A/N: Hinari (guest) Your guess is half right so you get six cookies ^^ I have never read/watched/heard anything about Card Captor Sakura so I got to learn something new, arigato ^^
And Razorblade Mistress you are right on both accounts (which doesn't surprise me) so enjoy these dozen virtual cookies while you read ;)
For everyone else, Cerberus and Kerberos are both references to the multi-headed dog (usually depicted with three heads) from Greek mythology who is said to protect the gates to the underworld, only spirits may enter and none can leave... Almost like Mike come to think of it... *restrains urge to rant thoughts*
Hisoka: Enjoy the chapter~
Legs tucked beneath her and back supported by the cold stones of the walls, Tsutae's body was still highly feverish. Alone in an off-shoot hallway of the main family's estate only one person had found the collapsed teenager in all these hours, and that sole person had abandoned her to her own devices with hardly a second thought. Over the course of time Tsutae's eyes, beneath her closed pale lids, flickered and darted each time her eyes moved, as though she was looking from one thing to another. There was one moment where her breathing hitched and her throat constricted, another when her breathing halted altogether just long enough to be alarming – had anyone been around to notice. Sweat was pooling under her arms and more dripped from forehead to chin.
Outside the main estate, where Tsutae could neither see nor reach, dawn slowly broke over the mountain's peak. The sky was awash with the lightening shades as black turned to navy blue to purple and eventually to the lighter colors of pink, orange, and yellow. The landscape also came alive with varying shades of green and brown and the air filled with the natural sounds of awakening critters, both large and small alike. And though there were few things more colorful and tranquil than the beginning of a new day, Tsutae's mind was trapped within the dark realm of her subconscious thoughts. Terrifying images both imagined and real that mixed until it was impossible to separate the two.
Her hallucinations were made all the more realistic when her fingers twitched marginally just as her green eyes lowly pried themselves open. Dilated pupils darted from one end of the shadow-laced corridor to the other. Tsutae's sweaty fingers curled into her equally wet palms as something heavy settled in her chest. Irrational fear constricted her lungs and parched throat as her heart hammered loudly in time to the rushing blood of her ears. Everywhere Tsutae looked sounds seemed to echo back to her and the shadow movements were rhythmic…
Hypnotic.
They danced before her eyes and gracefully approached, backing away every time her breathing hitched and panic flared. They side stepped. They bowed. They giggled. And little by little their eyes opened to reveal to Tsutae the glowing brilliance of their multi-colored eyes. Glowing red and greens, blues and yellows, even a pair of Zoldyck purple caught the feverish girl's eye.
How pretty… she wanted to breathe as her fists uncurled and nails dug into the rough stone floor instead, I want to dance…
Fumbling around in vain effort Tsutae only managed to set her upper body to swaying from left to right, captivating her attention as her movements synced with those of the shadows. She giddily smiled at the shadows and maintained the even… rhythmic… motions…
The shadows seemed to approve as they approached faster and their rhythm picked up. They spun in circles so quickly their glowing eyes blurred into colored horizontal streaks and Tsutae wanted to laugh at the rainbow spectacle. She wanted desperately to laugh and feel lighthearted but something was lodged in her throat, choking her until her only relief were little gasps of air. A heavier weight rested on her chest and pushed her ribs into her lungs. Something… something was sitting on her… choking her… something… Tsutae's green eyes lowered until she was looking down at her chest to see a primly seated shadow with yellow eyes and a gaping white mouth filled with pointed red teeth. It threw its head back and let out a bellow of laughter.
Helpless beneath its weight Tsutae struggled, whipping her neck one way and then the other as the shadow beast's hands calmly neared her throat. Tsutae stretched her neck back, trying to get away, before turtling her shoulders. Her mind was spinning and her vision was tunneled. She tried to swallow only to have her spit lodge against the obstruction in her throat and cough viciously; giving the shadow beast its chance to latched its long black talons around her neck and placed its mouth below her left ear. Warm breath tickled her lobe and caressed the uncovered skin of her neck…
Tsutae shut her eyes against the sensation as it caused an involuntary cold shudder up her spine. She didn't know if she was cold or if she was hot. She didn't know if she was dead or about to be killed. All of Tsutae's thoughts…
"Please…" Tsutae's inaudible plea widened the shadow's grin, though she refused to open her eyes to see it. This was not how it was going to end.
"Hehehe… hahahaha… HAHAHAHA!" Roaring laughter, from each and every shadow which surrounded the girl, repeated and strengthened itself inside Tsutae's muddled head. It was happy. It was sinister. It was taunting and haunting. The sound spun itself into a whirlwind the louder it grew until Tsutae couldn't handle it and she opened her eyes. The laughter stopped. The shadow beasts disappeared. And Tsutae was once again alone.
"Where did you go? Why did you leave me… alone?" Tsutae's final word, before she passed out, was more than a question. It was a single word that conveyed all her fear and emotion. Even if the only creatures beside her were dark shadows who wanted to kill her, at least she hadn't been alone. She hadn't been… truly… alone.
THUMP
What was that?
THUMP
It's warm…
THUMP
No, Tsutae frowned though her eyes remained closed, it's not warm, it's hot.
THUMP
And that noise…
THUMP
What is that noise? It sounds like…
THUMPTHUMP
…like a heartbeat.
THUMP
Why do I hear such a loud heartbeat?
THUMPTHUMP
Tsutae raised her right hand and placed it above her heart, but…
THUMP
…the beat was wrong. Whatever Tsutae was hearing wasn't her own heartbeat. So whose was it?
THUMPTHUMP
And why is it so loud?
THUMP
Tsutae half-opened her eyes to stare down at the material pooling in her lap. The once pink fabric was stained red, large splotches that were growing as more liquid dripped from above and there was even a small puddle of it between her thighs.
THUMPTHUMP
Tilting her head back, Tsutae felt a drop of liquid land in the corner of her eye, instinctively making her rub it away. Tsutae pulled her fingers back to see them smeared with blood.
THUMP
Looking up through her bangs, Tsutae saw that the walls were pink, wet, and pulsing. They seemed to mimic the human heart. As she watched, the pulsing, blood dripping wall across from her split open and spilled forth a layer of yet more blood. It spread out like a dam had burst and Tsutae curled her legs away from the red fluid. Scarlet steam rose up and the acidic smell lingered in the back of Tsutae's throat, forcing her to cough viciously in an attempt to clear it.
Giggles echoed from all around Tsutae and she stared, horrified, as dark lumps arose from the acidic blood as it continued to come ever closer to her. Multicolored eyes opened and Tsutae somehow connected them as being the same shadow beasts who had visited her before. They had returned with their bloody pointed teeth and this time Tsutae didn't feel like laughing.
"No…" the protest passed through Tsutae's cracked lips and she tried to stand only to feel as though something was constricting around her chest. The feeling grew stronger until Tsutae could barely manage to inhale. She couldn't breathe through the pressure. Only capable of flicking her eyes down to the source Tsutae caught a glimpse of a shadow creature with glowing yellow eyes clawing steadily across her chest and aiming directly for her throat. Surging with panicky strength, she broke free of the inhibiting grasp and retreated several paces down the hallway. Her green eyes jumped about, focusing every few seconds on a different set of glowing eyes. The faster Tsutae retreated the closer the creatures seemed to come, their dark bodies climbing out of the blood coated floor.
The back of Tsutae's foot bumped into the wall, halting her retreat. Her fingers slid along the rough stones behind her in a desperate attempt to discover an alternative exit. What could she do? Tsutae was surrounded on all sides by those shadow beasts as they continued to crawl from the fresh blood, their skinny black arms clawing into the ground and dragging themselves ever closer. Tsutae was shaking as her wide green eyes danced from one form to another but was barely able to keep track of them all as even more were rising. Soon the entire hallway was filled with shadows beasts, more descending from the ceiling or appearing from the wall itself. Something snatched Tsutae's ankle in a bone crushing grip.
"AIIIIIIIEEEEE!" She wailed a high pitched sound which echoed throughout the entire structure. Tsutae lashed out, kicking the beast loose to sprint down the left corridor. More pain as the shadows swiped their sharp talons at Tsutae's ankles, catching skin and tearing it open so the rocks beneath became slick with her own blood.
"Stay away from me!" Tsutae cried as a deep gash was opened on her lower right leg. Tears were streaming down her face and making the scene in front of her waver. "Get away!"
Kicking at one beast another made a strong swipe at Tsutae's pivotal leg and took her down. She landed hard on her side, caught completely off balance, and her right arm was pinned beneath her total weight. The angle was wrong and Tsutae had no chance to stop what was about to happen. Her elbow was twisted the wrong way and the moment enough force was applied to that particular spot it snapped. Tsutae reflexively cried out as the unexpected pain raced up her arm; however she was still in the middle of falling and was unable to do anything as her head collided with the hard stones. Her thoughts spun as Tsutae rolled onto her back and clutched the injured elbow. Tsutae stared up to the roof and attempted to catch a little of her breath back only to panic into action at the fastly familiarizing sensations of nails raking over her lower legs. Curling her stomach muscles, hissing when her arm was jostled, Tsutae executed a backwards summersault.
On her knees hunched over, blood running down her broken right arm, Tsutae peered through her bangs to see the dancing, approaching, mass of innumerable shadows. Their mouths opened to show their pointed teeth and evil grins. High pitched giggles mixed with low chuckles made a tiny shiver go down Tsutae's spine as goose bumps rose over her flesh, despite the fact that she was still profusely sweating.
Jerking her body left, Tsutae's feet refused to budge. No matter how she tried to move her legs were rooted to the same spot. Green eyes glanced up to see the waiting mob of shadows beasts.
Move! Her mind screamed.
The creatures' grins only widened as Tsutae's heart rate increased and her breathing became shallower. She had to move before they rushed her. She was in no shape to fight them off. What could she do? Tsutae's nails punctured the skin above her broken elbow and she bit at her lower lip until blood blotted her tongue.
Move! She tried again to order herself into action. Tsutae's torso twisted but her feet still refused. Struggling, Tsutae missed the first beast that advanced a step towards her, its smile growing as a long taloned hand was raised in anticipation.
MOVE!
This time the mental command worked and Tsutae was able to dodge back, evading the sweep to her chest that would have easily sliced her into pieces. Expelling a breath, Tsutae collected herself as much as possible, though it was barely enough to keep her mind focused on a single threat. Her green eyes slammed closed for a split second and in that time she heard the harsh pounding of her heart, the blood rushing madly through her ears and the scraping noises of the advancing shadow beasts. She reopened her eyes and forced her breathing and heart rate to slow so the two could synchronize. If she remained calm…
Tsutae's attention darted all around. The shadow beasts… they were gone. All Tsutae saw was a long stone corridor filled with ordinary flickering shadows created by the torches. There was no pulsing wall of flesh. No acidic river of blood or crawling shadows. Nothing. It was… just… an ordinary… hallway…
Her thoughts became sluggish as exhaustion washed through her body. However, with the sudden release of stress not only did the tension in Tsutae's body relax but her mind swam to catch up. The sudden disappearance of the threat, a fresh spasm of pain from her elbow, and the too deep breath tunneled Tsutae's vision. Her eyes felt uncomfortably dry and Tsutae blinked rapidly to try and alleviate the sensation as the contents of her stomach churned. With barely any warning to turn her head to the side, Tsutae just managed to avoid puking down the front of her body. However, she had not entirely avoided being splattered as a warm wetness soaked into the sleeve covering her unbroken arm and some dribbled down her chin.
More pain lacerated Tsutae, this time coming from her back, and she pressed her flush cheek against the cold stones of the wall. Her back… the wounds on her back must have reopened at some point and now there was… there was probably a lot of…
"Huff… huff…huff…" Tsutae's train of thought vanished before it was finished. Only when the pain numbed did Tsutae try to think again, her thoughts this time revolving around the effort to stand up. I have… to get moving… Her left palm flattened against the floor beside her and she used a considerable amount of effort to hoist herself up while maintaining her right arm's horizontal position.
Her back slammed into the wall, sending out more waves of pain, but she didn't collapse as she had feared. Tsutae's vision grew spotted and she froze in place until her breathing evened out. Her legs wobbled. Her chest rose and fell. Tsutae used whatever mental strength she had left to focus on collecting herself. She forced the pain to recede and for her vision to clear.
Straightening her posture Tsutae barely flinched at the pain, her thoughts were reordering themselves until Tsutae was sure she had her priorities in order. The first thing she needed to do was patch herself up, first aid was necessary as Tsutae looked down to see just how bloody her elbow was. The pink fabric was dripping with blood while in other places it had been torn. Her gaze travelled past that and landed on the skirt of the dress. It may not have been to Tsutae's liking but it was the best she could do at this point. There was no telling how long it would take her to find medical supplies and she couldn't risk losing more blood if she could prevent it.
Grimacing at the thought that if she didn't set and splinter the bone within the next hour she would have to re-break it, something she never wanted to experience again, Tsutae slowly pulled up the hem of her dress and used her teeth to tear off two strips. The first length was wrapped around the elbow as a bandage while the second was tied to be used as a sling, leaving her unbroken arm free.
Looking to the unfamiliar surroundings, Tsutae tried to piece together where she was.
Tsutae had forgotten she was in the Dentora Region of the Republic of Padokia. She had forgotten she was on Kukuroo Mountain. She had even forgotten that she was in the residence of the main family.
Zeno paused in his walk as a high pitched shriek echoed down the corridor and reached his ears. He looked over his shoulder and saw no one there. In fact, no one should be near Zeno at the moment nor should anyone be screaming so loudly as to reach him. As far as the former patriarch knew there was no reason for those screams at this early hour. How perplexing…
With the sole intention on discovering what was occurring inside their family home, Zeno retraced his steps in the direction the voice had come from.
Zeno's pace slowed with his hands folded behind his back as he came across the somewhat shocking discovery of his only granddaughter. Tsutae was standing in the hallway, peering down the corridor opposite of Zeno. The second she sensed his presence her body turned to fully face the older man and he was able to take in her full appearance; Tsutae's upper body was drenched in sweat, her right arm was in a sling made, from the material of her gown Zeno assumed at seeing the ripped hem, her legs were scratched, and there seemed to be another substance absorbed into the fabric of her left sleeve. Zeno's eyes trailed over Tsutae's expression to see her pale skin, skittish eyes, and knotted black hair plastered to her sweaty face. What had happened to her since last night when he gave her a little test?
Small beads of sweat rolled down the sides of Tsutae's face to collect under her chin.
Zeno's left foot settled as he came to a complete stop and Tsutae's eyes dilated and contracted as she locked stares with the older man. There was something about her overly focused stare that held Zeno back from moving for a moment. It was a look he had seen frequently in his youth, she wasn't 'all there' so to speak.
Tsutae slid her own left foot forward, shifting her stance until her body was perpendicular to Zeno's; her right shoulder was farther back and her long hair was thrown over it as though to hide the injury.
"Who are you?" Tsutae's voice came out strained. She was panicking. Being in an unknown place, injured, and now faced with this person… was he friend or foe and how was Tsutae supposed to tell the difference? "Tell me!"
Lost for words, Zeno continued to observe Tsutae. She was growing more panicked, her body was shaking and her left hand was clutching her injured arm again. He looked coldly into her eyes, noting that they couldn't remain focused on him and constantly moved from side to side.
Zeno took a step forward.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Tsutae clutched her arm tighter and the muscles in her legs tensed.
"Calm down child, I won't hurt you." Zeno placated as he gained more distance. His tone was soothing to Tsutae's ears and he noticed the effect as her eye movements slowed and her eye lids drooped. Continuing to talk, Zeno was able to get within arm's reach of his granddaughter before she reacted. Green eyes snapped wide open and Tsutae backed away with great speed.
"Tch." Zeno wasn't happy that she had evaded, he had wanted to knock her out without using too much force. If his granddaughter continued to move and her injuries weren't treated…
Increasing his speed and employing the Shadow Step technique Zeno appeared behind Tsutae, who ducked violently and pushed off. Again Zeno was left to look at his granddaughter's retreating figure. This time however Tsutae didn't stop running. Her long hair trailed out behind her as her panic kept her feet moving faster and faster, taking a right around the corner so quickly it felt like her feet skidded.
Zeno appeared in front of her.
With a twist Tsutae was about to double back but she had been too close to the wall, her injured shoulder slammed against the stones. The pain was so jarring Tsutae stumbled, gasping. Zeno was directly behind Tsutae immediately and was already reaching to catch her when Tsutae once more showed her flexibility – rotating her upper torso more than enough for her hooked claws to bite into Zeno's exposed flesh. His forearm was ripped open yet he caught Tsutae's arm as well and prevented her back from hitting the floor. She lashed out with her left leg, catching Zeno's stomach with barely the power needed to allow her to escape.
Zeno was still trying to puzzle out as to why Tsutae was fighting him so hard; he kept coming back to her first question – Who are you? – over and over again.
Backing away paces at a time Tsutae tried to keep focus on the older man, not knowing what would happen if he finally managed to catch and hold her. She just knew she didn't want to find out. Zeno approached Tsutae over and over again, each time using more strength and drawing Tsutae's already worn out body to its limit. With her ragged breathing and sluggish movements Zeno knew she would be unable to last much longer, but this game was also taking a toll on him. Zeno was reigning in his strength and in return Tsutae had managed to land blows of her own. Asides from the blood dripping from the wound in his forearm, Zeno had also received a fracture in the opposite humerus from a second kick from his granddaughter. It was difficult to predict when and how she would attack next as their truly was no reasoning behind it.
Going in for one final feint, Zeno rushed Tsutae, who block far too early. Her body gave out under the continuous pressure to block and attack. Zeno caught his granddaughter before she could collapse too far and looked down at the relaxed, though pale, expression. It wasn't until that moment Zeno realized just how high her temperature was. He also discovered the number of lacerations which had reopened and would need cleaning. The older Zoldcyk shifted the younger and picked her up bridal style to carry her down the corridor and towards her room.
Tsutae would be unable to start lessons today like Zeno knew Silva had been hoping to do. She was in no condition; if anything was done to her in this state the likelihood of her dying was extremely high. He sighed.
Such a troubling granddaughter he had, she really did take after her mother.
A/N: Annnnd... DONE! *sigh* My this chapter was so hard to write. I wrote it 2 1/4 times because I wrote it once, then kinda rewrote it, then COMPLETELY rewrote it. I hope this update will keep you guys content as the next chapter is a long time coming. However, do not fear as I have a plan on what is happening (Hisoka just doesn't make it simple to write).
Alright, I'm saying too much for these A/Ns... I need to learn to shut up and sleep. Last comment: Remember I like reviews and/or PMs ^^
