Death and the Passerby (Kitty)

[reaper]

Zack felt weird having her posses his body. He cursed as she fell. ~Why the hell did she do that?~ He picked up her body and Shadow Phased to her room. He gently placed her on the bed and then climbed in with her. He knew she wasn't going to die. He was certain of that. For if she died, he'd be joining her. He held her close in the spoon position and smelled her gentle scent. He closed his eyes, breathing ragged, and fell asleep. He found himself in a black room. His mother was facing him. She then slowly begun to explain what Eternity had explained to Kitty. He took it all in calmly. When she was done he looked at her, "Is that all?" With that, he drifted off back to unconscious sleep. That night, he dreamed for the first time in a long time. Kitty against him, her breathing calm and steady, heartbeat matching his.

[katherinepryde]

The land was dark, shadows draped across every nook and cranny. They rose, becoming tall, growling creatures that loomed over her. She screamed but the sound drowned away into the night. The creatures grabbed her and she tried to phase, but nothing happened. The creatures surrounded her, vieled what light there might have been and began whispering, pushing her down. Her body phased of its own accord into the floor, further down and down until only the black held her captive. Kitty dissolved into the darkness and was no more.

Waking in a cold sweat, she whimpered and hugged her bear to her, but it wasn't a bear. She opened her eyes and found an arm, clothed in a black uniform. Kitty gasped and spun around to see Zack asleep in her bed. What was he doing here? How had he gotten here?

Her memories rushed back and she relaxed. He'd carried her here and passed out. She turned over fully and snuggled up against him. But his uniform was in the way to feel the warmth of his body. Biting her lip, she pulled the zipper from his collar down so the top half of the suit opened to give way to his chest. She snuggled in against his skin and tucked her face into the crook of his neck. Her hand clenched the edge of his uniform absently.

[reaper]

Zack, still asleep, smiled as she moved against him. His body was warm. She had made it that way. He held her tight as she snuggled against him. His hand found the back of her head, his hands in her hair. "Don't be afraid of the Shadows." He talked absentmindedly in his sleep. Shadows were his domain and he wouldn't let them hurt her. He continued to murmur in his sleep, occasionally mumbling, "Kitty" in his sleep. His other hand trailed down her body to rest behind her, pulling her in close. He wasn't about to let her go any time soon. She was his.

[katherinepryde]

She smiled against his skin, mumbling in reply. "I've always been afraid of them, they always seemed to follow me instead of others." She'd decided not to tell him what she was to him now, he didn't need to know that she was in such a position. She only hoped any other powers would tell him and give her away. She preferred to suffer in silence. Kitty smiled when he mumbled her name, it made her happy to hear her name roll off his lips. Strangely, their situation roused the memory of a movie scene that made her giggle to herself. Casper, the story of the ghost boy who fell in love with the human girl. Her name had been Kat as well.

Her arms wrapped around Zack's body, warm to the touch to her slightly cold body. "The Shadows always haunt me in my sleep...I don't think they have anything to do with you. I just don't know why they're always there."

[reaper]

Zack woke up and opened his eyes. He looked at hers. He stared at her for a long minute, panting. She was so close, so very close. He couldn't help himself. His lips met hers, his tongue seeking entrance to the soft cavern. His hands danced towards her dace, resting there. His body radiated heat. He was sad that she was so scared. He pulled back, slowly. Should he do it? He said words he had never said before. "I...if you want I could teach you some simple Shadow Manipulation. Just a little bit though, it's not something I want you playing around with much." He blushed as his tone of voice was protective and possessive. He was sad that she was not his. Oh, how he wanted her to be his and only his.

[katherinepryde]

Kitty blinked, hearing the change in his tone and she groaned. Pete. She was dating him, more like she was dating a shadow of him lately though. And Lance Alvers had shown up against lately, he'd wanted her. And John in class seemed to have a liking to her. She wasn't used to having so many people focusing on her. It was confusing, though, when Zack looked at her, it made everything seem...smeared. Like the world around her smeared in wet pastels but him.

'An Anchor should never fall for its Shadow.' A voice whispered in her mind. Kitty frowned and buried her face against Zack's neck.

"I'd love to learn about Shadow Manipulation." She replied, cringing at how her voice changed toward him. She sounded softer, like she was vulnerable in his arms. "Are you sure it's something you're allowed to teach me?"

[reaper]

Zack smiled at how her voice sounded. He remembered Pete and cringed. He didn't want to make her cheat on him. He pulled away from Kitty, sitting up. "I don't want to force you into anything with me. But, if you want to learn Shadow Manipulation then I'll teach...along with some other things." He looked at her and sighed. "But if we do this you're going to have to trust me completely. No matter what happens though, I won't let you die." He looked at her and sat down on the bed. "So, how was it meeting Eternity?"

[katherinepryde]

Kitty tilted her head, what had he meant by that? To trust him so completely, like she would die? She felt bereft of his presence when he'd vanished from her side so fast. She didn't like not having him near. It felt...wrong, empty.

"Zack..." Then he'd asked, about Eternity. He knew. She bit her lip. "How did you know...." there it was, she'd lost her wild card. She had nothing on him now, nothing to go for. He knew something, probably everything. And she was left in the dark again. In the Shadows.

[reaper]

He looked at her and noticed she seemed dark. He frowned, saddened. He...He didn't want her to be afraid. "Kitty, listen to me carefully. I need you, okay? Not because of Eternity or Death or anything. I just need you because you're you. Yes, you are my anchor but not because of the light. You're my anchor because every time you smile, I actually get a little happier. I know you have Pete but I need you. I'm afraid in the moment I kissed you, I had surrendered my soul to you. Katherine Pryde, I am yours." Every word and every sentence rang of truth. He needed her because she was she. He had given himself to those eyes and not the light. It had been the familiarity and the pain he had seen that had trapped him so. No matter what happened, he was hers.

[katherinepryde]

Kitty blinked, tears at her eyes. She shook her head. "Wait, I don't get it....you...what? Your soul is tied to me or something? How does that work? I didn't...I don't know what I did...what...what do you mean?" Too many questions, too many opened doors that she couldn't understand. The world, since she met Zack, didn't make sense any more. And Kitty had to have control on things or she fell. Right now, her powers were acting up, her love life made no sense and now she was an Anchor to a Shadow. Whatever the hell that meant. She stood, holding her head.

"Just....stop. Explain carefully what exactly you mean?" Her eyes begged him, she NEEDED him to take care with how he told her whatever he was about to reveal. Kitty was vulnerable, fragile. And she felt like she was being cracked left and right. Like she would shatter.

[reaper]

Zack sighed, understanding the look in her eyes. He closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts and then spoke. "Alright, I'll try to explain this carefully. I've always thought you were very pretty. I mean, you never really noticed me but I noticed you. You seemed to hide behind Rogue as all the guys flocked to her. But you were always there, so distant but so beautiful. Maybe that's when it started...Well, I put you at the back of my mind. I wasn't in the position to be interested in someone. Fast forward to today. Before the light, before any of that stuff. It was always your eyes that made me smile. I kissed you for the first time, something I had wanted to do for so long. Kitty, I don't care about the light. I just want you for you. I want your chestnut brown hair and your beautiful eyes. I want your soft lips and your fragile frame. I want to hold you. I want to show you that Shadows aren't as scary as they seem. You'll always have a choice Kitty. I think as long as you exist, I'll be alright from now on. It's your decision but you've had my heart for a long time now."

[katherinepryde]

It was a strange realization. Something that she couldn't fully see yet, not without having hours to focus on it. While she had hidden in plain sight, someone had seen her. Kitty had thought it would be impossible to be seen at all, yet he had. It didn't make sense, how she had not known for so long that he was watching?

"But..." but her mind wasn't done fixing on all of what he'd said. He wanted her hair and her eyes and her small frame. Things that made her blush when he'd spoke them. It was like he had spent so much time memorizing everything about her.

"But, what does that mean? What...sort of claim are you saying you have on me?"

[reaper]

Zack looked at her, shaking his head. She still didn't understand. He had no claim on her. No matter how much he said, "she was his," it was her choice. He'd never had any claim on her. It was always her choice. He had always waited in the shadows, wondering if she had would ever seen him. The memories floated about, taunting Zack. But he was alright. Right here, in front of him, was the one girl he had watched. He stayed silent and then finally spoke. Each word was sincere and delicate. "No, I have no claim on you. You're free to do as you wish. But as for me, you'll always have a claim on me. I'll always be wondering if you could be mine. I'll always care for you." He wanted to say love. Oh, how he wanted to say love. But he didn't want to scare her more than he had already. She was fragile and vulnerable, afraid of the Shadows. But he was the Shadow King. Could she ever really love him?

[katherinepryde]

Kitty tried to remember to breathe slowly, in and out. Inhale. Exhale. Her head felt fuzzy, her vision blurry but him, no, he was a stern figure that didn't lose it's shape. His words, the way he'd spoken them, it was like all he had in life was her. Nothing mattered but her. Was it like that way for her? She blinked but saw the world around them fuzzy and unfocused, yet he was there, shaped and seen. If she blinked enough, it would go away and she could see normally, but it was difficult.

So, Pete, what would she do about Pete? Would she leave him for Zack? Would she sneak around behind Pete for Zack? No. She wasn't like that, she was honorable. Though, it felt like that was all that she and Zack were doing right now, was sneaking around. And no matter how she looked at it, they needed each other.

'The Shadow needs the Anchor's Light, it keeps them from the darkness, In return, the Shadow Guardians the Anchor, keeping them from their dangerous plight.'

Kitty growled and stared at the ceiling, "Stop talking in my head! I can't think!" She sighed and sat back down on the bed. This was deep, they were locked together some how. And everytime Eternity spoke to her, it was always like she was in danger and that Zack was guarding her. But from what? Why was her life suddenly threatened?

She turned to Zack, "So...where does this put us?"

[reaper]

Zack walked up to her and sat on the bed. He looked at her. He had done it so many times that it was natural to him. Everything about her was familiar. He had observed her for a while now. She had never noticed him before but now she did. He wanted to protect her. But from what? The Shadows? What if he tried to teach her and it backfired? Would he be able to save her?...No, he would. No matter what, he would be there to protect her. Thus, he chose his words carefully. "I...I don't know. How...How do you feel about me?" He had to ask. He needed to know. What had the kiss met to her? How did she feel about being his anchor? How was she dealing with all this? So many questions ran through her mind. He was scared. He was scared of losing her.