Wolf: Hum thanks for all the wonderful reviews to the people who reviewed! XD I'm glad people enjoyed the first chapter despite it being based on the manga. Well here's the second chapter! A little hard to write since I didn't know how to open it…but I hope you guys enjoy it! X3

Disclaimer: (points finger upward matter-of-factly) If I owned Mai HiME then the horrific harem that is the manga wouldn't exist. If I owned Mai HiME than Shizuru and Natsuki would surely have gotten together earlier than past the end of the show! XP If I owned Mai HiME then there would've been a lot more pages of Shizuru in the manga. But I don't. And I'm just writing this fanfiction. Of which will have ShizNat. So nyuh! I don't own it….(sniffles)

Fray in the Dark

Chapter 2
Dread

The void in front of her was abyssal.

A sea of black stretched what could have been miles or mere inches in front of her. Her gaze directed downward, or at least what she presumed was downward. Nothing, she saw nothing. Concentrating, she felt a ripple of thin muscle move along her arm as she lifted it to what she thought was her face. There was no hand, no arm, and no fingers in front of her at all. An easily broken line of fear enveloped her and she tried to turn from side to side. Everything was completely dark, atramentous. Another struggle with her unseen body and she took a step forward. Once again, there was nothing. She didn't feel her legs moving but somehow she knew they were.

The sea of black all around her didn't move by but she felt it passing by. Though there was no change of scenery and she couldn't tell if she was walking or running, she was moving. She couldn't hear an echo of footsteps that would have allowed her acknowledgement of her pace. Yet she felt something. Sight, hearing, touch, taste, and scent were all removed from her. The only thing left was a strange sixth sense, one of her mind sending a wave of brain messages to her shapeless body. It relayed messages of her phantom form crossing the black sea and told her when she changed direction or when she slowed her pace. However, despite how far and how fast she ran, this abyss never changed.

She was still surrounded in total darkness.

She slowed, shapeless body coming to a halt and sinking to her intangible knees in exhaustion. Her invisible gasps that flowed from her exhausted body echoed silently. Her ghostly hands reached down and touched the floor of the endless darkness. With a sightless gaze, she curled her fingers against the dark floor and slowly scratched them downward.

An ear-splitting shriek tore through the soundless void.

She crouched, hands grasping at a flaxen-haired head that wasn't there and her form shook with tremors. The shriek whistled and seeped into her shaking body, crippling each fiber and disintegrating it. A scream of agony rippled up her throat and exploded into the air, unheard. That shriek coiled the insides of her belly and laughed callously as it spiraled up and out of her soul. Left weak and in pain, she could only kneel there, disoriented.

What had happened?

Confused, her shallow breaths brushed against the floor and her body sagged, gave out and sank to the dark floor. In the distance, that horrid shriek rushed and faded away. Painful spasms grappling and shaking her, she limply sprawled on the floor until something rang into her ears.

Clack clack clack. Clack clack clack.

Footsteps? Her chin rose and she gazed into the blackness, trying in vain to see the source of the resonating thuds. Closer and closer did the footsteps sound and a chilling fear laced her spine. She shivered and waited. Then, in a tense single moment, the sounds stopped. Why? Her mind questioned and received no answers, only silence.

Pain.

Pain shot across her what she vaguely recognized was her scalp and drilled past her nape all the way down her spinal cord. Her throat cried out and this time she heard it. Sound, scent, touch, and taste were all returned to her in one whirling onslaught. The only thing that wasn't was sight. She could hear the raspy breaths of something behind her, feel one of its arms creeping along her waist and pressing her against a far too hot body. Clothed skin transferred heat from one form to another, unbearably uncomfortable. Rancid breath tickled her ear and sent her nose into a vile fit. Stench flew into the air, landing in her gaping mouth and her stomach churned. Bile bobbled from her stomach and sifted upward, gagging her. A hand along her head gripped her flaxen tresses and tugged, bringing forth another shot of pain. The pressure against her lower torso increased and dug into her flesh behind the cloth. The muscle of a broad arm pressed unmercifully against her skin.

She whimpered.

That strange sixth sense that had guided her along the abyss now pulled at her, told her that the creature holding her in an icy bruising grip was smirking smugly. Low chuckles vibrated from the apparition and its breath tickled her ear once more. A hungry, deep voice hissed into her ear.

"This is but a taste of my power."

Then, darkness consumed her once more.

- - -

The first thing she took note of as she rejoined the waking world was an incessant buzzing noise.

Dreary russet eyes peered open and gazed on painfully. At first hazily, it took a gradual few minutes before they were able to focus. The first thing she saw was her gray ceiling. A groan issued from her sore throat and she turned in the comforter, burying her face into her pillow. The buzzing continued.

With a frustrated gasp, the female rose from her covers and blindly waved her hand over her bedside drawer. Finally after several moments, her fingers collided with cold steel and she slammed her palm down onto the alarm clock. Instantly, the buzzing stopped.

Satisfied, Shizuru turned back to her covers and wriggled deeper into them. Soft, almost inaudible snores sounded beneath the cover as her now silent clock moved its handles with time. She shuffled for a more comfortable position underneath the sheets and her hands clawed at the bed. Then they curled around something soft and a pleased murmur floated past her lips. Her fingers brushed the fuzzy toy and a smile lit her sleeping face. Gingerly bringing the plushy forward, she buried it in her chest and snuggled with the small dark gray and white wolf pup toy. Nuzzling her nose into the soft fake fur, her lips moved in soundless purrs and mutters.

A few more minutes passed by.

Then, one rusted eye creaked open and stared at the open curtains of her window, watching as sunlight snuck in and splashed onto her face. Annoyed, she turned her back on the playful beams, but groaned when sleep wouldn't come back to her. With a resigned sigh, the student opted to rise from the covers. Her little plush plopped onto the bed as she threw the covers off.

Long legs clad in white pajamas shuffled to her full-body mirror. The vision before her wasn't one she recognized. Pale oak tresses that were usually kept in place were mussed and messily framing her face. Her dark eyes were bloodshot, the thin veins pulsing inside the white irises. Dark circles lay just beneath her eyes and perspiration left its sticky, dried mark. She blinked once, then blinked again to see if the unfamiliar image would disappear.

It was still there.

One soft hand crested her cheek and glided down her neck, marking its course along her chest and to her abdomen. It peeled back the white cloth of her shirt. She froze at what she saw reflected in the mirror. A dark, ugly purplish mark harshly ran along her lower torso, in the shape of a brutal arm. Shizuru felt her breath hitch at the bruise and her eyes flicked from the mirror to the actual flesh. She grazed one finger against the mark and winced at the sore skin. Quickly flipping down her shirt, the Kyoto-born turned from her mirror to fix the sheets of her bed. She ignored the lonely pup plush still lying unattended against one of her pillows, it dark brown eyes pleading.

Flipping her clothes off, one of the student's hands grasped for her socks while the other reached for her skirt. She slipped on the articles of clothing and reached for her shirt and jacket. Her hand stilled against the pale coloring of her shirt. Dark eyes meekly flowed back to the mirror, staring at the bruising covering her midsection. A flinch escaped her and she turned away again, pulling on the shirt and long black jacket that marked her as Seitokaichou.

Her feet thudded gently against the floor of her dorms' room as she slunk out into the open, keys locking the door. Out of the apartment, she never once looked directly at the puppy upon her bed. Its round brown eyes gazed at nothing, glassy in its plea, untouched throughout the rest of the morning.

- - -

It was silly of her but the very moment that she stepped out of the dorms, her dark eyes flicked about uneasily. Her shoulders lifted with a trace of tension against the slender muscle. Peering down and along the streets, she listened to the quiet bustle of the city as passersby went with their daily business. Cars zoomed down the concrete streets and her gaze lifted to the pale gray-blue sky. Clouds drifted lazily forward, sometimes blockading the white orb that was the sun. Peaceful and dull were the perfect words to describe this morning.

With a relieved sigh, Shizuru stepped away from the dorms and hefted her bag closer to her. Her form drifted easily down the sidewalk as her legs carried her to the school. She watched the buildings fly by her slowly as her gaze hazed. Jumbled thoughts gradually carried the Kaichou away from the hustle of the city and to her dreams. A sense of urgency and apprehension quelled the fair-haired student and her brow knitted worriedly into a frown. It had been a strange dream and already its dark memories were rapidly escaping her fogged mind. She could barely register anything that had occurred in the dream and the only remnants of it she had were the bruising molded onto her abdomen and the feeling of anxiety plaguing her. With each attempt to recall the mysterious events, a pulling at her skull began to increase.

Blood coursed from the veins within her body and rippled upward quickly, flushing her nape and seeping into the core of her skull. A heavy sensation began to overwhelm the pupil and she grappled onto a railing beside the sidewalk. Heaving slightly, one pale hand reached shakily up and rubbed at her pulsing temple. A groan emitted from her full lips as she tried to soothe the migraine throbbing at her skull. The pale brunette shook her head and pushed herself from the metal barring, drifting down the street again to the school.

Shizuru idly waited by the sidewalk as her rusted eyes rose to stare at the light. It glowed bright green and her foot tapped gently on the pavement, waiting for it to change. Other citizens soon collected by the brunette and stood beside her, each of their gazes directed on the streetlight as cars blurred past. The tapping continuing, she glanced around in boredom as she waited. Tap tap tap. Cinnamon-toned eyes swiveled on the other side of the street, staring at people mulling down the sidewalk. Tap tap tap. One hand lifted and unconsciously grazed across her lower torso, feeling the bruise beneath the dark cloth of her jacket. Tap tap tap. Ears listened as the hum of speeding cares rushed past, leaving the wind to whistle in her ears. Tap tap tap. Faintly, she saw the lights change from green to red. Tap tap tap. Drearily, she felt bodies moving on all sides of her, stepping down to cross the street. Tap.

Belatedly, Shizuru stepped off the sidewalk after the small crowd of people, head slightly bowed as her thoughts continued to weave and fuzz the fog ever growing in her mind. Dark pools of cinnamon rust drew from the stone of the street and to the sidewalk in front of her. Something swished in her peripheral vision and she craned her head in that direction. Her steps faltered as something flew down the street, tall and dark as it ducked into the crowd. Her frown deepened and a look of confusion swirled into her clouded eyes. Shizuru's smooth's posture stiffened and her russet eyes fixated on the figure quickly racing onward. She followed its black-clad form with her eyes until its hurried pace unexpectedly halted. As if the being sensed she was watching, its momentum completely went into inertia and its head rose from a dipped position. In the time it took the figure to stop, she ceased all motion. In the time that head took to lift itself, her neck leaned forward as if to get a better view. In the time that head took to slowly turn around, her pulse began to speed. In the time she could even get a glimpse of that discreet figure's face, she missed the sound of something speeding toward her. In the time it took for a pair of molten amber eyes to flick their heated gaze toward her, framed by ebony dark locks, she didn't see the mobile only a few meters from her.

The core inside her ribcage suddenly skipped a beat and a painful shock rolled into her form, body going rigid with the smoldering heat in those amber eyes. A bright red gleam entered those golden orbs, hidden behind black tresses, and a thin sinister smile curled pale white lips. Shizuru stared, russet eyes solely on the pair of amber orbs as a whirring sound distantly thrummed in her ears. She stared, chest jumping almost unnoticeably as the distant noise became not so distant. She stared and didn't see, vision going dark.

This is but a taste of my power.

A scream sliced the air.

"WATCH OUT!"

Everything came crashing back around her in a torrential wave of quaking trauma as that voice shrieked and imbedded itself into her ringing ears. The once distant roaring sound was now impossibly close and rivaled a bellowing roar of a beast as it zoomed a last meter to her. Her chin jutted, head jerking violently as her pale oaken tresses whipped against her neck in the movement. Rusted eyes, pupils contracting in the center of the irises, tinted bloody red as something black and maddening rammed ever closer. Her eyes twitched, her arms froze, and her breathing grew heavy and ragged. Mobility was ripped away from her being and the blood in her veins seared like ice. Meters, yards, feet, inches, and centimeters; it all didn't matter as the metallic beast swerved closer.

Time absurdly seemed to stand still as the vehicle came closer. Her hands trembled and the grip on her bag loosened, the object dropping with an echoing soft thud on the concrete. Horrified eyes widened by agonizing fractions as her lips parted, a silent gasp going disregarded. All she saw was the creature in front of her and nothing more. Her arms didn't even rise to cover her in a vain attempt for safety and her legs didn't leap her out of the way. She merely waited, frozen in place, for the collision.

The screeching of tires seemed to endlessly ring in the atmosphere and terrified gasps sounded from the gathered crowd as the scent of burnt rubber came off the streets. One leather-gloved hand gripped the bars of the motorcycle tightly as the vehicle ceased. Slight smoke rose off the ground as the screeching died away to an eerie hiss. Time resumed its course as the terror turned to relief.

An accident had been avoided.

But the fear was still there.

Shizuru stood there, hand precariously placed over her chest as her breaths came in ragged gulps. Her russet eyes were wide in terror, having seen what could have been her life almost torn away from her. She watched, her knees bent inward lightly, as the engine was shut off from the motorcycle. Sweat dripped from her brow and down her face, tickling her full lips and giving her a faint taste of salt. The driver swung off the vehicle in a gallant flourish, leather creaking as the person stalked toward her.

Black and red supple leather clothed the figure, face obscured by the helmet adorned atop their hand. Gloved hands reached up to slink off the headwear as the person stopped about a foot away. Instantly, her fear turned into shame and agitation at the face revealed to her.

Long cobalt, almost night black, silken tresses stretched out from underneath the helmet and swept across a firm, muscled back. Smooth alabaster skin framed the woman's face and a soft jaw turned in her direction. Bold verdigris eyes stared hard at Shizuru, the expression one between fury and distress. Her own breathing was harsh, disbelieving. A vision of beauty she was to Shizuru. A vision of excruciating, torturing beauty.

The cool image was brushed off like a fleck of dust at what came next.

A cold, wrathful voice.

"Are you mad?! What the hell is your problem standing in the middle of the road?! Do you realize I almost could've killed you! Oi! Answer me!" the bristling woman snapped at her.

Demurely, she lifted her chin higher and stared in wide-eyed alarm. The relief that she'd felt for a few seconds ago from avoiding death evaporated at the angry words. Her jaw slackened, but didn't drop as she stared dumbly at the dark-haired biker. Her fair eyebrows knit together and her breathing became shagged once more, though this time in an entirely different matter of nervousness. An aching passion began to consume her; she threatened to swoon at the sight before her. Her red mouth gaped open and let loose a shaky, uncollected breath.

The woman paused in her tirade, noting that the brunette wasn't listening to her harsh words. A dark frown marred her pale face and her teeth ground together as the female before her only gaped. Before she could continue berating, the student spoke.

Her voice was tinted melodic, heavy with an accent and shaky from panic. Her eyes were a sweet shade of worried earthen brown mixed with amber and just a hint of scarlet. Perspiration moistened her flaxen hair and her throat convulsed in efforts to regain lost oxygen. Shizuru only uttered one word, one name.

"Natsuki…"

Wolf: There it is! Second chapter! Dread, danger, and fear all rolled into one chapter. And I bring you Natsuki! What a fun way for Shizuru to start her morning ey? Has some vague horrible nightmare, wakes up with unexplained bruising, gets out of the house and walks down the street, sees somebody, hears voices in her head, and almost gets ran over by her secret love. Ah fun. Oh and I introduced…a new character besides Natsuki and Shizuru. And it's not an OC. And I'm not telling who it is until later. XP So don't ask me hehehe.

o.o Mm and as I was writing this fanfic, my thoughts kept going back to the black outfit Shizuru wore in the manga. I think it was black…or some really dark color. XP I thought it was really cool…made her look…well…cool and professional and aloof…yeah.

Oh and if anyone got confused by Shizuru's nightmare…well you were supposed to. I deliberately tried to make it as vague as it was. Can't have the nightmares being too blunt in the early chapters. Must have suspense!

Oh and the puppy plush was symbolic, with two reasons. Reason #1: Natsuki reminds Shizuru of a little wolf puppy sometimes…hence she got a little puppy plush to remind her of Natsuki. Reason #2: The little plush's neglect reflects Shizuru's own feelings of abandonment and solitude of which I'm pretty sure she's felt in the manga…always left behind unnoticed. Little silent puppy pleading for affection…and not getting it.

:3 Review and you shall see more Natsuki and Shizuru hawtness.