. He was unsure if he should walk through the dark unknown. Why would his mother appear in the mirror? Mahiru felt a hand wrap around his and he looked up at Kuro beside him. He calmed himself and he walked forward.

They entered a cave where two people were speaking. He immediately recognized his mother sitting beside an injured man. Mahiru reminded himself that they were in the past and the woman wasn’t his mother despite the resemblance. When he was closer, he could see that the man Touma. His mother knew Touma in the past? Touma hated his family.

“I found this mirror, Touma. It belonged to a human who was able to manipulate the sacred jewel. This heirloom may help us learn more about the jewel and how to contain it.” Hanako held the mirror in front of her face as she leaned over Touma. “I haven’t been able to unlock the mirror’s power or memories to learn much.”

“Why did you save me?” Touma would ask her the same question each day. “Most would’ve left a demon like me for dead yet you brought me here and treated my injuries. As the eldest daughter of the Shirota family, you should know better than to pity a demon. My legs are broken but I can kill you and take the jewel whenever I want. I can sense that you’re holding the sacred jewel.”

“That’s the reason I decided to rescue you. My family has held the jewel for generation but we have never heard of a person who could sense its presence. Do you have a spell that allows you to do so? When did you discover this ability? Were you born with it?” With each question, she leaned closer to him. Hanako tapped her finger on Touma’s forehead and said, “Reject.”

After she recited the short spell, light exploded from her finger and caused him to slump back against the wall. She chuckled and said, “You can try to kill me but I promise you won’t be able to. I’m not a weak girl and you should know that, Touma. Also, you can’t poison me when I hold the jewel in my heart.”

“… Your family still wishes to sacrifice you to seal away the jewel?” He asked her in a small voice. Silence filled the cave and the only sound between them was the fire cracking nearby. Shadows passed over her face and he couldn’t read her expression. The laughter and teasing had left her voice when she finally answered him.

“It was the reason I was born.” She said and rubbed an ointment over his forehead where she had struck him lightly. “My parents never made it a secret. It’s my duty as the eldest child of the Shirota family to protect the world from the jewel. I cannot change my fate.”

“Then why do you research the jewel so desperately?” His retort made her draw her hand back sharply. She glanced at the mirror beside them and touched the cold glass. “I can still remember the day we met. We were both children and you asked me for everything I knew about the jewel. I didn’t understand why so I didn’t answer. I think I know why now. You want a future you choose for yourselves— like I do.”

“Isn’t it sad?” She touched her heart where the jewel was sealed. “You think the jewel will give you the power to change your future even after you’ve seen how it has destroyed so many. You are truly a foolish man, Touma. This jewel cannot grant your wish. It will only consume you. Is there anything you long for aside from the jewel? Friendship? Family? Love?”

He didn’t answer her and she let out a frustrated breath. Hanako sat next to him and stared at the fire. “I would like to have a family with a good man. We would have a boy and build a simple home for him. It’s impossible now but we might be able to exist in another world. Do you have a similar dream?”

“I know better than to hold foolish dreams like that.” He said instead of answering her directly.

“You believe that lie, don’t you? You won’t give up on taking the jewel because of that. I pity foolish men like you the most.” She said and rose to her foot. Hanako slipped a necklace out from beneath her clothes and swung the pendent from her finger. “This pendent is your weakness. I will use this if you try to steal the jewel after you fully recover.”

Mahiru was pulled out of the scene and he couldn’t move for a moment. He didn’t think seeing his mother again would be so difficult. He was still trying to make sense of the interaction between Touma and his mother. His legs were numb and he wanted to sit down but the mirror room was empty. Kuro wrapped his arms around him and the support helped center him.

Misono didn’t seem to notice how pale Mahiru was and asked, “Do you recognize that pendent? It must be in the possession of the Shirota family even if Hanako didn’t tell your family about its power.”

“I don’t know. I can ask my uncle if he knows.” Mahiru stared at the ground. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Misono’s shoulder. “Thank you for your help. We will stop Touma and free you from his control. He’s watching the outside world. Is there a way to leave without Touma knowing that we’re working together?”