InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nightwalker ❯ Strategize ( Chapter 34 )

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ! I went back and fixed some things, again, for this chapter. I still don't know when I will be able to update, hopefully when schoolwork allows me to. Don't worry, I'm trying to get my thoughts together for the next chapter, but I can't guarantee with it will be here. Sorry again.

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own the great work that is Inuyasha, nor do I take credit for Romiko Takahashi's genius!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part Thirty-Four: Strategize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Forty eight hours…that doesn't leave us with much time to prepare.” Sesshoumaru said.

 

“It doesn't leave us with an incentive to run either. It took quite a while to sneak in all those nightwalkers undetected. Sneaking them out now they that the king is aware of their presence is all but impossible.” Kanna added.

 

Kagome resisted the urge to say, “You're still going to fight?” She watched in awe as the Kanna, Kagura, Sesshoumaru, Rukiya and Inuyasha stood huddled in the middle of the room making plans. Whispers and noise surrounded the room as Kouga's family nervously spoke amongst themselves about what had just happened with the twins and Narek. Meanwhile, Claire and Lilliana had taken it upon themselves to calm the rogue nightwalkers since Kouga had taken Ayame and Ginta up into his private rooms to rest.

 

In the midst of everything, all Kagome wanted to do was yell. What was going on? What had Lilliana asked Narek before he left and why did he save Ayame? Not wanting to stand around in confusion, Kagome forced herself to help Lilliana and Claire. Yet she couldn't help but wonder, could they really form a concise battle a plan in less then forty-eight hours?

 

“We know the king's location, why not just storm in there?” Inuyasha offered.

 

“We might as well be walking into a hornet's nest covered in honey. The king is guarded by six hundred of his followers and we don't know if he has drones with him as well. Not to mention that the twins will be guarding him at all times. We'd be lucky to get close.” Kagura said.

 

Kanna came forward with her eyes closed and said, “So it seems the twins have given us no choice but annihilation.”

 

The nightwalkers around her snarled at her statement. “We can either rush in with an inadequate plan and be killed, or we can surrender and die. The king must feel threatened if he has sent his favorites to issue such a threat.”

 

Rukiya, with the fiercest look of anger on her face, took several breaths. As though she were gasping to keep herself from bursting into a vicious rage, Rukiya began speaking through clenched teeth. “Please, give me, at the most, three hours time.”

 

“Are you going to say your goodbyes?” Kanna said sharply.

 

“No,” Rukiya gasped, “I wish for three hours to think of a plan. Whatever course of action we take, it will amount to nothing if we are beaten in the end. All of this was brought upon us because of my naiveté when I brought Narek into the nightwalker world.”

 

“So what are you saying? You'd like to decide our course of action on your own? Or is this your way of making up for your mistakes?” Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly, but the frown on his face spoke of his disapproval.

 

“I, in no way, wish to make up for bringing Narek into this, but I am not willing to let him ruin any plans. If we really wish to survive, we'll have to think of something that they won't be expecting. If you give me the chance, I will work on a strategy until my mind hemorrhages. Naturally, if you find my choices unacceptable, feel free to go along with another's plans, but please excuse me until I can come up with something.”

 

The others remained silent for a moment. Kanna looked from her sister to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, but none of them spoke to her. Finally, Inuyasha said, “If Rukiya, the smartest nightwalker I've ever known, comes up with a good plan, then I'm all for it. I trust her.”

 

Sesshoumaru and Kagura nodded. “Very well,” said Kanna, “You have two and a half hours, but I trust that you won't be offended if we still strategize on our own.”

 

“Thank you.” Rukiya puffed. With her chin in her hand, she walked to a corner of the room, sat and said nothing.

 

Lilliana watched her creator close her eyes and breathe deep as though she were meditating. Trying not to think about what would happen in the next forty-seven hours, she returned her attention to calming down the rogue nightwalkers. Jeromaru and Kageromaru's intrusion had caused a mass upheaval. Several rogues wanted to quit and run for safety, while others were still in shock at the twins' warning. Lilliana herself was torn. With a possible peril coming toward them in several hours, she wondered whether she should help the family come up with a battle plan, or head out to finish something she had started long ago.

 

The room was abuzz with whispers as Lilliana, Kagome and Clare managed to return peace to the unsettled nightwalkers. Many of their allies were watching the leaders, waiting for them to make a decision. Meanwhile, Rukiya hadn't moved from her corner or said a word. There was a silence for a while, except for the harsh and hurried tones of the leaders as they planned, unaware of anyone in the room other then themselves.

 

Then the mood of barley-suppressed calm was broken by an angry accusation and all eyes turned to where Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were glaring at Kouga, whom had just returned from his private rooms.

 

“You're little stunt has put us in more danger. Having a nightwalker child will give our enemies another incentive for no mercy.” Sesshoumaru began.

 

“You know full well that kids are forbidden and anyone who does otherwise will lose the kid and the mother. I can't believe you did something so fucking stupid.” Inuyasha hissed.

 

“Fuck off, dog shit, it's none of your business.” Kouga spat.

 

“And here you were hitting on my mate when you already had one. You really are scum Kouga.” Inuyasha continued relentlessly. “As if we didn't have enough things to issue a death warrant from the old bastard.”

 

“You don't know what you're talking about. FYI, Ayame's not my mate.”

 

This time it was Sesshoumaru that snarled. “You impregnated a female when she wasn't your mate? How dare you break that rule? How do you intend to take care of a child whose parents' venom is toxic to one another?”

 

“Don't you think I know that? It was an accident. We didn't realize it was a full moon at the time.”

 

“Great. Yet another reason why our plans are fucked up, because you couldn't control yourself.” Inuyasha growled.

 

“You're one to talk. You're mate hasn't even been a nightwalker for a hundred years and she is already mated. Who's breaking the rules now? What did you do, force her into submission?”

 

Inuyasha looked like he was ready to rip out Kouga's throat and Sesshoumaru placed a warning hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him from throttling Kouga. Inuyasha turned, slapping his brother's hand off his shoulder and blinking away the red in his eyes. Feeling that closeness would tempt him to beat Kouga, he walked off till his head cooled. Mimicking Rukiya, he chose a wall to lean against and closed his eyes.

The leaders paid no attention to his exit, and continued to plan as though he hadn't left, but there was a silent promise in Kanna and Sesshoumaru's eyes. They would have to deal with Kouga's rule breaking later. Knowing that the matter wasn't forgiven, Kouga did not speak unless spoken to, and only contributed when he disagreed with something.

 

The tension in the room didn't lift as an hour passed. With Lilliana and Claire making sure that a riot didn't occur, Kagome walked across the room to stand by the wall that Inuyasha and Rukiya were leading against. Keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't disturb Rukiya, Kagome asked Inuyasha if he was nervous.

 

Without opening his eyes he said, “About what?”

 

“In about a day we might be in big trouble.”

 

“It's better to stay calm and try to figure a way out of it.” He replied quietly. His face remained emotionless and he didn't move.

 

“What Kouga said bothered you didn't it?” Kagome said when she realized his posture wasn't because of trying to stay calm as he put it.

 

“No.” Inuyasha lied.

 

Sensing that he didn't want to talk about it, Kagome asked about what rules Kouga had broken instead. “A nightwalker child needs to feed from both parents in the early stages of their lives.”

 

“Because they can't hunt yet?”

 

“Not just that. Feeding from the parents makes the child stronger. If one of the parents dies in the early years, the child won't have the best health. Only mates can have children. The kid's venom isn't strong enough to harm their parents, but the mother will need her mate's blood to sustain her if the kid takes too much blood and vise-versa for the father. Besides, nightwalker kids don't age as fast as humans do. It's a life long commitment, and it's better to have stable parents. As far as I know, it's extremely rare,” he opened his eyes and glared at Kouga, “to have a child when the parents aren't mated.”

 

Curious, and unwilling to talk about their future in the next forty-eight hours, Kagome asked, “Did you ever think you'd have kids?”

 

Inuyasha stared at her with wide eyes. “Me? No. Not since my old man killed my mother to prevent her from having the next heir. There were too many things going on for me to even think about kids…let alone getting a mate to have them.”

 

“I still don't get it. If the next heir was going to be a sibling of yours, then doesn't that make you and your brother the next king?” Kagome asked.

 

“No. Only the bloodstone shows whom the best king will be. There were so many families fighting for leadership, so the ring was made to decide who would fit the bill best. It chose whomever my mother was carrying at the time. Even if the old man is `king', neither of us will get the throne unless the bloodstone chooses us. The real heir could also be out there somewhere, but we'd have to get the stone off Narek's fucking hand to find him.”

 

Kagome didn't reply for a moment, placing her hands behind her back as she leaned against the wall. “I just thought, that the king would want to kill you or Sesshoumaru because one of you might be next in line.”

 

“Well you don't have to worry because he has a completely different reason for wanting to kill us. Betrayal.” Inuyasha glared at the wall on the opposite side of the room. “I bet if we run, he'd make the twins hunt us down first.”

 

“What would you do if you did meet with the king again?”

 

“Fight. I gave up hope that my father would return to the way he was years ago. Besides, killing his mate isn't something I can forgive. I don't plan on hesitating.”

 

“I wonder what he'd do if he met the two of you alone.” Kagome said.

 

“That's it!” Rukiya suddenly stood. “I've got it! Kagome, thank you!” Without saying a word to the bewildered girl, Rukiya walked off to the far edge of the room, toward the door that led to the nightclub, wile muttering quickly under her breath.

 

“I hope that whatever plan you helped her think up works.” Inuyasha said when Rukiya vanished from the next room.

 

He slid down the wall till he was sitting and crossed his arms. “Narek…what the fuck was he doing?” Inuyasha looked across the room to Lilliana. “And what did he say to her?”

 

“I wish I knew.” Kagome said down next to him. “What gets me though is why he let Ayame live.”

 

“That fucker. What's he up to?” Inuyasha growled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was quiet. The crowds on the beach had thinned since midnight struck. Though the beach was dirty, and the smell of a tainted sea tickled his nose like a bee sting, the breeze kept him rooted where he stood. When he was human, the beach was his haven. Standing underneath the pier, Xander listened to the waves until a presence close by shifted his attention.

 

He could feel two nightwalkers approaching. He didn't recognize their scents; perhaps it was the polluted water that kept him from identifying the odor. Nevertheless, he turned and waited. In the shadows of the pier, he saw a short, petite figure approach. Next to the small one, the other person was tall and brawny. When his eyes adjusted, he saw a short girl next to a dark skinned man.

 

“Nice to finally meet you Xander.” Said the girl. Her face was child-like, yet her intelligent, red eyes and authoritative voice spoke beyond her appearance.

 

“I would have said the same if you looked just a bit older then a kid.” He replied, intent on keeping his playful ruse until he learned of their true allegiance.

 

“I assure you, I'm much older then I look.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

“My name is of no importance right now. Until you hear my proposition, I will not give you any details of myself. Business, of course, before personal information.”

 

Xander smirked. She knew how to play the game well. If she had spoken, he might have been able to guess where her loyalties were depending on her tone of voice. What angle could she have that kept her from revealing any secrets?

 

“Well, I'm waiting.” He said.

 

This time, it was the man at the girl's side that spoke. “You do know that all rebels against the king have been given forty-eight hours to either surrender or die, right?”

 

“Yeah? What of it?”

 

“What do you plan to do?” Asked the girl.

 

“What does it matter? If I run, I'll be hunted. If I wait to make a move, I'll be hunted. Where are you going with this?”

 

“Would you prefer to live?” Said the girl. “And in a more free fashion then you are now?”

 

“I'm listening.”

 

“I think Narek has given you a warning about being hunted for your intelligence gathering. We want you to take his offer.” The man said.

 

“So you are on the king's side.”

 

“Maybe we are, maybe we're not.” Said the girl.

 

“Who are you really?” Xander snarled. “I'm not about to go making ties because two random strangers asked me to. I didn't plan on agreeing when Narek threatened me and I don't plan on agreeing with you. If you want to kill me go right ahead, but don't expect me to go down easily.”

 

“You've got guts kid, I'll tell ya that.” The man smirked. Ignoring Xander's growls he turned to the girl and said. “You want to spill the beans and tell him everything? He is known for giving info for the right price. How do we know he won't leak our plans to someone else?”

 

“Be quiet Chase. You should know that if he has the urge to talk, that problem is easily solved. Either way, we are running out of time. We must make this quick so that we can get back on track.” The girl replied.

 

“What the fuck are you muttering about?” Xander snapped.

 

“Relax boy,” the girl said, flipping her shoulder-length, black hair. “I'm not here to attack you. My name is Lucy, and I have some information you couldn't possibly pass up.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We'd be leaving a lot of things to chance, but I can't think of a better plan.” Kagura said.

 

Every leader in Kouga's office looked at Rukiya. “Are you certain you've thought this through?” Said a nightwalker with a gold ring on her nose.

 

“Every aspect. We still have a day and a half to prepare. If there are any objections or suggestions that would make things better, I'd like to hear them.” Rukiya replied.

 

Kanna, Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Kouga, Inuyasha and the other ally family heads remained silent for a while. Then the man with the gold ring spoke. “I can't think of anything else that might work. What do you think Hiten?” She asked another family head. The addressed man with black slit eyes and a long braid grunted before speaking.

 

“We have so little time to prepare and this is the best plan we've heard so far. I agree. Although, I think we should meet and discuss for more. Should we return to our families and tell them about the plan now?” Hiten asked Kanna. After speaking with Kagura and Sesshoumaru for a moment, she nodded.

 

“Hurry back. We are short on time.”

 

One by one the ally leaders left Kouga's office. Once they left the room, Kanna let out an uncharacteristic sigh. Her usual emotionless face was broken by a tired frown. “I'd like to return to my family and inform them as well. I'll leave when the other leaders return.” She said.

 

“We'll go with you. Better to travel in groups.” Kagura said. Sesshoumaru nodded and he followed the two sisters out of the room.

 

Still angered at Kouga, Inuyasha followed Rukiya out of the room before he resumed their previous argument. Kouga, however, didn't seem to mind being left alone. Outside, Rukiya gathered the family and told them her strategy.

 

“But won't that be dangerous?” Kagome asked, looking at Inuyasha nervously.

 

“Any course of action we take now will be dangerous.” Lilliana said.

 

Rukiya looked at the three girls and said, “I want all of you to stay here. We're not going home in the morning. Either way, we have little time to prepare. Don't go anywhere please. You can relax until the leaders return, but please prepare yourselves.”

 

Any protest was stopped by Kouga's sudden appearance in the room. He addressed all the rogues in his family and spoke of Rukiya's plan. He also told the rogues that the family leaders would be staying with them for the next day and a half. There was some scurrying for a moment as nightwalkers left the room. Several of them entered the club and returned with chairs, others went through the door next to Kouga's office and came down with some furniture from the private rooms.

 

With a glare to Inuyasha, Kouga disappeared into his office. It was as though he disapproved of his family's hospitality. “That was nice of him.” Inuyasha said.

 

With nothing left to do but wait until the leaders returned, Rukiya left to gather her thoughts and review her plans. Kagome sat with Claire and Inuyasha on one of the sofas the rogues had brought from upstairs, trying to keep her anxious mind away from negative thoughts.

 

“So this is it huh?” Claire said.

 

“Let's hope.” Inuyasha replied.

 

Claire glared at him. “Can't you say something encouraging? I'm going to get a ulcer listening to you!” She suddenly rose and walked across the room to an empty chair.

 

“So what do you plan to do when this is over?” Kagome asked Inuyasha in an attempt to sooth her nerves. Speaking of a possible event after the end of their struggle made their soon to be reality less frightening.

 

“Probably look for the next heir. I think that we'll also have to find anyone still loyal to the old bastard and reunite the families that went into hiding.”

 

Kagome clicked her teeth. “Claire is right! I am going to get an ulcer from listening to you. I mean, what are your plans when things are peaceful?”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. “There will be plenty to do even after the fight is over.”

 

“Then after that?” She pressed.

 

“I don't know. I never thought about it. What do you plan to do?”

 

Kagome fidgeted. “I guess I didn't really think about it either.”

 

Inuyasha gave a half amused, half somber grunt. “What?” Kagome asked.

 

“I thought you might want to go home after this. You know, pick up where you left off.”

 

He was right. She was hoping she could return to Tokyo. If it was possible, she wanted to get back into her university and finish her education. She would really like to do the things she would have done if she never became a nightwalker. If the family allowed it, she really wanted to live like she would have if she had never left home.

 

“Wouldn't it bother you if I left to live away for the family? I mean, don't you need to feed from me? You can't keep coming and going all the time.”

 

“I know that.” Inuyasha sighed. “But I do owe you for taking you away from your home. I can't tell you what to do. I can't stop you either. In the end, you have to decide.”

 

Kagome stared at him. She had thought he'd be against it. She thought the family wouldn't allow her to live alone since she couldn't control her bloodlust yet, or since she couldn't be far because of Inuyasha's addiction. To hear Inuyasha agree with her decision made a new hope rise in her chest. Maybe she could see her real family one more time.

 

“If I did go back, you wouldn't be against it?” Kagome asked.

 

“No. If it weren't for my stupid addiction we wouldn't have brought you along.”

 

“Don't start that again!” Kagome huffed. “Otherwise, I'm going to forget that I don't hold grudges and start blaming you again.”

 

“Fine, fine, I'll shut up then.” Inuyasha growled in return. “You make it sound like it's an easy thing to forget. How would you feel if you completely ruined and changed someone else's life because you couldn't control yourself?” He said under his breath.

 

“I'd feel pretty bad yeah, but I don't think I'll wallow in my misery forever, especially if that person has forgiven me. Besides, Inuyasha, I can't be the only human being whose life you've screwed over.”

 

“What the fuck? You think I go around kidnapping human girls and mating with them?”

 

“NO!” Kagome flushed. “I meant…you know, weren't there other girls that you…uh, well…”

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. “If you mean have I had human lovers in the past, then yes I have. But, I never took any other human away from her home for my own safety, or let her be killed and changed into a nightwalker by my enemy. I've had my share of nightwalker lovers too, but I didn't feel a strong enough connection to take a mate. You're the first woman I've ever lost control over.”

 

Buy why her? Had he really been controlled by bloodlust that night? In the past, some of the women he'd bitten had wanted more from him. Why had he gone farther that night? Had it been because he was so parched that taking her blood hadn't been enough? Or could he have been so tired of fighting, of going out and leading the rebellion against the king with his brother, that he had wanted a night of pleasure, to ease his own thoughts and forget that there was a war he had been fighting? Could that have been the reason? Or, Inuyasha sighed, was he just fueled by lust.

 

That was another question entirely. There had been more attractive and vindictive women that he'd slept with. It wasn't that Kagome was unattractive. Though she was plain and normal looking, she became a completely different person when she was yelling at him, teasing him or when she was asleep. Maybe he was just looking for a way to ease his dilemmas. Of course, in the end, the moment of peace he wanted brought more troubles.

 

“I'm sorry.” Kagome said.

 

Surprised he said, “What for?”

 

“I didn't mean to imply that you go around hurting women. I just didn't think I'd be the first…uh…human you slept with.”

 

“Forget it. You're a nightwalker now, so I guess I shouldn't matter any more.”

 

“That reminds me. Why didn't you want to take a mate before meeting me?”

 

“Didn't have time to get to know anyone. There was one woman I was close to. I probably would have asked her to mate with me, but she died when my old man…you get the idea. What about you? Didn't you have someone special when you were human?”

 

Kagome took a moment to reply. “I had a boyfriend in high school, but we drifted apart when we went to college. There was also a guy I had a crush on in college, but he turned out to be a real ass.” Kagome laughed.

 

“What?” Inuyasha raised a brow at her chortling.

 

“We both had bad love-lives huh?”

 

Inuyasha smiled. “Looks like it didn't stop there. With an addiction and a reluctant mating, I should say our bad luck got carried over. Too bad our luck can't cancel each other out.”

 

They stared at each other for a moment. There was still so many problems to solve, so many questions to ask about where their relationship was going now. “Anything could happen, but I'm willing to try to makes things better if you are. And I'm not just talking about our relationship.” Kagome added when she saw Rukiya come back into the room, followed by several of the ally family leaders.

 

Noticing her line of vision, Inuyasha turned his head to the see the leaders. “I won't say I can forget the way we came to be as mates, but we have plenty of time to get over it. `I'm willing to make things better if you are.' But for now, I think we should go back to getting ready to fight those bastards.”

 

“Right.” Kagome agreed.

 

The other nightwalkers in the room stirred from their musings when they noticed the leaders returning one by one. In less then two days, there would be either victory of oblivion. Kanna, Kagura and Sesshoumaru returned, and they motioned for Inuyasha and Rukiya to join them. Rising, Inuyasha nodded to Kagome before meeting with the leaders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lilliana breathed in deeply. Courage, she chanted in her mind. That was what she lacked and she hoped that by concentrating on the word she would attain the strength she needed for the daft choice she was going to attempt. Sneaking away from the family only proved how foolish her decision was, but from the moment she remembered every memory that she believed was best left forgotten, bringing with them the weight of what she had to do, she knew there was no longer avoiding this course of action. It was all a matter of time and choosing the correct words. She knew that she couldn't run, and she wouldn't. She may have when she was a child.

 

The wind was strong, as though it was supporting her choice. Lilliana sighed, filling her lungs with the cold, spring air. The current carried a scent she could identify no matter how it mixed with other smells. What she was seeking was close and all that was left was for her to be valiant enough to seek it out.

 

Lilliana willed her heart to calm down and followed the breeze's guidance. Running through the city until concrete turned into dirt, it hadn't taken long to find him. He had been standing under a tree, his eye watching the black sky above. The moment he felt her come near, he turned to face her. Lilliana breathed in and came out of the shadows of the trees. Narek didn't move, watching her patiently without a word. She knew he was waiting for an action, the reason she had the gall to come and see him of her own accord.

 

“Is there a reason you are willingly walking into a storm?” Narek spoke their native language in his low, charming voice. His warning hit her.

 

“I'll brave any tempest at this point.” Lilliana echoed in the same tongue.

 

Narek turned so that his body completely faced her and walked into the small clearing of moonlight, his seeing eye not leaving her till he stopped a few steps away. He looked her over from her head down, as though expecting to see her strike at him.

 

“Are you here to finally bring me down? You've always felt that responsibility to be the one to kill me. Am I right?” Narek stoically asked.

 

Lilliana narrowed her eyes. “That's true, I have. We have a lot in common: the same eyes, the same hair, the same heritage…the same way of death. I always thought that I should be the one to defeat you. I always felt the guilt of what you have done, all the lives you've taken; I've always blamed myself, knowing that I was also a source of your anger. I've always felt that I have to be the one to extinguish your darkness,” she looked bravely in his eyes, “even more so now.”

 

Narek raised his brows, and the bitter feeling of animosity that was radiating off of him still reached her even though his face remained impassive. “Really?” He took a step toward her, extending his hand till he got hold of her neck. He did not tighten his fingers and said patiently, “How is that?”

 

Lilliana didn't move and breathed in deeply once more.

 

“Narek Khatchoyan.”

 

The effect was just as she had expected. Narek's eyes widened, he drew in a breath, and took a step away from her, his hand leaving her throat and his fangs appearing in a snarl. “How did you…”He hissed.

 

He charged, intending to painfully interrogate the truth from her. Lilliana jumped backward before he could get a hold of her. As Narek turned to strike at her again she began to sing and he stopped in his tracks, bending forward, covering his ears.

 

“How do you know that name?” He gasped. “Stop singing and answer!”

 

Lilliana didn't flinch at the menacing sound of his voice. There was no longer any fear of him. Calmly, she replied. “So you don't remember. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.”

 

“What are you prattling on about?” He stood straight again, slowing removing his hands from his ears. Storm clouds rolled overhead as though they were called by his angry mood.

 

Pointing at his face, Lilliana began. “Let me enlighten you. You're ten years older then me. You were the same young man that treated my ankle when I had gotten lost in the forest. You helped me recover from a terrible fever.” Lilliana peered at his face.

 

He remained indifferent to her words, holding still. She watched him warily, in case he made a move bring harm to her again. Even though it was only an instant, time stretched on between the two of them as Lilliana waited for him to make an action and as Narek looked into her face with his dark eye as though trying to penetrating into her mind.

 

Then there was an expression that she had never seen him wear before. He did not portray shock as he had done earlier. Instead, his face was calm, patient. Narek blinked several times before closing his eyes and taking a long inhale. There was a heavy pause. Neither of them spoke and the only sound was the wind that was now shaking the trees around them insistantly.

 

The purple clouds above them had moved in front of the moon. They had opened, letting their rain sprinkle over them. Finally, Lilliana broke the silence.

 

“You have no answer? If you don't acknowledge what I have said, then I will sever all ties with you and forever render you my enemy.” She said slowly.

 

Narek gave her a short glance. “So you have regained your memory.”

 

“I have.”

 

“Everything?”

 

She nodded.

 

Narek frowned. “As I thought.”

 

“What's your response? I have to know-”

 

“I'm not the same man you remember.” He cut across her, his emotionless eyes cast downward.

 

“So you're declaring yourself my adversary?”

 

Narek shook his head. “ `Adversary.' I had hoped that you would not recall who I was. That your memory would remain locked forever. At least then I could live without your hatred.”

 

Lilliana clenched her fists. “My hatred? That's an understatement!” She pointed at him, her eyes shining with rage. “Why Narek?”

 

He did not reply. “Why? That's what I want to know. What happened to the kind, young man that carried me on his back when I was a child? Why did you change?”

 

“Gone.” Narek spat, but his voice was empty once again. “He was taken by cruel slaughter.”

 

“Don't you see that what you're doing now puts you in the same level as those bastards that killed us long ago!”

 

He didn't speak. “Answer damn you!” She demanded.

 

“I wish you hadn't remembered. I knew I should have tampered with your memories, sealed them shut. If only it wasn't you.”

 

Lilliana huffed in exasperation and resentment. “What do you mean `if only it wasn't me?'”

 

“Because then I could have kept this charade up longer and I wouldn't have to worry about your welfare.”

 

The words that she neither understood nor expected to hear took Lilliana aback. She scrutinized Narek as he stood with his arms at his side, unclenched and un-hostile. Was it another rouse? “What are you talking about?” She glared at him.

 

“It's complicated.” Narek looked up at her and gave a weak, sad smile. Now there was the face she remembered, the kind voice that she loved to hear as a child and it brought old feelings up to the surface. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pin down the tears before they had escaped her eyes. Lilliana rushed forward, grabbing the collar of his shirt, and pushing him till his back collided with a tree trunk.

 

“Why? Why did you save me from dying from Fenrir and Hakudoshi's venom? Why were you willing to lose your eye for me? Are you trying to confuse me?” She snapped through clenched teeth.

 

“Putting you in a state of confusion was never my intent. As to the reason I saved your life and lost my eye as the price, I thought it was pretty obvious.” He replied, looking down at her with a pained expression.

 

The tears were cold as they leaked out of her eyes. “Obvious? Then why did you do it? Why did you betray our family? Why did you kill Chase, and Natalia and Christiano and the others?”

 

Narek closed his eyes. “I'm sorry.” He said somberly.

 

Lilliana gulped back a sob, shaking him so hard that he hit his head against the wood behind him. “I hate you.”

 

“I know.”

 

She became weak, letting go of his shirt, her hands dropping to be limp at her sides. “But I can't stop loving you…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@_^!