lostmoonchild: Okay, here's chapter three for Summer Snow! I had this written out once but it got lost somewhere so I just decided to break things into smaller parts instead of just doing the whole thing in one shot. Anyways, thanks for the review! I think this is the first review that I've gotten that was written like a letter *is too lazy to go through every story's review* so thanks!
Disclaimer: Kyou Kara Maoh! doesn't belong to me. Nieve does.
Chapter Three
When her eyes were closed, they were able to keep their secrets safe. When her eyes were open was when she was able to see their pasts and futures. Even what they were currently doing was hers to watch.
Wolfram eyed his future sister-in-law carefully for a moment trying to figure out why she wasn't keeping her eyes open. Wasn't she more comfortable when her eyes weren't closed? "You're going to make me uncomfortable, choir boy." Nieve stated calmly.
Damn it. He forgot that she could still see them when her eyes were closed. No one alive could possibly do anything to surprise her. "How could you be here? The last one that was like you passed away over twenty years ago and you can't possibly be older than Yuri." Conrart said warily.
"I'm three weeks younger. My mother's human and I don't know who the poor bastard that sired me is."
"All we know is that he was Mazoku."
Nieve gave her brother a dirty look. "I can still tell you how you're going to die," she warned.
Yuri rolled his eyes at the warning. "I don't care what anybody says. You didn't fall from anywhere. You just walked out of Hell." Yuri sighed.
"It took you this long to figure that out? Come on, Yuri, people were chucking religious items at me since we were kids."
"Clearly none of them threw anything hard enough." There was a teasing look in Yuri's eyes that told them the two were now teasing each other.
Gwendal frowned slightly as he watched the two tease each other. "You never answered Conrart's question." Gwendal stated.
Nieve stopped for a moment before shrugging. "No clue. I can show you part of my story today and the rest some other time if you want." There was distain in her voice as if she'd rather leave her past alone.
Gunter nodded slightly. "Show us," he said.
Slowly, Nieve opened her eyes.
A woman laughed as she led a man into an alleyway, her eyes colder than a winter night. "Show me what you have," she laughed.
Mother. Stupid whore.
Her partners were all married men that wanted only a few minutes of her time. Some left parts of themselves in her while others didn't. Most were clear while others were simply without features. Mazoku. Stupid bastards.
A baby's startled gasps as crimson eyes stared up at the gray sky above. Where was Mommy? She ran away. Didn't Mommy know that she was hungry and that the blood-soaked shirt was cold? Did you ever get over your dislike of blood?
Somebody heard her crying and came to get her. Murmuring soft and meaningless words of comfort, the new person gave her a name. Nieve. Snow.
People came and went, each one betraying her sooner or later. Mommy was on the news. Somebody murdered her (Somebody's wife?) and Mommy's rich parents wanted answers. They wanted Mommy's killer. Not me.
Smoke filled the house but she couldn't breathe. It was becoming too hot and soon she'd burn up. Fire came through betrayal. She needed to blow out the fire like a birthday candle.
She bites back screams as she stumbles through the snow, her body complaining. Weren't you found in the winter, Nieve? Her entire back is burned as well as the backs of her arms and legs. Someone comes and rushes her to the nearest hospital.
The windows shatter and papers fly around as she screams angrily at the man behind the desk. Bob. He wants to put her with a family that has two boys that are half Mazoku like her. Shori and me. She won't go live with them! She can take care of herself!
As her new caregiver arrives, she quickly studies his past and future. That's bad manners. The younger brother fascinated her and was clearly destined for greatness.
Too bad his heart was too soft. Oh well, where he was going they would need a soft-hearted person.
They blinked when the Echo ended and they saw Yuri rubbing Nieve's back as she dry heaved. "Breathe, imouto-chan. You did pretty good." Yuri said soothingly.
Slowly her dry heaves settled down to the point of nonexistence. "Did all of that really happen?" Murata questioned. He had never before been in othe receiving end to such a thing and found it almost unnerving.
Yuri nodded slightly in response before answering, "She showed us an Echo."
"Echoes." Nieve corrected. "Is anybody going to complain if I go lie down?"
The dark-haired Maoh frowned slightly as he pressed his forehead against his sister's, trying to determine if she was running a fever. "Tired?" Yuri questioned finally.
"Mm-hm."
He looked doubtful for a moment before nodding. "I'll take her." Conrart offered.
They watched as the brunette helped the young woman up before helping her out of the room. Grinning slightly and rubbing his head in anxiousness, Yuri looked at his still slightly shaken friends. "So, how about that trip down memory lane?" Yuri questioned. "I think that shows she's always been a bit unruly."
"Even when we were children he was looking for you. All I could ever tell him was that he'd succeed."
Wolfram spun around, seeing Nieve coming towards him with her eyes closed. "You knew Yuri and I would become engaged." Wolfram stated calmly.
Nieve smiled faintly in reposnse. "Things have a tendency to become uncertain if the actions aren't yet determined. When you broke off the engagement, I was confused. Did Yuri do something? Didn't he do something he was supposed to?" A sigh left her lips. "Was it a false Glimpse? A fake Mirror? What was it?"
"Why are you telling me this? Why did you even lie for Gwendal and me?" Woflram demanded. "You don't even like us."
"I never said one way or the other."
Wolfram eyed her carefully. "Why are you being civil?"
Nieve brushed her hair to the side, the burn scars that pulled towards the back of her neck standing out in the pale moonlight. "I had a vision and it has something to do with us. Did you know, Wolfram, that there are thought to be five elements? Earth, air, fire, water, and lightening? They balance each other and harmony within nature is kept."
"What's your point?"
"In my vision, my wind was feeding your flames in an unsafe darkness. Has something terrible already been put into motion or will it happen soon?" A frown crossed her features. "Yuri will be told in the morning since it somehow connects to him."
"So why tell me?"
"Because your fire maryoku grew stronger with my wind maryoku. We'll work together and I want to know why."
"And I'm supposed to know why?"
"No, I'm just letting you know what I've seen and I don't know how it'll come to pass."
As he stared at her, Wolfram could see the anxiousness in her eyes. Was something happening that would ultimately threaten them? Why would they work together? What were they fighting against?
While he could see the problems that were so clearly bothering her, Wolfram couldn't help but be amazed. For someone who could look into any given event, she sure didn't like knowing anything. Why always keep your eyes closed? Why not just keep them open?" Wolfram questioned.
"Why be forced to see every coming warning? Would you want to know how someone you love and cherish above all else dies?"
"No."
"Well then."
Nieve smiled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. "You never wanted to be what you are. Did you?" Wolfram asked cautiously.
Looking up at the stars, her smile grew a little bigger and more wry. "If one were to take my eyes tomorrow, I'd probably feel as lost as you would if that same someone was to take Yuri away from you. It doesn't matter if my eyes were asked for or not, Wolfram. All that really matters is how I use my eyes."
"So you use them for Yuri."
"Wouldn't you if you knew you could keep him and those that he cherishes safe?"
"Yes."
"Blood may never bind him and I as brother and sister but that doesn't matter. All that truly matters is his happiness and he's happy with you." She touched his arm. "Yuri's always been looking for you, Wolfram. When he found you, he couldn't understand why he felt complete and he didn't recognize it. He didn't realize that it was you that he was looking for until faced with the idea of never having you."
"Nieve…"
Her hand dropped to the side as her eyes closed again. "Just remember that my brother does love you. His heart's just quicker than his head."
While she never did say one way or the other regarding her feelings towards them, Wolfram was fairly certain that the crimson-eyed woman did like them. All she wanted to do, however, was protect her heart from the feeling of betrayal once more. If that meant having to set her own happiness aside in favor of protecting the one person that she knew could never betray her, then Wolfram realized that Nieve would happily do it.
lostmoonchild: Yay, chapter three's done! I was actually kind of surprised when it was Wolfram that Nieve came to talk to since I wanted Conrart but this works just as well. Read and review, flames are accepted!
