My newest Mai Hime fic. I don't own the characters, nor would I ever want to.
When Darkness Falls
"Battle not with monsters, lest you become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss
also gazes into you." Fredrich Nietzsche.
The capitol city of Fuuka, Garderobe shone brilliantly in the morning sun. Multiple towers jutted from the castle grounds, five each. Each of them resembling fingers reaching to the sky. Within one of the towers, a discussion was going on. "So I hear he's on the move, continuing to hunt us down" These words were followed by a small smile and then a sip of green tea. The one who spoke to them was obviously not feeling threatened by the news. In recent months, she and her fellow Himes, women bestowed with special powers and abilities by the holy red star in the sky had begun falling, falling to a young soldier and his massive blade.
"It was a mistake to let him survive, usually we aren't that careless" Another woman said as she flicked back a lock of her silky black hair, her appearance just as the look in her eyes, cool and calculating. "No matter, one man will hardly make a difference in the long run. He can cut down as many of us as he likes, he's still no match for us, the true hime" The other girl smiled as she once again took in another sip of green tea.
"Maybe so, but if he manages to cut down all of the weaker Hime, then its only a matter of time before he makes his way to us, so maybe we should take action before it gets too out of control" The other woman said as she uncrossed her arms, and proceeded to leave the room she shared with her partner. "I'm going to appoint this mission to Nao, to kill him as soon as possible" The dark haired woman replied. "Are you sure that's wise?" The other woman said sitting down her green tea. "She's far stronger than any of the others who he's cut down, so she should be all that we need to kill him" The dark haired girl replied. Seeing very little to change her mind, the woman sat down her tea. "Very well Natsuki, I'll leave all of it in your hands, it is now your duty to have this man eliminated at all costs. We can't have him going around murdering without just cause, especially when its our own race" The woman spoke.
"I will Shizuru, I promise to do everything in my power, to have him eliminated" Natsuki spoke. "Go, and defend our world" Shizuru spoke to her charge.
Walking down the flight of stairs from the tower, Natsuki looked on towards the kingdom at the peaceful events below. Children ran and played, mothers held gatherings amongst their friends, and fellow women yet, what would appear strange was the large abscence of males in the vicinity. Men were really only kept on hand for the act of reproduction, but once their lead alchemists and scientists were through with their research, even the men they possessed would no longer be needed. This one lone male seemed hell bent on taking all of their kingdom away for some unknown reason, along with their lives.
This was unacceptable to Natsuki, she would not have her kingdom taken away and torn to the ground by this monster. She would fight for it no matter the cost.
Making her way over to the breeding chambers, Natsuki looked to where Nao would be most likely teasing the men kept there. Opening the door, Natsuki found Nao, teasing the men inside, taunting the chained up men, flashing glimpses of the more sacred areas of her body, leaving the men chained up with only glimpses and not the touch they so desperateley desired.
"Oh you are alll so fun to tease, so much fun to taunt and leave humiliated. Its only a matter of time until we're rid of all of you for good, and the whole male race, will become nothing more than a memory" Nao said as she arrogantly strode over to one of the chained up males. The looks of fear and shock on the men's faces only made Nao's smile grow larger.
"Nao, quit hastling them. We aren't done with them yet, and we need you for a mission" Natsuki said walking in. "Oh, and what brings the high and mighty butch bodyguard of our esteemed Goddess down to the squalors to meet little old me?" Nao asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm and a smile to match. "I take it you've heard about the killings of some of our comrades in the west?" Natsuki enquired. "Maybe, like some guy with a huge sword is going around slicing up Himes and is slowly making his way towards our castle?" Nao said in a voice that clearly stated she wasn't interested.
"We need you to go out and take care of him, he's cut down five of our fellow Hime already and we don't need the number growing anymore than its already at" Natsuki spoke. "So you want me to handle all the dirty work as opposed to doing it yourself, how typical" Nao said rolling her eyes. "Don't make me unchain them Nao, they're angry and desperate enough as it it, desperate enough to do more than just rape you" Natsuki warned Nao as she spun a key around one of her fingers. Flinching slightly, Nao stepped back and inched her way towards the door. "You bitch!" Nao snarled at Natsuki. Natsuki was well aware of Nao's history with rape.
Nao was brought into this world from a mother who was raped and died giving birth to Nao. To this day Nao felt that the act of rape was even worse than death itself. "He's making his way from the west, we need him stopped before he makes his way here. Come on Nao, its time for you to earn your keep as a Hime and kill him" Natsuki spoke. "Fine by me, for all I know he's probably just another disgusting rapist anyways" Nao said as she stormed off out of the room.
Nao angrily stormed past several of her fellow Himes. The nerve of that ice bitch, using her only known weakness like that to just order her around. If not for fear of being tossed back into that pit with those bastards she'd just step aside and let that so called swordsman run her through. Still getting rid of him would rid the world of one more worthless male. Walking along, she found Mai, outside playing with the youngsters. It was hard to believe this girl was said to be the third strongest of the Himes compared to Shizuru and Natsuki when she had such a strong disdian for bloodshed and violence.
"Ok everyone my eyes are closed, now go ahead and hide" Mai yelled to the kids who soon assumed the positions that they hoped the friendly Hime known as Mai wouldn't find them in. While searching, Mai's eyes soon found someone else: Nao.
"So I guess you aren't here to join in?" Mai's voice now no longer held the playfulness that it did with the young children. "No, I'm just making my way through. The top sent me some orders. There's someone I have to take care of" Nao said cooly. "Oh, so they sent you to take care of him?" Mai said, her voice suddenly sounding surprisingly empty. "Yeah that's right, you want to take my place?" Nao asked already knowing the red head's answer. "Never" Mai replied. "I knew you'd say that, it is him afterall. He has cut down several if not all of our comrades in the west. Or maybe you don't want me to kill him for another reason" Nao asked with a slight smirk. She didn't miss the sight of Mai flinching at the sight of that.
"On second thought I think I may even play this game with you as well. What do we have over, here!" Nao said as she plucked a young boy out of the bushes by the back of his neck. "Young and male, not a good combination around here kiddo, you may want to stay in those bushes for the rest of your life" Mai could see where Nao was going with this, and it angered her. "Or maybe you're still here because someone allows you to stay here, someone very very important here is your mother, whomever could it be?" Nao asked with a devilish grin that many of the Hime know as her trademark. "Could it be that you're the son of a Hime?" Nao asked, already knowing the answer. "Nao put him down this minute" Mai warned. Nao however tuned Mai out and continued her own little game. "I think you just might be the son of a Hime. But who's your papa, hmm? It takes two to tango little boy. So tell me, has anyone ever told you who your papa really is?" Nao asked, her grin remaining unchanged. "ENOUGH!" Mai yelled as the familiar flaming rings appeared around her arms and ankles, clearly trying to tell Nao that she had overstepped her bounds. Finally giving in and dropping the little boy, yet still wearing a triumphant grin when she saw the little boy run over to Mai's side, fearful of the dark red haired woman who had him by the neck.
"You really are too much fun Tokiha, by the way thanks for letting me play your little game, I hope you had just as much fun playing mine" Nao said turning on one heel and towards the door. Angered, Mai was ready to storm off after the girl and let her feel just how hot the fire of her rings were, only to be stopped by a tug at her dress. Looking back she saw the young boy whom Nao had bullied, tears almost welling up in his eyes as he fought to put on a brave face. Disengaging her rings, Mai stooped down to the boy's vision. "Its okay, she's gone now, she won't bother you anymore" Mai said to the young boy as she ran her fingers lightly through his unruly mop of light colored hair. "Mai, why did she say those things to me?" The young boy asked. "No one else is around, the other kids ran when they saw my rings. You can call me what I really am now" Mai said softly as she put her hand to the back of the young boy's head. Hearing this, the young boy smiled and they began to talk to each other much more openly.
Cannon fire riddled the ear drums of all who ran through the battlefields. Some ran from the impending explosions, other ran to be the first to strike down their enemies, be it with a sword or with a spear. A battle had already taken place in this lot no longer than five hours ago, but it had subsided, now that one side's forces had been reduced to a small mountain of corpses. Most of this had been done by a lone soldier with a massive sword. Said soldier was now laying amongst his kills, tired out from the long and exhausting fight. He tensed slightly when he heard footsteps. Gripping the large blade he prepared to swing it into his next victim until he saw who it was. "Well, got a little too into your work did you?" He asked with a slight smile on his face. His friend whom he spoke of offered no reply, save for rolling his eyes at his friend's attempt at humor. "Come on give me your hand" He ordered. From out of the hole he reached his hand up and grasped his friend's out stretched appendage and felt himself being pulled up. "Come on, there's some people I'd like to introduce you to" He spoke.
"New recruits?" he asked, finally breaking his silence. "In a manner of speaking. They call themselves Hime, and they call themselves the Goddesses of victory and..." "I'm not interested in women Reito" the swordsman said in response to Reito's offer. "Why? Because you believe that old tale about women being a source of bad luck on the battlefield Tate?" Reito asked. "Maybe" Tate replied. "Well maybe you should give them a chance, who knows, they might just be special..."
Slowly opening his one lone eye, Tate rose up from his space under a tree. His ears were met with the sounds of his armor folding and shifting along with his body as he rose to a standing position. Throwing his hood over his head so as not to arouse suspicion from anyone. He had already killed five Hime in the western area. He was now a wanted man amongst every kingdom in the nation. It was at least another hour or so before he met someone, that someone was a woman. Her horse was dead and her clothing was ripped and torn in various places. Normally one would be concerned, but something about this whole thing had made him feel uneasy. Slowly he approached her. This had gotten her attention.
"Oh thank goodness you came, you happened along out of the blue like a knight out to save a poor desperate maiden like me, oh the Heaven's be praised" Her own praise wasn't reaching his ears however as he walked past her and came upon the horse. Looking down at the beast, he noticed no other footprints, no marks in the dirt that would belong to a gang or a group of muggers or thieves had come upon the area. Then there was the horse. The animal's throat was ripped open and the flies weren't as plentiful. The blood seeping out of the neck of the poor beast was still red and fresh, the outer air obviously had not reached it as of yet. "Excuse me, I was just attacked by a bunch of muggers and you want to pay more attention to my horse? What kind of a man are you?" The red haired woman asked of the armored figure in front of her.
"I'll lend you my help M'lady but I must ask you one small favor in return" The man in armor spoke at last.
"What would that be, kind sir?" She spoke, sarcasm evident in her tone. Her face soon changed to that of pure shock as the armored man in front of her unsheathed his massive blade and brought it down to point right at her. Turning around to see the boiling fire that was in his lone eye, She could do nothing but listen in to him as he spoke to her.
"Don't fuck with me" He growled at her. He didn't hesitate in pointing his sword at her and he looked hell bent on using it as well. Slowly backing away, the look of worry was erased from her countenance with that of arrogance. "So, the infamous Hime slayer has revealed himself to me, looks like my plan worked afterall" Nao said with a bit of confidence in her voice.
"The snake, The Wolf, The Dragon, The Ogre, and the Spider. Those were the last things I saw, before I lost my arm and my Eye and all of my friends!" Tate yelled.
"My my, quite touchy about that aren't you? Well they sent me here to kill you, and that's what I'm here to do" Nao said as she let the tendons in her fingers slowly grow and alter their molecular structure to that of steel.
"Go ahead and try it you bitch!" Tate growled as he gripped his sword with both hands and assumed a stance befitting of a swordsman. "Yes, lets" Nao said just before she leapt at Tate.
Swinging her claws in an attempt to slice into Tate's skin. This was not to be as Tate blocked it with his sword. Spinning around Tate slammed his blade into Nao's stomach, sending her flying onto the ground. Just as she began the healing process, she noticed a shadow falling down on top of her. Quickly looking up, she saw Tate come down with his readied to stab right into her. Nao quickly rolled out of the way as the tip of Tate's blade burried itself into the ground, piercing the earth. Nao prepared to jump in and swing her claws at Tate once again, only to be interrupted by Tate swinging the tip of his massive sword into Nao yet again. Slicing into her stomach and sending her flying back onto the ground. Nao slowly staggered up to a standing position, trying to shake lose the cobwebs, only to once again see the sword of Tate come flying at her. Narrowly dodging the blade, Nao could only stare in shock at the blood that flew back from her face. The blade had seemingly gotten a cut in afterall. Staggering back. Nao rubbed her face, quickly retreating back into the nearby woods, Nao looked into a nearby puddle, and noticed a long gash forming horizontally along the front of her face along the bridge of her nose, and to the sides of her face along both of her cheeks. This was truly scary. To think that he could get in such a delicate cut with such a giant blade. He was more than just a maniac, he was a master of his sword. "A Monster" Nao spoke. She couldn't speak for long as the tree behind her was literally sliced apart by Tate's giant blade. Nao could only scurry away and try to find more cover. She had one last ace in the hole to try against the swordsman if she was to survive this encounter. Nao watched as he slwoly moved in and threw back his giant blade onto his shoulder. Locating Nao amongst the brush, he moved in for the kill
'Now, before he gets any closer' Nao thought. Placing her hands on the ground. Nao let her webbing spread along thr ground and watched as it entagled itself around the swordsman's leg. She smiled as he soon tried moving in the thick substance. "Now you're mine, you can't do a thing if you can't swing that sword. Now prepare to die!" Nao screamed as she ran in to begin slicing away at Tate.
Nao watched however, as Tate brought his sword up and sliced out of the webbing and brought the sword down on Nao, slicing straight down across her face. Nao felt herself being brought straight down to the ground. Bringing her hand to her face, Nao felt even more blood begin flowing from her face. Nao soon noticed something else. Her vision in her right eye, was soon covered and filled with blood. The cut the swordsman had dealt her had robbed her of one of her eyes.
"You...you..you...you bastard!! You cut out my eye!!! You'll pay, you'll paaayyy you baaasstarrd!!!" Nao screamed as her body soon exploded in a bright, red light and Tate watched within the light, as Nao began to change shape. Tate was all too familiar with this moment. He had seen it before. He was well aware of it and what she would become. In a matter of seconds, what stood before Tate was a giant spider like creature. Nao's own body from the waste up was on top of the eight legged being and beneath it was a pair of jaws lined with gigantic fangs made for ripping apart flesh and bones.
"Now my pathetic little swordsman, you can see what type of mess you've gotten yourself into. When a fly like you gets caught in my web, all that's left for you to do is wish for a quick death!" Nao screamed at Tate. Tate, rose up and prepared his sword, pointing it at Nao and narrowing his lone eye, readying himself for an attack. Nao responded by leaping right at Tate and let her lower jaws bit down on Tate's arm. The fangs however were not strong enough to pierce the reinforced steel of Tate's prosthetic arm. Nao frowned in anger at this, but smirked, knowing that if the swordsman's arm was pinned down by her teeth, he couldn't use it. He seemed to be aware of this.
"Don't get so cocky you bitch, I've still got one free arm left" Tate said cooly. His sword was unfortunatley too big and bulky to swing in such a confined space, so he'd have to make do with the small knife he usually kept on his person.
"I'm afraid that it'll do you no good, my pitiful little swordsman" Nao smiled. Tate raised an eyebrow at what she had just said, when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted, by what appeared to be a tail, flying right towards his face. Tate just barely dodged a barbed tail flying right at him, yet it still managed to leave a noticeable cut along the right side of his face. "Hahahahah! You can dodge all you like, but you're still just a worthless human, you'll tire, and eventually you'll give up, and when that happens my tail will fly straight through the back of your skull, sending your brains all over the grassy floor, it'll truly be a beautiful sight" Nao said excitedly.
"Yeah I bet all the rest of your fellow Hime bitches are really going to enjoy that" Tate said, trying to buy some time to keep Nao from sending her scorpion like tail into his face. Keep her talking, keep on breathing was the mantra going through Tate's mind in regards to this moment in time.
"Don't make me sick. I don't give a damn about any of them. All those prissy, high and mighty little bitches. Just sit on their asses all day looking down on everyone, even me! One of their own. All they want is to ensure their own survival...and they'll do it at the cost of their own kind, just feed more lambs to the slaughter. Even if those lambs are one of their own species!" Nao yelled no longer caring to hide her dislike for her fellow species. In Particular the head priestess Shizuru and her pet bitch Natsuki. "If I do manage to get away from you it won't matter. They'll just seal away my powers, and then feed me to the prisoners in the Breeding chambers" Nao replied.
"What're those?" Tate asked, still trying to buy time for himself. "Since you're about to die at anytime right now and I can't stand the rest of those bastards I'll let you in on all of our nasty little secrets" Nao replied. "To keep our species alive, we keep men we've collected along the way. Only the most desperate and only the most starved and afraid and chain them up in our dungeons. We have a few rounds with them and when we give birth, we kill the males, and keep the females, and when the females come of age they're converted to Hime like me" Nao said with a venemous smile on her face.
"Gee, what an improvement" Tate muttered, making sure Nao could hear him. "Very funny, making fun of me just like the rest of those worthless whores. It makes me even happier knowing that they'll at least remove you and the rest of the male species from this planet" Nao smirked.
"You aren't joking are you?" Tate asked. Deep inside he knew she wasn't, and that disturbed him. "Hardly. Our best scientists and alchemists are working on a way to erase the entire male species and ways to make it so females can now reproduce without the need to depend on your useless flesh" Nao sneered.
"I always knew something was up, that your group was up to something. Back when Reito first introduced us to you and the rest of the Hime's, all of it was like one giant trap" Tate said, his anger growing at the spider-like Hime in front of him.
"All of you and your pathetic fellow soldiers were nothing more than flies caught in our web. Caught and killed and devoured" Nao said with pride while her evil smile never left her face. "I hated to admit it but Shizuru and that pet bitch of hers Natsuki came up with an ingenious plan back then. She promised your leader a country's worth of gold and his own kingdom and all he had to do was offer up all of his men and feed them to us as an offering to the Hime Star" Nao said, thinking back fondly to that day. A day that would be permanently burned into Tate's memory, when all of his fellow soldiers had met their deaths. The images of his men getting bitten in half by the gigantic maws and devoured by the beasts known as Hime's. His vision soon became clouded over with rage as the painful memories all came flooding back to him.
"No smartass remarks or mouthy replies My pathetic little swordsman? Well then if we're through with the banter, then its time that you died!" Nao replied as she sent her tail flying right at Tate's head. Thinking as fast he could, Tate let the tail come and quickly lowered his head, while Nao's tail pierced the palm of his hand. This caused a surprised shock to appear on Nao's face as she watched Tate's head dissappear down by his pinned arm. Nao watched as Tate seized a string and pull it back with his teeth.
Nao could only watch in horror as Tate's arm exploded with a cannonball flying out of it and ripping apart her tail and lower body. Nao screamed at the pain which ripped apart her body and loosened her hold on Tate and watched him go sliding backwards in the direction of his sword. Gripping the fallen blade, Tate let loose a war cry and swung his sword directly at Nao, cleaving her in half and off of her Spider body. Tate didn't bother hiding the smile that went across his face as Nao's blood flew all over his head and his armor. Nao didn't notice or feel her body fall to the ground as it was sliced off of the top half of her body. Her voice was shaking and blood was pouring out of her bottom half, as well as comign out of her mouth in coughing spasms.
Tate leaned on his sword and observed the damage done to the palm of his hand. It was torn open but nothing a good dosage of medicine and bandaging couldn't take care of.
Sheathing his sword across his back, Tate threw back his cloak and prepared to move on. He was stopped however by the voice of the dying Hime.
"Hey, Mr. Swordsman, you're going after the rest of them aren't you?" Nao managed to get out before going into another coughing fit. "That's right. I'm going to whipe out every last one of them, till all of the Hime are nothing more than a bad memory" Tate replied, not bothering to turn around and face the dying creature. "Well, coughs You know I can't stand them so please coughs make them all bleed slowly for me" Nao said to Tate. "I'll make sure of it" Tate replied, walking off into the direction of the capitol city.
Once Nao was sure he was out of sight, she began talking and saying what would be her last words. "I...I..I'm coming home mother, I'm coming back, I'm coming to see you..mama...he set me free...I don't have to take orders...from them anymore mama...no more mama...no more...I did good mama, I told him to kill them all mama. But I didn't tell him everything mama, oh no...I didn't tell him...he's...a...fa..." Nao's words never reached the air. They dissapeared in her throat and vanished along with her life.
Back in Fuuka, Mai and the young boy she was playing tag with earlier, watched the sunset together. Mai looked over his young profile. He was only five years old. He was kind of shy but was still playful with some of the younger children. Most of the other girl's mothers didn't like having him around, but tolerated him for Mai's sake. She had told them that he was a young orphan she had taken in during one of her trips to a neighboring country, although some people in the castle had suspicions due to the boy's appearance.
Looking down at him, Mai let her arms wrap around him and embrace him lovingly. "Hey, you want to hear a poem my mother told me when I was younger?" Mai asked the boy. He nodded his head, wanting to hear Mai's sweet words. "Seven blackbirds in a tree count them, count them what do they see? One for sorow two for joy three for a girl four for a boy five for silver six for gold seven for a secret that's never been told" Mai finished the poem and spoke. "That's our little poem, no one can take that away from us" Mai said as she let her lips touch the young boy's forehead.
"Come on, lets go inside" Mai spoke as they both rose up from the ground to return to the castle.
As mai walked along with the boy, a very disturbing feeling rose up in the pit of her stomach. Like something was behind her, something fierce, and unstoppable. Inside she felt it was only a matter of time until it was right on top of her and everyone else in the castle.
There's chapter 1, read and review