Chapter 6. Innocent Wandering Pt.2
Everything hurt as I writhed beneath his touch, gasping for air as I clawed at his hand, seeking desperately for any sweet sliver of air that would rid away the black spots flashing through my blurred vision.
Would this be my end?
I didn't want it to be my end; I want so much to live even as I felt my body slowly falling victim to the weakness of the darkness.
I gurgled, and tried to keep my eyes from shutting closed, shivering and choking on the tight and cruel hold seeking to strip me of my life.
I could feel the cold tears beginning to make its way around the corners of my eyes, slowly and surely making its way down my cheeks.
Even as I thought it might be ending when I could feel my warmth slipping and tearing from my soul…I just want…to live…
"…Do you…"
I flinched, gazing up at the sky with surprise from the sudden sound of the voice.
"..Do you want to live…? Then…I'll help you live…"
Suddenly, I felt my body falling to the ground harshly as a loud snarl echoed throughout the alley. I coughed violently, choking and hacking on the built up spit in my throat as I tried to clear my teary and blurred up vision.
I could see…the man pinned and glaring up at the large creature that snarled down at him, it's strange vanilla eyes piercing him down as the silver white beast snapped its deadly jaws down at the man in retaliation.
It was a large beast, lean and built like a wolf.
It was such a beautiful creature with strange crimson-like symbols stretching over its muzzle and down over its back like scarred wings. The beast snarled deep and low, its fluffy tail flicking leisurely to the side as the man under the wolf, stared up with teeth clenched tight.
"Run..."
I gasped, shocked to hear the strange voice as the beast slowly turned its unnatural eyes upon me.
"Do you not want to live…?" It asked, "Run…"
I didn't take another second longer as I stumbled to my feet, clutching gingerly at my throat as I staggered out of the alley way and ran into the grand crowds suddenly surrounding me.
But I still didn't escape the fact I heard the beast snarl, the man cry, and the harsh biting of skin being ripped apart as the crimson spluttered around the walls in jagged markings.
I was frightened as the grand white beast followed above me, floating on its own makeshift ground it had created from air.
…Fear…and that was making me cry.
"Little one…you are safe…"
Why? Why did it have to come to that?
Even as I bit my lip and felt my nails digging into the tender flesh of my palm, I ran.
I didn't want that.
Before long, night had come with the darkening of the sky.
The loss of the sun and the weight of the day shot down any wavering clouds until they were almost invisible against the darkened sky.
The moon hung gracefully in the sky, a crescent smiling as it stared down to the earth and watched the busy night dwellers.
I had been led by the wolf that, who was apparently my Kudan, to an old abandoned looking port, with cranes and large containers besides a glittering supply of water that reflected the bright crescent moon.
It shone brightly, even more so than before, bathed in a strange rosy hue.
Through this iron playground filled with metal building blocks, and giant cranes like a giraffe's neck: its face reaching upwards to eat the foliage of the starry night sky.
"Why?" I murmured, becoming more and more aware of the shadows that were rolling off of the big equipment, those places untouched by the moons iridescent kisses, "Why did you kill him?"
The beast turned his head, his eye unemotional as he stared back at me.
"He would have killed you."
I snarled, twisting around to face the large wolf, "That does not mean I wished him dead!"
The wolf stared at me- well, I suppose I shouldn't keep calling him 'wolf'; he did tell me his name is Ame.
I knew full well that the man could have killed me, but I'm still human, and a human who had just found that this beast- this thing that is part of her soul killed another living being...
Did that mean I indirectly killed him? This Kudan is a part of my soul, that's why it made me wonder…just wonder….
"What a strange thing to say, but, maybe that's why…" He just seemed to trail off before looking away, making my eyes narrow suspiciously.
I sighed, wincing when my throat throbbed with pain.
"Oh, there's the princess…"
"Sakura…?" I furrowed my brows and looked upwards towards the night sky, freezing on the spot when I spotted something both strange and…amazing.
Sakura was floating, incased in a pinkish hue of light as her eyes fluttered closed, and the vanilla bottom of her dress twirling around her legs as she flew through the air, flying as if with invisible wings.
She was flying; well…she was until the light started to fade and she was suddenly spiraling like a pebble towards the cement ground placed below.
"Sakura!" I gasped, jolting forward by the shock of seeing the desert princess falling head first to the ground.
Her body was getting closer at the same time I was as well, that notice already making my heart pound in anticipation when she was almost close enough to splat the ground head first.
With a last gulping effort I threw myself down as I then slid across the granite cement that cut throughout my exposed skin in jagged lines, wounding me as I spread my arms out and caught the desert princess in my open arms.
Her body was cushioned by my own as I grunted, sagging backwards in relief that I had found and caught Sakura in time before the untimely fate had come to claim her…death.
Slowly, I sat up and held the princess closer to me, my Kudan making its way around me with a bowed head, tilting it the side as he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Ya," I nodded while I gradually stood up. Even as I felt the small tingling pricks of my cuts flaring up as I moved I stood and turned to my Kudan. "I'm alright, but can you go find Syaoran and the others and tell them…I found Sakura and that…and that I'm going back to the apartment?"
Ame bowed his head in affirmation, his tail swaying from side to side before his body began to static away like a broken television screen, and then…he disappeared.
Mina's Pov:
It was cold, the skies dark and as black as Kurogane's ebony locks of hair, but the moon was high and full, bright and illuminating the night-come world with its light.
It was quiet, this silence besides the thumping echoes of our clicking shoes upon the pavement really regret not having chased after Miyuki when I found the princess had gone missing from the apartment building.
The minutes just kept passing with ticking seconds that drew out longer silence, making me want to just smack even Kurogane to at least add some kind of emotion, sound- anything that could make this silence disappear.
….But maybe I should have thought well on that wish when I gazed off to the side absently, and finding myself gazing up towards a large black shadow coming forth from the nightly sky. Almost like it had fallen off a building before it landed quietly onto its paws.
I screamed in surprise and dove to the closest thing next to me…being the dark and bitchy ninja who was pretty hot- but no one tell him that!
"Wha-what the fuck?" I gasped, clutching to the thin black shirt of the ninja as I gazed into the deep glow of the large beasts eyes.
They were obviously white, but under the moonlight it seemed as if there were specks of crimson in its pupils. This dangerous glint even making the youngest of us all tense and glare at the large white creature.
It seemed though that the blonde didn't care if the, I think it is a Kudan, was dangerous to us or not since he made this strange sound that almost…resembled a whistle before he smiled brightly.
"So there is even animal type Kudans'. ~" He commented casually, making me wonder if he was crazy or just…nah, he's mentally crazy.
It also seemed even the red-eyed ninja was on my side as he growled at the mage, "And for all we know it could be a dangerous one."
The beast did nothing but stare though, seeming to calculate us before leaning his head out with the tip of its black nose and responding to our tense positions.
"I have come delivering a message."
"….THEY TALK TOO?"
"What message, and from who?" Syaoran asked, but I was fairly sure it was a demand. But a soft demand.
"The young miss asks for all of you to return back." It replied, its eyes glowing like two large gems in the night.
"But, we can't-"
"The princess is there."
There seemed to be a long tense silence and after that. Then the large and, admittedly, beautiful creature seemed to suddenly vanish into the thin air as if just another strand of wind.
Miyuki's Pov:
It was so dark outside, the light and silence from within the room making me want to walk under the beautiful moon above.
I didn't move though even as there was a shift in the room. I simply flicked my eyes from the window to stare at the large wolf standing behind me, the graceful and dangerous aura surrounding the Kudan.
"I have given the message, little one."
I nodded, and pushed myself away from the icy window pane.
It had taken some time to bring back Sakura to Arashi's apartment, and having assured the young and retired priestess that I was fine when she spotted the bruising slowly forming around my throat.
I could see the sleeping princess laying quietly in her futon, dreaming pleasant dreams with no clue of us even being here.
"Thanks," I sighed, "Tell me though…where were they?"
"On the other side of town." He answered, bowing his head in affirmation to his statement.
I paused, letting that simple sentence repeat and echo in my thoughts.
I may not have remembered much of the anime, but I knew well enough that it was Syaoran who had caught the princess before she could have crashed to the Earth, and so why was it they were so far away?
If it hadn't been Ame had sniffed out the desert princess then she would have meet an untimely death. Then I thought, was this one those things that change because of my and Mira's new appearance with these strange travelers?
It might be possible. But I didn't broad too much upon it when I noticed Ame's ears swiveling around towards the door and saying, "They're here."
I wasn't even able to thank the large wolf before his body seemed to glisten and launched itself at me. But the wolf never hurt me as it shimmered away into a wisp of nothing within my chest.
I was surprised though, that when the wolf had entered my body I suddenly was hit with a sleepy spell. Swaying on the spot with little consciousness that I was about to fall onto the hard ground.
Oh crap…, I sighed sleepily, stumbling to keep standing as I made my way towards Sakura's unconscious form. Hopefully, I could make just a few more steps before I was knocked out cold and just maybe I could land on the futon…and hopefully though, she won't wake up if I land on her….
I could vaguely make out someone's voice calling cheerfully to the others, coming closer towards the door as it then slid open.
My eyes narrowed, but my sight was blurred so it really didn't help. I could at least make out that they had blonde hair though.
…Wait, do I know a person with that color of blonde hair…?
"Miyu-chan!"
I was caught by thin arms as I fell back in a wave of dizziness. The person was warm though, so I didn't fight back as they held me close into their chest.
But as I fluttered my half-lidded eyes open and met the blurry vision of a face, all I could see clearly were the bright blue orbs that appeared so worried at that moment.
Surly I didn't know someone with those kind of beautiful blue eyes, but then-
My eyes began to flutter close to the darkness. Every inch of my tired body aching for sleep, even as I could have sworn I heard my Kudan chuckling in amusement.
