Disclaimer: Yeah...still own nothing. Except for Tate, Haruka's vile older brother, Jaga, and the basic plot. Bwhaha. Enjoy.
She looked up from the table she had been sitting at, her blood shot eyes finding her brothers. His hand reached across the table, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. They had both been shaved completely bald, wearing similar white jumpsuits with a number on the sleeve. They were in a large room, surrounded by seemingly hundreds of kids ranging from age five to age twelve, all of them without hair and dressed in white. There was the sound of soft crying from some, others sitting stone straight with no expression on their face. The little girl watched as a pair of men dressed in dark green scrubs walked forward, grabbing another little girl, causing her to scream as they hauled her into an adjacent room. The grip on her brothers hand tightened.
"It isn't so bad, sis. I promise. Just be brave, alright? For me?"
"But I'm scared..." She glanced over, a different pair of orderlies walking towards her.
"We can't go through life being scared, right?" He squeezed her hand again, giving her smile. She nodded, fear in her eyes as she looked over again, the orderlies much closer. "I'll be here when you get back, I promise."
"Don't leave me..." Her voice was a quiet squeak as the two burly men grabbed her, dragging her towards a different room.
"I won't! I'll be right here!" His voice faded behind the closing door, and the men threw her onto a stainless steel table. She grunted as the pain of being forced onto the hard metal table seeped through her muscles, another man wearing a white lab coat came forward, strapping her down. She let out a yelp, trying to move off of the table.
"Sit still, girl. This won't hurt a bit." The dark voice of the man in white filled her ears, an orderly handing him a needle filled with a bright green liquid. The girl began to squirm harder, her eyes wide with pure fear.
"Don't! No! NOOOOO!" She screamed as the man drove the needle deep into her belly, injecting the fluid into her. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she fell unconscious.
"Another failure. Great." The man in the lab coat pulled off his gloves, throwing them away. An orderly moved, taking the girls pulse.
"No sir. She just fainted." The doctor turned, looking at the two orderly's and then to the girl.
"Take a blood sample. Her and her brother may have what it takes to make it out of this alive." He laughed as he walked from the room, a man waiting outside of it, having been watching through a window.
She was shook awake violently, her aqua hair matted with sweat. She was met with a pair of grey eyes, which were watching her with the smallest hint of concern. Michiru frowned as she sat up, staring at the woman before her. The blonde was knelt down by her side, her arms lightly muscled and a light tan. Sapphire eyes met grey, and the grey averted to the side.
"Who are you?" Michiru's soft voice forced Haruka from her thoughts, causing her to look at her once again.
"A nightmare." She stood up, going to her horse to saddle her up, the black hooves stamping the thirsty earth. Michiru stood up as well, frowning, and moved to her side, her legs shaky.
"I've had nightmares, and you don't look like anything from them." She stood a few inches shorter than the blonde, the large black coat about her shoulders. The sun inched its way past the high cliffs, almost to where they stood.
"Kaiou Michiru, you have no idea who or what I am. Just because I look like you, talk like you, and somewhat act like you does not give any reason why I am not something that has crawled out from the corner of your darkest dream," she turned to her, looking down at her. Michiru swallowed, feeling fear at the gaze she was being given.
"I...I'm sorry... Can you help me get home..." The question was filled with naivety and innocence. Her gaze fell from Haruka's stern one and to the ground, a single tear falling to the dusty ground.
"Do you know who you are? Do you know why I was sent to find you?" The tone of the elder woman's voice forced Michiru's gaze up again. The young beauty shook her head.
"Should I?" Haruka looked to the horizon when Michiru asked the question. The girl wasn't lying. She didn't have any idea who she was.
"I just assumed that you would... Why else would my father be so worried about it?" The muscle in her jaw twitched as she thought. With Michiru dead, her father would have no contestation for the throne. But if Michiru had no idea what power she could possibly have, what was the point in ending the young woman's life? She could live blissfully ignorant of her birth right, and remain alive. Haruka turned to Michiru, then back to the horizon, in the direction of her fathers home.
-0-
He slid from the back of his white stallion, walking towards the mouth of the cave. Kyo pulled the cloth that hung on the entrance aside, and moved into the home of the Kaiou family. The way back was dark, with only a small bit of firefly matter lighting the winding path. Water dripped down the walls, echoing throughout the darkness. The man frowned as he continued to walk down the path, inhaling deeply to smell the distinct odor of mold and death in the air. Another strip of cloth hung to his left, which Kyo walked towards. Inside, the sound of someone making tea could be heard, and the soft murmurs of whispering. The brown-haired man let out a chuckle as he ripped the cloth aside, coming face to face with a wide-eyed man. The man was older, with wrinkles on his face, and deep sapphire eyes. His dark blue hair was flecked with gray, his mustache and beard the same.
"What are you doing in my house?" His voice was hoarse with disuse, his eyes angry.
"You call this a house? A call it a poor excuse for a hideout, Kaiou." Kyo laughed as the man flinched at the use of his name.
"How do you know my name..." The anger was gone, replaced instead by fear, which was reflected deep within his eyes.
"Where is your wife?" The assassin smirked at the man's obvious pain, which flashed across his face before disappearing entirely.
"She passed away. A few days ago. What is it to you? Now, I ask again, sir, what are you doing in my home?" The bitterness and anger had returned, the elder Kaiou glaring at Kyo.
"Pity about your wife. I was looking forward to killing the next to last heir of the Shimizu reign. And after I find your daughter, my father will be most pleased at the fall of his rivals." A smirk was on his lips, a crazed look in his eyes. Akio frowned, and grabbed a knife he had by the small basin he called a sink, roaring as he moved to stab the intruder. Kyo parried his attack with a small dagger from his belt, and stepped away from him. Michiru's father attacked again, this time, the killer moved aside once again, his dagger slicing behind the older mans knee, causing him to fall. He clutched the back of his leg, which was bleeding profusely, crying in agony.
"You bastard! What does your king have against my family!"
"Everything." The word was a whisper as a gurgling sound was heard, Kyo's dagger shoved though Kaiou Akio's throat.
-0-
Haruka pulled the reins of her horse to a stop, Michiru riding behind her, her arms tight around her waist. Crows circled the mouth of the cave, and from the hill top they were on, the blonde could barely make out a head on a spike. She frowned, angry suddenly at her brother, and slid off the horse. She passed the reins to Michiru.
"Ride over to the other side of this cove, and stay put, okay?" She gave Michiru a steady gaze, flashing a reassuring smile. The girl nodded, looking towards the cave before turning, the horse guiding itself. The blonde watched Michiru until she knew she was out of harms way, and walked down towards the cave entrance. She frowned as she saw the head of Kaiou Akio displayed on the top of a sharpened piece of wood, his wife's head in the same manner. Their eyes were wide open, and Akio's mouth was slightly ajar. Haruka shook her head, moving to shut their eyes, and turned to walk away. She froze, Kyo in front of her.
"The girl, sister?" He was smiling the smile of one who knew they had won. Haruka gave him a smirk.
"Now, how fair would it be to give her to you when I did all the work?" She watched him carefully, her hand on the throwing knife at her belt.
"I see how it's going to be." He walked forward with purpose, and grabbed the blonde by her vest, shoving her against the stone that had been at her back. The woman hissed as a rock speared her side, blood sliding down her left hip. "WHERE IS SHE?"
"I don't have her, brother!"
"Liar! Jaga told me you took her!"
"Jaga was instructed to lead you away from me. He had never had the girl, it was a carefully planned diversion to get you off my tail!" She drew back, punching him in the nose, causing the man to stumble backwards a few steps. Haruka panted softly, her side aching. Kyo glared at her, wiping his bloody nose.
"Well, Jaga's ended. Does that cause you pain, Haruka?" He watched for any signs of weakness, and frowned when he saw none. He spit into the dust, blood mixed with his saliva. Haruka looked to it and then back to him, her eyes guarded.
"Why would such trivial information cause me pain, dear brother? He was a useful pawn, and nothing more to me."
"The girl, Haruka. Where is she then? You're the tracker. Where has she gone?"
"I know not. That's why I came here. To get even the slightest hint of a direction-"
"Liar."
"Name calling is beneath you. Have you given up then? Are you admitting that you can not effectively find your quarry without my aid?"
"Fuck you, Haruka. I'll find the girl. Without your help." He turned, his coat catching in the wind as he stalked away, then began to run up the sandy knoll.
Michiru looked up as Haruka walked to her. The blonde was limping slightly, her black vest blood soaked on her left side. The aqua-haired girls mouth fell into an "o" as she watched the tracker fall face first into the sand, unconscious.