Coming of Voice - CONTINUED Rage. He felt the rage inside him. He felt filled with raw power, so full it hurt. It made his skin crawl, burn and tingle, seeking for a way of release, burning power that poured into his voice. Kyo tossed against the ties and gave a husky moan that was muffled by the gag. The faces of the other gang members floated in the power charged space around him, their mouths opened in screams, but they seemed to have no voice for no sound came past their parted, distorted lips. The skin on their faces began to blister and crackled softly as translucent flames licked languidly over their cheeks. Their hair curled in the heat and then fell to ashes, their eyeballs shrivelled and blackened, but still Kyo felt them staring at him, their unseeing gazes piercing him like his screams pierced their brains. With a strangled gasp Kyo awoke, his eyes flying wide open. Sweat covered his naked body beneath the light cover, but still he trembled slightly while he stared at the bright alien surroundings. Above him there was a clear blue sky, like he'd never seen before, the rays of a rosy, golden light pouring across it. And there was a golden cart soaring over the unbelievably bright expanse of sky, driven by a magnificent, naked, young man, with a proud, piercing gaze and a mass of heavy golden locks. Kyo blinked confused, trying to focus on the unreal image. Suddenly a shadow fell across him and a face with purple hair falling around high cheekbones blocked the young man on the cart from Kyo's sight. The face was somehow familiar. It belonged to a calm voice, which had told him something ridiculous. Or had it been something scary? //No, somethin' completely crazy.// Kyo suddenly felt the urge to laugh raise inside him, but he choked on it, fighting for breath around the gag. //Saint. That damn face has told me I'm a Saint. Fuckin' calm lookin' face!// The lips of the purple head moved, but Kyo had to cope with the unnerving experience of the sound needing some moments to turn on. "You're awake, Saint?" //No, I'm bloody still asleep while tryin' t' kill ya with my gaze! And cut that Saint-shit!//Enraged he tried to push the gag out off his mouth with his tongue but without success. That purple head clearly knew how to make an effective gag. So Kyo could do nothing but to continue to glare at him. Kaoru-san was quite aware of the confused fear hiding in the boy's dark eyes beneath the venomous gaze. "We're sorry about the gag and the ties, but those are necessary precautions." The purple head told him calmly. "You aren't yet able to control your powers and could bring great harm on yourself and others." //Damn uptown bastard! I WOULD bring fuckin' great harm on ya, if I had my hands free!!!// Kyo's chest heaved visibly beneath the covers, tense alertness and aggressiveness radiating from him. Kaoru-san raised an eyebrow at the boy - or young man. He looked older when he was conscious and angry. Such an aggressive attitude was rather unusual, even considering the stress the new Saints were under at their first days at the temple. Most of them were quite awed or scared by the priests and the divine surroundings, the devotion to the Sun God being the only kind of respect they knew, and the only hope in their desperate existence. On the other hand the fear lurking in the corner of this young aggressive man's shiny black eyes gave him a curiously boyish and vulnerable expression. Kaoru-san's scrutinizing look travelled over the small body on the bed as he judged calmly if it would be safe to remove the gag. //Probably not. But it's rather hard to expect someone not to panic when he's gagged and tied up ...// "I'll remove the gag." He told the boy before he slowly bent closer, watching the Saint's face carefully while he undid the strip of knotted cloth. Though he didn't let it show in his composure, which radiated complete calmness and certainty, Kaoru-san was ready to silence the boy the moment he showed any inclination of screaming. At least he needn't fear that this wild street rat knew how to use his Voice for subtle manipulations. Even amongst the educated Saints only a few managed to use their powers in such a refined way. Keeping his distrusting and angry gaze at the purple head, Kyo relaxed his aching jaw. Scream. He had screamed as the others had attack him and then... He couldn't remember clearly, just weird, flickering impressions. The feel of blood starting to boil and eat through the flesh from the inside, bodies bursting into flame, fascinating and terrifying. Had he done that? How? Kyo swallowed dryly and licked his cracked lips, trying to shut away the ugly images from his inner eye - and the unsettling questions that demanded answer. The priest had watched him silently, waiting for his reaction and Kyo thought he saw a flicker of relief in the shaded, unreadable eyes. Suddenly the purple haired man turned and picked a cup from somewhere, wanting to hold it to the boy's lips. Steam curled lazily from it in the still air of the temple hall. "Here. This will soothe your throat." Kyo's eyes flashed with distrust and he turned his head away from the mug. "Ya won't give me no more drugs." He spat, his voice cracking with dryness and misuse. Kaoru-san suppressed a wince at the crude street-slang. "We had to give you something to calm down. But there is no sedative in this drink." He explained patiently. As Kyo still glared wildly at him, he shrugged and put the mug away again. "But if you don't want to I won't force you, Saint." A short spark of longing and regret showed in the boy's eyes as they hung at the retreating mug for a moment, but then he tore his gaze away from it. "Untie me, bastard!" He gave his best to sound dangerous and threatening, which wasn't an easy thing given the position he was in. Kaoru-san had to give the boy credit that he managed quite well. There lurked a hint of malice in the dark eyes, that made him suspect that this small creature was capable of doing quite a lot of nasty damage even without using the power of his Voice. //It seems it will be an ordeal to get him to cooperate. I'll have to be rather careful with this one.// "We will untie you, Saint." Kaoru-san told the boy calmly "But first you need to understand your situation ..." He was interrupted by another furious snarl, which raised the hair at the back of his neck. "Untie me!" Kaoru-san's hand jerked involuntarily and the slanting, hooded eyes widened in surprise for a moment. //Curse it. He is powerful. That damn, stubborn, wild thing. If he isn't going to accept his role as a Saint soon, we'll have to discreetly dispose of him... though what a pity about that power. He could be so useful.// Carefully Kaoru-san schooled his expression again, while pressing his hand against his thigh till the urge to open the boy's ties subsided. "I see that all this must seem rather threatening to you, but you have to understand that you're safe here at the temple. It's warm and dry and you'll get plenty to eat and drink." The priest tried to penetrate the wall of panic and aggression surrounding the boy's mind by speaking very calm and reasonable, offering the basics, to get his attention with something he understood. Something that ought to count for a street urchin from the slums. But Kaoru took great care not to make his voice sound like he was coaxing a stubborn child. That boy surely wouldn't react well to being patronized or to a jovial attitude. Despite Kaoru-san's efforts, Kyo's gaze still darted wildly around the room, while he kept the purple head always at the corner of his vision. He heard him talking so sensibly, but all seemed unnervingly unreal. He was tied up and naked underneath that freaky blue-gold sky, feeling vulnerable and helpless and there was this weird guy pretending to have a fucking calm conversation with him. Desperately Kyo pulled at his restraints again, the leather straps cutting into his wrists and ankles till his fingers and toes went numb due to the loss of blood circulation. "Screw ya!" he pressed out, the vulnerable cupid-lips contorted into a gap toothed snarl. But Kaoru noticed that the boy was trembling with fear and there were tears of panic and rage shining in the wide black eyes. The priest hesitated. He ought to drug him again, until he was going to cooperate ... but he felt tempted to take a risk with that one. After a second of wagering Kaoru bent carefully closer and then wordlessly and slowly undid the ties that held the boy down. Wide-eyed, but still distrusting, Kyo watched him and then jerked free in a violent movement as his restraints were coming off. He scrambled away from the priest, slipping down from the bed, but as his feet touched the ground his knees buckled, being too weak and numb to support him and a sharp hot pain shot through his body from his right ankle. With a strangled curse Kyo hit the marble tiled floor hard, adding more bruises to his already scraped knees. Patiently, Kaoru-san watched the desperate attempt, his expression being bereft of any hint of sympathy. Then he got up from his chair and walked around the bed, his wide flaring robes swinging and whispering silky around his legs with every step. Gracefully he crouched down beside the naked, violently shaking young man. "If you move too quickly, you'll be sick again." He told him matter of factly. Kyo took a few shallow breaths, fighting against the urge to wretch and the bitter taste of bile at the back of his throat, while he considered throwing up on the smug bastard. But that would hurt too much. As his stomach had eased down again Kyo glared up at the priest, blinking slightly because of his disorientation. "What the fuck do ya want with me?" He hissed, his voice sounding so painfully raw it made Kaoru wince slightly. If the boy didn't accept some medicine soon, there would be permanent damage and that would be a real waste. "I'm Kaoru-san. I'm a priest of the Sun God." He introduced himself even though his priesthood should be obvious even to an uneducated brat from the slums. His robes and the Sun pendant around his neck should advertise it quite openly. The boy didn't seem to have much respect for priests though. Kaoru saw how he almost spat a curse against him, but then reconsidered, being at least a little reluctant to throw an open insult. "There never is no bloody sun!" he snarled instead. //Dear me, this is an observant one.// Kaoru mused ironically. It quite amused him that the boy seemed to think blasphemy would cause him less trouble than meaningless insults. A glint of his amusement must have shown in his slanting, hooded eyes, for the boy seemed further enraged. Obviously he felt mocked as the priest answered his protest calmly. "Yes, there are only overcast skies. But you are a Ray of the Sun. You were chosen by the Sun God to bring us hope. He has put his power into your Voice, as a promise that he'll return." Kyo's chest heaved with rage and he shook his head in denial. "No! I don't believe that crap! I'll be goin'!" He pushed up, finding that his arms trembled annoyingly, being barely able to carry the weight of his upper body. //Damn. I'm so messed up. I've gotta find a safe place.// "Where will you go to? Not that I think that you're able to go anywhere in your current condition." The dry note and the ironic interest had a taunting quality, but Kaoru had decided that it worked better to provoke the boy than to reason calmly. At least this way he got his attention. "I'm not sure if you remember it, but you've killed a handful of people rather messily just by screaming. You won't be very welcome in your old place." Kyo gritted his teeth. "Indeed. I thought I was a fuckin' Ray of the Sun God." One corner of Kaoru's mouth raised in a wry, lopsided smile. "Not until the Temple says so. You don't look like a Saint yet and could as well be taken for a demon." He couldn't help that remark though he knew it was a fault to talk to a newfound Saint like that. Somehow this one tempted him to take a lot of unusual risks. //Perhaps he IS a demon.// The boy's eyes narrowed. He was very aware of the menace wrapped up in the casual hint. Moreover it became clear to him that he was in no shape to run anywhere, as much as he wanted to escape. Silently Kaoru watched the thoughts reflected in Kyo's dark, shiny eyes, feeling how his resistance swayed for now. The aggressive energy that had sustained the boy's stubborn struggle seemed to have been all spent. After a short moment of hesitation Kaoru decided to return to his calm reasoning, hoping that now the boy would be receptive to sense. "Anyway you can't control your powers. You could lay the whole city in wreckage." "Would it make a difference?" The dry answer startled Kaoru-san. //He really must be older than he looks. Older than is unusual for a Saint to have his powers revealed.// But the priest also saw sheer exhaustion catching up with the boy, turning his fierce resistance into a less taxing bitterness. Kyo blinked, as his vision dimmed and he had to try hard to focus again. //Shit!// He knew he would be fainting again if he moved too much, and than he'd be completely at that fucking priest's mercy. But at least he seemed to have no intention to kill him. Not right away. Why else go through the trouble to try to calm him down and win him over and waste expensive drugs on a street rat like him? These thoughts weren't exactly comforting. On the contrary, he was more scared than when the others had wanted to beat him to death. But at least the immediate danger seemed considerably low. //I've got to heal enough to be able to run and climb again.// He shivered becoming aware of the chill that had seeped into his bones from the cold marble floor beneath his naked body. Biting his lower lip he tried carefully to get up and climb uncoordinatedly back onto the bed, not bothering to explain his action to the priest. Patiently Kaoru-san had observed the boy till he had made up some kind of decision. As he tried to get back onto the bed, the priest knew quite well that this didn't mean that he had accepted his role as a Saint. But for now it had to do. It won him some time to find a way to win over that fierce young man. Kyo's attempts to climb the bed failed and he fought back tears of rage and humiliation as his legs gave way again. Suddenly he felt an arm slip around his torso and another beneath his knees and he was lifted up. Kyo struggled and glared at the priest, but his movements were so weak that the taller man had no problem handling him. Calmly Kaoru answered the Saint's glare, their gazes locking for a moment before he placed his annoyed little burden back onto the soft mattress and silky sheets. His eyes shortly flitted down over the exposed naked body and he noted absently that it was that of a fully developed man with lean, wiry muscles. Kyo frowned suspiciously as he felt the gaze from the priest's unreadable, hooded eyes linger at him and he reached out and pulled the cover over himself with a low snarl. Kaoru raised an eyebrow in silent amusement. Did he think he'd check out such a dirty little rat? Fastidiously he brushed off his robes, smoothing down the upper part, which hugged his lean torso tightly, a row of small buttons running down the front. The gesture infuriated the boy further. //Damn uptown bastard! Too good to touch us!// But then Kyo remembered the cool hands holding his face, while he'd been retching his soul out. //Screw ya!// He sank down onto the pillow as the world seemed to skip sideways and the bright room swayed around him. For some moments Kyo closed his eyes, willing that unnerving weakness away. As he opened them again, the priest, Kaoru-san, had sat down on a chair beside the bed and held the steaming mug between his pale hands. Kyo's gaze focused on the mug. His throat felt so dry and raw... but he wouldn't beg for a sip from that mug even if it promised to ease the soar feeling. //Damn...// He noticed the shadow of an amused smile play around the priest's lips and the sparkle of mirth in his hooded eyes. "You want some drink now?" Kaoru-san asked smoothly. Kyo clenched his teeth, hating the feeling of being played with. Kaoru-san raised an eyebrow as the silence stretched even though the boy's eyes betrayed his thirst. "Would you tell me your name, then I'll give you something to drink." He offered, unable to resist the urge to toy with the fierce young man, though it was rather cruel to take advantage of his weakness. But his stubborn, aggressive attitude just asked for it. Kyo growled low in his ravaged throat. "Fuck ya!" Briskly he turned his back onto the priest and curled up, pulling the cover up over his ears, so only the dirty shock of ruffled hair could be seen above it. //Stubborn little fool.// Kaoru thought with a wry smile, then carefully wiped his expression clear of any hint of amusement and put a hand lightly onto the boy's shoulder. "Listen. You should drink some of this medicine if you don't want to have your voice damaged beyond repair and if you don't want to die. Your condition is quite serious." The shoulder felt tense beneath his touch and for a moment it seemed like the boy would ignore his words, but then he turned and half sat up. The black eyes sparkled defiantly, clearly conveying the massage that he wouldn't let himself be killed just like that. No matter what. This fierce determination, which overcame even the boy's stubbornness, commanded some acknowledgment from Kaoru. Especially since this wild creature from the slums couldn't have a life worth fighting for like that. //On the other hand// Kaoru mused //he has nothing BUT his life to fight for.// The priest brought the rim of the mug to the young man's lips, refraining from any further taunting remark, and helped him drink. To his surprise the boy didn't insist on doing so alone, rejecting to be aided. But Kyo was very aware of how his hands trembled and he didn't want to humiliate himself further by spilling the content of the mug. So he cooperated. Anyway he felt too needy for that drink to make much more of a stand. The warm, smooth liquid filled his mouth and ran down his ravaged throat like soothing balm. He closed his eyes and took another careful gulp and another one, before the priest took the mug away again. Dizzily Kyo sank back against the pillow as the warmth of the drink spread in his stomach and marvelled at the softness of the mattress beneath him. //Like a cloud... I'm drifting on a soft cloud... drifting far away... high up into the sky...// Kaoru-san watched how the small body gradually relaxed and the young man fell into an exhausted sleep. He had no doubt that this tough, little street-rat would recover from his injuries, even if it needed some time... and a lot of sleep. End Part One | Part 2 | | Tavernroom | Tales | Hosted by www.Geocities.ws