Hi everyone! What's up?
So, my beautiful holidays are ending tomorrow *Sighs*...but don't worry, I'll try my best to update this fic regularly. Thanks to MagicalPhoenix12, TLP, KaneXSally, LadyPeach7 and other readers for reviewing.
TLP: In the review of 27th chapter, you assumed that Boris was trying to capture the dark bit-beasts. Actually not that, the illuminative spirits are actually the cyber bit-beasts :P. In the modern times, they were programmed by technologists and scientists. But here, in the ancient ages, they were magically created from the reflections of the real spirits. Black magic, witchcraft etc etc...anyways, cling to this story. Thank you :*
So...enjoy! :D
P.S: Let me inform you, today is the International Mother Language Day. You may know the history behind it, I wish I could tell you but not now, maybe another day. Respect every language in the world. Of course, practice and exercise English but don't forget your mother tongue ever. 3 3
"Salima!" The female raven blurted, while hastily roaming amid the marbled corridors of the castle, "Where're you?"
Sweat drops were oozing down from her forehead, making her bangs cling to her facial skin as she was heavily panting. Due to her weighty body, fatigue surpassed her in such an easy way. Not to mention that she needed those exercises and physical activities but she didn't want them-at least not at the moment when she was searching for her sister-in-law.
Her eyes fell upon a couple of maids who were passing by her, holding metal trays; piles of flower petals on them. Rushing to them, she asked, "Have you…have you lately seen Salima?"
Not answering instantly, the servants gaped at one another. Then, turning to the crown princess, one of them shook her head, "Sorry, my lady, we haven't seen her around."
"Oh no…." Biyu facepalmed, "Where has the girl disappeared? I need her right now!"
"My dear sister-in-law!" A familiar voice could be heard, adding slyness and sweetness together, "Were you looking for me?"
Recognizing the tone, Biyu turned behind. In front of her baffled eyes, the redhead was grinning. She was also covered in perspiration, wearing a sleeveless bamboo-made battle vest and binding black wrist wraps around her wrists. One of her hands was enclosing a naked sword. It was seeming sharper than its previous states. Just like its blade, her onyx eyes were gleaming in joy and zeal. The grin of her lips was also being broader gradually.
"Oh, you're here!" The crown princess sighed in relief, "Do you know how long I was searching for you? I've already roamed around the entire palace twice."
"Biyu, you have been with us approximately for three years but you don't know the actual land area of our fort, do you?" Handing the weapon to a maid, the princess folded her arms on her chest, "If you really circled it twice, you would lose half of your weight within no moment."
"Bad joke," Biyu muttered, gritting her teeth.
"Let it be," She blabbered as if she hadn't heard anything, "Why have you called me?"
"Why have I called you?" The raven widened her eyes, "Don't you know that your groom-choosing ceremony is going to take place tomorrow? You should take care a bit of your beauty now."
"Naturally beautiful girls shouldn't bother about that, sister-in-law," She confidently spoke, "I'm always a beauty queen. At least my father and brothers say so."
"They say it because they love you a lot, Salima," Biyu tried to convince her, "But all they say aren't true at all."
"What?" Salima seethed. Hot air came out through her nose-holes as she curled her fingers into fists, "You want to say that my father and brothers are liars? They lie to me?"
'Shit…..' Biyu mentally cursed herself, biting her tongue, 'I shouldn't have been so reckless…..'
"No no my sweetheart, not at all…." The poor sister-in-law tried to explain, "I didn't mean that. I mean….they always see you in front of their eyes. You're the lovely daughter of your father as well as the prettiest sister to your brothers. But those who are coming to take you as a bride to their homes aren't familiar with you at all. They should have a sense of your gorgeous beauty. That's why, let's go to the beauty complex!"
"W…what?" The redhead gulped, "B…beauty complex?"
"Yes, my sweet sister-in-law, you've heard right!" Biyu cheered, "At first, the maids will give you a nice foot massage, a complete body massage, a steam bath, a nice hairdressing…."
Shutting her eyes tightly, the princess tried to imagine the situation.
Salima's imagination:
She was reposed on a long, rectangular marble-made table which was attached to the floor. Her naked body was covered beneath a white sheet. At a side, there was a large tub filled with tepid water. Several lotuses were floating on its surface. From artificial fountains, the streams were falling on them. Their mellifluous sounds were soothing her ears. Beside the cask, someone had lit many fragrant candles, inside crystal lusters. The threads were burning, producing aromatic smokes that were spreading all over the room.
A group of maids entered the room soon, holding the pots and trays made of different materials, containing various cosmetics, pastes and instruments. Placing them on another round table, they approached the lying princess. As she opened her eyes, they were widened in horror, seeing a lot of hands approaching them. She felt as if they'd been witches, moving towards her in order to kill her.
"No!" She got up in the speed of thunderbolt, panting.
Reality:
"Salima?" Biyu waved her hand in front of her eyes, "What happened? Are you alright?"
Acclimatized, she shook her head and replied, "Yes, I am."
"Then…let's go!" The raven-haired lady stepped forward.
"No no sister-in-law, please…." Salima rushed towards her, almost pleading, "Please don't go there. I don't like it at all!"
"What?" Biyu cocked an eyebrow, "Why don't you like it? You know, it's my most favorite place here. In fact, in this fort, there are two rooms which I love a lot. One is the beauty complex, and the other one is…."
"The dining hall, isn't it?"
"Geez….how did you know that?" The sister-in-law asked, frowning, "I have never told you about it."
"Your body surely has, Biyu," Salima pinched her cheeks, "What a gorgeous figure you own! Now I'm getting jealous."
"Shut up!" The raven-haired girl yelled, "Why're you after my body? What's your problem?"
"You're not a problem for me, my sweet sister-in-law," She wrapped her arms around the neck of Biyu, "My problem is…the beauty complex."
"But girls of your age group are fond of it!" Biyu seemed muddled, "Why don't you want to go there?"
"Have I ever behaved like the girls of my age group, Biyu?" She narrowed her eyes, "Ever in my life?"
For a few seconds, the chubby woman kept staring at Salima as if she had seen any ghost at that time. Those seconds were soundless and mysterious; with the breeze hovering around them. Then, finally, the elder one heaved a sigh, leaving the other one sweatdropped.
"Let it be, Salima….." The crown princess mumbled, "You know what? I should never have proposed you to do that."
"You should've learnt it earlier, sister-in-law," The redhead winked, "Your Salima is a particular one."
"Surely she is," The duo started walking towards the common room, "By the way, where were you?"
"Didn't you notice the sword in my hands?" The princess replied, "I was practicing."
"I see," Biyu chortled, "Planning to murder your husband before your marriage, weren't you?"
"Duh, why will I plan to murder him, huh?" Salima bit her tongue, "Actually…I was just testing the skills of the guests."
"W-what?" The jaw of the crown princess dropped, "You….you went to the guestroom?"
"Yeah," She nodded, "You know…..most of them know nothing about sword fighting. I've defeated them so easily….just within a blink of eye…"
"Salima!" Biyu squeezed her shoulders, "How did you go there? Don't you know that women are forbidden to go there?"
"How on the earth did I go there as a woman, Biyu?" Salima rolled her eyes, "Haven't you noticed my outfits yet? I don't think you have."
Now, it was turn of the crown princess to observe her sister-in-law properly. To her utter surprise, she discovered that the redhead was wearing a sleeveless lilac tang suit over her black trousers. It was concealed under the bamboo battle vest. Her hair wasn't also untied like other days. Rather, it was tied into a tight high bun. Strangely, the manly costumes didn't decrease her exquisiteness a bit. Rather, it flourished her daintiness, unleashing her bold and dauntless features.
"But your face is still saying that you're a girl," Biyu was astonished, not impressed.
"Oh, this thing?" The redhead pointed at her own face, "I sheathed it as well as my hair completely with a black cloak. The noblemen thought that…that I was a man…hahahaha…." She couldn't finish as she burst out laughing.
"You've enjoyed enough, Salima!" The crown princess stopped her, "Now go with me."
No sooner had they been about to leave the lobby than a maid appeared out of the blue. Crazily wheezing, she stood before them, clasping her knees.
"What happened?" The raven asked, raising her eyebrows, "Why're you panting like this? Everything okay?"
"Pardon me, my lady…." She somehow calmed herself a bit, "I've come here to give you an important news."
"Important news?" The redhead screwed her brows, "What's it?"
"Kane Yamashita, the prince of Hong Kong has arrived at the palace…." She replied, "…just now…"
The members of duo kept staring at each other extending their eyes, hearing the news. The face of the elder one was sparkling with joy and excitement while the ebony orbs of the younger one were dimmed a bit. She gulped, biting her lower lip.
"Such a good news it is!" Biyu jumped, almost making the ground of the floor shake a bit, putting off one of her necklaces, "Here, take it."
"Thank you so much, my lady." Taking the ornament and bowing once again, the maid left.
Turning to her sister-in-law, the married lady discovered her face covered with anxiety and gloom. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she asked, "What happened, Salima? Is anything wrong?"
"No, Biyu, nothing…." She shook her head, backing to her usual bubbly nature speedily, "I'm fine."
"You were thinking about Kane, weren't you?"
The scarlet-haired princess gasped as her sister-in-law hit her sensitive spot. Not like that she fell in love with the prince of Hong Kong, but she had heard a lot about the indescribable prowess of him. She had also heard that Kane Yamashita had never lost any battle, be it a friendly one or a deadly one. She was anxious because she didn't want to marry a guy whom she didn't want to fall in love with. Her heart started pounding so fast that even her sister-in-law could sense it.
"Something surely is wrong inside your brain, Salima," Biyu worriedly inquired, "Tell me what happened."
"Nothing wrong at all, sister-in-law," Managing to retrieve her heart-melting smile around her lips, she calmed down, "Actually, we all have heard so many rumors about the strength of Prince Kane, haven't we?"
"Rumors?" The ebony-haired moped, "You think they are rumors? No Salima, they are facts! They are universal facts."
"Whatever," Salima didn't seem to care at all, "I'm going there once again."
"Shit!" Biyu held her hands, "You cannot go there at all!"
"I'm going there, and that's final!" The red-haired girl freed herself from the hands of her sister-in-law after a short scuffling, "Nobody is going to stop me. I repeat, nobody!"
Not waiting for the chubby woman, she dashed off towards the weaponry. Staring at her persistent and restless sister-in-law, Biyu sighed.
That was her 20th sigh on that day, quite less than the other days after all.
In the large room, the chairs were nicely arranged, forming a circle. At the center of it, there was a round five-legged table. On it, a bronze flower vase was kept with a few sticks of yellow and white gladiola inside it. Beneath the golden chandelier, the room was looking full of fireflies. The table was encompassed by noblemen, coming from different kingdoms. They all were cheerful and jolly, gossiping with one another. Sometimes, the sudden bursts of laughter could be heard, echoing in the entire compartment. But one of them was aberrantly silent. Closing his eyes, he was leaning against his seat. It was not his usual nature at all. He was always fierce and dynamic. But for a certain reason, he had to keep his cool. The raven-haired neko-jin was trying his best to focus.
"Is Kane Yamashita there?"
Hearing his alias, he opened his eyes as his shimmering golden orbs met the flames of the chandelier. Looking behind, they met the caller. He was wearing a black cloak, obscuring his face, head, arms and torso fully. Only his legs could be seen. Those legs were unusually slender...
"I am," The Chinese guy stood up from his seat, "Any problem?"
"No…not actually…." The anonymous guy's tone wasn't seeming natural at all, "I've to inform you something privately. For that, I want you to come with me."
At this, the neko-jin puckered his eyebrows, thinking over something.
'Umm….what will be the reason? Is everything alright? Have they got to know my real identity? No no…they haven't, they shouldn't. Master Tao has sent me here, assigning me to a very significant mission. If I fail, my eyes will never be able to meet his. After that, I won't be able to free my motherland. No no…I have to do for what I have been sent here. My mentor believes me. I shouldn't…I shouldn't break his trust. I should protect its dignity at any cost.'
"What happened, Prince Yamashita?" The messenger seemed impatient, "If you want to save your life, please accompany me."
'Let's see what's written on my forehead.' Thinking that, the raven-haired man went after the cloaked guy. Going to a corner, he asked, "Now tell me what happened."
"The first question is: Why have you come here?"
"Ah well….in the groom-choosing ceremony of the princess of China, I guess," He answered, "She should not have a problem in this regard, should she?"
"She herself is the problem, prince," The spy acknowledged, "She is so skinny that you may mistake her as a skeleton after meeting her for the first time. No no, you won't be wrong at all. Do you know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think…when the Creator created her, there was scarcity of enough flesh and blood. That's why, He had to wrap the skin around her skeleton. She's not only skinny, but also pale, paler than the icebergs of Siberia."
Ray Kon, who had come here disguising as Kane Yamashita, bent down his head. How on the earth could he say that he hadn't gone there to marry the princess?
"That's why, I'm telling you to flee," The disguised person kept yammering, "It's for your own betterment, you see."
"I can understand," Finally, the neko-jin opened his mouth, "Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome," Bowing down, the unknown person left the place. Seeing him leaving, the Chinese guy breathed deeply, his lungs trying to absorb all the oxygen in the environment. Automatically, one of his hands reached his sword, kept in the casing, attached to his waist.
The redhead was still in the cape, covering her face and most of the parts of her body. She was silently laughing, shaking a bit with the rhythm of her laughter while trying to imagine the face of the prince whom she had met before a while.
'He must've been dumbfounded,' She mused, 'Guess what? I'm skinny like skeletons and pale like icebergs! Wow! Salima, one day, you can be a great poetess, can't you?'
"Halt!"
Having heard the unexpected warning, the scarlet-haired girl stopped walking. Rotating back, she discovered the raven-haired neko-jin standing in front of her, enclosing an uncovered sword in his right hand. They were under the nocturnal sky in which there was the full moon with the bunch of stars. The moonbeams were showering on him. The rays of moonlight should have been soothing and cool. However, when they met the person named Ray, they started behaving like the rays of sunshine, provoking the twisted biceps and triceps of his bare arms. His long, cloud-like hair was dancing as the night air was playing drums. Fireflies sparkled inside his orbs.
"Hey you!" He hissed, "I don't know who you really are. But I know that you're surely a prick on my way. Get ready!"
He started rushing towards her. Leaving two steps forward, he jumped in the air. His weapon was about to land on her but it couldn't, getting obstructed by one of its lookalikes. The scarlet-haired girl had already been prepared for that, kneeling down on the ground. In fact, she was always ready for these cases.
"Tung!"
The collision of two swords gave an unexpected surprise to that night. The cloaked girl stood up on her own feet, rotating her weapon once again. This time, it was his turn to defend.
"Sleesh!"
He kept advancing towards the girl and she kept retreating, leaving their swords originating metal sounds that were tearing the discreetness of the night into hundreds of pieces. But they didn't care. They only cared for the victory. Their wrists were revolving artistically, so were their rapiers, sometimes clashing against each other, sometimes drawing pictures on the invisible canvas of the air.
Swirling on her toe, the redhead attacked back, forcing her opponent to retreat this time. The air didn't help her much, making the hood fall back and reveal her face. Not caring, she raised her sword. Unexpectedly, he dropped his foil on the ground, holding the weapon of his opponent with his own hand. That was sharp, opening a wound on his palm. His blood dripped on her face, reddening it a bit.
The dazzling moonlight encircled them from the north, south, east and west. They kept gazing at each other. One's eyes were filled with wrath, another's eyes were carrying the signs of astonishment.
The red liquid made her red strands cling to her blushing cheeks. Crimson, coral, white made a pallet there, being contrast to her black diamond eyes.
'Why is he looking so familiar?' She cogitated, 'Do I know him? Have we met each other ever?'
After a pregnant pause, he removed his hand from the weapon. Though his palm was blood-drenched, he didn't bother. Picking up his own blade, he started progressing towards the guesthouse.
"Hey!" She yelled, "You cannot leave the battle."
"I'm sorry," Reply came, "But I don't raise my weapon on women."
She gritted her teeth, taking it as a negative comment against the strength of girls.
"By the way, I want to know something," He turned back, "You must have been telling lies to me at that time, right? May I know the reason?"
"Yes," She lowered her head, "Actually, I'm the head maid of the princess. She doesn't want to get married so soon. That's why, I had to lie. Pardon me, Prince Yamashita."
He chuckled once, uttering nothing, just following the trail, leaving the redhead alone beneath the circular moon, drenched both with blood and moonbeams, flustered and mystified at the same time.
So...how was it? Good or bad?
Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and the spelling errors of the chapter. Take care :D
-Misty ^_^ ^_^ ^_^