Mingmei : chapter 9

By Shadowkeyu

The dim lamp light allowed her to see only the bulky shadow of a tall man as he entered her cell. His long, sure strides quickly brought him inside the room where he stopped in a powerful stance, legs wide spread, in front of the bed. He was using every muscle to its best advantage, allowing his height and mass to intimidate her. She admitted it worked to a degree causing sweat to appear on her palms. Mingmei's anger saved her from the fear, it took hold, shining from the depths of her soul and mingling with the pain suppressed from the past. Contempt worked itself into her gaze as she scanned the enemy.
Lethal arms crossed his broad chest, the muscle visible from under the white silk of his shirt. Rich, black fabric trimmed in radiant blue made up a large tunic, belted in dark leather and gold at his slim waist, and hanging to his powerful thighs. Slowly she rasied her eyes to his face. Perfection shone at her, from the high cheekbones, sloped nose, sharp chin and slanted eyes. Eyes that glowed radiant amber and shook something within her with their sharp, penetrating glare. As glorious as the eyes were they dimmed in comparison to the flaming sheen of hair that wildly consumed his head. For a moment she was lost within its fiery embrace before her hardened mind pulled her back into safety.
Deep down within her most feminine part she accepted his male appeal. Every fiber of that emotion reached out, trying to control her actions. Her brain, taught mercilessly not to feel, could not accept it and hence blaming all unknown emotions caused by this man to be formed into more seething anger and hate. This went beyond the simple hatred caused by imprisonment. No! He had become the very essence of evil and every wrongdoer in her life.

The old door creaked open, its wood scraping against the stone, on hinges gone to rust from seldom use. The lamp behind him allowed barely enough light to make out the person on the bed. Of the shadowed figure he could describe nothing, for all was hidden under a large, formless, black cloak, which covered from neck to feet. Genrou moved forward to stand in front of the girl giving Kouji room to slide in and join him. He shut the door with another creak and turned towards the two opponents eyeing each other. Then moved silently to stand beside his friend.

Kouji was glad Genrou had entered first, it gave him ample time to study the captive without being observed in return. She was in a word; heavenly, and he saw immediately why Genrou had kept the key. Upon seeing this beauty, the men would come charging down the hallways to reach her and would claim rights. A sudden vision of her chained to a bed brought a shiver of disgust which turned into a frightening fear as Hua's young face replaced the girls. He shook himself; it would do no good for him to show weakness now. Coming out of his sudden daze and once more focusing upon her, Kouji examined the strange creature who dared take what was his.

Long, straight, rusted- brown hair hung from it's high tie, flowing down her back in a fan which ended beyond his view. Thick bangs hung down the sides of her oval face, framing it in glorious silk. Slanted eyes and thick eyelashes shaded and enhanced deep wells of dark jade, which held intense scrutiny over Genrou. Her nose sloped gracefully coming to a sharp point at its tip before sloping in once again. Then his gaze came to rest on full, rosy lips of the most enticing size. Lips that begged to be put to good use. Taking it all in formed a goddess worthy of even Suzaku. He stood, awed by the perfection so close within his reach. Cursing his sex drive and feeling guilt that he could think such things about someone other than Hua, he quickly finished his appraisal.

The spell could have gone on forever if it had not been broken by the girl herself. For all her outside beauty he saw the utter hatred seething from her. Her gaze was a strange mixture of burning anger and chilling contempt as she looked his friend up and down. Kouji could have sworn she was looking for just the right angles to work in the most pain with a blade. To think that this creature had touched Hua caused a burning in his throat and eyes. He replaced the fear for her with an anger to rival even the creature's before him, and yet it paled as new tortured thoughts entered . What kind of people would this girl work for? Who could use such an animal? And these were the very people who now held his dear flower. Someone is going to pay for this.

He did not mistake the movement of her hands. The right raised slightly in ready position where a sword would be drawn over the shoulder. The left curled inward for a wrist knife. The movements were so subconscious that he doubted she even realized the weapons where not there. How long must she have been living in this state and why? The girl turned her gaze to him running it from feet to head. Slowly she came to look upon his face and he involuntarily sucked in his breath waiting for her approval, even as he new it would never come, what a clever temptress she was. The girl's eyes narrowed even more as they came to rest on his scar and he stiffened slightly in defense. He was proud of his battle mark and if she so much as dared to comment, he knew he would explode.

Slowly, as if in a daze, her arm raised more and gently stroked the right side of her neck. His curiosity caught, he focused on the spot. Her long, graceful fingers moved away to reveal a hideous section of raised skin. A scar, so large in it's proportions he could not recognize it at first, covered nearly the whole area. He could not imagine what it was from, who could sustain such an injury? Then a flash of pain shot across her eyes, turning them violet for the briefest of moments, before they where steeled and turned once again into the deep green of before. The vulnerability he sensed in that one flash gave him the resolve that he would find Hua. She can be broken and I will do it if it's the last thing I accomplish!