Timeless
Chapter 2 : Who are you?
Author : butter-fly
I didn't get as much reviews as I hoped for but thanks to Mei Yen, Pink Cherry Blossom and Mahou Cherryblossom Soujo, for reviewing. I'll continue writing for you guys!
The flutterer,
Butter-fly :)
* * *
The doctor stepped out of the emergency ward with an expressionless mask. He removed his surgical mask carefully and let out a sigh of relief. He eyed the two tall men who stood up briskly when he came out, well prepared to tell them that he had done his job.
"How is she, Osami-sempai?" Eriol asked. Osami was one of the top operating sergeants in Japan.
"She's fine. She lost a lot of blood so she's very weak but she'll live," Osami said reassuringly.
Osami nod his head towards them and excused himself.
"You do know that this will be all over the papers tomorrow," Eriol told Li as they followed the nurse who was pushing
the patient to a room.
"Yeah I know. I'll have to make a call to Xin to let him know," Li said in return. Xin was his public relations officer, a very valuable addition to his Clan.
The girl looked pale and fragile against the hospital's white sheets. She had no identification or anything to indicate her identity so they couldn't contact her family members. She seemed to be about the age of 14-17. The police had come and went, taking bits of information from them and would come back when the girl was awake to get her testification.
"You should go back to your apartment, you look horrible," Eriol said.
Li ran a hand over his already tousled hair, "I want to stay, and it's my fault after all. I'll be fine, you go back."
Eriol placed a comforting hand on his shoulders, "You sure?" he asked.
A smirk tugged the end of his lips, "Yeah, I've spent so many hours awake, training and working I'm immune to tiredness," he said wryly.
One hand on the door knob Eriol smiled and said, "I'll be here at 6 a.m. for my shift so I'll look in at you."
He nodded and made himself comfortable on the sofa. He stretched fully on the sofa, his legs dangling from the edge of the sofa. Eyes closed, he thought of the young girl lying on the bed.
Gomen nasai, little one.
He intended to compensate the girl for whatever casualties she suffered. She must be a street girl, probably a beggar by the way she dress. Well, that will probably change once she got well.
* * *
The young man in her arms sighed blissfully as she lowered her mouth to his. Her lips closed in to form a kiss which she planted lightly on his mouth. A silly lopsided smile came upon his lips and she smiled with anticipating. Her long nails stroke the sensitive skin on his neck and she pounced. Canine teeth extended to long thin needles which pierced into his skin causing him to jerk convulsively. The sweet warm nectar filled her mouth and she savored the taste of fresh blood. She continued to take from him until he was almost fully drained. Then she let the slumped body fall to the ground. It was important not to take the last drop of blood or you too will follow the victim to the underworld.
"Had fun Yasha?" he asked her dryly.
She grinned, "Oh, yes. Didn't you?" she asked.
"Of course. This world is full of vermin really, easy prey," he laughed. "I'm beginning to like this world."
"See, I always steer you to the right thing to do," she drawled.
"Demo, the-"
She waved her hand delicately as if chasing off a pesky fly, "Be more patient, my brother. Surely, you have not forgotten of the last battle, many many years ago. We need more sacrifices, blood and demon objects," she reasoned.
He folded his arms and stared ahead of him, "I remember the Dark Prince's last words of the curse-" and he quoted.
By the powers of shadows,
Of what was hidden and long forgotten,
Forever be sealed in the unknown,
Forgotten lands be yours to stay,
"Brother, we will return to our land, our world," she cooed at him.
"I wish to return now, I want to see Nau again," he said, beginning one of his usual tantrums.
"Hoji! Don't you dare throw one of your tantrums,' she warned him. Nau was his homeland, the lonely moor where he was born and where he learned his dark magik.
He sulked, pulling a face. Yasha only called him Hoji when she was angry at him or frustrated at him, and he hated it when she was mad at him. He admired her, adored her, copied her every action. She was his protector, his shield against all things he hated.
"Now, now brother. Go out and have fun, won't you? You can't stay here sulking all the time," she told him.
Suddenly he grinned mischievously, "A hunt?"
She returned his grin with an upturned twist of her lips, "Good idea."
Alone now, Hoji sauntered out of the dark lanes of the alley and headed towards the street lit by the lamps. There was hardly anyone on the street at this late night hour and he was about to give up when he caught the scent of a woman. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and licked his bottom lip with his tongue. A women smelled differently from a man, she would smell of flowers-soft, fragile and utterly desirable but a man would smell like cigars or spice-hard and exciting.
He sniffed the air, delighting in her smell and already able to taste the sweat that clung to her skin. Blood was rushing quickly in her veins, she must be running. And she was scared, he could hear the pounding of her heart against her rib cage. His eyes darkened, he hadn't even started with her yet and she was already afraid. Someone was going to pay, all right.
With his back against the stone wall, he waited for her to arrive. He took out what the vermin called cigarettes and lit it with the flame he conjured up himself. Puffs of smoke came from his mouth as he released his breath. Then she came, a pretty girl with blonde hair and blue eyes running as if the devil was after her. Behind her were a few men, ugly and stinking chasing after her with clubs in their hands.
She tripped and fell sprawling over the gravel ground. Now she had tears in her eyes, and they threatened to spill.
"Tired already? And we haven't got you started yet," one of them said boisterously.
"Onegai..let me go," she said in a pitiful voice.
"Sorry, honey. You're too sweet," another said.
Thinking he had enough, Hoji pushed against the wall and walked slowly to them. Dumping the cigarette to the ground, he stepped on it and turn his cold blue eyes at them. Oh, yes he would definitely enjoy this.
"She's mine," he hissed at them.
"Oh, yeah. Buddy, we saw her first."
"If you are wise, you will leave her to me," Hoji said calmly, the iciness in his voice caused them to shiver.
But they decided to be brave. If they back out now, they will be branded as losers all their life when the others catch on this. Besides he was only one man.
"No way!"
Hoji smirked at the two words and cracked his knuckles. He would enjoy playing with these men for a while, maybe a little snap here and there or an eyeball or two. Unlike Yasha he did not enjoy the taste of human blood, he preferred the pleasure of the flesh. This pretty blond was going to be his meal for today, and her soul will be his.
Two of the men charged straight at him when they saw that he was preoccupied with something, Hoji saw them coming and he managed to grab hold of each their arm and he twisted it with enough force to break the bones. The men howled in agony while the last one stared at him in horror. He then flung them onto the ground and began to break every other bone in their body with his feet. Crack, crack, crack. And all the while he heard them plead and yell and cried he smiled happily like a child given a new toy to play with.
"What are you?" the last man standing asked, quaking in his shoes. His eyes bulging out from the scene he had just witnessed.
Hoji walked a inches away from the men he had just broken and gave them a dramatic bow, "I am your worst nightmare, the child who grew up within the embrace of darkness, Hoji at your service."
"Devil!" the man screamed before taking off as fast as his feet could carry him.
Hoji called for a magikal spear to come to his aid, and a black spear appeared in his hand. He squinted his eyes, measuring the distance it need to travel and threw it. It struck the man right on the back piercing his heart and causing instant death straight away. The spear disappeared to thin air once its job was done.
He turned his attention now on the young girl who sat on the ground, shaking like a leaf. "Shh, little one. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently to her. Not now anyway.
"Arigato for helping me. I'll give you all my cash," she practically cried out. She was very afraid after seeing what he had done to the two men who were still lying on the ground motionless.
He picked her up in his arms and buried his face in her neck. "You smell nice," he said cheekily.
"Kami-sama, onegai...don't," she pleaded.
"Relax, this will be fun for both of us," he said in his most sexy voice.
She screamed.
* * *
"Today, there were three male bodies found in Osaka. Two were reported to have died from pain as every single bone in their body were broken while one of the man died from a spear wound a few feet away. Not very far away, the body of a young blond woman was discovered in the alleys . Her mysterious death has the police puzzled but they suspect that she may have been raped-"
The voice of the reporter was cut off as Eriol pressed a button on the remote control. He was sitting in his dark leather chair with his fingers intertwined at his lap. Suddenly, there were many strange occurrences in Japan. Brutal, bizarre deaths and that burst of energy he had felt last night. He frowned as he mulled over the causes of this occurrences.
"Eriol-kun?" the brown-haired Nakuru said. Nakuru was actually Ruby Moon, one of his winged guardians. She maintained this human form unless he needed the presence of Ruby Moon.
"What is it Nakuru-chan?"
"The air reeks of death," she said softly.
He nodded, understanding what she meant. "It is as if demons have been let loose in our world."
"What do we do?" she asked.
"For now nothing until I get to the bottom of all this," Eriol said.
Before any more could be said, the door of his ancient house was hammered with angry fists. And he remained seated, waiting for Nakuru to get the door. Once the door was unlocked, a very upset Chinese girl rushed in and with her hands on her hips stared at him angrily.
"Eriol!"
"How can I help you, Mei Ling-chan?" he asked her innocently.
She emphasized the words she pronounced, "Where-is-Syaoran?"
"In a hospital."
"Which one?" she demanded.
"Tokyo Hospital," he answered.
"I'll settle with you and him later for turning off your hand phones. I can't reach any of you and that worried me to hell and I will make both of you pay!" she said at him before taking off.
Eriol shook his head and chuckled, Mei Ling always made empty threats but sometimes she made them come true.
"Ohayo gozaimasu Nakuru-chan," a new voice greeted from the doorway making Eriol tensed up.
Maybe I could teleport myself before she knows I'm here.
"Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan."
"Where's Eriol?" she asked.
"You know where," Nakuru answered cheerfully.
Tomoyo walked towards Eriol's favorite chair intending to greet him but he wans't there when she looked. "He's not here," she said to Nakuru.
Nakuru shrugged, "Was there anything in particular you were searching for him for?"
Tomoyo grinned and giggled excitedly, "I've got all the camera crew and clothes ready for him to start modeling my winter collection." Suddenly Nakuru knew why Eriol disappeared so quickly, and sweatdropped when Tomoyo started shouting 'kawaii' and started yelling throughout the house how 'kawaii' Eriol will look once he wears her clothes. Then with a crazy smile, Tomoyo ran up and down the house looking for Eriol with her handy camera in tow. She was insane, better stay out of her way, Nakuru thought.
* * *
"I'm going after her," the small yellow winged creature said. It hovered over the air, flapping it's tiny white wings and was about to fly straight ahead when a cool windy voice called out to it, "Chotto matte."
"Nan de?" the creature asked. (I think it means 'what' in jap, I'm only guessing, I heard it in the movie)
"We haven't plan this out properly Keroberos."
"What more is there to plan? I go into the portal and come out the other side and drag the child back. How's that for a plan? I always knew I was a genius," it said in a rather boastful voice.
"How are you going to find her? We don't even know what is on the other side."
"I can't just sit here and wait for her to return. What if she needs our help? What if she's in trouble?"
"I'm worried too. Let us consult Kinamoto-sensei before we do anything rash."
"That's what I was afraid you were going to suggest. Touya's going to have our heads or at least mine if he knows what we have done. I'm going to die!" the small creature whined.
"Come, Keroberos."
The creature made little whimpering sounds and floated in the air after his friend.
* * *
Syaoran stared at the girl who slept on the bed peacefully, wondering when she would finally wake up. It would be a day already and the effects of the anesthetic they gave her should have worn off by now. He couldn't really tell whether she was pretty or not due to the oxygen mask she had on. All he could tell was the gold-brown locks that was spread on the pillow was a really pretty color. He wondered what color were her eyes.
Then he found his eyes locked onto a pair of emerald eyes. They stared back at him with confusion and uncertainty. Her eyes darted around the room, and they widened as she began realize this was not a familiar place to her. It was clear to him that she was afraid and that she was in an agitated state.
He said the first thing that came into his mind, "Shh, you're safe here."
She stared at him for a few seconds unblinking and then looked away, seeming to understand him and trust him. Her body relaxed, her breathing returning to normal.
"I see she's awake," Eriol said when he came in.
"Hai, just only."
Eriol smiled gently at the girl on the bed and said, "I hope you feel better soon."
She nod her head once and pointed towards the oxygen mask she wore. Then she flicked her wrist weakly at it, asking him when she could take it out.
"Not yet. Soon," Eriol answered. "Doctor Osami will be here again to check up on you, he'll tell you when."
Then he turned to Li, "You should get back and calm Mei Ling down. I'm surprised she hasn't torn down the hospital walls in search of you."
"Li SYAORAN!"
"Speak of the devil," Li muttered under his breath.
"How dare you and Eriol do this to me? I was sooo worried about you and you turn off your hand phones!" Mei Ling said loudly.
"You might want to lower your voice, Mei-chan. This is the hospital," Li said darkly. He threw her a glare and it made her quiet down a little.
"And you Eriol, why couldn't you have told me you were coming here? It would have saved me the trouble of finding Syaoran when," she said through her teeth.
Eriol merely smiled sweetly at her and shrugged. There was no need to answer her question; it will only lead to more verbal accusations and fighting.
Mei Ling tried a death glare on the blue-haired man but it only made his smile wider. Finally, she caught sight of the young girl which lie on the bed. This must be the girl that they hit. She shook off her anger and smiled at the girl who was looking at her in a peculiar way.
"Hi, I'm Rae Mei Ling," she said warmly.
The girl's eyes twinkled and she tried to nod her head but it was a difficult for her to do so it was like she was moving a little.
"I'm really sorry at what happened to you. Don't worry, Syaoran will take full responsibility for it."
The girl's eyelids began to droop and she fell right back to sleep. Syaoran gestured to them to go out where they could talk more freely. He threw the girl one last glance, making sure himself she was all right before closing the door behind him.
"Mei Ling, why didn't you just stay at home?" Li asked with slight exasperation.
She pursed her lips and said in a quiet voice, "Did it ever occur to you that I might have been worried about you? You've just been off the plane and then there's this accident here, you haven't even reached to your apartment yet. If you're worried about that girl I can stay here and keep watch for you. Go back, shower and take a good rest."
Li let out a sigh and raked a hand through his hair, "Gomen ne, Mei-chan. I think I'll head for my apartment and then come back here again later."
She nodded; satisfied that she had been able to make him listen to her. Syaoran had always been obstinate, headstrong and always thinking that he was superman instead of a normal human being. Perhaps, there was truth in that. Due to the fact that he was the only male heir that descended straight from Clow Reed, he had been pressed to outdo and become the best. Everything was hard on him especially since the death of his father.
"I'll walk with you for a moment Li-kun. I need to discuss something with you," Eriol said suddenly.
"Oh, can I borrow your car?" Li asked instead.
"I think you should get Wei to pick you up," Eriol answered.
"Oh, yeah that will be a better idea. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Li inquired.
Eriol pressed the 'down' lift button and said in a severe voice, "It's odd and I find it particular worrying."
Li waited for Eriol to go on, for whatever that troubled him so had to be of utmost importance.
"Have you felt anything, Li-kun? Any burst of magic?"
There was a soft 'ding' and the lift doors slid opened slowly. They both walked in and Li pressed the silver lobby button and answered Eriol's question, "I have but it happens sometimes. There are others who have magic you know."
"Hai, demo..this morning's news about four mysterious deaths made me think twice."
Li lifted an eyebrow at him, "You think somebody with magic has been killing people?"
"I don't know yet but I do know that whoever it is, is very dangerous."
* * *
Two days later...
Finally, Osami-sensei gave permission for the respirator to come off to their relief. They still had no idea who she was or where her family members were. And Li had already tried his best by placing her picture on the paper, the news reported of her but there had been nothing. Today, they could speak to her properly without the doctor fussing about them disturbing his patient.
"Hi, what's your name?" Li asked.
She looked at him blankly, like she didn't understand him.
"Your name?" Li said a bit louder.
Still there was no answer and it made him impatient and frustrated at the same time.
Eriol who had been standing by the other side quietly decided to say something before his friend lost his temper. "We need to know how to contact your family."
Once again, no sound came from the girl. But she shook her head at them.
"No? As in no family?" Eriol interpreted.
At this she bobbed her head and smiled at him.
"She can't speak or something?" Li asked.
She gave them an affirmative nod.
"This will be difficult," Eriol said with a sigh.
"You said it."
* * *
I hope to get more reviews..that way I get more encouragement to continue. *hint* Heh…