Here is chapter 3 of my rewrite! I swear I had about 15 pages done with this chapter, and then (if you read part II of chapter 9) you would have read that I had to change drives on my laptop, meaning all of my work was gone! It took me a while to get back on track and get over the fact that by sitting around I wasn't going to get anything done. So here I am eating some ruffle chips since a reviewer from long ago told me that eating your favorite snack can help you write (ruffles aren't my favorite…they don't taste good anymore..ew…I'm gonna go get me some grapes.). So thank you whoever told me that. Yep. I still remember haha. Well for all the new readers (which I'm still surprise to say that this story is still being read?) Here you go!
Chapter 2 "Prisoner"
An endless battle had started right in front of everyone's' eyes. With the distant shots coming from the rifles, one by one ferocious tigers slid onto the ground, their wound becoming more and more noticeable for the naked eyes to gaze upon. Still, hundreds of remainders paid no heed towards the weapons the mortals had as they continued onwards towards their enemy. The cat's true form reflected the bullets almost as if their skin were made by numerous sheets of metal and steel. The remaining Zodiacs who were still in their human form stayed close behind their transformed comrades, using them as shields.
King Yishanu quickly raised his sword while taking the lead in front of his men who lowered their rifles, understanding that the beginning attack was completed. Once he was certain that each one of his warriors understood the next plan, Yishanu looked ahead, noticing the tiger leader and the cat leader quickly making their way to the front. Already two years have gone by and yet not a single person was able to kill a Zodiac leader. There was, however, a single wipeout of an entire Zodiac species, but that only meant twelve more to go.
He had to get someone. Just for today.
The King sharpened his eyes as he noticed the gap between his men and the Zodiacs closing in.
Garden
The proper Hanajima made her way back inside the castle to prepare some mini snacks as the rest of the gang—Tohru, Momiji, Uotani and Ghanjan—remained sitting outside, pleasantly enjoying the slight breeze. Things were immediately disturbed when the chipper rabbit stood his ground, continuously speaking his mind out in an annoying matter as Uotani tried her best to quiet down the youngster. Obviously it was noticeable that she still considered the Zodiac an irritating being, but since Momiji was friends with Tohru, it was only reasonable to at least try and put up with a person like him.
Suddenly Momiji didn't seem to care as he made his way inside the maze, teasing the irritated Uotani with a big smile. Uotani quickly stood up and almost tumbled to the ground before shouting, "Aye! Get back here!" Momiji's presence was gone as the Yankee followed, barking, "I just finished working in there!"
Ghanjan watched the scene as Tohru was the first to react, also standing her ground. The maze was awfully huge and technically no one knew the ways of the maze. "Uo-chan, wait!"
It was almost as if people were taking turns racing one another as Ghanjan, the last of the group, finally pulled himself together. "Princess Tohru-kun! You don't know your way around the maze!"
The once occupied field was now left empty, the distant voices of the kids disappearing inside the maze. Only after a while, a black coated figure found herself alone in that same field, holding a tray of delights and sugary sweets. Hanajima looked around curiously yet almost as if she were uninterested, her black orbs taking in her sight.
"I hope they don't take too long…" She sat on the ground, not bothering but to savor all the delicacies to herself. "I guess I'll have to wait by myself."
Maze
After a moment of hesitation and perplexity, Ghanjan was able to make out the long brown headed figure as he rushed up to her, making his way by Tohru's side as she shouted out Uotani's name once again.
"I hate this maze," muttered Ghanjan to himself, making sure that Tohru was besides him the whole entire time. "It's too complicated to figure out the exit."
"But that's what makes it fun, right?" Tohru smiled pleasingly at the gardener, still peeking around the hidden corners and such. "It is difficult, but if you don't try then you're not gonna get anywhere!
"Get back here you damn rabbit!" Uotani's voice echoed off into the distant. "Argh! Look what you just did!"
Immediately the princess and the gardener's head searched frantically around their surroundings, fastening their pace. They continued to follow the shouting of Uotani, but she was nowhere to be seen. The tall bush like walls blocked out everything except for the glassy sky above them.
"Uo-chan!" called out Tohru once again as Ghanjan did the same. The longer they remained in this maze, the more work Ghanjan would have to do later on this week probably. Both the mortals continued to follow wherever the maze led them, leading them on to some dead ends and twisty turns that completely made no sense at all.
"If we keep going at this rate, it'll be nighttime before we even find them," spoke Tohru to herself. She waited for an answer or some kind of mutter from Ghanjan, but she was only left with silence. "Ghanjan-kun?"
She looked over her shoulder, and to her surprise, the brown headed boy was gone.
"Ghanjan-kun?" Again; silence. "Where did he go?"
"Hey!" The boy's head popped out through the side bushes as he ruffled out the dead leaves burrowed in his hair. He dug his hand through the wall and grasped Tohru's hand. "It'll be faster this way."
"But tha—!" She didn't even have a say as she was flung through the bushes, making her way onto the other side. For a few moments they were running on free land, but momentarily they would cross through the bushes once again. "You're not suppose to cross the other side by going through the maze Ghanjan-kun!"
"Princess Tohru-kun, no one is here to make the rules," he replied with a loud sigh. "It'll be faster this way And less work for me.
At that moment, the silent sound of water dancing entered the ears of the princess as they approached a large, white marble fountain. There was a statue of a tall sword standing up straight in the center of the whole fountain, water gushing out through the tip of the weapon and the sides of the handles. Miniature swords were coated around the large one and were also inside the circular part of the fountain, squirting out water that only reached to about an inch or so. This was West Fountain.
For a moment Tohru was pretty much lost with the sight. "I haven't been here since…I don't remember." She laughed, " A long time ago."
Straight away a blond headed boy shot his way through the West Fountain entrance, noticing Tohru and dashing up to her. Soon enough Uotani joined the company, only to be swaying with difficulty as her face was beaten red; fury all over her. She gazed at the fountain for a moment before jogging crazily up to it, only to find herself crashing inside the fountain as a large amount of water flew everywhere. Uotani started blowing out bubbles from the fountain without a single care.
"…Uo-chan?" questioned Tohru, a bit unsure of whether Uotani was in good hands.
Uotani sat up and looked at Momiji with evil, hawk shape eyes.
"Your eye color changed you know…" Ghanjan commented, sitting by Tohru's side against the coating of the fountain.
Uotani splashed some water at Ghanjan and Momiji as they responded by doing the same actions. Water was flying everywhere, but it only seemed that Uotani was the serious one since Momiji and Ghanjan were smiling the whole time. Unfortunately a huge amount of water traveled straight towards Tohru as everyone hushed and stopped. Only Momiji was the one who continued to have his way with the water as he merely continued to flush it back at Uotani. However she only ignored the boy's actions, letting herself get wet.
Only to expect the worst, Tohru insisted on carrying out the deal as Ghanjan was suddenly attacked by an enormous wave, causing everyone to return to their own little battle.
But water fights were nothing. They couldn't necessarily inflict pain or cause misery. Not even close to that matter.
Zodiac Territory
The tigers gracefully pounced on top of the humans without a second thought, tearing the living flesh out of them as though they were carving a mere animal. The reek of blood filled the atmosphere as sweat conjured all over the ground, mixing with the red liquid. The cat's true form didn't bother but to hurl everyone away from its sight. One of them managed to toss a warrior way into the sky, only to let a cat Zodiac who was not transformed chuck a sturdy sphere straight at the target.
King Yishanu remained close to the back with Kaxa by his side, watching the battle unfold as he concentrated on his surroundings; making sure no trespassers hid their way pass him. As of now, he would have charged straight at the Zodiacs and joined his army with the fight, however he scanned his eyes around the numerous heads, searching for a specific Zodiac.
Two years since a death of a leader. It had been that long and until today, it seemed like it was going to be the same as always. It couldn't go on like this forever. Something had to be changed in order to make a difference with future battles to come. His people were losing their lives right this second and all Yishanu could do was just watch without a plan?
His eyes fell onto the cat leader, the monstrous, foul creature who took no mercy from anyone around him. His dark violet eyes were surely on the lookout for any mortal nearby. He was, after all, the only cat Zodiac who transformed with violet eyes. The almighty cat leader; a wonderful yet deadly specimen to the eyes of Yishanu. He is said to be the second strongest Zodiac when in transformation and when in human form. And with only a body of a seventeen, eighteen, whatever age he was—Yishanu clearly had no idea since all the Zodiacs, to be truthful, contained such beautiful appearances—the wonders he could do by playing with his mind. Possibly toying with his mind was possible…
King Yishanu looked down at one of his warriors, their eyes watching the battle view. The warrior had no visible weapons whatsoever.
"Kaxa."
The warrior responded by looking up at the King, her black orbs showing no emotion. Hidden beneath her helmet was a delicate yet strong, rough face with a strong jaw. Her black bangs incessantly swept pass her eyes as she waited for Yishanu's command without a single word.
Yishanu gazed out at the scene in front of him once again. "If you can, try to catch the cat leader." Pause. "Alive."
Kaxa gave an understanding nod as she swiftly fled within the crowd, her body disappearing into the crowd as a terrifying scream blurted out. Yishanu remained where he was with his horse, deciding whether or not charging the horse straight into the battle field would affect the Zodiacs minds. Would they attack Yishanu, or would they hold back, assuming that they might hurt the horse as well?
Using animals as defense; it was wonderful to be a mortal.
"It's a good idea…"
Something roared angrily as a few hisses erupted from the crowd. A few mortals froze before brushing off the interruption as they went back to their killing spree. Yishanu swiftly kicked the sides against his horse, commanding it to run straight into the crowd with his sword held securely in his hands. Whatever that loud roar was, obviously it meant that something had happened.
"You damn bastard!"
King Yishanu quickly swung is head towards the sound of voice and noticed the cat leader, his dark orbs glaring thousands of spheres at him. His large, deformed body was kneeling besides a bloody, naked woman. There was a dagger stabbed against her shoulder with dozens of arrows straight near the abdomen and thighs. Her delicate ginger hair was being coated with red as she laid still.
The tiger leader was…down?
The cat leader paid no heed as he made his way through the crowd, swiping away his enemies as he only kept his violet orbs at the King. For a moment, Yishanu flinched as he tightened his grip on his sword and the rein attached to the horse. It seemed that everything else around him was gone; no one came to attack him except for the cat leader. It seemed that everybody was too afraid to injure the king's horse; a delicate, precious symbol from the Zodiacs.
Suddenly the cat leader was trapped in a running position, unable to move any muscle as a soft yet powerful green aura surrounded him, vibrating violently like a heart pulsing. Only the leader's eyes were able to move as he hysterically tried to figure out what was going on, however it continuously landed on the King. Yishanu took a steady breath as he placed up his usual, calm mask. He looked around his surroundings and noticed that plenty of the Zodiacs started to retreat, seeing their frightened yet unsure eyes staring at him, the dead tiger leader, the frozen cat leader, and the mortal warriors who were still ready to continue their battle.
Yishanu fought the urge to grin proudly to himself, commanding his horse to stroll towards the captured Zodiac as a loud growl echoed deep within the cat leader's throat. Joining him was Kaxa, a steady, strong arm pointed at the cat leader. With her palm held straight at him, the emerald aura around the cat leader was darker and fuller within Kaxa's hand.
The cat leader forcefully opened his jaws, his whole body shaking with frustration and panic. "…Wha…" He growled once again. "What—."
"I paralyzed you," spat Kaxa. She smiled too sweetly as slowly she started to clench her fingers together. "You repulsive Zodiac."
The cat leader recoiled violently as it tried moving towards Kaxa. The King swiftly got off his horse and sauntered over to the magical woman, standing by her side as he watched the cat leader slowly cringing towards the ground, huddling himself with his large, clawed arms. The mortal warriors joined the sight, watching the powerful cat leader becoming defeated. Right now they could all slaughter the terrifying monster…
"Knock him out for now and we'll take him back with us," ordered Yishanu quite quickly, eyeing the monster before turning his back against the Zodiac. A warrior approached the King, holding out a black and white bracelet. "One of the Zodiacs kept guarding the cat leader holding this."
Yishanu took the accessory easily. "The cat leader's bracelet I see…"
Kaxa paused for a moment, watching the cat leader and King Yishanu's back. The other warriors around them stared at the black eyed woman, studying her actions and such. Finally, Kaxa shook her head and looked at the cat leader one more time before raising her other free hand.
And with a snap, the cat leader was down.
Maze
After what seemed like endless hours of fun, the group of four finally made their way back, completely drenched as though it had been raining at West Fountain. Tohru's brown hair shimmered and glistened with perfection. No matter what conditions she had, she still always remained perfect. Was a princess born to do that or something? They all noticed Hanajima still sitting on the grass, an empty silver tray by her side with crumbs of what seemed to be…kidnapped delicacies.
Ghanjan took off his shirt and squeezed the hell out of it. "How long have you been out here?" he pestered.
"Not that long." Hanajima's subtle soothing face caught Tohru and instantly she smiled. "Looks like you had fun Princess Tohru-kun."
Tohru couldn't hide her blush of embarrassment. "It was!"
"You're okay with the fact that you're drenched?" questioned Ghanjan surprised, flapping out his damped shirt. A large scar was visible near his left shoulder blade.
Tohru nodded, trying to squeeze the wetness out of her hair. She spoke with a smile, "It's not like if one thing happens to me the whole world ends."
"Princess Tohru-kun," interrupted Hanajima. She was silent for a moment, but then she carried on. "I sense King Yishanu heading this way."
Tohru's eyes brightened with relief. "Really?" From there she had completely forgotten the fact that she was still wet as a fish in an ocean. However, the tone in her voice sounded very uncertain. "And Kaxa-san too?"
"Plenty of people," replied Hanajima with an honest grin, seeing that Tohru had brightened up once again. She stood up, ignoring the empty tray since somehow Momiji was vacuuming the remaining crumbs off the plate.
"Well let's not just stand here," spoke Uotani, taking the lead towards the entrance door leading inside the castle. "Let's go find them!"
Mortal Castle
"Release the gates! The warriors have returned! Release! The! Gates!"
The sound of the gate being freed from its captivity echoed around the surroundings as slowly the mortals below it carefully softened their grip against the rope, gradually bringing down the gate. As soon as the gate was brought towards the ground, King Yishanu, Kaxa, and the remaining warriors sauntered behind it as they were all heard talking among themselves, a few with conceited faces from the success they had earlier.
Yishanu fastened his pace, the warriors behind him following. However, his idea about escaping the eyes of the servants and other mortals didn't go so well when he heard a servant mutter, "What's in that blanket?"
Yishanu took a quick glance over his shoulder, noticing a huge lump wrapped up in a worn out blanket. A few warriors were carrying it, taking precautions. It almost looked as if they were standing away from the item that occupied their hands.
"Don't make it so obvious," thought Yishanu, furrowing his brows in annoyance.
"Maybe a remainder," Yishanu heard another person say. "I can never remember anyone in this castle."
"Dammit," murmered Yishanu to himself quietly, jumping off his stallion. More of his people were fleeing out of the castle. He couldn't risk everyone knowing about the cat leader being under the blanket. At least, not yet. "Everyone return to whatever you were doing!"
The mortals did not listen. They just stared at him with uttermost confusion. Did they not understand?
"I said return!" he shouted loudly, his eyes widening.
Nobody replied as they shuffled away, most of the mortals running back inside the castle. A few mutters were heard here and there, but King Yishanu didn't give a damn as he brushed his hand through his brown hair. He bit his lip, turning back around and looking at the bundle that the warriors held. Now to get everything started…
"Kaxa." The woman removed her helmet, shaking out her short, spiky black hair as she took stand in front of the King. "Call up the councils in our castle, not the ones beyond the ocean waters. Tell them I want to meet them in the fourth floor lobby as soon as possible." Yishanu turned his gaze at the cat leader once again, and then to the warriors who held the Zodiac. "Take it to the cellars. I'll deal with it later."
The warriors who had possession of the Zodiac muttered agreeing responses as they made their way pass the King, making their way through the back of the castle hastily.
Kaxa chuckled to herself. "They're afraid that the cat leader might wake up in any second," she whispered, not wanting other people to overhear.
"I'm quite afraid myself," mumbled King Yishanu, handing Kaxa the reign of his horse. "Take him back to the stable and meet me at the lobby."
With her midnight helmet against her side, she proceeded with the King's order.
Lobby
It was actually a fairly small room, only occupied by a large, rectangular table filled with different faces; the council. Most of them appeared to be way over the hill with their visible grayish and white hair and wrinkly faces. The council, made of seven, wore dark, warm colors that covered each part of their skin except for their necks and face. King Yishanu stood at the end of the table with his assistant, Kaxa, by his side. A few mutters only escaped the councilors' lips.
Yishanu was quiet for a second, staring at his reflection from the desk. Finally, he looked up, catching everyone's attention. "I suppose it's better to get to the point without prolonging this meeting."
The council was second in charge when running this castle. They were barely called upon for, but King Yishanu would always have run ins with them to discuss important matters that he would want to wish for. Most of them time they would travel beneath the underground tunnel that lead to the mortal side; the land in which King Yishanu and the rest of his warriors protected. Beyond this castle laid a mighty ocean that one could never pass by foot. When the second King ruled the mortal land, it had taken almost five years just to finish the channel.
However, not only was it used for the councilors transportation, but it was also created for fleeing. To escape, just incase anything went wrong…
Which probably wouldn't happen…
"With the safe arrival of our warriors, I assume you have come to the conclusion that our battle was successful?"
A few members of the council nodded in agreement.
"But we are more than successful with another victory," continued King Yishanu. He looked into the faces of the councilors. They were all very much dead; sitting in those comfy chairs with a long frown. Unfortunately, the all reminded him of horses having long faces. What a funny thought. Finally, he sighed and looked at the ceiling, pouting out his cheeks. "As we speak now…the cellars are being occupied by the cat leader."
Almost the entire council flew their chairs back, staring at the King with fear and foolishness. King Yishanu caught Kaxa fastening herself, almost as if she were about to attack the councilors herself. "The cat leader is in our territory?" one cried out, his whole body shaking. "Out of all people, the cat leader?"
Yishanu glared sternly at the council, making quick glances at the door that remained close. "Don't make a commotion," he snapped, sighing with frustration. He knew that the councilors would react like this. "I did not do this just because of revenge. Just like you said Adem…" The King looked at one of the councils; the one who was the only one who spoke out his question. Always a chatterbox he was…
"He is the cat leader," prolonged Yishanu. "And we all know pretty much the basic facts of that creature, but do we know all of it? Of course we don't." He started to pace around the room, making sure everyone was listening and watching him. "And the only way to grasp those unattained facts? Simply by asking the cat leader himself!"
Yishanu stopped when he heard someone snickering. Some old geezer with horrible pimple scars. "And you think the cat leader would easily answer our questions? He's a Zodiac incase you have forgotten."
"And when did I ever ask you to interrupt me?" questioned Yishanu, not bothering but to invade the man's space with a curious face. Nobody said a word as he grinned, turning away. "Now, that rabbit Zodiac we have wandering around our castle; he's no use for us except for serving. If we managed to earn that little boy's trust, possibly the cat leader might? Of course—." He held out a hand to pause everyone from speaking their mind out. "—that's an issue that's pretty much impossible to accomplish, right? So if that rabbit could somehow obtain the answers we need from the cat leader since they are both part of the same clan, then we're pretty much settled. It's as if we're using some dog to fetch us a bone for all I know. Think of how much we could accomplish because of this little plan?"
"Think of all the things he could destroy!" Many of the councils nodded in agreement, muttering a few words here and there. Such poor, negative souls… "The people in this castle! King Yishanu, with all due respect, this is too risky to get everyone in the castle involved. You have the cat leader in our territory! He's an out of control Zodiac! I've listened to many stories about the cat leader from our warriors and with what I've heard, I don't even want him near our people."
Yishanu merely wrapped a strong arm around Kaxa, petting her shoulder. "This is why we have Kaxa to assist us. Without her, we wouldn't have caught the Zodiac." He grinned. "And not only Kaxa-san, but we have—."
The door busted open as Yishanu raised his brows with curiosity, wondering who in the world would be entering the door. What he also wondered was whether some mortal was eavesdropping on them. Hopefully not…
"Kaxa-san!" cried out the princess with a few gasps, the blond headed boy behind her as he managed to make a quick wave. The councils all turned their eyes on the princess, giving a very small bow. Tohru stared at the king with a bit of embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry Yishanu-san! It's just I wanted to see Kaxa-san and you. Um…" She gave another bow at the council and also a bright smile at Kaxa. The woman returned the gratitude. "I'll leave now. I'm very sorry about—."
"Tohru-kun," blurted out the King, gesturing for her to come towards him. Without waiting she listened and move toward her father. "Perfect timing. I need you to do me a favor."
"Oh?" Momiji was still remaining by the door, his usual chipper self getting the best out of him.
"We have a guest in the cellars," spoke Yishanu. Immediately all eyes in the room—ignoring Yishanu, the princess and Momiji—flared into massive flames. "If you would be so kind, could you escort him into the room across from yours?"
"King Yishanu!" shouted Adem, storming up to the King with his head held up high. "Do you think this is a game? What are you thinking! Having someone like him in…in such close contact with your daughter!"
"Him?" queried Tohru, oblivious to the conversation.
"With what I was about to say before, not only do we have Kaxa-san to control him, but we have Tohru-kun to aid us as well." Yishanu patted Tohru's head lightly. "I never doubted her before and I will trust her with our guest. She can protect herself, right Tohru-kun?"
Tohru felt as though she were the center of attention as her face flushed with redness. "Um…I'm not sure…"
"You're a strong girl Tohru-kun." Yishanu smiled at his daughter, gently pushing her away as he shooed her. "Now go along and complete my favor please. Once he's inside, immediately lock the doors and place a barrier around it; including the balcony door and windows. Come back to me once you've accomplished everything, all right?"
Still uncertain about what was happening, Tohru had no choice but to nod in agreement as she rushed over to Momiji.
"Uh…" Yishanu rubbed his eyes with nuisance. He pointed at Momiji with a perplexed face. "Rabbit Zodiac, stay here with me for now. I need to talk to you about something."
"King Yishanu what has gotten into you?" ordered a councilor. He caught Tohru's eyes as she waited by the door, Momiji whispering something to the princess before he left her side.
"What has gotten into me?" asked the King, pointing at himself. "Why, a new plan of course." He gazed over to his daughter. "You can go on Tohru-kun. Don't worry about a thing."
The princess gave him a slow nod before gradually leaving the lobby, closing the door behind her.
Kaxa leaned towards Yishanu since the whole council was yelling and criticizing the whole idea. "Are you sure you don't want me to accompany her?"
"No. You are still needed," muttered Yishanu, muting out the council. Momiji was a few feet away from the King, nothing but an innocent smile plastered on his face. Talking to a Zodiac like him with the whole council in uproar was impossible. Yishanu jerked a bit before bellowing out, "Be quiet!"
Right away the councils shushed, but their maddening faces were still strong as ever.
The King looked back at Momiji, trying to calm his face down. How in the world could a boy like him be a ferocious Zodiac? "I need to ask you something boy."
All Momiji could do was cock a head.
"Are you familiar with the cat leader?"
Cellar
Unlocking the doors to the cellars didn't take a strong person to achieve. After making her way through the underground halls and the main entrance to the cellars, here was Tohru; absolutely having no idea as to what she was doing. All the King had told her was to fetch a 'guest' and escort him to the room across from hers. The council had an angry aura surrounding them, so not much information was given out. But why the room across from Tohru's room? What was so special about this guest?
What was so special about letting this guest stay in King Yishanu's son's room? His…deceased son?
"I haven't been down here since releasing Momiji from this place," thought Tohru, the room starting to overwhelm in pure darkness. "This place still gives me the creeps!" She settled out a hand and a small, sphere like green orb circulated above her palm, floating pleasantly.
Tohru recognized the next door in front of her; the entrance to where all the cellars laid. This place was used for disobeying mortals, such as taking the sides of the Zodiacs or anything related to that matter. Sometimes it was used especially for Zodiacs, though Momiji had been one of the only Zodiacs to ever occupy a cellar. Tohru had heard rumors long, long ago about another Zodiac who used to be locked up down here, but no one has mentioned it in such a long time.
Opening the door, Tohru sauntered inside very leisurely, glancing around her surroundings. For some reason, Tohru kept imagining that some wild beast would just pop out and strike her. Or possibly some 'devilized' ghost would come and kidnap her soul for eternity. Such disturbing thoughts for the likes of her…
Looking besides her, she noticed a ring of keys set upon a hook. "Oh…stop Tohru! There's nothing down here but a mere guest." She held her breath as she went deeper into the room. There was only one, long steady hallway with rusty doors on each side of them, a small window at the head of the door. "Yishanu-san never told me which cellar the guest was in…"
One by one, Tohru gazed through each small window, trying her best to get a good glimpse inside the room to make sure that it was either empty or that the guest was sitting inside, waiting for her arrival. With every room she went into, there wasn't a single figure visible. All left inside was the pitch blackness; no windows were in the cellars.
"I wonder how Momiji-kun must have felt being left down here," thought Tohru, a strong conscious of pity taking over.
She stood in front of the last cellar, hoping that the guest would be inside. If not, than obviously she had missed him when searching, which would also mean that she would have to search all over again. Tohru peered through the window, trying her best to make out some kind of figure. Was this all some joke or something? Maybe there was a mistake…
The guest couldn't have possibly broken out, could he? And would that be bad?
Before she could misjudge Yishanu-san, Tohru noticed a faint movement coming from inside the cellar. Tohru's heart raced, grateful that she had found the person she had been assigned to find. "I found him!" she whispered to herself. Fumbling with the keys, she inserted it inside the key whole and turned the knob, opening it as she peeked her head inside. All was dark once again. She brought a single hand inside the cellar, letting the green light she produced help her see. "Hello?"
Sitting way in the corner was some boy, his back hunched as a single knee was brought up to his chest; the other one laid out unconsciously. Both arms were laid by his sides; dead with no movement whatsoever. Even his breathing seemed…gone. His dark colored…orange hair…dangled in front of his face. But the position that the guest was in didn't even matter to Tohru. What bothered and worried her the most was that…
…he was naked.
"My…my goodness!" Tohru was in panic as she tried not to look at the boy. With fast thinking, she dashed out of the cellar in search of something to cover the boy with. It wasn't for the fact that he was just naked, but because the cellars were freezing cold! There was no sense of warmth around the place. How could King Yishanu do this to a guest? What in the world?
Tohru barely even left the cellar when she found an old, worn out blanket that seemed to be used earlier. But that wasn't the point. Tohru gathered it up as quickly as possible and went back inside the room, controlling her eyes as much as possible as she carefully approached the boy, struggling to just place the blanket around his body. Tohru successfully draped it around him without startling either him or herself.
But the boy was quiet; not moving. Only a very, very soft breath escaped his lips; dry, visible breath floating with the atmosphere.
"Poor boy." Tohru, with hesitance, placed a shaky hand on the boy's shoulder. She softly asked, "Are you okay?"
Everything happened too fast. Tohru's heart skipped a beat as the boy's head shot up, his piercing crimson eyes intensifying Tohru through his wet, orange hair. His movements were swift and almost impossible to make out as the blanket somehow fought against his will. In less than five seconds, Tohru found herself pinned to the ground, the boy crawled over her as the worn out blanket laid effortlessly on top of Tohru. The green light Tohru had once created had disappeared.
The only thing that was visible to her was the boy's crimson eyes; livid. He held her wrists fiercely by her sides. Something icy and…smooth rubbed against her hand. Almost like a bracelet…"Who the hell are you?" the boy snarled viciously. "What do you want?"
Tohru was too stunned to even respond; to even move. How had the boy reacted so…quickly? Had Tohru gravely given him a terrible fright? Though she couldn't quite make out his face, the boy's eyes were maddening like a raging bull ready to attack anything he saw red. And with his red eyes, possibly anything to him was red. If he remained in this condition any longer…
"I'm…I'm here to take you…" She felt a huge lump in her throat. "Take you to your room."
The boy's face lowered towards her at once. "What do you mean my room? I don't belong here!"
"Please," begged the princess quietly. With the way the boy was struggling to keep up, his arms shaking by his side and his raspy breathing, he was in terrible condition. "You must be weak right now…"
"Weak?" shouted the boy, his eyes widening with anger. "I'm never weak! What I need you to do is to…dammit…if you don't…I need to…" His staggering breath suddenly tightened as his weight merely fell on top of Tohru, surprising her as she released a light gasp. However she couldn't roll the boy over since he still had a strong grip against her wrists. Tohru could tell that he was fighting to push himself up by the way his body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Are—are you okay?" cried out Tohru, her voice unstable. "He needs help!"
Before she could call out to anyone, hopefully, in this dark, empty cellar, a strange smoke appeared right in front of her as she covered her eyes, the smoke managing to dig into Tohru's throat as she coughed. The heavy weight that was once on her suddenly disappeared as she heard a soft 'lump' besides her.
"Did he faint?" Tohru sat up quickly, preparing to drape the blanket around the boy once again. She created her circular jade orb once again as the room lit up. "I'll go call for—!" She had thought that she would see the naked boy once again, this time lying cataleptic; a boy with orange hair and crimson eyes that were covered by his eyelids.
Only instead, she was left staring at a mere, orange, cat.
"…A cat?" thought Tohru. The boy had just disappeared…but why… "Oh my!"
Tohru staggered to stand up and instantly ran towards the door, running outside and slamming it closed. She rested her back against the door, heaving heavily as she tried her hardest to control her breathing. Tohru's messy bundles of hair got the worst out of her. Terrified yet somehow curious, she slowly forced herself to turn around and stare inside the window, seeing again that orange cat. There was pure fear inside of her. A cat. A living, breathing cat. She had never seen an actual cat before until now…
"He's a Zodiac!" She watched the nonmoving cat, laying on the cold stone floor. It wasn't that Tohru was completely…scared of the Zodiac. She was only surprised. After meeting Momiji, she had always wanted to meet other Zodiacs and get to know them. Of course, Tohru was the princess, and conceited as it may sound, she was pretty sure that being friendly with Zodiacs wouldn't cost her a sentence in the cellars. But…
"Why a Zodiac? Why is there suddenly a Zodiac here?"
The longer she stared at the cat, the more she felt the urge to run inside and save him. Not only was he a cat, but he was…a person like her.
"I guess…I can't refuse." Tohru, only this time more slowly, opened the door and carefully sauntered over to the cat. "It's okay…" spoke the princess. The cat's ears twitched slightly, but it made no sign of attacking. Tohru grasped the blanket and, delicately, she picked up the cat, struggling herself not to tremble too much to startle the creature. The cat was so soft…
After wrapping him up securely with the blanket, she stood up and walked out the door.
Top Tower
Tohru stood in front of the room; the room where she had placed the boy in. It had been so awkward; strolling the hallways with a huge bundle blanket. Throughout her small journey towards where her bedroom laid at, every single person was eyeing not her, but the bundle she was carrying. Obviously, supposedly some of them had seen a similar thing before. Did the people know that there were not only one but two Zodiacs now under the castle's roof? Was anyone aware of it?
Yishanu could have at least mentioned this tiny, little fact to her. But possibly the councils got in the way…
But now the Zodiac was safely inside the room in its cat form.
She then remembered what Yishanu had told her earlier. "Place a barrier around the door…now I understand why."
Tohru didn't even struggle with the act as she held the knob, a strong, green aura escaping her hand like waves dancing around the doors; traveling around the whole entrance like vines. It was coloring the door. Once each and every brown spot was filled, the green aura all met at the center before blasting off once again, this time a huge bubble like coating around the entrance.
Tohru brought her hand back to her own possession. "So…I guess I go back to see King Yishanu," spoke Tohru to herself. With a final look at the barrier she had created, she scurried down the stairs. "Why is there a Zodiac here?"
The room was dark, but this time it wasn't freezing cold. It was breezy. And instead of pure darkness, a small trance of luminescence light landed on the wooden ground, creating soft shadows based off of the furniture inside.
The cat leader immediately opened his stunning ruby eyes, his breath escaping out of him as though he had almost died from drowning. His body felt empty and weightless; he had no clothes on. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled loudly, clearing his dry voice as he forced himself to sit up. He looked down at his left wrist; he had his bracelet on. His surroundings weren't familiar to his eyes. Where was he?
Wherever he was, he had to get out. He noticed his dirty, muddy, torn clothes laying on a chair besides his bed. He made a 'feh' mutter as he placed them on, not bothering to put his boots on. As of now, there was only on priority.
Escape.
He ran towards the door and grasped the knob, only to feel an electrifying sting on his palm as he released the suicidal door, backing away leisurely, his back slightly hunched as though he were going to pounce at the door. He took a moment to stare at the door before finally realizing that there was a strange green aura circulating around it. Almost like some blockade to…prevent him from fleeing?
A quick flash raced through the cat leader's mind as he saw a girl with bright sapphire eyes peering through her soft, dark brown hair; a green light reflecting against her face.
The cat leader was brought back to reality as he cursed silently at himself. He cocked his head over towards another set of doors, but before even celebrating, he noticed the same green glassy smoke around it.
"…Smart girl." For a moment, the cat leader merely stood at the center of the room, scanning through his thoughts. He continued to glare at the door. Oh, he just wanted to run straight through it and get the hell out of here before everyone woke up again. Was he…seriously in Mortal Castle? Was he really trapped?
"I'm the cat leader." The orange head glanced at the windows besides the other door, seeing another set of green auras. He hissed silently. "Whoever she was, she's going to regret ever meeting me."
I hope you all like that new rewrite of chapter 3! There were actually a lot of changes in here incase you didn't know, but they all led to the same ending. Haha. How awesome is that? And for the new readers, be glad that you are reading THIS chapter instead of my other one. Lets just say…three years ago (me being 12 years old) I wasn't necessarily the…greatest writer on Fanfiction. Not that I'm saying that I AM the greatest, because I am NOT the greatest author lemme tell you. There are other wonderful authors out there and such. So…now I'm going to work on part II chapter 10, and then I'll start revising chapter 3 for this story! Thank you for reading you guys! Read, write, review!