Kindred Spirits

It had been almost two months since Kisa and her twin brother Hiro had fallen asleep within the old woods and found themselves in All Gods Village.

On the third day, Kisa had met Itsuki Tachibana while searching for Hiro. She found the young man to be kind, if a little sad. She had felt from the first time he had spoken to her, that she knew him That she had known him all her life. That he had been waiting for her.

Would he still be waiting when she left this place and went back to him? Now that she was One with Hiro? She could only hope.

Kisa stared into the mirror, wondering if Itsuki would notice the change in her.

"I had to do it." she said, speaking to the corner of the Twins Room in the Kiryu house where she sat. Her once luxurious raven curls were. now a silvery white as if she had suffered a great shock. And there was a red mark on her neck like some kind of twisted butterfly. All these were signs that she had performed the Ritual and became One with Hiro by strangling him.

She tilted her head as if hearing a voice from the still form in the corner. "Don't say that." she said in a low musical voice as she straightened the wrinkles out of her black dress. "It felt so right when I put my hands around your neck. We became One at that moment."

She stood and blew a kiss to the form. "I will be back soon. I need to go be with Itsuki for awhile." she padded out of the room. She didn't glance back.

In the corner of the Twins Room sat a young man of about 16. Short spiked black hair hung over dark eyes. He was dressed in a white kimono with a red cord. His dead eyes stared vacantly as a red butterfly flittered in front of the dark unseeing eyes. Hiro had become the Butterfly almost a week ago.

Itsuki paced the floor of his storehouse jail cell in worry. He hadn't seen Kisa outside the window in almost two weeks. He ran a hand through silvery white hair. He wasn't ready to admit he was in love with the dark eyed girl he had first met almost 2 months ago...or was it only a month?

"If something has happened to her...I can never forgiving myself for not trying harder to get her out." he grumbled to himself as he subconsciously straightened his white kimono. "Or maybe she got out."

Suddenly, he felt as if he weren't alone and whirled around. Kisa stood in front of him. She was smiling through her tears. "Kisa!" he went to her and hugged her. "You're ok..."

It was then that the silver hair and red butterfly mark registered. "You...performed the Ritual... You're a Remaining..." He touched the butterfly mark, also noticing red marks around her neck like a rope burn.

She shook her head. "No...Itsuki...I WAS a Remaining. I felt like I should be with you. I realised we were kindred spirits. So an hour ago, I hung myself in the storeroom jail cell like you did. So you wouldn't have to be alone and I wouldn't have to admit to Hiro that I didn't want to do the Ritual. I don't know how it was a success..."

He hugged her wordlessly. She had given up her life so he wouldn't be alone. Maybe they really were....

Kindred Spirits.