Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews that I got for the last chapter. I really enjoy reading them all. I'm currently camping this weekend, and yes I did bring my lap top…I only rough it so much…so I figured it's a beautiful day, why not sit at the picnic table, listen to music, and update for my dear readers.
Very short, but it ties in a lot of loose ends…and if you are confused by the ending please re-read chapter 9…
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Chapter 21: The Enchanting Songstress
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Kiyoshi appeared to be easily excitable as he quickly led Mayura through the vast hallway of the establishment. She barely had time to memorize any of her surroundings, however, the endless amount of dolls whirling in and out of her vision were making her grow uneasy.
'…Loki-kun…'
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Loki quietly pushed the book case aside to reveal a hidden door. The moment his hand hit the knob, his eyes widened as a pulsation coursed through his body. Holding out his right arm he summoned Levaetin into his hand. Upon feeling the staff appear in his right hand and his fingers curl tightly around its center he pushed open the door.
The small light emitting from the hallway poured into the room, his eyes cautiously flashed red before walking inside of the area hidden from view. He could make out a table in the center of the room, his eyes scanning the table, to reveal a red ribbon, a note book, among other scattered objects.
Loki's eyes lingered on the ribbon that was intricately attached to a gold hair clip; it gave off an aura of familiarity…
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Loki couldn't help but smile as she stood before him standing in the moonlight staring upwards toward the night sky.
"Kirei…" she whispered at the breathtaking sight above her, a smile gracing her features.
"Mayura…"
His voice called her out of her thoughts as she turned her attention to him and blushed when she saw herself mirrored in his emerald eyes.
"Hai, Loki-kun?" she questioned, a gasp escaping her lips and her crimson orbs widening as she felt his arms encircle her.
"Don't say anything…" he murmured, holding her in his embrace, his hand resting on the back of her head, noticing the gold hair clip in place when she turned her head and rested the side of her face on his shoulder and held him.
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Loki's eyes widened, the clip dropping from his hand, the noise that it made from the impact went unheard as he took in the walls of the space to reveal black and white photos of his captivating mortal. He stood in awe, his eyes scanning each of the photos ranging from when she left her home, to greeting Yamino at the door of the Enjaku Detective Agency, to walking home from school with her book bag in hand, her interactions with Tsubasa, Narugami, Freyr, and lastly himself…
His breath caught in his lungs as Mayura's scream resounded throughout the corridor.
'Mayura!'
His thoughts were of her and his heart was in his throat, as he took off running through the vast hallway, when had he lost sight of her? How long had he wasted in the room? He finally realized what she meant to him and for the first time in his immortal existence…
'I'm in love with Mayura…'
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10 Minutes Earlier…
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Mayura was pushed into a dimly lit room, eerie shadows cast by kerosene lamps hanging on the walls.
"Kiyoshi?" she questioned, nervously standing in front of him, her eyes adjusting to the poor lighting as the contents of the room appeared, in the corner she could make out a darkened corner that appeared to hold something of great importance to him, her eyes following his figure as he walked past her.
"Come Mayura, here is the doll I spoke of…" informed Kiyoshi, his blue eyes ghostly in the lighting as she hesitantly followed.
Mayura's eyes nervously scanned the room; there were tables with opened books and scrolls left haphazardly.
"Wait here," stated Kiyoshi, turning to find a candle holder and a match.
She waited as told, noticing the way her skin felt cold all of a sudden, and slowly glancing back toward the door wondering where Loki could be. Her gaze returned to Kiyoshi's form as he brought the candle before her, a smile on his face as the light from the candle revealed his most prized possession to her.
Her eyes widened as a porcelain face with crimson eyes was slowly revealed to her, the pink hair neatly half pinned back by a gold hair clip, wearing a long sleeved pink peasant styled dress with black lacings and tall black tied boots.
Mayura searched his face and was only met with a smile in return as she hesitantly took a step back from the likeness before her.
"It's me…" she whispered in disbelief.
"Beautiful isn't she?" he questioned, his delight dancing in his blue orbs, "I made her in your image, Mayura."
She watched as he quickly walked to the opposite corner of the room, searching for something.
"Wh-why is it me?" she nervously asked, watching as he turned, that smile never leaving an eccentric air washing over him.
"Why wouldn't it be you?" he questioned with a chuckle, "It has to be you, of course, no one else can give off such beauty, many have tried, but now I have finally found you, my living work of art."
Mayura shook her head in confusion, "I don't understand, Kiyoshi, I—
She gasped as his hands took hold of hers, his eyes reflecting his insanity, "Your soul, Mayura, I need it to make her complete," laughed the doll maker, "I shall name her my enchanting songstress and I shall never tire of her beauty…"
Mayura's blood ran cold as she began to struggle to free her hands from his grasp, "What? What are you talking about?"
His face contorted into a crazed expression, his hold tightening, "I can't have you go and ruin it, why must you be like all of the others?"
Her eyes watched his and she could feel her body trembling even before she knew the answer to her question, "…The others?"
He shook his head and chuckled, "Why all of my girls of course!" he exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, "They want you to join us and become part of our family. I can't have you leave me now, Mayura, not when I've come so far."
The doll maker pulled her to the miniature reproduction as a series of candles lit one after another, "Soon, soon, my collection will have a new addition…"
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'Kuso, the hallway splits off, who knew that such a vast area, could be below the establishment? Which way is Mayura?'
His keen eyes searched in both directions, his eyes flashing as Mayura's scream echoed from the tunnel leading to his right.
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The flames danced in her eyes as Mayura struggled against Kiyoshi's grasp; he forcefully pushed her into a chair, knocking the wind out of her as her backside slammed against the back of the chair.
"Don't be so impatient!" he cackled, his blue eyes darting due to his excitement, "With this you will become my most precious piece…" informed the eccentric teen, placing a silver necklace with a sealing symbol on it around her neck, holding her arms in place on the arms of the chair.
'My body feels heavy …'
Her crimson orbs watched as the doll maker rushed around the room intent on finding the correct scroll, his insanity more apparent then before, as she struggled to make her body move against the bindings that had been placed on her arms.
'Loki-kun…Loki-kun…please hurry…'
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Loki turned the corner to be met with another dead end. The entire establishment appeared to be a labyrinth of sorts, and he was silently cursing himself for his stupidity of not dealing with Kiyoshi sooner. The area was filling up with an evil aura, drowning out the one aura that he wished to find.
He quickly turned and continued running it had been a while since he had first heard her scream and the winding paths were of no help in finding the direction where his mortal girl friend was being held captive.
Loki tried tapping into his kami abilities and closed his eyes as he ran; trying to see more than the hallways endless walls and pinpoint her direction.
'Loki-kun…please hurry…'
His eyelids shot open at the pulsation that coursed through his body, 'Mayura!' and quickly headed left, the tunnel poorly lit with kerosene lamps and the stifling aura getting stronger.
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Mayura struggled against the bindings with all her might and started to rock the chair back and forth as she watched Kiyoshi's insanity let loose in the small room. He was now talking to himself and laughing about being so stupid as to misplace such an important scroll.
The chair began to rock more rapidly as she pushed her weight more onto each side, without warning the chair toppled onto its right side causing the right arm to snap in the process as one of the floor candles fell and rolled on its side to the corner of the room. Her eyes widened as she went to work to quickly free her arm and try to move onto the next while Kiyoshi continued to talk to himself, she fully took in her surroundings…
Now being the mystery buff that she was, she was fairly certain that this necklace had to go, and as she removed it from around her neck, she took a glance at her miniature version and shivered, that's when she smelt smoke and realized that the tapestry in the corner had caught fire due to the fallen candle and began working faster on freeing her left arm.
"Aa, here is it!" exclaimed the gleeful artist, holding the proper scroll in hand.
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The smell of smoke invaded his senses as he continued down the hallway, never in his immortal existence had he been truly afraid of anything. Nor had he ever experienced love instead of lust and now he had finally obtained it and it was about to all go up in smoke.
He could hear the flames crackling as he drew closer, the light illuminating the hallway further down. Through the cracking and creaking of wood, he could make out her voice, a crash—her backside slamming against the wall, a strained yet, desperate plea for him to stop and see that they needed to get out, the laughter of a madman as he explained that they had all they needed and once she became part of his collection they would never part, another slam, and her coughs following.
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"Kiyoshi…" she murmured, the smoke causing her to cough as she staggered backwards, bringing her hand to her face to cover her mouth and nose from the smoke, "We have to leave…"
"No, don't you see?" he replied, laughing as he motioned to the doll in the corner, "I made her for you, so you and I will never part. Isn't it wonderful? We'll be happy here you and me and my dolls!"
Mayura watched as Kiyoshi began to cough from the smoke that had entered his lungs, she made an attempt to reach out to him, to make him see, when a kerosene lamp caught fire, forcing her back toward the wall nearest the door.
All at once, Kiyoshi appeared to realize what had happened as a wall of fire now coursed between them.
"Kiyoshi, come on!" exclaimed Mayura, "We can find a way out!"
The doll maker turned toward his beloved piece of art, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you…" he spoke to her image, turning his back to the real Mayura.
The room was quickly engulfed in flames, as she turned and fled through the door, doubling over when she appeared in the hallway from the smoke filling the enclosed area.
'…Mou…this is bad…can't breath…which way to the exit?'
Her ears picked up on a sound amongst the crackling of the flames…
"Mayura?!"
"Loki…" she replied, coughing and trying to peer through the smoke, "Loki-kun, where are you?!"
"Follow my voice Mayura!"
Mayura promptly changed directions, yet noticed that everything to her right was already enflamed, in between coughs she called out to him, "Loki-kun, the fire has already spread in that direction…I'm going to have to find another route…"
"Mayura!" replied Loki, standing on the opposite side of the blaze that separated them, he could hear her coughing increasing, "Trust me, you can come this way!"
She hesitated before shaking her head in the negative, "I can't, there's no way through…"
His voice stopped her from retreating, "Mayu, trust me…I won't let anything happen to you…you can make it through this way."
Slowly she turned around, "…Loki-kun, I…"
"I'll be there waiting for you on the other side, I promise."
She closed her eyes and whispered, "I trust you…" as she took the first steps into the blaze that would connect her to him and continued onward.
To her surprise the flames were close yet it was as if none dared to come in contact with her skin, at the end of the pathway, in amongst the smoke she could make out a tall figure slowly walking toward her.
The fire bender's eyes softened as he walked to meet her, watching as her crimson orbs locked with his, the space between them growing smaller while flames rose up around them.
The kami and the mortal stopped with about six feet between them, an unknown air from the fire causing it to rise higher around them, causing their clothes to rustle, while her long hair blew freely behind her.
"Loki-kun…" she whispered, breathlessly, her eyes not leaving his, although not daring to close the gap between them, the entire sight too unreal for any mortal to behold.
His eyes softened as he held out his hand to her, "Mayu…" he watched as she took a step forward and placed her palm in his own, before his fingers enclosed her hand and he pulled her close, the flames rising up as he rested his chin on top of her head, "you're alright."
Mayura closed her eyes for a moment, her head tucked safely under his chin, her hands resting on the front of his jacket, feeling his fingers brush her pink tresses, as the fire continued to consume the establishment.
"Loki-kun," she began, her fingers grasping the front of his coat, "I was afraid—
"Mayu," he interrupted her, lifting his chin from the top of her head as she looked up into his eyes, bringing his hand to her cheek, "I would never let anything happen to you."
Mayura watched his emerald eyes bore into hers, her eyes softening in the process, "Kiyoshi, he made a doll that looked just like me," she began, "he was going to perform some sort of ritual or something," she explained, averting her eyes, as her fingers tightened around the fabric of his jacket, "a fire broke out after I toppled over in the chair I was tied to…"
Her gaze returned to meet his, as a gasp escaped from her lips, "Kiyoshi," she blurted out, realization dawning on her, "he stayed with the doll, the entire room was on fire," she turned her head to look back but felt his hand under her chin forcing her to look at him.
"Mayura, there's nothing that can be done for him," informed the fire bender, holding her chin in his hand.
"But—
His index finger to her lips silenced her objection, "Mayu…I'm not very good with words," he stated, tilting his head down, his nose brushing against her own and noticing the faint blush etched across her cheeks, "not when it comes to these sort of things…I thought that I had lost you tonight," explained the kami, "I never realized what you meant to me before now."
"Loki-kun?" she whispered, her breath getting caught in her lungs, as she felt his left arm tighten around her waist, her hands resting on his chest, with her fingers still grasping the fabric of his jacket.
"Shh," he whispered, watching her eyelids flutter shut and feeling her body relax in his embrace, as his lips captured her own.
The flames around them surged and he briefly felt her apprehension before caressing her cheek, "I would never let anything happen to you Mayura," he breathlessly informed, feeling her hand on the side of his face as she responded to his kiss, and heard her whisper, "Hai, I know…Loki-kun is like my guardian angel…"
The kami of mischief couldn't help but smirk into their kiss, feeling an amazing sensation coursing through his body, "I've never been called an angel before," he informed, opening his eyes and watching her slowly mimic his actions before shooting up on the balls of her feet and wrap her arms tightly around his neck.
"Loki-kun," whispered the mortal girl, "Loki-kun is one of my most precious people. I don't care if he's a kami or what form he takes, because to me…." She could feel her heart beating rapidly, "Loki-kun is someone I love."
The kami's heart was beating at an equally fast pace, for once he found himself responding to a woman's heartfelt declaration of her love for him and tilted his head to the side so his cheek brushed up against hers.
"Mayu," he whispered, savoring the closeness as he closed his eyes, "I—
"Hai, I know," she murmured, turning her head, her lips brushing up against his cheek, feeling his free hand comb through her hair.
The entire establishment around them falling to ruin while the desire of one fire kami to protect a mere mortal girl was the only thing protecting either; Mayura's eyes widened as she felt Loki's arms shift before placing one arm under her knees while the other wrapped around her back.
She watched him with crimson orbs reflecting the amazing glow from the dancing flames around them as he gently lifted her off the ground, her arms wrapping securely around his neck.
"Loki-kun…"
"You don't need to say anything Mayu," he whispered, watching her bury the side of her face in his neck, her warm breath trickling down his neck while she sighed in content.
"…Arigato, Loki-kun…" she mumbled, closing her eyes and feeling him tilt his head to see her face, "aishite imasu…"
Mayura smiled, feeling Loki's lips on her forehead, before whispering in her ear, "Kimi wa tottemo taisetsu na hito nan da, Mayura."
As he turned carrying her safely in his arms, the flames obediently moved away from the kami and his mortal love, creating a safe path to the outside world, the thoughts of the insane doll maker and his collection in the back of the kami's mind.
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As the establishment went up in a blaze of flames, lighting the entire area of the city fire fighters worked quickly to contain it. Sirens could be heard echoing throughout Main Street and many onlookers had arrived, the cause of the fire still unknown; however, as the whispers from the crowd carried on the night breeze, so did the thoughts of one silver haired figure with mismatched eyes.
"What a pity, I had such high hopes for the mortal…I gave him the opportunity to add such a treasure to his collection and he couldn't be trusted to obtain it," turning he made his way through the crowd before stopping to look in a small pool of water on the ground, the image of a mortal girl with striking pink hair being carried down a side street by a fire kami transpired, "Perhaps I really will need to pay Daidouji Mayura another visit," with that the silver cat with piercing mismatched eyes rounded the corner, "After all, this form did work before."
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That's it for now! Short and probably really choppy but it's progress! Please run and review!
aishite imasu – female way of saying 'I love you'
Kimi wa tottemo taisetsu na hito nan da, Mayura—roughly translated means 'You have become/are very precious to me, Mayura.