Chapter 32
~~*~~ Francesca
I'm not sure how long we walked. After a while, I became accustomed to the numbness in my feet that slowly crept its way up my legs. I didn't tell them though, I didn't want to be weak, I didn't want to be the one to slow us down.
After a moment I did stop briefly, only to look up through the canopy and see the sky turning a purplish blue. Twilight, it gave me a good excuse to get the rest my body so desperately craved.
"We should set up camp before nightfall," I whispered, and surprisingly they heard me, despite being a few steps ahead of me. Aki gave me a look that told me she wasn't fooled by my excuse, but simply nodded. Mistero mewed on my shoulder, and leapt off. Aki sat down on a nearby rock and watched me for a moment before placing her hands on her knees, her face set in decision.
"Alright, I'm going to see about some dinner, can you gather some wood for a fire and some long pieces for a spit?"
I nodded and she gave me a bright smile, "Good, I'll leave that to you. Come on neko-youkai, let's go catch something fat and juicy for our stomachs."
Mistero mewed in response and ran over to her heels. I watched as they vanished into the frowning darkness of the forest, then closed my eyes, giving in to my weariness and sat down against a nearby tree. I didn't even remember feeling sleep come for me. I hadn't intended on actually falling asleep, I just wanted to rest a little bit before attending to the task set before me. Instead, I passed out. My senses woke me after an eternity to the feeling of warmth around me and the delicious smell of roasting meat filling my nose.
"Uh," I groaned and opened my eyes. My head felt like a pile of rocks had been stuffed inside, all at once. Aki was kneeling beside a roaring fire, which had two browning shapes suspended over it. I blinked again and rubbed my eyes to clear the fuzziness from my vision and looked again.
"You're awake," Aki said cheerfully, "I was afraid you wouldn't be up in time to eat," she said, turning the spit before moving over to sit near me.
"Wood?" I mumbled. She had said something about wood to me. That was the last thing I remembered. I felt a warm breeze caress my hair and saw Mistero's massive head from the corner of my eye and smiled gently.
"We knew you were tired, and didn't expect you to actually get any wood," she said laughing softly, "You needed the sleep so I don't mind the work Francesca-sama."
I rubbed my temples, "Just Francesca, Aki."
She nodded and hurried over to the fire once again, carefully removing the spit from the flames and placing it across two nearby rocks to cool. I watched, still a little groggy and lost in the heat of Mistero's fur as she pulled a small dagger from her pouch and began placing cuts into the meat, releasing more hot vapors.
"What?" I mumbled, the thoughts forming in my head but barely escaping my lips.
"Rabbit," she said, "Mistero is a great hunter." Mistero let off a soft yowl and if I didn't know any better I almost saw him tip his nose into the air with pride. I snickered softly and scratched under his large chin gently, getting a massive purr to radiate from his large furry chest. With a sigh, I leaned back against his side. I was still very tired, I could feel it in my face, the way it burned and in my hands and eyes as the muscles twitched nervously.
I wanted to curl back up against Mistero and drift back into the abyss of sleep, but the delicious smells of the cooked rabbits pulled me back. I knew I had to try and eat something, if only to gather my strength. Aki brought the cooling meat over to me and sat down. In her hand, I saw a small plain knife, which she used to carve off a piece and hand to me. Inside it was still steaming, but the juicy flavor that poured down my throat was more than worth the fact I burnt my mouth. I even offered Mistero a piece, but he turned up his nose at the cooked meat. With another purr, he nudged my temple with his muzzle and stood, trotting out into the night.
"He takes great concern over you," Aki said, after finishing a bite. "Who is he?"
I sighed, "I'm not sure, I just remember his name and that I trust him." She glanced at me curiously.
"I heard Saki-san speaking to some of the other ladies. She said that you were fished from the Dead River, and you have no knowledge of who you are."
I bowed my head, "A few things, shadows really, half glimpses into something. Every once in a while I see something in my mind, a vision of something, but its gone so quickly I'm not sure what it is. Or a name comes to my head. Mistero's name came to me like that, and it can't be a guess, it's a very strange name. He responds to it, so I can't be wrong. Then there's something else that I don't understand: When I close my eyes, I keep seeing these golden eyes, it's like they're with me all the time, following me. I don't feel afraid, like Mistero does, they make me feel safe."
"Maybe it's your mate," she said softly.
I lifted my head to look at her. "The woman in the village said the same thing, but I don't understand what makes everyone think that."
Aki leaned over and touched my neck, and I felt it throb with a soft heat before returning to normal, "You have a mark on your neck, it's a mating mark. Only youkai give them."
I shuddered, "Youkai, like those things that came to the village?!" I shivered at the thought that I could have- with one of those things.
"No, youkai are like Mistero, they have a form. Those things in the village, I don't know what they are," she said softly. "I do know this Francesca, whoever he may be, I know your mate is a good person, because you are. You wouldn't join yourself with someone who was evil. Most people don't believe it, but there are good youkai out there, just like Mistero."
I stared at the food in my hand, feeling rather full even though I hadn't eaten much. The little I did eat was making me feel better, but I didn't want to push it. My brain seemed to be spinning too quickly for me to really think about food. The creatures in the village, this mysterious mate that I saw in my dream, and finally my memories, or lack there off; all of these things flooded my conscious mind. So many questions and so few answers.
The air around us grew suddenly very warm, and very busy. That was the only way I knew to describe it, it was filled with action, like a swarm of angry bees attacking. That's exactly what it reminded me back, an angry swarm. Anger! I stood quickly, ignoring the rush of blood to my head as I began looking around quickly, my senses spiking to an intense high. The smell of the air, the blackness of the dark around us, the crackle of the fire and how it was the only sound I could hear. All the hairs on my body stood tense as the anger only grew.
"Francesca?" whispered a frightened Aki, looking up at me, then around to see what had caught my attention. I stared out into the forest, and tried to focus. Then something extraordinary happened. Everything seemed to slow down, and expand. Aki's questioning voice vanished from my ears, as I felt my hearing shift. It was like the volume was turned down for everything near my, and up for everything else. I heard yowling in the distance, and then a loud hiss, and a crash.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered, and my focus faded back, as if my body was pulled back to the fireside quickly.
Aki looked out into the forest, "Hear what?"
I turned my face to the breath of wind that came through the trees, and that same disorienting feeling shimmered over my face. I could smell the sharp smell of the burning wood, the damp earth just beyond the trees rich with vegetation and beyond that the cold crisp smell of a stream. I felt my eyes unfocus as I reached deeper, when something else caught my nose. Sharp, tangy, coppery and familiar. Then I heard another crash, and dove towards Aki, knocking her down to the ground.
"Get down!" I shouted just as something flew over the two of us, falling into the fire, and scattering the hot coals all over the ground, extinguishing our light, save for the scant moonlight above the canopy. The moon was only a few days short of being new again, and so the world was a dark grey, unlike the night of a full moon. A face flashed in my mind then, at the thoughts of a full moon, but I quickly blinked it away as I pushed Aki towards the safety of the bushes, "Stay down," I hissed at her. I squinted into the darkness, trying to see who or what had hit our fire, and why it or they weren't screaming in pain from being burnt.
I heard the fight before my eyes could focus on it, the loud growing and the hissing. I felt something beside my foot and picked it up. It was one of the spit sticks, still hot from the heat of the fire. I ignored the temperature and ran forward, swinging with all my might. I heard a loud hiss, and whatever I hit struck back, sending me flying to the ground. I didn't think my body was meant to bounce, and I was proven right as pain soared up my backside as I landed on the hard ground.
I heard Mistero yowl, and saw him moving quickly through the air, lit only by the flames that had erupted on his feet. I reached for my stick again, and ran towards him. In the ever flickering light that he provided I saw his opponent. It was the biggest snake I had ever seen, and I didn't need all my memories to tell me that. It was twice Mistero's size, and three times as long. How the fire cat had managed to put up a good fight was surprising to me. I ignored the little warning inside that told me to go hide with Aki and shoved the sharper end of my stick into the moving form. It hissed loudly and I saw Mistero go flying. The light from his paws that had once aided me, was now extinguished and I was dropped into the near darkness of the night.
"Oh shit," I whispered, and realized that I had just said something that wasn't Japanese. 'Worry about surfacing memory later, run from the big friggin teeth now!' the little voice inside screamed and I jumped out of the way of a sharp tooth that glimmered in a beam of moonlight. It just narrowly missed me, I felt the material of my kimono tear as the fang caught it, consequently reducing the distance I wanted to cover significantly.
I ignored the very obvious draft that ran up my legs as I scrambled out of the path of another attack, rolling quickly out of harms way. My blood burned, and I crouched low to the ground, my fingertips digging into the dirt as a low rumbled filled my chest. A growl? Was I just growling?
'Again, priorities!' my instincts screamed as I leapt into the air, the power in my legs surprising me as I pushed myself into the high canopy above, avoiding a sweep of tail. My hands wrapped around a branch, and I swung my legs hard, sending me flipping through the air to land on another branch. Again, I crouched almost feral, fingertips clung into the wood as I growled at my opponent.
I could see Aki hiding in the bushes, when I realized that the lack of light was not bothering me in the least. I was able to see perfectly, as if it was only early dusk, rather than full night. Not only my sight, but my sense of hearing, for I knew the heavy breathing and pounding heartbeat weren't mine. My sense of smell was greater for now I could smell the saltiness of Aki's skin as she crouched nervously in the shadows, staring up at me with a mixture of fear and amazement.
The snake turned, its tongue darting rapidly in the air as it tried to smell my position and instead found hers. She whimpered and I heard it. Before the creature could react any further, I leapt down from my branch before it, and let out a loud hiss. If I had fur, it would have been on all ends, as I glared at my opponent. Anger and power crackled over my skin, and I could only barely hear the whisper of fear within myself, knowing that this wasn't me, this couldn't be who I was. This was something else, something I couldn't identify. This newfound power thrilled me as well as frightened me, and it seemed all to comfortable, facing down this youkai. In fact, it enjoyed this fight.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye, and saw something lying in the dirt by my feet. It was the small knife that Aki was using for the meat. I rolled out of the way of another attack and came up, holding the knife tightly in my grip. My opponent didn't notice, or didn't care, and lunged at me, and I gathered the power in my legs, springing into the air at the last minute and floated a moment above the snakes head before diving down at a vulnerable part of his body. I drove the knife deep into its eye, grinning madly at the scream of fury that echoed in the woods around me, and ignored the warm liquid that flowed over my hand and down my arm. The snake shook its head fiercely, flinging me off and back into the dirt.
I scrambled to my feet as I heard it shift towards me again to attack, but instead of the head coming at me, I saw the massive shadow of its body twist swiftly and a large tail wrap around me. It felt like every part of my body was trying to come out of my eyes, and I squeezed them shut painfully. My whole chest hurt and I couldn't draw a breath.
"Rose!" I heard called out into the night and I looked up at the sound. My vision was already starting to blur, so I wasn't sure what I was seeing, but it looked like a person, a man to be specific. I tried to call out for him, but the air from my lungs simply flowed from my mouth, and didn't make any sound so I quickly shut my lips again and stared as he seemed to float down from heaven. I couldn't make out his features, but behind him trailed silver streaks of color in the moonlight and just below that, the glow of golden eyes.
'Golden eyes' I thought as the last of the air was squeezed from my body and the night swallowed me.
~~*~~ Keitaro
I smelled the snake youkai upwind, and Mistero's blood. 'Attack' my instincts screamed and doubled my speed, taking to the trees to move faster. I heard a shrill scream of pain fill the air, and then, deep inside, I felt and heard the painful sound of joints popping. I knew Francesca was in trouble and as I saw the massive head of the snake through the trees, I leapt.
"Rose!" I yelled and saw her frail form wrapped tightly in the snakes long and powerful tail. She opened her mouth to warn me, but quickly fell victim to the snake's squeeze and collapsed. Everything inside me screamed for blood, and I pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath, feeling it roar to life in my hands, vibrating with power. I howled and drove the blade down towards the tail, slicing through it with the fluidity of water. It quickly unraveled from around Francesca body, which fell to the ground and stayed utterly still.
"You bastard!" I yelled, brandishing Tetsusaiga again high in my hand and brought it down across its head. It screamed painfully before falling into two separate pieces, the cold blackness of its blood staining the ground. Tetsusaiga shimmered a moment and changed back into its weaker, smaller form and I slipped it inside its sheath before hurrying to Francesca's side.
She was sheet white and she still wasn't moving. I gathered her up in my arms, and watched as her head fell backwards. No, I wouldn't lose her, I swore in my head as I tried to think of what to do. 'What would she do,' I thought and an image came to my mind. Something odd, as if I were seeing it through my eyes, but it was nothing I had ever seen before.
'Pinch the nostrils closed, and tilt the head back to open the airway, make sure you cover the victim's mouth securely and blow one full breath' came an unfamiliar woman's voice in my head. I blinked quickly and shook my head, bringing my mind to the present. Carefully I laid her down on the ground, and pressed my hand to her forehead, watching as her chin jutted upwards. I gently closed my fingertips over her nose and bowed my head. Her soft lips were not the comforting warm touch that I was used to, they were almost cold. I took a deep breath and slowly breathed into her mouth, keeping my own tight against hers to be sure that all the air was delivered.
Lifting my head a moment I could see that nothing had changed, so I repeated the procedure, placing my free hand on her chest, feeling the air fill her lungs once again. Suddenly her body jolted and her eyes flew open. With a loud wheeze she sat up, gasping for air, her hand pressed tightly over her throat.
"What-what-what" she repeated frantically before turning her head towards me. I wasn't sure if she could even see me. The forest was a musky black, as the remnants of the moon had hidden behind a cloud. Mistero walked over, as if sensing his mistress' need for light and stood beside us. She looked over at him before turning back towards me and staring into my eyes. Her own were large and frightened, but it was her. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her shaking body against me. It was her, I had finally found her again, everything was finally right in the world, my mate was back in my arms. Very slowly I loosened my grip and looked down into her beautiful face, which was flushed red and looking up at me. Slowly, an eternity seemed to pass as she opened her lips.
"Who are you?"
AN: *Lilac runs and hides from the barrage of flames due her way* Yes, that is the end of the chapter *grin*, have fun!
Review Comments:
AN: Sorry it took forever to get this out everyone, but I'm wicked busy, and I had two big projects due on Friday, so school does have my first priority. I do want to thank Dia, Funky Nassau, and Emania for their WONDERFUL editing and critiquing abilities! You guys are the best beta's a girl could ask for. They gave me the suggestion to extend the fight sequence a little more, which I think was a great idea because it gave me more room to express how much the mating mark is effecting Francesca…anyone notice? *hint hint* Anyway, thanks minna!! Onto reviews-
Msmidnight2(): I know, and I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Bunny-Butler: Yay! All 31 chapters! I'm impressed! I have to go and check out this song you've mentioned, perhaps I'll use it in a chapter! Thanks again, and my muses thank you! I'm glad you enjoy reading the review comments! I think if someone puts the work into sending me a good review, I should give them the credit and time and respond!
Inu Girl(): I'm glad to see your so enthusiastic!
loverofInu&Kagome(): Thank you so much! I'm glad you're
enjoying this story!
Bluefuzzyelf:
*grin* Oooh..the
ears *melt* I think it's the hair
too! I've
always been a sucker for long hair.
Kei: Yeah, she's always messing with mine, I think she's jealous cause its longer than hers!
Lilac: *pout* Not true, mine USED to be that long, and give me time it'll get that long again! It's just so soft and beautiful..*le happy sigh*
Funky Nassau: I'm so glad you never flame me, I think I would cry! Thanks SOO much for your help with this chapter hun! I really appreciate your unique insight!
Smiley-chan: I know you didn't mean all that, just joking around *grin*. A whip and iron maiden huh *wince* a bit too extreme for my taste, besides I think teachers have to be a little nicer now! *laugh* I prefer a gentler approach of learning, or encorperating it into something of interest, "If Inuyasha has 5 shards and Naraku has twenty, and Inuyasha kicks Naraku's butt and takes all his shards, how many will he have?!" See, now that's math I like *grin*
Kay(): I'm glad you like the comments and thank you for another notch in my review belt, I love watching those numbers go up. I can't believe I'm almost at 300 reviews for this chapter. Call me an overachiever, but I want to try and get as close to 1000 as I can before the story ends. I may get there, who knows? Spread the word!!!
