A bit of... Grown up stuff near the end ;p


"Where did you come from?" Sano asked after recovering from the shock.

"This place is my personal imprisonment, something that you have defiled!" Frowned the beauty that faced him, ignoring his question.

Gohei scanned the beautiful body of the mysterious woman, "Now what do we have here?" He smiled a lecherous grin.

"Perhaps an ice fairy or a snow sprite," murmured Aoshi, who was in deep thought, trying to figure out what the woman's identity.

The woman sniffed haughtily, and lowered her dull sapphire eyes, "Neither, sir, but very close, I am an ice demon to be exact. I am from the land of the Kamiya, the Ice clan. Now why have you men come and disturbed my sleep?" She then sat up then gracefully slid off the bed of ice, slowly advancing up to the four men who were currently inside her shrine.

The men in a trance watched her lazily approach them. They peered at her body, shamelessly undressed her in their minds and gazed at her female parts with a certain interest. The ice demon narrowed her eyes; males never did change in her presence.

"You men are from the fire clan from the south, what are you doing in the north, in the land of the Kamiyas, the ice clan? I certainly do not remember any of the clans welcoming each different clan into their own lands." she clucked her tongue and with a dull stare, stared at the men indignantly. Then she stared at a particular man, "You," she addressed him.

The men snapped out of their trance and stared at the man she was looking upon through her narrow dull eyes.

"You were referring to me?" Aoshi questioned her.

The ice demon scoffed and in a rather blank tone, "Yes you, who was I speaking to? The big barbarian oaf with that ridiculous beard? What is your name? If I knew better you do not belong to the fire clan but of my clan, the ice clan, the land of the Kamiya. You have most of the northern features."

"What my lady says is part true but my father was of the ice clan, but my mother was of both ice and the fire clan. They both reside in the South, the fire clan's land." Aoshi answered. He stared at the ice demon, which had lost her interest in him, and was now standing half way between her bed and the four men. This time she was the one in a trance, looking at nothing in particular but the shrine's ceiling.

Battousai opened his mouth, about to ask the female her name. But he stopped himself as she took a step back and her legs buckled, causing her body to collapse onto the cold hard floor of the shrine.

"Well we certainly have a strange one," Sano joked. No one took notice of the words.

Instead they all continued to gape at the female ice demon lying on the floor in a deep sleep. "What should we do with her, Battousai?" Aoshi asked never moving his gaze away from the woman.

"This shrine seems to be about to collapse. I think it's time we left and returned to our lands, after all we have been hunting in lands that never allowed us to enter in the first place," Battousai answered scanning the shrine's wall and structure, then returned his gaze on the woman again. "We will bring this woman with us. Ice demon or not, she will still freeze from the weather here since the seal has been broken." The decision was made.

It was just too warm. Too warm to even bear any longer. "Too hot," she gasped. Kaoru opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes widened at her sight. This certainly wasn't her room, or even part of her palace. The ice demon jolted up from her bed. Sheets of satin and silk covered her. "Where am I?" She asked herself.

Continuing her examination of her room, Kaoru scanned every feature in the room. The floor was made of nice smelling wood, unlike the beautiful marbles that covered her palace's floors. It was a rather open room, with an enormous balcony that had the most beautiful views of the land's scenery outside; very much unlike her room that was built to close off the outside's freezing temperature. The ice demon shuffled off the bed and gazed outside of the balcony. The outside was so… Green, much unlike her land's scenery which was snow white. There were many flowers, flowers the color of rainbows, the bright beautiful colors that overwhelmed her eyes. She gasped, never in her life had she seen so many colors all bunched together. Kaoru was only used to seeing the winter flowers and imported jasmine flowers in her land.

But to her discomfort, the climate was too warm. She was beginning to feel fatigue once more.

"Are you alright?" a voice worriedly asked Kaoru.

The princess looked across the room to lock eyes with a stunning doctor. The doctor was graced with long black hair, wine red lips, and long lashes that emphasized her worried chocolate brown eyes. The unknown woman rushed from the door over to Kaoru's side as she took the princess's temperature.

Kaoru was feeling faint with each passing second, "who are you?" she rasped out.

"I'm the castle's doctor, Megumi Takani of the fire clan. I'm here to take care of you, relax a bit please," Megumi smiled a reassuring smile.

The sick princess didn't know whether to trust this woman or not. "Why am I all the way in the fire clan's lands?" Kaoru wheezed. The heat was getting more unbearable by the minute.

"Let's settle you in bed, Miss. Well my lord and his hunting company brought you back from the ice lands. Ice demon or not you would've gotten incredibly sick from being exposed to the climate there in that broken down shrine of yours." Megumi clucked her tongue and tucked Kaoru in bed. "Your body isn't used to the climate here. I say wait another day or two and you'll be fine."

Those words brought no relief to Kaoru, but regardless she thanked the doctor, "Thank you Doctor Megumi."

"Sleep now Miss. And I must add, Miss, I advise you to not get used to this sweet personality I'm displaying at this moment," the doctor smiled a sly smile.

Kaoru ignored her warning and instead succumbed to a deep slumber once more. Falling into the waves of slumber that brought tides of memories full of heart break and the lonely days spent in solitude in the shrine. Enishi you cruel, cruel man…

She blinked herself awake. Her eyes brimmed with tears. In a daze, Kaoru sat up from her bed. The princess recalled the nearly vague memory of the doctor who treated her.

"Awake now, eh?" A familiar voice rang out. It was the same doctor.

Kaoru gave her a dull stare, "Thank you for watching over me in my sleep, Doctor Megumi." Yet she wished the doctor would've let her die instead. Living and breathing was becoming bothersome. The princess wanted the pain in her heart to disappear; even if it meant becoming a non existing being.

"Asleep for three days since our first meeting. Tsk, how lazy you are girl," Megumi chastised. Then she rang a soft bell made of what seemed like silver.

The sound was so small, Kaoru barely heard the ringing but she noted it was a sweet and elegant tinkling she enjoyed hearing. "I've been asleep for three days?" her voice whispered as she closed her eyes savoring the sound subsiding, slowly the sweet rings crept away from her ears. Three days didn't really seem to make a difference with two years of sleeping to the princess.

The room's door creaked opened. The same man with long red hair strolled in.

"So you've awakened, Princess Kaoru of the Ice clan. Welcome to the Fire clan's land," the man welcomed her in a rather lazy tone.

Kaoru said nothing as she cast him a blank stare. Finally, she opened her mouth, and in a blank tone, "Thank you kind sir for saving me, I should say. And to whom am I addressing myself to?"

The princess heard the lady doctor cluck her tongue in amusement and the man replied, "I am Battousai. Lord of the Fire clan's Lands."

Kaoru lifted her eye brows with recognition, but wasn't surprised however. She recalled him barking orders out to the other three men while they were outside of the shrine before they had opened the shrine's doors. With an air of royalty, she bowed her head towards the lord, "I am indebted towards you sire, although I had wanted my life to be at the mercy of my land's climate."

Megumi gave Kaoru a look of confusion while the lord stared at the beauty that he saved. "I apologize for that, then, Princess. The next time I shall note myself to grant you your wish next time. For now the land Hiten welcomes your stay. Do feel free to explore the land's culture. But a final note to you, your elemental powers is disabled as long as you remain in the palace, as of everyone else's excluding myself. If you were to be in the garden or passed it, you'll find yourself able to use your skills. Now I will take my departure," Battousai gracefully exited the room.

After Battousai's exit, in rushed a maid. "Shall I help you dress, Lady Kaoru?" the maid asked meekly as she stared with eyes full of curiosity at the Lady she now served.

"That would be appreciated," Kaoru emotionlessly answered. Then she slowly lifted herself out of the bed.

The doctor then excused herself politely, "I'll be taking my leave now, Princess. My services are no longer required since you have recovered your health." Then she swept across the room and the doctor too left the room.

After bathing and dressing, the ice demon strolled in the palace's garden, with the meek maid as her escort and guide.

"Tsubame, what are these flowers called?" Kaoru questioned the maid.

The girl peered at the flower, "That flower is called a rose lady Kaoru."

"It's beautiful," carefully handling the rose, the princess inched her nose to the rose. It had a beautiful musky but rather fresh scent.

Tsubame stared at the mysterious woman, Kaoru who she was assigned to. She stared as Kaoru affectionately stroke the rose, Lady Kaoru was too beautiful but so very odd. In her last hours of serving her, she noted her lady was somewhat detached from this world. As she watched the elegant fingers belonging to Kaoru fondle the flower she gaped as the flower somehow seemed to... Transform. "You froze the flower…?" the maid gaped.

The ice demon stared at her maid then flashed a small twisted smile, "well yes, Lord Battousai did say we could use our powers inside and pass the gardens, no?" Then tucked the rose behind her serving maid's ear. "It isn't cold but it should last for months. There is also no ice," she added in a silent tone.

"Oh, no, no my Lady, I had no idea you were from the ice clan…" Tsubame explained clearly flustered at the small gift. Then her eyes flickered, releasing a small gasp. This had to be the Princess Kaoru Kamiya of the ice clan in the north.

"Hey, yo, Tsubame, the head maid is asking for you!" Shouted a voice unfamiliar to Kaoru. The princess turned her head towards the direction of the voice. The owner of the voice belonged to a boy around the age of thirteen.

Tsubame's face flushed, "Y-yes thank you Yahiko kun." The maid turned her head towards the princess, "May I be excused…?" she asked Kaoru timidly.

Kaoru nodded her head in dismissal and watched the young maid's retreating form follow the boy, Yahiko.

"Oh to be in love," she sighed in a sympathetic tone. "Do you not agree, Strange One in the shadows?"

A figure emerged from the garden's tree's shadow, "You're a sharp once missy."

"Ah, its you, one of the men who were invading my confinement," she stared at the man dully. "What were you doing hiding in the shadows?"

The man, Sano shrugged, "was hoping to learn some interesting things about you, I guess. The princess who froze herself two years ago, due to a broken heart."

The princess stared at him with amusement in her eyes. Then she laughed bitterly, "There is nothing amusing in my past for you to know."

"There are always interesting things in everyone's past. I'd like to one day find out why you choose to get all depressed for something so trivial," the man smirked.

This man was actually beginning to infuriate her, "My past is not amusement for a nosy man like you to entertain yourself with. You men are so irritating," the ice demon icily spoke. She slowly advanced herself and tapped the tall brute gently on his chest. The tap's impact however wasn't as gentle as it seemed. Sano was sent crashing on his knees.

"Woo! That was one chilly blast. But at least I got ya to express a little emotion on your ice queen face," the man smiled cheekily.

Kaoru felt her cheeks flare up, "Shut your mouth rooster head." This man caused her to feel incredibly flustered.

"The name's Sanouske, or Sano for short, little lady," Sano introduced himself with another cheeky smile.

Recomposing herself, Kaoru sent him a blank stare, "Now if you'll excuse me I'll be taking my leave," with a quick whirl of her dress Kaoru hurriedly rushed out of the garden. She heard a loud laugh from Sano. That Sano man was quite irritating. But she had enjoyed his company a bit… The princess rolled her eyes at that small acknowledgement.

After swiftly rushing around the grand palace, Kaoru had finally gotten herself lost. "How absolutely lovely, I've lost myself in this big palace." She drawled to herself. At least the room was pleasant to look at.

"What are you doing in my chambers, Princess Kaoru?" Battousai's voice cut through the silence.

"My deepest apologies, Battousai, I seem to have lost myself in your marvelous palace." The princess lowered her eyes and tilted her head downwards.

Battousai stared at the princess, "The dining hall is straight down the hallway Princess, feel free to explore the rooms but avoid my chambers," with a dismissing glance he disappeared.

After eating a rather lonely dinner by herself, Kaoru continued to stroll the long hallways without an escort or guide. Finally stumbling across a vast library filled with hundreds of books, she settled onto a plush chair and began reading by candle light.

After reading through a second book, a loud creak was heard. "Well what do we have here? Why if it isn't the little ice demon reading in the library?" Sneered a loud voice.

Kaoru tore herself from her book and met a pair of slanty eyes. It was the brute, Gohei, if she recalled correctly. She ignored the obnoxious man and returned to her book. Gohei chuckled as he slowly approached her. Regretfully, she tore her eyes from her book and stared at Gohei's eyes full of lecherous thoughts that seemed to gleam in his eyes. With a sigh, she knew she was in a bad position.

She then attempted to bring her ice powers into the tip of her hands. The princess felt nothing, not the tingly cold flow that was present in her body when her ice powers were summoned. Battousai's voice rang in her head,

"But a final note to you, your elemental powers is disabled as long as you remain in the palace, as of everyone else's excluding myself."

The princess felt her face go cold. She wasn't going to let this brute touch her… Much less carry out his vile intentions. But how would she fend herself against him?

"Where are you going little princess?" Gohei mocked. He was standing right above her. Towering her with his big, monstrous, abnormal height for a regular man. With a big rough hand he covered her mouth. "Let's have a little fun little princess," He licked his lips as he roughly lifted her from her chair, pinning her under him. "I've been thinking about your delicious looking body for the past days, now I think it's time I feasted."

Kaoru felt her blood go cold too.


Yes bit of grown up stuff next chapter too... a slice of lime perhaphs with Battousai and Miss Kaoru maybe..? Tsk... Headaches. Very hard to write this chapter but hey i updated!! Rejoice! Now onto my next story... Please Read and review that'd be much help and very appreciated thanks :)!

Thanks for sticking with me! Hugs and love.

Serph