A/N: here comes chapter 8. I apologise in advance for the lack of ShizNat, but I'm toiling away her rubbing my hands raw, turning the big wooden handle on the plot cogs. Things need to be done, people need to be revealed- hearts need to break. Ara, forget I said that!

NOTE: I'm sorry I accidentally uploaded a chap of my other fic instead of this. Please feel free to flame the author's silly mistake!

Diclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME, Sunrise does. If I did, the main genre would be Yuri.

Chapter 8- Fate has a funny way of introducing antagonists just as the romance gets to a climax.

Crunch.

The sound of boots on the scattered November leaves seemed to be a premonition of what was to come. The moon was one day premature; when it was full, the creatures of the night would be at their full power. This was when he intended to strike.

He was a big man, his jet-black tousles of hair cresting the 8 feet mark. His well toned muscles rippled under toughened and peeling skin. They called this man Kobushi, and the title of 'Fist' suited him well. He was a known serial killer and criminal.

Or rather, he used to be.

In his dank and dim cell, Kobushi had woken up on the day he was to be hanged a changed man. He remembered very little of what had transpired the night previously, all he could recall was a thick southern accent and a searing pain in his neck. On impulse, he had punched the wall that morning to find that he could break solid stone. Sensing freedom, he had jumped out and onto the rocky road below.

And into the scorching sunlight.

Ever since realising that he was a vampire, Kobushi had made quite the name for himself in the underworld. Such a name, in fact, that when the commoner party had won the civil war, he was elected as the new king of vampires. He had sat idle on the Throne of the Night for too long; and now it was time for him to put those infamous fists into practice once again.

Thus, at around the time when Shizuru was first observing Natsuki training in the Dojo in out very first chapter, Kobushi and 4 of his strongest, most muscled and stupidest vampire thugs has set out with only one goal; to find any living relative of the woman who had turned him. The only things Kobushi knew were that she definitely was, or had been, a woman. He remembered vaguely burgundy eyes and light-brown tresses, but unlike Shizuru, he didn't have a near-photographic memory; thus his leads on finding her were indeed slim.

But in her passionate love for Natsuki, Shizuru had been a wee bit sloppy in covering her tracks. Kobushi had reeled at the familiar, distinguished smell when he had chanced upon the place where Shizuru had done an al-fresco behind a cactus in the desert-like western wastelands. He had tracked her a few days behind; not getting too close but staying close enough so not as to let the trail go cold.

He lusted for this woman.

He also wanted to kill her. But then again, she was probably already dead.

On the same night as Hazumu and Yasuna had taken a little ride on the overnight train (so to speak), Kobushi and co. had arrived and were encamped upon a small hill about half a kilometre away from Shizuru's partially destroyed mansion.

Shizuru and Natsuki had descended back into the underground mansion, and Shizuru was brewing Tea. To 'Warm Natsuki up on this cold night' she had said.

I should resent this girl- she took away my humanity. Yet… why can't I turn away once I stare into those ruby eyes?

Natsuki also wondered how on earth vampires could drink tea. However, before she could ponder the thought, Shizuru entered with two steaming cups. She set one down in front of Natsuki and the other in the empty place beside her; which she promptly took.

"I soak the tea leaves in blood so that I can drink it," Shizuru said quietly after a sip, sensing Natsuki's confusion.

"I refuse." The younger girl stated bluntly, pushing the cup away from her and looking the opposite way to Shizuru.

"Ara… well don't come running to me when we're in the middle of something and you get thirsty…" the tea-sipping elder girl sighed, then added, "In fact, do come running to me if that happens…"

Natsuki stopped for a moment to consider what Shizuru was implying. Then again, she stopped abruptly as she though she'd rather not. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence; punctuated at regular intervals by the older vampire sipping her tea.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Snap.

In the ruins of Shizuru's former mansion, 5 pairs of big, black boots crumpled the multicoloured leaves and snapped the debris of braches from some long-withered tree.

Like some kind of overgrown bloodhound, Kobushi sniffed the air hungrily, breathing In the concentrated scent that the one he had been stalking gave off; it smelled like Tea, blood and flowers.

Shizuru's sensitive ears prickled as she heard some noises from upstairs. She looked at the time. It was two a.m.

"uck! What's that smell!?" gagged Natsuki, holding her hand to her nose in an attempt to stifle it. Indeed, from above wafted the smell of someone who hasn't washed for… at least a decade? Shizuru shot up and grabbed Natsuki's free hand, speeding down the corridor, past the ante-chamber to pick up the cobalt-haired girl's pack and sword, then further along the corridor to the right; passing the bedroom, bathroom and toy room. They arrived at what looked like-

"A slide?" asked Natsuki skeptically, unimpressed, but Shizuru wasted no time in scooping Natsuki up, bridal fashion, and jumping down the chute into the darkness.

"Shhhiiiiiizzzuuuurruuuuuu!!!! Whheeerrree aarreee weeeee ggooiinggggg!!!???" Natsuki cried as the sped down the long, snaking tube in utter darkness.

Shizuru couldn't really reply to said yell, as Natsuki's breasts were conveniently rammed against her mouth, and she trying reeeeeaaalllyyy hard not to nosebleed; she also had to be extremely careful not to accidentally bite Natsuki, though she would have loved to in a different situation.

After a minute or two, the tunnel began to grow lighter, and then abruptly, the tunnel opened into the air.

I mean, like, literally into the air.

"Natsuki! Parachute!" yelled Shizuru, throwing a concealed bed sheet from the pack to the rapidly descending Natsuki. Grabbing onto the tips of the found corners, the whole thing gave a woomp and Natsuki gently floated down and onto the grass.

Imagine the drop there just was; the best way I can describe it is what happens if you decide to jump off the top of Teldrassil in the Night Elf starter land in World of Warcraft. (Ex-level 70 Night Elf druid who's done it many times speaking)

The cerulean-haired girl was just about to look up to see where Shizuru was when she gained a rather provocative view from the underside of said girl's nightdress. When Shizuru innocently landed her unclothed rear right on top of Natsuki's face, it was the younger girl's turn to nosebleed. Badly.

Please wait a minute: we are attempting to stop Natsuki from dying of blood loss.

"Shit. She's gone." Grunted one of Kobushi's cronies, slamming his fist into the table that the two girls had ate at just a few minutes before; the tea was still steaming. Giving all four of his subordinates a string of curses, the fist of darkness turned around and squinted at where he could make out the faint imprints of hurried footsteps along the corridor.

Kobushi may have been known for his brute force, but he was also a conniving and devious man. After having coordinated so many murders, you picked up a few tricks.

"They escaped along here…" he murmured to nobody in particular, and continued to track the footprints in the dust in an easterly direction; seeing him going, the four others followed.

"Stopped here for a second to grab bags…"

"Past here…"

"And into this chute." He finished, standing back up to his full height (but was stopped by the low ceiling).

"But boss, nun ov us cud fit in dere!" Kobushi turned and aimed a dangerous glance at the offending thug, causing silence.

"It heads east; let's just follow the terrain until we come to were they'll have exited." The taller man stated finally, pushing through his minions and climbing back out of hole he had made in the roof (because the lift was too small). With the sunlight that would soon be streaming in through the hole, the underground retreat was now useless; it would fall prey to bandits or plunderers easily.

Meanwhile, Shizuru and Natsuki were re-enacting the London marathon, keeping a loping jog up in an attempt to put as much distance between them and the opposing party as possible.

"Shizuru! Who was it back then?" Natsuki asked, innerly thanking Shizuru for her new endurance, though she knew she could not keep this up every day for any length of time.

"I recognized that stench," Shizuru huffed as Natsuki's heavy pack burdened her shoulders, "He is the king."

"The king!? Like the king of vampires you talked about!?" Natsuki cried, her eyes widening in surprise. Shizuru nodded vigorously, and so she continued, "Why would he be after us?"

"Natsuki, your guess is as good as mine…"

There you go! Chapter… 8 is it now? Yup. There actually ended up being a lot more ShizNat than I foresaw, but my hand ran away with me and that scene popped out of nowhere.

I couldn't update last night 'coz the battery ran out on me. I did manage to save TBD onto my thumb drive though, so hope was note lost. Stupid laptop, you can't use it at the same time as it's charging. This is why I hate Microsoft.

Omake:

Thug 1: Shit! She's gone!

Thug 2: but this tea is simply divine!

Thug 1: lemme try sum!

Kobushi: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!

Thugs: whimper

Kobushi: give me that Tea! I must drink first!

Emiri