Black Moon, Paradise's Tears
by: Nuriko Kamaiji
Disclaimer: 'Wolf's Rain' belongs to BONES and co.
A/N: The phrases in italics are my own wording.
Darcia the First's deeds brought ruin to the world, and pulled paradise that much closer to the end of the world…
Darcia the First tried to open paradise and failed; his clan claim his deed made them cursed by paradise, and for his deed he was drawn into paradise…
Prologue: Awakening
There were wolves. Though she had never heard of them, nor seen them, nor should she have any thoughts of them, she knew who they were.
They were wolves. Her wolves in some way. They were waiting for her, searching for her, thought they did not quite know it yet.
She struggled against the bonds that held her, delicately poised like a flower in green liquid. The metal bands dug into her unprotected flesh, and she gave a silent whimper.
At the moment she became aware of another presence in her mind's eye. It was different then her wolves, perhaps the opposite.
She heard a voice speaking to her. Sounding gentle but shaking with a pliant roughness, it filled her ears in a way no other sound had. This one seemed thicker than the other distant sounds she had heard, dim whispers on the edge of her mind. She did not know what to make of this new, solid voice. Mostly she was puzzled.
A change in temperature told her the water was slowly leaking away. Coughing when it revealed her mouth, she received her first breath of real air. It tasted stuffy, full of old dust, but warm as sugary, sweet meat that had spoiled.
The voice was clearer than it had been. It resounded in her ears, deep, thick and masculine.
"You are finally awake."
Strong arms reached up to unhook the chains, and she fell loosely into the stranger's dark arms.
She was puzzled, or as puzzled as any newly birthed creature could be in such circumstances, that he should take such gentle measures to get her down.
"You are awake," he said again.
His voice sounded deeper, like the soft rumble of the sea. She had no memory of the sea, no memories at all, but somehow she knew what the sound was. Just as she knew of the wolves. Just as she knew of the voices she could hear, faraway in her head.
This stranger seemed to be cradling her, as if afraid she would break if he were too rough with her.
"Who…"her voice was softer than his, and despite its unused quality, was gentle. "Who are you? You are not one of them."
She felt his head tilt as if this strange, dark man was puzzled as well. A silence followed, full of soundless noise.
"I am Darcia the First," he paused, "Cheza."
At her name, for she knew somehow it was, she raised a hand to her bare chest, saying in her soft voice, "This one."
"Yes." His answering tone was softer and if she had known, there was a softness melting into his hard eyes. "Yes, Cheza. You are my flower maiden." There may have been more he was going to say, but Darcia the First remained silent.
His unspoken words made her shiver. What was this feeling, a crawling of tiny pricks along her wet skin?
"You are cold, Cheza." His voice sounded forced. "Do no worry. I will take care of you so you have…no need…to worry."
His voice faltered off, but somehow she felt mildly calm again, leaning her head against his broad chest, right below his shoulder.
He stiffened at the top, but saw she was immediately asleep. A resigned sigh escaped his lips. This was not turning out at all how he had planned.
Looking down at her slender, moon-lily white form, he took in her soft lavender-pink hair, still damp as it curled around her cheek, and her now closed eyes, which moments before had been a striking shade of red within red, but now they lay behind thick, black lashes. He could still see the drops of meizru water clinging to them, like beads of dew.
Shaking himself, Darcia the First gave his flower maiden another brief inspection.
No, she was not what he had expected. And that left him on surprisingly dangerous ground now.