Archer75: I'm really sorry for the long wait. I will really try to finish this story as soon as I can. Please be patient. Thank you for waiting and enjoy your read
We keep on walking; I don't know where we are or where we're going. I don't want to think, it hurts my heart when I think. Funny it no longer beats but I can still feel the pain.
"I think it would be better if we pretend we don't know each other"
"Natsuki please"
"I've had enough! I was trying to live my life why do you always have to ruin it for me."
"No Natsuki, please lets-"
"What? Lets what? Talk? Talking will take us nowhere. The last time I tried I lost the only thing that was left from me. Now just stay out of my way." She left without waiting for any reply.
She can feel her body tremble from suppressed anger. She silently wished that those bastards who attacked them yesterday will come back so she could waste away her anger with them.
"Wait!" Someone shouted far ahead.
"I think we've arrived."
Ahh yes the mystery place. They've been travelling six long days just to find this place which according to little princess, holds the answer to her specie's problem.
Leader told her it's ok if she doesn't want to go, cause he's aware of her past and he knows she's not comfortable with Shizuru around.
"But noooo, I fucking said I could take it, that I'm tired of running away" she tried to imitate her tone when she said those words to their leader. "I should have fucking stayed at that cave and not have this confusing shit right now" she mumbled to herself sarcastically.
"You said something?" Takeda asked.
"Yes." She answered in a cold voice. "Fuck off."
The man was taken aback. Natsuki never said anything like that to him before. He's aware that his stepping his boundary sometimes but Natsuki never told her to fuck off before-well she didn't use the exact words really. He kept his distance just make sure he'll get out of it alive.
Shizuru's eyes followed Natsuki longingly. Their brief talk later bring back a lot of emotions she haven't felt for a long time, uncertainty, doubt, anger, frustration and insecurity. Wow she never knew she could feel all this emotions at the same time.
"I think we've arrived"
Her attention was diverted to the trees up ahead.
"So this is the place" Mai whispered.
"Yes. I've been here before, every pure blood who reaches maturity has to have a pilgrimage through here. Our elders told us that this place holds the answer to all our questions. I had no idea what they meant by that until today."
"Where to next miss?" asked the leader.
"Up ahead there's a hidden cave. I'll lead from here it won't be easy to find when you're new to the place."
It didn't take them long before they find the cave, the opening was covered with thick vines making it a little hard to find when you don't know where to look.
"This is a sacred place, not everyone is allowed inside. I need to go alone."
"But Pr-"
Shizuru raised her hand stopping Tate to speak further.
"I know this is a hard time but we must respect this scared ground. There is no other way in and out of this cave but here."
"Someone might be already inside waiting to cut your throat" says a cold voice.
She doesn't have to look up to know who it is "I will be fine." Without turning back she went inside alone.
Natsuki is not comfortable with the idea of Shizuru going in there alone, but she doesn't want to sound too concerned so she let it go.
The rest of the party prepared the camp near the cave. She felt Tate Stood Guard at the opening of the cave.
It's been awhile since Shizuru went inside and it's making Natsuki uneasy. So when she felt Tate left his spot for awhile she snick in.
When she reached the deeper part of the cave she realized she had no idea where to go. The route before her has three passages she felt the wind coming from three directions.
"Wind?"
" There is no other way in and out of this cave but here."
"You better have a good reason for lying Shizuru or else."
She doesn't know where to go so she did what she always does when hunting.
She knelt and put her hands on the floor of the cave, feeling any movement there is. She listened to any sound her sensitive ear can hear.
It took awhile but she finally got something. A foot step heading her way. She moved fast and hid behind a big rock. She thought it might be Shizuru but it's better to be safe than sorry.
The foot step is getting close.
"I thought I said I need to go in alone?"
Natsuki instinct kicked in and reach for her gun. If she still have a heart it would have beat faster that her bullets.
"There's no need for that Natsuki."
There is something in Shizuru's voice that she can't seem to detect, it sounded new to her.
"I-im sorry. It's been awhile since someone snacked on me like that." She put down her gun "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"*sigh* No. I-I"
Now she knew what it is, hopelessness. She never heard her sound like that before. Heck it's Shizuru. She always has a plan, a way around things. She never sound desperate or hopeless for Shizuru there is always a way out.
"We better go back outside" she said
"I don't know what made me come here but I really thought I was going to find something here." Shizuru said in a small voice.
"Find what?"
"Answers. Why is this happening? Who's behind all of this? I just, I-just *sigh*"
Natsuki fell silent, she became more confused. She knew she still hate this woman before her, but she can't help feeling a little sympathetic, just a little. "We'll find answers elsewhere. Right now let's go back." She wasn't thinking when she grabbed Shizuru's hand and walk back to the opening of the cave.
But it didn't escape Shizuru's senses.
"Her hand, she's holding my hands" squeals her mind. She let her guide her out of the cave. She no longer cares where they're going as long as Natsuki keeps holding her.
She's so happy, she wants to jump and scream, she wants to-"ow!"
"What happened?" Natsuki asked.
"I-I tripped" It's a good thing Natsuki is blind or she would have seen her face turned red like a beacon.
"Are you alright?"
She pulled herself together "Yes I-I" it was when she noticed where they were "I think were lost."
Natsuki's left eyebrow raised.
"She still looks so cute when she does that eyebrow thing" she said to herself again. She watched as Natsuki moved around and felt their surroundings "yep, she's still cute, her hair still looks like silk at the dark, her lips are still-still…Why do I keep on talking to myself anyway?"
"Shizuru-"
"Hmmm?"
"How did we get lost?"
"I know right." She said dreamily.
"Are you listening to me?" Natsuki is starting to get annoyed
"Huh?" Shizuru woke herself up from her fantasy land. "Yeah I-I'm sorry I was thinking."
"Good. Keep on thinking about the way out. You said there is only one way in and out of this cave."
"I know." She herself is a little puzzled "I've been here many times but I've never seen this place before. How did you manage to pull me through here?"
"I was just following the trail back. I felt wind coming from these parts and there's movement up ahead."
"Movement, you mean there's someone up ahead?"
"Yes, since were the only-" Natsuki grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to the walls of the cave.
"What is it?" She asked.
"If were lost and there's movement there it only means it not our crew."
Shizuru nod in agreement. "We better move quietly. I want to know what lies ahead."
Natsuki pulled her back before she could make another step "no we go back, I don't think we can handle an ambush and-" before she could finish she felt something."Shizuru what is it?" She moved closer to her side.
She saw something or someone moving towards them. "It's alright Natsuki, I believe I know who that is." She bows her head as a sign of respect to the person who is now standing before them.
"Come with me" the man said as he turned around from where he came.
They followed him. It didn't take long before Shizuru saw light . They ended up in a clearing surrounded by trees and flowers. The place looks magical.
Natsuki felt a lot of energy around this place, a lot of movement too. She whispered to Shizuru "We are not alone." She didn't get any answer from her. "Shizuru what is it?"
Amazement can't even describe what she's feeling right now. Her eyes went wide when she saw something behind the trees. Her eyes grew even wider (if it's even possible) when it caught something, hiding behind the flowers. "I-I can't believe it. I thought they were extinct?"
"What?" when she didn't hear an answer Natsuki nudge shizuru a little "What is it?"
"Behind those trees, there's I can't believe it but it's a unicorn. A unicorn Natsuki, and-and there's a pixie in those bushes. I know they existed but they were supposed to be gone for over a thousand years."
Natsuki fell silent. Wow Creatures that were supposed to be extinct. She can tell how in awe Shizuru is, if only…if only she can see them too.
"It's amazing if only-" she didn't manage to finish her statement when she turned and saw Natsuki's grim face. "Natsuki I-" she can't find the right words to say.
"I have been waiting for a long time. How long has it been princess? Two hundred years." Said the small man. His hair and mustache are already gray but you can still see a strong energy surrounding him.
"Yes. It has been awhile elder. I have been here a couple of times before but I didn't know about this place." She turned her gaze to the man before her but her mind still sees Natsuki's forlorn face.
"It is because you were not ready to find it yet. Not alone." His eyes turned to Natsuki.
Her eyes went back to the person behind her with a questioning look "what do you mean?"
"This place only reveals itself to those who need to find it or when someone is ready and worthy to find it. This place has been here since the beginning of time. This became a refuge for those creatures that needed sanctuary. No one can harm them here, it's as if this place was made for them, but this place also holds answers that you've been seeking, but working through it will be up to you."
"The thing that has been hunting my kind, what is it?" She asked in a stern voice.
The elder signaled them to follow. They end up in front of a cliff, its rocky walls is adorned with drawing of some kind. It's like telling a story.
"I have been guarding this place even before your kind came. I have marked all the important details of history. The creation, the change of time." He points to the pictures before them "and here, this is when your kind arrived in this planet."
Shizuru was shocked "Arrived? You mean my kind is not really from here?"
The elder smiled "Of course not. Didn't you even wonder why your kind is different from the usual creatures living in this planet?"
"Well no. There are a lot of magical creature existing in this planet so I found no reason to question my existence." She defended.
"Well now you know" he sounded amused.
Natsuki just kept quiet and absorb every detail in. She herself finds it hard to believe these new revelations.
"When your kind arrived thousands of years ago aboard a vessel I have never seen before, I thought they were just dropping by, trying to look at things and then just leave, just like some of those ship things I have seen before."
"There are others?" Shizuru can't believe all of this.
"Yes, anyway. Your kind stayed. Before your kind though there is already a raise from another world made this planet their home. The humans."
"Humans are aliens too?!" another shocking revelation.
This made Natsuki focus even more but she still didn't utter a single word.
"Yes and if you kept interrupting me I won't be able to finish my story." He finds the princess's reactions amusing.
"Forgive me please continue."
"As I was saying the magical creatures that you saw were the ones who belong in this planet, this world was made for them, but they don't have the strength to fight back to those who came to their world, they find themselves hidden in here kept safe from the creature who took their world. Human raise has been here before your kind came. Human has this ability to spawn faster compared to your kind making their population larger than yours. Of course you can't hear your kind complain the more humans the more for food for your kind."
Natsuki cleared her throat.
The elder turned to Natsuki and smiled "I'm sorry. They find the time in this planet slower than from which they came from. Your kind divided the lands into 7 territories. Your kind is too territorial; anyone who crosses their territory is considered a threat. "
"How come you know so many things about us?"
"I have been watching. One of your kind was chosen to be here. He found this place and learned a lot of things from it. That is when he realized how to value life, even that of a human. This man, this vampire as you call your selves is your grandfather princess."
Shizuru fell silent.
"It still doesn't give us any answer as to why the pure bloods are being murdered." Natsuki said out lout for the first time since they arrived.
"It wasn't easy for the princess's grandfather to make his people accept his new ways. Those were the darkest times for humans. They were just food for the vampire and nothing more. Your grandfather showed then another way of increasing your number and the humans were the key though when they change they lack the gift that a pure blood have, it gave them security."
"And free slaves" Natsuki added.
"Yes." The elder answered regretfully.
"But who is doing all of this? Why do they drain the blood of a pure blood?" Shizuru asked.
"Not just an ordinary blood princess. They were looking a special one, a blood that holds greater power than all others. When an ordinary vampire consumes a blood of the one is pure they can acquire their gifts but only for a moment. This special blood however can give them these gifts permanently. Your grandfather was not the only one who was chosen that day when he found this place it was all who belongs to his blood line."
This made Natsuki jerk. "What about those other pure bloods why were they killed if they knew whose blood they were looking for?"
"They don't. This history of your family princess was hidden by your grandfather because of this very reason, even from your father. That is why they were killing those pure bloods to find the one they were looking for. Your blood Shizuru is the one they want. How they manage to learn about I don't know."
This time Shizuru felt fear. Her blood. All along they were looking for her "But what about my father?"
"Even if they manage to take his blood, it doesn't hold the same strength as yours. You have your grandfathers blood in you princess." He explained.
"How-how can I get through this?" her mind is in rumble she can't think clearly, all this information is hard for her take in.
"There is no way for you to change who you are princess, but you were not meant to go through this alone." He looked at Natsuki "you were not meant to find this place alone."
Shizuru's eyes turned to Natsuki.
"You were meant to be with her."
Natsuki stepped back "Now that is something I don't want to go through all over again."
Archer75: Tell me what you think. :)