Disclaimer: Obviously.... I don't own Vampire Princess Miyu....

Chapter 3

Impossible

(AN: Here's everyone's fair warning, you won't like the end, but it will be explained at the end of the chapter, I promise.)

Dedicated to all of my reviewers because you make me feel special and have really made this worth writing.

Miyu panted heavily. This was a powerful shinma, no doubt one of the strongest, if not full claimants of the title himself. And he was cunning. This was a horrendous battle. His barrier was strong, and despite all of the fighting and spells Miyu had done, nothing could weaken it. It looked a veritable wreck, but the shinma in question, seemed to hardly care.

Chin-Ku.

Would this be the name of the one to finally defeat the Guardian, herself, and return her to the Darkness where she had sent so many others before her? He apparently thought so. He was a detestable snake demon whom had brought thousands of the denizens of the city to his aid. Were it not for her flame and Larva's scythe, there may not have been a Guardian to defeat. Yes, this was not a shinma to be trifled with. And to make matters worse, this shinma lived off the inner turmoil of humans, a common enough trait in mortals. But after this latest development between she and Larva, Miyu had been left dazed and overwhelmed with her emotions. They all fought for precedence, and it was not making this battle any easier. Chin-Ku was obviously enjoying the Guardian's plight.

"Come now, Guardian," the snake shinma hissed venomously. "I purposely showed myself to you to be returned to the Darkness with honor, yet here I see I am to be granted the far greater boon of doing the latter to you...." He came disgustingly close to give a snakelike kiss on Miyu's cheek, but she arrogantly slapped it away with a backward motion of her hand. He childishly pouted as he pulled away.

"You are too cruel, Guardian," Chin-Ku hissed pettily. "Poor, dear me, I'm just trying to ease your troubles, and you just shun me.... How rude."

A spike of realization rose in Miyu's mind. Chisato's over-observance; the few shinma bothering to let themselves be known; this one night that had been so much quieter than any other...

He knew...

"Well, since you're being no fun," Chin-Ku concluded, "I may as well kill you, now."

Chin-Ku lunged forward with volatile speed, blades of wind cutting the scene in his wake. Miyu had no time to react, when a vile scream rose in the night.

"You bastard!" Chin-Ku yowled into the blackness shrouding the battle field. Larva came to stand beside Miyu, with chilling agility, a streak of crimson blood covering his scythe.

"Miyu, are you alright," Larva asked concerned. Miyu normally reacted far quicker than this. Though normally he would have been glad to know the cause for her lack of skill in battle, he could not feel the same now. I have caused this...

"I'm fine," she panted lightly to him. This affair was far more pressing than her current disposition.

"Ooo, you troublesome pet, slave of the Guardian," the shinma's icy, slithering voice came to them in the shadows. The trio gazed all around in vain attempts to find the source, but it rose from all around them. There was no tracking it. "You were once like me: powerful, cunning, intelligent... Why did you latch yourself so abysmally to a creature, an imperfect half-breed, like her?"

"Because she killed me," Larva answered clearly to the invisible inquisition. A stab of doubt and pain filled Miyu's heart. Is that the only reason? Chin-Ku's snide cackle pierced through his veil.

"You are undeniably humorous, Guardian," Chin-Ku cackled uproariously, "not to mention, HUMAN.... You are too easy to read, and that makes you all the more susceptible to my attacks. Let's see how you get yourself out of this one...."

The barrier lurched suddenly, morphing and melding into an entirely different plane. It became an eerie green, with an intoxicatingly vile stench covering the area. Sewer water caked the floor like grime, leaving the place most closely resembled to a swamp. Miyu detested it.

"Shiina," Miyu summoned.

"Yes, Miyu," Shiina replied fearfully. Her mistress was not in a good mood.

"Use your eye to find him."

The tiny beast relinquished itself from the shadows and let her eye wander across the plane until....

"There, Miyu!"

Chin-Ku lunged towards Shiina but Miyu sent her flames to quickly guard her loyal servant. The snake shinma fell back miserably with another howl as it readied itself to pounce once more, this time at a different target: Miyu.

Miyu was fully unprepared as he rushed at her, and was frozen with shock when in a wave of opaque cloth; her protector came to her aid. His claws and scythe clashed violently with the shinma's own claws.

"Since the Guardian doesn't seem to have done a very good job... Here!" Chin-Ku sank his poisonous fangs deeply into Larva's shoulder. Larva cried out lightly as he sank down to his knees, and then fell down completely, right before Miyu's feet. Miyu could not believe it. No, she cried inwardly, you can't leave me....

"Now for you to go and join your love, Guardian...." Chin-Ku said eloquently as he slowly slid closer to her, the swamp muck flowing away at his progression.

"You knew all along...." She replied monotone as she stepped backwards.

"Knew?" he asked. "I helped bring it about...."he answered in a soft hiss. Miyu suddenly stopped. "I could never defeat the great Guardian at her finest without a worry on her mind, but throw in some un-shinma like emotions such as love, and my chances became far more prominent."

"Then come claim your prize..." she whispered contemptuously.

"Don't mind if I-"

Crimson claws covered in glistening blood suddenly protruded from the shinma's abdomen. His breaths came in gasps as his silent assailant came from behind to face him. Miyu's heart lurched within her chest.

"I told you already, I died a long time ago," Larva answered quietly. "And no one may take Miyu's life but me...." He paused as he turned to face her. How could she have ever thought he would ever leave her? "Miyu, it is time you returned him to the Darkness..." Miyu nodded her acknowledgement. This had gone on long enough.

She felt the flame well up deep within her and then slowly expel to her hand as she raised it above her head and hurled the flaming attack straight towards the failed shinma.

"Return to the Darkness, Shinma!"

-

Miyu and Larva stood awkwardly beside each other on the roof of the building within Saikawa Cemetery the next night. Yesterday had been far too trying for comfort, and they both knew the sole cause. They just were not willing to recognize it.

"Larva."

"Yes, Miyu?" he answered.

"Please remove your mask." He silently did as asked as he turned to face her. She was so beautiful under the full moon. She gently placed a hand to his cheek. He shivered under its warmth.

"I know I love you, there is no way I can deny it," she spoke softly to him, not daring to look him in the eye, lest she do something she would later regret.

"And I know I love you," he replied as he took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him. He slowly lowered his lips to hers in a kiss unlike their last, full of the passion and longing he knew for her. Everything he wished he could express in words, but could never do in a lifetime of explaining. All was said in that one kiss: his sorrow, his hate, his desire, his devotion, his soul. Nothing was left secret in that kiss, and as he pulled away, Miyu felt her lips burn. She sank her face deep into his chest.

"Yes, I love you," she continued, "but...."

"It can never be."

Both felt the shock of hearing the other exclaim their feelings. How truly cruel destiny was. They slowly pulled away from each other, standing proud and tall in the rising spring winds.

"Miyu," called Shiina hesitantly.

"It is a shinma," added Larva as he replaced his emotionless ivory mask.

"Yes, I know," answered Miyu quietly. "Let us go return him to the Darkness."

And as they slowly faded into the misty night, Miyu saw the truth. She, a Guardian, could never be with the one she loved.

At least, not yet....

-

The End

-

Okay, don't kill me. I know what you're thinking. How could she end it?! Well, technically I did, but not forever. Though I didn't say this to begin with, this was a kind of prequel to another story I'm going to write, "Chains of Destiny", which will come out soon. It picks up from here, sort of, and gives my way better ending to the series than what the TV series came up with. So don't kill me. Please. And if you send flames... oh well, I guess I sort of deserve them....

Review Responses

BlueDragonGirls: No problem, dedicating to you reviewers. You're my fans, and you guys really make all of this worth doing. As for Miyu and Larva getting "physical in the bedroom", well.... As you just read, it never went that far.

Tankbbg: Yes, Larva is hot.... And thanks for the compliment on my use of vocabulary. You're so nice.... And I can't wait to meet your group.

Silver Stripes: I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and I hope you'll stick with me to see the sequel.

Loopypants: So many compliments.... Thanks so much. I'm really happy you liked the story and my style. Please read the sequel when it comes out.

LaVeNdErSaKuRa: I'm really happy to be able to... write to you? Oh well. Thanks for reading my fic. I really appreciate you checking it out. And don't worry; I won't fight you over Larva. I can't wait to meet you.

Furiouschiney: Thanks for reviewing. Please check out the sequel.