This is the story i've been reworking. Hopefully there are some people out there who will like it :)
In the middle of nowhere stood a small deserted village. The village itself had been destroyed-houses were crumbling, stone eroding and there was not a single sign of life anywhere in the village, except for a young woman who stood in the villages centre.
She looked stunning in her navy-blue gown and black velvet cloak. Her eyes were the colour of deep emerald, and her face a soft oval shape. Her short auburn hair framed her face and the rest was hidden beneath the hood of her cloak.
She gazed sorrowfully at the remnants of the stone fountain in front of her, reminding her of the war her world was in once again.
"My Lady?"
She turned her head and made eye contact with her handmaiden. The young woman standing before her had short platinum blonde hair that hung in ringlets around her oval shaped face, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. She too wore a black velvet cloak to protect her from the chill of the freezing cold air.
"Oh, Akiho. Are we to leave already?"
Akiho nodded. "Lord Kei wanted me to let you know."
"I see. Thank you." They began walking, the snow crunching beneath their feet. "Is there something you'd like to ask me, Akiho?"
Akiho looked at her feet feeling a bit embarrassed. "Is it true? About the prophecy?"
The young woman sighed softly. "Are you referring to the one about the destruction of our people?"
"Forgive me, but with what has happened here..." Akiho murmured.
The young woman shook her head softly. "No, it's understandable. So many of our kind are dying-so many of the bluebloods are disappearing-and my family are included. It's only natural to be scared." She replied gently.
"So, the prophecy is true? But-But what about the prophecy about 'him'?" Akiho asked with despair.
"I do not put all of my hopes and dreams into prophecies, and I bid you well not to either, Akiho. There is always hope in the future."
Akiho's face fell as she struggled to understand what her superiors' words meant. "Yes, My Lady."
They came to a stop in a clearing where two men stood. One wore a pair of round spectacles on his face, his eyes the colour of sapphires and his hair dark. The other had sandy brown hair and cold, dark piercing eyes. Like the two women, they wore cloaks as well.
"Sakura-you're late." He spoke with disapproval.
"I'm sorry Kei. I didn't realise I had a time limit." Sakura replied smoothly.
"You could have been injured-or worse! You've seen what those hunters have done!" Kei continued.
Sakura blinked calmly. "Yes, I realise what has happened here. Thank you for your concern, but I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you." She replied as she passed him.
He and the other two followed after her. He caught up to her and walked beside Sakura while the other two walked behind them.
"So, what have you heard of 'him'?" Kei asked irritably.
"Judging from that tone of yours, I'm going to guess that you're referring to the one mentioned in the prophecy." Sakura spoke dully.
Kei didn't answer, so she continued. "The man we're seeking is still human. He was raised away from our society, and therefore knows nothing about us. He'll need to have the blue blood within him awakened."
"So, he doesn't know about the prophecy?"
Sakura eyed Kei for a minute as she detected a hint of hope, and then returned her attention back to what was in front of her. "No, he doesn't. At least, not that I'm aware of."
Kei nodded, and Sakura noticed that he looked a little relieved.
"You'd jump with joy if the prophecy never came true and you were the one that led our people to victory, wouldn't you?" she said suspiciously.
"I'm merely thinking about what is best for our people. I want nothing more than to see you and our people safe." Kei answered.
"Is that so?" Sakura murmured. Part of her doubted that was true. She knew how Kei could be-and giving him further power could be disastrous.
They came to a stop at a carriage that was being led by four, monstrous horses, each with demonic red eyes and sharp looking teeth, while their bones jutted out of their skin.
"My Lord?" the man with the glasses spoke.
"Yes, Eriol. I know. Sakura, I have a message to deliver so I will be back at the castle late. Head on without me." Kei spoke.
"Very well." Sakura murmured.
Eriol opened the carriage door for Sakura, and she stepped inside to take a seat. Akiho climbed in after her, then Eriol closed the door and took a seat at the front of the carriage. Kei stayed where he was on the ground, watching as the horse-like beasts took off into the night.
Sakura glanced out of the window briefly to find that Kei was gone from where he had been standing just seconds ago. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and watching the scenery of the Night World pass her by in a quick blur of colours.
...
-REALM OF HUMANITY-
Obnoxious beeping invaded Syaoran's dream that morning. Irritated that his sleep had been disturbed, he blindly reached out for the annoying clock to turn it off. Eventually, after knocking almost everything off his bedside table, he found his mark and succeeded in turning the demonic device off. He groaned and rolled onto his side, wishing for more sleep. But that plan his sleep addled brain had come up with was soon thwarted by the sound of another alarm going off.
'Oh, for fucks sake.'
This time he sat up and looked around his room for the second device. He quickly spotted it on the other side of the room, briefly wondering which arsehole had put it there before remembering it was himself, his own idea, to ensure that he actually got up on time for his morning class.
Annoyed, he kicked back the blankets and stood to amble over to the second alarm clock and turn it off. He glared at the clock with distaste for a moment, and then proceeded to yawn as he headed for the shower.
Syaoran was not particularly good with mornings. He had always had trouble waking up for school when he was younger, but back then he had his father there to kick his ass into gear. However, it had been quite some time since his father had been around. Six years ago when Syaoran was at the age of seventeen, his father had died, leaving him behind. Syaoran considered himself lucky as his father had also left the house to him as well as his fortune, so he didn't have to work if he didn't want to. However, he worked part time at a cafe to pay for anything he wanted, using the money his father left him only for bills and food. Now, at the age of twenty-three, he was in university studying psychology and criminology.
Shutting off the water, he dried and dressed himself in jeans and his favourite forest green hoodie, his dream still at the forefront of his mind. The scenes from his dreams felt so familiar and yet so distant, like a long-forgotten memory or something that was missing from his life. The scenes of old European architecture and crumbling stone that reminded him of the eighteen hundreds.
Shaking his head, he walked out into the kitchen to get himself something to eat, passing a picture of his parents holding him when he'd been born. He grabbed some bacon out of the fridge and two slices of bread, then proceeded to make himself a bacon sandwich. A squeaky meow sounded, and a small feline curled around his leg.
His cat Sora was a fluffy dark tortoiseshell, her fur nearly black, and her eyes were a pretty blue. The little cat had come to live with him the day he had found out his father had died. He'd found her sleeping at the front door when he had gotten home from school that day, and she had stuck to him like glue ever since.
He smiled and knelt to pet Sora, and the little cat climbed up onto his shoulder where she liked to stay. She purred happily while he ate his sandwich, his mind wandering.
At some point he looked at the clock and swore. Gently, he put Sora down on the ground and grabbed his bag before rushing out into the freezing winter cold. Winter was his least favourite season and he hated that it was so hard to warm up, but thankfully for him that morning, he had to sprint to the station if he wanted to catch the train on time, making for an adequate warm up.
He swore as he got on the train with just a second to spare, panting from his run. People stared at him but he ignored it-he was used to being stared at. His eyes were an unusual shade of amber and his messy hair a dark brown. He knew he was attractive from the way women looked at him when he passed them by.
When they finally arrived at his stop, Syaoran rushed out onto the platform with a bunch of other disgruntled and restless passengers and took the stairs two at a time. He rushed out of the station and then down the street to his right. It didn't take him long to reach the university campus where thousands of students dressed in all kinds of attire roamed. He headed straight for the east building and rushed up the seventy-two stairs in record time, finding his class was still waiting outside the lecture hall. He sighed heavily with relief-the last four times he had been late and had to sneak into the lecture theatre.
He spotted his friend Eriol and walked over. Eriol raised his brow in amusement. "Wow-new record."
"Shut up," Syaoran panted.
Eriol laughed, "Your ability to wake up on cold mornings is as non-existent as ever, I see."
"Who can blame me? I'd rather be warm than freezing." Syaoran muttered.
"Hm, well, yes. A lot of people seem to enjoy winter though." Eriol mused.
"Anyone who enjoys freezing is a psychopath." Syaoran added, "I just want the warm weather back."
Eriol snorted.
Their lecturer arrived, and all of the students slowly filed in to take their seats. Syaoran and Eriol sat at the back as usual; Syaoran pulled out his notebook and pen and Eriol did the same.
"How are those dreams of yours?" Eriol asked.
"What, are you my psychologist or something?" Syaoran frowned.
Eriol rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot. I'm just concerned."
Syaoran felt himself relax. "Well, I'm still getting them." He murmured. "They're getting more vivid with each passing day."
Eriol was quiet for a long minute.
"You don't have to look so concerned." Syaoran muttered, "They're just dreams."
"But I have to be concerned." Eriol sighed dramatically, "After all, you're dreaming about me."
"Oh, piss off." Syaoran snapped and Eriol laughed.
Syaoran turned his attention to the front, starting his first class for the day.
…
Syaoran was starving when he got out of his three-hour lecture. Eriol had another class to get to, so Syaoran headed off to the campus food hall to grab something to eat. He bought himself some hot chips to eat and a hot cup of coffee before sitting down to eat. He still had an hour until his next class, so he didn't have to rush which was a relief.
While eating, though, he felt the familiar feeling of being watched and he looked around. He spotted a man who looked to be around his age sitting on the other side of the hall. Syaoran felt that he had seen this person before but couldn't quite remember where. The more he thought about it, the more his mind continued to draw a blank.
Syaoran shook his head. 'You're being paranoid.' He told himself.
That had to be it. He didn't know many people and he certainly didn't know the person he thought was watching him. But...the nagging in the back of his mind was telling him he recognised him for whatever reason. Maybe they had a class together? He couldn't remember. Maybe it was something else. He looked back over but found the man was gone. Syaoran frowned and then shrugged his shoulders as he went back to eating his chips and drinking his coffee.
His classes finished late that night, like they always did on a Monday. He hurried to the train station, but unfortunately something had happened on the train line, so the train wasn't running.
Syaoran swore and grit his teeth against the cold. Frustrated and freezing his butt off, Syaoran left to head to the nearest bus stop three blocks away. The night sky was clear of clouds and it was a new moon, but Syaoran had no issue with seeing where he was going. After all, he was in the city and there were streetlights everywhere.
But even if there had been no streetlights, he still would have been able to see clearly. He had always been able to see as clear as day in the dark. Though, whenever he had mentioned that little fact to his peers or teachers when he was younger, he was often told that couldn't be possible. It had always annoyed him, so eventually he just didn't bother mentioning it to anyone.
As he walked, Syaoran felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise and the uncomfortable feeling of being watched or followed-or both. He picked up his pace and continued down the brightly lit street but came to an abrupt stop as all the lights suddenly went out.
"A power outage?" he wondered with a frown as he looked around.
Either way, it was still unsettling. He was about to start walking again when he turned his focus back to what was in front of him, only to be startled by someone standing in front of him. It was the guy he had seen at the food hall watching him earlier that day.
"Err, excuse me please." Syaoran went to move around him, but the man continued to bar his way.
Frowning, Syaoran tried again and was stopped again. He looked at the guy in front of him with irritation. What was his problem? When Syaoran tried to walk around him again, the man grabbed his arm. Syaoran tried to pull his arm free, angry.
"What the hell do you want?" Syaoran snapped.
He didn't want to fight if he didn't have to. His father had trained him in martial arts, so he could protect himself if need be, but he didn't like fighting with people. Ready in case the man tried to start anything, he waited, but he didn't even see what was coming. All he had done was blink, and suddenly he was on the ground knocked unconscious.
...
-THE NIGHT WORLD-
Sakura stood in the middle of the castle courtyard watching the stars, her gaze shifting to the man approaching her. Kei was carrying someone over his shoulder, and he unceremoniously dumped the man on the ground in front of her.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Did you have to be so harsh?"
"Relax, Sakura. He's out cold." Kei answered coolly.
"Precisely." She quipped.
A look of distaste showed on his face. "Do you really care so much for a mere human?"
Anger burned in Sakura's radiant emerald eyes. "You and I both know that he is not a mere human. He is a blue blood, like us."
"Tsk. You deal with him then." He spat and then proceeded to head inside.
Sakura rolled her eyes and walked over to where the human man lay and knelt beside him. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he was with his long lashes and muscular build. She reached out to trace the line of his jaw with her fingers, and the she brushed some of his dark hair from his eyes.
Gently, she lifted his head in her arms and leant in. The smell of his blood was almost intoxicating, but she restrained herself, reminding herself that this man was a blue blood just like she was. After a moment, she leant in further and sank her teeth into his neck. His blood tasted just as sweet as it smelled, like honey, but she pulled away and let his head rest in her lap while she waited.
She savoured the taste of his blood and silently mourned that she may never get the chance to drink it again.
...
It was agony. His body felt like it was on fire along with knives digging into his organs. What the hell was going on? He wondered if he was dying. No, that couldn't be it. He was feeling so much pain, so he was definitely alive. But for how much longer?
Then, the pain began to subside.
Slowly, feeling returned to his limbs and his throat burned with a strange new thirst. Soft fingers caressed his cheek and he opened his eyes to find himself looking up into a pair of gentle emerald eyes. She was beautiful, like a goddess, and her gaze was kind. She lifted her wrist up to his face and the smell of vanilla and cherry blossoms flooded his senses, causing the thirst in his throat to intensify.
"Go on," she spoke softly.
He looked at her with a mixture of fear and confusion. She smiled kindly, and somehow it was enough to put his mind at ease.
"It's okay. Take my blood-it will ease your thirst." She spoke softly.
Syaoran hesitated. What the hell was going on? But he couldn't resist the urge. Instinct took over him and he sank his fangs into her wrist-her blood flowed freely into his mouth. It tasted wonderful, like some kind of expensive sweet that you could only have once in a blue moon.
When he realised what he had done, his thirst had subsided, and she was pulling her wrist away.
Syaoran was disoriented. He had no idea what was going on or where he was. He was sure he had been on his way home from university, but now it looked like his was some place in medieval Europe. They were in a castle courtyard-Syaoran noticed the iron gates and what looked like a German castle. There were stone gargoyles decorating the outside of the castle, and the large doors leading inside had strange Latin encryption around its edge. Suddenly he recalled the images from his dreams and frowned.
He looked back to the woman. "Where am I?" he asked apprehensively.
The woman kept her kind smile, understanding that he was wary. "Welcome to the Night World. My name is Sakura, and right now we are located on the outskirts of Cerisia. Oh...I suppose in the human world, it would be Japan."
He stared up at her gentle face. Did she say Night World?
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