Tears of Blood
Author's Note Haha! Now that I have that chapter problem straightened out... ENJOY! )
Chapter Six: Butterflies, Death, Rain and Roses
Light, fluffy clouds floated across the middle of the sky while their darker cousins grew menacingly along the horizon and began to prematurely darken the afternoon sky. A strangely warm autumn breeze curled through the air and caressed the young girl who lay carelessly on a thick blanket near the koi pond in the side yard.
Natalie leaned up momentarily to tie her long dark hair into a thick ponytail at the nape of her neck before leaning back down and focusing on the neatly printed words in front of her. The words began to captivate her. It wasn't really anything to memorable, it was one of Shigure's … 'poor excuses of writing space' books as Hatori referred to them while she and Ayame liked to refer to them as a 'free creative writing space where Shigure can express his fantasies since-' usually they mumbled the last part while Hatori gave them reprimanding lectures and Shigure wailed about how no one understood the creative mind of a writer. Natalie glanced anxiously at the watch on her wrist before trying to settle back down to read the words in front of her.
It had been a good couple of months since that whole 'everyone wanting to kill Yuki' thing had completely settle down.
The two of them were more of a pronounced couple as Kinu liked to put it and Yuki would stay for long periods of time to avoid Akito's wrath. He'd been getting decidedly more violent recently and at least they had gotten away with Yuki staying at the Yonin Mansion and getting him to school every day. Lucky, Akito hadn't decided to pay a visit to the school. Yuki and Natalie had made it a whole three months so far and with New Year's right around the corner, she was anxiously waiting for Yuki to arrive for his next 'scheduled' unscheduled visit.
Natalie glanced at her watch again. 4:20 PM.
They should be arriving any time. A little boy came clambering down the steps towards her. He sat on the flat rocks that made a bench next to the pond. His midnight blue eyes sparkled as he smiled at her before tossing a tiny riceball to his precious waiting koi. His name was Sanami Yonin. Natalie watched him as he fed his precious koi. He was about Aislinn's size, maybe a little taller, nearly eight years old with shaggy dark locks like his mother's with the prettiest eyes she'd ever seen on a little boy. He was lazing around the mansion today in a black and silver winter kimono that his mother Kinu had ordered for the little head of the family.
The only thing that Natalie didn't completely agree with about Sanami was the possessiveness that he had developed with Aislinn. She had promised to keep the little girl safe from the moment she was born. "Sanami?" Natalie asked as she closed her book and folded her blanket. He responded with another of his smiles. Natalie tossed the blanket with her book tucked safely inside onto the swing on the balcony before going back down to the koi pond where the little boy was still feeding his koi. "Where is Aislinn?" The blue-eyed boy pointed a slender finger towards the back of the mansion where a giant aviary and a slightly smaller dome of a building stood.
The smaller dome was covered with a kind of cloth netting with tiny holes where vegetation still clung to it. It was the butterfly pavilion where the younger children had their classes with Kinu every day. The butterflies had started out as a science experiment in middle school for Natalie but she'd kept raising them every year and continued on because the children liked them. "Is she having lessons with Kinu? I thought she was already done for the day." Natalie asked, glancing towards the pavilion. Sanami merely smiled. "No. She is caring for the newborns. She said she will be taking them inside soon before the cold kills them." Natalie gave a short nod before turning and heading towards the pavilion with a small smile on her face.
For such a young boy Kinu had certainly taught him well. He made her think of what Akito could have been like if he hadn't been obsessed with death and the thought of dying. Natalie shook the thought from her mind as she lightly touched the thin netting that kept the butterflies from flying away. "What's wrong Ari?" Natalie opened the door to the pavilion and shut it before stepping inside that sheet of netting. It was an effective way to keep the butterflies from flying away and made it safer for them, so they couldn't accidentally be smashed.
The little girl looked up at her with crystalline tears that made her eyes look muddled. "Six more died today." She said quietly, her voice trembling. For the first time, Natalie noticed the six fragile chrysalises cradled in the young girl's lap. "Aww, come here baby." Natalie crooned as she scooped the chrysalises out of the little girl's lap and laid them on the floor before she pulled Aislinn into her arms.
Safe in the haven of the older girl's arms, Aislinn began to cry, softly at first, then with more ferocity as she began sobbing her questions. "Why do they always have to die? Doesn't God like butterflies? Why would he make something so pretty and then kill them when it gets cold? I hate God! He killed the butterflies and he killed my Daddy!" Natalie held the girl tight in her arms as she lightly dabbed at the tears on her face so she could look into the little girl's eyes.
"Let me tell you a story about God and butterflies little Ari." Aislinn shifted and squirmed until she was cradled against the soft curve of the older girl's body. The little girl laid her head against Natalie's collarbone, a little bit above her beating heart. The material of Natalie's sweater scratched a little against her face but it was soft like a kitten's fur when she rubbed her tiny hands down her arms.
Aislinn looked up when something hot hit her cheek and slid down. Something glistened in the corners of Natalie's eyes and slid silently down her pale cheeks. The little girl looked down and watched Natalie slide off the glove on her left hand and dig six shallow graves with those slender pretty fingers before she slowly began to place the chrysalises in each one.
After a few moments of silence, Natalie began to speak, quietly, just for the little girl in her arms. "You see, God went on a picnic a long, long time ago. Only His most favorite friend was allowed to come with Him on this special picnic. You see Ari, He knew that His friend loved butterflies almost as much as you do." With the little butterflies buried, Natalie brushed the dust against her jeans before slipping the black fleece-lined gloves back on before she wrapped her arms around the little girl who snuggled into the soft warm cashmere sweater that covered her body.
Natalie gave a faint smile before snuggling down and continuing on with her little tale, "God has a a special place in His garden where butterflies always lived in the spring and He wanted to take His special friend to see them. God loved her very much and wanted to see her happy. They went down by the stream and there were butterflies of all colors, dancing in the breeze. But one dropped from the sky and slowly fell to the ground. God's special friend ran to where the butterfly had fallen. God hadn't seen where she'd run off to and He was very angry because He thought she left him when He was trying to do something very nice for her but He found her down by the water, crying her poor little heart out while holding the little butterfly's body in her little hands. God knelt down by His friend, feeling bad for being so mad at her. And do you know what Ari?" She asked, trying to see if the little girl was still awake without looking to see.
"What?" The reply came almost instantly. "God Himself started crying right there, just for the little butterfly. So you see Ari, God loves butterflies just as much as you do. He cries too when even one of them falls." Aislinn shifted until she could lean back against the older girl's propped up knees. "Who was God's friend? The girl who liked butterflies?"
Natalie smiled as she gently lifted the little girl out of her lap and stood her up. She swooped her up in her arms and twirled her around as they left the pavilion, almost falling off balance as she did so. "Well, now she has a beautiful baby who loves butterflies just as much as she does."
"UNCLE KYO!" The sudden outburst of noise in her ear made Natalie stagger a second but a firm hand on her arm kept her upright while the little girl clambered out of her arms into Kyo's while he laughed happily. He smiled in her direction before he slowly let go of her arm.
A quick glance behind the red-head told her that Yuki and Haru had come as well. Haru and Yuki seemed to be talking angrily amongst themselves but the conversation ceased as Natalie approached. Yuki cast his best friend a decidedly unfriendly look before turning a smile on his curious girlfriend. "Do I even want to ask what that was about?"
He shook his head lightly. Natalie narrowed her eyes and glared half heartedly at the older boy. He gave that shrug of his that meant everything and nothing all at the same time. He looked so tired. "Hey.. Are you alright?" She asked softly. He turned his gaze away from her; he didn't want to talk about it. Whatever it was.
The sounds of Aislinn and Kyo's laughter were fading and Haru had wandered away, to give them a little privacy apparently. She pulled the gloves off and shoved them impatiently in her back pocket before lightly touching his forehead and cheeks. He was paler than normal but that was expected with the cold weather but then another detail caught her eye. Four dark, blotchy marks blended faintly into Yuki's pale skin. Bruises slowly making their grand appearance.
Natalie could feel her face furrowing in confusion as she tried to meet his gaze but he refused to look at her. She cupped his chin in her hand lightly and turned so she could see the other side of his neck. Another small bruise decorated his neck and a strange thought began to form in her mind as she gripped his neck, barely touching the thin skin where his pulse beat against her palm like a frightened bird.
Something was burning the back of her eyes and her throat felt suddenly tight. "Y-Yuki..?" It was hard to talk past the lump in her throat and let her voice come out in the barest of whispers. Her hand left his neck to let her graze the back of her knuckles against the shiner growing high on his cheekbones. "He beat you for coming here?" He looked away as if to say did she really have to ask.
Her eyes burned but it didn't really matter as hot tears coursed down her cheeks in two steady lines. A moment later she felt his hand gently cup the side of her face as he began to kiss away the tears that were still cascading down her cheeks.
Yuki stood shocked for a moment, not really knowing what to do. He wasn't very good at comforting crying women and this one was crying for him. It made it worse somehow. He leaned down and captured her lips in a chaste kiss before he pulled her against the line of his body and held her tight.
POOF!
The dreaded sound was still ringing in his ears when the fog cleared and he was sitting in the pile of his clothes looking up at Natalie who had fallen to her knees in front of him. "Why does this keep happening to me?" He demanded of no one in particular. His small features were furrowed in frustration; what was going on?!?
"I'm so sorry Yuki… I really should have told you sooner." Natalie murmured as she began to pick up his clothes from around him and fold them. Yuki crawled into her lap impatiently and began tugging on her sweater with one small pale grey paw. "What should you have told me about sooner Natalie?" He demanded impatiently. Natalie gave him a half smile but it quickly slipped into a frown. Well… not exactly a frown, but she wasn't smiling either.
"Can we go inside first?" She asked just as quietly as before. "The younger ones don't know about the Curse and we'd prefer them not to have to know." Yuki nodded and climbed into the pile of his clothes that Natalie was carrying with ease.
They hurried through the mansion that housed most of the Yonin family in silence until they came to Natalie's room on the far side of the room. Music was blaring somewhere in the house and she recognized the song as the 'Numa Numa Song'. She gave a soft chuckle before ducking into her room and setting Yuki and his clothes on her bed.
Natalie locked the door before climbing onto the bed and curling her body around the small grey Rat. "You must think I'm an awful person for keeping this from you for so long." She began as she reached out and gently rubbed one small, round ear while she spoke. "My family is no longer cursed. This generation anyway." She added quickly before he got the wrong idea. "My cousin Soren found the cure and cured us all. That's why the younger ones don't remember the Curse, they weren't old enough to know when we were released."
Yuki snuggled against the soft curve of Natalie's neck as she spoke, breathing in her unique scent to calm his racing heart. A cure? How could there be a cure? There was a way for his family to finally be free of Akito's violence. The thought struck him like lightning so that he was momentarily dazed by the concept. "Why didn't you say something about this sooner?" He asked, rubbing his cheek against her neck as he spoke. She had always found his Rat form adorable so he allowed himself to be more natural in it around her.
Natalie pulled away from him slowly, setting him gentlyon one of the huge fluffy pillows before she crossed the room and leaned on the wall as she gazed out the window. "You must think I'm really selfish," She said as she wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. "-to keep something like this from you when I know you want to be rid of Akito. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you because I knew-"
POOF!
The sound resounded and Natalie turned to meet Yuki's questioning violet eyes, leaving her totally unaware of his nudity. "-that you'd try to free your family."
"OF COURSE I WANT TO FREE MY FAMILY!" Yuki shouted. Natalie flinched as if he'd struck her. She crumbled against the wall as her breath left her in a shuddering sigh. He'd never yelled at her before. He never even really raised his voice, but she guessed she deserved it really.
Natalie's gaze drifted towards the stereo on her desk where a single dark rose lay shriveled and dried. It had originally been a beautiful violet but death had darkened it to deep ebony. She'd never seen purple roses in her life until Yuki had brought it to her. Then she just couldn't bear to part with it. The eighteen year old slid to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees.
A hand caressing her cheek brought her attention back to the present. Out of her peripheral vision she could tell that it was Yuki but she didn't know what she could possibly say to make it better. She met his gaze dully as she looked up into his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. But to be finally rid of Akito…" He let his voice fall away, he knew she understood. She nodded deftly, there were still faint of anger buried deep in his eyes but it was forgotten as his lips found hers in a passionate kiss. When they finally broke for air Yuki's whispered words made her shiver with excitement. "I could finally love you the way my body begs me to Natalie."
The raven-haired girl nibbled lightly at his collarbone when he leaned in a second time. The surprised gasp told her that he couldn't be all that mad at her if he was enjoying himself this much. At first she'd been afraid to inflict any kind of pain on the Rat but it seemed that under the right circumstances he enjoyed it immensely. Basically get rid of Akito, his stupid whip, and get him the hell away from Sohma house and he was a completely different person. One that could be immensely fun to tease.
Shivers of ecstasy rippled through Yuki's body before Natalie pushed him away, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson and her eyes obviously trying to find something else to look at. The cold and his obvious state of arousal became apparent.
Yuki cursed his inattentiveness as he gathered his clothes and quickly pulled them on. He rolled up the cuffs of the white button up before he came up beside Natalie and leaned against the wall opposite her, mirroring her movements completely. Yuki followed her gaze down into the yard where he saw Raine and Kyo playing tag with little Aislinn Raine. The little girl was squealing with delight as Kyo scooped up the little girl and twirled her around in his arms. He grinned brightly in Raine's direction and she met it with one of her own smiles.
The nineteen year old couldn't help but smile at the red-head's happiness. He and Kyo rarely got along when they were in close quarters together but when they were apart he didn't have a problem with the Cat. Their rivalry had slowly dissipated while Tohru had lived with them before it kicked up sharply after she left. Kyo had hated everyone though, he'd even knocked Shigure through his own door when the Dog had teased him about needing to get out more.
At least that stupid Cat is happy. He thought with his own internal dry humor.
Yuki turned his attention from the happy trio below to the beautiful raven-haired girl beside him. His breath caught in his throat and his heart squeezed in pain at the sight of her. His heart usually gave at little jump whenever he looked at her but the pain caught him off guard. He truly loved her. He'd never been in love but he'd begrudgingly asked Ayame what it felt like once and things matched up.
Natalie's eyes were red-rimmed, her eyes shining with unshed tears and there was a fine tremble in the lines of her body. "What's wrong?" He asked tenderly as he reached over and pulled her closer. One arm snaked around her waist so he could rub small circles in her back.
"Do you want to break the Curse?" She asked softly. If he hadn't been so close he would have never heard her. The question caught him off guard. He'd been a little distracted and temporarily forgot. Natalie took a deep breath and her body stilled underneath his hands but every nerve sang with tension. It was almost undetectable but Yuki heard her voice trembling.
"How can the Rat break the Curse?" Yuki asked as he continued rubbing soothing circles in her lower back. Whatever it was had broken something inside her, something that wanted to protect him. Natalie took a deep breath to steady herself and force the tears back. She hated to cry but right now she couldn't think of something better to do. OH Yuki… No… She took another deep breath and held it in this time. Distantly she heard the sound of rain pelting against the roof and it seemed to perfectly suit her mood.
"You have to die."
Author's Note: Yes. Anyways. Two for the price of one. Sorry it took me so long to update. Tell me if you like it or not.
