Author's note:

I really appreciate all the reviews I got last chapter, I read over them before I write each chapter for encouragement. I've decided that I'm going to try to post a new chapter every week around Sunday or Monday, but my schedule changes frequently so if I don't meet that deadline feel free to message me and I'll be able to give you an estimate to when I will be able to post another chapter.

Also a word of appreciation to my super amazing beta-reader 14Phantom

"I'll be going to Edo by boat." Kazama said. "If you want to stay on land the locals can help guide you, the routes not complicated."

I glanced up at him.

"Kazama, I'll go where ever you will go."

He looked down at me a little irritated.

"Hmph, suit yourself."

~Kingdom of Stars~

Chapter Six: An Unlikely Alliance

"Once we get off the boat, we'll be in Edo right?" I said, ecstatic.

"Yeah." Kazama remarked, in a remote tone. I clasped my hands together with glee, thrilled by the thought of being one step closer to finding him.

We were making our way through the town. I faithfully followed Kazama, trying to stay as close to him as I could. The streets were very lively and busy.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to make it! I can hardly wait, and it's all because of you." I smiled at his back wondering if he had heard me. "Kazama?" I questioned. He grunted once, ignoring me.

Being so close to accomplishing my goal filled my heart with great festivity. I could barely hold back my excitement.

"I couldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for you, thank you very much!" I chirped, overjoyed. Kazama didn't respond. "Um…Kazama,"

"Hmph, you humans never shut up, do you?" He growled, looking over his shoulder at me.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I don't mean to bother you, I just want you to know how much I-"

"I don't care, so quit pestering me." He grumbled, vexed. I looked down and clamped my mouth shut. The great joy that had accumulated inside of me, evaporated. Kazama's words had struck me hard but they reminded me that there were still a lot of trials ahead, and perhaps it was too soon to celebrate.

It was a chilly day outside, with a few pale clouds in the sky. I was as quiet as I could be, struggling to not be a bother to Kazama. Everyone around us traveled like they were in a rush. I felt a little shaken. I wasn't used to such cantankerous people.

Rrrrruuppt!

I gasped and placed my hands on my stomach. Kazama turned his head to the side and glanced at me. I blushed, pretending my stomach didn't just growl.

Errrr-eerrrruuupt!

It growled again, louder this time. I tried desperately to keep it quiet, but every minute it rumbled. I was so tense this whole time that I didn't realize how famished I was. I heard Kazama sigh. We walked a little ways then Kazama paused in front of a shop and faced me.

"Wait here." He instructed.

"Okay!"

I leaned against a wall, staring at my feet, and waited for him. After a short while he came out of the shop with a tray in his hand that had food on it.

"Here, eat." He ordered, holding the tray out to me.

"Is this really for me?"

Kazama glared down at me like I was an idiot.

"Of course, honestly are you that dense?"

"I'm sorry, thank you very much!"

"If you were hungry why didn't you just say so? Foolish woman, you expect me to do everything?"

I gave him a quick bow then took the tray from him. I lowered myself to the ground and sat on my legs. Kazama leaned against the wall, crossed his arms and watched me eat. I peeked up at him then continued eating. I felt his eyes on me the whole time, it was very nerve-racking. I swallowed a chunk of rice too fast and coughed loudly. I peeked once more at him and he lowered his eyebrows over his annoyed crimson eyes. Each bite I took was difficult. I was uncomfortable eating with him watching my every move. I felt like my throat had closed. I swallowed my food hard and noisily, it was embarrassing. Then I saw Kazama move out of the corner of my eye. My head popped up.

"I'm going to take care of a few things, you finishing eating. Wait for me here." Kazama ordered.

"Okay!"

"Do not move from this spot." He demanded, and then vanished instantly from my sight.

I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders when he left and I finally was able to relax. I guzzled my food down; I was starving. When I was finished I felt like I could eat more, but was satisfied that my stomach had stopped growling. After throwing away the tray I sat back down; right where Kazama had instructed me not to move from. There were a lot of people rushing by me. I observed many faces I didn't recognized and swallowed an unrelenting feeling of alienation from the locals. I had no idea who anyone was in this town. I felt helpless sitting there by myself waiting for him to return to me. I leaned my back against the wall behind me and hugged my knees to my chest.

Not knowing a single person in the awfully populated place brought on a devastating feeling of loneliness. I would be completely alone in this journey if it wasn't for Kazama. Though he could be very hard to deal with and a bit antagonistic at times, he still was my companion.

I glanced over in the direction he disappeared from, waiting anxiously for his return. Several long minutes passed and there still was no sign of him. I began to worry. Where could he have gone? Had he abandoned me? I missed him terribly.

"Kazama," I mumbled. I lifted myself up on my feet to get a better look in the distance, but saw no trace of him. I decided to take a few steps in the direction he went to see if I could catch a glimpse of his presence. I wasn't going to wonder far, just to the end of the block. As I walked the medicine bottle that was tucked in my clothes started to irritate my skin, so I took it out briefly.

The Water of Life, generation X, furies, none of this has anything to do with me. This bottle is just an ornament that I wear. I observed it carefully and traced my thumb over the creased X mark in the bottle. At the corner of my eye I saw a man staring at the bottle I held. I pretended not to notice him, and he started to stalk me. I got a little nervous and picked up my pace. When I reached the end of the block he seemed to have disappeared, to my relief.

Suddenly I felt the bottle being snatched from my hand, and the string that held it around my neck snapped. The man who was stalking me had stolen my necklace. I watched as he dashed down the street and into an ally way.

"Hey, give that back!" I called out and rushed after him. When I caught up to him he was alone in the middle of an empty ally way with his mouth on the bottle. It looked like he was trying to drink out of it. We were both completely isolated from the town's population.

"Hey, you! That belongs to me, give it back!" I demanded. I cautiously approached him.

"I must drink it! I must have it! Girl you drank it didn't you? How dare you drink it all! I must have its power! I don't want to turn into sand like the others!" He panicked.

"Turn into sand?"

"Come here girl and let me drink your blood! I must have it!" He growled; his voice in a coarse blustering tone.

"My, blood!?"

He plunged toward me and latched onto my body, hugging me tightly. He tried to force me onto the ground but I fought back.

"Get off of me! Let go! What are you doing? Have you gone mad!?" I screeched, dazzled. His hands griped my upper arms.

"Please!" He begged. "I don't want to turn into dust!"

"I can't help you! I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't drink anything!"

His hair suddenly turned white, and his eyes a devilish red.

"No! It's begun! Hurry and give it to me!" He cried, desperate. I struggled to hold my ground and stay on my feet but his transformation into a fury had me overpowered. His fangs lunged toward my neck and I swiftly thrashed my body to the side causing him to miss just barely. He clenched his teeth hard on my shoulder and tried to maul through my clothes and into my skin. I squealed in distress. My shoulder burned with throbbing pain.

"KAZAMA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, wild with terror. "Kazama…Kazama!"

Then a dark figure dashed beside us and struck the fury, knocking him off of me.

"No! I can't die! Not like this," The fury whined.

'Kazama!?" I cheered, relieved. Kazama stood between me and the fury. He nudged his sword from its sheath with his thumb about an inch and had his right arm outstretched, shielding me from the fury. Kazama studied the fury as he writhed in pain. The furies skin turned gray and Kazama took his hand off his sword and lowered his arm.

"Kazama, why aren't you attacking?" I questioned, confused.

"No!" The fury grieved. I saw ashes leaking from his body; he appeared to be melting. Then the fury hurtled at us. I hollered and Kazama stood completely still.

Swooooshhhh

The furies body disintegrated into sand that gracefully fell at Kazama's feet. I recalled the moment in the woods when I was attacked by a fury that suddenly disappeared. Could this have been what happened to that fury? I ran over to the pale gray sand and dug up the medicine bottle and tucked it away in my clothes. I lifted myself up then looked down, bewildered with thoughts.

"What just happened?" I mumbled, astonished. Kazama was silent. When I glanced up I saw Kazama glaring at me, furiously.

"What were you doing here?" He growled in a crisp, curt, and crude voice.

"Um," I stuttered. "I was worried about where you went, and got impatient." Kazamas eyes narrowed. "It was stupid of me. I shouldn't have left. I'm really sorry. I-"

"Enough." Kazama cut me off, dissatisfied. "I can't stand your foolish excuses, you disobeyed me."

"Yes, I know. I'm very sorry." I muttered with earnest.

"Rescuing a woman who disobeys me is not worth my time. I've already saved your life more than once. I consider my debt to you paid." He chided, then walked passed me to the end of the ally way.

I stood there stricken, feeling too condemned to move.

"Come here." Kazama demanded.

"Okay." I whimpered softly then advanced shyly toward him. We went out of the ally way and into the streets. I watched his back as he guided me through the town. I had no idea where we were going and was too intimidated to say anything for a while. He ignored me entirely. His demeanor toward me hammered me with hurt. After sometime I regained my mental strength.

"Kazama, where are we going?" I uttered in a clear modest tone. He halted at the sound of my voice and turned around.

"This path will lead you to your destination." Kazama said, gesturing to a trail behind him. "It's a safe route, no furies, no soldiers; my business with you is done." He remarked with a blank expression on his face then walked past me. His words left me stunned.

"Kazama, wait!" I called out in a panic. He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.

"I.." I stuttered feeling nervous. My face felt hot and my vision blurred slightly. "I really want to stay with you. I want us to continue traveling to Edo together." I grieved, brokenhearted. "Please," I mumbled in a soft tearful voice.

"If that's the case, why didn't you do as I instructed?" Kazama scolded, turning his head away from me. "I'm tired of babysitting a woman who doesn't follow directions, you're such a nuisance."

"But!" I blurted out in anguish. I lost my breath and gasped for air then whimpered. Tears formed in my eyes. "I…hn," I sniffed as a tear rolled down my cheek. My body jerked. It became too much to hold in; I couldn't even speak without bursting into a blubbering fit. I placed my hands on my eyes, hiding my face and the sight of him. I lost the struggle to remain tranquil. I desperately didn't want to be separated from Kazama, to face the cold ominous world alone. I began to weep hysterically. I heard Kazama let out a big sigh.

"Do not disobey me again." Kazama said. My head popped up. Kazama stared at me with a dull expression.

"Do you mean," I sniffed. "I can...?"

"We shouldn't waste any more time, the boat is leaving soon." He turned from me and began advancing down the street. I observed him walking away from me, baffled. I blinked the tears out of my eyes for a couple seconds then my body twitched when the shock wore off. I bolted toward Kazama, catching up with him.

I walked right by his side for once instead of behind him. I glanced up at him and he turned his head slightly to look down at me, irritated, then he picked up his pace. I treaded behind him again, wondering just how much of a burden I really was to him. I felt really grateful that he didn't leave me. I had grown to feel differently about Kazama through our travels. At one time I swore I hated him, but at that moment I never wanted to leave his side, ever.

My neck felt a little swore so I placed my right hand on it and felt a little lump on my skin. I curiously traced the linear lump that was a few inches long, with the tips of my fingers. Then I recalled the moment when me and Kazama first met and remembered when he drew his blade from its sheath with lightning speed, and the cold steel slicing past my neck. I was just then realizing that my encounter with Kazamas sword had left a scar. I was worried about how bad it must have looked. It was a good thing I wore my hair down. Still, being a young woman, realizing this made me feel upset. I wasn't going to hold it against Kazama though. I would be dead without him after all.

We traveled for a while until we reached the docks. I was very excited and anxious to get aboard one of the massive ships. When we approached a ship to board it I backed away intimidated at first. Then glanced at Kazama and somehow I just knew that everything was going to be okay, because he was there and I wasn't alone. Even though to him I was just a burden, that he couldn't seem to break free from, he was to me, my solace and comfort. I had no idea what to expect from our travels through the vast ocean but we embarked on this new adventure, together.

To Be Continued…

Author's note:

Thanks for reading and for your continued support, don't forget to leave a review!