Ark 6 Episode 25: Tasting Death and Darkness

Strange Happenings
((http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=7m0IUJS-LOY)) Ginsei released a slow sigh as he turned the knob to his apartment door. He let the door swing open as he walked inside, pushing the door to a close. He glanced at Yuuyaiba which was sitting on the sword rack that it rested on. Ginsei stretched some before pulling his jacket off, tossing it onto the couch. He reached down letting his fingers grasp the bottom of his shirt before he pulled it up and over his head, tossing it over into a bin he had for his dirty clothes. He kicked his boots off, sliding them over to the door before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, sliding them off. He kicked them over to the dirty clothes bin as he reached up with his right hand, pulling his hair tie from around his ponytail, causing his hair to fall to it's full length, coming to a stop at his lower back. He walked into his bathroom, now only wearing a pair of dark grey boxers. He slid the door to a close though he left it open just a crack before moving to the sink, placing his palms against the knock off obsidian that made up the top of the sink. He looked in front of him, staring at his reflection in the mirror, looking into his own deep purple eyes. He thought back to the voice he heard in his head as Keyome barreled down at him. "Darkness is yours..." He mumbled the words as he slowly closed his eyes, releasing a slow drawn out breath before slowly opening his eyes to look back into the mirror. His eyes widened as the view before him had changed. Instead of seeing his normal reflection in the mirror he saw a figure with a vicious black aura around it, it's form completely silhouetted with the exception of glowing purple eyes glaring sinisterly at him. The figure had long black hair that was silhouetted along with the rest of it's body though the hair was flowing around in the air as if being led by the vicious aura. He felt a strong darkness fill the room, it felt humid yet sent a chill throughout his body and up his spine. Ginsei shook his head, closing his eyes again. He waited for a few seconds, hearing that voice in his head again, this time it was clear and loud instead of the whisper he had heard before. "Darkness is yours.. Take hold of it." The voice sounded as if two people were speaking at the same time, one voice in sync with the other. One of the voices was deep, gruff, and demonic sounding while the other was raspy and had a slight hiss that followed each S that was said. Ginsei quickly opened his eyes only to see his own normal reflection again. Ginsei looked down towards the black sink top, releasing another breath as the dark feeling and humidity faded away. He raised his hands, sliding his hands through his bangs. He slipped his boxers off, kicking them across the floor before walking into the shower, sliding the glass door closed. He started the water, turning it to a comfortably warm temperature. He sighed as he turned his back to the water, moving his hair so that it all rested over his left shoulder, going down his torso. He relaxed slowly as the water rythmically hit his back. He closed his eyes, feeling as the steam heated up the room even more than the water already had. He had just become completely relaxed as he heard that same two toned voice, laughing. His eyes snapped open, causing the laughing to cease. Ginsei glanced around before shaking his eyes, washing up. He turned the water off, feeling as the steam lingered in the room. He slid the glass door open, stepping out onto a towel that was laid out in front of it. He grabbed his own towel, drying his hair off before his body. He slowly wrapped the towel around his waist, beginning to walk out of the bathroom. As he passed the mirrow he noticed the silhouetted figure walking towards the door as if it were his own reflection. He turned his head, looking at the mirror fully, seeing his own reflection again as if the dark figure had never been there. He shook his head again, exiting the bathroom into the calm and chilly apartment. He grabbed a pair of black boxers, tossing his towel to the floor before sliding them on. He then picked up the towel, tossing it into the dirty clothes bin. He walked into his room, closing the door behind him. He made his way over to his before, releasing a small sigh before throwing the covers back to climb into bed. He pulled the covers over him, closing his eyes, relaxing in the soft bed.

Consuming Darkness
He soon fell asleep, his mind vacant of dreams or any sort of image until he heard that voice again.. "Darknessss is yoursss... Embrace it.. You're nothing.. But a demon.. A Devil.. Darknessss itssself." The voice had a heavier hiss to it this time which seemed to echo throughout Ginsei's head. He suddenly opened his eyes though when he looked around.. He was in darkness. He looked forward, about to take a step when he saw a pair of eyes open before him, purple eyes. The eyes gained shape, revealing a reflection of himself. He stared at the reflection for a few seconds before it began to change, the hair bursting out of it's ponytail, the whites of it's eyes becoming as black as the area around them. His purple irises began to glow slightly as it's skin seemed to grow lighter, more pale. Black marks appeared under it's eyes like a design that looked sort of like wavy L's that started at the outer corner of it's eyes, moving in towards his nose, about two inches in length. It's figure suddenly rose as if it were slouching in a chair, pressing the knuckles of it's left hand against it's cheek. The darkness began to change, transforming into a desolate looking destroyed shrine. Broken stone blocks made up the ground with broken stone steps behind him, leading down into a seemingly destroyed and deserted Edo. Ginsei glanced around, then up at the night sky, a dark grey crescent moon lingered overhead. Dead trees surrounded the broken shrine though one tree stood living and flourishing. A sakura tree with grey wood and pink glowing blossoms. Blossoms occassionally floated off of the tree, following a soft breeze that was blowing. The sakura tree loomed over a fallen torii gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii) which was being used by the dark figure like a throne. ((http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=UaU-ckFsJUs)) The figure grinned at him, spreading his arms out as if gesturing to the area. "How do you like my domain?" He grinned as he slowly rose to his feet, taking a few steps towards Ginsei. "After all my attemptsss.. You still won't talk to me? I have to go to these lengthssss?" He strode towards Ginsei, taking slow steps. The figure suddenly faded in a dark wispy cloud of smoke, seeming to pass through Ginsei, sending a chill to resound throughout his body before taking form behind him, standing back to back. It looked out over at the desocrated Edo, grinning still. "Thisss can be your domain.. Your throne.. This darknesssss.." His sentence suddenly cut off just as Ginsei felt something sharp pierce his abdomen. Ginsei looked down, seeing a familiar black blade stabbing through his gut. Darkness seemed to be flowing around the blade, consuming it, making it fully black. Ginsei felt the pain of being stabbed though there was no blood. He felt the blade slowly being pulled from his abdomen before feeling it again, stabbing through his chest, through his heart. Ginsei's eyes widened some as he felt a cold sensation beginning to crawl through his body as if he were.. Dying. Ginsei slowly dropped to his knees as the blade was pulled out of his back. He looked down at the ground, the cold feeling seemed to chill his body to the core.

The Taste of Death
"You've delt the card of death to ssso many yet... You've never experienccced it for yoursself. Know pain... Know death.. Know darknessssss.. Sso you may.. Take hold and.. Harnesss it." Ginsei suddenly felt the tip of a blade touching the right side of his stomach as he remained on his knees. "Let's see... How you handle Sepukku.." The figure jammed the blade of a dagger into Ginsei's stomach, twisting the blade so that the sharp edge faced the left side of his stomach. Ginsei's eyes widened as he coughed blood, blood splattering on the floor just as the figure began slowly dragging the blade across his stomach, causing blood to spill from his stomach, down onto the ground. Ginsei caughed even more blood, his eyes wide as pain consumed him, the pain being amplified by three times. Ginsei dropped down, stopping himself with his elbows, blood pouring from his stomach as well as his mouth. The dark entity behind him began laughing hysterically as if the site of Ginsei in pain and going through death was the funniest joke that could ever be told. Ginsei remained there, unmoving as agony overtook him. The wound suddenly sealed as if it never happened the blood on Ginsei's chin turning black and fading away. Ginsei slowly rose back up onto his knees, the pain still reverberating throughout his body. Just before he was able to rise up he felt the blade jam into his stomach again. The blade was once again drug across his stomach, blood pouring out onto the ground once more. Ginsei once again coughed blood, watching as it splattered across the ground. "How issss it Ginsssei? How isss repeated pain? How isss DEATH?!" He began laughing once more, throwing his head back as he laughed which echoed throughout the entire area. "Why not use the darknesss Ginssssei? Fight back.. HAHAHAHA!!!!" He raised the blade up, slamming it down into Ginsei's back, causing the dagger to pierce his heart again. He repeated the stabbing over and over again, about thirty times. He began getting created, stabbing Ginsei all over and slitting his throat. Ginsei experienced death over and over for what seemed like hours. In this dream world, it went on for about five hours. By the time it was over Ginsei was laying on the ground, hardly able to move as pain overtook his body. He was unable to think about or do anything besides feel this intense pain. He slowly turned onto his back, releasing harsh breaths. The figure grabbed the blade that looked like Yuuyaiba exactly despite the completely obisidian colored blade. "Death issss great issn't it? Thisss isss what you deal out to peop-" Ginsei suddenly began laughing, hysterically as if a joke had been told. He suddenly rolled onto his stomach, raising to one knee and then his feet.

Embracing Darkness and Pain
He turned to face the darkness before him, a sadistic grin on his face. He reached out, grabbing the darkness by the throat though he watched as it faded from his hands, appearing back on the throne behind him. He turned, facing the figure. "Is that.. All you've got?" ((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrGOLtQesQ)) Ginsei asked as his dark smokey aura began swirling violently around him, changing him into his Kusei form, causing him to look exactly like the darkness in front of him. "You're nothing.." He charged forward, disappearing from the speed that Kusei granted him. He appeared in front of the darkness, Yuuyaiba appearing in his right hand though it was backwards. The darkness grinned, watching as Ginsei slashed diagonally downwards, causing the blade to rip through his chest. The dark figure then faded, appearing at the top of the steps, the dark Yuuyaiba in his hand in the same backwards fashion. The two charged each other, flipping their blades around at the same time, causing their blades to clash, a loud 'TIIIING' echoing throughout the area. The two began slashing at each other over and over, matching each other's slashes as if they were completely in sync. If a slash happened to land on the cheek of this dark form then the same slash wound would appear on Ginsei's opposite cheek. The two went at it, their slashes going on and on. The flurry of slashes lasted for about five minutes before Ginsei reared back with hsi right arm though he swung with his left fist, using a feint attack. As his fist connected with the dark figure's he stabbed his blade forward, jamming it through it's throat. It's eyes widened some as it pulled itself off of the blade, grinning before fading away, appearing back on the fallen torii gate throne. The darkness then smirked, nodding some. "I see the darkness... You... Can call me.. Heba.." Suddenly the world around him faded, blackness consuming him before he opened his eyes, laying in his bed.