Kon'wa! I am back, and hopefully you will all
like this chapter. Short AN's--SM does not belong to me,
I am just borrowing the characters for a bit.
A Faerie Tale
Chapter Three
by: Lazuli
MemoryStar@juno.com
Usagi shook her head, dizzy. What had happened?
The last thing she had remembered was reaching for Mamoru
and then the Earth opening up. She looked around her, and
almost screamed at what she saw. She had landed in a mass
grave. Her hands flew up to her mouth, trying to contain
her horror. How could this be? Was this what happened to
her people, her family? She felt a few tears slip out, and
she bowed her head, praying for the lost souls of her
family. She thought they had all been burned. There must
have been a few that had not been...there may not have
been enough time...so they had lain here, dying, without
a way out until their final end. It wasn't fair. She
heard a sound behind her, and she whirled around, afraid
that she was going to make contact with a spirit from the
past.
To her relief, it was Mamoru who stood there,
one of her kind, one that cared about the land. One that
would not burn her for her connection with the Earth and
Wind, one that would not fill her with arrows for going
across unmarked borders. She flew into his arms and felt
him embrace her. She felt a tingling warmth wrap around
her as she found something special in that place of death.
Mamoru was seeing the past flash before his eyes
as he opened them and saw the remains of his Clan. The
bodies that had not been burned were laying around him, in a
circle, as if they had made one last attempt to save
themselves, or perhaps to save him and the mysterious
girl who lay unconscious before him. He smiled softly, and
walked forward a step, when all of a sudden she woke up and saw the death before her. He saw her body tense as she tried to contain
the emotion that he clearly felt. She whirled around suddenly and looked at him, flying into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, glad to just be with her. Now to get out of here......
Mamoru glanced up, and then around him, realizing
that it would not be easy for them to escape. The Wind
would not come so far down here. There was no air but as
he looked further down the cavern, he realized there was a
type of path.
He looked at the tiny girl in his arms. She
seemed so delicate in a way. Her golden hair hung in a
loose ponytail down her back, but her blue eyes were
filled with determination. He realized that he did not
even know her name, and he looked down at her to ask it.
Usagi smiled up at Mamoru, and was very grateful
that he was down here with her. The Wind could not go so
far down, and she knew there had to be another escape
route somewhere. She sensed that Mamoru was about to ask her a
question, and she looked into his eyes expectantly.
"I...I'm sorry that this happened, lady." He
whispered. "I am glad that we are together, though. May
I introduce myself?"
Usagi nodded, surprised at his formal attitude,
but thought that he might be nervous. The Wind knew she was.
"My name is Mamoru, and I came from this clan
a time ago. Before the end of it. You are...?" He asked.
Usagi looked down for a moment. "My name, as I
remember it, is Usagi. I know I am of the Wind Clan, from
where I was, and what I can do, but other than that I
remember nothing of my life. It is like my memory has
been wiped clean." She paused to clear her throat.
"I know what happened to my Clan, though, Mamoru.
By your memories. I apologize if I intruded on your mind
without your permission. I just got...tangled up in your
spirit, I guess."
Mamoru wasn't surprised to realize that this was
the one who he felt giving him comfort. It made perfect
sense after all. He brought her into the circle of his
arms again, letting actions speak louder than words at
what he felt, and gave his forgiveness. She returned the
embrace whole-heartedly.
Mamoru looked carefully at the opening at the far
end of the cave, wondering what was in there and if it
was safe. His initial thought of this just being a grave
was wrong; it was a hidden cavern of some sorts, and he
and Usagi had fallen into it. He looked at Usagi, who
seemed to agree with him, and they hesitantly stepped
over the circle of bodies. Nothing happened for a few
moments, then suddenly a fierce pressure knocked them
down, and they wondered what it was.
Usagi recognized it as some sort of protection
for a Clan, but she wasn't sure what type of Clan lived
below the Forest. They decided to investigate together,
both of them crawling on the floor, trying to inch their
way toward the opening in the cave, hoping to find some
answers to this, and hoping to get out to some fresh air
once more.
Mamoru had not gone more than a few inches when
the pressure stopped completely, and he was face to face
with a pair of shoes. He looked up, quickly standing up
to face the newcomer. It was a tall female, with dark
eyes, and a pointed face.
"Eh, what are *you* doing here?" She demanded.
Mamoru coughed. "Just trying to get out. We fell into this
hole, and we would just like to go back up to the surface
May we do so?"
The girl smiled. "I don't know...you fell into
one of the sacred holes, what was once a part of the Circle of Guardians,
and that means that you are here for the purpose to help us. Come with me, and I can get you and Usagi something to eat."
Mamoru stopped and looked at the strange girl.
"How do you know Usagi's name?" He asked. The girl gave
him a strange look. "The same way I know yours. You are
Usagi are Leaders of the Slyph Clan. We have been awaiting
for you to awaken to your heritage for some time now. All
Leaders are known to us, since their ties go to the Heart
of the Forest. That is where you are now."
Usagi and Mamoru looked at each other in shock.
The girl looked slightly amused at their reactions. "I
am sorry if you were not aware of this. Come to my place
and I will explain everything to you. By the way, my
name is Kokoro."
Usagi felt an immense energy stirring around this
Kokoro person. To Usagi's knowledge, the oldest Clan was the Forest. But it
seemed like Kokoro was as old as the Forest, maybe even older. She said that they were going to the Heart of the Forest. Where the origins of the Forest began. Usagi began to wonder what was in store for her and Mamoru.
Kokoro lead them down a dark passageway, and into
a deep set cave, set with many homes carved into the
stone of the caverns walls. Usagi was awed by the
simplistic beauty, but she longed for the cool breezes
of the Wind, and to feel the swaying of it around her in
her treetop home.
Kokoro turned to them. "This is my home, and the
home of the other Guardians of the Forest. This is where
the Spirits of those slain go, or those who have lived out
their lives to the fullest. They become reborn again as
Guardians, and are set to protect certain areas of the
Forest. I have brought you here because I believe that
you two are the key to solving our problems. Besides
being the new Leaders of the Forest, I believe that you
will be the ones to bridge the gap between our lost
ancestors and the people of the Forest that have been
torn apart so long ago. You, Usagi and Mamoru, last of
the Slyph Clan, and Leaders of it, are the Saviors of
the Forest Clans, and those who lie beyond and below it."
Dum dum dum....Feedback, onegei??!!!