Growing Up – Part Two
Death and Desire

You learn about death with your first pet, usually a gold fish which lasted about a week or a hamster that you’ve had since you were a little child and lost when you were an older child. Either way no one is supposed to learn about death with the big things, no, you have to learn how to handle smaller scale object before you can handle the death of a family member or friend… and no one should ever had to learn what it feels like to kill first hand, to cause death.

But what if you had no choice? What if you desired something, no matter what it was, so badly that the universe had no option but to fold to your desires? Would you, therefore be able to desire control and get it? Would you even be able to desire a normal life, and receive it? If anything fell to your world; even transcending time and realms, then why not? Why couldn’t you be normal if that was what you truly wished for?


It was clear to everyone who watched her from a distance now what she was. She had the power of control, and the power of desire. Whatever she wished would be eventually in her life; and the darker powers of the world craved this for themselves, for with it they could simply desire control and it would be. They could desire the mortals to bow to them, and they would without question. They could desire the powers of the elements, of life itself; and it would be.

She had been found by the Council of Elders; a group of three of the most powerful and oldest beings in existence. Anubis, a great and powerful vampire led the group of three. He was followed by his half sister, a mutt who stood for the half breeds in the world; Elysia. She was a beautiful young woman forever stuck in the body of a 26 year old; her mother had been human while her father and brother had been vampires, they raised her and she soon showed a great ability for picking out ‘portals’, cracks between the different realms. She and Anubis were always together, and some would say their relationship crossed the lines between acceptable and unacceptable far too many times. Finally, standing for the humans was a strong knight; a Pegasus, and Kuro’s true mother.

Faye was a beautiful older woman who stayed in the appearance of someone in her mid-30s. She was wise beyond her years and the oldest of the council; it was even a whispered rumor that God had hand made her specifically for the job of protecting the humans, his children. While she would never confirm this rumor she did take her job seriously; and when she gave birth to Pegasus, whose birth name was actually Alexandros, she had raised him with the same morals as she. She would also never reveal the identity of his father, who was whispered to be a human who had died many, many, many millennium ago.

At the time of Alexandros’ birth Faye watched over the peace of the combined world alone, watching and raising her child alone all the while. She was originally the Queen and protector of the creatures of God; the pegasi, unicorns, the humans, and all other creatures of Earth. Then the immortals began to sprout in her world; many were good, while others were evil. She had no idea about where they had come from; but with them came their ‘God’, Shi.

Many of the pure hearted immortals, such as the elves refused to bow down to Shi; and traded their alliance to Faye. This enraged Shi who cast Earth into darkness. The humans and all the other animals Faye would give her life to protect slowly began to die out. A war began; and she fought with Alexandros directly by her side.

They managed to push back Shi, and Faye sealed them back in their worlds; away from her humans. The world was at peace again, until the appearance of strange humans began to show up who were able to create portals around them at random uncalculated times. It wasn’t long before a few creatures staggered into the tears and entered the human world; Faye allowed those who caused no harm to stay, creating a new breed of creatures; the mutts. The half breeds who lived along humans with slightly more power.

It was for the creatures who meant to cause harm that Alexandros created the Principalities; a group of selected warriors who were adept at fitting in with humans and removing those who caused harm to their delicate way of life. Their number one rule was that normal mortals, those who show no sixth sense to their world nor had any special abilities, had to remain oblivious to the world of immortals. Alexandros lead his mini army with pride, and he was the first one to experience a Mirror up hand.


She was a beautiful girl living in old England; she was also mocked by the other humans of the time for her odd way of thinking. She believed she saw creatures in her dreams, but only her older sister knew this. Alexandros became aware of the situation by one of his scoots, a young elf by the name of Aelfred. He was a beautiful young man who easily blended in with the humans, despite the fact he would always remain unable to grow facial hair and would always be more graceful and beautiful than any of human alive. Everyone noticed, but no one took alarm.

He had reported to Alexandros what he had experienced after taking out a small clan of vampires; who had showed up where the young girl lived dazed and confused. They had simply been hunting when they showed up here, in a strange new world.

Alexandros became fearful that perhaps the portals were reopening, and he consulted his mother before traveling into the human world. He had been unable to access the child’s dreams, and didn’t bother. He didn’t plan to be there long.

He entered the world as Edward, a bright young scholar who was there to study politics. No one gave him a second glance, and he didn’t mind. He found the young girl right away; she was a beautiful blond child of only 17, with the most amazing blue eyes he had ever seen on anyone, mortal or immortal. He instantly became attached to her, and if it hadn’t been for the fact he had run into a human child of only 11 five years prior. You see, to him and his kind years passed like simple moments.

He had taken Cross in against his mother’s wishes, but he kept his knowledge and his job a well-kept secret. He did learn that Cross was a hunter, and was more than happy to have the child around while he followed this girl and her open portal.

It soon became clear how many creatures would kill to have her mind, that forever open portal in their possession, and Cross and he worked together to protect her. While she fell more in love with him, Cross fell more in love with her.


“Elizabeth seems to have something for you, my son.” His mother spoke calmly; this was the first day they had spoken since Alexandros had decided to take this journey into the human world. Neither he nor his mother approved of the idea of dragging a mortal girl with no obvious defensive or offensive abilities into their world.

“So she has…she seems to have a hole in her mind, a kind of portal that immortals and other demons are simply drawn to.” He sighed to himself, watching his mother’s eyes light up in merriment as she caught the double meanings of his words. Not only was Elizabeth a useless fighter she was also an empty shell behind those beautiful blue eyes.

“So it seems…” Faye spoke off handedly and quietly to herself now, because in a different part of the world she could feel something far greater stirring.

“She’s the only one of this kind you’ve let slipped; how come?” Alexandros spoke up now, and caught his mother’s shocked pale blue eyes within his own stern ones.

“She’s the only one who showed promise as a child… I suppose I was wrong…” She hushed herself and let out a soft sigh; Alexandros knew this look all too well…she was contemplating killing Elizabeth, everyone knew it was for the best, but it still never made this any easier.

“A friend of mine has interest in her.” Alexandros spoke simply to remove the look of dread from his mother’s eyes, and he smiled lightly as she looked more hopefully, speaking to herself again.

“Ah yes…the hunter.” She nodded slightly before speaking again, “A wonderful idea my son, but know this…”


Kuro would never be able to shake from his mind his mother’s voice; how those many, many years ago they had been the same words Cross would use many times when speaking about Flick.


“The moment she becomes dangerous, I will not hesitate to kill her.” Faye caught her son’s sober eyes within hers once more, and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

She adored her child more than life itself, and wished dearly that one day he too would be able to experience love; even if it was only once as she had.


Cross had married Elizabeth, and while Alexandros/Edward/Kuro remained visiting Elizabeth every night, it wasn’t long before the discovery of Flick took him away. That was also when Elizabeth had killed herself, and Cross had found his way into Flick’s world; thanks to nothing besides Flick’s desire for him.


It was between the time that Cross and Elizabeth were married and the date of Flick’s birth, when Faye finally put a face to the child they had been waiting for, when everything began to change in their world. A man, who called himself the only living son of Shi and his half-sister, a half breed, showed up in their world.

He went by the name Anubis and was a shady creature who had the years etched into his voice, even though his body would never age more than the young 20’s he was stuck in. He was a dark creature with short black hair and dark crimson eyes. He was also at least five foot ten and thin, almost sickly bony thin. He was too pale for his own good and dressed in nothing but black constantly; as if their bright world would melt the flesh from him. Secretly Alexandros wished this would happen.

His sister, on the other hand, was a quiet beautiful girl with the palest red eyes anyone had ever seen before. Her hair was only shoulder length, and a dark black that make her pale skin that much more pale; yet standing next to Anubis she looked perfectly mortal. She had been born of a human woman, who didn’t even survive long enough to give birth, and was quickly taken by her father; Shi, who died soon after, and the remainder of her care had been given to her older brother.

Their relationship raised eyebrows every where the two of them went, and they went everywhere together. Anubis always held her close, and would often kiss her softly even in a crowded room so long as he felt they weren’t the center of attention. They were given their own quarters together; as they requested, and no one dared travel inside in fear of whatever it was they may find.

Alexandros never trusted Anubis, not even the many times he proved helpful to his mother; he did however pity his sister, Elysia. She was half mortal and half immortal, and related to neither of them. She was forced into the group of other half-breeds, and was forced to stand up for them in times of peril; and most of them weren’t as sane as she claimed to be.


Alexandros watched in the shadows as Anubis gained the trust of his mother’s once loyal followers. He stood for something better in their eyes, equality between all; or so he claimed. Soon Anubis had ‘proved’ himself to everyone and had nearly completely taken control from Faye. Alexandros was unable to fight his logic, and spent more and more time watching and waiting for Flick to arrive.


He stood in the center of his mother’s kingdom; her gorgeous and perfect utopia. He spoke with his hands raised and his voice loud, and everyone listened and cheered with him even when he spoke words that in reality made no sense. He spoke of the future he saw for them, the future when humans wouldn’t have to be hidden in the darkness; oblivious to the world around them. He spoke of a future when they wouldn’t need to be hidden like animals in the darkness, they were all sane logically beings.

This made the immortals once on Faye’s side distrust her, had she really hidden them just because she felt they were unstable monsters? Did she not trust her own kind better than that? She was betraying her own blood by keeping them locked up in their own worlds away from the humans. They belonged in that world as much as the other person.

Alexandros watched his mother lose power, and also lost his head in their ‘army’; he was forced to follow Anubis as much as the next person, while keeping up the appearance that his mother still has as much say in it all as he did. She didn’t argue with him, after all he had a skill that she needed.

He knew of Flick long before Elizabeth was even born. He knew all these things because he could see clearly into the future, but only blurs; such as he knew what would happen but nothing more. He couldn’t name the date the twin towers were attacked, but he knew they would be. He knew a goddess of desire would be born of human flesh, and that millions would be after he.

He left out the fact that this included himself.


“I bring you news that might interest you…” His voice was heavy and cold; yet he spoke with the perfection of a well trained politician, he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get his way. He could lie with an emotionless face, and the world cheered.

Faye nodded slightly to her two Elvin guards and stepped forward from the shadows of her home; her tall horse body shifting until she was walking on twos, her body was tall and slender, her hair was waist-length and a bright golden blond. Her eyes were the most amazing pale blue next to her only son’s eyes; his were beyond amazing. Upon her perfect frail body she wore silky white pants and an almost see through white silk top; her breasts full and perfect.

Her guards bowed lightly to her, and backed away, letting the pale vampire in all black step forward slightly and bow deeply at Faye, who regarded him with an oddly defensive look.

“My Lady, are you curious?” His voice was slick, almost too handsome. He wanted something, and Faye knew unless she knew what that was exactly she would easily fall prey to him.

She nodded slightly, truly wanting to hear what this stranger wished to speak of…what she wasn’t expecting was how well-learned on the subject he sounded. He truly knew what he was speaking of, and she had to hold her breath to hold her emotionless expression.

“A stronger mirror is in the creation. She’ll be far more powerful than that dimwit child your son is watching right now will ever be.” He grinned slightly, the smile never once touching his dark red plotting eyes, “Everyone will want her.”


Alexandros was called back the next day; and left Cross with Elizabeth without saying a word except to Cross about him being called to another one. Then he waited while watching in horror as his beautiful home was stripped clean under Anubis’s hands… then she was born, and he was given a single warning.


“Your job is to keep her from everyone else.” His words were snake-like, and Alexandros had to keep himself from screaming as Anubis came up to place his hand against his back. Alexandros was topless, his bottom covered only in the silk white pants common to his ‘royal status’. Anubis’s cold bony fingers on his back sent chills through his skin, and he had to force himself calm as he felt his cold breath beating against his neck as he whispered out his commands.

“You will not return, ever. Not until she is mine.” Anubis grinned, kissing the soon to be Kuro’s neck gentle…letting himself feel the younger man shiver against him before speaking again, “Or else I will take her by force…and you know I will the second you’re the last Pegasus left in this world… You know I can…”


Faye was all but dead two years later.


“You will listen, and you will be mine.” He grinned at her, pulling her closer against his sickly frame, his lips brushing against her cold pale ones for a moment before he glares into her dead eyes. She stared blankly at him, and he sighed slightly…they were always this worthless at first, the stupid creatures…

Elysia sighed as she watched her brother play with his new toy, dressed in nothing at all except a see-through white throw. She played with her dark hair absent-mindedly, her own eyes a dark crimson now that she was able to think for herself openly.

“You’re going to get bored of it in a week tops.” She watched her brother fondle the disgusting puppet; her child by every right she could think of. After all she was the one who had put the work into creating her from the woman’s dead body.

“You underestimate the beauty of this new doll my love. The only difference now is she can’t think for herself.” He grinned, his lips against her neck now. He loved his sister for this one reason only. The many toys she could create on a whim. All it took was a death that left no blood and her own special little talent, he had the speaking skills it took to control these otherwise worthless dolls.

He caressed his living toy lovingly, bringing him lips just below her ear to whisper again, softly but with more command. It was like breathing life into a creation that would never again die.

“You will listen, and you will be mine…Lady Faye…” The grin pulled at his lips, and he felt himself chuckle before letting Faye’s pale body fall to the bed in a deep sleep; when she awoke she would be his in every way possible. He let her fall willingly, and dragged himself over to his overly willing sister.

He loved her for this as well.

Their lips met, and he pushed her to her back onto the bed before taking her as his. She would whimper and moan but never fight back, and he would be completely satisfied.


The sky was dark and it was pouring heavily outside. Flick hadn’t smiled once this day, and Eric hadn’t smiled since the accident. They sat in front of the group of people, next to Chris’s parents; who were both stuck in fits of lamenting. Flick sat between Kuro and Eric, and Cross sat next to Eric. In front of them and everyone else there stood a Priest in all black, who spoke too loudly from a bible he held in front of him, and the black coffin locked off to everyone.

No one said a word the entire time, and as they lowered the coffin into the wet earth Flick held Eric’s hand in hers tightly, trying desperately to be strong for him. She couldn’t keep all the tears down though and felt a few strays slip down her cold cheeks.


After the funeral all was silent, and Flick sat alone with Eric in his room; neither of them had been able to sleep alone since the ‘accident’. She sat on his bed next to him, with her head on his shoulder, and he sat still next to her; unthinking and unmoving. She felt warm next to him, and he was thankful more than anything she was there…

They listened to the rain outside in silence.


“You know what happened, don’t you?” Cross’s voice wasn’t harsh, it wasn’t even slightly mean, he honestly wanted to know what this all too suspicious character knew. They sat across from each other at the kitchen table, Kuro sipping on a cup of hot coffee, Cross simply talking.

“I have…theories…” He finally managed to respond after a long pause. He wasn’t stupid though, he knew exactly who would want them, and exactly who expected him to help with it. After all…that’s why he was here in the end.

“Spill horse boy.” Now his words were harsh, and he saw Kuro’s eyes as he heard the edge in his voice. All Cross knew was that Kuro had been acting so bizarre lately. He wasn’t depressed about what had happened, but worried almost. As if he knew something was going to happen that he wouldn’t spill.

“Well…number one is that maybe we were just out beaten by a group of human teenagers…” His voice trailed off, and he could feel Cross’s knowing radiating from his glare.

“Bullshit.” He nearly spat this as Kuro, having to force himself calm at this point. Kuro knew something, he wouldn’t have said something that stupid if he didn’t know something.

Kuro pushed himself slowly from the table and let out a slow sigh, letting his words come out too clearly…he was trying to convince himself.

“It’s nothing we can’t handle.”

Cross let the words ring in his mind for a moment and before responding Kuro left him alone in the kitchen. His own mind was torn on something, and Cross couldn’t figure out what it was.


She belongs to me. She can’t handle herself, her power is too random.
Perhaps then you should explain this to her, one who knows has much more control.
What exactly do I tell her?
That I want her.
I want every inch of her, her power, her desire, I want her very flesh to scream my name.


He watched her in silence as she slept, curled up in Eric’s arms. It was the only time Eric looked peaceful anymore… He stood in the doorway, his breathing calm and silent as he watched the angel sleep. The goddess of desire…that’s what he had called her. He also knew how wonderful of a gift that would be, and how many times it had been proven to him before. She didn’t command, she wanted. She wanted and she received. She was a mirror who wanted and got.

Anubis would just kill her, he knew this. Anubis would kill her and take from her whatever he wanted, he would kill all those around her until she went insane and fell easily to his knees.

He was so lost in thought he never noticed Cross come up behind him, and didn’t really notice what was going on until Cross pulled him into the living room and sat across from him in the corner couch.

“Are you ready to spill now?”

“You know of my mother, that I explained to you long ago with Elizabeth.”

“Yeah…? You think she wants Flick’s human friends dead?”

“Not her, but it might as well be now.” His eyes darkened slightly as he spoke, letting his head drop some. He hadn’t spoken to his mother since the day before he left to find Flick…

“What do you know?”

“That I want her.”

There was silence in the room until Cross sighed loudly to himself; this was all driving him insane. Kuro was going mad, Eric was mad, Chris was dead, and he was stuck being the only adult left; what with Flick and Eric being inseparable and nearly unspeaking.

“Who cares if you want her, so what!?” He nearly spat as the conversation was quickly becoming pointless.

“So I can’t imagine him getting his hands on her!” He thrust his head into his hands now and pulled lightly at his hair, he wanted to throw his head back and scream. He needed to scream; part of him needed to protect what was his, and the very other half of him needed her. It wasn’t even a slight desire anymore, it burned and cried and bled every time he thought of it. He needed her.

Cross was silent again, he was finally starting to understand Kuro’s mind, finally starting to get a true look into the cold-hearted horse boy. He dropped his gaze to his feet and sighed heavily yet again.

“There is someone else isn’t there?”

Kuro was silent for a moment before softly nodding… his words almost too soft to hear.

“Many want her… You know that as well as I.”

“No, I mean is there someone else extremely important in all this?” His words were soft again, he didn’t feel a need to scream at someone this obviously stuck in his own mental combat.

Kuro glanced up at him for a split second, Alexandros staring clearly at him for the first time. He was the son of a Goddess who had fallen, literally casted out from his own birth right by the walking dead. His pale blue eyes were screaming in anguish, his face held the perfectly placed mask of royalty; he mustn’t ever show his true colors to anyone.

Cross felt chills crawl up his spine as his eyes struggled to focus on the newly formed creature before him. It was as if his eyes saw the true Pegasus for the first time, and his mind refused to accept that a creature this perfect could exist… especially in this world.

“And so the worlds fought together in the greatest war of all as she stepped forward, rose her arms, and left herself to die in vain, for the worlds never saw her true beauty for she herself would never see it, for all her life she was guarded by those who knew and refused to allow her to gaze upon herself. They saw the beauty, but they would rather keep it for themselves than to protect it where it should be. I see this all, and that was when the answer came to me child. She would be mine, and I would be able to show everyone the true beauty of the Goddess stuck in flesh.”

Kuro’s words were dark, and the entire time he spoke he could feel Anubis’s lips against his neck, whispering to him… the lips had been cold and yet oddly inviting; the way the most wonderful food you would ever have would be, if you knew it would be your last meal if you dared eat.

Cross could hear the change in tone in his voice, and could easily pick up on the fact that it sounded like he was speaking from some dark memory rather than his own feelings. He also clearly felt the tension rise in the air as he spoke, and the hair rise on his arms and the back of his neck.


I see a future where humans and demons live together. I see a world were elves and vampires coexist in peace. I see a future where we as immortals have no reason to hide. When we are no longer shackled to our own realms and forced to hide! Why should we hide!? We are not the demons from hell as humans have pictures us, we are not the creatures of darkness! We are not uncontrollable animals!

No, I see a future where we will fight for this. Were the gates of hell itself will spew open and release the true evils of this world against the humans. We will join in this battle, and it will rage for years until the lines are blended to a point where there are no longer any lines. Humans will slaughter and drink their own children’s blood, demons will turn against each other, immortals and mortals will no longer care which they kill. Bloodshed will become an addiction, and a battle that once started from us trying to protect them will turn into a battle where we all fight for control.

I also see, off in the faint distance, a young woman who will step into the crowds of death with an amazing gift; a beauty so amazing and blinding that everyone will want to stop and gaze upon her. She will desire change and peace, and she will step forward to let her desires become reality; but it is too late, and she is struck down by the very creature she once loved. The very creature who kept her hidden from the world until it is too late.

She will come, and many will want her but all for the negative reasons.
I know what she is capable of, I know how beautiful she really is.
I don’t want the end of us.
I want the beginning.


She rested against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She could feel his breathing, slow and even and steady. But he didn’t smell right, she didn’t desire this, but she had nowhere else to go and she couldn’t hurt him after everything he had gone through; after all his best friend had just been killed…


He sat in the room next to Eric’s room, listening to the world around him. He hadn’t dared to even contact his mother since finding Flick, and the last time he tried he ended up getting nothing but silence back. He sighed heavily and let his eyes close as he sat on the bed, his mind reaching out to his mother; he needed her advice…no…he needed to know she was alive…


Cross sat alone in his room, silent, thinking of everything that had happened in this past week, and of the voice Kuro’s had taken when he spoke of his past; when he told him of Anubis and his desire to have Flick for himself, and of the reason he was truly here, and what was keeping him from achieving it.


Anubis slept naked in bed with Elysia asleep next to him, naked as well. A soft grin touched his pale lips as he felt Alexandros’ all too familiar touch on his mind, and he let the words slip from his lips as Alexandros slipped into his dream.

His dream, as always, was made up of a desolate land of death. The moon was black and cast a shadow of death across the dead and isolated buildings, destroyed in some horrid catastrophe. Alexandros entered in the same outfit Anubis always desired him in, nothing more than the thin pale blue silk gown; his long pale hair lose and covering his body to his mid-back. His skin was beautifully pale, and as Anubis stepped towards him he felt his desire grow.

Their eyes met; Anubis’s pale reds and Alexandros’s pale blues; together they merged into a creature so pure and terrifying it was almost desirable. He stepped closer, reaching his hand out to slip it into Alexandros’s, the new name slipping in a whisper from his lips.

“Kuro, hmm? I like it…tastes sweet…forms in my lips almost perfectly, not nearly as desirable as Pegasus, but it’ll do.” Anubis grinned, his words seeming to come from everywhere around Kuro except for him; his words echoed and dragged on in the air, leaving behind an odd deep depressive sensation, as if the air was too heavy for its own good.

His words also forced a chill through his body, which he tried desperately to hid and yet only managed to shudder out in a single deep struggled breath; his breath catching and showing in the air as heavy mist which slowly left his body and extended through the too heavy air. Hearing his name, Kuro, whispered by this dark man left him oddly…in desire, in need. It wasn’t the same as his many dreams in which Flick had muttered it, but it was all the same in a very different way.

That was when Anubis’s smile vanished, and he began to growl very silently to himself, his fingers tightening on Kuro’s hand into Kuro was forced to pull away; only to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled closer. Anubis’s eyes darkened, and he pushed himself against Kuro completely, the only thing between their bodies being Kuro’s silk outfit and Anubis’s thick black pants.

“I can see your thoughts here you careless child, you desire her.” He spat the words out, his lips against Kuro’s throat the entire time; Kuro helpless to do anything but stand and pant there, his knees getting weak.

Kuro could feel his cool flesh against him, his eyes forcing themselves closed and his head cocking back ever so slightly as his cool lips pressed against his throat. He was his puppet, and every second of this dance just proved this and enforced the truth in his mind, erasing all doubt that possible one day he would be in control. Not in his world, never in his world, not as long as this dream was his.


Please want me, he would beg to himself that morning, lying naked in his bed in the room just next to hers. He would be panting and covered in sweat, his neck covered in swollen red marks; his entire body covered in the swollen red marks, all of which would fade by the time everyone else woke.

Please want me, please Flick, and please free me.

That was when the thought would solidify in his thought. Anubis wanted her for one reason only, to keep her from gaining control of his dream; his reality, and he would scream out to himself and lose his mind in a fit of hysterics.