Stranger in the Night.
Pairing: MutsukixAnise.
Rating : T, for odd situations, and potty mouths.
A/N; I really do need to learn the concept of time management, don't I?
Disclaimer: I do not own Barajou no Kiss (sadly) I do own my own O.C's however.
CHAPTER 2
There in front of her were the three mysterious men who she had before; the man with the fair slivery white hair, the boy with the unbearably cute face, and the tall stranger with the dark red eyes. 'In the name of the Dominion, what the hell is going on?!' Anise thought as she stared at them, astonished at the turn of events. Surprise was clearly written upon the three as well, even the dark haired one. Silence filled the hall and at last, her father spoke.
"I take it that you've all met before?" Schwartz said a look of wicked amusement upon his face. Inside, he was cackling in amusement. 'Oh ho ho, how the plot thickens... I wonder what will happen next. And does my dear daughter even know that one of them is not human? Argh, I wish I had popcorn...' By mistake, he chuckled out loud, and instantly four pairs of eyes were on him.
"What's so funny dear father?" Anise asked, sarcasm practically dripping off her lips. The three men behind nodded, all of them looking pissed at the man's out-of-place laugh. Schwartz gulped, even though he wasn't afraid of his daughter, he was afraid of her psychotic fits, which involved gruesome torture methods. Even if he hadn't been on the receiving end of one, he had heard the story about the poor sentential.
"Nothing daughter, just laughing for the sheer urge of it." Even shaking in his boots, her father still managed to look calm and composed. Anise smiled sweetly, her father could put up the Great Wall of China between the two of them, and she'd still be able to know whether or not he was afraid. 'Although,' she thought frowning, 'that's the extent of how well I can read him.' It was true, Anise could tell when her father was angry or scared, but for her life, she couldn't tell what he was scheming.
"So, care to say your name, gentlemen?" As usual, her father was being suave, causally changing the topic. Anise glowered at him, annoyed at how easily he was changing the subject. But, as Anise was the more mature of the two in her mind, she let it slide this time. There was an awkward silence among the five, and at last, the white haired man spoke.
"My name fair lady is Mitsuru Tenjou, and I am the representative for Valkoinenia. I hope," He said with an almost lecherous expression, "that we get well acquainted in the future." Anise blushed, it was impossible not to understand the innuendo in his words. The blue haired boy looked shyly at her and said in a stammering voice;
"I'm Seiran Asagi... and my home land is Caelua." At the end of his stutter, he ducked his head down, and the action reminded Anise of a kitten who was trying to hide. Resisting the sudden urge to go and hug the life out of him, she turned to the final stranger, the one who intrigued her the most. The male merely blinked, looking bored. The seconds ticked by as the group waited, staring at the final candidate. Finally, just before Anise was going to burst with frustration, he spoke.
"My name is Mutsuki Kurama, my homeland is Lusraron." The words were slow and halting, as if the speaker was not use to speaking in public. He scowled, and ducked his head and Anise swore she saw the tiniest tint of red on his cheeks. The hall was silent, the five occupants waiting for something, though whatever it was, Anise couldn't guess for all the gold. Gradually, she became aware of intense stares toward her, and with a slight start she realized that they were waiting for her name. Guilty she gulped, and said in a rushed voice;
"Umm... hello, my name's Anise, and I'm from here, otherwise known as The Dominion, it's nice to meet you all. Ummm... I think I have books that I have to return now, so BYE!" With that, the pinkette ran towards the door without a second glance back. Should she have done so, Anise would have gotten the satisfaction of seeing the surprised faces of the men behind her, even her father. The men stood in stunned silence, shocked by the sheer speed of her hasty retreat. Suddenly, Schwartz roared in laughter, startling the men with him.
"What on earth are you laughing at?" Tenjou asked, amazed at the man. Schwartz chuckled for a few more minutes then he said mirthfully,
"You three had no idea about what you're getting into." With that he strolled out, his tall frame shaking with amusement. The three males left in the court room felt a shiver of fear at his words.
Anise walked in between bookshelves as she sought out the man who had become somewhat of a father figure to her. Weaving in between the maze of books, she chuckled at the disorder; the man really did never learn how to organize his study. Her amusement quickly became anger as she tried to figure out the route that would lead her to him.
"Dangit Itsushi-sensei, where the hell are you!" She roared, losing her patience as she turned to another dead end. A black thing suddenly popped out of nowhere in front of her, and she jumped. She would of hit the thing, but as she saw the almost bat like appearance of the creature, her mouth broke into a large grin. "Ninufa! I'm so glad to see you; can you show me where Itsushi-sensei is?" The bat like creature gave her a saucy grin and said;
"Da, yeah I can show ya where he is! Follow me!" With that, Ninufa hovered past her, and beckoned for Anise to follow. Following him along the correct path, she shook her head in disbelief, how in the world did Ninufa manage to remember his way, she never would know. Left, right, let again, right again, how big was this man's office?! Finally, they turned left again, and there was the man who she wanted to see. Short, pale blond hair, friendly eyes behind wire rimmed glasses; the man practically radiated 'I am intelligence in a human form.' Despite the fact that Anise normally hated those types of people, she knew Itsushi ever since she was a child. Ever since she was little, Itsushi was with her, helping little Anise with her studies, teaching her about her country and how to defend it. 'If anyone can help me with this problem, it has to be him.' She thought, looking respectfully at him. The man looked over at her carefully. Normally his student was bubbly, with a sparkle in her eyes, and a spring in her step. Today, the fiery little princess was dragging her feet across the floor, and those vibrant ruby eyes which he had come to love were a dull, almost flat colour.
"What's wrong my dear?" He asked, concern in his gray-blue, it was odd for her to look so dejected. Anise lifted her head and looked up, dreading telling him of her situation. Thankfully, Ninufa managed to tell him in a roundabout way.
"Da, did ya like the dress I made for your meeting?
"What meeting?" Itsushi asked his voice sharp with curiosity. Anise gulped and opened her mouth to tell him, but thankfully Ninufa managed to beat her to the catch.
"Da, you didn't know? Anise is getting married!" There was a dead silence in the study as Itsushi processed this, his face changing from bright red, to pale white and back to normal again. At last he spoke,
"So, who's the lucky man?" Anise mouth dropped open, her expression one of comical amusement. She was speechless, how could he be so nonchalant about this?! Seeing her confusion/anger he elaborated.
"Since the other nations have been making advances on The Dominion, it's obvious that Schwartz would marry you off eventually, though what surprises me the most is that he waited that long."
"What do you mean that you're surprised that he didn't marry me off earlier? Anise asked, intrigued at where this conversation was going. Itsushi looked at her curiously. Was she really that oblivious?
"Most noble women are married off at an early age, at least by 14. You however are still unmarried at 18, which is an oddity in the extremes. It seems that your father has managed to delay it, why would he do that; I have no idea whatsoever. But I digress, who are you going to marry?" Anise ground her teeth, ignoring him. Who was he to understand her father's ideas? Even Anise herself couldn't understand what he was thinking, and according to most people, she was able read him better than most people. 'Still, what Itsushi-sensei says is true, most noble women are married around 14, so why wasn't I? Not that I wanted to be, but I wonder...' Itsushi coughed, slightly irritated at being ignored. Anise frowned, she wanted pity damn it, not curiosity! Still, since he was one of the few men who she respected, she answered his question.
"Serian Asagi from Caeula, Mitsuru Tenjou from Valkoinenia, and Mutsuki Kurama from Lusraron." At the mention of Lusraron, he gave a start.
"Did you say Lusraron?" He asked, his voice sharper than usual.
"Yeah, why?" She responded, feeling a little nervous at the stare he was giving her. It was the type of stare that one gave when they were debating about something in their head. After what felt like an eternity, he finally seemed to make up his mind.
"Do you..." He said, hesitating a bit, "Do you remember the lesson on royalty we had a few years back?"
"Yes, I do. What does that have to do with the current situation?"
"Do you remember the race of Lusrarons rulers?" There was an unnatural quietness as Anise struggled to remember the lesson that they had so long ago.
(Flashback.)
"Now Anise, remember that if you add hot water to tea and drink it right away, it has no flavour, you must let it steep a couple of... Stop staring out that window!" Ten year old Anise jumped as the stern voice of her teacher broke her out of her trance. She looked at him guilty, she hadn't meant to ignore him, just watching the birds outside had been much more interesting than the lesson, and one thing led to another. Itsushi sighed, it was only his fourth month as her tutor, and already he could see what the problem was. Crouching down so that he was at the same eye level at her, he asked her in a gentle voice,
"You really don't like being a princess, do you?" Little Anise nodded her head vigorously, in her opinion being a knight was much better. Itsushi sighed, pondering what he could teach her. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Do you know about the different races in this world?" He asked her, looking carefully at her expression. 'Bingo!' He thought as he saw the little girl's eyes widen.
"Yeah I do, who doesn't?" She asked scornfully, not giving any hint as to how interested she really was. 'He's probably just doing this to tick me into something.' She thought grimly. Her tutor persisted though, in his career he had taught much more stubborn pupils.
"Then, assuming that I'm a complete idiot, what types are there?" He asked knowing that girls her age desired to show off, especially ones of noble birth.
"There are elves, dragons, demons, angels, vampires, dwarves and Halflings if you want humanoid species." She said looking bored, really what was this man trying to accomplish? Itsushi grinned; the little princess had missed one species that he knew she would be interested about.
"Yes that's most, but you did miss one..." He said in an offhand voice, barley able to contain his grin as he saw her irked expression.
"If you're so smart, which one did I miss?" She hissed, looking like a ruffled bird.
Itsushi merely smiled and said to her, "Now now, no need to be so angry. Many people don't know about this race for a reason, they're one of the most secretive ones to date. In fact, since they manage to bled in so well with humans-"
"How do you know about them then?" Anise interrupted him, looking genuinely interested. In her life, most of the tutors she had treated her like an idiot, speaking to her as if she was still a baby. This man however, spoke to her as if she was an equal, and actually made an effort to understand her.
"Through a long, painful process that I prefer not to speak of." He said, noting her crestfallen expression. "Sorry, it's just... bad memories so to speak." He apologized, it wasn't her fault that she was inquisitive, most girls who he had taught previously had little to no imagination. "Anyway, back to my original train of speech, the race that I'm talking about has even managed to become royalty, rulers of a powerful country."
"What's their name? And which country is it in charge of?" She piqued up, interested more than ever in where this was going.
"The name of the race is the Dark Stalkers, and they have Lusraron under their command."
(End of flashback)
Anise gasped as she finally remembered the lesson, ruby eyes wide with shock. 'Damn it, Schwartz!' She thought, not even caring to refer to the man by his first name.
"Are you angry that you may marry out of your own race?" The concerned tones of her tutor managed to check her rage, though she still simmered.
"No, I'm not that petty to be angry for that reason. I'm angry because my half-wit father didn't care to mention it!" Itsushi blinked in surprise, sure the girl had a temper, but to be enraged to the point where there were tears in her eyes and a hiccough in her voice was rare indeed. He had only seen her in this state once before and that was when... He shivered, remembering that day well. 'It's better to let the dead lay." He thought, not wanting to think about it. The two fell in silence, which was punctured by the timid voice of Ninufa.
"Hey Anise, did ya like the gown?" Anise stood still in utter shock, had he really asked that? The sudden realization of how absurd the situation was made her laugh. At first, it was a small chuckle, then it became a giggle which morphed into a full laugh-your-gut-off laugh. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gasped for air, still wheezing in amusement. This was too much for poor Ninufa, who in all honesty just wanted to know whether he made a good dress. The poor bat like creature head butted her in the stomach and cried out;
"Da, why you so mean to me?! Why don't ya like the dress?!" The pitiful wails of the creature slowly drained the mirth from her eyes. "Shit, I didn't mean to make Ninufa sad... Godamnit it, I hate today!' Gently she raised the sniffling creature to her eye level and said, "I do like the dress; it's very beautiful and thank you very much."
Ninufa looked up, his spirits elated and said, "I knew you would!" He detached her arms from him and buzzed out, a Cheshire grin on his face. Anise stood in shock, astonished at his sudden mood change.
"Anise, I believe that it might be best to talk to your friend Kaede, as he might be able to help you in your current situation." Her tutor said. Anise looked at him confused, how the hell would talking with the red-head help her? But as she learned when she was younger, her tutor did everything for her best interest, despite what ever she might think.
"Alright, I'll talk to the idiot though I don't know what good it'll do." She marched out, only to curse moments later as she got lost again.
"Oi, Flamehead, where are you!?" Anise shouted as she walked through the halls, already changed into more comfortable clothing. Honestly, she had nothing against the dress, but dear George was it tight! Marching around the corner, she turned for Mikage's room for the third time, praying that they weren't doing anything too... intimate. Cracking the door open, she heard muttered voices.
"Ouch, damn it Kaede! Can't you be a bit gentler?"
"Sorry, but you asked for it..."
"But not this har-ahhhhhhh!"
"Crap, did I hurt you? Sorry, it's been a while."
"Urrgh, just continue, it's getting a bit better, and no, that didn't hurt."
There was silence as Anise pondered what they were saying, trying to figure out what was happening. Suddenly, she heard faint moans coming from the room, and she listened, frozen in shock by what she heard.
"Ohhhhh, right there, focus right there!"
"Does it feel good there?"
"Yessss, harder damn it, harder!"
Anise bolted up, her face flushed redder than a cherry at hearing what they had said. The entire conversation... how could she be so oblivious? Picking herself from the floor, she fled down the hallway not wanting to be the peeping tom anymore. Meanwhile inside the room, Mikage cried out, Kaede managing to finally work the knot out of her shoulder.
"There! I massaged your back; now give me my damn sword back!" Mikage smiled, it was actually really easy to make Kaede do work for her, all she had to do was take his sword.
"Must forget what I heard, must forget what I heaaaard!" Anise chanted to herself as she wandered around in the deserted halls. Since it was around lunch, many people had already left, thus leaving the entire corridor empty, save for the occasional lilt of a birds song. Sitting down on the marble floor, she lay on her back, the murals above her calming her mind. 'Geez, what a day I've had. Running from a crazed seamstress, meeting the people who one of them I will be married to, finding out one isn't a human... When did it get to this? I can clearly remember two days ago, when Mikage and I sneaked buns from the cook, us laughing at Kaedes attempts to impress her. Now, I'm trying to choose someone who will help my kingdom, who'll be bound to me for life.' She drew a hand across her eyes, surprised at the drops of moisture. The last time when she cried was when... She pondered when was the last time she cried? Ever since she was a child she had been taught to be emotionless, not allowing the opponent to gain the upper hand. Footsteps alerted her that she was not alone, and apparently the person was in a rush. She stood up quickly, grasping the dagger hidden in the waist of her dress. If the person had a sword however, she wasn't sure what she would be able to do against that. To her relief, it was just the delegate from Lusraron, Mutsuki.
"Come quickly, there've been attacks to the south, and the council desires your thought on what to do." He said curtly, not sugar coating anything. Anise stood in shock, eyes wide with fear. Out of all the places they could attack, why the southern border? 'Because,' she thought grimily 'that's where the trade route is, if they want to bring us down then it's obvious that's the place where they'd start.'
"Well, are you just going to stand there like a fool, or are you coming with me?" She snapped her head up, fire in her eyes. Did he really just call her a fool? Opening her mouth to retaliate Anise realized what the man had been trying to do, trying to anger her so that she'd be able to respond to the situation. Mutsuki nodded, his red eyes locked with hers. The two rushed down the halls towards the war room, neither wanting to waste any time.
"They've attacked here, my lady," a wizened old man said, pointing towards the lower left corner of the map. "We believe that they'll make a march up to Brume and attack before trying to secure the border." A tall, scarred woman shook her head in disagreement.
"Non, that is too simple, they will make an attack for Bree then head for the capital." Another man shook his head and proposed his idea.
"No, we should do this..."
"No, that would never work, do this..."
"That's stupid! Why would we do that?"
Anise sighed and rubbed her forehead as the room exploded with arguments. These were all battle hardened men and women, so why did they act like children? As the clamour rose so did her temper, until she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Everyone shut up, sit down and drink your goddamn tea!" She bellowed, gaining their attention. Doing as she did, the group sat down meekly and took small sips of the now cold tea. "Now," Anise said briskly, "We have no idea where these people are going to attack, that's for sure. Xiao Lung-" she said , gaining the awareness of the thin male with dark hair and hazel eyes, "I want you and your spies to infiltrate their camp, gain as much information as you can. If you deem it unsafe, then return immediately, we'll find an alternate way to gain information. "Yan Yee, gather your guards and make sure they're prepared in case of an emergency. Lin, gather what you can about the enemy, who they are, where they come from, and why they're attacking. Council is dismissed until further information." With that, the pinkette rose from her seat and walked out, leaving a group of awed people.
Xiao Lung chuckled and said, "You heard her folks, do what the little princess says. Otherwise," He said with a gleam in his eyes, "you may never know when a dagger in going to be placed in your back." The council members shivered and quickly dispersed, not wanting to anger the loyal guard of her Highness. They, however, did not notice a pair of eyes watching their every move, and they certainly didn't notice that they'd been there ever since the beginning of the meeting.
Anise sighed as she got ready for bed; the council meeting had taken more time than she thought it would. 'Damn it father' she thought as she eased herself into the warm water of her bath, 'why did you leave already? The least you could have done was stay and help me out!' For it was true, Schwartz had left immediately after introducing the men to her, not staying a second more. "Why do I have the stupidest father?" She groaned, annoyed by his lack of decorum. Even she, the hellion of the royal family had enough sense to not leave the kingdom when it needed help the most.
Slowly Anise eased herself between the soft silken sheets of her bed. She sighed with pleasure, even if she hated being a princess, it did have its small comforts. Laying her head on the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A noise woke her up, it was one so small, and it shouldn't have. But it did, and Anise bolted up, eyes scanning the room. She was nervous, though why she couldn't say. After all, she had Xiao Lung, one of the best fighters as her guard, so why should she feel so uneasy? Nevertheless she did, and so she got out of bed, clutching the sheet around her, aware that she only wore a thin shift underneath. Her eyes scanned the room, and her head snapped back in shock. The balcony window was open, the curtain dancing in the wind.
"Are you looking for me?" She whirled around, and was face to face with a masked stranger.
A/N- Blargh, I'm done! Geez, that was painful... but oddly fun. Anyway, thanks to my friend Charmaine for revising/editing this.
Please rate/Review! Constructive criticism is welcomed, flames not so much.