Onmyou Taisenki Fan Fiction ❯ I Can't Live Without Him ❯ I Can't Live Without Him ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Something like this had never happened before, not once since the first contract was formed well over one thousand years ago. A Toujnshi retaining his memory even after losing a battle. Of all the people it could have happened too, it happened to the one person that made the whole thing even more confusing and strange that normal. It had been four weeks since Souma and Kogenta were able to get Riku back on his feet. He had completely recovered from that emotional time, but what he didn’t know then was that the pain of forgetting was nothing compared to the pain of remembering.

The unthinkable had happened. Riku had lost Kogenta during a battle; yet he still retained all his Toujinshi memories. Thus it all began again. With every passing day Souma was watching Riku fall deeper and deeper into despair. It was worse than the last time because while Riku could remember, he didn’t want to. Souma couldn’t begin to wonder just how painful it was remember such a terrible thing, and all the time wanting to forget it. He wasn’t sure just how Riku was going to live without Kogenta around and that worried him greatly.

While Riku didn’t want to be locked up in the house, Souma made sure he was. He kept Riku away from anything that could be used in a dangerous manner, and from that day slept in front of the door inside Riku’s room. Souma was sure that to escape the pain, Riku might kill himself. If he did, then all hope for the Ten-ryuu would be lost, but that wasn’t the worst thing. Riku was Souma’s first true friend, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if Riku was gone.

Souma had decided to give Teru a call, and see if he could come up with something to help Riku. “Listen Teru, I’m running out of ideas. How can I tell Riku that everything will be okay when he saw his best friend get destroyed right before his eyes, and can’t even forget about it like a Toujinshi would?”

Teru thought about it for awhile before answering Souma. “It might be possible to erase a Toujinshi’s memories with the Drive. If it can be done, then Riku would go back to just being a normal middle school student. But that would greatly affect the Ten-ryuu to lose their head after waiting over one thousand years for him to appear.” Souma knew that Teru was right, but that was the only thing they could think of.

The next day, Souma walked into Riku’s room to try Teru’s plan. Riku was sitting at his desk, tapping the Drive against the hard wood as if trying to get Kogenta out. “Riku, please stop. Kogenta isn’t there and you know it.”

“Souma, don’t say that. Kogenta’s still here, he’s just in a bad mood and won’t talk to me. Don’t you get it?” Riku asked. His face was full of confusion and despair. Souma knew that deep down Riku completely understood that Kogenta wasn’t in the Drive, but he didn’t want to let go. He wasn’t ready to let go of his friend, even if he was gone.

“Riku, just stop. It’s not healthy for you to be like this. Kogenta isn’t coming back, so please snap out of it. You lost, and you shouldn’t have to bear those memories anymore. I don’t know what happened, but you shouldn’t have remembered anything.”

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW! NOTHING! YOU HAVN’T LOST ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU, YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL!” Riku flung himself out of his chair and spun around to face Souma. “YOU. KNOW. NOTHING!” Riku such a force that Riku normally couldn’t have had, he connected a solid punch to the side of Souma’s head-sending the young boy flying head first into the wall and shattering a large portion of it into chunks.

Souma held his hand to his face, his eyes filled to the bursting point with tears. Riku hit him, he never thought that Riku; his best and only friend would strike him like that. Riku’s face was full of rage and anger, but just as suddenly as it came it went and was replaced with tears pouring down Riku’s face. “Souma…I.”

Before Riku could finish, Souma leapt to his feet and dashed out of the house, leaving his shoes and his Drive behind. He ran and ran and ran, not even knowing where he was going. Somehow hours had passed and Souma found himself on the edge of the city; overlooking the endless ocean.

Souma’s mind raced as he clearly remembered Riku’s words. “Riku…I’ve lost a lot more than you think I have.” He remembered how his father was imprisoned in stone, how his mother vanished while trying to save him; and the corruption that his older brother fell into upon making the contract with Byakko no Rangetsu. “My whole family was tore apart by his war between the Ten and Chi. I lost everything I had…but now that I think about it. Maybe he has lost more that I have. His grandfather has vanished, his school friends won’t talk to him because of what he is, and he just lost his first real friend.” Souma wiped the tears from his face with his arm and tried to smile as the sun slowly began to set in the sky.

Souma returned to the house to find Riku sitting at the table, his eyes hidden under his hair. “Souma, I’m so sorry. I just snapped…and took out all my pain on you. Nothing I can do could ever make up for that.” Souma walked over to Riku, who burried his head in Souma’s chest.

“Riku…maybe I don’t really understand how you feel, but you can’t keep going on like this. You need to be strong and keep moving. Kogenta would want that.”

“I don’t know if I can keep living without Kogenta around…it’s just so hard.” Souma put his hands around Riku and held him tight, his own eyes slightly filling up with tears.

“Riku…you have to keep living. The Ten-ryuu losing to the Chi-ryuu isn’t the point. It’s that you’d be truly failing Kogenta by continuing to live this way. After I lost my brother to those devils…after he forgot what our father taught us…I felt the same way you do now. But I knew that for the sake of both of us that I had to keep living, and work toward freeing my brother from the chains that the Chi-ryuu have placed around him. I’m not sure what the future holds for you, but if there is a way to bring Kogenta back…we’ll find it. I promise you that…Riku…”

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Onmyou Taisenki doesn't belong to me in any way, shape or form. So you can't sue me. No money is made off this work, it is purely for the enjoyment of others to read.