: : Caged Fate : :
: By : Akikazu :
: : Chapter One : : Caged In Stone : :
Mahiru swam through the waters of the lake in the basement. It wasn't really a basement, more like under ground caves. Looking around she saw many multicolored fish zooming around her. Unperturbed she continued to swim closer to shore.
For all of her fourteen years she had been seeing sights like this. It was her secret. No one knew about what she saw. Once she had told Nurse what she had seen and she had been beaten for making up stories. Now she told no one, in her mind these sights were meant for her eyes alone.
Treading water five feet the surface she watched as a familiar sight unfolded before her. A demon man was holding a human woman in his arms. The demon man's eyes looked directly at her and she could she sadness swirling in their depths.
Shaking her head Mahiru shot to the surface. Paddling back to shore she looked for her nurse. Nurse was tapping her shoe on the bank and looked fairly displeased.
"Mahiru, how many time do I have to tell you not to wander off? You never know if one of those monsters will find a way in," Nurse scolded.
"There is no way in, if there was I would have found it by now," Mahiru muttered.
"Let's go Mahiru, it's time to sleep," Nurse ordered not hearing her comment.
Mahiru followed after Nurse and with one last look at the lake she disappeared into another chamber.
Under the observant eyes of Nurse Mahiru climbed into a small, hard bed and laid down. She feinted sleep until Nurse left the room, then she got out of bed and went back to the lake. Her blond hair brushed her shoulder and blue violet eyes sparkled in the dim moonlight.
Sitting on the shore she started to sing to herself, as she watched the faint reflection of the moon on the lake.
"Princess, Princess why do you cry? In the forest painted by the setting sun... I made a promise to a demon boy... that when the moon ascend the sky in ten... I'll become his bride."
Mahiru stopped her singing when she saw something break the surface of the lake. It appeared to be a body. Mahiru dived into the water and swam towards it.
'Please don't be a body. Please don't be a body.'
It started to sink as she reached it. Grabbing it she yanked it and started dragging it back to shore. Dragging up she looked at her cargo. It was a boy, he was unconscious. His face and ears were pierced multiple times, and Mahiru winced at the thought of how painful it must have been to get them. Wet dark brown hair was matted to his head and blood streamed down his temple.
"Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!" Mahiru whispered.
When the boy groaned and shifted she felt extremely stupid for talking to the unconscious boy. Mahiru shook the boy's shoulder's hoping that he would wake up and help her figure out how to help him.
"Sir, can you wake up please?" She asked.
Warm brown eyes shot open and looked around wildly. A ferial growl ripped through her throat. He jumped to his feet and pushed Mahiru away.
"Sir what's wrong?" Mahiru questioned.
"What? Who are you? Where am I?"
"I'm Mahiru, sir. You're in the basement, but I don't know exactly where this is either. Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Akira. How do you not know where this is?"
The boy looked rather bewildered. Mahiru felt guilty for not having an answer for him. She looked up at the break at the crack in the ceiling that emitted a bit of moon into the basement. She felt like she should explain about her lack of knowledge.
"I've been here all my life, as far back as I can remember. I've never been outside. All I know of the outside world is what I've seen through that little crack up there," Mahiru explained.
"That's horrible, I love the outside. I don't know how it would do if I was never allowed out," commented Akira with wide eyes.
Mahiru smiled sadly at him. Then she noticed the blood running down his face and jumped to her feet.
"I forgot that you're bleeding! Come you can lay in my bed until I can find Nurse. She'll know what to do!" Mahiru exclaimed.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him into her room. After sitting him on her bed she rushed out of her room and into Nurse's quarters. Nurse was sleeping under the heavy covers in a large comfy bed.
"Nurse, Nurse, I found a boy! He's injured, can you help him?" Mahiru asked.
Nurse shot out of bed and glared at Mahiru. She was wearing a frilly and prim nightgown.
"Mahiru what are doing after I told you to sleep? How dare you disobey me and wake me on top of it. I should beat you with in an inch of your life," Nurse threatened.
"Nurse it's an emergency, there's a boy in my room and he's injured," Mahiru argued.
"A boy?"
"Yes and he's hurt."
Nurse stopped glaring and a sly look crossed her face. She abruptly turned and started for Mahiru's room. Without hesitation she looked over the boy on the bed and examined the cut on his head.
"You will be fine boy, Mahiru will clean this wound for you. I will be going back to bed," the Nurse turned to Mahiru. "Mahiru take care of him, but you will still have to be up at dawn to start on your chores."
"Yes ma'am."
Mahiru curtsied as Nurse went back into her room. Then when she and the boy were alone again she straightened.
"Are you feeling okay?" Mahiru asked.
"Yup, but that Nurse lady isn't all that nice," Akira replied.
"She's the only person I've ever met, well besides you."
"That's terrible, but not as bad as never getting to go outside."
"I've gotten used to it."
Mahiru went to the edge of the bed and took off one of the covers and spread it on the ground.
"You can sleep on the bed Akira, I don't mind sleeping on the floor," Mahiru offered.
"But Mahiru it's your bed, you should sleep in it," protested Akira.
"Just sleep on the bed Akira, it's not like it's much more comfortable than the ground."
"Fine."
Mahiru and Akira laid down and started drifting to sleep. Akira flipped over in the bed and yawned sleepily.
"If I could take you outside and away from here would you come Mahiru?" Akira asked.
"Sure, but I don't there's away out," Mahiru yawned.
"There has to be one."
"Mm hm."
Mahiru feel asleep before Akira could say anything else.
: : The Next Day : :
Strange noises awoke Mahiru, it was a distinct pounding and some clanking of metal. Stirring slightly she tried to fall back asleep.
"Surrender yourself monster," a strange voice demanded.
Mahiru's eyes shot open.
'Who's talking? What monster?'
A humongous wolf wearing pants and armor was crouched in front of here, effectively blocking her view of whoever had spoken. Before she could stop herself a scream burst from her lips.
The wolf turned its massive head to look at her and Mahiru froze as she looked into its warm eyes. They looked so familiar. Spinning around she looked anxiously at the bed. Akira had disappeared! Mahiru face the wolf.
"Mahiru it's me, I am a werewolf of the Lunar Race," the wolf barked.
"Akira?" Mahiru asked hesitantly.
"Yup same old be in a more cuddly and fuzzy body."
Mahiru petted the tail that was wagging in front of her, as he said it was fuzzy and cuddly. Giggling she moved to Akira's shoulder and looked at where the voice had come from. Five armored men stood together pointing arrows at Akira.
"Come peacefully wolf or we will be forced to kill you here and endanger the princess," one of the men shouted.
Mahiru could only look around and wonder about whom he was talking about.
'Princess?'
Akira reared up and balanced himself on his hind leg then he scooped Mahiru into his arms. This effectively let her view what was happening without being in danger.
"Good ahead and try meanies," Akira taunted.
"I told you she was plotting with those monsters!" Nurse declared shrilly.
Mahiru figured that Nurse had told the people upstairs about Akira earlier. She knew she never should have told Nurse about Akira, but she would have found out eventually.
Nurse glared at the two of them from behind the five men. The men in the mean time where drawing back their arrows.
"You left us with no choice," one of the men said.
They released the arrows and they came shooting towards Akira and Mahiru, but then Akira's paw came up and knocked them away easily.
"I'm pretty hard to hurt in this form, Mahiru," Akira explained.
Mahiru almost laughed when she saw how his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he spoke. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the men aiming more arrows at them.
"Do you know a way out of here? We can't last this forever Akira, we should probably leave now," Mahiru suggested.
"Yup, let's get outta here!" Akira exclaimed.
In a flash Akira was bounding over the men and out of the chamber. It took them a second to reach the lake. Akira jumped in and swam towards the center, he took care to keep Mahiru's head out of the water.
"Akira?" Mahiru questioned.
"There's an underground river that flows in and one that flows out. I came through the in so I have to swim against the current and use it to take us out. Don't worry, in this form I will be able to get us outta here really fast," Akira answered.
"Oh."
"Okay Mahiru, you have to hold your breath on the count of three."
Mahiru nodded as they reach the middle of the lake. She could faintly hear the shout from shore but paid no attention to it until there was a piercing stab in her shoulder. Still she held her focus on Akira.
"One... Two... Three!" Akira counted.
Mahiru sucked in a huge breath just before Akira dove below the surface. Closing her eyes Mahiru concentrated on imagining what it would be like to be outside. Every five seconds she let a small bubble of air pass from her mouth.
'Finally I am leaving my cage of stone.'
Mahiru's head was unceremoniously hit on the rock side of the tunnel as Akira continued swimming upstream, unaware.
Seconds later she fell into unconsciousness.
: : End Chapter : :
: : Author's Note : :
I'm sorry about it taking so long but I was distracted.
Currently I'm on fall break so I should be able to have another chapter out soon. But truthfully I have a very busy schedule. Last Saturday I had community service to do for school, I was flagging down cars for a car wash. I had a dentist appointment yesterday, because of which I had teeth so sore that I could eat nothing but soup all day. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment, shots, scary.
And at some point I have to go shopping with my friend so she can finally buy me a birthday present. My birthday was on August 30, it is now October 13. that is one over due present, Acree better be happy I don't charge interest.
Bye people.
: : A Note From Kejie : :
The truth is a bitch and so are authors.
Unless of course you are a male author.
Then you are a bastard.
...
See ya!
: : Next Time : :
Akira pulls an injured and nearly drowned Mahiru from the river.
Mahiru meets more of the Lunar Race.