When morning came, the nine of them left the cave and travelled to the nearest town, Shirokumo. They were covered in Hell smoke to mask their presence from any Holy beings. It was dark by the time they arrived there. They stumbled upon a Western-style festival, guided by bright lights and cheerful voices.
It was more like a circus than any festival Damien had ever seen. Exciting rides, stalls selling food and drink, performers dancing in the street. He noticed a tent at the far end of one of the stalls that caught his eye. The sign said "Fortune Teller" in English. This could be the answer to his problems. If he found out what the true Child of Rage wanted help with, he might be able to get rid of him by fulfilling this request.
While the others went to find a hotel and rest for the night, Damien excused himself and made a beeline for the tent. Before he stepped inside, he heard Kitty call his name and he ran up to him. Damien turned to face him with a smile.
"Are you going in there?" Kitty asked, pointing up to the tent with curiosity.
"Yeah."
"To get a fortune?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." Kitty blinked. He stared into Damien's eyes. "Something's bothering you."
"How do you know?" Damien asked.
"I can read you like a book, Dimmy." Kitty said. "I know you, and I know how you react to things when you're stressed. You're quiet and vacant. You deny that you're anxious, but your face and voice tell otherwise. I've learnt to recognise it."
Damien stared at Kitty in wonder, then smiled. "You know me all too well, don't you?"
"Yep!" Kitty giggled. "So, tell me. I can help you."
Damien gave him a quick nod and told him the truth about the true Child of Rage and what he said to him. Shock and worry were evident in Kitty's face, but he didn't panic.
"You're not here for a reading, then." Kitty said. "What do you want to do here?"
"Fortune tellers are spiritual." Damien said. "I need a medium or someone who can contact spirits. I can't find a medium right now. Don't wanna risk being scammed. So I figured I could ask the person in there if they could talk to him, find out why he's harassing me. I don't know if it'll work, but I want to at least try."
"OK." Kitty nodded. "Let's go in."
They both entered the tent. Mystical items lay inside; crystals, dreamcatchers and the like. A scraggly old woman sat at a table in the far middle. Once she saw them, she beckoned them over with a grin. Damien glanced over at Kitty, who seemed just as nervous as he was. Damien shrugged and made his way over to the woman, closely followed by Kitty. They plonked down on the two chairs available and waited as the woman lit a candle and uttered a chant. When she finished, she smiled at them.
"Hello, young gentlemen." She said. "What troubles you? I shall give you a reading, free of charge for you only. I've been expecting you."
Kitty gasped, eyes full of wonder. Damien resisted the urge to roll his own eyes. If she knew they were coming, why would she have to ask them why there were here? It was clearly a scam, but at least they didn't have to pay.
The woman convinced Damien to have a reading. She instructed him to place his hands on the table. He almost flinched when she placed her hands on top of his. But nothing happened for a few seconds. She just stared at his hands with a face full of sorrow.
"You may remove the gloves." She said, looking into his eyes. "I've already sensed the burns. You don't need to hide them. I won't tell, I promise."
Damien's eyes widened then narrowed. How did she know about his scars? Was she in league with Dana? He knew she was a liar, that this was all a con to gain money. Then again, she wasn't charging them. He couldn't believe this was genuine kindness and concern. He'd have to keep his guard up. Dana or God could appear at any moment.
Despite his reservations, he took off his gloves and allowed the woman to touch his burns. It made him feel a bit sick, a stranger handling the remnants of his pain. He only wanted Kitty to hold his bare hands.
"You have experienced great suffering and anguish." The woman said. "I would offer to heal it, but that is beyond me. The only thing that can cure this pain is love and time."
When she said this, she smiled at Kitty. He was Damien's hope, his therapy and support. A knot of guilt sat heavily in his stomach. He knew all this, yet he almost didn't tell Kitty about his predicament. He trusted him. He should have told him from the start. Instead, he lied to him in his stupid attempt at protecting him. He glanced over to Kitty, who gave him a kind smile and placed his hand on his shoulder. Damien could have cried. He didn't deserve this beautiful, amazing man.
She began the reading, closing her eyes chanting once more. Nothing happened for a minute. But then the woman's eyes snapped open and she yanked her hands back with a scream. Damien and Kitty watched with bewilderment as she tried to compose herself.
"I sense a strong spiritual energy inside you besides your own." She said, breathing heavy. "Terrible anger, great injustice has been dealt to this energy. His rage knows no bounds, and if you continue to ignore him, he'll enact his revenge whether you want him to or not. I beg of you, listen to him."
Her words chilled Damien to the core. Kitty's face was full of concern as he looked at him. It seemed pretending the true Child of Rage didn't exist wouldn't work.
"Can't you do something to help him?" Kitty pleaded.
"I'm afraid not." The woman said. "He refuses to communicate with me. He only wants to address you, young antichrist. He is your ancestor, your brother. He needs your help to bring him peace of mind. That is all he told me before he denied me."
Damien nodded and thanked the fortune teller. Before they left, she called Kitty back. He told Damien to go on ahead and went back into the tent.
☽☾
Kitty was now alone in the tent with the woman. She grasped his hands and stared into his eyes with urgency. He was a little taken aback, but he didn't move.
"Someone you love is trying to contact you. Someone who has departed from this world." She said. "You're frightened, but he means you no harm. He's trying to warn you, but his spiritual energy is so strong that he cannot convey his message to you."
Green eyes widened. Kitty felt like he was about to cry. He hadn't done anything wrong after all. Jack didn't hate him. He was trying to tell him something. Relief filled Kitty's heart. But what did he want to tell him that was so important?
"You must find a way to contact him in the afterlife and learn this message." The woman said. "I believe it's of vital importance to you."
Kitty thanked her tearfully and finally left. He found Damien outside waiting for him.
"What's wrong?" Damien asked with a worried face. "Were you crying?"
Kitty wiped his eyes and smiled. "No, I'm fine. I just-"
He stopped once he realised what he was doing. He couldn't keep secrets from Damien. He told him about his issues, so it was only right that Kitty did the same with him. He took a deep breath.
"Jack contacted me. As a ghost." He said. "The fortune teller said he wants to tell me something important, but he's so distorted and scary that I can't find out what it is."
A look of shock came onto Damien's face. He held Kitty by the waist and stroked his hair to reassure him.
"It's OK. We'll find out what he wants." He said. "You want to help me with my crazy kinda brother, so I'll help you speak to Jack."
Kitty smiled and kissed Damien. He was immensely lucky to have him.
"Yeah. And we'll protect each other, no matter who tries to hurt us."
Damien grinned and hugged him. Kitty fully intended to keep his promise. He'd do anything to protect his beloved, even if it meant offering his own life.