Kokoro No Kaitou : Search For The Past
Chapter 5 : Amaya's POV
Note: This chapter will be rated R, for Midori's extreme potty mouth. Be warned. Be VERY warned. I don't want anyone to yell at me because of her really foul language. And I mean REALLY foul.
~*~
We walked down the hall together, and Youko didn't say a word to me. I wondered what he was thinking about, then quickly dismissed the thought.
I saw a door on the right side of the hall, and walked over to it. I tried to slide it open, but it seemed to be sealed shut with something. I pulled even harder, and Youko gave me an odd look.
The door broke free of whatever had been holding it, and I nearly fell onto my rear.
I looked into the room, and quickly stumbled back away from it, my hands over my mouth.
The entire room was covered in blood - the walls, cabinets, floor, and even the ceiling. That was what had sealed the door…dried, caked blood.
In the center of the room was a horribly mangled body, that looked as though it had been brutally ripped apart by some kind of animal.
I couldn't even tell what the person used to look like, but I could only assume that it was the 'Jii-san' that we were supposed to be looking for.
"Well that's just what I wanted to see before eating lunch." Youko said.
I turned away from the horrific scene, and looked at him.
He closed the sliding door, and looked back at me. "Amaya, are you going to hurl? Because if you are, I want to get out of the way."
I shook my head, and took a deep breath, only to have my senses invaded by the rancid smell of rotting flesh. I coughed.
"Try having an enhanced sense of smell." Youko said. "Come on."
He started leading me away from the kitchen, and I looked over at him.
"Kurama-kun, what could have done that to him?" I asked.
"Looks like some kind of animal got to him. Dunno." He said. "But we need to tell Midori and Kuronue."
We walked back into the main hall, and he looked around.
"Midori! Kuronue!" He called.
"We're upstairs! Did you find something?" Midori called back, running over to the railing and looking down at us.
"Yeah, a body." Youko said.
"What?!" Midori exclaimed.
She came running down the stairs and grabbed the front of Youko's shirt. "Where?!"
"In the kitchen." He said.
She let go of him and turned to go down that hall, but Youko grabbed the back of her cloak and pulled her back.
"I wouldn't look if I were you." He said. "It's pretty gross."
She shrugged out of his grip. "Fine."
Kuronue jumped over the railing, landing easily next to us. "What happened?"
"Jii-san is dead." Midori said.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"That's okay." She looked over at Youko. "What happened to him?"
"Ripped apart by some kind of animal, or so it appears." He replied.
Amaya…
I looked around.
I felt some kind of presence enter my mind.
Who are you? I asked.
Tell them to look in the dining room.
Dining room?
Please…
I nodded. I looked at the others. "I think we should look in the dining room."
Youko gave me an odd look. "What? Why?"
"Just a thought…"
Midori turned, and started walking towards the back of the house. "I'm going to go check it out."
The presence disappeared, and I walked after Midori.
She had stopped, and was staring into a room to the left. I stood next to her, and followed her gaze.
There was a huge symbol on the wall, of a crescent moon. The kanji for mountain was written there, as well as ocean.
But they were written in blood…
"Tsuki…" Midori breathed. "She was here."
I looked over at her. "How can you tell?"
"That moon…that's her symbol, of sorts." Midori replied, never taking her eyes off of the moon. "She has a necklace, one that she wears all the time, with the same symbol."
I touched my own neck, where the necklace that I had had since birth was. A tsuki, a moon, a crescent. It was pure silver, with a matching chain. I never let anyone see it before, and it was always safely hidden either under my clothes, or in my pouch…
Was there some connection?
Youko and Kuronue came up behind us, and looked at the wall as well.
Midori turned around and looked at them.
"Are there any mountains near here?" She asked.
Kuronue nodded. "Yeah. About twenty miles to the north of here."
She nodded. "Right. That's where we're going to go."
I nodded, and turned to go, but she grabbed my shoulder.
"Oi, Amaya."
I turned back and gave her a questioning look.
"I never would have come back here. How did you know?" She asked, a serious tone to her voice.
"I…" I noticed that Kuronue and Youko were looking at me expectantly as well. "I'm not sure. Something told me to tell you."
"Something…?" Midori asked.
"Yes."
She let go of me. "Right. Well, let's just go."
She walked past me, and Kuronue followed her. I sighed.
"Kurama, what's happening to me?" I asked quietly.
"I'm not sure." He said. "Come on. Let's go."
We walked out of the dining room, and started heading towards the front entrance, when suddenly Kuronue came flying through the window. He landed with a thud by our feet, and I quickly kneeled down beside him.
"Kuronue!"
Youko growled, and ran out the front door, and I saw that Midori was fighting something out there as well.
I looked down at Kuronue. "Kuronue, what's happening out there?"
"It's Auron. He sent some really big ogres after us." He said. He flexed his wing, then cried out.
"Damn it, I just got this wing healed!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet.
"Kuronue, would you like me to heal it now?" I asked.
"Sorry, there's not enough time. Stay here, I'm going to go fight." He said, running back out again.
I looked around for any kind of weapon, but saw none.
"Shimatta [damn]!" I cursed.
I ran to the door, and my eyes widened.
There were three very large ogres in the front of the house, and each of my friends was fighting one.
I could see a fourth ogre approaching, and he was even bigger than the other three.
He was so heavy that every step he took shook the entire mansion.
I fell to my knees because of the shaking, and decided that it would be a good idea to get out of the house.
I ran down the front steps, but jumped back in surprise when the ogre swung an axe at the spot that I had just occupied.
I looked up at him, and he gave me a horrible grin.
"Ha!" He shouted, swinging at me again.
It was a good thing that I was agile.
He kept swinging, and I kept dodging. I was proud of myself, and I smirked.
I went to take a step back, and felt the ground crumble slightly.
Damn! He had backed me up against the cliff!
He grinned again, and this time I didn't smirk.
He swung at me again, and I rolled to the side. He stomped his foot against the ground, and the cliff gave way beneath him. I smirked as he plummeted into the rocks below.
"Amaya, get away from there!" Kuronue exclaimed.
I looked over, and saw that the ground was splitting.
The part that I was on was about to give way.
My mind was screaming at me to get up and run, but my body wouldn't obey. I was frozen with fear.
"Amaya! Damn, get up!" Youko exclaimed. He blocked an attack from the ogre, then slashed at him with his rosewhip.
I tried to stand, but that only made the ground crumble more. I realized that if I took another step, then the ground would fall away beneath me, and I would fall to my death.
I looked over at Youko, meeting his gaze. His eyes widened when he realized the same thing.
"Amaya, no!"
The ground gave way, and I screamed. I squeezed my eyes shut, and expected to feel the wind rushing against me, but didn't. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Midori smiling at me.
She had grabbed my hand at the last second, and I was dangling over the side of the cliff by one hand. She grinned at me.
"Caught ya!"
I smiled back.
"Midori, did you catch her?" Kuronue called.
She looked back over her shoulder, and grinned at him as well. "Yup!"
"Shit! Midori, look out!" Kuronue exclaimed.
I couldn't see what was happening, but all of the sudden, Midori fell over the edge.
She screamed, and we both started falling towards the ocean.
"Oh, FUCK!" She exclaimed.
I was surprised. I hadn't thought her capable of such harsh language.
"HOLY FUCK! WE'RE GONNA DIE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE! OH FUCK! OH FUCK! OH FUCK!" She screamed.
I was also surprised at how calm I felt. I wasn't screaming at all. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind against my face, and Midori's death grip on me. She was holding onto my hand with all of her strength, and it throbbed slightly in pain.
Was this it? Was I really going to die?
You're not going to die.
Who are you? I heard your voice in the house.
Spread your wings.
I don't have wings.
Just open your eyes, and you will.
I did as I was told, and saw a glowing sliver crescent before us. We fell through it, and I felt a coolness wash over me before the darkness took over.
~*~
I slowly opened my eyes, and squinted against the bright rays of the sun.
The sun…?
Was I still alive?
I wiggled my fingers, and felt something grainy and wet beneath them.
Sand…?
Was I on a beach?
I sat up, and looked around.
Midori was beside me, still unconscious.
We were definitely on a beach, and we were definitely alive. But how? We fell off of a cliff!
Midori started to stir, and she sat up as well. She looked over at me.
"Amaya?"
"We survived somehow…" I said.
I stood, and brushed the wet sand off of myself as best I could. I offered her my hand, and helped her to stand as well.
"Great. So then where are we?" She asked.
I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"Oi!"
We both turned to the hill that overlooked the beach. A man was standing there. He wore traveling clothes, and a straw hat that hid his face.
"You two lost?" He asked.
Midori and I looked at each other before looking back at him.
"Yeah! Just a little." Midori called back.
"Could you tell us how to find Bevelle from here?" I asked.
He nodded. "Come on up here, and I'll help you."
Midori and I climbed up the hill, and he met us there. He smiled from under the hat. I still couldn't see his eyes or hair.
"So, what are two beautiful maidens like yourselves doing out in the middle of nowhere?" He asked.
I smiled back. "Well, it's really a long story."
Midori was silent.
He turned around, and started walking into the forest that bordered the beach.
"Come, come. You can rest at my house tonight, and I'll help you to Bevelle on the morrow." He said.
I grabbed Midori's hand, and we followed him.
As he walked, he spoke to us.
"So, what are your names?"
"My name is Amaya, and this is my friend Midori." I said politely.
"Ah." He replied. "Midori-san, you're obviously not human. What kind of youkai might you be?"
She stiffened. I gave her a curious look. She was awfully pale…
The man stopped walking. "Would you perhaps be…a phoenix?"
Why was Midori so tense? She was starting to worry me.
The man chuckled, and turned to face us. He took off his hat, and Midori gasped.
"Auron!" She exclaimed.
He chuckled again. He had blood red eyes, which were dancing with malice. His hair, of the same color, was shaggy, and hung low in his face. He would've looked handsome, if it wasn't for the sinister grin.
"I'm so flattered that you recognize me, Midori." He said. "This time, there won't be any stupid birds to save you."
Midori tugged on my hand, and we started running away.
"Shit! Run faster, Amaya! If he catches us, we're really dead!" Midori said, ducking under branches and such as we ran.
I tried my best to keep up with her, but it was hard. I had the speed of a human, and she was significantly faster than I was. So, she was slowing down to accommodate me.
"We have to find someplace to hide! I'm nowhere near him in power!" She exclaimed.
My heart was racing, faster than it ever had before. This was the Bounty Hunter that was after tennyos! Realization sunk in, and I quickened my pace even more.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" He called after us. "This is my forest, and it obeys me and only me!"
My legs started to ache and burn, but adrenaline kept me going.
Then, the worst thing happened.
I tripped over a tree root, and fell. Midori stopped, and ran back to me. I sat up, and looked down at my ankle, which was covered in blood.
Sprained, obviously.
"Oh, fuck!" Midori said, running her hands through her hair.
I looked back up at her. "Quick, leave me here. You're much faster than I am, and I certainly won't be able to keep up with a sprained ankle. Go, get out of here!"
She looked really upset and panicked. "Amaya, I can't leave you here!"
I growled, and heard Auron approaching us. She wasn't going to go willingly, so I used my mental dominance.
"Midori, you will go! Now!" I exclaimed.
Her eyes flashed for a brief second, and she nodded.
"I swear, I'll get Kuronue and Kurama, and we'll come back for you, okay?" She said.
I nodded. "Now go!"
She turned and dashed off, but not before I saw the tears streaming down her face, mirroring my own. But I was going to be brave. I had to be.
I forced myself to stop crying, and I looked back at Auron.
He smirked. "So, she left you, huh?"
I spat at him. "I told her to run away."
He chuckled. "Oh well. I can get the little phoenix later. I've still got you, a tennyo, to add to my collection."
He picked me up, and slung me over his shoulder like a sac. I growled, and started beating on his back with my fists.
"Put me down, you bastard!" I exclaimed.
He started walking over towards a large building, which I hadn't noticed before. It looked like a castle…
"Well, little tennyo, this will be your home for a while." He said, walking through the large double doors that served as the entrance. "Learn to like it."
I kept hitting him with my fists, though I knew that it probably felt like the wind blowing against his face to him.
I needed something that would cut his flesh…
My necklace!
I quickly took it off, and pulled the silver charm off of it. I stuck the charm in my mouth, and held it under my tongue. I didn't want to risk losing it, this one thing that I had from my life before the Takahashi family.
I turned slightly and before he could react, I had pulled the chain around his neck, and was pulling with all my might. It bit into his skin, and he made a choking noise.
He kicked open a door with his foot, and threw me off of him and onto the hard stone floor. As I fell, the charm fell out of my mouth and onto the floor a little ways away. I reached out and put my hand over it, but he stepped on my hand with his foot. I cried out, and looked up at him.
"Stupid little wench!" He growled.
He reached down and grabbed my arm, the one that had gotten pierced through the day before, and roughly picked me up. I made sure to grab the charm as he did though.
He slung me over his shoulder again and started walking down a hall. With every step, the smell of blood would get stronger and stronger, until he finally reached a door. He opened it, and walked in.
I started hitting the back of his head, and he threw me against the wall. He growled, and his eyes seemed to be on fire as he pinned my there by my shoulder.
"Listen, wench, I can kill you very easily. I don't have to keep every tennyo that I catch alive, you know." He said, his face just an inch from mine.
I spat in it.
He wiped the spittle off of his face, and backhanded me. I fell onto the floor; my head felt like it was spinning. Or was it the room that was spinning…?
Either way, I fell into darkness about thirty seconds later.
~*~
Author's Notes : Amaya wasn't going to go down without a fight! That was a REALLY really long chapter, but that's okay, right?
Our computer is getting unplugged for a day or so, and we're really busy with packing stuff. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update in the next few days, so that's why I gave you this huge chapter to hold you over until then.
Also, I was wondering about the bird / bat thing, so I looked up a few pictures. He is most definately a bat. I'll be going back and changing that, just so you know.
Here's the answer : Kuronue and Midori are going to get together!
Thanks to those who reviewed!
Story Weaver1: Okay. I thought that he was a little OOC, but it's good to know that someone liked him that way!
Suzaku no miko : I know! I don;t think that he's a cross dresser. He is just dressing sexy, LOL. And yes, I went back and looked at a few pictures, and he is most defiantely a bat. Oops. I'll go back and change that.
DarkVixenNisha : Thanks for the review, Nisha-chan!
Shessha's Crazy : That's okay. And yes, life can be unfair that way. They went to China? And they didn't bring you? Now THAT is really mean.
Katie E. : That won't be revealed until towards the end of the story. You'll have to wait. :P
Naoko-san : I know, I know! After all the debate, I went back and double-checked! I'm going to change it when I get a spare minute, okay? From here on out, he'll be referred to as a bat.
REVIEW! It'll make me feel so much better.
Chapter 5 : Amaya's POV
Note: This chapter will be rated R, for Midori's extreme potty mouth. Be warned. Be VERY warned. I don't want anyone to yell at me because of her really foul language. And I mean REALLY foul.
~*~
We walked down the hall together, and Youko didn't say a word to me. I wondered what he was thinking about, then quickly dismissed the thought.
I saw a door on the right side of the hall, and walked over to it. I tried to slide it open, but it seemed to be sealed shut with something. I pulled even harder, and Youko gave me an odd look.
The door broke free of whatever had been holding it, and I nearly fell onto my rear.
I looked into the room, and quickly stumbled back away from it, my hands over my mouth.
The entire room was covered in blood - the walls, cabinets, floor, and even the ceiling. That was what had sealed the door…dried, caked blood.
In the center of the room was a horribly mangled body, that looked as though it had been brutally ripped apart by some kind of animal.
I couldn't even tell what the person used to look like, but I could only assume that it was the 'Jii-san' that we were supposed to be looking for.
"Well that's just what I wanted to see before eating lunch." Youko said.
I turned away from the horrific scene, and looked at him.
He closed the sliding door, and looked back at me. "Amaya, are you going to hurl? Because if you are, I want to get out of the way."
I shook my head, and took a deep breath, only to have my senses invaded by the rancid smell of rotting flesh. I coughed.
"Try having an enhanced sense of smell." Youko said. "Come on."
He started leading me away from the kitchen, and I looked over at him.
"Kurama-kun, what could have done that to him?" I asked.
"Looks like some kind of animal got to him. Dunno." He said. "But we need to tell Midori and Kuronue."
We walked back into the main hall, and he looked around.
"Midori! Kuronue!" He called.
"We're upstairs! Did you find something?" Midori called back, running over to the railing and looking down at us.
"Yeah, a body." Youko said.
"What?!" Midori exclaimed.
She came running down the stairs and grabbed the front of Youko's shirt. "Where?!"
"In the kitchen." He said.
She let go of him and turned to go down that hall, but Youko grabbed the back of her cloak and pulled her back.
"I wouldn't look if I were you." He said. "It's pretty gross."
She shrugged out of his grip. "Fine."
Kuronue jumped over the railing, landing easily next to us. "What happened?"
"Jii-san is dead." Midori said.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"That's okay." She looked over at Youko. "What happened to him?"
"Ripped apart by some kind of animal, or so it appears." He replied.
Amaya…
I looked around.
I felt some kind of presence enter my mind.
Who are you? I asked.
Tell them to look in the dining room.
Dining room?
Please…
I nodded. I looked at the others. "I think we should look in the dining room."
Youko gave me an odd look. "What? Why?"
"Just a thought…"
Midori turned, and started walking towards the back of the house. "I'm going to go check it out."
The presence disappeared, and I walked after Midori.
She had stopped, and was staring into a room to the left. I stood next to her, and followed her gaze.
There was a huge symbol on the wall, of a crescent moon. The kanji for mountain was written there, as well as ocean.
But they were written in blood…
"Tsuki…" Midori breathed. "She was here."
I looked over at her. "How can you tell?"
"That moon…that's her symbol, of sorts." Midori replied, never taking her eyes off of the moon. "She has a necklace, one that she wears all the time, with the same symbol."
I touched my own neck, where the necklace that I had had since birth was. A tsuki, a moon, a crescent. It was pure silver, with a matching chain. I never let anyone see it before, and it was always safely hidden either under my clothes, or in my pouch…
Was there some connection?
Youko and Kuronue came up behind us, and looked at the wall as well.
Midori turned around and looked at them.
"Are there any mountains near here?" She asked.
Kuronue nodded. "Yeah. About twenty miles to the north of here."
She nodded. "Right. That's where we're going to go."
I nodded, and turned to go, but she grabbed my shoulder.
"Oi, Amaya."
I turned back and gave her a questioning look.
"I never would have come back here. How did you know?" She asked, a serious tone to her voice.
"I…" I noticed that Kuronue and Youko were looking at me expectantly as well. "I'm not sure. Something told me to tell you."
"Something…?" Midori asked.
"Yes."
She let go of me. "Right. Well, let's just go."
She walked past me, and Kuronue followed her. I sighed.
"Kurama, what's happening to me?" I asked quietly.
"I'm not sure." He said. "Come on. Let's go."
We walked out of the dining room, and started heading towards the front entrance, when suddenly Kuronue came flying through the window. He landed with a thud by our feet, and I quickly kneeled down beside him.
"Kuronue!"
Youko growled, and ran out the front door, and I saw that Midori was fighting something out there as well.
I looked down at Kuronue. "Kuronue, what's happening out there?"
"It's Auron. He sent some really big ogres after us." He said. He flexed his wing, then cried out.
"Damn it, I just got this wing healed!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet.
"Kuronue, would you like me to heal it now?" I asked.
"Sorry, there's not enough time. Stay here, I'm going to go fight." He said, running back out again.
I looked around for any kind of weapon, but saw none.
"Shimatta [damn]!" I cursed.
I ran to the door, and my eyes widened.
There were three very large ogres in the front of the house, and each of my friends was fighting one.
I could see a fourth ogre approaching, and he was even bigger than the other three.
He was so heavy that every step he took shook the entire mansion.
I fell to my knees because of the shaking, and decided that it would be a good idea to get out of the house.
I ran down the front steps, but jumped back in surprise when the ogre swung an axe at the spot that I had just occupied.
I looked up at him, and he gave me a horrible grin.
"Ha!" He shouted, swinging at me again.
It was a good thing that I was agile.
He kept swinging, and I kept dodging. I was proud of myself, and I smirked.
I went to take a step back, and felt the ground crumble slightly.
Damn! He had backed me up against the cliff!
He grinned again, and this time I didn't smirk.
He swung at me again, and I rolled to the side. He stomped his foot against the ground, and the cliff gave way beneath him. I smirked as he plummeted into the rocks below.
"Amaya, get away from there!" Kuronue exclaimed.
I looked over, and saw that the ground was splitting.
The part that I was on was about to give way.
My mind was screaming at me to get up and run, but my body wouldn't obey. I was frozen with fear.
"Amaya! Damn, get up!" Youko exclaimed. He blocked an attack from the ogre, then slashed at him with his rosewhip.
I tried to stand, but that only made the ground crumble more. I realized that if I took another step, then the ground would fall away beneath me, and I would fall to my death.
I looked over at Youko, meeting his gaze. His eyes widened when he realized the same thing.
"Amaya, no!"
The ground gave way, and I screamed. I squeezed my eyes shut, and expected to feel the wind rushing against me, but didn't. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Midori smiling at me.
She had grabbed my hand at the last second, and I was dangling over the side of the cliff by one hand. She grinned at me.
"Caught ya!"
I smiled back.
"Midori, did you catch her?" Kuronue called.
She looked back over her shoulder, and grinned at him as well. "Yup!"
"Shit! Midori, look out!" Kuronue exclaimed.
I couldn't see what was happening, but all of the sudden, Midori fell over the edge.
She screamed, and we both started falling towards the ocean.
"Oh, FUCK!" She exclaimed.
I was surprised. I hadn't thought her capable of such harsh language.
"HOLY FUCK! WE'RE GONNA DIE! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE! OH FUCK! OH FUCK! OH FUCK!" She screamed.
I was also surprised at how calm I felt. I wasn't screaming at all. I closed my eyes, feeling the wind against my face, and Midori's death grip on me. She was holding onto my hand with all of her strength, and it throbbed slightly in pain.
Was this it? Was I really going to die?
You're not going to die.
Who are you? I heard your voice in the house.
Spread your wings.
I don't have wings.
Just open your eyes, and you will.
I did as I was told, and saw a glowing sliver crescent before us. We fell through it, and I felt a coolness wash over me before the darkness took over.
~*~
I slowly opened my eyes, and squinted against the bright rays of the sun.
The sun…?
Was I still alive?
I wiggled my fingers, and felt something grainy and wet beneath them.
Sand…?
Was I on a beach?
I sat up, and looked around.
Midori was beside me, still unconscious.
We were definitely on a beach, and we were definitely alive. But how? We fell off of a cliff!
Midori started to stir, and she sat up as well. She looked over at me.
"Amaya?"
"We survived somehow…" I said.
I stood, and brushed the wet sand off of myself as best I could. I offered her my hand, and helped her to stand as well.
"Great. So then where are we?" She asked.
I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"Oi!"
We both turned to the hill that overlooked the beach. A man was standing there. He wore traveling clothes, and a straw hat that hid his face.
"You two lost?" He asked.
Midori and I looked at each other before looking back at him.
"Yeah! Just a little." Midori called back.
"Could you tell us how to find Bevelle from here?" I asked.
He nodded. "Come on up here, and I'll help you."
Midori and I climbed up the hill, and he met us there. He smiled from under the hat. I still couldn't see his eyes or hair.
"So, what are two beautiful maidens like yourselves doing out in the middle of nowhere?" He asked.
I smiled back. "Well, it's really a long story."
Midori was silent.
He turned around, and started walking into the forest that bordered the beach.
"Come, come. You can rest at my house tonight, and I'll help you to Bevelle on the morrow." He said.
I grabbed Midori's hand, and we followed him.
As he walked, he spoke to us.
"So, what are your names?"
"My name is Amaya, and this is my friend Midori." I said politely.
"Ah." He replied. "Midori-san, you're obviously not human. What kind of youkai might you be?"
She stiffened. I gave her a curious look. She was awfully pale…
The man stopped walking. "Would you perhaps be…a phoenix?"
Why was Midori so tense? She was starting to worry me.
The man chuckled, and turned to face us. He took off his hat, and Midori gasped.
"Auron!" She exclaimed.
He chuckled again. He had blood red eyes, which were dancing with malice. His hair, of the same color, was shaggy, and hung low in his face. He would've looked handsome, if it wasn't for the sinister grin.
"I'm so flattered that you recognize me, Midori." He said. "This time, there won't be any stupid birds to save you."
Midori tugged on my hand, and we started running away.
"Shit! Run faster, Amaya! If he catches us, we're really dead!" Midori said, ducking under branches and such as we ran.
I tried my best to keep up with her, but it was hard. I had the speed of a human, and she was significantly faster than I was. So, she was slowing down to accommodate me.
"We have to find someplace to hide! I'm nowhere near him in power!" She exclaimed.
My heart was racing, faster than it ever had before. This was the Bounty Hunter that was after tennyos! Realization sunk in, and I quickened my pace even more.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" He called after us. "This is my forest, and it obeys me and only me!"
My legs started to ache and burn, but adrenaline kept me going.
Then, the worst thing happened.
I tripped over a tree root, and fell. Midori stopped, and ran back to me. I sat up, and looked down at my ankle, which was covered in blood.
Sprained, obviously.
"Oh, fuck!" Midori said, running her hands through her hair.
I looked back up at her. "Quick, leave me here. You're much faster than I am, and I certainly won't be able to keep up with a sprained ankle. Go, get out of here!"
She looked really upset and panicked. "Amaya, I can't leave you here!"
I growled, and heard Auron approaching us. She wasn't going to go willingly, so I used my mental dominance.
"Midori, you will go! Now!" I exclaimed.
Her eyes flashed for a brief second, and she nodded.
"I swear, I'll get Kuronue and Kurama, and we'll come back for you, okay?" She said.
I nodded. "Now go!"
She turned and dashed off, but not before I saw the tears streaming down her face, mirroring my own. But I was going to be brave. I had to be.
I forced myself to stop crying, and I looked back at Auron.
He smirked. "So, she left you, huh?"
I spat at him. "I told her to run away."
He chuckled. "Oh well. I can get the little phoenix later. I've still got you, a tennyo, to add to my collection."
He picked me up, and slung me over his shoulder like a sac. I growled, and started beating on his back with my fists.
"Put me down, you bastard!" I exclaimed.
He started walking over towards a large building, which I hadn't noticed before. It looked like a castle…
"Well, little tennyo, this will be your home for a while." He said, walking through the large double doors that served as the entrance. "Learn to like it."
I kept hitting him with my fists, though I knew that it probably felt like the wind blowing against his face to him.
I needed something that would cut his flesh…
My necklace!
I quickly took it off, and pulled the silver charm off of it. I stuck the charm in my mouth, and held it under my tongue. I didn't want to risk losing it, this one thing that I had from my life before the Takahashi family.
I turned slightly and before he could react, I had pulled the chain around his neck, and was pulling with all my might. It bit into his skin, and he made a choking noise.
He kicked open a door with his foot, and threw me off of him and onto the hard stone floor. As I fell, the charm fell out of my mouth and onto the floor a little ways away. I reached out and put my hand over it, but he stepped on my hand with his foot. I cried out, and looked up at him.
"Stupid little wench!" He growled.
He reached down and grabbed my arm, the one that had gotten pierced through the day before, and roughly picked me up. I made sure to grab the charm as he did though.
He slung me over his shoulder again and started walking down a hall. With every step, the smell of blood would get stronger and stronger, until he finally reached a door. He opened it, and walked in.
I started hitting the back of his head, and he threw me against the wall. He growled, and his eyes seemed to be on fire as he pinned my there by my shoulder.
"Listen, wench, I can kill you very easily. I don't have to keep every tennyo that I catch alive, you know." He said, his face just an inch from mine.
I spat in it.
He wiped the spittle off of his face, and backhanded me. I fell onto the floor; my head felt like it was spinning. Or was it the room that was spinning…?
Either way, I fell into darkness about thirty seconds later.
~*~
Author's Notes : Amaya wasn't going to go down without a fight! That was a REALLY really long chapter, but that's okay, right?
Our computer is getting unplugged for a day or so, and we're really busy with packing stuff. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update in the next few days, so that's why I gave you this huge chapter to hold you over until then.
Also, I was wondering about the bird / bat thing, so I looked up a few pictures. He is most definately a bat. I'll be going back and changing that, just so you know.
Here's the answer : Kuronue and Midori are going to get together!
Thanks to those who reviewed!
Story Weaver1: Okay. I thought that he was a little OOC, but it's good to know that someone liked him that way!
Suzaku no miko : I know! I don;t think that he's a cross dresser. He is just dressing sexy, LOL. And yes, I went back and looked at a few pictures, and he is most defiantely a bat. Oops. I'll go back and change that.
DarkVixenNisha : Thanks for the review, Nisha-chan!
Shessha's Crazy : That's okay. And yes, life can be unfair that way. They went to China? And they didn't bring you? Now THAT is really mean.
Katie E. : That won't be revealed until towards the end of the story. You'll have to wait. :P
Naoko-san : I know, I know! After all the debate, I went back and double-checked! I'm going to change it when I get a spare minute, okay? From here on out, he'll be referred to as a bat.
REVIEW! It'll make me feel so much better.
