Disclaimer: Kamichama Karin and the sequel are property of Koge-Donbo.

Warnings: n/a

A/N: Because there has been very little mention of Karin or Kazune in my pieces… I think. -ponders- Alright, I'm not all too sure. But… uh… whatever. In any case, I like making stuff up and looking into things that probably don't happen. But who really cares? Uhm. Yeah. Fun.

Locked in a Cage
26
(Yours To Hold)

Sometimes, when Karin closed her eyes, she could see shadows of people – those who belonged to the past, the present and the future. They shifted and changed constantly, as if unseen ripples had passed over them. She should have been afraid, all things considered, but Karin had come to accept that she wasn't normal (however one could define such a term) and… it was alright.

But then there were times when one person came into focus - so quickly it stung her eyes - and she recognised him at an instant. Yet when she tried to call his name, stretched her arms out to him, all Karin could do was latch onto air, as the image shimmered and faded at an instant.

Even though she tried to convince herself otherwise, it hurt; every single time it happened and she was unable to touch him in her dreams. Although she wasn't highly superstitious, Karin could not help but feel a lurching sense of foreboding.

Matters did not improve with her future self warning of events of come (who was going to die… everyone who would be lost to her…) and the knowledge of everything: just knowing was too much for her.

Karin had never asked for any of this: she never wanted to possess 'godly powers' and protect, when she couldn't even protect herself. Since the day she had run into Kujyou Kazune (and Karasuma Kirio, of course) everything had changed in terms of her perception of the world around them, and it scared her.

But she had to keep fighting; backing off would do nothing more than hurt everyone else around her, she knew that.

And when she closed her eyes, Karin hoped (beyond everything else) that the next time she caught sight of the Kazune in the shadows of nameless people she didn't know, she would be able to reach out to him and make contact.

To know that he was alive.

To be reassured that everything was alright.