A/N: This chapter has been re-done, half of it was cut but not anymore. It is now fixed. Enjoy.
Chapter Three
"I'll hike through the damn desert before I get on one of those overgrown chickens." --ShadowMorning…
Daylight had finally arrived now. The dark mist in the sky had faded away as the radiant rays of the sun kissed the sky, leaving marks of orange and gold. A flock of birds flew over head with their wings spread and giving soft hymns of chirps. Shadow slowly opened his eyes and giving a short yawn. He stayed for almost the whole night as he watched Relm and the young woman K', as she went by, sleep. He had to make sure that this girl was as innocence as she appeared to be. One thing he has learned in his lifetime was that everything isn't always as it seems. He learned that the hard way… He focused his vision and looked around, his eyes fell upon Interceptor who was still sleeping in the same place from last night, and Relm was sleeping peacefully her arms curled up to her chest. He then looked to K' who was sleeping against a tree, she still wearing her slightly blood stained clothes on her body. He also noticed that she didn't have that fur blanket on her and it was on Relm. She might have put it over Relm while she was sleeping.
So, I guess she is trustworthy…He thought to himself as he watched her sleep. For some reason, she looked like she never had a wink of sleep in her entire life. He got up and then walked over to her and examined her a little closer. Though her skin was dark tan color, it seemed to be a little pale. He narrowed his eyes and then started at her neckline, there was a bruise there that circled around her neck. He wasn't sure of how she even got that; it couldn't have been when she was attacked in the forest. He noticed that something might have been around her neck at one time. It also must have been there for a very long time before she was able to get it off. She then shifted in her sleep and mumbled a few words.
"Tsuan…please don't…master…" She said, a tear running down the corner of her eye as she buried her head down a little into her chest.
Shadow quirked and brow and looked at her. He couldn't really understand what she had meant. Tsuan? He never really heard of the name before, so he wouldn't know who it was. But the word master he could understand.
Could she…His train of thought was interrupted as Relm gave a long yawn as she sat herself up and rubbed her eyes. Shadow moved way from the sleeping girl and then went over to Relm and spoke to her as she brushed a few strands of her blonde hair back, "I trust you slept well?"
Relm nodded still in a daze and stretched her arms out, "Uh huh, I did." She looked down at the ground and sighed a little. No trouble sleeping, just trouble with her dreams with that same woman in it every time. Interceptor was now awake and went over to Relm and licked her face. She giggled and then petted the dog on its head, "Good morning to you too." She smiled and then thought of something. She turned around and looked over at K' sleeping against the tree and then looked at Shadow, "Hey is she ok now?"
He shrugged and folded his arms, "I'm not sure but she seemed to have slept peacefully. We shouldn't wake her…" He stopped and watched Interceptor lick at K's cheek. She moved around murmuring and wrinkled her nose a bit. "Interceptor stop that!" Shadow said, but a little to late as her eyes opened, her eyes looking up into his and then looking over at Interceptor who licked her face again. She then jumped and backed herself up against the tree moving away from the dog in fright.
"There is nothing to fear. The dog harms no one unless it knows you intend to harm it or anyone else." Shadow said in a monotone voice.
Her eyes looked up from the ground and looked up at Shadow with her empty purple eyes that held a certain innocence to it. Yet also was filled with sorrow, sadness, and unknown pain. He looked into her eyes and felt a wave of grief and misery. He felt himself drawn to her alluring empty eyes. His body felt like it was standing in an ocean of misery and sorrow. That look…he seen it before. It's the one he always had; that look like she's lived through hell and somehow escaped it, but this unknown force has this everlasting hold on her spirit. It never lets her forget what she's been through and what pain it caused her. But why? Why would this be happening to her? What could have scarred her spirit for life? Shadow felt uneasy as she stared at him. He turned away not able to look at anyone eye to eye for once in his life, well since the first time he met his wife… Everyone was never able to look him straight in the eye like she did… K' then drew her vision away from him and looked at Interceptor. Her hand reached slowly out to the dog cautiously until the dog's wet nose pressed against her hand for a moment and then licking her hand. A small smile appeared on her lips and her eyes seemed to show a sign of relief.
"You look a lot better today. Did you sleep well?" Relm asked suddenly as she spoke to K'.
K' pulled her hand back and let it rest in her lap. She looked to Relm giving a nod to her question and started to speak in a soft tone.
"Somewhat…and if you were going to ask if my back was feeling better, it does. And thank you very much…what was your name again?"
"It's Relm. And you're welcome. But you should really thank Shadow. He's the one that found you and carried you here." Relm said.
"I see…thank you Shadow." She said, as she stood up slowly using the tree to balance her self. Shadow kept his back to her, his arms folded across his chest.
"You don't need to thank me. It wouldn't be right to leave a bleeding woman stranded in the middle of a dark forest." He said, not discussing it further. K' said nothing, just looking down slightly. Relm frowned a bit and then looked at K.
"Hey, how did you get here in the forest anyway?" Relm asked. There was then an awkward silence that lingered for a moment. It was uneasy. K' seemed to be disturbed by Relm's sudden question. Could she really tell this child how she ended up there? She looked at the child and then ran a hand through her tangled ebony locks.
"I lost my way…" She said sighing and leaning back against the tree. That's all she could really say. Relm looked at her confused not really understanding, but she decided not to ask what it meant. Shadow walked away from them for a moment and looked up at the sky.
"We should leave. There should be a desert nearby here…" He said, he knowing that Edgar's castle would be there. Though Edgar was never really too fond of Shadow.
"Oh, I think Edgar lives there right? K' you could change into some clean clothes there. We can use a chocobo to get there. I think someone started a chocobo ranch sometime back and he usually rent some of them out. Chocobo's are so cute." Relm said giggling.
Shadow tensed up as he heard the word 'chocobo'. To tell you the truth, he never even liked the damn birds. There were just like some huge yellow chickens; wild chickens that is. So, he wasn't fond of the air head birds.
I'll hike through that damn desert before I ever get on one of those overgrown chickens.
Relm put her hat on her heat and fitted it on her head securely and then walked over to K' and held her hand out, " Come on. Let's go." She smiled.
K' looked at her questionably, somewhat confused. She looked at the girl's small hand that was held out to her in a symbol of friendship. Friend… Could there be such a lovely word? She couldn't recall that time she ever had a friend or someone so nice to her before. She lifted her hand and took her hand gently. K' looked at Relm who smiled at her and then tugged her along. Shadow had started to make his way from the campsite with Interceptor behind him as Relm tugged the young woman along. K' looked at the small girl pulling her along and then up at the sky.
How long will I remain free?~*~*~*~*~*~
Nightshade velvet drapery flowed down from the tops of the thirty-foot windows down to the tiled mirror floor lining the walls. A tall figure entered the room, a man, a black velvet cape shrouded around him. Strands of his sandy brown hair dangling in front of his dark narrowed eyes as they settled on focal point of the room. A long velvet carpet of crimson extended before him and down as he walked down the carpet silently. There seemed to be a slight chuckled at the end of the carpet as he came to a stop, where steps lead up to a thrown. A figure was sitting in the cushioned throne, legs crossed over each other and hanging over the arm of the throne and head leaning back with long hair braided back down to their elbow. The man kneeled down looking down at the floor and began to speak, "Your highness please forgive the intrusion. I know you don't like to be bothered when you're relaxing but it is very important."
"It must be if you're interrupting me like this…go ahead and tell me then. It had better be entertaining." The person chuckled and waved a fan around that had ivory fur lining the top of it.
"It is somewhat…but not as entertaining you think it is." He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "She's gone. We couldn't find her…we found this out not too long ago and…"
"She's what!!" The figure got out of the their position and stood up firmly, closing the fan up and hitting it against their palm. Their grip on it tightening as their teeth gritted together. Pointing the fan at the man, and saying angrily, "You better get all your troops together and find her!"
The man stood up and bowed, " I have already did that sire. They are ready to go anytime now, I came here to inform of that and…"
"SILENCE!!!" He growled, a red aura suddenly ascending from his body; hair rising and being suspended in thin air. Eyes glowing an icy cobalt as his angered rise, "You tell your troops they better retrieve my precious toy and bring her back to me! They have two days to find her and if they don't they will suffer dire consequences! NOW!"
"Yes, Tsuan. Right away my lord. " He gave a bow before he departed quickly, not wanting to linger any longer dreading that Tsuan will unleash his harrowing power.
As soon as he left, Tsuan growled in anger. His reflection on the mirror floor, strangely enough, was still casting off that fiery aura from his body. His hands gripped harder on the fan until it snapped in two.
I will get you back. My precious toy…you will soon be back in my grasp again and from then on you will never leave my sight…I will crush anyone that gets in my way.
He dropped the pieces of his broken fan on the floor they disintegrating as a icy flame engulfed them and burned until they became nothing but ashes.
"You will not be free for long…K'…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
K' then suddenly stopped, her eyes having a distant look in her eyes. Her eyes filled with fear and wariness. She turned her head looking up into the sky as she could feel this angered powered deep within her heart.
He knows…She thought to herself as a hand lay on her chest over her heart. Closing her eyes, and shaking slightly. Relm tapped her arm and looked at her with deep concern, "Are you alright? Is there something wrong?"
"No…no nothing wrong. I just had this feeling someone had called my name…that's all."
"Oh, well let's go we're almost there." Relm said as she ran after Shadow to catch up with him.
K' gave a heavy sigh and looked by once more before she followed wearily with her eyes looking down at the ground.
He knows…and I know he is angered.
A gust of wind brushed by her and through her ebony tresses lifting it off her shoulders and back down.
Will anyone ever set me free…?~TBC~
That's another chapter down. Already finished chapter four now. This is going to be a very long story too. Have a long way to go. Like the story so far? Give a review. This story will be more in depth.