Vampire Princess Miyu Fan Fiction ❯ When Friends are True-A Vampire Miyu Saga ❯ A Gentle Heart ( Chapter 13 )

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

Chapter Thirteen



Chapter Thirteen
A Gentle Heart
The ship creaked softly on the surf, a very gentle, lulling sound that the average sailor found as comforting as the sounds of songbirds outside a lord's manner. But Pazusu did not pay it any heed. There were too many other important issues to be thinking about for the time being.
The Quarl had returned…or at least showing signs of returned. Cait Sith was the last of their Clan, everybody knew that…but the things that left the ship were definitely not Shinma. The only candle that remained burning was down to its last hour, the small flame casting eerie shadows and dark shapes around the main parlor of the Western Ghost ship. Carlua still slept on the couch beside his chair, her nightmares finally leaving her and leaving nothing more than a soothing healing sleep that would help her regain her strength. Everyone was still gone from the ship…except for Night Gia, of course. He was still in his cabin, once calm but now every nerve on end since the Chinese Shinma had reappeared on the ship and left the message burnt into the wall.
A traitor lies among you. Be wary.
"Could the Quarl be at it again? Can Caial have returned?" No, that was impossible. Their Queen had disappeared with the rest of the Clan. "After all, the war has ended…"
Or had it…?
* * *
The Quarl shall become the leader of all Shinma…
"Let's go! We must fight to rule all Shinma! Join us, Pazusu?" Caial's voice was silky smooth but dripped with venom. Even in this world, a world alien to their Clan, she still wore her native clothing; a shoulder-less white dress adorned with chains around her waist and a turban-like cloth wrapped around her head, keeping her long dark hair back. The white was a striking contrast against her naturally dark skin. "Or don't you want to join us?"
Pazusu did not answer. Most of the times, not answering at all was better than any answer among these people.
"Very well then… Just stay here and baby-sit! Larva and Carlua were such good kids. We shall fight together some other time.
Watch out for the Quarl…
Those were Count Rall's last words to me… Pazusu thought as he watch Caial sweep gracefully out of the room. According to Rall, it was she would killed him, which made him trust her even less now. I never trusted the Quarl, I just obeyed them. I didn't want to cause any conflicts…And my friend, the Count, uncovered some plot, so they killed him.
Of course, after the war, all of the Quarl had been killed by the other Clans of Shinma who were also pulled in…mostly by the Japanese Shinma and their Chinese allies. Although the Queen's son, Cait Sith is still alive. He is strong, like his mother, but what a poor boy! When the Quarl disappeared from the face of the earth the only one remaining, Cait Sith, joined the Western Shinma Clan.
* * *
"Cait Sith…whose vibration am I sensing? What is this ominous feeling? Why do I feel so anxious?" It was not a new feeling. It had been sensed, once, a very long time ago, but the memory was misty and just out of reach of his mind. Pazusu strained, trying desperately to remember…
Then it all came back in a flash. "This is like, that first time!"
* * *
"You're going to Japan?"
"Yes."
The room was dark, one of the few sources of light coming from the candle that Larva was holding. Carlua was finally asleep, after a terrible battle of wanting to stay up longer, and Pazusu did not want to wake her up again. Then she would never fall back asleep. "But why Larva?"
Larva turned away from the large window, the candle illuminating his young, handsome features. "Well, I've heard that the Japanese Shinma are formidable foes. I want to test myself by fighting against them."
Pazusu sighed. Chances were, this idea did not enter his foster son's head by itself. "Who told you this story?"
"It was Cait Sith, master." Pazusu had expected the worse, and this was it. "He said his Clan was destroyed by the Japanese Shinma too, and he wants his revenge…"
Pazusu massaged his temples. "Cait Sith…will he go with you?" Larva was silent before he answered.
"No…not this time…" Larva began uncertainty. His master was not facing him, and that was usually not a good sign. "Lemures and I will scout it out first, then the rest will join us later." He was cut off shout when Pazusu slammed his hand down on the table, making the vase on top of it rattle to the point of nearly tipping over.
It was just like the Quarl…Cait Sith had not learned from his mother's mistakes. Using others to do the hardest part of the job, then crossing over their corpses when the worst was over. "Why are you doing this, Larva?" Pazusu asked, turning slowly to look at the younger man.
Larva seemed to be at last a loss of words. "Master…well…"
"We want to test our strength, Master Pazusu." A new voice coming from the other side of the room said, as if on cue. Larva turned to see his best friend Lemures leaning casually against the tall doorframe. "You simply want to test your power, right, Larva?" Larva had to be grateful to his friend. He always had to knack of getting Larva out of spots of trouble, when it was usually Larva talking for himself, Lemures and Spartoi whenever the unfortunate happened to get into their path. That seemed to happen a lot to that particular group of friends. "Is that wrong, Master?" Lemures strode up to Larva and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going with him and we don't intend to fight, so don't worry!"
This ominous feeling…Pazusu still did not like the idea of the two boys venturing to Japan, alone, where their kind was hated and usually killed on sight. But he was past talking them out of it. It was a lost battle.
Soon, Larva left for Japan…
He never came back…
Carlua would frequently ask Pazusu where her older cousin was who had been raised like her own brother. Sometimes she would question as often as every day. For a while Pazusu would tell her that he would be home soon, very soon…but it soon got to the point where he stopped answering all together.
Thus, we took a voyage when we could wait no longer. Some of those who came are here for revenge, such as Water Lipper and Cait Sith…Amy, Spartoi and Night Gia are here to test their strength. Lemunia came because he saw it as a chance to find his brother, who also never came back from the east…and Carlua and I came to release Larva from Miyu's control.
* * *
"Could it be possible that Miyu has some hold over him…" Pazusu shook his head. He needed to sleep. "The surgery was a success…this can't be!" But how much longer could they stand? Mori, the Elders, the Chinese Shinma were all involved, and Yui of the Shi Clan could bring Miyu back to life. Amy and Water Lipper…something had happened to them. They were not dead, but perhaps very close to death.
"A mistake…" Pazusu said. "What have we done?"
* * *
Ichirou continued to run at a break-neck pace through the forests. He had been running for the last hour, ever since he had left Tacha and Verde in their fight against the Western Shinma Water Lipper, looking for Yui. So far, he had been unfortunate. But then there was something new; a new scent rolled through the air and hit his sensitive nose. "That doesn't smell like one of us…" He said to himself. It was a good sign. Yui was not Shinma, not like him. "It's Yui! She gotta be close!"
* * *
"What is this feeling?" Gia hissed. It had been some time after they finished off Water Lipper-or tried to finish her off, in the least-and they had been following his Japanese Shinma, knowing that somehow they would be lead to Yui. "It's not Shinma…it's Yui!"
They took off immediately, following close behind Ichirou. Apparently the young Japanese Shinma was too absorbed in finding her as well as he did not realize that he was being followed. "Looks like those derelicts got to Yui first." Another one of the Quarls hissed.
Then there was another pulse of power as they crossed paths with another Shinma heading in the same direction. "Is that Lemunia ahead?" Gigi rasped.
"Forget about him!" Gia snapped. "We'll get to Yui faster!"
"Very well…" The other agreed as they rushed past Lemunia so fast that he could not even see them.
* * *
"What was that?" Lemunia asked as he lowered his arms after the wind died. It was a wind; but then again, it was not…it was defiantly something living. It felt familiar… "Western Shinma? Were they…Western Shinma?" Without hesitation, he too ran off in the direction where the strangers went to.
* * *
"For crying out loud!" Nagi cried in frustration. "Where the hell are we? Haven't these people ever heard of road signs? How are were supposed to know where we're going? Aren't you supposed to know, Yui?"
"Nagi, you're really not helping." Yui said back patiently. For as much as she loved Nagi, sometime him impatience was a little frustrating, especially in a world like this. Miyu's voice still called her, she was sure they were going to right way, but this world seemed so huge, as if for every step they took forward the entire realm grew another ten feet.
Suddenly Nagi stopped, ridged, as if he had heard or seen something. "Yui, stay behind me. There's something in the air…Something is running towards us!"
"Shinma?" Yui asked. "It must be Shinma!" What else could it be?
Out of the light mist that covered the forest floor and wrapped around the trees, a small shadowy figure was running at them at an incredible speed. "Hey!" It called ahead of them. It sounded no older than a child. "Are you Yui? You're Yui, right?" It did look like a boy of perhaps twelve with large pointed ears sticking out among a wild mane of black hair.
"Uh, yes, I am!" Yui began uncertainly. This boy seemed friendly, but Nagi was not taking any chances. He immediately put himself between his vampire and the approaching Shinma.
"I'm Ichirou from the Japanese Shinma!" Ichirou introduced himself as if Nagi was not even there.
"Um…what do you want, Mr. Ichirou?" Yui asked carefully.
"I came here to take you to Miyu!"
"Miyu!?" Yui's eyes lit up at the sound of the name as she poked her head out from behind Nagi's back.
"Yeah! Miyu was attacked by the Western Shinma. We need your blood to bring her back to life! Me and my friends, who I see already found you!"
"My blood?" Yui repeated. "Western Shinma? And…your friends?" Yui looked behind her and saw a small red vixen-fox and a white wolf the size of a small pony sitting on the path behind them, tails wrapped around their legs. "Ah…those are…" The two animals changed before her eyes, turning into two human-like features while retaining some of their animal characteristics…they were the same ones that they had met earlier that day, when they first arrived in the Japanese Shinma Realm.
"You!" Nagi exclaimed as he recognized Yoto and Kitsune. "What are you doing here? I told you to not follow us!"
"And you expected us to listen?" Kitsune jeered back. "If we did not follow you and you were attacked by a Western Shinma, you would not have lasted for five minutes without our aid!"
"And why would we need help from a couple of mangy wolves? You said yourselves that you are not even from this Realm!" The Shi snapped, taking a bold step forward."
"I'm a fox!" Kitsune snapped right back.
Ichirou, ignoring the bickering between the two sides, reached out for Yui's hand, but Nagi promptly moved to block it. "Come on, Yui! Let's go! Miyu's waiting for you!"
"Hold it!" Nagi said, breaking off his argument with Kitsune. "Where do you think you're going? And what are you gonna do with Yui's blood?"
Ichirou frowned at Nagi, as if it was the first time he had even acknowledged that he was standing there. "And who might you be?" He asked snobbishly.
"Who am I?" Nagi burst out, as if it was some common fact that everyone should know.
"Well, it's rude to not introduce yourself!" The Japanese Shinma snorted smugly, crossing his arms and turning his head with his small nose up in the air.
Nagi's temper was on the breaking point and it looked at if he wanted to charge Ichirou and beat him to the ground right there. "Why, you…" he growled through gritted teeth, fists raised and a vein popping out on his forehead. Ichirou did not look in the least bit intimidated. Behind them, Yoto and Kitsune stood where they were and blinked in confusion. With a gasp, Yui rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Nagi's waist, holding him back.
"This is my precious Nagi!" Yui said quickly, hoping to break up the argument. "He is…" Nagi stopped struggling, looking at Yui over his shoulder. "He is my…my brother!" She finished in a rush.
With a sigh, Nagi seemed to give up. "Yeah…something like that…"
Ichirou only snorted again. "Yeah, so?"
What a punk! Nagi thought savagely as he glowered at Ichirou. Who ever said that the Japanese Shinma were so rude? "Yui! Don't do anything for these people!" He said, turning away and taking Yui by the hand.
"What?" Ichirou exclaimed angrily. "Why don't you butt out! It's not like I'm asking you for anything, ya know!"
Nagi turned right back around, new rage flaring across his face. "How dare you say that! You little punk!"
"Punk?" The werewolf yelled right back. "I'm a Shinma, got it?"
Behind the fighting duo, Kitsune and Yoto looked at each other in disbelief. "Are they demons or junior high kids?" Kitsune asked flatly. Yoto shrugged, looking almost embarrassed that they had to witness the whole ordeal.
"Oh yeah?" Nagi shot back. "I'm a Shinma too! Only more prestigious!"
"Nagi, stop!" Yui cried desperately, pushing him back away from Ichirou. "Ichirou, take me to where Miyu is!"
All the rage in Ichirou's eyes seemed to evaporate immediately. "All right, Yui!"
"Yui!" Nagi exclaimed, as if amazed that she had said such a thing.
"Miyu's blood is calling me!" Yui said right back, sounding as if she was nearly in tears. She looked up at Nagi with a look that he had never seen before. A look of deep concern, of intense worrying, but at the same time her eyes burned with an intensity of knowing that this had to be done and she was the only one who could do it. "Miyu is in me, she is me!" Nagi had heard this story before, of Miyu's words to Yui when Yui had first learned of her vampiric nature.
Yui…is my little sister…my daughter…and me!
Slowly, uncertainly, Nagi nodded. Ichirou and the Chinese Shinma all heaved a sigh of relief at the same time.
There was a shock; a wave of energy that rolled across the air, as unmissed as if a stampede of cattle the size of elephants had charged through the area. "What was that?" Yui asked uncertainly.
The air rippled, churned, and three dark, unknown figures leapt among the trees. "It's the enemy!" Ichirou hissed, looking around the area of the intruders, who had disappeared at the moment.
"Ichirou…who is the enemy?" Yui asked quietly.
"The Western Shinma!" Ichirou shouted. Now Yoto and Kitsune were completely on their guard, their swords drawn. Kitsune's was a long broadsword with the end shaped like a shade and Yoto's was a long rapier with a demon at the hilt. "They are the enemy!"
From out of the trees emerged three human-like creatures, all wearing armor and heavy cloaks and hoods. Their faces…Yui shivered. They had no faces. Dry laughter filled the area. "Hello, Yui." One of them hissed. It sounded like dry bones being grated upon.
"You life is ours!" said another. It sounded like a snake slithering through dead grass.
"You won't be reviving Miyu!" The last proclaimed. This one sounded like ice crumbling onto a white-hot surface.
They are…Shinma? Yui wondered as she looked from one faceless figure to another. What's going on? Why are Shinma fighting against each other?
Kitsune glared at the newcomers. "They are…like those things that were spying on us before!"
"Worse." Yoto said in a deep growl. "They're not even Shinma."
Behind them, Ichirou laughed softly. The aura of anticipation for an upcoming battle had surrounded him faintly. "Hey Nagi, are you man enough to fight?"
"Don't worry about me!" Nagi yelled. "I'll destroy anyone who tries to come after Yui!"
Yui took a deep breath, but she stepped forward too. She had to be brave, for Miyu's sake. "I will fight to!"
"And we got your backs!" Kitsune declared as the deadly blades of their swords were raised into the air.
"All right, you guys!" Ichirou laughed. He actually seemed excited they there was going to be a fight, and Yoto already knew that these things- whatever they were- would show them no mercy. The big Chinese Shinma sighed. The little fool.
"Stop wasting our time, kids!" The three figures hissed. It felt as if long fingernails had scraped down their spines.
"How dare you call me a kid!" Nagi growled. "You Shinma never have any manners!"
The fox-girl harrumphed at him. "Really, Nagi, this isn't any time to be concerned about your pride."
The figure in the white hood snorted. "We will destroy you in one second, boy!" A pale hand rose into the air and they all felt the stirring of some great power.
"STOP!"
The tall bushes behind them rustled as a new face burst out from it. It was a boy of perhaps thirteen or fourteen, give or take, his long black hair curly and his eyes were bright blue. "Stop!" He repeated. "I demand that you identify yourselves!" At his arrival Yoto and Kitsune wiped around, their swords poised. At the sight of them Lemunia jumped back, but with a sigh of relief Yoto and Kitsune lowered them again.
"Jeez, kid, don't do that unless you want to be breathing through a new hole in your neck." Kitsune snorted.
At any other time, Lemunia might have been put off at the sight of the two Chinese Shinma. One was a pretty fox-girl that he had not seen before and that really tall one who had nearly head and shoulders over Spartoi, but there was something of more importance at stake right now. Instead he walked past them- not a very easy thing to do- to put himself between Yui and the three new arrivals other than himself. "These people are mine!" He declared, as if he were claiming right over some inanimate objects.
"I'd advise that you stop bothering us, Lemunia." The one in the white hood said. Lemunia shivered at the sound of his voice as if long, sharp nails had been dragged slowly across a slate. "As one Western Shinma to another."
Lemunia blinked. "Western Shinma?" he repeated. They were not like any Shinma that he had ever seen.
Another one of them laughed dryly. "That's right, child!"
"What the…who are you? Are you…the ones that helped in killing Water Lipper? You helped those Chinese bastards kill Water Lipper!"
"What?" The large figure asked, obviously playing dumb. "Who is Water Lipper?"
"We don't know of her or of any Chinese Shinma!"
Lemunia was rendered speechless. He only ground his teeth at them before ultimately turning away. "Enough of this!" He snapped. "I'm taking Yui's life! Yui!" He swung around to face the vampire Shi-princess. "I'm Lemunia of the Occidental Shinma! And I'm going to kill you!"
For a moment, Yui was not sure what to say. This…Occidental Shinma wanted to kill her, but why? What for? She opened her mouth to ask him, but something else caught her attention before she could get a word out. "Lemunia! Behind you!"
The warning came too late. When he turned around to see what Yui was screaming about, three massive surges of power shot down from up above and striking Lemunia's body. Blood splashed everywhere.
Why…me?
With a moan, Lemunia collapsed to his knees, the blood from the massive wound on his torso splattering on the ground all around him.
Why…? Western Shinma…
"Hey…" Ichirou sounded as confused as they all felt. These new creatures- Western Shinma, as they had called themselves- had just attacked Lemunia, who was also a fellow Western Shinma. Now their young enemy was lying in a crumpled, bleeding heap on the ground at his own attacker's feet. "What's going on here? Weren't they all on the same side? Aren't they all…Western Shinma?"
Clenching his hands into fists and gritting his teeth against the pain, Lemunia did his best to push himself up to his hands and knees. "Who…the hell…" He panted in between ragged breaths. "Are all of you?!"
The three towering figures only laughed. It sounded as if they were enjoying watching him in his present state. "We are the four generals of Quarl! We are here under Master Cait Sith's orders! Understand, boy?"
Lemunia blinked again, wondering if her had heard right. "C-Cait Sith? You mean he betrayed us?"
"You fool!" The one in the white hood hissed. "Betraying you? We Quarl are the elite demon Clan that stand above all other Shinma in every Realm!"
The hulking one in the black cloak bent down to make Lemunia look up at them. "You only exist to fight for the revival of the Quarl Clan!" With a sneer- it would have been a sneer if he had a mouth- he released Lemunia's chin who returned to a collapsed form on the ground.
"Damn…" He cursed in a wheezy voice. "Damn you…Cait Sith, who could you do this to us?"
"Are you suffering, Lemunia?" The Quarl with the heavy shoulder armor asked. "We'll put you out of your misery."
"Now's our chance!" Nagi said quietly, behind the backs of the Quarl. "They're so occupied with him that they've forgotten about us! We can either attack or…"
"I feel sorry for that boy…" Yui said softly, a look of sadness on her face.
"What in the world for?" Nagi asked in disbelief.
"It's cruel the way he's being treated by his own comrades…"
"I don't think that they are his true comrades." Yoto said gravely. It was the first time he spoke since they had first met. "If they are who they say they are, then I think that we finally know who the real enemy is."
"Anyway, we can't leave him alone. It would be wrong. Besides, he's probably too young to be born during the Shinma Wars, so he doesn't deserve to die at their hands." The red-haired Shinma said.
Nagi sighed, but again in the fashion that he knew he knew he was not going to win this argument either. "Hey, we have no time for sympathy… Anyway, what do you think we should do, little boy?"
"My name is Ichirou!" The Japanese Shinma corrected him, stepping forward. "And of course we have to attack them, 'cause they'll catch us if we just try to run away! But, you want to run away, right?"
"Stop messing around!" Nagi snapped. "I don't like these guys one bit…and what about you?" He turned to the Chinese Shinma. "What about you two? Do you feel up to this or not?"
"I feel as if we have no choice." Yoto said. "We've been pulled in too far to turn back now."
"Okay then! Let's go!"
Something began to float through the air before they had a chance to attack; small, long and soft-looking objects that drifted along the breeze. There were…feathers? Black feathers? Apparently originating from where Lemunia was kneeling on the ground. Then he looked up and smiled. The feathers instantly picked up speed from floating almost lazily to being caught in high velocity winds, being driven to pommel the Quarl, who raised their arms to block them from their faces. "I am not…GOING OUT QUIETLY!" The Western Shinma shouted at the top of his lungs, sending the feathers flying like missiles.
"What?" The Quarls growled in fury. "How dare you? Just DIE!"
"Now's our chance!" Nagi yelled over the howl of the projectile feathers. Some type of symbol appeared on his forehead, probably originating from his original Clan, as he began to summon up his powers. Ichirou and Kitsune concentrated their powers as well, wanting to finish this off quickly, in one blast.
"ATTACK!"
Nagi and Ichirou unleashed their attacks at the same time, a massive column of energy that ran parallel to the ground. At the same time also Kitsune moved her hands so one was on top of the other, palms facing inwards to each other. "Terror Force!" She cried and the illusion spell shot forward with the force of being fired from a gun, condensing into high-speed bullets that traveled along with Nagi and Ichirou's attack. One of them strayed and was spent hurtling into a tree, and in a spray of bark and leaves the tree was split completely in half with a large smoking hole in the middle of the trunk. The wave of power gorged the earth, creating a deep trench ten feet wide. The Quarl were just barely able to jump out of the way as the attack blasted into the forest, eliminating trees to the touch. A deafening roar filled the world and smoke blinded their vision.
"Did we get them? Nagi asked and the roar finally tapered off and died.
"We did it!" Ichirou cheered.
Yui, however, knew otherwise. With the vampire's blood flowing through her veins, she was able to detect things that the others could not. "No, not yet!" She said and raised her hand into the air, summoning up her own powers. Soft pink sakura blossoms began to rise slowly into the air, dancing and swirling around her on an unfelt wind. "Sakura dance…" She muttered gently. "With grace, embrace the enemy and suffocate them with your pedals! Go!" With a point from her finger, the wind picked up speed silently around her, scattering the sakura blossoms in all directions before they condensed down onto the Quarl.
It was then that the rest of their party saw the Quarls again, only shapeless figures through the clearing smoke, but they had to do nothing. Yui's sakura attack had completely surrounded them, paralyzing and stifling.
"What…what is this attack?" The Quarl in white stammered. "Th-this attack…I c-can't move!"
Seeing an opening that even a blind man could not miss, it was Nagi and Yoto that ran forward. Their swords flashed, Nagi's curved katana and Yoto's demon-hilted rapier. "Great job, Yui!" Nagi commended. He approached the white-clad Quarl and with a flash of the silvery blade, severed the demon's arm at the shoulder in a spray of black blood.
Instantly it seemed as if Yui's spell was broken, like a pricked bubble. Gia staggered, grabbing up his severed arm from the ground. "D-damn!" He growled. "Let's go! We have no other business here!"
"Not yet!" Yoto said. "Kitsune, keep them back." His fellow Wolfin nodded, grabbed Ichirou and Nagi by the scruffs of their necks and pulled them back to where Yui and an unconscious Lemunia were still laying. Yoto turned back to the retreating Quarl, holding his sword before him. Instantly the air seemed to chill, dropping about twenty degrees within the space of a heartbeat. White mist blanketed the ground and their breaths emerged as puffs of steam. Yoto raised the sword higher, and with a glimmered, the rapier became totally incased in ice. Then Yoto said softly "Razen Wind" and made a powerful slashing motion with the sword.
The ground before the Quarl exploded, or so it seemed. Rocks and dirt and uprooted trees were flung everywhere as huge spikes of ice jutted up from the ground. They were ten feet wide at the base and shot up twenty-five feet into the air, growing so quickly that anything in their path would have been totally obliterated. The ice rose before and behind their enemies and creating a trail a hundred feet long in both directions with a roar of thunder.
Then it was over, the thunder died and the ice stood still. Almost immediately the air began to warm up again and Yoto's ice attack began to melt sluggishly. "Wow…" Nagi said from behind. "That was…really something. Did you get them?"
Yoto shook his head. "No. They got away."
"Oh well…at least you tried. Yui? What's wrong, are you sick?"
"No…Yui mumbled as she fell into a half-slump in Nagi's arms. Her remaining sakura blossoms fell gently onto Lemunia's body.
* * *
With a sickening crunch that would have made the strongest of mortal's stomach heave, Gia reattached his arm back to the spot it had been severed, feeling bone, muscle and tissue fuse together like new. "Damn!" He spat in disgust. "He cut off my arm! I do not believe it!" Gia and the other Quarls had fled from the scene of battle just before they were nearly impaled by the ice that fountained up from the ground just behind them. A little tired from the fight, they had taken shelter next to a lake, where the scent of any Shinma could not be detected for miles in all directions. He had not excepted any of them to be that strong. But then he snorted, as if remembering something that he should have not. "They are Shi. They are the opposite of the Shinma…I should have known."
A thin sound rose to meet their ears; the gentle sound of soft laughter, drawing closer to them by the heartbeat. All three Shi whipped around in a mixture of confusion and fury, looking for the source of the sound. "Who's there?" They snapped. "Who is that? Where are you? Show yourself!"
A figure appeared over the lake, misty at first, but then becoming clearer. It was a man…or was it a woman? It was a little difficult to tell. His…her…its hair was long, flowing and very pale, much like its skin, and the body showed no visible curves of a women but it still held a gracefully delicacy to it that men seldom possessed. The face was neither feminine nor masculine, but it defiantly possessed the angels that made it beautiful, maybe leaning more towards the beauty of a woman, the eyes tilted dangerously. It also was not a Japanese Shinma either. "You!" Gio hissed at the new person, what ever it was. "You are not Occidental Shinma…any Shinma for that matter! Tell us who you are!"
The figure only laughed again. "Well, pardon me!" It said sarcastically, only making their anger flare more. "My name is Shiki, and I am from the Shi Clan!"
"The Shi Clan?" The Quarl growled loud enough to draw some attention from anyone else who would been in earshot. They were all instantly on guard, poised and ready to attack.
Shiki only laughed, feeling no intimidation from the Quarls, regardless of what they could do to him. "However, I also…desire the death of Yui. So hear me out."
Gia cocked his head, still not sure if he should trust this…Shi, regardless of what his…or her…actual intentions were.
"Okay…we're listening."
* * *
It was not until he moved that he remembered the pain. Up until then, Lemunia felt incredibly at peace, the sort of relaxation that even the most minute of thought processes would disturb it. So instead of trying to remember what had happened or where he was or why he was in this condition in the first place he simply let his mind float through a world that seemed soft in all aspects. The only thing that he could recall relating it too was his mother's gentle hands that soothed him when he was an infant on those cold winter mornings before the chill took her away from him. His breathing was slow and easy, passive. Occasionally he thought that he smelt cherry blossoms, like the one in his home's immense garden, but these were…different. They carried with them a very old scent, almost ancient, that even though it was alien to him, soothed him as much as if he was in his own homeland.
Home. That was not where he was. Lemunia flinched as the first thought entered his once peaceful mind, stabbing at it like a spear. Slowly an unwanted consciousness began to crawl up, and no matter how much he wanted to push it back down or how hard he tried to, it would unwittingly creep back up on him. The worst part of it was that it was brining pain along with it. The good part about it was he knew now that he was not dead.
The next thing he became aware of was that he was not alone. In fact, there was someone taking care of him, the gentle hands that he felt in the world of peace gently moving over his body. Something tightened around his middle, brining up a brief wave of pain. Then he remembered. He had been attacked by some creatures…Quarl, where they? and had been injured doing so. Fatally injured. Then why was he not dead. With a flinch and a moan, he slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking into a pair of startling red ones, as gentle as her hands. It took a moment for him to put a name to her cute, heart-shaped face framed by soft brown hair. Then he remembered that as well; it was Yui, the Shi vampire princess. His enemy, who he had been sent to kill and would have done it if those bastards had not interfered. His enemy was…caring for him, tending to his wounds. What was going on? Was it some sort of trap?
"Stop that Yui!" Said an unseen male's voice somewhere above him. Lemunia barely recognized it as one of Yui's male companions. "He's the enemy! He was going to kill you earlier, remember?" Lemunia tried to say something in his defense, but only uttered a weak mewling noise. He hated himself at that moment for showing so much weakness in front of his enemies…in front of Japanese Shinma! He almost wished that he really were dead.
"Don't talk." Yui's voice was soothing, with no hint of hostility in it in the least. "Just relax. The cherry blossoms will ease your pain." Cherry blossoms…that scent that he caught when he was asleep. They were Japanese cherry blossoms, sakura as they were called. That would explain the second scent.
"Are…you crazy or something?" Lemunia forced out. It hurt so much to talk… "I'm…I'm your enemy…why are you helping me?"
"Well, there's gratitude for you!" Came another new voice, another female. Now Lemunia forced himself to see the faces of those standing around him. It just was not Yui and her longhaired male companion. The werewolf boy was there as well, standing in the same tree that the male Shi was in, and just under them were the two Chinese Shinma. The red-haired fox girl was looking a little pissed of, a face that suited her comment well, and the tower of the wolf-like one looking off into the distance as if he were somewhere else entirely.
Yui only smiled, making him only more agitated. Not only had she dressed his wound-with the red sash that she wore around her shoulders, it seemed-but she had also removed his cloak and the white coat that she wore and was using it as a blanket for him! If the wound had not killed him, he was now expecting that the humiliation would. Master Pazusu would never let him live this down! No one would! "I just can't leave someone wounded like this." She said patiently. "Besides…you can't move and can't fight us…so you're not my enemy now, right?" She smiled brightly, and it seemed as if a new sun was shining down from above. She had a real cute smile…it was much nicer than the rare ones that Carlua gave him. He had known Carlua most of his life, and Yui barely knew him! It made no sense!
"I'm…I'm a Western Shinma!" He yelled out in frustration. "I will attack you again!"
"And we're all proud of you for it!" Kitsune shot back.
Yui blinked, confused. "But...that wound…" She only grinning softly again and shook her head, not wanting to fight it. "Anyway, when you attack again, I'll just fight back! How does that sound?"
Her tone was so…playful, carefree. Unlike most of the girls he knew, who were all serious and incredibly stubborn. Yui was nothing like them. She was serious, he could sense it, but she was also taking it as if it were a game. Was she mocking him? He knew that normally he would be outraged, but it was a quality that he found…almost adorable. So instead of retorting back harshly, he only gave a small laugh and a weak smile himself. "Dammit!"
"By the way…" A new voice piped behind him. It was the Japanese werewolf, Ichirou. "Why are you fighting against each other, anyway?"
"I'm asking myself the same question!" Lemunia replied. Personally, he did not want to think about it. The issue was almost more confusing than Yui was being right now.
"Ha!" Nagi suddenly snorted. "That's what they call 'betrayal!' It's ridiculous, and pretty damn funny too!" Next to him, both Kitsune and Yoto gave a start, as if they could not comprehend what he just said. Yui had not taken well to him comment either.
"Nagi!" She scolded him. "Cut that out!"
"You're telling me what to do?" Nagi snapped back.
"You're being cruel! Besides…" Yui's voice grew soft and sounded a little mournful and sad. "You don't know what its like to be betrayed by your friends…" She trailed off, her jaw tightening and her eyes on the verge of becoming teary, as if she was trying to hold back a sob.
Lemunia propped himself up on an elbow, looking at Yui was a feeling of concern in his heart that he did not think badly of. If her playful manner had touched him even a little, then her sudden sympathetic attitude touched him the rest of the way. Could she possibly know what it was like to be betrayed by someone? Lemunia suddenly found himself thinking of Yui far beyond an enemy. She was now almost like…a friend.
"Anyway…" Said a very, very deep voice. "It's a little hard to be betrayed by someone you never trusted in the first place." It was the really tall Chinese Shinma, still leaning against the tree and staring off into the distance. The others looked at him in confusing, questioning his words, but he only shook his head.
Ichirou was the first to stand up, breaking the uneasy feeling the talk of betrayal cast over the small group. "Let's get out of here! They will be back to attack us again soon!"
Yui nodded curtly. "Onto Miyu's place!" She agreed.
"Yeah." Nagi agreed also, sounding almost reluctant. "Let's do this."
Lemunia held up Yui's white coat. "Here, Yui. You might want to take this…"
"Oh, okay…" Yui took it from him and put it back on. It felt a little weird not having her red sash with her, but now it was being put to a very good use. "I've got to go now, Lemunia." Since it seemed as if those things were after her, then Lemunia was going to be in more danger had she stayed with him than if she left. Hopefully, he would be safe now.
"Come on, Yui!" Ichirou called, waving at her. He, Nagi and the two Chinese Shinma were already at the edge of the thick forest. "Hurry up!"
"All right!" She called back, trotting over to them.
Lemunia bit his lip, wanting to say something as badly as he did not want to say it. But, then again, he may not see Yui again. "Hey…Yui!"
The Shi princess stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "What?"
An awkward silence hung in the air and the words that Lemunia wanted to say escaped his mind. "Oh…nothing…just go."
Yui blinked, cocking her head a little. "Okay…" Then the same bright smile crossed her face again. "But don't move for a while, Mr. Western Shinma! Goodbye Lemunia!" She called the last part over her shoulder as she disappeared into the forest to meet her companions.
When she was gone, Lemunia smiled as he remembered what he wanted to tell her.
Thanks…Yui.
* * *
They were not sure what time it was exactly, but it did not take long for them to catch up with their targets. The three Quarl were running at break-neck speed before them, dodging around trees as if they were not even there, but Yui and her party were hot on their trail. "There they are!" Ichirou shouted over the roar of the wind as they closed in to the point where he could smell them.
"Those damn Western Shinma…" Nagi spat in response.
"Go on ahead, Yui!" Ichirou called. "Go straight there!" Yui looked at him, looking a little confused, but nodded.
"I'll meet you there, Yui." Nagi reassured her. He did not want to leave her alone, but this was the best way. "Be careful."
"I'll meet you there, too!" Ichirou said, flashing a peace sign to her. Kitsune winked at Yui, pointing a finger and making a few clicking sounds with her tongue.
"All right." Yui agreed and turned sharply to the right, breaking away from her friends and running into the dark forest. The remaining Shinma, one Shi, one Japanese Shinma and two Chinese Shinma, all skidded to a halt and faced their opponents. They could no longer see them, but they knew that they had stopped running and were very close by.
"All right!" Ichirou said. "It's four against three! Try not to freak out too badly, Nagi!"
Nagi barked a laugh. "I can take on two of them! Do you think you can handle just one?"
"You bet! I can take on all three of them!"
"Oh, please!" Kitsune shouted from behind them. "It sounds like both of you are suffering from a major case of penis envy! Let's just get this over with and stop comparing how many we can fight, please!" Both of the Japanese Shinma turned and stared at her. Usually girls did not say that sort of thing! "What? Are you shocked at what I said? Penis, penis, penis!"
"All right, you made your point!" Nagi snapped back.
In front of them it sounded as if something was very large was crashing through the forest. It was not one creature; it was all three of the Quarl, heading straight for them.
With a wicked smile, Nagi drew his curved katana blade. "Let's do this!"

To be continued…