Vampire Princess Miyu Fan Fiction ❯ When Friends are True-A Vampire Miyu Saga ❯ Return of the Vampire ( Chapter 14 )

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

Chapter Fourteen



Chapter Fourteen
Return of the Vampire
Mori awoke with a start, but from what? The Fifth Layer was clam, unmoving, as it always was. The only sound to be heard was that of silence. Then the source was found when a familiar smell hit her nose. Blood, and extraordinary blood at that. Immediately the Elder stood up and looked to the platform that Miyu was laying on.
A heavy feeling of dread took hold of Mori's heart at a steady dripping sound that reached her ears. Blood had formed in a small pool around Miyu's torso and was running down a small crack in the platform and dripping steadily to the ground. The smell of that blood was more than familiar to her. It held the smell of something metallic, like all blood did, but it also smelt ancient, beyond ancient, and the scent of the air and earth after a raging firestorm. It was a trait only the vampire had. It was a scent that brought back bad memories.
OH, CHILD. Mori said as she watched Miyu. Over the course that Miyu had been here she would occasionally twist in pain and moan, but now she was as still and silent as the world around her. HOLD ON FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. YOU ARE STRONG, YOUR KIND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. HELP IS COMING. JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER…
* * *
Yui continued to run, not sure exactly where she was going, but she was sure that the odd tugging at her veins was pulling her in the right direction. And the voice- Miyu's voice- still continued to chant softly in her mind. Only now there was a different emotion to it.
Miyu…Miyu, are you crying? I can feel your pain so clearly, but why are you so far away? She staggered momentarily. I'm in pain… She did not notice the shadowy mist obscuring the path until she was surrounded by it. But even then Yui chose to ignore it. A very ghostly and very claming memory had clouded Yui's mind.
Yui…my little Yui…my darkling Yui… Gentle hands reached out to cup Yui's face, hands and arms so warm that Yui wanted to into them and not leave. They were Miyu's hands. You finally woke up. I was waiting. Miyu's smile, as haunting as it was mysterious, filled Yui's vision.
"She was waiting…" Tears brimmed Yui's eyes as she recalled the events of that night…Miyu and her companion, waiting for her on the steps of that old shrine, the vampire's hand held out to her. It seemed so real…Yui stepped off the trail to go to her…
"Yui!" A new voice tore through her mind, breaking the image of Miyu and her servant and Nagi replaced them. "Don't cry! I hate wimps!" He scolded her. "I'm with you, so don't ever be weak!"
Yui blinked and all the apparitions disappeared, the dark Japanese Spirit Realm forest standing where they just were. The faint calling continued, urging her to press on. "That's right; they will come for me. Nagi and Ichirou and the Chinese Shinma will definitely be here. I've got to hang in there! I am the only one who can save Miyu!"
Although Yui's memories were not gone, the fog that still blanketed the forest was not. She tried to ignore it, as thick as it was. The object that did catch her attention was one - no, two - figures in the fog, standing before her. "Who…" her footsteps slowed then stopped completely as the faces became clearer. Her eyes grew wide as they took in the features of two people she knew all too well.
"It's been a while, Yui." The young man said, smiling warmly at her. The young, equally attractive young woman standing at his side was smiling as well.
Yui felt as if her heart had stopped as they was nearly overwhelmed with a flood of memories that came from her past. From before she Awoke as a vampire. "Kyo.. Kyoko…Shoji…"
"Remember watching those cherry blossoms when they were in full bloom?" Kyoko asked softly. Yui did remember, sitting out under the sakura orchard with her best friend, laughing and having a good time. "They were absolutely gorgeous! That was a time I will never forget!"
Unsure of what to say, Yui did not say anything back. Was this real? Is this a hallucination that I see in front of me? What else could it be? The last time Yui had seen them was many, many years ago, shortly after she awoke, yet Shoji and Kyoko looked exactly the same as they did then.
"When I took the entrance exam that spring, your grandmother died." Shoji said, taking a step towards her. "Your cherry blossoms fell all over, as if they were your falling tears. And you disappeared into those leaves. Yui…" He reached up his hand and gently touched the side of Yui's face. "How come?"
No…this is reality…
"Why did you have to erase all of our memories too?" He inquired deeper.
His hand is so warm… Those hands began to call up memories, painful memories that Yui would rather them to remain hidden than to emerge.
"But I saw it!" Kyoko exclaimed. "A girl… sometimes I still see her in the garden, I see you just they way you were back then."
The last words were a real stab in the heart for Yui, She closed her eyes tightly but did not bother to hide the tears that fell from them. The clock has stopped for me…
"Don't cry, Yui." Shoji reassured her with a brief hug. "We're so happy to see you again. Yui, we have good news for you. Kyoko and I are going to get married!"
Yui smiled through her tears, although it was a small smile. Of course, I already knew. He proposed to her at that cherry orchard. And although I was not able to say it back then… She swallowed hard. "Con…congratulations." She was finally able to whispered out. It had been more difficult than she thought. Even now Yui was not able to forget her secret affections for the older boy.
"Thank you, Yui." Shoji said.
"But, Yui…" There was a sudden chill to the air as Kyoko's tone of voice changed. "Are you really sincere about that?"
"What?" Yui asked, shocked. "Why do you asked that?"
"Because," Kyoko continued, her voice becoming even darker. "You had a crush on him, too. I knew about it." Yui staggered back, not believing she was hearing this. Kyoko had never talked like that to her before!
"Say, Yui, why is it that you don't grow old? Is it because you aren't human?" Now Shoji's voice had taken on the same dangerous attitude as he advanced on her. Yui felt trapped.
"That's right!" Kyoko agreed. "You keep your youth by sucking human blood. Which means that you're a vampire! Us human's enemy!"
Suddenly the two people that Yui loved and grew up with changed into dark strangers with shadowed faces and cold eyes. The air became thick with danger as Shoji and Kyoko drew twin daggers from behind their backs.
* * *
The front parlor of the massive ghost ship was nearly completely dark, but Pazusu barely noticed and hardly cared. There were too many thoughts plaguing his mind. Thoughts and memories from a long time ago, from a past so distant that they seemed to be from a dream. These, however, were more like nightmares. Nightmares from the old Shinma Wars.
There were so many aspects of the war that stood out clearly in his mind that seemed to fit well into all the current situations happening now. He remembered vaguely three huge shapes charging headlong in the carnage of a raging battle. They were wolves, two snowy ones and one…no, two…night black ones, one of which was much larger than the others. Four wolves? Where did the fourth come from? And where was it now? He could have sworn that Mori was dead…but she was here, alive today…then that could mean that the wolf carcass that he saw was the other smaller black wolf. What in the seven hells was happening?
Another memory replaced the one of the wolves, this time accompanied by sounds. Amongst the screams and clashing of medal and that roar of the battle came a loud howling bellow that drowned out all other sounds. Something reared its head above the battlefield; a huge lizard-like creature with tusks that continued its howling, clawing at its face. From where its eyes were stood two thick arrow shafts protruding from the ragged flesh as blood flowed down its face.
A new memory replaced the one of the now-blinded creature. It was not more than a few hours after he had first set foot on the shores of the Japanese Shinma Realm that Pazusu found himself in a bit of trouble. He had made one foolish move and now he found himself cornered by three Quarls, all baring hooked swords and toothed axes just inches from his flesh. He stood his ground, but he did not make an attempt to reach for his own sword. A move like that would have been stupid; it was three against one, and his odds were slim. It was just his luck, too. Both Carlua and Larva had come into his care and he was stuck in a spot like this. While he was away in Japan both children were under the care of a friend who had two boys of his own, one that was Larva's age and the second who was even younger than Carlua.
It was the thought of the children that made Pazusu desperate to fight back although he did not know how he was going to do that. The second thought especially became urgent when one of the Quarls let out a horrible howl and attacked. Pazusu never even had a chance to respond as it crashed into him, the deadly blade missing his ear, knocking him to the ground. Stars flashed before his eyes and he feared than he would never see Larva or Carlua again when the Quarl was suddenly torn off of him by a pair of massive hands.
The Quarl was left hanging in the air, kicking and shrieking in its own tongue until its head was wrenched off by the same hands that held it. When the body was thrown aside Pazusu looked just in time to see the second Quarl burst into flames and the third impaled by a bladed quarterstaff and then decapitated by the swing of a huge broadsword. Five tall figures stood behind the ruined bodies, cloaks wrapped tightly around their dragon-scaled armor and dark scarves wrapped tightly around their heads and mouths. Beside the armor, their only features that Pazusu could remember seeing were their eyes; fierce yellow, fiery red and blazing green, wild from battle. They were not Western Shinma, not by a long shot, which mean that he had just been saved by Eastern Shinma.
One of the figures stepped forward and extended its hand. It was orange and scaly, the fingers long and the curved, deadly looking claws resembled talons. Pazusu took it, surprising himself, and the Eastern Shinma pulled him to his feet. "Get out of here." She hissed at him, her yellow eyes narrowed, and the five disappeared into the chaos of the war.
Then came the most terrifying vision of all, the one that stood out most and the most vivid in Pazusu's mind. It was the last day of the great Shinma war; in fact, it was the last few moments. He could remember watching it on a beach along with a hundred other Shinma from both the East and West. They were only a few dozen yards away from the smoking remains of a small fishing village that had once been the home to hundreds of Japanese Shinma that had no desire to become involved.
Two women stood facing each other, one of them a Quarl wearing a black dress with her hair tied into a high turban. The other was a Japanese Shinma, her long hair tied behind her at the base of her neck. She was wearing what resembled the red and white robes of a priestess splattered with dark red blood, the same that was on the Quarl's hand. Her ribcage just under her breast had been crushed with a single blow, which she clutched at now in silent pain. Not more than a few feet away from her lay the body of a man in a pool of blood. A young man was crouching beside him. Tears streamed down his face as he called to his father, but it was already too late. Beyond the scene of the standoff was a massive black wolf who, even for a wolf, was looking very sad. Had she been human, she probably would have been crying. Beside her were to five Eastern Shinma had had helped him with the Quarl just a few days ago. One was clutching his left eye.
The dark blue, black and purple clouds in the sky began to churn more violently and the air crackled with an evil power as the Quarl charged for the Japanese Shinma, ready to finish what she began. The other woman did not move, did not even flinch. Instead she raised her longbow, the last arrow drawn all the way back to her ear, and fired.
Pazusu awoke with a start, breaking his own concentration. With a sigh he let his head fall back again, trying to control his breathing. Damn, he could never remember past that part, not did he want to. It had taken him too many years to try to block out those past events. The way always brought back bad memories, but it seemed that every single one played into what was happening now. Pazusu was not stupid so he was able to identify a few of them. The creature that had both of its eyes put out by enemy arrows could only be Mukashi. The five mysterious Eastern Shinma who had helped him might as well be the Chinese Shinma here now. Did they recognize him? It they did, then they probably would not be acting the way they did towards him.
But the women…the Quarl could only be Caial, who was said to had been killed during the war. Or vanished. What ever happened after the other woman shot that arrow would determine what really happened then.
And the other woman...who was she? Pazusu knew her name at one time - everyone involved in the war did - but now it had slipped his mind. He could recall her presence. Although she was badly wounded, the aura that surrounded her was unlike one he had ever encountered before. Looking back, he doubted that she was even a Japanese Shinma. It was that same aura that Miyu had with her… But the woman was dead now, though; a wound like that would have killed anybody. He knew, however, that like everything else in his memories, she would be back too. People who made an impression like that would not die easily.
* * *
The battle was heated and intense and going no where fast, even with four against three. The Quarl were giving them than what they had bargained for and were proving to be extremely difficult to keep up with. Even Ichirou's quick Kibashiri attack missed more than it hit. Large ice spears lay protruding from rocks, trees and the ground all around them and several trees had been reduced to kindling where Kitsune's Puppet Strings had failed to reached their target.
As fast as the Quarls were, Ichirou was still faster. With a crack he passed Gigi as they charged each other, leaving the robes at his shoulder in tatters. "Hmph." He snorted. "You're not too bad for a kid." He thrust out his arm and a cloud of dust obscured Ichirou's vision, burning his eyes and throat. When he was finally able to clear away the dust from his eyes he saw that there was something terribly wrong.
"Hey!" He yelled. "What's going on here? Before I knew it where's only two of them!"
The other three stopped immediately and double-checked. Sure enough they were now only fighting four on two. The last time they had lost track of a member of the enemy side the results had been tragic. "Yui!" Nagi burst out. "They're chasing after her!" He cursed himself. In the chaos of the battle he had never even thought about that.
"I told you, I told you to not let her go alone!" Kitsune chanted as she blocked a blow with her sword.
Gigi only snorted again and moved to block the path that his comrade went down onto moments ago to track down the Shi-vampire. "We won't let you go!"
Nagi pushed himself to his feet, a hand on the hilt of his katana. "Get out of my way!" He bellowed in rage at the Quarl, the curved blade flashing.
* * *
"Stop!" Yui cried frantically as she struggled in Shoji's grasp. Every time she tried to pull away it tightened more and more until it became painful. "Both of you, stop! It hurts!" Are they both really humans? They sure felt real. And, if so, I can't do it… No matter how much Yui wanted to fight back, she could not bring herself to hurting her once best friends, even if they were coming at her with daggers.
All of a sudden the hands holding her released her and fell away as a thick dark mist began to coil itself around her body. Through the mist, which seemed to make the air thick and stifling, Yui heard the sound of cruel laughter. "So, you finally figured it out, eh, Yui?" A deep, sensual voice crooned at her.
Yui gasped. "Shi?" Was it really her own people that made Shoji and Kyoko in the flesh attack her?
"We fooled you easily with our disguise." The Shi continued. "You feel into our little magical trap. You're so nice to humans…is that your weak point?" It laughed again, and then its voice grew hard. "Yui! Disappear with that orb…"
It was then Yui knew that she was truly trapped and, worse of all, it had begun to shrink all around her. I can't die here! She thought fiercely. I must go help Miyu! I must! But it was getting harder to do so. It felt as if a giant hand was crushing her torso, squeezing the air from her lungs so she could not breath…then it felt as if water had began to roll off her body, but it hurt, as if it was her own skin…
"Everything melts…" the Shi laughed. "Your legs…your arms…"
Suddenly the orb that trapped Yui burst like a pricked bubble. Actually, it was broken by an object, and that very object was now embedded in a tree; it looked like a very large hairpin that had been sharpened on both ends.
Yui, released from the spell, fell forward but was caught just before she hit the ground by kind and gentle hands. "You can't kill her that easily!" Said a voice that was equally as kind. "Right, Yui?" Yui looked up and found herself looking into a very familiar face of a good-looking young man, not too much older than herself, with short auburn hair.
"Senju!" She sighed in relief. It was nice to see a friendly face.
"Aren't you in a hurry?" He asked with a warm smile. "Go. I'll take care of this." He glanced slyly over his shoulder where Shiki was now standing. The Shi stumbled back a step.
"Thank you, Senju!" Yui said happily as she hugged her friend around the shoulders. "But be careful!"
"It will be child's play." He reassured her, smiling one more time before she ran into the forest once again. "Now," Senju continued as he turned to face Shiki. "Which form do you prefer? Male of female?"
Shiki sneered back. "I am nearly of them!"
"I see…" Senju grinned. "So you're like me…"
The other Shi did not respond. He only held out an arm to his side, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'll leave the rest to you now, Occidental Shinma!"
Senju only blinked in confusion.
* * *
Hurry! Yui urged herself harder, pushing herself even further. Miyu is near! She was so busy thinking about Miyu and concentrating on running through the dark forest that she did not notice the stir of dark power behind her until it was too late. Just as she finally felt it and turned around to see what it was a beam of powerful energy-magic plowed into and through her shoulder, blood spraying from the wound. The pain was so great that she could not even cry out as she fell to her knees.
Yui…
A misty image of Miyu appeared in Yui's mind. She was still calling.
Yui…
"Miyu…" Yui called back helplessly, weakly, clutching her wounded shoulder. She did not notice when Gia materialized behind her. She did not have the strength nor the will to fight back.
The Quarl laughed in a vile manner. "Too bad, Yui." He chuckled. "Now you'll die!" He threw his hand forward, the condensed dark energy rushing towards Yui with enough force to tear her to pieces.
From up above, sakura pedals began to rain down from an unknown source, creating a barrier between Yui and the oncoming attack. In a flash of white life and a wild spray of pink sakura blossoms, Yui vanished out of harm's way.
"What?" Gia raged. "Is this some kind of trick? You won't escape me that easily, Yui!" Then he took off running again, following the blood left from Yui's wound.
From a shorter distance head, Yui bit back the tears that threatened to form. Miyu! I must hurry! Miyu!
* * *
For the second time in the same fight, Nagi stumbled as his young mistress cried out in distress through the bond they shared. Yui? Are you hurt, Yui? There was no answer.
"Hey, Nagi!" Ichirou shouted at him. "I'll take care of these guys! Go save Yui, and take the Chinese Shinma with you!"
"But…?" Nagi protested weakly. "You…"
"I said, I can handle this! Go on! Go save Yui!" He added a wink and a smile at the last part.
"Ichirou…"
"See you later!" The Japanese Shinma actually sounded excited about fighting this out alone.
"Ichirou!" Nagi called after him. "Don't get yourself killed!"
"Of course not!" Ichirou said back, giving Nagi a thumbs-up. With a smile, Nagi gave one back.
He turned to the Chinese Shinma. "Come on, let's go! Yui is in trouble!" Without even waiting, he took off running into the forest.
"What about the werewolf?" Kitsune asked.
Yoto answered, "I don't think we're going to have to worry about him." The two sheathed their swords and followed Nagi.
Ichirou smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Here we go! My own special magic! KIBABUNSHIN!" Shadowy forms spread out on either side of Ichirou's body, solidifying and taking Ichirou's form. Now instead of one Ichirou, there were now about twenty. "I'll take care of you bastards!" The main Ichirou exclaimed as every other one gave a mad battle cry and charged at the Quarl.
* * *
Shiki was laughing, which Senju found was becoming quite annoying after a while. "What's so funny? He finally asked."
The other Shi giggled. "Yui is finished! The Occidental Shinma will kill her!"
"Occi…" What? Senju had certainly never heard of them before. Did that mean that there was more than one group of Shinma in the world?
Something was crashing through the forest behind him and not more than a few seconds later Nagi came bursting through the low shrubbery with two people Senju had never seen before. "Senju?" His friend sounded surprised to see him here, of all places.
"Nagi?" Senju sounded equally surprised. Nagi stopped beside him, breathing hard, with the other two coming to stand on either side of them. One was a girl just a little smaller than himself with red hair and a bushy fox tail. The other was a huge man wearing a sort of light armor. "Who are they?"
"Friends." Nagi panted. He took notice of the…think standing before them. "Is that a Shi?"
Shiki snorted, observing the newcomers out of the corners of his eyes. "More fools." He sounded bored.
"Man, oh man, where's Yoshi when opportunity leaves a big, fat door standing wide open?" Kitsune asked. She looked as if she did not know if she wanted to scream or laugh at the sight of the creature standing before them.
"This is nothing compared to earlier." Yoto said. "Yoshi was battling an Occidental Shinma that he was actually coming onto before he realized that it was a man." In spite of the situation, Kitsune began to laugh.
"Nagi, what's an occidental Shinma?" Senju asked.
Nagi did not belittle Senju's question. Like most Shi, he did not know much about the Shinma race and the difference between the Clans, or the separate Clans at all. "Yui's in danger. I'll explain later. Right now, I've got to go to her!"
"You'll do no such thing!" Shiki hissed, raising his arms into the air. "I can't miss this chance to kill Yui!" The world around them seemed to darken, turning early afternoon into night. And from that darkness emerged scores of deformed, misshapen creatures; lesser Shi, weak, but they were so numerous that they were looking at a very long battle ahead of them.
Senju smirked as he looked out among the crowd of creatures. They were utterly surrounded. "A whole crowd of weak enemies." He mused. Nagi swore loudly. Things were only going from bad to worse, and Yui needed him. "Don't you think Yui's going to be all right?"
"What?" Nagi yelled in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
Shiki only continued to laugh.
* * *
Blood trailed behind Yui, running down her fingertips from her wounded shoulder, but she continued to push herself on. Only now, because of her injury, it was becoming more difficult to do so.
She's so close…I can feel her nearby… The world spun momentarily, causing Yui to stumble. I'm…I'm so dizzy…I'm not even sure I'm headed in the right direction… For the past little while Yui had been alone, but a sudden unfriendly presence rose before her sop quickly that she barely had any time to react.
"Yui!" Death rushes to embrace you!" Gia shrieked at her as she attacked.
Yui screamed as the wave of dark energy rushed by her, missing a direct hit but still close enough to take off a few stands of hair. But she refused to let herself fall. She collected her feet under her and took off running with Gia's new attack pursuing.
"Resistance is futile, Yui! Why do you run?" The dark magic roared past the Shi-vampire, causing her to cry out. Gia glared at her; that should have been a direct hit! Sakura blossoms rained down around Yui as she continued to run. They were what had blocked her from the blow. "Your feeble defense will not save you!" Gia raged as he attacked again. This time the attack struck her, breaking through the sakura barrier and striking Yui's already injured shoulder. Blood showered into the air, but she still refused to fall.
"I've got to keep running!" She told herself. "If I collapse now, Miyu won't…" Gia saw differently to that. Burning pain raced up her leg as one of the attacks bit deeply into her calf. Yui's mind was rendered blank from the pain. Blood gushed from the new wound and Yui finally stumbled and fell. Tears sprang to her eyes and no matter how much she squeezed them shut they still managed to slip through. The voice calling to her through her mind suddenly became very sad, as if Miyu was crying on the other side. Miyu…are…are you crying with me? Can you feel me pain? "You must get up, Yui." She told herself. "Pull yourself together! I can feel Miyu nearby…" Slowly, weakly, Yui began to rise to her feet again.
Gia chuckled lowly. "You still live? How admirable. Now, become one with eternity!" The last part came out as a rasping shout as he threw an attack that was much larger and stronger then before. Not even Yui's annoying cherry blossoms could save her now.
Instead of cherry blossoms, though, came a shower of black feathers that vaporized the blow long before it even touched her. They formed two great black wings on Yui's back, then condensed into the body of a boy not much older than herself. If Gia had a mouth, he would have been gawking.
Yui was not sure of what had just happened. The only thing that she did know was that something had just saved her from Gia's assault. Then she heard a new voice in her mind.
Go…
Yui blinked, wondering if she had heard right.
Yui…go now!
Huge dark wings folded down around her and she smiled when she saw who it was who had saved her. "Lemunia!" She cried happily.
She was relieved when she saw he was doing better. He was now wearing a faded gold mask that left only his mouth and a small portion of his face bare. "Now, we are even!" He declared, stepping back and turning around to face the Quarl, pulling a portion of cloth tightly over his lower face. "Goodbye!"
Yui wanted to save and help - she had barely been able to stand against Gia, would Lemunia be able to? - but she knew what she had to do was important too. "Thank you, Lemunia!" She called out as she continued on her mission. The Western Shinma watched her leave from the corner of his eye until the shadows of the forest swallowed her.
Rage radiated from Gia so much that Lemunia could feel it from where he was standing. The young Shinma knew that where he came from, what he just did for Yui would have been considered brave and very noble for returning a favor of saving one's life. In this type of predicament, though, it also would have been called very, very stupid. Gia clenched his hand into a fist. "Lemunia…damn you!"
Pain throbbed in Lemunia's torso, but he pushed it down, even though the half-healed scars felt as if they were ready to break open where he stood. His life hung in the balance; if the wound did break, then he would have little hope of getting back to the ship alive. But it was also his honor that he was defending as well; Yui saved his life at the risk of loosing her own, and now it was only fair that he did the same. He could only stand between Yui and Gia to hold the Quarl back as long as he could and hopefully buy Yui some time. "I will not allow you to pass!" He yelled at the devil that stood before him. "And I won't go down quietly, either!"
Gia only made a vexed sound that bordered on amusement. "Heh. How feeble. Of course, it is only useless, child!" Gia crouched back and sprang forward. Lemunia had only half-expected this. He knew that there would be a counter-attack, but he had not thought about how he would defend himself, or hinder Gia from getting to Yui any faster than he would have liked. On impulse, he snapped his wings out, his black feathers spraying towards Gia like missiles. Gia moved through them like water, and Lemunia only had time to let his jaw drop open before the Quarl made contact. Burning pain lanced through his body when Gia dug a fist into Lemunia's solar plexus. It would not have hurt as much if the wound did not break open. He could already feel his blood soaking through Yui's sash and slickening the coils around his middle. The pain overtook him and he collapsed to his knees and tried to crawl away. How ever brave he felt only seconds ago was gone. Blood trailed behind him, but he hardly cared. The only thing that he could think about was getting back to the ship. To the ship, to safety and warmth. Back to where he could be close to Carlua…
The Quarl turned to admire his handiwork. He grinning evilly, taking note of Lemunia's unguarded back. "How foolish. You deserve to die here like the cur you are." Cracking his knuckles, he threw his hand down forcefully upon Lemunia's spine.
From high up above came a high-pitched howling scream. Massive wings blocked the light of the sun. Gia looked, his hand mere inches from Lemunia's backbone, just before a giant bat-like creature slammed into him head first. Both flew backwards, then the bat flipped onto his back, Gia fell on top of him, and then he thrust one broad foot into his middle, making him air-born once again. Gia slammed in the ground and bounced before he was able to stand up again. When the Quarl swung around, he saw the bat kick his legs into the air with a force that put him back on his feet. It was not really a giant bat, Gia knew. It was only one of those damned Chinese Shinma fools that looked like a bat. The fool of a boy. It was crouched low to the ground, wings spread tensely on either side of his body. He was not alone, though. Another Chinese Shinma was with him, a small but powerfully built boy of the same physical ago with the characteristics of a wolf. He was tending to Lemunia. Gia growled loudly. The boy was taking his kill away from him.
"You…" The bat hissed through clenched fangs. "Are not Shinma. That makes no excuse. How dare you attack someone of that condition! I can not forgive it!" His claws glowed bright red, glowing with the same ferocity of his eyes. "Claws of Fire!" He slashed at Gia with those spidery claws, and four crescent-shaped claw marks were sent spinning at the Quarl.
"It is useless to try!" Gia yelled, and as he began to charge, there was hot searing pain along his left hand and another along his shoulder and side. With a spurt of black blood, Gia glanced out of the corner of his eye to see a dark bloody stump where his hand used to be. Rage flared in his mind, filming his vision with red. The bastard. Oh, well. It was really no deal. The bat Chinese Shinma had turned his companion. Gia turned away also to retrieve his severed hand. He picked it up and connected the cleanly cut flesh to the blood-soaked flesh of his wrist. There was a burning, numb, painless sensation that last few moments, then he removed his one hand and flexed the newly attached hand a few times. It was as good as new.
"What fools!" Gia yelled. The Chinese Shinma whipped their heads around to glare at him, though astonishment flashed temporarily across their faces. "Do you think that was enough to stop me?"
"Impossible…" Yoshi breathed. "I could have sworn that was a direct hit." He could have sworn he saw a hand fly off. He saw the spray of blood…or something that he thought was blood.
"They're not Shinma." Ryuko said in an equally silence tone. "So he may have powers that we do not know of. Watch the boy. I'll get this ass-hole." He rose as Yoshi began to check the sash around Lemunia's waist.
Gia laughed in his maniacal tone when he saw Ryuko charging him. "Do you children think you're strong enough to defeat me?" He cackled.
Ryuko smiled, baring his glistening fangs. He flexed a hand, knuckles cracking and gleaming claws unsheathed. "Old enough for you, ass!" He and Gia were inches from making contact. Ryuko made one powerful downward slash. "Be gone, devil!" he yelled as of he was commanding him.
It seemed as if Gia exploded. Ryuko had torn him open from shoulder to opposite hip, ending with a spray of dark flesh. Ryuko came to a sudden halt and was nearly knocked over from the worst smelling stench that hit him in his sensitive nose like an iron fist. It was the stench of rotting meat and a garbage heap that was sitting in the summer sun, of a stable that had not been mucked out in months and a decaying corpse. A decaying army. With a strangled choke, Ryuko pitched forward on the forest floor, kicking his legs feebly and clawing at his nose, as if he was trying to dig the stench out. He coughed violently, then threw up a greenish liquid that was the last remnants of the last meal he ate, then went through a fit of convulsing dry heaves. The smell of the blood still clung to the inside of his nostrils. It felt as if he wanted to empty his stomach of every meal he ever ate. The blood's stench felt as if it was pulling him inside out. In the distance he heard Yoshi calling his name, and Ryuko pulled one eye open to see Yoshi sitting near Lemunia behind a mound of bleeding flesh. Yoshi seemed about ready to pick up the boy and bolt, but that would have been a foolish move. If Lemunia was moved, the pain would probably kill him. Gia was dead now. Even though the smell of the blood was still heavy and thick in the air and his nose, it would soon past. Defeating the Quarl made up for that.
For a small instant it looked as if the flesh quivered, but Ryuko figured it was just a trick of the mind. The smell did make his mind reel. But then the body shook more violently and both of the Chinese Shinma's jaws dropped as Gia lifted himself to his feet. And he was healing; they could see bone knitting, organ reconnecting and flesh rebuilding. The two halves of his body joined together and the skin meshed together, not showing a single scar. Even his clothing mended back together as if they were part of his body. The Quarl was whole again, as if Ryuko's claws had never touched him. He glared at each of the Chinese Shinma, anger radiating from his featureless face ten times as it did before. A hundred times more. But he made no attempt to attack either of them. Gia looked beyond Yoshi and Ryuko, into the Japanese Shinma Realm forests. Into the direction Yui had run.
Gia glared once more at Ryuko and said, "You will not forget this day, boy. I will make you all pay for this offense. You will wish that you would have died at our queen's hands by the time I'm through with you." That said, he took off after Yui in hot pursuit.
Ryuko tried to get to his feet, making guttural groans when he tried to speak. The taste of bile in his mouth was almost as strong as the blood smell that was still in his nose. "Let him go." Yoshi said, and Ryuko halted, one knee will on the ground. "Yui should be far enough ahead to be safe by now. Not to mention you're in no condition to chase, much less hunt it down. I'm not going after it alone, and I think the kid's dying. Get over here and help me."
Under any other circumstances, Ryuko would have fought Yoshi's reasoning, but it was good reasoning. It was amazing how intelligent Yoshi really was if the situation came down to it. With a nod, Ryuko half-crawled, half-walked over to the place where his friend was kneeling next to Lemunia. The bat Chinese Shinma was right; the boy did not look good. There was blood covering his entire middle and running in a finger-thin stream across the ground, but it was still too much lost. Sweat matted his semi-curly hair to his head and his cheeks were flushed with a fever. If something was not done soon, he would almost certainly die. And death by a Quarl, in a battle he did not belong in, was no way to go.
"D-do you think eithe-er of us c-can heh-help him?" Ryuko stammered in a thick voice. It was almost hard to make out what he was saying.
"I tried." Yoshi answered. "The kid doesn't have a drop of fire-blood in him. But maybe illusion…?" It was all they had to hope for. If he did, then they would not be able to get anywhere to save him in time and he would very well bleed to death.
Fighting down the nausea that was still boiling inside, Ryuko briskly rubbed his hands together and picked up one of Lemunia's hands, pressing both of his thumbs to the boy's wrists. Ryuko could faintly feel the pulse of Lemunia's blood under his fingers, but it was very weak. Gently, the Chinese Shinma threaded thin weaves of illusion into the bloodstream, seeking out any similar magic. For those first few tentative moments, there was nothing, and Lemunia's outcome was looking grim. Then…
There! Ryuko caught a faint glimpse of illusion magic, small and weak. Still, it was there and Ryuko's magic grabbed it and held on like there was no tomorrow. He allowed his magic to be guided through Lemunia's body, traveling though the bloodstream until the blood grew hot as if approached the wound. It was now or never. Still holding into the Western Shinma's illusion powers tightly, Ryuko branched out his own magic throughout the ruined flesh of the wound those bastard Quarl had caused.
The illusion magic of the Wolfin pulled at the fiber it was clinging to, stretching it out greatly, but allowing Ryuko's powers to attach to every bit of tissue around the wound. Ryuko was straining to do this; sweat stood out on his brow, he grit his teeth and his hands began to burn and he knew it would only get worse. Nausea was raging inside of him, threatening to overrule his entire being, but he forced it back down again. As he pulled his magic back he was also pulling the wound together, healing as he did so. He could feel the flesh and muscle mending back as they once were, but it was only becoming more difficult to maintain his hold. Lemunia was in a great deal of pain. He was writhing, groaning, his face twisted in agony. Yoshi was doing his best to keep him still.
The hold on Lemunia's magic had become so taught that Ryuko knew that if he let go now it would snap like an overloaded spring and strike right at the younger Shinma's heart. But he was almost done…just a few more seconds….
The last fibers of the wound knitted together and when Ryuko felt Lemunia's strength begin to return to him he slowly released the thread that he had been holding onto and redrew his magic from Lemunia's blood. It was a primitive way to heal and if the boy's powers had been stringer than it would have not been as difficult. At least the wound would not break easily now.
Lemunia's eyelids fluttered and opened weakly. He was…alive? Even after he felt death's cold, clammy caress on the side of his face, when all he saw all around him was darkness and, yes, a light at the end of the tunnel? But he was alive now. A part of him was desperately wishing to see Carlua when they opened, or maybe even Yui, but instead he found himself looking at two unfamiliar faces. Then he remembered who they were. "Ch-Chinese Shinma!" He stammered, trying to push himself up so he could get away, but his lack of energy kept him from doing so. "What are you doing here?"
"We just saved you from ol' dickless back there." Yoshi said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "That's a pretty nasty wound you took when you saved Yui."
"Is…is Yui all right?"
"She looked fine to me. She'll be safe until she gets to the Fifth Layer. I'd say that we're at the edge of the Third, so she's pretty close. Anyway, we'd better get going." Yoshi stood up and took hold of one of Lemunia's wrists, pulling is arm over his shoulder.
"Wait…what are you doing?" Lemunia sounded a little alarmed.
"Piggyback." Yoshi replied. "How else are we going to get you back to the ship?"
"The…the…" Lemunia was dumbfounded. Then it hit him. For the first time ever, Lemunia realized that these Chinese Shinma were trying to help him. They were also the ones that saved him from the Quarl. That meant that…they really were not the monsters that everyone made them out to be. "Oh. Well, I can walk, really…"
"Not in that condition, you're not." Yoshi said, trying to pull Lemunia onto his back again. "Really, it's no problem. Just watch the wings, please…"
It was a little awkward to climb onto the Chinese Shinma's back because of the wings, but the pain in Lemunia's torso was not hurting nearly as much as it was and they were soon on their way back to the ghost ship. The other Chinese Shinma - Ryuko, was it? - was looking a little sickly, but he offered to carry Lemunia when Yoshi's back got tired. As they walked along, Lemunia could not help but wonder; he had been saved by a Japanese Shinma, he had saved the same Japanese Shinma, and then he had been saved by the Chinese Shinma. On top of that, they had been betrayed by Cait Sith. He sighed. What was the world coming to?
* * *
Miyu…where are you? What's going on? Answer me, please! Miyu's voice had fallen silent some time ago with one enough left to tell Yui that she was headed in the right direction. She was running faster too because Gia was right behind her.
"I've found you, little Yui." The Quarl hissed. "And now I'll finish what I've begun!"
Yui refused to let the demon distract her as she pushed herself faster. She did slow, however, when a new figure appeared in front of her. At first Yui thought that what she was looking at was a very large traditional Japanese doll, but it turned out to be a young woman of about twenty or so. Her black hair just touched her shoulders and she was adorned in a blue traditional kimono. Her presence was friendly and inviting.
"Ah, Yui! Welcome." The woman greeted her in a delicate voice. "You've done well."
Yui came to a halt, swaying where she stood. "Are you a friend of Miyu's?" She asked softly before collapsing into the woman's arms.
"I am Ranka." The woman replied. A Japanese Shinma. Yui knew she had nothing to fear.
"Please…is Miyu anywhere near by?" She was so tired…she wanted to sleep so badly, but a smile came to her face when Ranka nodded and pointed off into the forest.
"So through there, dear child. Walk to the stone wall, just a little ways away, and travel through the cavern that will take you to the Fifth Layer. There you will find Mori, and she will take you to Miyu. Go quickly, and do not worry. It will follow you no loner." She was referring to Gia, who was closing the space between them at an alarming rate. Yui gasped and took off running in the direction Ranka had pointed her in. Ranka, however, stood her ground.
"Japanese Shinma!" Gia shrieked at her. "You impudent vermin!"
"Don't you dare come near me." Ranka said coolly, raising a pale hand. "You disgust me." A ball of energy condensed on her hand and shot at the Quarl with a velocity that none of his attacks could meet. Ranka's attack slammed into Gia with that much force, breaking and cracking his ribs and knocking him back into the forest where the dark shadows swallowed him whole.
* * *
With nothing chasing her, Yui could concentrate only on getting to Miyu and not being run down by anything bent on killing her. She made her way through the forest, which seemed to be getting increasingly darker and silent, until she came to a wall made of solid stone that reached for the sky and stretched forever in each direction. The entrance to the cavern was right in front of her, as if it was waiting for her; a long, dark and damp tunnel that seemed to stretch for miles. When she emerged on the other side, she ignored the silent beauty of the Fifth Layer that would normally hold people in awe. Right now she had to find Mori. When she found Mori, she would find Miyu.
Something moved in the shadows, something as dark as the shadows themselves, something darker than the shadows, then melted out into the light. Yui paused and gasped at the giant black wolf that stood in her path, looking as if it could swallow her whole. Not even Nagi would be able to reach up to it shoulder, even if he stood on his toes and stretched his hand up, and Nagi was no pee-wee. But its eyes…the wolf had Miyu's golden eyes. "Are…are you Mori?" She asked carefully.
I AM. Replied an elderly, although strong female voice. The voice was not spoken from the throat, but rather projected from the mind. AND YOUR NAME IS, CHILD?
"Y-Yui." Came the shaken response. "Miss Ranka said I should find you because you would take me to Miyu…"
At the mention of her name, Mori seemed to relax. She appeared to be exhausted. OH…YUI, OF THE SHI CLAN… WE HAVE BEEN WAITING. COME, SHE IS THIS WAY… Mori turned and melted back into the forest, leaving only smoking paw-prints for Yui to follow.
Mori led Yui to a raised stone platform near a pool of water, covered by a misty glowing blue dome. Miyu…that's you, isn't it? Yui thought as she approached the dome. Sure enough, there was Miyu laying under the shield, seemingly asleep, but the blood that was pooled around her told Yui that she had arrived not a moment too soon. Mori breathed once onto the dome and the color changed from blue to green before she stepped away.
Yui touched the dome; for having a misty appearance, it was solid. Exhaustion took her and she fell forward, her blood spilling over the dome. From inside, Yui heard a faint, steady pulse. I…I can hear it…Miyu's heartbeat… "Thank goodness." She whispered. "I finally made it. Miyu, I'm sorry I took so long…" I feel so completely at peace for some reason… Hey Miyu, does a mother's womb feel like this? As Yui's blood flowed over the dome that Miyu was under, she heard a voice calling to her…
Yui…
The dome turned from green to red as Yui's blood mixed with Miyu's.
Yui…
There was an audible cracking noise as the dome began to break. Under the shield, Miyu opened her golden eyes just before the dome burst apart, knocking Yui back.
Miyu blinked a few times before she sat up, looking around at her surroundings. Her eyes fell on the little girl on the ground. "Yui…?" It felt like ages since she last used her voice.
"Miyu!" Yui cried as she threw herself at Miyu, wrapping her arms around her neck. "You've woken up! It's so wonderful!"
"I…what…" Then she remembered that past events and the condition that she had been in the last few days. She smiled and gave Yui a warm hug. "Thank you, Yui." She said.
"Miyu, I'm so glad that you're all right." Yui said happily, returning the hug with tears brimming in her eyes. "Are you ready to come back with me? Everyone is very worried about you."
"I don't think either of us is in any condition to travel at the moment." Miyu answered, pulling back a bit. "You need to rest so your wounds can heal and both of us need to regain our strength. It will probably be better if you rest here for the night. I think Mori wants me to stay longer. And I feel in debt to her."
"But it's time for you to come back!" Yui protested. "We need you!"
"The assaults are holding now. A few more days will be all right. Yui, I want you to go back to your Shimobe tomorrow and them find the Chinese Shinma. You will know who they are. They will protect you until I am strong enough to return to battle."
"What about you, Miyu?" Yui asked. There was a hint of sadness in her deep red eyes. "What will you do about your Shimobe?"
Miyu looked away. "I don't know."
To be continued…