Okay, here is yet another wonderful chapter, And Deity, don't go all psycho on me for the opening. Suzaku made me do it! I swear! Anyway, enjoy! *runs FAR away from Deity* Oh, and sorry this took so long to get up, things have been hectic. Oh, and thank you to my wonderful friend Mikki for one of the ideas used here.
"Chichiri, how did you get in here?"
"I broke through their barriers no da. Now come on, I have to get you out of here."
"No."
"What?"
The monk looked at her in confusion. Why would she want to stay in this place? Especially after all this.
"I'm not going with you. I have to stay here."
"Miaka do you know what you're saying?"
"Yes. Now get out of here before anyone hears you."
"No way. You're coming with me no da."
"I told you I'm not going!"
Miaka struggled against the grip Chichiri had on her arm. Her other hand had slipped beneath the pillow to grasp the dagger. Nakago had left it here after all. Suddenly the blade was in her hand.
"Miaka what-"
Chichiri's eyes went wide with shock as Miaka shoved the blade through his heart with all the strength in her. Chichiri gasped at the pain, and could only watch as the blood seeped from the wound.
"Mi…a…ka….why?"
"You could never understand," she replied.
With a rough jerk Miaka pulled the blade from Chichiri's chest and watched silently as he bled to death on the cold marble floor. When he breathed his last breath, and the light had faded from his eyes, a single tear rolled down Miaka's cheek.
"I'm sorry."
Miaka awoke with a start, her breath coming in deep, ragged breaths. She clutched the sheet tightly to her sweat soaked body. She looked down at the lightly tanned arm lying across her waist. She followed the length of the arm upward across the broad shoulders. She saw the golden locks and felt her heart beat suddenly speed up in her chest.
A small smile curled her lips as she lightly ran her fingers through the silken strands of his hair. He was so gorgeous. He looked so innocent when he was asleep. Almost like a child. Who could guess that he was a completely different person when he was awake?
Despite the warmth of the body next to her, a terrible cold rushed through Miaka's body. She shook with a cold that no amount of warmth in the world could get rid of. Sensing the sudden change in her mood, Nakago sat up, leaning on his elbow.
"Something wrong?" he asked gently.
"No. Everything's fine. Go back to sleep," she said.
Miaka looked about the room and sighed unhappily. How could she have done this to Tamahome? He trusted her and she cheated on him…but still…Nakago had more than proven how he felt. Miaka started to lie back down beside Nakago when her hand brushed something beneath the pillow. The dagger. It had ended up beneath the pillow like in her dream. Miaka looked over the edge of the bed. No sign of a body.
Her eyes flicked from her hand beneath the pillow to the still body beside her. Yui. Nuriko. Amiboshi. Suboshi. All of them had suffered because of Nakago. Not to mention what she had gone through because of him. She could end it all now. All she would have to do is make it one clean swipe. He would never even suspect it. Silently she pulled the dagger from beneath the pillow and felt a small pang of guilt, but this had to be done. It had to be. Nakago would never make another person suffer.
She raised the knife and brought it down to make a nice, clean, swipe that would have easily ended his life. Little did Miaka know that Nakago had been awake the entire time she was debating her decision.
"What do you think you're doing?" he growled, gripping her wrist.
"Let go of me."
"Drop the knife."
"Never."
"Drop it."
Nakago tightened his grip, crushing bone until she dropped the knife, but at the same times she raised her leg back and kicked his knee cap at a down word angle, dislocating the bone with a loud 'Pop'.
Nakago jumped back with a curse. Damn her. She would pay for her mistake. He had already ensured her friends had paid for what they had done. They may not even survive.
In another part of the Kutou palace, Yui, Amiboshi, and Suboshi were suffering silently. Although Yui no longer suffered. Her life force already had slipped away.
"Lady…Yui…" Suboshi whimpered.
He had loved her….the girl had died without ever having known….Now she would never know….but it was not only her that he wept for. He and his own brother could soon count themselves among the deceased. They would not make it through the night.
There was a loud cry from somewhere down the hall. There were shouts from guards and things crashing to the ground. The door to the room silently slid open and Miaka entered the room.
"Miaka?"
Miaka whirled around to find herself staring down at her worst nightmare. Suboshi lay cradled in his older twin brother's arms, both of them fighting to stay alive and Yui…Yui was chained by the wrists to the wall. She wasn't breathing.
"Yui? Yui!!!"
Miaka ran to the still form of her best friend, desperately clawing at the chains trying to free her friend. Yui's wrists were rubbed raw and bloody from the chains and her body was deeply cut and bruised. She now saw the total damage inflicted on her by Nakago.
"Yui….I'm so sorry Yui….it's all my fault…."Miaka said through her tears.
Miaka stood, knowing there was nothing she could do for her now dead friend. She approached the twins and knelt beside them.
"What happened to you?"
"We…we tried to stop him….when we couldn't….he tortured us as well…"
Miaka knew what they had meant. He hadn't literally chained and tortured them both. By torturing one physically, forcing the other to watch as well as the intense connection the twins had, would cause the other to feel the pain and experience the pain as the other felt it. Which is why they both lay dying.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"No….Miaka….listen…you must get out of here before he finds you….you …do not want him to catch you in this place…."
Both boys fought desperately to breath, hanging onto each other for dear life, and suddenly they were gone.
"Amiboshi? Suboshi?...No…no…not you too…no!"
Miaka sat in that room, wrapped in all the torture and pain that had taken place there and wept bitterly. He would pay. She swore then and there that Nakago would dearly pay for what he had done to her friends.
"Pst. Miaka! Miaka!"
Miaka glanced up and never knew relief as fierce as that which she now felt. Chichiri stood before her, a bundle of clothes in one hand for her.
"Put these on. We have to get out of here."
"Right."
As quickly as she was able to Miaka changed into the clothes Chichiri had brought her, fighting against the pain in her body. She placed the robe that she had been wearing around her deceased friend.
"She should get to have some dignity."
Together they quickly made their way out of the palace rooms and were almost to the gate when a voice shouted, "They're over here!!!"
"Looks like we've been spotted no da!"
Please review!!!!! To be continued.
