Taken [KamekazePrince and Koe-chan]

[BlaqueCatt]

“Question is, what do you know about me?” The small bubble of panic that had formed inside of Landon's chest expanded, and the amount of pressure over his lungs was so great that it became difficult to breathe. The faint, constant trembling that had taken hold of the young man escalated into rather violent shaking, and his pale gray eyes widened considerably, almost resembling those of an owl. Soft, nearly inaudible gasps fell from his lips as his chest rose and fell irregularly, his vision wavering as a sudden bout of dizziness washed over him. Such an anxiety attack had not occurred since Landon was a young boy, living with his aunt five states away from home and seeing counselors on a weekly basis. Soon after the attack, he had not only suffered from nightmares, but had also struggled with debilitating moments of panic that were so severe that he was unable to leave the house, as he had been prone to fainting due to hyperventilation. He had been too young to understand what was happening to him at the time, but the counselors he had visited had all said that although the trauma would affect him for the rest of his life, it had shocked him so greatly that it was doubtful he would ever develop the mental illness that he had inherited from his father.

 

While all of these physical reactions were taking place, Landon's mind was desperately trying to to understand the implications behind the man's words. What does that mean? Why would I know anything about him? The brunette stared at the man, his eyes frantically searching for clues. I thought he looked familiar, but I'm not sure where I've seen him before! The man suddenly laughed, seemingly at whatever he had thought of, and Landon visibly flinched, fresh terror lighting up his expression. “Alright, here's what we’ll do. You are going to tell me your story. Everything that happened to you till you were five. Tell me everything you can remember.”

 

Landon knew that he was missing something, but his mind was too addled for him to put the pieces together. Tears sprung into his eyes, and he shook his head. "N-no, I..." His gaze was drawn to the pistol in the man's hand, and he swallowed, his throat incredibly dry. "I-I don't remember much," he stuttered, focusing on the floor. "I...I remember the apartment I lived in...and what my mom looked like...and my elementary school..." His words were slurring together. "And...and going to the beach with my mom and dad..." The memory of the attack overtook his vision, and he whimpered, sounding very much like a child. "And I remember leaving my room one night because there was thunder and I couldn't sleep, but when I went into the living-room and...and..." His breathing had quickened, and his skin had paled drastically, as if he had fallen ill. "My dad was stabbing my mom with a knife...!" His speech had quickened, leaving no room for pauses to breathe. "And then he left me there with her! I couldn't do anything to save her!"

[KamekazePrince]

Studying his reactions, I felt a twinge of annoyance. Jeez. Just how many times do I have to remind him, I’m not going to hurt him? Not that it was entirely true, I just was growing impatient with his panic. But then again, I couldn’t fix that, could I? ’Stop getting so scared, or I’ll kill ya!’ Ha. As if those words could help. I continued to watch him helplessly as he was overcome by fright. Just like I had watched him all along. Incapable of reaching out to him. And despite our proximity, our intimacy, we were still unable to connect. Two damned souls we were. Together, but alone.

 

I listened to him closely. My left index finger had dug into the bruised skin on my lip. I found myself quite surprised by his recall, though the details were a bit off. I nodded my head appreciatively as he spoke, as though nudging him to speak further. I laughed a little at the dramatic conclusion. “Well done, Landon!” I applauded him merrily at his faithful recital. I was happy. Now I knew his exact version of the truth. I knew nearly everything I had to know, except for his feelings.

 

I rose and pushed my chair back. I swiftly dropped to my knees and knelt down in front of him. I had cast aside my threatening gestures and tried best to show some tenderness. I peered into his eyes. “And did you know why he did that, Landon?” I raised my arms and reached out to clasp his cheeks. Don’t be afraid. I felt a flash of chillness as my calloused palms made contact with his cold skin. The tips of my fingers tingled at his soft earlobes. I couldn’t help the gesture, though I knew it might not have helped. Relentless I was. It was now or never. “Did you love him enough to know him?"

[BlaqueCatt]

By the time Landon finished speaking, his voice was hoarse from the strain of retelling such an emotional event. Tear tracks stained his cheeks, and his breathing was labored, the effort causing his body to shake visibly. His wide gray eyes stared unseeingly at the floor of his bedroom as he came down from the adrenaline rush that accompanied more severe panic attacks. His fear and bitter sadness mingled with exhaustion, and though he appeared to be calming down, in reality he no longer had the energy to express what he felt. That was, until the man suddenly laughed. "Well done, Landon!" The young man's head snapped upwards, and he gaped at the man with pure shock written across his face. 'Well done'? It's as if he knows I told the story correctly...

 

The man stood and closed the distance between them, kneeling in front of the brunette and clasping his cheeks with cold, calloused hands. Landon winced, unable to look away from the man's steady gaze, his fear trapping him in place. “And did you know why he did that, Landon? Did you love him enough to know him?" For several moments there was nothing but silence as Landon processed what had been asked of him. Then, his eyes narrowed as anger flared inside of his chest. His jaw clenched, and he once again struggled against his bonds.

 

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he snapped, disbelief mixing with his fury. "No sane person would ever have a reason for killing someone like that, especially not their lover! My father was a psychopath; he had no reason! And I didn't have time to get to know him! He left when I was five, and I doubt we would have gotten along. Not that I want to get to know such a horrible person!" In the back of his mind he knew it was probably a very bad idea to lash out at his attacker, but even though he was not the type to get angry, he was furious with the man's insensitive words.

[KamekazePrince]

I said nothing as I watched him speak. Watched him vomit out all the resentment he held within himself all these years. Watched myself absorb it all. I died a little. My eyes flickered before freezing to a stop. They had lost any trace of a soul they once contained. I withdrew my hands and rose calmly, my gaze fixed at the space between my feet. A dark shadow was cast over me.

 

I grabbed him by his neck and shoved him headfirst on to the bed. The springs groaned as he hit the mattress. I climbed over him, grabbed his neck and pushed it down. “I tried Landon,” I spoke steadily in a low voice, but my nostrils flared. With my free hand I began undoing my belt. "But I can’t seem to make you understand.”

 

I hadn’t expected him to love me after all these years. But his words, they were too much. They hurt me more than I’d expected. That feeling of pure hate that I saw in him, it ate away every last bit of humanity in me. If I must rip your tongue out, I will, to make sure you never speak to me like that again. If I must kill you, to make you the son who will never reject me…

 

Fresh tears began pouring forth from the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t finish that thought, something in me had erupted. -Wham- The first strike with the belt strap. It was severe and in a few moments, a bright red line streaked through diagonally across his back, from his right shoulder to his left elbow. The little lumps on the belt formed red welts across on his skin. It was a beautiful contrast between the crimson stroke and his pale skin. I bent down and inhaled deeply from his skin, now scented with the fresh stain of blood. I smiled.

[BlaqueCatt]

Several moments passed in which Landon received nothing more than complete and utter silence. His eyes, which he had subconsciously closed, opened, and he warily lifted his head to meet the gaze of his attacker. Having been expecting rage, the young man was caught off-guard by the dull, empty look within the man’s eyes; it was as if the life had been drained out of him. With the sight came a cold, heavy sensation of dread that settled in the pit of Landon’s stomach, a feeling that snuffed out the remaining embers of anger that lingered within the brunette’s body. The force of Landon’s anger had weakened considerably throughout the duration of his verbal retaliation as he came to realize that the outburst had not been caused by hatred, but by sadness.

 

Landon was angry with his father for taking his mother away from him, and hated him for causing so much suffering. However, the feelings of deep sadness, regret, and grief that he harbored within him were much stronger. He was sad that he never got to know his mother. He was sad that his childhood had been ripped away from him. He was sad that his mother never got to live her life. He was sad that he would never be the same as those around him. And he was sad for his father. He was sad because his father was mentally ill, he was sad because his father was alone and struggling, he was sad that his father would never really be a father, and he was sad because he would never have a father.

 

Tears pricked at the corners of Landon’s eyes, but before he could say anything, the man suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his giant hand around the younger’s thin neck. Landon grunted as he was pushed onto the bed, the breath knocked out of him due to the man’s strength. He struggled to turn his head to the side, gasping for air, and panted heavily as the man spoke.

 

“I tried Landon. But I can’t seem to make you understand.” Landon’s eyes widened when he felt a few droplets of something warm and wet fall onto his exposed back. Is he…crying? He didn’t have time to ponder this, as the next moment the man untied his belt and brought it down hard onto Landon’s pale skin. The young man screamed and his vision blurred with tears as white-hot pain lanced through his lithe body. He had only been hit once, but already his voice had left him.

 

Who are you?

[KamekazePrince]

He howled.

 

A howl that seemed to emanate from the depths of his soul. I felt a spike of arousal. My fingers greedily traced back and forth the crimson line across his back. It was red and hot, in strong contrast to the cold pale skin around. The air was tinted with a faint coppery scent of blood. I inhaled deeply across the mark. My unshaven cheeks were grazing his soft skin, but I allowed myself to be lost in his softness.

 

How could he? I sat up finally. His initial rejection was gnawing at my heart. How could he be so cruel. He wasn’t supposed to. How cold of him. I hesitated for a moment before I raised the belt again. I bit down my lip hard. This wasn’t going to be easy. But he must learn. You must relearn everything you thought you knew about me. And I will teach you.

 

Within a few seconds, I landed the next three strikes on his back. They ran criss-cross, striking him at various angles. I stopped and exhaled deeply. I blinked at his naked form, my vision blurred by hot tears. He was as though he had been shredded all over by a wild animal. I felt an uneasy smile creep across my lips. How beautiful the scars would look…. My eyes wander all over his body lecherously till they finally came to a stop at his face. It was a torturous mixture of feelings I felt. Triumph, at having taught him a lesson; Anguish, at seeing him so wounded; Guilt, at having hurt someone so defenseless. The belt slipped from my palm as I dropped my hands to my sides. I sat motionlessly for a while, shedding my last tears.

 

He was in pain.