Vampire Princess Miyu Fan Fiction ❯ When Friends are True-A Vampire Miyu Saga ❯ Empty Darkness ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter Three



Chapter Three
Empty Darkness

The weather turned its face on Kyoto the next day. The clouds that had rolled in the day before never did burn off. They hung low in the sky, dark, gray and menacing, a thick blanket that threatened rain. Orange and gold leaves stood out starkly against the darkness and shimmered in the cool breeze. This was perfectly normal for this time of year, roughly late October, after a remotely warm summer, but something was different. Something very different and very wrong.
The pungent smell of decaying leaves was very strong when Miyu and her friends sat under their tree for lunch. Miyu felt calmer around them now since they told her who they were and what they were doing here, and they carried on the way they did when they had first met. But the warning of their Foreseer's vision still had her freaked out. It had taken her almost two hours to fall asleep after they left last night, or so it seemed. At one point she thought that Larva had come into her room, but she was not sure so she did not ask him that morning.
Miyu studied the ring in her hand. It was Kia's, made out of heavy silver with a dark purple stone set in the middle, encircled by odd symbols. Something was engraved into the stone; it looked like a wing of some sort. If her knowledge served her correctly, a creature that looked to be a gryphon was engraved in one side of the ring, and something like a coiled or woven band on the other. The overall ring looked like a class ring that students wore. Kia was explaining the anatomy of the ring to Miyu. Yoto was reclined against the tree's trunk reading and watching Yoshi and Ryuko fight over food amused Tacha. "That symbol on the inside is my own personal crest, and the color of the stone is the color of my crest." Kia said, tapping the stone. "And the writing on the outside of it is my family name: Tlykera. That writing is our own language." She turned the ring over. "This is Regalia, out god of storm. Somehow we were proclaimed to be the children of out five gods, but let's not get into that now." She turned the ring over again. "And this is the symbol of the Chinese Shinma, the Circle of the Six Dragons." Miyu gave the ring back. "We were not sure if you knew about us or not, so we didn't want to wear them until we were sure." She put the ring back onto the third finger of her right hand.
"May I see yours?" Miyu asked Yoto. Yoto marked his place in the book and slipped the ring off his finger and gave it to her. With a quick glance, Miyu could see that his book was written in what looked like Latin. The ring looked to be a lot like Kia's, but was twice the size of hers and huge; Miyu could slip both of her thumbs into it. It was made out of shining gold with a crystal-clear stone set in its center. A snowflake was engraved on the inside of the stone, and the side that had the gryphon on it on Kia's ring was what looked to be a wolf. It was a little different than an actual wolf; it had a thick mane of hair, its back legs looked like hooves and there was a curved horn growing from its head. "Who's this?" She asked.
"That's Rayearth, our god of ice." Yoto said. Miyu gave the ring back and asked for Tacha's. There was a different animal on each of their rings, along with a different colored stone. Tacha's ring bore a blue stone was a teardrop on the inside and something that looked to be half-horse, half-fish on the side. He was Windom, the god of the ocean. A red stone and a dragon were on Yoshi's. His symbol looked like two twin blades, and the dragon was Debonaire, the god of fire. Ryuko's stone was almost a dead black, and Miyu was barley about to make out what looked like a river or stream inside. The creature on the side looked like a western dragon, but it had wings instead of front limbs. His was called Lafarga, the god of illusion.
"You said something last night about the three different clans of your world." Miyu said as she handed Ryuko his ring back.
"Yeah," Tacha said, taking a drink of soda. Yoshi snatched the bottle from her and drained the rest. "Kia and Yoshi are Avians, and they all look like either birds of bats. Yoto and Ryuko are Wolfins, and they all looked like wolves, foxes and coyotes. I'm a Feline, and we all look like the wild big cats."
"And you're royalty?"
Tacha nodded. "Heirs to the throne. Someday we will rule over our respective clan. Except Ryuko; he's known as a Second Heir." Ryuko and Yoshi began to fight over the last remaining rice-ball. Tacha continued: "He is the nephew of the current king. If anything should happen to Yoto, then Ryuko will take over. What about you, Miyu? The vampires are the rulers of the Japanese Shinma, right? Will you gain a title like Queen or Empress of the Japanese Shinma when your task is over?"
Miyu had never thought about that before. "I'm not sure; Osa never told me. All I know is that I am the current Sentinel that must send all the wandering Shinma back to the Darkness. I really don't know what will happen when Larva and I are finished."
Thunder rolled explosively over their heads, startling them all. Lightning forked down from the sky into the inky ocean before the thunder rolled again. As if the floodgates of heaven opened, rain poured down upon them. The baring branches did little to block the fat, cold drops of water. They quickly gathered up their books, bags and any remaining food and took shelter under the overhang of the gym, but not before they got an effective shower. The rice ball that Ryuko and Yoshi were fighting over was destroyed.
"Ahh yes, nothing like a refreshing spring shower to cool you down." Ryuko said sarcastically, shaking the water from his eyes.
"Rice ball…" Yoshi cried softly, reaching out mournfully for the pile of bloated rice that was still in the grass.
"Yoshi, we have plenty of rice back at home. You can gorge yourself there after school." Tacha said while squeezing the water from her braid. Yoshi sat back and pouted, then shook his head forcefully. Water flew everywhere.
"Miyu, what's wrong?"
Miyu stood motionless, staring out into the driving rain. But she was not looking at the rain; her eyes were distant yet intense. "Something is not right, here and in my realm. I can't put my finger on it, but… something is wrong."
The Chinese Shinma stayed silent. "If anything is wrong, will other Japanese Shinma tell you?" Kia asked.
"I hope so. Something feels really wrong."
"I've been feeling a growing tension in the atmosphere. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't know if it was my place or not." Kia said.
"Do you think it may tie into the prophecy?"
Kia shook her head. "It's hard to say. Foresights are unpredictable."
The bell rang loudly, reminding everyone that another lunch was over. They all separated to go to their sixth period classes; Miyu, the twins and Tacha to PE, Yoto to geometry and Ryuko to literature. Little was said as the way of a good bye.
PE that day helped pick up Miyu's spirits a little. Since it had began raining so suddenly, the class had to stay in the gym and had a chance to play either volleyball or basketball. The teachers fanatically worked to get the nets up as role was being taken. Not wanting to risk being trampled, Miyu and the Chinese Shinma took off for the volleyball "courts". Not even five minutes into the game, Yoshi somehow managed to get himself tangled up in the nets and was unable to free himself. It finally took the aid of utility scissors to free him. The stress relief was only temporary; as soon as Miyu saw the sheets of rain when her class was released to the locker rooms she saw the sheets of rain and heard the peals of thunder, her bleak mood quickly returned. Miyu and the girls stood under the roof of the girl's locker room waiting for the teacher to let them in and change. Kaya, a young, weak Shinma whom Miyu was faintly aquatinted with tapped Miyu on the shoulder. "Miyu, what's happening?" She asked with large purple eyes that were full of confusion.
The wind became colder, and most of the girls huddled close together to keep warm. Miyu answered: "I don't know."
The girl's locker room was old and in desperate need of repair. Water dripped through the leaky ceiling and onto the girls as they changed, making them squeal when the water landed on them. The Shinma girls did not notice.
"Oh, well." Yoshi said as they stood outside the gym. "At least we don't have field practice today."
"I think there is someone I can see about this." Miyu said. "A few Shinma in our class are feeling anxious, too. Whatever is going on, it is big."
Kia nodded, then said: "We'll come by your home tomorrow and we'll go see a movie or to the mall or something like." The bell had finished ringing and they left.
After school Miyu quickly made her way home, using her book bag as an umbrella. The rain was relentless; it had not faltered since it started, and that was over two hours ago. As soon as she reached the edge of the cedar forest where there was no one else around, she disappeared to her home.
Home… she thought wearily. This is only a house, not a home. She did not have a true home since she had Awoken. True, it kept her and Larva warm and dry, and she was with Larva all the time, but it did not feel like a home. Not like the one when she lived with her parents. She changed into her white yukata and pulled her red ribbon from her hair to let it dry. If it was raining here, in the Earth Realm, then she could just imagine what it was like in the Spirit Realm. Her long dark hair dried quickly and she put it put into her traditional hairstyle. Then she sought out Larva.
She quickly told him what was happening and whom she needed to talk to about this. The only problem was this Shinma was dangerous, unpredictable and a troublemaker, so she needed Larva to go with her.
Miyu figured that the Japanese Shinma built the house that she and the past Sentinels had stayed in solely for them. The house seemed to be built in between the Earth and Japanese Realms. Miyu opened a paper rice door and stepped into the Japanese Realm, into the Darkness.
Surprisingly, the landscape looked almost identical to Japan on earth, though it seemed to be a little darker. The ocean fanned out behind them, and the Western Shinma Realm rested on the other side. A cedar forest and a high mountain range spread out before them. This was the actual realm. Miyu's red realm as well as the other worlds that Shinma would often drew her into during a fight was a mere state of mind brought to reality. That was what made the Japanese Spirit Realm so complex; it was a world built upon hundreds, maybe even thousands of other worlds. The true realm consisted of five different areas, known as Layers. Each Layer had its own Elder and Sentinel, with Miyu being the Watcher and Sentinel of the entire realm, and the Shinma that lived in the lower Layers became stronger than the ones above them. Miyu knew little of this, but she heard stories that the Japanese Shinma Realm was almost completely circular that centralize around a mythical center known as the Heart of the Darkness. But since the only Shinma Miyu ever really came into contact with were from the First Layer and sometimes the Second Layer, which consisted of the weaker Shinma, her sources were weak.
As she suspected, the weather of the Earth Realm was being reflected here. The entire landscape was engulfed by a howling blizzard, making it nearly impossible to see anything a few feet ahead. It was worse than she thought.
Miyu had been here a few times before, but this time it felt different. It was very quiet, even for a spirit realm. It felt almost… empty.
The one Miyu had to see lived on those mountains, which marked the boarder line between the First Layer and the Second Layer. "Let's go." Miyu said, and she and Larva disappeared into the mountains.
The Shinma lived in a small area that looked like a traditional Japanese shrine, thought it was small compared to the true shrines of Japan. It was cold up here, and there was snow on the ground, but the mountain had blocked the blizzard that swirled around them. "Miyu," Larva said. The mask did not muffle his voice at all. "Are you sure it is safe to talk to Reiha? You have had your differences in the past."
"I know it seems risky, but she would be the only one that I can talk at close range. Ranka would probably know more, but she's very hard to track down." Ranka was the Sentinel of the Second Layer. Though Reiha did not compare to her powers, had a close connection to Ranka, sort of like a messenger. Whatever she knew then Reiha knew as well. Though Reiha had caused problems when she was in the Earth Realm and Miyu had no choice but to send her back, Miyu needed her help right now. "Reiha! This is Miyu, Guardian of the Japanese Spirit Realm! Where are you?"
"There's no need to shout." Came a voice from behind. "I knew you were here from the moment you can through that door." Miyu turned around and saw Reiha standing right behind her. She was a small Shinma and looked very young, maybe eight or none years old by human terms, but she was older than Miyu was by a few hundred, maybe even a thousand years. Her hair was dark blue, almost black, very short and pulled into a small pigtail in front of each ear. Her eyes were large and green yet very cold, her skin so pale it was almost white and she had a strange, light blue symbol on her forehead; Miyu was not sure exactly what that meant. She was dressed in traditional Japanese robes made of light lavender and white cloth that seemed to be too big for her and she carried a doll in her arms, its eyes closed. It name was Matsukazi, a small Shinma that was always with Reiha that Miyu found to be particularly annoying. Reiha was a controller of ice, which explained the snow on the ground. Her favorite attacks were freezing people alive, and she did it often. Miyu had to be on her guard.
"I know why you are here." Reiha said coolly, sweeping past Miyu in a graceful manner, almost as if she were floating. "It's because of the shift between worlds, isn't it?"
"If that's what you call it, yes." Miyu said in an equally cold tone. "What has happened? This world seems unnaturally quiet."
"You're right." Said Reiha. "That's because all the Shinma within the First, Second, even the Third Layers have all left for the Earth Realm."
Miyu blinked. "Left? They're all in the Earth Realm? Is it some sort of rebellious movement?"
"Actually, no. From what I know, they were all Shinma that never got into any trouble. But they all just left."
"For what reasons did they leave?" Miyu asked. This had to be serious. Usually Reiha acted very coy when Miyu had to inquire her, but this time she was very straightforward.
Reiha did not answer right away. She instead knelt down to admire a bunch of purple flowers that grew out of the snow. "The Shinma that fled would never leave unless it was something really important. There are no stone-set facts yet, but I'll tell you the rumors that I have heard. You may be familiar with Shinma Ha'nyuh? Has the body of a bird, and a pretty face? Well, he and his lover Saya were flying over the ocean earlier this morning when they spotted something in the distance; a ship. It was not one of our ships, like the ones that the Shinma of Totogenki village use." Miyu nodded. Although she had never been there before, Totogenki was a small Shinma fishing village in this world. It was probably the biggest town in the entire realm. "It was a ship for the West, Miyu. A ship that belonged to the Occidental Shinma. When Ha'nyuh returned to us, alone and out of breath, he was stammering something about a Western Shinma who had killed Saya. He also pointed out that there was more than one- he counted seven of eight- and they were on their way here. Neither of the Clans have crossed the ocean since the Shinma wars."
Miyu remained quiet for a moment, digesting the information that Reiha had just given her. "And what will happen if they land here?"
Reiha finally looked at Miyu, her face unreadable. She then turned back to the flowers that she had been looking at and then swiped a hand at them. The flowers were instantly frozen in ice, then crumbled. Miyu grimaced. "I see your point. And no one knows for what reasons they are here for?"
"Why should they need a reason?" Matsukazi asked in a scornful voice. "They're our enemies. They don't need a reason to attack."
Miyu found that to be a little unbelievable. Matsukazi was trademarked for his harsh and negative words. There must be a reason for them to come here, to cross the vast ocean into hostile enemy territory, though she did not know where to begin. "Where are these Shinma hiding?"
"A vast majority are probably in the forest, a few in the cities. I don't think you'll have to worry about them causing any trouble. Or main concern should be the Western Shinma that are on their way here."
"How many of the Elders and other Sentinels know of this situation?"
"As far as the Elders go, none. The Elders of the Lower Layers won't get involved if they could possibly help it. The only others ones who know of this is Ranka."
"Then that's all that should know. We can't have a mass panic, or at least not to a greater extent that it is now."
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing until it is certain that they are on their way here."
Reiha looked at her as if she were questioning Miyu's decision. She shrugged. "What ever your call is. You're the Sentinel and the Guardian of the Realm. What ever happens will fall on your shoulders." Reiha said coldly. She turned quickly and disappeared.
Miyu stared at the place where Reiha had been standing for a moment or two, pondering her words. She well understood that she was the Guardian of this realm, that she was to protect it from all harm. She had faced a few Western Shinma before, and most of them were not a big problem. But a whole fleet of them? What was the full extent of their powers? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Reiha was not the most reliable source in the Japanese Realm, and she and Miyu did have their differences in the past. But everything boiled down to she was the Guardian, and guard the realm she must. Turning sharply on her heel, she began to walk away from the small Japanese Shrine. "Let's go, Larva."
Upon arriving back at the house, Miyu slowly closed the paper rice door behind her, closing off the room from the world of the Shinma. Neither she nor Larva had spoken a word to each other since they met with Reiha, too obsessed with their own thoughts. Miyu opened the door on the opposite side of the room to let in some fresh air. Rain always made the air smell sweet and clean. The human world lay beyond the sheets of rain. Miyu was also surprised to find Kia, in her true form, sprawled on the porch, her arms draped over her eyes, legs hanging over the end and her wings spread out along the wooden planks.
"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get back." She said. "I was almost tired of waiting." She sat up, carefully folding her wings behind her.
Miyu glanced back over her shoulder, silently dismissing Larva. She could sense his uneasiness being this close to the Chinese Shinma that was sitting on their porch. After he left, Miyu took a seat next to Kia. "I thought you said you were coming by tomorrow." Miyu said. "Where is everyone else?"
"At home. I had to talk to you about something. Where did you go?"
"I had to talk to someone. A sort of ally to the Sentinel of the Second Layer, Ranka. Her name is Reiha."
Kia nodded. "Yeah, I've met them before." She paused. "I suppose you know what's going on?"
Miyu looked at Kia. "You know too? How did you find out?"
"Well, being a Stormblood- that's what we call Shinma who have the power over a thunderstorm- I can sense when a big storm like this is moving in a few days before it ever hits. But this…" she said making a motion with her hand towards the storm. "I would have been able to feel three or four days in advance. But, there was nothing. Not even a tingle. So, sitting at home today after school, I came to the conclusion that the only thing that could cause this was a clash of realms, when the beings of one realm cross to another. When we first came here, we caused a little weather disturbance, but it soon mellowed out. Have you ever wondered why human meteorologists can never get their forecasts right? When a Shinma crosses from this realm into the Earth realm, it disturbs the weather. The more powerful the Shinma, the bigger the disturbance. And I'm guessing with a storm this big, it can either be a fleet of them or a powerful few."
"Or both." Kia gave a start. "Reiha told me that there were about eight of them, and one was able to kill a Shinma by using nothing but a simple spell. I take it this can be a problem?"
"I means that your people can be in very big trouble. The other Chinese Shinma and I will help you, but only with your permission."
"In my life as the guardian, there is nothing that Larva and I have not been able to defeat. But this is different. There's a huge snowstorm in the Japanese Shinma Realm right now, from them coming, and this is from the massive jump that more than half the population of the first three Layers made. Since no one else seems interested in helping us, I would appreciate your help, but only when we get into trouble."
Kia nodded, then pulled out something from inside her cloak. It was a small devise that looked like a perfect silver sphere with one red dot in the middle, no larger than the size of a hundred yen coin. "If you do need help, push the red button. I have the other one, and it will make a beeping noise if activated." Miyu took the small object, looking it over. The Japanese Shinma never had anything like this, so they must truly been further advanced then they.
"All right." Miyu said. "If anything out of control happens, I'll call. And because of this, I have to be guarding the Gate to my realm, so I don't think I will be able to do anything tomorrow."
"Then we'll take a rein-check on that. There's nothing good playing at the movies anyway. Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you later." Kia stood up, soothing the wrinkles in her cloak, then walked down the length of the porch. She turned the corner, and was gone.
When the Chinese Shinma was gone, Miyu sought out Larva. He was standing next to a window, looking out to the ocean if it was not raining so hard. Miyu told him about her conversation with Kia, but he barely nodded. "Is there something bothering you?" She asked.
He shook his head. There was something that was deeply disturbing him; he had not told Miyu about his dream yet. "I just have a bad feeling about this."
Miyu slid her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. "I don't think it's anything to be overly worried about. I don't think it's anything we're not going to be able to handle."
Larva put his arms around her, gently stroking her hair. A brief flash of his dream reappeared to haunt him, and he shuddered. Please let it be just that.