Authoress here.
Ah, the feeling of a new ficcie chapter. Fills one's soul with the clean-slate feel.
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Now, for the second half of my BRILLIANT idea! (If I may endorse my own self here...what can I say? I feel good right now)
Onto the chappie!
Yujo Chronicles: Narrin's Story
Chapter Seven
Aya's eyelids felt extra heavy, even though his internal clock was telling him to wake up. The details from last night were hazy, but his fogged mind pieced them together so that he was able to recall some of the events that occurred less than twelve hours prior.
Something had happened to make the Narrin especially frightened and angry, and Aya guessed it was those Japanese kids trying to rescue him. Somehow, Narrin had shouted, and they obeyed her voice. After commanding them to sleep, Aya had watched through slitted lids as she summoned strange bands of energy, looking as surprised as he felt. She had secured all of his companions in the same manor and went to leave.
But, she chanced a glance back at him, and he had stared right into those passionate eyes of hers, trying to read her emotions. She had frowned severely and looked away, but seemed to think better of her actions and bound him in the Energy as well. Then, her voice hit him, waves of irresistible power shutting his senses down, telling him to sleep.
The door creaked open, and he was automatically alert. He glanced around and saw Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara all watching the door as well. Only Emiko, who looked especially drained, was still sleeping.
Narrin walked in, arrayed now in a soft lavender version of the Greek classical robe. Silver sandals graced her feet, and a silver-wrought circlet stood out, winking in the morning light amid the dark curls of her silken russet hair. She was stunningly beautiful, though not in the way one would immediately think of. She was as beautiful as a silver blade, one that could shine innocently in the sunlight, yet stab you between your ribs in the darkness.
"All awake?" Her voice was soft, and unthreatening. No one answered, but her eyes turned to Emiko, head hanging down but body held up by the blue band of Energy. She looked quite uncomfortable, but the irrepressible vixen had managed to sleep soundly.
Narrin's face broke into an innocent smile, but Aya didn't feel at all reassured. Instead, he felt all the more on guard.
"What's this?" Narrin's voice was still compelling to listen to without her added power, but now she simply purred. "A little girl is still sleepy. Too bad; she does look peaceful, doesn't she?"
The goddess moved lightly to the sleeping girl, and backhanded her across the face. Of course, she didn't all out strike an unharmed opponent, but it was stinging enough to make Emiko's cheek grow pink. In defiance, Emiko snapped at the Queen's hand.
"Don't touch her!" There were few things that could make Kurama angry beyond his own calm control, and to see his mate, his dear Emiko, treated as such was one of those things. But, to make the situation all the worse, there was nothing he could do for her.
"She's yours, I assume?" Narrin delighted in the cool spite under lacing her words. She had all of her hornets in a basket ready to be burned, and now was when she tormented them with smoke.
Kurama's cold green gaze met Narrin's malicious blue one. "Yes, she is. And that's more than you'll..." He took a few deep breaths to regain his self control. "So I request you do not treat her as such."
"And what is more than I'll....what was it you wanted to say?" Narrin relished baiting this young man, who seemed so cool. She knew better. He was a coiled string waiting to be snapped.
"I was about to reply without respect or thought." Came the crisp reply. "Although I believe you neither care nor deserve either, it is outside of my usual conduct to exchange petty words with those who only wish my friends harm."
"Oh?" Narrin raised her eyebrows, impressed despite of herself. Emiko couldn't stand it. Narrin reminded her so forcefully of a cat toying with a mouse that she couldn't keep silent.
"But petty words are not outside of my conduct, bitch." Emiko spat. "But it'll take me awhile to think of a proper description for a snake- no, a toad!- such as yourself!"
Narrin didn't turn to look at Emiko, but her expression reminded all who witnessed it of a storm, readying itself for the onslaught of rain and thunder about to be unleashed. But Emiko was far from finished. This was her original plan, and it felt very appropriate at the moment.
"Guess what, Your Royal Highness? People here don't think you're pretty. If you're pretty then I'd HATE to see ugly. My goodness, have you ever heard of taste? And not just the one in your fat ugly mouth. Control freak! People in France only like you because you sound just like a serpent, who is all milk and honey and underneath you're just a filthy, slimy, bitchy goddess!"
Of course, Emiko felt slightly hypocritical calling the lovely Narrin ugly and slimy, but right then Emiko wasn't going for accuracy. She just wanted to hurt Narrin as badly as possible for toying with her mate!
Yusuke and Kuwabara traded astonished glances. They knew Emiko could be as nice or as mean as the times needed, but this was beyond anything the usually perky, cool vixen usually did. Kurama just shook his head. For all her trouble, Emiko was most likely just digging her grave deeper. But it did cheer all the prisoners up slightly to hear her rant on. All except Aya, who seemed distant from what was happening before his eyes.
Narrin's fury had reached its broiling point. She strode over to the vixen, and pulled out the fully loaded, silver handled gun. She tossed it up, and caught it by the nose, the handle pointing at Emiko. With the butt of the gun, she slapped Emiko hard across the head.
Emiko's vision blacked, and already her forehead was turning a sickly shade of purple. Her friends stared, dumbfounded, hate and disbelief mixing into an icy numb feeling. Narrin's voice was shaking, she was so angry. Grabbing Emiko's chin with one hand, she forced the vixen to look up at her.
"I hope you're pleased with yourself, pretty face. Your pathetic bishonen shall be the first to have his mind erased, to become my slave, tomorrow morning. He'll worship the ground I walk on, and yet, he won't even remember your name."
Jerking her hand away, Narrin strode quickly from the room, slamming the door as she left.
Emiko's entire being slumped, and she wept freely. For only a moment, however, because then her world went black, the combination of pain and despair slipping her into unconsciousness.
"Well." Kuwabara said lightly, trying to break the tension. "That was fun."
"Fun?!" Kurama's voice was strained, and he sounded as if his jaw was tightly clenched. "Do you call watching Emiko get beaten around fun?!"
"That's...not what I m-ment..." Kuwabara mumbled.
"I hope to hell it's not what you mint." Yusuke sided with his fox demon friend. Even though Emiko wasn't his girlfriend, let alone mate, he still felt sick at the recent memory.
Hiei momentarily looked softer, pity for his friend overwhelming his usual tendency to harshness. "Don't get all despairing now, Kurama. Emiko may have just proved her point. When Narrin gets angry, she makes mistakes."
Yusuke was suddenly interested. "How so?"
Hiei wiggled around a little. "Feel. The coils have loosened. When she was extremely angry, I almost managed to slip my arm out. Now imagine if she was feeling even weaker, emotionally. We could get free."
Aya remained silent, something Hiei also noticed and stored for later. They couldn't afford even their temporary team member to get weak. Hiei scowled inwardly. This was why he liked to work alone, much less add in new people willy-nilly.
They sat in thought for awhile, the glow from the blue Energy and the small sliver of white from under the door their only light. Kuwabara piped up, almost timid after his last failed comment.
"What could we do to make her feel weak?"
Aya spoke, almost too quietly to catch. "I have something. Just, let's all rest until tomorrow."
"Uh, Aya, hate to break it to ya, but while you were off in La La Land Narrin decided to wipe Fox-Boy here clean of memory or free will tomorrow morning." Yusuke snapped. Hiei eyed the Spirit Detective with renewed silent respect. So the half-witted punk had noticed Aya's distance as well.
"I know, Yusuke. But I've spent the last five days with this woman. I know what I can do to get to her."
Kuwabara sighed, exasperated. "Dude, listen! You can't get free unless we get her emotional!"
"I know. Just get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow once we all get free."
Yusuke sighed, but something in Aya's steely gaze made him believe the man. "Okay. I hope it's good, because we're running out of places to run, ya know?"
"I know." Aya said wearily.
They all settled quietly, until Yusuke and Kuwabara sat suspended by their bondage, snoring gently. Kurama moved forewords with agonizing slowness, crawling on his knees, across the small room to reach his still-unconscious mate. Getting as close as possible to her, he managed to rest her head on his shoulder, and his head on hers in turn. Slightly satisfied, he too dropped off to sleep, leaving Hiei and Aya alone and wakeful still.
Aya was just beginning to drop off when Hiei's voice sounded.
"Don't let your infatuation with this girl ruin our plans, Aya."
Aya looked across the room at the demon, incredulous. "Infatuation? I have no such ordeal."
"Liar." Hiei scoffed. "You're silent while she's here, looking at her, thinking of her, pondering how to somehow break past her cold exterior to the good you swear is hidden some ware. Infatuated. Obsessed."
Aya felt a twinge of annoyance mingled with indignancy. "I might be darkly paranoid, Hiei, but what you suggest is defined as possessiveness and exaggerated passion.
Quite the opposite of what I feel."
"Hn. So I believe the fact she's stunningly beautiful is not a factor in your 'dark paranoia?' Right." Hiei shifted slightly.
Aya felt somehow as if he ought to defend himself somehow. "Beautiful, yes. Coldly beautiful. Hopelessly beautiful. I could never admire such lifelessness. She has no honor. She has no heart! You saw what she did to Emiko, what she plans on doing to us all. If I do feel what you randomly suggest, then it is pointless. She has no concept of love."
He went on to describe the conversation he and Narrin had when she told him of her fall from Olympus and her bitterness.
"You see, Hiei?"
Hiei's face was a mixture of subtle disbelief and annoyance. "No. Don't you? You just proved yourself wrong on almost all accounts. She has honor; she felt its bite when she was thrown from Olympus. What she did was dishonorable, yes, but some of the bitterness and anger is sprung from her quest for regaining honor." He shook his head. "And they say humans are supposed to be experts on feelings. Hn!"
Aya narrowed his eyes, both wanting to disbelieve and also wanting to know that Hiei was right. "So? Honor alone doesn't woo one's heart."
"I wasn't finished." Hiei snapped. "I was just wondering why I'm acting the fool and telling you idiot all of this."
The demon paused, and continued, obviously feeling that Aya should have figured everything out as well. "And love, you say? She loves herself, and obviously has mixed feelings about you as well. You rattled her into telling you her past. She also loved being a goddess, and misses the adoration she received. Why do you think Narrin chose to be a beloved Queen? Her heart, unused as it can be, needs to be loved again."
Aya sat, silent. He'd honestly never thought of her that way. To see her in that light made her actions all the more understandable. She didn't seem as monster-like as before, making her all the more desirable.
"And besides;" Hiei added. "She let you live, even after you gave her the language she needed."
"That wasn't love, or honor." Aya said slowly. "No, she wishes to let us watch one another be erased. Narrin wants us to beg to be first, as not to witness the end of who our friends once were."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because," Aya sighed. "That's what I would do, if I were her. I know there are worse things then mere death, and I would have utilized that knowledge to the greater suffering of my captives."
"And how come you say she will do as you would?"
"Because," Aya said again. "I see much of myself in that fell woman."
Narrin stepped into the room the next morning, almost surprised to see all of them asleep. She had expected them to be making some last pathetic escape attempt.
She moved towards the solitary lamp, and turned it on. Immediately, everyone was alert. Emiko was awake, but couldn't open one eye. The blow to her brow with the but of the gun had swelled overnight.
"I hope you all dreamt well." Narrin hissed. "Because those dreams were your last."
"You monster!" Yusuke snarled.
"Monster?" Her voice was ice. "Monster? I could just as easily return the title, brat. You monsters have suddenly decided that I am not worthy to hold the crown for France, even though it was given to me!"
"Keep telling yourself that," Hiei drawled. "You might start to believe your own lies."
Narrin made moves as if to strike him, but regained control. She instead started towards Kurama, ready to erase him.
"Still!" Yusuke blurted. "You don't gotta torture us, or do whatever it is you do!"
"Oh?" Narrin paused, a small smile playing about her full-blown lips.
"Haven't you ever had a friend, Queen?" Yusuke wasn't exactly sure what to say. He cast his thoughts around, and they landed on Katsu. "Like someone you loved?"
They all saw her freeze at these words. Yusuke had gotten to her! The coils of Energy lessened, if only a bit. Yusuke saw the effect his words had had and continued on in this vein.
"D'you really think that person would want you to lower yourself to this?"
Narrin's back was to them all, and Aya craned his neck to try to see her face. He saw something catch the light on her cheek, and it made him start.
She's....crying
But when she turned to face them again, it was too little light to actually see the tears. She spoke, her voice strong, making Aya doubt he even saw her cry.
"I'll let you brats live awhile longer...something has come to my attention, and erasing all of you can wait."
She turned to leave, but Aya was ready to make good his promise of a plan.
"Lady!"
Emiko, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at him in surprise as he called for her. Narrin looked at him as well, eyes shadowed.
"Yes?"
Aya thought if only he could keep her here, and talking, perhaps her will and emotions would waver. Perhaps he could force her to think with her heart, unclouded by her hatred.
"You- really don't wish to do this to us, do you? You first appeared as an honorable woman, when you told me about your pas-"
He wasn't able to finish, because she had crossed the short room and backhanded him hard across the face. He felt the pain explode across his cheek, but kept talking. That tear had to have been real!
"You aren't a bad person- just terribly misunderstood! You made a mistake, granted, but it doesn't damn you forever-"
Narrin struck him again, but the weakness grief induces had taken the force from begin her hand. Aya still kept speaking.
"You know compassion- you know it's wrong to harm us-"
Narrin made as if to hit him again, but overbalanced and fell to her knees. Aya felt her will weaken considerably; he moved his hand out of the coils without her noticing.
"Shut up, human!" Narrin's voice shook violently, none her power even evident. Her face was glowing slightly with perspiration, and Aya slowly slid his other hand free. Hiei noticed what he was doing and started to remove himself as well.
"Lady....you were right to be bitter, but not to let it consume you. This office you hold was never yours, even if everyone believes. You can remedy everything and regain your honor again."
Narrin looked up at him, scathing hatred blazing in her bright blue orbs. "SHUT UP! I don't care about honor, or compassion, or love!"
Hardly realizing his actions, Aya sized her fair cheeks with newly freed cheeks, and kissed her forcefully. He let her hate flow into him, and this he turned to passion, making the kiss deeper and lingering.
Suddenly, a searing pain wrenched his arms back to his sides. Her will had snapped back into steely despair, making the Energy focused on him stronger. What she didn't realize was both Hiei and Yusuke were completely free, with Kurama close behind. She never noticed, because she sprang up and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
There was a moment where the only noises were Aya's labored breathing and the hiss of the Energy bonds. Then, Yusuke spoke.
"Well, that was unexpected."
"I don't get it." Kuwabara looked bemused. "Why'd y'kiss her?"
"Because," Aya explained, regaining his breath. "She's been drained of positive emotion. Now, if she receives mine, or even thinks about what I've just done, she may begin to understand what we've been saying, and why she's wrong. She might even realize we aren't her enemies."
"But we are." Kuwabara said.
"Aya, for once I agree with blockhead over here." Yusuke nodded at Kuwabara.
"Yes, now we are." Aya pointed out. "But really, only she has the power to return the crown and smooth this whole episode over. If Narrin turns around, then, we aren't enemies but allies."
"Hn." Hiei grunted his disbelief.
"But until she does that, we're still screwed." Yusuke said grimly, agreeing with Hiei.
"And if she does?" Aya countered. "Then we'll have nothing against her."
"Except for the fact that she's got us locked up."
"Whatever you did, Aya, it gave Yusuke, Kurama and I time to get free." Hiei smirked. "Next time she comes to chat, we'll be ready. She won't have any choice up to let us free once we threaten to crush her throat."
End Chapter
Authoress here.
Tell me how you liked it! All of my reviewers have been absolutely spiffing! Top hole I'd say! Rather! Keep up the good work!
Ooh, I have to wrap up my Authoress-rant to get ready to ride. Me drill teams (teams as in two this year, absoballyfricken'lutely wild) are performing at the county fair, and I have to get me pony-butt (thank you Jewel for that phrase..harrdy harr harr) onto his trailer and to the fairgrounds.
YEEEHAAAW!
(And for those that know me)
AIE-YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YAAAAIIII!
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