#chukasa

-Now-

 Chuka sighed, lying back on the soft grass to stare at the wide blue sky. He grimaced as a large shadow clouded his sunning and reached his arm back to swat the offender. He was greeted by the familiar sound of a clacking tongue and he groaned in realization. “What’s the matter sunshine, not happy to see me?” came the commanding voice of an older man.

 He crouched beside Chuka who frowned at the grinning face obstructing his vision. He puffed out a breath to clear the golden bangs hanging down onto his face and growled, “Sorry to say not everyone loves your face as much as you do…” The other man leaned back on his heels and laughed heartily, “Not everyone takes issue to it either. I don’t hear any complaints coming from a certain-” he felt a sharp sting as Chuka brought his head into his. He yelped like a struck puppy and clutched his face, “that’s low!” he cried, but Chuka grunted at him in dismissal.

 The man rubbed his nose gingerly, “Temper, temper. You know that kind of behaviour could get you kicked out of-” “Enough!” Chuka’s loud voice rang out authoritatively. “Did you actually want something or are you just wasting space?” the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he spat through a clenched jaw.

 The older man sighed disdainfully as he looked down at Chuka from his now standing position, “You really sound no better than a vile demon.” he uttered before turning his back on him. “I won’t mention this” he said before leaving.

 Chuka sighed and smoothed down his hair to recompose himself. /Gee, you guys get along like a house on fire…/ a familiar husky voice echoed and Chuka shook his head, “It’s not like I can blame him” he rationalized. /So… all your friends are just assholes then?/ the voice mocked, but before he could respond he felt small warm hands cover his eyes. “Guess who?” a soft voice cooed into his ear.

 /Be nice./ the voice inside him urged. An outbreak of shrill giggling invaded his ears and he felt his teeth automatically grit together. /Be nice./ his internal voice repeated. Suddenly the hands moved from his eyes and snaked around his neck as the assailant dropped into his lap, beaming from ear to ear. “ Did you forget me already?” she asked as she poked his chest but Chuka continued to stare at her stoically while he mentally battled the urge to shove her from his lap.

 /Be. Nice./ The voice inside his head urged more insistently. Looking at his silent face the woman pouted her over glossed lips and threaded her fingers into his hair. “Aww. In that case, I’m gonna have to punish you” she mocked, pulling his hair into her fists. Chuka hissed and reflexively stood up, dropping her from his lap. “Don’t do that! You know I hate that.” He protested and she giggled, “you love it-” “No, I don’t. I…” he sighed as he saw the confused look on her face.

 “My father was a freak,” he blurted out and she looked at him quizzically, brushing some stray ebony locks from her face with her finely manicured nails. “Nobody should love more than one person at a time, let alone one person with two personalities…” he continued, but paused when he saw the sad look on her face. “You’re different again,” she whispered and saw back on her heels with a sigh.

 -10 years ago-

 The hollow sound of knocking resounded through the seemingly impenetrable cheery wood doors. Chuka sighed and looked towards the giant doors from his luxurious bed. He didn’t need a reminder; he was already awake well before dawn. He was always wide-awake before dawn. He waded through the silken sheets and walked towards the light pouring in from the balcony. The sheer curtains fluttered in the breeze, wafting around the room enchantingly.

 Chuka pushed through the flying veils and stepped into the sunlight. His lips pulled into a soft smile at the familiar sight he was greeted with. “Good morning,” the soft feminine voice carried to his ears on the breeze. “Truly, it is a good morning.” He replied and stepped towards the graceful woman awaiting him on the balcony edge. The sunlight enveloped the woman as if she was a sunbeam herself. He found his mind struck dumb as he watched her golden hair catch the light, flying around her face as she turned towards him.

 “Have you been up much longer than I?” he managed to force some words out and she smiled. He made a mental photograph of this moment in his mind; seeing her graceful lips curling up and the sunlight beaming around her face like a halo; he wanted to keep this memory forever. “You know I rise with the sun, dear” came her sweet reply and Chuka snapped his head up at her response. “Huh? Oh, yes of course” he chuckled shyly; blatantly aware at how obvious it must be that he was so taken with her.

 She took his hand in her delicate hand and bore into his ever-changing eyes, “you must join me for a sunrise more often” she said before turning towards the light again. Chuka contemplated at her fascination with the rays of light before ducking back into the comfort of his silken mess of sheets. “More importantly, wasn’t that a summons I heard?” he called to her and watched as she stepped back into the room. She glided over the marble floors gracefully and sat behind him, combing her long fingers through his ice-blue hair. “Your hair is almost as long as mine now,” she mused, “and I think that summons was not for myself,” she hinted.

 “Oh” he raised his eyebrows and rose from the bed, his hair whipping from her fingers to dangle at his waist. He turned his face to hers, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so fancy…” he said as he grinned like the Cheshire Cat. A small resemblance of a laugh emanated from her lips, “It’s not like you’re unfamiliar with royalty” she rose to stand next to him. Chuka paused for a moment while he pondered her the irony of her comment before replying, “My family dynamic is what you would call… unique.” He gave a dismissive wave of the hand before she could probe any further and sat down at the boudoir. “It’s showtime, right?” he signaled his hand towards the door and she silently nodded before gliding out as two younger men rushed in.

 Chuka waited patiently as the young boys darted around him, wrapping his clothes around him and dolling him up to perfection. They bowed and moved to each side of the door, leaving Chuka to marvel at the porcelain transformation in the mirror. He turned his face to either side, observing the flawless curves of his face.  “You look beautiful, darling,” a familiar voice drifted over and he smiled, allowing the silken locks to fall over his face and hide his flushed cheeks. “Not as beautiful as you,” he responded, walking over to meet his goddess once more. His arm found its way around her slender waist as they walked down the hall.

 -2 years later-

 Tapping his foot on the floor, Chuka counted down the moments before he saw the first rays of sun creep over the horizon. The curtains fluttered into the room as the early morning breeze battered them about. He sighed as his hair caught in the breeze and grasped at it when he saw a lifeless black strand float passed his vision. Running his fingers through his hair he suddenly realized how long and sharp his nails looked and frowned, “When did this happen?” he questioned.

 “Talking to yourself?” the familiar form of a woman entered his vision and he snapped his head up, hastily brushing his discoloured hair behind his back. “Something wrong?” her probing voice set alarm bells off in his head, but he maintained a cool smile, “Not at all,” he replied. “I was just trying to convince myself that this wasn’t a dream” he smiled and leaned in to touch his lips to hers tenderly. She drew back with a soft gasp and touched a finger to her lips, looking down at the beads of red dotting her finger. Chuka’s eyes widened at the sight and ran his tongue over his teeth, wincing as it caught on his unusually sharp teeth.

 He stood abruptly and hastily wrapped a cloak around himself, striding towards the door. He spun around as he felt a hand pulling him arm and met with his goddess’s eyes simmering with concern, “Are you really alright? Don’t push yourself if you need a break…” but before she could finish he cut her off. “I just really need to take a walk. I’ll be back soon and good as new, promise” he forced a toothless smile and her face softened, “Ok, just come back to me, my angel” she gave him a feather light kiss. He nodded and rushed down the halls to find the exit.

 As he burst out of the grand palace doors the sunlight beamed down onto his entire being. He suddenly felt like he didn’t belong in the warm and welcoming fairytale that he’d come to establish as a home. As he pondered how to escape the inevitable he found himself in the farthest corners from the light beside a lake and a dying tree with a gaping hole in its side. He stood over the lake, watching his hideous reflection grimace back at him. Bringing his nails together like a pincer he swiftly plucked the stray black hair from his pastel locks and tossed it into the screaming face of the tree.

 He whipped his head around as a husky voice crept uninvitingly into his ear, “Feeling a little tired, are we?” but there was no one to be seen. He shook his head and brushed his hands through his hair to regain his composure, but the voice chimed in again, “face it, angel. I’m not going anywhere.” Finally his eyes met with cold black orbs and snarling fangs. “I’m not going anywhere. That doesn’t leave you with anywhere to go!” he spat and balled his hands into fists.

 A feather wafted down and spread ripples through the talking mirror, “Get a hold of yourself…” he muttered. A raspy laugh rang out and he sighed, rubbing his face tiredly and staring down into the lake. “Look at that, every time you fall asleep. I grow stronger. My, my, what have we here? Another black hair?” the voice mocked and he searched through his icy hair to find the offending strand of black silk. He growled in frustration and plucked, stuffing it into the gaping tree hole once more. “You’ll have no hair if you keep pulling it out…” the voice continued to mock, but he dismissed it with a growl as he pushed the black hairs deeper into the dark abyss of the tree hollow.

 “It’s getting kind of full, isn’t it?” he continued to ignore it, pushing the mop of black hair out of sight. “If she find out…” “You can’t hide who you are forever,” the husky voice had never sounded more right. He stared into the lake and watched his reflection growl back at him, his black hair flying around his face like chaotic wildfire. For a moment he felt powerless and he closed his eyes, ready to surrender to the darkness and finally have some rest, but a brilliant light cut through the darkness and warmed his heart with hope. “I can do this,” he said, staring at his devilish reflection with determination. He looked towards the light and smiled; “I can do this” he reaffirmed and shed his cloak, allowing the sun to warm his skin as he walked back to the castle.

 “Are you back, angel?” the soothing sound of her voice reinvigorated him and he drew her into a tight hug. “Yes,” he replied softly breathing in her scent, “I’m back.”

 -2 years later-

 “She’s beautiful,” Chuka beamed, watching as the young girl danced around trying to catch sunbeams in her hands as they burst through the clouds, “just like her mother…” “Don’t be such a sap!” Kai snorted and slapped him on the back, “she’s gorgeous, alright. Just be happy you’ve got her.” Chuka frowned and turned to his father, “You know, sometimes I wish dad was still around…” he dismissed the shocked look on his father’s face and continued, “…I just think sometimes he might have been able to help me.”

 Kai clacked his tongue, “He couldn’t help himself let alone anyone else. He couldn’t keep his demon under control, but I tamed him. I don’t hear you asking me for help” he turned to face his unimpressed son. “I don’t need ‘taming’,” he replied flatly and turned back to his daughter roaming the park. Kai pushed on the little boy clinging to his leg sulkily, “Go play like a normal kid, Kira” he insisted and shook him off. “To do that he’d have to be a normal kid…” Chuka scoffed sarcastically and Kai hit him over the back of the head.

 “I like this one. Try treating him like a normal kid-” “They’re not science experiments, dad!” he yelled before he could finish, balling his hands into fists angrily. “That’s exactly what they are…” Kai replied coolly and watched as blood trickled from Chuka’s tight fists. “Watch that temper or you’ll turn” he warned, pointing to the claws jabbing at his palm.

 Chuka sighed and opened his hands wide, shaking them and wiping them on his black pants. “It makes me so mad that she could just throw us away after everything…” he spoke in a hushed tone and hung his head, “she threw me away” he repeated. Kai combed through Chuka’s short two-toned hair, “At least it inspired some good change” he attempted to lighten the mood, but Chuka remained as morose as ever.

 “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I think what you could really do for me is watch her for a few days” Chuka suggested and Kai raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take care of it,” he nodded, knowing that their anniversary always brought out the worst in his son it was the least he could do to shelter his angelic granddaughter. “Alright,” he said, flicking his black bangs from his eyes with a wicked grin and disappearing in a puff of black smoke.