So, I read the reviews, and would like to thank everyone for bearing with me!
Also I'm glad that my story has inspired the stories of other people! I've noticed there are now some stories with other creatures apart from humans and demons!

Its just, if there are demons, what about the creatures in the seas, the skies, caves etc~ ^_^

Also, apologies for the hiatus T^T.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Just the storyline and the OC.

Chapter 10

I STRUGGLED TO breathe evenly. I waited for what was going to come next, but what actually happened took everyone by surprise. There was a bloodcurdling scream, piercing the eerie silence of this night. Birds from a nearby tree took flight, the leaves rustled ominously as the branch they had rested on was disturbed.

Okita cursed under his breath and ordered the men to take me to a room and make sure that I didn't escape until he came back. When one of the men protested, he sent them a glare before telling them to stay with me.

The men then proceeded to drag me to a room before roughly pushing me inside, and shutting the door. Okita had already left to the location of the scream. I checked my surroundings, when I realised that the men were guarding the door to ensure that I did not escape.

It was a strange room, compared to what I had previously been used to. The mat on the ground was made out of dried grass, creating a simple pattern. The doors were paper screens, while small candles lit up the room, pushing back the shadows. I covered my mouth as I let out a few coughs, and when I removed my hand I saw more blood. The flickering candlelight's made the colour peculiar. From what had seen so far, all rooms in this time seemed to be created in the same fashion. As I continued to check my surroundings, I noticed that things were very symmetrical. The wall opposite to the door mimicked the same bulge of wood that…

Realisation struck me as I walked towards it hoping that it was what I thought it was. Another door.

This room had two doors, which was lucky for me. It seemed these men didn't know these headquarters that well. Perhaps they were new. I went to the other door, and eased it open as silently as I could. My lungs felt terrible and I coughed a few more times, before I suppressed it and slipped out the door.

I wanted to find a spot where I could take flight without being seen, so I wandered around a little searching for a secluded area. I heard distant shouts, and headed away from the sounds, until they were so faint, I could no longer make out what they were yelling.

I reached the corner of a building, and before I continued past it, I paused.

There were soft growls and light scuffles coming from the other side. The moon illuminated a figure and I could see their injured shadow making their way to the corner on the other side. They were slightly slouched, one arm holding onto another at the elbow. From that injured arm, I could see the shadowed extension of a sword dragging along the ground.

Immediately, I backed away from the corner, moving further into the shadows, where the light of the moon did not reach.

The shadow paused, and I saw the head move about as though it were an animal, sniffing out its prey.

I tensed, and instinct made my wings appear, ready to fly away to safety. However, the shadow abruptly backed off, and I could no longer hear it. The night was still too silent.

I let out my breath, not realising I was holding it, and my wings folded back into my skin.

Carefully, I inched around the corner and stepped into something warm. Blood. Glancing down, I saw that the floorboards were covered in it, eliciting its smell.

Trying to avoid the blood, I walked on the edge, creating small red footprints. Something warm and wet dripped down on me, but I ignored it for now. Pausing for a moment by the door to another room, where it seemed as though the injured person had leaned against, since there was a vertical line of blood. There was something strange about these tracks.

There was only one trail when I looked ahead, but when I turned around there were two trails, why would there be two trails then suddenly one?

Unless the person backtracked after realising they made two trails or …

I felt more warm drips. Slowly, with fear coursing through my, I reached back to wipe at whatever had dropped.

I pulled my hand away to see more blood covering my hand. No one ever looked up, did they? Not even the angels, who always used that saying to avoid the humans.

My eyes travelled up, and I saw something terribly wrong.

This was not a human, nor was it a demon. Its eyes were crazed, the mouth grinning in a grotesque way, while using its teeth to hold onto its sword. It had white hair like mine, but its eyes were a glowing, bright red. Blood was dripping from it, onto me and down the wall. It was crouched upside down above me, and in the split second that our eyes met, it lunged onto me shrieking and laughing, which somehow terrified me more than if it were to threaten me with words.

Its fingers, or claws ripped through my clothes and into my skin, along my stomach, and I screamed with it. I could not hear the shouts from Okita or his men, so I doubted if they would be able to hear me.

I struggled beneath its weight trying to push it off, but it bit into my neck, and my cries were cut off. I felt weak from the blood loss and using the last of my strength, I gave my all in the next shove.

The creature didn't even flinch. It was almost as strong as those demons. I went limp, and I felt nothing anymore. Suddenly, the creature above me stopped moving, its eyes no longer crazed. I heard it give off a moan that was either afraid or confused.

It looked up at me, and when our eyes met again, I saw the scared and muddled looks of a human's eyes staring back at me.

"W-where… am I?" He asked me.

I could barely let out a whisper, before I went unconscious, the scent of my own blood invading my senses as the last thing I remembered.

I was sitting on a smooth, flat piece of stone, heated by the spring sun, and watched the stream in front of me as it coursed wild down to the waterfall. The sweet warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla hit my senses. I knew he was there before he had even announced himself. Yuki.

"Mai~~!" He sang out my name.

"Hello." I greeted him coolly, trying to act as calm as I could.

"Watch what I learned today!" He boasted excitedly. I turned towards him as he used his gift to create… My mask of coolness faded, and was replaced into an unimpressed grimace.

"A… Snow bunny?" I deadpanned.

"No! Not JUST a snow bunny! A snow bunny..." He paused, for extra effect, "In Spring!"

"Oh that's pretty cool…" I tried to encourage him, before bursting out laughing. He laughed as well.

"You know Mai, you should always laugh more." Yuki sat next to me on the stone now, and held out the bunny to me. I accepted it, and waited for it to melt, but it didn't.

"Sooo, why are you out here brooding? You're acting all mysterious just like Shiro does… Oh god, you're thinking of him aren't you?! Am I not good enough for you Mai?" He pouted at me.

Of course, it was just like Yuki to jump to conclusions, but sometimes I could never tell when Yuki was joking or when he was serious. I placed the snow bunny down next to me, and hugged him. Yuki, confused hugged me back, confused at my affection towards him all of the sudden. He stopped joking around and started to talk to me seriously.

"It does feel suffocating I know…But what I had said all those nights ago, where I will create a sky for you to fly freely in, Mai… I mean it."

We stayed that way for a while longer before I moved back. The sun was just setting now, and I was always filled with amazement at seeing the colours that it could cast across the land.

After that day, whenever I returned to that stream, the Snow bunny was always there. Whether it was the same one that was given to me that day, or if Yuki always replaced it, I didn't know.

But, it was always there just as sure as the moon would always appear, and the promise he had made me that first night I tasted freedom.

One thing I know for sure is that Yuki was serious when he had made me that promise.

End