I Know Why You Want to Hate Me:

 The Shadow's Tale

 

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 Summary: Chisato is a typical Japanese schoolgirl with a penchant for collecting small little trinkets that she finds of interest. She doesn't have many friends and she spends a lot of her time alone, finding new ways home or just getting herself lost in some of the more rural parts of town. She's very lonely and shy, and does such a good job of trying to avoid people that most people in her class couldn't even remember her, let alone tell you her name. One day while off in the forrest, she came across a strange box in a cave. An old key lay in the dirt nearby. Wondering about what she had unearthed and whether or not she should keep the strange treasure, she opened the box. Out sprung Arael. An ancient and powerful demon, Arael was sealed away long ago to keep her from causing any more devestation. Finally freed from her tiny tomb, the demoness thanked the schoolgirl and promised her a quick and painless death. But before she could make good on her promise, light surrounded Chisato. The key she held protected her from the demoness. On top of that, it allowed her to control the demoness. She tried to run away, hurrying back home, but she couldn't escape Arael. The key bound her to stay by the schoolgirl's side, much to her chagrin. Chisato was terrified of that idea at first, to have such a powerful demon always near. But as several weeks passed, she began to enjoy the company. For once, she wasn't always alone. 

 

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 Arael lay on her back, staring up at Chisato's roof as time slowly ticked away on one of the grandfather clocks Chisato had in her overcrowded room. It chimed irritatingly, making the demoness twitch. Her long, dark wings were brought up tightly against her back, barely noticeable as she lay on them. Her straight black hair lay about her head like a very dark halo. Chisato, her 'mistress', was still doing her homework. That was usually the perfect time for Arael to play with her mind, to distract her and tease her, but she just didn't feel up to it today. She almost felt... defeated. She had felt that in time, she would be able to frighten the brat into giving up the key, into setting her free. But that didn't seem to be working. Chisato didn't seem to mind, actually enjoying some of the gory tales that Arael had told her. Things were not working out as planned. But she did not intend to be some schoolgirl's slave for the rest of her life.

 

 Chisato, on the other hand, actually was done with her homework. But she continued to pretend to be jotting things down in her notebook while secretly sneaking peaks of Arael in her mirror. She didn't know how to say it, but she thought she was falling in love with the demoness. She could actually talk to her, could spend time with her. She wasn't so lonely with Arael around. The older woman/demon was so sure of herself, completely in control no matter what was going on. Sure, some of her stories were pretty scary and she could be frighteningly intense at times, but the chestnut haired girl didn't care. She was just happy to be around Arael, to enjoy the woman's presence. It was so much nicer than being alone all the time. It felt so warm and safe when Arael was around. 

 

 The demoness had even protected her. Nearly a week ago, she had stayed late at school to finish something. A boy a year older of her had helped her with her bookbag when she had finished and had talked politely with her as they walked away. Blushingly, Chisato had spoken about her family, what she liked to do, and whatever else the boy asked. He finally asked her to wait a moment, because he had to grab something. They had gone into the janitor's room to find what it was he needed. Chisato had jumped at the sudden noise of the door closing tightly behind them. She had asked in a worried voice what it was he was looking for. He replied simply that it was right there in front of him. Chisato shuddered in rememberance of his hands on her, the smell of his body so close to her and his forceful lips on her own as she was pressed against the wall. Tears had welled up beneath her small glasses, spilling down her cheeks, but he had taken no notice, his hands moving further across her body. Sobbing openly by then, Chisato could never remember feeling so cold, so broken up inside. He had slapped her when she wouldn't stop crying, sending her glasses falling to the floor. She had called out but he only laughed, telling her that no one was there. She had felt desolate, ruined. Even if he didn't kill her, her life was over. She already knew where her father kept his gun. While the boy continued to force himself on her, she mapped out what she would do. She would go home and get the gun and then go back to her room and... 

 

 Suddenly, the boy was away from her. Arael held him by his head, his body hanging limply from the end of her arm. He slowly began to struggle weakly, but it was obvious that he was no match for the demoness. Her hand tensed and blood began to pour down his face, dripping to the floor below. Chisato had stared at the sight, mesmerized. She could vaguely remember him screaming, but she hadn't been paying any attention. She merely slumped to the floor, her rustled skirt drooping around her. Her eyes remained on Arael and the monstrous shape of the boy, her blurry vision for once not reminding her to pick up her glasses. She could remember the intent look on Arael's face, an angry and determined look. The demoness had come to her rescue. More blood began to splatter to the floor as Arael moved her hand. The boy screamed out again, much, much weaker this time. Chisato continued to stare, transfixed. Why would anyone come to save her? Why would Arael care enough about her to? As the boy began to writhe in Arael's grasp, Chisato finally, reluctantly asked her to stop. She didn't want him to die over her. Did she? She hadn't been quite sure, still wasn't actually. She hated him for what he had done. And knowing that Arael would kill him for her... But she somehow managed to get herself to ask again. But Arael didn't seem to be listening. The demoness's hand went to his throat, beginning to crush. She asked again, but still no result. Fumbling for the key, she finally forced Arael to put him down. The demoness had, at last. Picking Chisato up in her arms, Arael had left the small janitor room that Chisato could no longer walk past without shuddering and flew her home. Chisato had fallen asleep in her arms on the flight back. She hadn't seen the boy at school since the incident.

 

 Sighing dreamily, Chisato looked back in the mirror and frantically went back to writing when she saw the blush on her cheeks and her glasses halfway down her nose as she thought about Arael. Her mind had been on her demoness more and more lately, always counting down the time when she could see her again and escape the confines of school. With Arael, she felt free. But the prospect of telling Arael this, of explaining her feelings was terrifying. She wanted to love her, to be loved by her, but she didn't know if she could say it without it coming out as little more than a squeak. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the black haired woman, her inent red eyes staring into her soul. 

 

 Swiveling around in her chair, Chisato slowly faced the woman lying on her bed. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the demoness. Her beautiful figure was lightly clad, her bare feet resting on a little stuffed animal that Chisato had had since she was five that she affectionately referred to as Wari Bear. But seeing her stuffed animal in such a disrespectful place didn't really bother her. She wouldn't mind trading placed with him. A crimson blush shot across her face at that thought, causing her to swivel around in her chair again. Looking down at her school clothes and the small socks covering her own feet, she let out a sigh. Her eyes went up to the mirror, looking at her short, chestnut hair and small glasses. Arael would want... no, deserved someone who was at least equally as gorgeous as she was. Chisato was just... not even there. No one remembered her, no one knew who she was. And why would they? There was nothing remarkable about her. She wasn't even pretty. She was just... boring. She didn't do anything interesting, had no real friends. She didn't have any stunning clothes or stand out at all. In the end, she had written in her diary long ago, was I even here at all? 

 

 But this time... this time, she did not want to just give up. She always did. She always gave up her place in line if someone else wanted it, gave up something if it seemed to hard for her to do. The chestnut haired girl never had that burning intensity that her demoness held. But for once, she didn't want to be so lonely. She wanted to feel what it was like to be loved, to be held. 

 

 Swallowing deeply, Chisato swirled in the chair to face her bored looking demon. Licking her lips, she tried to phrase what she wanted to say correctly. After seventeen tries, it still didn't sound right. An image of Arael's burning eyes entered her head, pushing her forward. "Arael-san, I..." Her voice trailed off weakly, the words caught in her throat. She struggled with them, wanting to say them, but they seemed to fight back as her own nervousness nearly paralyzed her with fear. 

 

 Raising one black eyebrow, Arael stared at the schoolgirl. What the hell did she want now? To go flying again? Maybe to talk about if she'll ever find her prince charming? The black haired woman didn't feel up to the younger girl's schoolgirl dramatics at the moment. Wasn't she supposed to have friends to go bother with things like that? "What?" she asked, trying to maintain some form of patience with the chestnut haired girl. 

 

 "I... I..." Chisato began, struggling desperately for words. She wanted to give up, to let the words die on her tongue, but somehow she couldn't. Seeing Wari Bear under her cute, bare feet, imagining herself in Arael's strong, rapturess embrace, she forced it out. "Iwantyoutokissme..."

 

 "Huh?" Arael sat up, trying to make since out of what Chisato had just said. It had sounded like little more than a nervous squeak, something she was certainly used to hearing from the perpetually shy teenager. Maybe after a couple hundred years she would get over it. The black haired woman slowly played back the squeak in her mind. "You what?" she asked after a moment, shock and then amusement playing across her face. The younger girl merely shifted uneasily in her chair. "You want me to kiss you?" she repeated. The chestnut haired girl nodded quickly, her face nearly blood red. The demoness laughed. It couldn't be. The schoolgirl had fallen in love with her? How had that happened. Sliding off the bed, she made her way to the younger girl. Chisato averted her gaze, her hands held tightly in her lap. She looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. "So you're a lesbian, huh, Chisa?" Another laugh escaped the demoness. Chestnut hair whipped about as the younger girl refused to meet her gaze. Grinning, the demoness let a fingernail run from Chisato's chin down her neck. Her 'mistress' shuddered at the sensation. Arael leaned close, her black hair falling across Chisato's torso. "No wonder you don't hang out with the other girls. They probably don't wanna play the same games you do." She knew that the comment stung, but the younger girl was still too embarrassed to say anything about it. Her warm breath brushed against Chisato's ear as she whispered to her. "I'm sure we could play lots of fun things, Chisa. A kiss is just the tip of the iceberg." Her lips brushed the chestnut haired girl's ear before she blew into it. Chisato shuddered at the feeling. "But you're not exactly my type. I like to play with the boys." Stepping away, she grinned at the blank look on the schoolgirl's face. The look quickly crumbled away into one of heartache and despair. "Better luck with your next demoness," Arael said with a shrug. 

 

 Tears brimmed in Chisato's eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she took a shuddering breath. She felt like she had been stabbed through the heart. 'She's making fun of me...' she thought weakly to herself. She blinked back more tears, but that did little to stop the flow that threatened to burst loose. 'Doesn't she like me? Doesn't she care how I feel?' she asked herself, still in a haze from her sudden rejection and the black haired woman's stinging words. Was she a lesbian? Did it matter? She just wanted someone to love her. Just like everyone else. And that certainly wasn't why she didn't have any friends. It was just that... no one liked her. Arael just watched her impassively as she sat back on the bed, making no attempt to stop the tears that fell to the hands on Chisato's lap. She whimpered weakly as she blinked rapidly behind her small glasses. "But... But... I like you..." she got out amid her sobs. 

 

 Arael shrugged. "Not my problem. I don't need your moody childish melodrama. I'm just waiting for you to set me free so I can finally get away from all of this crap. If you like me, then that's your problem. Use the key and force me to hold down some girl you have the hots for at school. But I won't be your sex toy. It's not in my job description," the demoness retorted, watching the schoolgirl's tears with detached interest. She idly wondered how they tasted. So many had cried at her feet after the atrocites she had committed. It was nice to see her 'mistress' finally crying because of her for once. It showed that she wasn't completely powerless afterall. She could still bring about those tears of desolation even in this schoolgirl. It just took a little more work. 

 

 "I don't want anyone else... I just want you.. to love me..." Chisato got out painfully. How could she? How could she simply brush her off like that? And make fun of her while she did? 'I thought she liked me...' Chisato thought among the flurry of dark and desperate thoughts that filled her head. She thought about going downstairs, running away from the only person she thought cared about her, of picking up her father's gun... But a sudden realization hit her. Why she had been saved suddenly made sense. 'She can't let me die. I hold the key to her freedom.' That merely brought fresh tears to her almond eyes, spilling down her already wet cheeks. So she really didn't mean anything to the demon. She was stuck as her mistress while the older woman just wanted to get away from her. "I... I... I could.. make you..." she got out weakly, her tear stained hands held tightly to her chest as she watched the black haired woman. 

 

 Arael laughed at the schoolgirl's statement. "You what? The hell you could. You could barely even stop me from killing that boy at your school. You're too weakwilled. You have the key, but you're not strong enough to use it." She stared at the younger girl derisively. "I can't believe I'm stuck to such a pathetic girl. I've killed countless people like you as they groveled at me feet. You should just set me free if you want me to leave you alone. Then you can go back to what you always do. Hide from the pain. Isn't that the only thing you're good at?"

 

 Bitter sobs wracked Chisato's body as she held herself tightly. Her glasses hung at the end of her nose, her blurry eyes looking right above them. Every one of Arael's words burned at her soul, cutting into her with more force than the demon's talons. Her hands clutched the key, holding it until it cut into her hand, blood slowly dripping along with her tears. The black haired woman simply laughed, but Chisato couldn't hear her anymore. She felt so alone. So cold. "I want... I want you... I want you to kiss me!" she got out at last, choking back a sob. 

 

 Arael's eyes went wide as she realized just how serious the schoolgirl was. She hadn't known such determination was in the small, quiet girl. She struggled as the key lit up, her body beginning to work against her. She snarled as she tried desperately to keep the spell from working. She wasn't going to give in to this weak little bitch. But the spell was too much for her. She was bound to Chisato, like it or not. Her eyes ablaze, she found her lips on a trembling Chisato's, kissing her again and again, licking away tears that fell down her cheeks. They tasted as delicious as Arael could remember, but somehow she no longer cared much for them. 

 

 "I want you to hold me," Chisato whispered weakly, between Arael's kisses. Her tears still fell wetly down her cheeks as she continued to cry, leaning into Arael's embrace. The other woman continued to kiss her, just as she had commanded. Chisato whimpered weakly against the demon. It did feel nice to be held. It did feel nice to be kissed. It felt nice not to be alone anymore. Even if Arael didn't want to be with her, she still was. She still had her company. Even if she didn't want to kiss her, she still did. She still held her. Because she had to. So Chisato didn't have to be alone, didn't have to be unloved. Standing on her tiptoes, she returned Arael's kisses, melting into her embrace. 'You're mine, Arael-san. I'll make you love me.'