CHAPTER 45

"Here… just a little longer… Wait for me…"

Muttering to herself, Nao hiked up the steep hill, red web tying Numen's hilt to her grasp. Her wrist was bleeding from the tight bind, but she could hardly feel anything now. Her steps were shaky, her breathing ragged from sheer exhaustion. Nights had gone on without any food or water. The only source of power that kept her going was the sole determination to find her mother. She had no intention to leave empty-handed. Returning to the other world just to let her master take her prize was out of question.

Being sold into child prostitution when she was barely eight, Nao lived in the darkest corner of society most people failed to notice. When Mr. Kuga bought her out of hell, she cherished the new life that had been given to her and swore her allegiance to him. However, wisdom came with a high price. Freedom was only a beautifully painted word nobody knew how to decipher it, luring and damning even the wisest of men. Freed from the whorehouse, Nao realized years later that she was trapped yet again in another form of slavery, with no way out this time but death.

The bond of Ira could not be broken, that much Nao knew. Mr. Kuga merely promised to release her from 'duty' in return of a holy sword. Knowing him well, her master would definitely kill her as soon as he had Numen, not to mention the fact that she gained the sword by letting his only child die in the frozen lake. This was a game she did not know how to win, but was forced to go along because she was just another exposable pawn.

Snarling, Nao lifted Numen and ripped it at the trees, the snowy ground, and the sharp, cold air. Alya was as angry as every soul was allowed to be. There was nowhere to go—no one by her side. The curse of the damned Princess lived on through those of withering souls, plunging together deeper into misery.

Swayed by the mysteriously heavy mass of the sword, Nao slumped onto the ground, panting. Her lithe body slowly curled up into a ball, tears trickling down her numbed cheeks as she hugged Numen close as though it was the only friend she ever had.

"Mother… I'm here…" Her whisper echoed faintly into the air, and eventually disappeared into the vast forest of despair.

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The pain on her left arm eventually pulled Mai out of her slumbering state. She found herself lying on her back, staring aimlessly at the dark skies through the cell's roof.

"Ah… Damn it…" Sitting up, Mai grumbled, clutching the wound.

"Hello, there…"

Upon hearing the voice, Mai only noticed another presence around her. Turning, she squinted at a few other prisoners gathering at the other corner of the cell.

They look humans… Mai observed her jail mates. Two women were about thirty years old, while another three men could have been slightly older. Their eyes looked young, but dull from years of weary. They all watched Mai as though pitying her for sharing the same fate with them. Mai had to wonder in dread how long these people had been incarcerated in this lost land.

As the thought of Mikoto entered her mind, Mai spun around, looking for a sign of her friend. At the bottom of a hill, they were imprisoned in an open-air chamber, which could hold the minimum of thirty prisoners. The forest behind them bore no leaf. The soil was absolutely black and felt lukewarm in contrast to the chilling air.

About ten feet to the back of Mai's cell, a form of half beast, half human was lying alone in another chamber. Mai instantly crawled towards the bars, reaching her hand out.

"Mikoto! Mikoto! Can you hear me?"

"Be quiet," one of the female prisoners warned, approaching the anxious girl.

"Get away from me!" Mai shove the blonde woman away, but was pinned down the ground.

"There's nothing you could do to help her," the woman said.

"No wonder why you're still locked up in here." Mai scoffed in contempt and pushed herself up from the ground. "I'm going to help my friend, and I'm going to get out of here."

"How are you going to do that?" The woman held no resentment towards Mai, glancing down at the wound on Mai's arm. "She bit you…?"

Caught off-guard, Mai looked away from the injury, her gaze saddened. In truth, she had expected to wake up again in the body of a beast. What difference would it make when she already had a fiendish heart? If only she could be near Mikoto, nothing else seemed to matter now. Neither who she was nor who she wanted to be. Nothing was real.

"It looks like we'll be stuck together for a long while. Why not relax and let's get to know one another better? We have all the time in the world, my dear. My name is Maria Graceburt." The blonde woman extended her hand to Mai.

Mai only stared at Maria's hand, but made no move, clinging to the bars instead.

Chuckling, Maria retracted her hand, her blue gaze dropped. "My, after all this time, I'm surprised myself that I still remember these little social graces… even my own name…"

"You don't look old… Maria…"

The woman looked up and smiled when she heard Mai spoke her name. "If I am correct, I should be about fifty years old by now. It's been twenty years or so since I've entered Alya." But Maria was taken aback by the horror in Mai's eyes.

"No… It can't…be… NOOOOOO!" Growling, Mai shot up to her feet, gripping and pulling the bars so hard her knuckles went white.

"There's no need to stress yourself over it. We must learn to let go."

The calmness on Maria's face only aggravated Mai. She jumped at the woman, strangling her. "Tell me you're lying! It just can't be!"

"Let it go, or you'll surely suffer the same fate as your friend."

Mai paused. "What…?"

Maria gently removed the girl's hands off her neck and sat right up. "Alya is a tricky place to be. It's sharply divided by love and hate, not a place for humans like us since you can only choose one to side with. Your heart will decide what you'll become. If you let hate consumes you, you'll end up just like your friend."

Kneeling, Mai took a handful of black soil in her hands. "But Mikoto… Mikoto wouldn't hate anybody… She just couldn't…"

"It was known that the dragons' blood is as poisonous as the air of Alya itself. Its malice waits for the right time to attack us, penetrating into our mind without us realizing it. Some of us are lucky. Most are not…" Maria once again observed the wound on Mai's arm. "It appears that you're one of the fortunate few. The rarest of kind… I wonder why…"

Mai toppled backwards and leaned against the bars, looking out to Mikoto in another cell. Just when she was about to accept the consequences, fate wouldn't let her have an easy way out. It would play her until the end, and she now feared whether she still had the will to fight it.

Not without you, Mikoto…

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Her own sobs of fright was the only thing accompanying Akane as she trotted deeper into the dark woods.

"Pretty baby… do not cry… and I'll… I'll…" Akane's lips trembled with the words. Her gaze darted all over the place to search for an enemy or a friend. Her bleeding hands dragged the sword of Fatum with great difficulty. Ever since she ran away from the ghost ship, leaving Mai and Mikoto behind, she had been wandering aimlessly in this thick forest, lost and alone.

"Oh… Oh, Shizuru… Please help me…" Akane only burst into tears again when she thought back of how she gained Fatum—how she lost her friend due to her own cowardice. The sword in her hand didn't make her feel any better. This sword couldn't save her or anyone.

After looking at Fatum for a moment, Akane decided to let it drop to the plane of black soil, wishing now only to free herself from the tremendous weight of shame. She cut loose her belt and climbed up the nearest tree.

-Flashback-

The moon was high in the sky that night, and it shone brightly through the gap between the curtains. Young Akane could not sleep, turning left and right.

'You can't sleep?'

Akane opened her eyes and saw the dark crimson eyes watching her in the dark. 'I don't know why, Shizuru-chan…'

It was the first time Akane remembered herself lying. Mr. Kuga gave them a pop quiz earlier that day, but Akane wasn't prepared for it. Sitting next to Shizuru, she couldn't help but cheat. She wasn't sure if she could rely on the new girl, who barely knew how to read months ago, but the score she received when the class ended suggested her otherwise.

Young Shizuru got up from her bed and hopped onto Akane's. 'Let's watch the moon then. I can't sleep either.'

Grinning, Akane sat up and moved beside her new friend. Both girls looked out the window and felt as calm as the night. Minutes passed by, and it must be the strong moonlight that stung her eyes. Akane rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder and closed her eyes.

'Sleep, pretty baby. Do not cry. And I'll sing you a lullaby.'

Eyes still closed, Akane smiled as she heard her friend's voice. 'Where did you learn this?'

'A mother bear sang it to a baby bear this morning. Channel 14.'

Akane giggled, nuzzling at Shizuru's neck. 'We're not kids anymore.'

Shizuru just chortled and kept humming, driving Akane into peaceful slumber.

It wasn't long after that night when Mr. Kuga gave Shizuru her own room, but the lullaby stayed with Akane ever since.

-Flashback-

Crouching over the thick branch, Akane bind the belt to the tree and tied its loose end to her neck. She had just realized tonight the reason Shizuru couldn't sleep that night. She was foolish to believe that Shizuru didn't know what she did. But her young friend always worried about her, protecting her and guiding her. She was the only friend Shizuru had.

"Do not cry. And I'll—" Akane's singing stopped when she dropped herself in midair, her neck squeezed tightly by the belt.

Don't… don't back off… Akane tried to let her mind flow with the tune, while her body whipped violently.

I'll sing you… a lullaby… Shizuru… SHIZURU…!

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Shizuru screamed with her eyes closed, thrashing on the mattress.

"Shizuru! Shizuru!"

Sweating profusely, Shizuru's eyes shot wide opened. It was only the blonde-haired girl by her side, looking anxious and curious. After a moment of recollecting herself, she flopped back down and slowly rubbed her pale face.

"Nightmare again?" Haruka asked.

Biting her lips, Shizuru glanced the other way. She had been hearing this mysterious girl's voice in her sleep for the past few days, calling out for her in pain.

"Feeling better?" Haruka moved to open the curtains, revealing the view of the village outside.

Shizuru noticed the new bandage on her arm.

"Oh, Kuga just cleaned up your wound a few hours ago."

Kuga… Natsuki…? Shizuru wondered why she rarely saw the dark-haired girl ever since the first day she woke up here. It seemed that Natsuki would stop by only when she was asleep.

"Put on your clothes. I'll take you out to lunch—umm—dinner, or whatever. You… You're okay with that?"

Shizuru hesitated for a second before nodding.

Haruka grinned. "Great! You must be bored, sleeping and snoring all day long!"

"I don't snore," Shizuru said simply.

Haruka raised her brows, smirking.

Shizuru couldn't help smiling a little, and grabbed the roughly patched cloak the villagers made for her. Considering the size of the villagers, Shizuru and her friends must be really privileged visitors.

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Strolling into the village, Shizuru observed the easy lifestyles of the Huits. All the huts were made of wood and were half the size of those in the other world. For the upcoming celebration, colorful flags adorned the front of their homes, flowers decorating the windows and doors. The ageless beings filled up the long, serpentine road and every tavern and house, going in and out like they were one huge family. There was neither boundary nor tenure in this small township. The only thing they possessed was freedom, and Shizuru had to remind herself for the thousandth time that she was not dreaming.

Seeing some of the villagers carried baskets full of fish or fruits, heading towards the markets, Shizuru casually edged nearer and nicked a pear from the nearest container. The children spun around in their tracks, yelling at first, but stopped when they saw that it was one of their honorary guests. They began to giggle, blushing.

"What are you doing!" Haruka hissed at her friend.

Old habit died hard, indeed. Taking a full bite, Shizuru caught another pear a child tossed to her and nodded in a grateful gesture. "How nice," she lightly commented and handed the second pear to the blonde.

"Oh, thanks." Haruka promptly ate the fruit.

As they continued the leisure walk, Shizuru stopped at the sight of a house built up along the thick branch of a gigantic, vine tree. A few children were climbing down the rope ladder.

"Kuga got one just like that back at Garderobe. She was super spoiled, I'd tell ya," Haruka yapped, licking the sweet juice on her lips.

At the mention of Natsuki, Shizuru stared hard at the rope ladder. "I see… Where is she? I haven't seen her much lately."

"Probably at Nine Nines again. I wonder what the legal drinking age here is. They start drinking at the age of five!" Haruka laughed.

Once again, Shizuru had to remind herself of this reality. The last thing she remembered was wandering through the streets of Windbloom, picking up some food from the trashcans. She was extremely stunned to find herself several years older now, not to mention this strange world she was in. It was pure madness, and 'fear' wasn't enough to describe how she felt right now.

Haruka took a second to silence and then looked at the girl next to her quizzically. "You really don't remember Kuga?"

Shizuru raised her brows.

Haruka's eyes narrowed. "So—you're still gay?"

Shizuru spit out a bite, coughing. After contemplating for a second, a smile graced her face. "I think I must have liked you a lot, Suzushiro-san."

"First, it's 'Haruka'. Second, you don't have to like me that way," Haruka pouted.

Shizuru merrily approached the candy stand nearby. "Haruka, it is."

Arms across her chest, Haruka quietly watched her friend with the children at the stand. It looked like Shizuru was getting some free food again.

At the itch on her healed palm stinging, Haruka looked away to the foggy hills at the far end of the road. She still felt the tingling feeling over the fresh skin that had grown over the cut. However briefly she touched the blade of Robur, she could not deny the fact that she yearned to feel it again.

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Inside the packed restaurant called 'Nine Nines', Natsuki had made the table in the corner her favorite spot by now. Captain Shiho was generous enough to give her a few coins, which could buy her drinks for months on end.

"On the house," an old waitress said with a wide grin, handing Natsuki another mug of beer.

Natsuki smiled lightly in return. She had asked Shiho for Thomas Huit, but the Captain wanted all three girls to meet the man at the same time. Natsuki only went along, waiting for Shizuru to get better. The villagers had now set tomorrow night for the celebration.

A celebration…? For what…?

"There you are!"

Natsuki looked up, bored at thought of the obnoxiously loud, blonde girl joining. But she stopped the moment she saw Shizuru behind Haruka. It was the first time Shizuru agreed to come this deep into the village. The disturbing size of the village and its people must have scared the chestnut-haired girl earlier.

"Hi…" Shizuru greeted Natsuki, and then looked at Haruka, who was pulling a stool out from under the table for her. "Thank you."

The three girls sat together, ordering some food.

Sipping the drink, Natsuki kept her gaze down at the table. It was hard enough to force herself to sneak into Shizuru's cabin and tended to the girl's wound everyday, but she had to do it herself since she didn't trust Haruka for the job. Now, sitting face to face with the girl who had become merely a stranger to her was almost unbearable. She just couldn't get used to the way Shizuru looked at her now. The distant gaze only told Natsuki that she was pushed back to the start, and she was too tired to start it all over again, knowing where Shizuru would eventually end up.

"Thank you, Kuga," Shizuru said, touching the bandage on her arm.

"No problem." Natsuki poured some beer for Haruka, but a cup of hot tea for Shizuru.

Silence.

Haruka glared at both her friends. "You ought to speak more if you want her to remember something," she spat at Natsuki.

"Amnesia is almost always temporary. She'll regain her memories eventually," Natsuki said as a matter of fact.

Even though it was true, Natsuki had thought about delaying the process. How would Shizuru act now if the girl hadn't lost her memories? Wouldn't they just start killing each other in this very restaurant?

"Fine!" Haruka grumbled, slapping the table. "You said you remember being a homeless kid, Shizuru, but you know you don't act like one even now. Homeless people don't say 'thank you', ok? They'd ask for a cigarette, and they'd ask for more if you gave them one. Are you with me so far?"

Shizuru kept quiet, sipping the tea.

"For some reason, you were adopted by Kuga's father at the age of eleven or something. Remember anything about Kuga Hideaki?"

Shaking her head, Shizuru stared straight at Natsuki, who was looking the other way.

"He's this billionaire-gone-mad, trying to take over the world and shit. This guy sent you here. Hmm, somehow, you must have stolen the sword—"

"Suzushiro," Natsuki interrupted, "I don't think we should be talking about it here."

"You do have a point," Haruka mumbled, ticking her chin with her finger. "Right. I skipped a lot. Mr. Kuga sent you to Garderobe, our school. It's like the most prestigious school that trains Otome fighters. You know what an Otome is?"

"I've heard about them," Shizuru replied.

"Good! So you enrolled into Garderobe, and we became friends. It's just that you and this Kuga girl—"

"Why are we here?" Shizuru asked grimly.

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat when Shizuru seemed to ignore whatever Haruka was saying. Shizuru had been asking that question ever since she woke up, but they had tried to avoid answering it.

Natsuki washed down the drink in one big gulp. "We didn't come together. We only met up a few days into our trips. You came with a woman named 'Nao Zhang'."

"Where is she?" Shizuru's eyes widened a little in anticipation.

Haruka's eyes narrowed in contempt at the mention of the traitorous redhead. "Well, you weren't exactly friend with this Nao person. Actually, you hated her guts 'cause you were madly jealous—"

"Suzushiro," Natsuki growled, shooting dagger at the blonde.

Waving her hands, Haruka rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you hated her, and you should be now. I mean, she left us to die in that freezing lake. I hope she got stuck somewhere in the wilderness!"

Shizuru knitted her brows, looking even more confused. "But why are we here? What is this place?"

"We were searching for a treasure. I believe Tokiha Mai has it now," Natsuki said. "She's one our classmates, but a lot have happened since then … I don't really know who's a friend… or enemy anymore…"

Shizuru coldly gazed at the dark-haired girl. "Are you my enemy?" The girl's words froze Natsuki. Shizuru once asked her the very same question during their journey into the desert. It was a doubt that was answered then by their building trust, but that conviction was now put to test again.

Natsuki watched Shizuru slowly clasped her hands together. The taller girl may appear calm, but Natsuki had learned to see it through. Although she wanted so much to caress those pale hands and reassure the other that everything would be all right, she was uncertain if it was wise to take the hand that could betray her any moment.

"You're nuts. We're good friends!" Haruka patted Shizuru on the shoulder, and then glanced at Natsuki in mockery. "You know, good friends like I jumped off the cliff to save you even though it wasn't going to help—"

"Suzushiro!" Natsuki then finished another mug of beer to refrain herself from strangling the blonde.

Shizuru shifted in her position. "When are we going back to Windbloom then?"

Natsuki glanced at Haruka for a split second before replying. "Until we meet Thomas Huit, the head of this village… we don't know how to get back there."

Shizuru turned slightly to observe the villagers at the other tables. "Will he tell us how?"

"Excellent point!" Haruka said, and then nudged Natsuki. "Do you think we could trust him? I mean, why wouldn't he show himself until the celebration?"

"We'll find out tomorrow," Natsuki said, shrugging. Whatever Thomas Huit wanted to celebrate for must be connected to the sword bearers, and for precaution, Natsuki was determined to keep Shizuru from learning of their true status.

Shizuru returned her attention to the girl sitting opposite to her. "Kuga… You said I fell off a cliff. How did that happen?"

"The thing was—" Haruka began, but was cut off by Natsuki.

"You slipped while hiking. It was raining hard that day. You scared us with the fall," Natsuki said, trying to make light of the recollection. 'Scared' sounded like a joke compared to how she really felt at that moment.

Haruka studied Natsuki a little before cautiously nodding in agreement.

"I see…" Shizuru muttered, pulling the collar closer.

"You're cold?" Natsuki instantly stood up, but stopped when Shizuru flinched at her movement. Sitting down again, she called for the waitress and asked if they could close the front door to shun off the wind. The waitress gladly served the honorary guests.

The food was served, and the meal went on to lighter subjects, consciously avoiding the talk about Shizuru's connection to Ira. While Shizuru looked composed now, Natsuki still caught the restlessness hidden behind those crimson eyes. It was the same look Natsuki saw that night they dined together over the walls of the juvenile camp.

I don't know if I could do it again, Shizuru… Would you tell me how…? Natsuki let out a small sigh.