ACG: I don't really have any more hot white-haired guys to do my disclaimers…except Alucard from SOTN, but I'm not talking to him right now. If you have any questions, see my other chapters for details. (As If you need any ^^)


Second Destiny By Another Cat Girl

Chapter 10

Celena regained consciousness slowly and looked around. She was in Jajuka's room. Sunlight streamed through the open window, alighting on the sparse, inexpensive furniture before hitting her eyes and making her squint. She was lying on top of the covers of the narrow bed in the center of the tiny room. She realized in shock that all she wore was a couple of ripped sheets.

Jajuka was staring at her from his position on a small stool by the bed. Celena frowned a little and clutched the sheets closer to her. "What in the Mystic Moon is going on here, Jajuka? Why am I in your room? I don't remember coming here."

Jajuka held his expression steady. "You are lucky to be alive, Celena. Your room caught on fire, but I saved you from it. You fainted and so I brought you here to recover."

Celena's eyes got bigger. "My room! My room caught on fire? How could that happen! I didn't even have a fire going!"

Jajuka shook his head. "I think it was started by the torch outside of your room."

"How bad was it? Is there anything left?"

"The fire was pretty intense. The servants had put it out when I left, but I don't know what's left, if anything."

Celena nodded dumbly and started to chew on her thumbnail. In her mind she saw all of her possessions bursting in flames. It was hard to comprehend.

"Will you be alright, Celena? I have to tell this to Allen." He stood up to leave.

Celena looked up at him strangely. "Why am I wearing a sheet?"

Jajuka shrugged and left, but not before Celena saw a strange expression on his usually unreadable face. Was it guilt?

She glanced around for clothes and saw a neat pile of them beside her that would fit her. Jajuka must have gotten them from one of the servant boys while she was unconscious.

Celena pulled the clothes on, and the pants caught on her ring on her finger. She stared at the beautiful blue ring in horrified silence.

~Didn't I take this off? I took this ring off my finger! Why is it on again? ~

She pulled it off and examined it. It just sat in her palm tranquilly. Celena pulled a face and slipped it on again. As she watched, a stream of red pierced the blue for a second before settling fitfully back to blue.

Scared, Celena started to tug on it but it wouldn't come off. "What the...? Stupid ring! Come off, already!"

It wouldn't budge. Celena smoothed her shirt and shrugged, consoling herself with the thought of trying soap and water later. She hurried toward her room to see the damage.

It was worse than she imagined. The servants had put out the fire, but not before it had turned her room into a blackened husk. Her clothes were fine ash covering the floor and her bed had collapsed in the heat that had shriveled and burnt the covers off.

She looked around as if she was in a trance and started to shuffle through what remained. There wasn't much. Parts of her room were still smoking, and servants were still coming in with buckets to splash water sizzling onto the heat-blasted areas so they wouldn't burst into flames.

"Everything's gone," Celena whispered softly. She suddenly felt claustrophobic. She sank to her knees against a charred wall.

"How could it all disappear so quickly? There's nothing left."

Celena thought of her brother. Of Prince Merlot's hate of her. Of the nasty little ring that behaved like it were alive.

"Why do bad things keep happening? And why don't I remember?" she muttered to herself.

~My room...how that prince got hurt...that servant who said he saw a man terrorizing the servants and how the man looked like me with red eyes...~

"Why don't I remember? Does it have to do with mother's ring?" She glanced down at her hand and tugged at the ring half-heartedly. Like she expected, it barely moved.

~Why did Jajuka tell me to wear it? Is it even my mother's? Why do evil things happen when I take it off? Why does my memory just stop? ~

She felt tears blurring the edges of her vision and started to pull on the ring desperately. Celena finally gave up and leaned back, sobbing in confusion.

"Why I can't…remember?"

*~*~*~*~*

Folken Lacour de Fanel, former prince of Fanalia and the new emperor of all Zaibach had a thoughtful urge to beat some respect into the Dragonslayers.

The sixteen teenage boys were in one of the royal antechambers adjacent to Folken's rooms. They showed him a little more respect then they did everyone else, but not much more. They stood in front of him and looked at the floor, but their voices sounded insubordinate. Dilandau wasn't there to keep them in line. The young emperor wondered at the young general's ability to inspire such intense loyalty out of them.

Gatti, the strong silver-blonde-haired Ryuugekitai, crossed his arms and stared at Folken in the eyes. The young man was never good at being commanded. "Why did you need us, Folken-sama?"

The former strategos glanced at Gatti, who seemed to be the spokesperson for the Dragonslayers with Dilandau gone. "I need you to go on a mission."

The Slayers glanced quickly at each other. Dalet stepped forward past Gatti. "We don't fight without the commander." His brown hair traced his cheeks to his chin and his green eyes were intent.

Folken had expected Dalet's answer and suddenly decided to test their loyalty to their vanished leader.

"You idiots!" Folken's eyes flashed.

The young men glanced up. None of them flinched at the volume of his voice.

"He's gone! What are you going to do now! There's no future for you here if you don't fight under someone else!"

"We won't." Miguel's expression hardened. "We've already decided. And if you won't help us search for him, we're leaving to find him." The intellectual brown-haired Slayer motioned for the others to follow him out the door.

Folken almost smiled at their dedication. "Dilandau. Was he such a good General?"

The Ryuugekitai halted and turned back to face the emperor, his expression blank and hard.

Folken laughed and lifted his hands defensively. "Very well, I believe you. What if I were to tell you I know where he is?"

There was a flash to his side and he turned to see Chesta, the blonde one, with his sword out shaking with anger. "What! You know where he is? Why in Gaia didn't you tell us before?"

"I didn't know for sure until today. And I can't communicate with Dilandau. And you can't, either. Not yet."

"Why not!?" Chesta looked as if he wanted to tear the emperor limb from limb.

"Because he's in Asturia. You know we're on the verge of war. I can't have you making a scene."

Dalet shook his head. "What are we supposed to do, then?"

"I don't think that we can avoid the war that Allen Schezar wants to fight. All attempts at peace have failed with him not being able to compromise. I need to know I can win that war. I need Hitomi Kanzaki, the girl from the Mystic Moon."

Dalet snarled. "That girl? Why do you need her?"

Folken sighed at his disrespectful attitude, but knew he couldn't really do anything about it. "Hitomi is the Wing Goddess, so she control's the fate of events on Gaia. She might just decide to join the other side of the conflict again. If we don't intervene and make her want to join Zaibach, we will be defeated again, if only by her will."

Miguel considered for a moment. "That has nothing to do with Dilandau-sama. We won't do any missions for you until you return him to us."

Folken clenched his teeth. ~They are so hard-headed! Do they have no loyalty to Zaibach at all? But I need protection if I'm to go to the Mystic Moon. And not just any protection. I need to be protected by this broken group of teenagers! ~

He calmed himself visibly before speaking. "Then I suppose I'll have to return him to you. Would you help me get him?"

They nodded excitedly.

Folken smiled grimly. "We leave in two hours."

Beloved Reviewers:

Nihongo: The note I already wrote to you for this chapter was about naginata, but I think I've talked about that a wee bit too much. Thanks, cousin. And I want you to write a story for me, okay? A fanfic. And I'll praise it to the end of your days! Oh, and watch out for Allen Schezar. He is very elusive and has been known to say things about astronaut pants to young girls. His pants quote is too horrible to mention in this story, so I cannot say it. -_-

BlackDragon7: Thanks, you are such a cheerful dragon! *pats the brown girl's head* Draw me that picture! Stop reading and start drawing!! I want a hot guy fighting a dragon by this time tomorrow! Just kidding-give it to me when you're done, okay? I don't care when, just like I hope you don't care when I give you that comic strip…

Toki Mirage: Thank you! You want more! Here's some more!

Ryuko: I like your screen name…^^ ANYways, I sent you an e-mail cause you sent me two big fat reviews… Oh, and I am glad others like white-haired bishonen! Hmmm, maybe my next one should be Blot Crank from Eat-man…He's scrumptious. You are a very kind reviewer, my friend. I thank you.

Blue Demon: ;_; Sorry…no Dilandau in this one…but there ARE Dragonslayers saying really nice things about him. Don't worry…he'll be in the next one!

Feye Morgan: You ALWAYS review! Thanks! ;_; I don't know what madoushi is. Or anyone named Fred…oh…Allen is planning PURE EVIL! That's what he's planning!

T_T Guys, review and tell me nice things. Or I will look at you like this some more.
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