Chigiri Shita Tenshu (Promise Under God) Chapter Two: .To Dream

The thunder storm was the first of the year: Summer had officially begun. It brought with it the oppressing humidity that marked early summer in Toshi. It was ten o'clock at night, three hours after Hitan Tatakai had passed away, leaving his son, Kumori Tatakai, the official Master of the House; Lord Tatakai and Master Tatakai. He'd only been Lord Kumori and Master Kumori before.
The Master of the House had fled his bed because he could not sleep. Those painful, frightening last minutes with his father rung through his head, and they offered him no rest. He had tossed and turned, the sheets sticking to his body because of the humidity. Finally, he had given up sleep, and raced to his balcony, watching the thunder and lightning roll past him in unprecedented glory.
"I wish it would rain again," he though silently. "The rain might help break the humidity."
But the sky refused to open up again and release another down pour, and all Kumori could think about was the refreshing feeling of cold grass on a hot body, until finally he silently crept outside and sat underneath a massive tree, feeling cool for the first time in hours.
It really wasn't terribly comfortable, leaning up against that tree, but Kumori was so tired, he couldn't care. Finally, he lay down next to it's trunk, closed his eyes, and allowed what ever tortured, twisted sleep that would come, to come.

.

"Kumori.."
A soft, sweet voice called his name, and Kumori opened his eyes. To his amazement, he wasn't sleeping by the tree anymore. Nor was the sky filled with thunder clouds. Instead of his pajamas, Kumori found himself fully dressed, his cape-like coat and all. Despite it's being all black, and the bright afternoon sun that shown down upon him, Kumori did not feel over heated like before. Instead of the massive oak, he was surrounded by Wisteria Vines, and a soft breeze, not the fierce gale of the storm.
"Kumori, look," the voice said again.
"Look for what?" he asked, confused.
A bright light came closer, and closer to Kumori, never ceasing, so that Kumori was forced to shield his eyes, it was so painfully bright. The light finally stopped right in front of him, and Kumori squinted, trying to see what it surrounded. "Are you the one who called me? Who and what are you?"
The light slowly began to dissipate, and in it's stead, stood a woman, her blonde hair falling down to her ankles, her blue eyes sparkling like the sun. She had massive white wings which stretched outward and kept her hovering just slightly above the ground. Kumori shrank back in terror, blinking at her.
"Who and what are you?" he repeated again.
"I am the angel Sagishi," she responded, her radiant voice echoing softly across the waving grass.
"?" Kumori blinked. "But where am I?"
"This is your dream, Kumori. I have come to you, for a fate is coming to you that you deserve an explanation for. It is not a fate you have earned, but Original Sin, dawn again in you."
"What?" Kumori asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Be still, and soon, everything will be explained." Kumori did not move, so captivated was he by her.
"Many years ago," she began, "in the city you help to rule over with the other patrons and lords, there lived a man whose wealth could rival them all, and had Toshi right under his thumb. The man's name was Lord Hitan Tatakai, your father, and the Master of Tatakai Manor.
"Now Lord Tatakai was often pressed to look for a wife, but he never sought one, for he remained an aloof man. That is, until one day, a mysterious woman blew into town, dressed in heavenly blues, and with lots of money. No one knew where she had come from, but only this: Her name was Tenshi."
"My mother..." Kumori breathed, leaning his head against the Wisteria Tree, closing his eyes.
"Yes, your mother. It was then that Master Tatakai fell in love, and tried to court her for a wife. Many had tried, like he, but she only accepted him, and they soon fell in love, and were to marry. But before Tenshi accepted his request, she made him swear by one holy prayer: The Chigiri Shita Tenshu; The Promise Under God. He must swear by this oath that he remain always true to her, for if he did not, the prophets had predicted a terrible fate for he and all his ancestors. Hitan accepted, and for a year, they remained happily married.
"But when war broke out in distant lands, Master Tatakai was called to arms with any troops he possessed. So he left his wife, and new born son - yourself - for the battle in the neighboring city, and there he waged war.
"But it was a lonely life for Lord Tatakai, and he missed his family dearly. The poor man took to drinking, and was soon a regular at a local tavern. There he met Akuma, a handsome young man, who often dealt in prostitutes and drugs.
"This man, Akuma, convinced Hitan to buy a prostitute for an evening; Akuma's sister, the seductive Kouin. And it was, the next day after making love to her, that Master Tatakai remembered the Chigiri Shita Tenshu, and began to fear what his mistake might reap.
"The next night, he was visited by a demon; It was Akuma, the same man who tricked him into sleeping with Kouin before. The curse was revealed to be that every night, Lord Tatakai would become possessed by the demon Akuma and would murder, rape, pillage and do all sorts of terrible acts until morning."
Suddenly, Kumori remembered all the legends of that battle; of the shadow creature that had stalked both sides of the armies, and how all the other boys his age had been fascinated by it, so Kumori had pressed his father for all he knew of it, yet he always remained stubborn, and never spoke a word about the Shadow of Death.
Sagishi looked down upon the young man with pity. "You are beginning to see the truth. I can see it in your eyes."
"But what does this mean to me? What have I to do with any of it? And what of my mother?"
"Hush, I am coming to that part," the lovely creature instructed.
"As soon as the war was over, Hitan raced home, to beg his wife's forgiveness. When he arrived, he found her dead, according to the servants, in her sleep. They said she had died on September first, the very same night that Master Tatakai had broken his sacred vow.
"He wept desolately for several days, and was terrified of raising his young son alone. One night, to stop the blood shed occurring in Toshi, he attempted to take his own life. Akuma stopped him by revealing that as soon as he was dead, the curse would shift to his only ancestor. The curse would prove unstoppable and go on through generation to generation."
Kumori's eyes grew wide with fear. "But.. But my father is dead! What will happen to me?"
Through out the dream, Kumori could hear the gong of a bell: The clock was striking eleven. "Take head!" cried Sagishi! "Eleven o'clock has come! True night is upon us! It is now that your own demon shall arise, Kumori, to take it's place. I have given you all the warning I could, but now, you must fight this battle on your own!"
The angel began to be wrapped in light again and drift away. "Wait!" Kumori called. "Don't leave me! The demon! What about the one that is to posses me? What am I to do?"
"This is a battle you must fight on your own..." the angel repeated.
Kumori was suddenly once again at his oak tree on the cold earth. His head lurched forward and his hands flew to his throat, clutching at it, as though he were chocking. He felt as though he was, and began to cough up blood, his eyes growing wild, the pupils dilated. "What?" he began to chock out. He collapsed to the ground, trying to breath, but to no avail.
And then, there was nothing! Kumori was surrounded by darkness, and all he saw was a man standing all alone, he hair short and black, his eyes red, smiling maliciously at him. "Lord Tatakai, what a pleasure to meet you."
Kumori was on his knees, no longer feeling as though he were dying. No, he felt very alive and very terrified. "Who are you?" he asked, his hands shaking.
"Name's Nakabu," he answered quickly, beginning to walk over to the other man. "My, I've just been dying to meet you."
"I haven't been for you."
Nakabu raised a black eyebrow. "No? You look rather disappointed, to tell the truth. But I've been waiting years for this moment, and unlike you, I am not disappointed." The fierce man finally reached his goal, and gently pulled Kumori to his feet, running a finger over his jaw line smoothly. "What a handsome young man you are."
"Don't touch me!" Kumori shouted, drawing back.
"A bit antisocial, are we? Ah well, that's fine. We'll warm up to each other in no time," he purred.
"I don't want to warm up to you," the Master of the House growled.
"I'm cut to the quick, Kumori! Ah well, such frivolous banter will have to wait. Come, it's time to let me have your body."
"My body?" Kumori asked, stunned.
"Yes, of course. What did you think would happen? I put your soul in a glass capsule inside of mine, and I take over your body until sunrise."
"And then what happens?" he asked, frightened.
Nakabu shrugged. "Whatever I want. Death, rape, violence, war, murder, you get the idea."
"You can't! I won't let you!"
The demon laughed and laughed. "I'd like to see you try and stop me!"
Kumori lurched at him, his fist raised. So surprised was Nakabu that he was hit squarely in the jaw line. When Kumori went for another blow, Nakabu blocked as quickly as he attacked, so that Kumori could not gain another foot of ground. The demon tossed his prey to the side, rubbing his jaw. "You've got quite a fist there."
"Next time, my sword," Kumori promised.
Nakabu's eyes narrowed. "I look forward to it. But that is for later. Now it is time to give yourself to me."
"I won't!"
"You will," the other growled, and he engulfed Kumori in his arms, so that the young man felt like he was drowning in a sea of black, and that was all! Just drowning in nothingness. When Kumori came to, he was surrounded by glass, and had only a few inches of room on any side of him. This was to be his prison.
Kumori banged on the glass with his fists. "Let me out! I demand it!"
Outside of this capsule in the soul of Nakabu, outside of the body that housed it in the hot night air, Nakabu, in Kumori's body, heard the plea. And while it was Nakabu who responded, Kumori was chilled to the bone, for it was his own voice that spoke.
"Shut up. I'll deal with you later, right now, I've got my sight set on a perfect target."
Kumori covered his ears, shrinking into a fetal position, his own voice echoing all around him. But he hadn't said those words! Kumori began to keep his eyes shut, for in the left one he could see what his possessed body saw, and when Nakabu turned Kumori began to viciously murder his target, Kumori remained huddled in that ball and wept, hearing the things that the person screamed and begged, and his own - or rather, Nakabu's - callous answers.
When dawn approached, Nakabu took the body back to the Tatakai Manor, retreating to that same study his father had always been in when he argued with his demon. Nakabu/Kumori collapsed into the chair Hitan Tatakai had died in mere hours before, and there the demon parted with the body, Kumori's soul re-inhabiting it.
Kumori gasped as though he hadn't breathed in years, coughing a little, scrubbing at a little dried blood on the corner of his mouth from when he'd been coughing the stuff up earlier. He looked up at Nakabu, who was leaning against the wall cool as a breeze. "I don't want to do that again," he chocked out.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," the demon responded, amused.
"Please, have mercy-"
Nakabu laughed, walking up to the young master. "You're funny, you know that?" He leaned in, an eyebrow raised as he softly whispered "And so cute too."
Kumori managed to wiggle out of the chair and away from the demon's lips. "I'm married."
Nakabu laughed. "Like that's ever stopped anyone! Your father, for instance."
"I am my father's son, not my father."
"There seems to be little difference to me."
"You're just not looking hard enough."
"Then let me look closer," Nakabu purred, stepping towards his prey.
"Don't touch me!" Kumori shouted, throwing a vase of flowers at his target, which Nakabu brushed to the side. Glancing out the window, the demon noted that it was nearly dawn.
"Have it your way." And with a sweeping bow, added "Until this evening, my dear Lord Tatakai."

.

Aijou s confused in the morning when her husband was not in bed with her. He'd never left her until she was awake. She tried not to get upset over it by reasoning that his father had just died; he needed some time alone.
But still, when he did not join her for breakfast, she worried more. "He is busy," she said to herself. "He is Master Tatakai now. He has work to attend to, and things to do. Yes, that is it." And so, she passed the morning in relative calm and ease. But the afternoon came, and tea was made. She now went hunting for Kumori when he did not arrive. All over the house she looked, but with no success.
Finally came evening, and Aijou was seriously worried. Her husband was no where that she could find him, and as far as she knew, he had not eaten all day. Faintly, she heard a noise coming from the late Master of the House's study. No servants ever entered it, and Kumori did not touch the place. Still...
Aijou carefully opened the door, and there Kumori was, pouring over the business of the house, and he did not even raise his head when she entered.
"Kumori?" she asked. Now he raised his head, but it frightened Aijou. It was the first time she remembered that he had not smiled, or his eyes had not glowed to see her.
"I.I couldn't find you all day. Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Where were you when I woke up?"
"Probably sleeping."
"Where?"
Kumori pointed to a chair across from the fire place. "I am having the servants fix my father's old bedroom."
Aijou felt a little frightened at the prospect of sleeping in a dead man's room. But instead she said "That is good. It is a nice room. We will be very comfortable there."
"We will not be very comfortable there. I will be very comfortable there," he corrected.