Chapter 2: Ticking Clocks and Falling Trees
A single ray of sunlight shone through the thick black curtains that covered the window. The light fell across an all black comforter on a black bed. Amaranta stared sadly at the far wall as she lay in bed, only her lower body covered by the comforter. Her arms acted as a pillow under her face. Everything was quiet in the room except for the light ticking of a clock.
The comforter next to Amaranta rustled and a man sat up next to her, his long black hair falling off his shoulders and onto his bare chest. He rubbed some sleep out of his eyes with his left palm. Amaranta didn't look over at him, but he looked down at her. She felt his fingers lightly trace the groove down the middle of her bare back, up and down. She didn't move.
"How long have you been awake?" he whispered into her ear.
Amaranta could feel his breath on her cheek. She didn't answer, just blinked. He leaned down and gently kissed her neck a couple of times. But Amaranta still didn't move or speak. Again she just blinked. He hovered a couple inches above her bare body.
"Hmph."
He slid out of bed and grabbed a black robe from off a nearby chair. He slipped it on and tied it as he walked over to Amaranta's end of the bed. He bent down and looked into her face. He rubbed her soft cheek with the back of his hand then slid one of his long fingernails roughly across it. Amaranta just blinked and continued to stare sadly ahead.
"Come on. Time to get up. You've got work to do."
He got to his feet and walked away from her and into a bathroom. He shut the door and soon running water could be heard. Amaranta blinked then sat up. She got out of bed, letting the blankets slip from her naked body. She grabbed some under garments and slipped them on. Then she grabbed her normal long, wavy, black skirt and pulled it on over her legs and pulled her black shirt on over her head.
Amaranta brushed her long black hair out and tied it up in its usual style, with different sized braids in various parts of her hair. She swung a dark brown cloak off a rack and around her shoulders, fastening it under her chin. She drew the hood over her face and stared out of it with her dark brown almost black eyes. There was no emotion on her face, only sadness and despair.
Amaranta swept out of the room, closing the door behind her. Running water and the slow, light ticking of the clock could still be heard in the now empty room. When the man emerged from the bathroom he would find her gone, like usual. And he wouldn't care, like usual.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun was shining brightly and it was a nice day out. An accident would be easy to see, but a cloaked figure would be even easier. The stores and shops were now open for business and many civilians wandered the streets. More cars had come out and were driving towards their destination.
Kurama and Hiei walked side by side through the city. Kurama was still determined to find this mystery woman and, since the encounter from the day before, so was Hiei. His sword was hidden away under his outer black cloak again. Both of their hands were placed in their pockets.
"I don't see her," Hiei said, looking around.
"Be patient, Hiei. I have a feeling she will turn up very shortly."
They continued to walk on. Not even five minutes after Kurama had said this they heard a woman scream.
"Come on."
Kurama and Hiei ran towards the sound and saw a woman shrieking at a man who was running away with her purse.
"We must stop him," Kurama said, running forward.
Hiei, being faster, got in front of the man before Kurama. The man halted and looked down at Hiei.
"Get out of my way, runt," he huffed.
"Runt? Heh. Hand over the bag and maybe I'll spare your pathetic life," Hiei answered.
Kurama was now behind the man.
"Do as he says. He doesn't bluff."
"Huh?"
The man turned around and looked at Kurama then looked back at Hiei. He started inching towards one side.
"Who are you people?"
"Just hand over the bag already," Hiei said impatiently.
"You're a bunch of freaks!"
The man dropped the purse and ran away.
"Hn. What a pathetic excuse for a living soul," Hiei said, picking up the purse.
Kurama took it from him and handed it back to the woman, searching the crowd for a cloaked figure. His gaze fell upon one walking away. Hiei stood at Kurama's side and also saw her. They didn't need to say anything to each other. They already knew to follow her.
Again they were lead into the forest. The woman stopped but didn't turn around. Kurama and Hiei stopped, looking at her in anticipation of what she was going to do.
"Do you think I don't know you are behind me?" she asked.
"What?" Kurama and Hiei breathed.
"Why else do you think I would lead you into the forest again?"
She turned around and faced them.
"Why do you keep following me?" she asked.
"You never answered my question," Kurama said, smirking a little. "Do you follow destruction or happen to be there by coincidence?"
"Neither."
"Please explain."
"In a sense I cause it. I cause the devastation, the fear, the anger, the sadness, the depression."
Kurama opened his mouth to ask another question but it was cut short. There was a loud cracking noise and his eyes darted to a nearby tree falling towards the cloaked figure. Hiei stood nearby, his sword drawn. He had cut the tree down in hopes of trapping this woman.
"Hiei, we could have resorted to less violent methods," Kurama whispered to his friend.
"Your talk was making me impatient," Hiei answered.
The woman's attention had been all drawn towards Kurama that she hadn't had time to notice what Hiei had done. She backed up slowly, the tree falling closer and closer to her. Hiei watched her. Why wasn't she using her speed to get out of the way? He knew she was capable. There was a loud crash and the tree fell, its branches engulfing the cloaked figure. Kurama gasped and ran over to where she had been, followed by Hiei.
Beneath the thick leaves and branches Kurama could see her body. She was unconscious but still alive and well. There would only be a few scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious. Even though the sun was out the woman seemed to be shrouded in shadow and darkness. When he would feel her skin later he would notice that it was cold despite the heat. Who was this woman? Was what she had said before really true? Did she really cause those things?
A single ray of sunlight shone through the thick black curtains that covered the window. The light fell across an all black comforter on a black bed. Amaranta stared sadly at the far wall as she lay in bed, only her lower body covered by the comforter. Her arms acted as a pillow under her face. Everything was quiet in the room except for the light ticking of a clock.
The comforter next to Amaranta rustled and a man sat up next to her, his long black hair falling off his shoulders and onto his bare chest. He rubbed some sleep out of his eyes with his left palm. Amaranta didn't look over at him, but he looked down at her. She felt his fingers lightly trace the groove down the middle of her bare back, up and down. She didn't move.
"How long have you been awake?" he whispered into her ear.
Amaranta could feel his breath on her cheek. She didn't answer, just blinked. He leaned down and gently kissed her neck a couple of times. But Amaranta still didn't move or speak. Again she just blinked. He hovered a couple inches above her bare body.
"Hmph."
He slid out of bed and grabbed a black robe from off a nearby chair. He slipped it on and tied it as he walked over to Amaranta's end of the bed. He bent down and looked into her face. He rubbed her soft cheek with the back of his hand then slid one of his long fingernails roughly across it. Amaranta just blinked and continued to stare sadly ahead.
"Come on. Time to get up. You've got work to do."
He got to his feet and walked away from her and into a bathroom. He shut the door and soon running water could be heard. Amaranta blinked then sat up. She got out of bed, letting the blankets slip from her naked body. She grabbed some under garments and slipped them on. Then she grabbed her normal long, wavy, black skirt and pulled it on over her legs and pulled her black shirt on over her head.
Amaranta brushed her long black hair out and tied it up in its usual style, with different sized braids in various parts of her hair. She swung a dark brown cloak off a rack and around her shoulders, fastening it under her chin. She drew the hood over her face and stared out of it with her dark brown almost black eyes. There was no emotion on her face, only sadness and despair.
Amaranta swept out of the room, closing the door behind her. Running water and the slow, light ticking of the clock could still be heard in the now empty room. When the man emerged from the bathroom he would find her gone, like usual. And he wouldn't care, like usual.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun was shining brightly and it was a nice day out. An accident would be easy to see, but a cloaked figure would be even easier. The stores and shops were now open for business and many civilians wandered the streets. More cars had come out and were driving towards their destination.
Kurama and Hiei walked side by side through the city. Kurama was still determined to find this mystery woman and, since the encounter from the day before, so was Hiei. His sword was hidden away under his outer black cloak again. Both of their hands were placed in their pockets.
"I don't see her," Hiei said, looking around.
"Be patient, Hiei. I have a feeling she will turn up very shortly."
They continued to walk on. Not even five minutes after Kurama had said this they heard a woman scream.
"Come on."
Kurama and Hiei ran towards the sound and saw a woman shrieking at a man who was running away with her purse.
"We must stop him," Kurama said, running forward.
Hiei, being faster, got in front of the man before Kurama. The man halted and looked down at Hiei.
"Get out of my way, runt," he huffed.
"Runt? Heh. Hand over the bag and maybe I'll spare your pathetic life," Hiei answered.
Kurama was now behind the man.
"Do as he says. He doesn't bluff."
"Huh?"
The man turned around and looked at Kurama then looked back at Hiei. He started inching towards one side.
"Who are you people?"
"Just hand over the bag already," Hiei said impatiently.
"You're a bunch of freaks!"
The man dropped the purse and ran away.
"Hn. What a pathetic excuse for a living soul," Hiei said, picking up the purse.
Kurama took it from him and handed it back to the woman, searching the crowd for a cloaked figure. His gaze fell upon one walking away. Hiei stood at Kurama's side and also saw her. They didn't need to say anything to each other. They already knew to follow her.
Again they were lead into the forest. The woman stopped but didn't turn around. Kurama and Hiei stopped, looking at her in anticipation of what she was going to do.
"Do you think I don't know you are behind me?" she asked.
"What?" Kurama and Hiei breathed.
"Why else do you think I would lead you into the forest again?"
She turned around and faced them.
"Why do you keep following me?" she asked.
"You never answered my question," Kurama said, smirking a little. "Do you follow destruction or happen to be there by coincidence?"
"Neither."
"Please explain."
"In a sense I cause it. I cause the devastation, the fear, the anger, the sadness, the depression."
Kurama opened his mouth to ask another question but it was cut short. There was a loud cracking noise and his eyes darted to a nearby tree falling towards the cloaked figure. Hiei stood nearby, his sword drawn. He had cut the tree down in hopes of trapping this woman.
"Hiei, we could have resorted to less violent methods," Kurama whispered to his friend.
"Your talk was making me impatient," Hiei answered.
The woman's attention had been all drawn towards Kurama that she hadn't had time to notice what Hiei had done. She backed up slowly, the tree falling closer and closer to her. Hiei watched her. Why wasn't she using her speed to get out of the way? He knew she was capable. There was a loud crash and the tree fell, its branches engulfing the cloaked figure. Kurama gasped and ran over to where she had been, followed by Hiei.
Beneath the thick leaves and branches Kurama could see her body. She was unconscious but still alive and well. There would only be a few scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious. Even though the sun was out the woman seemed to be shrouded in shadow and darkness. When he would feel her skin later he would notice that it was cold despite the heat. Who was this woman? Was what she had said before really true? Did she really cause those things?
