: : Caged Fate : :

: By : Akikazu :

: : Chapter Three : : Caged In Questions : :

Akira slammed open the door and looked with horrified eyes at the scene before him. Nozomu and Misoka ran into the doorway and stopped suddenly.

"What are you doing Mitsuru?" Nozomu demanded.

In the room a boy with green hair and hard light brown eyes was standing in the middle of the room. His hard look was directed to the figure of Mahiru that was pinned to the wall a strong wind that only blew in the room.

"Mahiru!" Akira cried.

"What is this human doing in my room?" Mitsuru demanded.

"She's injured we can move her too much," Nozomu answered.

"Mitsuru put her down," Misoka commanded.

"I don't want a human in my room," Mitsuru growled.

"Mitsuru," Misoka said firmly.

The wind gentled enough for Mahiru to fall to the floor. She landed on her hands and knees, panting heavily.

"Akira!" She cried.

Akira ran into the room and lifted Mahiru from the ground. Her eyes opened wide and she look down at her side.

"Did your injury reopen?" Akira questioned.

"It doesn't hurt any more," she whispered.

Mahiru lifted her new and dry shirt a little and her skin was unmarred by any injury.

"It's healed," she said with obvious amazement.

"And so the mystery deepens," Misoka muttered.

Akira heard him and glared playfully. He waved his arms around in a threatening manner.

"Don't listen in on privet conversations," he shouted.

"But he can't help his excellent fox hearing, Akira," Nozomu taunted.

"Nozomu, stay out of my conversations much!" Akira scolded.

"Will you all just get out of my room!" Roared Mitsuru.

A sudden wind shoved them all out of the room and slammed the door shut. Mahiru feel onto her backside as the door slammed shut.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Well you see Mahiru, everyone living here is one of the Lunar Race, that guy in there is Mitsuru, he tengu. You know all that wind and lightning powers and stuff. He doesn't really like humans, he still is hung up on his parent's death," explained Akira hurriedly.

"His parents were killed how horrible," Mahiru whispered.

"His family was down here to protect the Descendent of the Princess and her family, but the family was attacked everyone died, but the Descendent of the Princess was missing and Mitsuru survived. It's sad he's the Descendent of the Demon," Akira continued.

"That's enough of Mitsuru's history Akira, he's not gonna like this a bit," Nozomu interjected.

"Sorry Nozomu," Akira apologized.

Akira, Mahiru, and Nozomu continued into the living room and sat down on the sofas.

"You said everyone here is of the Lunar Race. Does that include you Nozomu?" Mahiru asked.

"Yup I'm one hundred percent Lunar Race," Nozomu answered proudly.

" He's a vampire," Akira added bluntly.

Mahiru moved away from Nozomu.

"It's okay, I won't suck your blood, unless you want me to. That's another matter entirely," Nozomu soothed.

Mahiru was speechless. The front door opened and a man and a woman came inside. The man had gray hair and kind eyes and the woman was blond and had blue eyes. They had to have a double take when they saw Mahiru.

"Well hello there Akira, Nozomu, miss," the man greeted.

"Hello," all three replied in unison.

"Mahiru this is Oboro and Katsura. You two this is Mahiru," Akira introduced.

"Where is Misoka, Nozomu?" Katsura asked.

"I don't know he was here a second ago, but then he disappeared," Nozomu answered.

"I'm here," Misoka announced from the staircase. Everyone turned to him but he was looking directly at Mahiru.

"Mahiru do you have any idea why you were imprisoned?" Misoka inquired.

"No all I was told was that it was to protect me from the 'monsters'. I think they were talking about you guys, Akira, but you guy are so nice. Well except for that Mitsuru guy up there, he's kind of grumpy and mean."

Nozomu smiled at Mahiru's chattering, when she stopped he looked at Misoka waiting for the next question.

"Did anyone call you a nickname?" Misoka questioned.

"That one man that was threatening to shoot Akira call me "Princess', but that's it."

Misoka a second paused before continuing on.

"Do you recognize this song?" Misoka hummed before starting to sing, "Princess, Princess why do you cry?"

Mahiru nodded and sang the next verse with Misoka.

"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."

They stooped singing and everyone but Misoka gaped at Mahiru. Misoka moved in front of Mahiru and kneeled.

"I think we have finally found you, Descendent of the Princess," he announced.

"Princess," Oboro and Katsura repeated respectfully as they too kneeled before her.

Nozomu followed their example and Mahiru could only watch in amazement. Akira tackled her and hugged her.

"Mahiru you're the Princess, that means you can stay forever and be my little sister!" He declared gleefully.

"Uh, I'm not a Princess," Mahiru said after regaining her balance.

"You are our Princess Mahiru," Misoka argued.

Mahiru shook her head. She could be a Princess. It was too crazy, such things didn't happen. Any minute she would wake up and she would be in bed with Nurse yelling at her to get up. Mahiru started rocking back and forth, unaware of what she was doing.

"It's all a dream, it's not real. It to good to be real," she whispered to herself.

Tears were falling down her face, now that she knew friendship in her dream, she would be truly lonely.

"Mahiru?" Akira questioned.

"It's all a dream, such things don't happen to the likes of me."

Mahiru shut her eyes tightly and pulled her hand over her ears. Her head hurt terribly.

Suddenly the pain was gone, cautiously she opened her eyes. She was onto of her bed in the underground caves. Mahiru made as if to get off of the bed, but found herself arrested by chains.

Chains?

What happened, why was she chained? Lifting her head she could see Nurse and a man in the doorway to the chamber. The man was dress like a doctor and was holding up a syringe. Nurse turned to her and noticed she was awake.

"Hello sweetheart, you ready to go to sleep again," Nurse cooed.

Nurse and the Doctor came closer to her. Mahiru backed away.

"Stay away from me," she cried.

"I sorry love, but you have to go to sleep. We can take the chance of the monsters getting power from you while we kill them," the doctor soothed.

They pounced.

"Mahiru!" An alarmed voice shouted.

Mahiru's eyes opened, for real. Akira's face was hovering over her and she could see Misoka and Nozomu out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't want this to be a dream. I don't want to go back," she whispered hoarsely.

"It's okay Mahiru, you're my little sister now. And no one touches my family," Akira declared.

"Thanks Akira," Mahiru murmured.

Akira grinned and looked up at Misoka and Nozomu.

"Mahiru's awake guys," he announced.

"What happened?" Nozomu asked.

Akira helped Mahiru sit up and settle back into the couch.

"Well?" Nozomu pressed.

Mahiru looked panicked for a second, and then calmed down when Akira tail started nudging her.

"I thought I was back in the room, but I was chained," Mahiru turned to Akira for comfort. "Nurse was there, with a doctor. He had a syringe and they were going to give me an injection. Nurse said something about not letting you guy draw power from me, and kill you."

There was silence and everyone turned to Misoka to see his reaction. Misoka looked thoughtfully out the window. After a second he turned back to them.

"I believe Mahiru was being held under the Moon Final Dawn's headquarters. You were in the general area, isn't that correct Akira," Misoka stated.

Akira nodded his head and waited for Misoka to continue.

"They must have capture Mahiru in an effort to keep her away from us. That was when you started making appearances right Oboro?"

"That's correct Misoka," Oboro's voice said from behind a door. "I believe word of the Princess's abilities to empower us on moonless nights had gotten out around then too."

"Yes it did. There forth the MFD had to do something because a prophecy stated that the Princess was to be born that year. So they trace back the bloodlines and found Mahiru and killed her family and imprisoned her. Unfortunately they killed Mitsuru's family too. But unfortunately for them Akira found and brought back Mahiru," Misoka concluded.

"Do they know of the Tear Drops?" Nozomu asked.

"I don't think they know what she had to do with them, but they have the some of them that we will eventually need to gather," Misoka answered.

"What are the tear drops?" Mahiru questioned.

"They are a source of power without them, the Lunar Race with steadily decline and eventually vanish," Oboro replied coming back into the room.

Katsura also came in and passed out glasses of water and bags of chips.

"I'm sorry this is the only thing I have for you to eat, but this is a bar. So unless Akira cooks something it's all junk food," Katsura apologized.

"It's okay," Mahiru murmured.

"This is my cue to start cooking dinner," Akira announced.

Akira stood up and went into the door that Oboro and Katsura came out of. Mahiru assumed it lead to the kitchen. She watched as he disappeared and turn to the people sitting in chair around her. Suddenly an idea hit her.

"You said the boy upstairs was living in my house before I came to be imprisoned?" She asked.

"Yes, Mitsuru lived with you and your family until both your families died," Oboro answered.

"How old was he?"

"Three I believe."

Mahiru was out of her chair in a second and half way up the stairs in two.

'He knew my family, he might remember them.'

"Mahiru, I wouldn't he's really touchy about his family," Nozomu called.

It was too late Mahiru didn't hear him and she knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" A voice demanded.

"Mahiru Shiraishi," she answered.

The door opened suddenly. The green haired Mitsuru stood there looking down at her with amazement.

"Do you know my family?" She asked.

"Yes I knew your family."

"What can you tell me about them?"

A violent wind pulled her into the room and shut the door behind her. Mahiru tumbled onto the bed and found Mitsuru leaning over her.

"Want to see all I remember of our families?" He demanded.

Mahiru could barely nod. He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes in concentration. Mahiru's eyes drifted shut and she could see a scene playing out in her mind.

A blond woman was carrying a baby and was sitting next to a brown haired man. A little boy with green hair climbed onto the man's lap and looked at the baby.

"Is she going to be my new friend?" The boy asked curiously.

"Yes Mitsuru, her name is Mahiru. She's only three months old, so she can't do much now, but one day you two will be the best of friends," the woman answered.

"Can I hold her? I'll be really, really careful I promise," Mitsuru pleaded.

The woman smiled and stood up allowing Mitsuru to sit in her place.

"Okay Mitsuru hold your arms out," she ordered.

He did as he was told and the woman placed the baby in his arms. She backed away leaving the boy to hold the little child in his arms. The boy used his free hand to touch the baby's hand before pulling his hand away.

"Whoa she's so small!" The boy exclaimed.

Baby Mahiru stirred in Mitsuru's arms and opened her eyes to stare up at him. Reaching an arm up she grabbed his hand.

"Aren't they so cute I bet they'll fall in love when they grow up," the woman sighed.

"No way she's no allowed to date until she eighteen Kanna," the man objected.

"But they're so cute Cho!" Kanna repeated.

Cho glared at her with his purple-blue eyes. Then his eyes softened as he looked at the two small kids.

"Don't you think it's too early to start planning their futures?" He asked.

"Never," Kanna replied.

The door slammed open and another man and woman ran in. The woman had brown hair and amber eyes and the man had green hair and blue eyes. They both looked alarmed as they locked the door behind them.

"The MFD is here, they've come for baby Mahiru," the green haired man announced.

"Sha and I have agree that you two should take the kid out of here," the amber-eyed lady added.

"But we shouldn't leave you and Sha here, Shunrei," Kanna objected.

The locked door blew open. Men with arrows filed into the room. Sha half his arms in front of him and wind forced some of the men back out. Kanna ran and pulled Mitsuru and Mahiru behind the couch. The little Mitsuru peeked out from behind the couch to watch the fight.

Lightning streaked at the men from his mother, Shunrei's hands. They hit some of the men blowing them off their feet and out side and into walls. Mahiru's father, Cho pulled out a gun and fired but it the men just kept coming.

A shot from the hallway shot brought Cho down with an arrow in his stomach. Sha rushed to him and checked his plush quickly. He gently set the dead man down and continued to try and take down the men invading the room.

Just as Sha was getting back into the rhythm of the fight an arrow sliced through his neck and jugular. The wind immediately stopped as he fell to the ground.

"Sha!" Shunrei cried.

Instantly five arrows hit her taking off her head. It was silent and she body limply fell and her head hit the ground rolling to a stop.

"Daddy? Mommy?" Mitsuru whispered.

Kanna noticed Mitsuru was watching and grabbed him into her embrace. Careful of Mahiru, Mitsuru burrowed into Kanna's clothes and cried silently.

"Shh, Mitsuru, don't-"

Kanna broke off and spit out blood. Pushing Mitsuru off her she looked down to see and arrow sticking out of her chest. She had been shot through the couch.

Blood stained both her and Mitsuru's shirts.

"Lay down and play dead Mitsuru, please. And when you're a strong man find Mahiru and take her away from all this pain-"Kanna's words faded and her body fell forward over Mitsuru, the back of the arrow sticking out of her back.

Some of the men came over to see what the arrow had felled. One of them picked up Mahiru.

"This is what we're here for right?" He asked.

"Yes, we're to bring her back to headquarters. But first shouldn't we check if they're all dead?" Another asked.

"They're all dead. The monster with green hair checked the gun fighter first, and we got him through the jugular. Of course the girls are dead I mean one's got not head and this one's bull's eye through the chest," the first replied.

"Okay let's get out of here then, the clean of crew's got a hell of a job to do," a man called.

Mitsuru waited until after the man left before crawling out from under Kanna. His eyes were angry but his face was stained with tears. Folding out his hand a lightning bolt smashed a window and a wind carried him out.

His last glance of his family was his family, this parents and the people he saw as his aunt and uncle, all lying in pools of blood. All body's limp and his mother's head near his father's body. Cho was face up hair soaked in blood and had his hands ceremoniously crossed over his chest. And Kanna was slumped face down with an arrow sticking out of her back like some kind of a horrible crude flag.

Mitsuru looked away and left the massacre behind escaping into the dark night.

Mahiru was crying when she opened her eyes. She had just witnessed the gruesome sight of her parents and their closest friends being murdered. Mitsuru straightened away from her and watched her with cold eyes. Sniffling she looked up at him.

"You're the reason they died. You destroyed out families," he said harshly.

" No," Mahiru whispered.

"It your fault they died. You killed them!"

"No, no, no. I didn't. Make it stop," Mahiru cried.

A light encircled her and as the light faded so did she.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't mean to," she whispered as she disappeared.

Mitsuru looked at the spot where the Mahiru had been and saw nothing. The closed door behind him slammed open and Akira ran inside. He looked around in alarm.

"Where's Mahiru?" He demanded.

"I don't know, I'm not he keeper," Mitsuru shrugged.

Akira growled and pinned Mitsuru down.

"Where is my sister?"

"She disappeared."

Akira let Mitsuru up and dragged him downstairs.

"Misoka, Mahiru disappeared!" Akira shouted.

"Let's go then we have to start looking for her, if the MFD finds her first she's as good as dead," Misoka ordered.

"Where do we search?" Nozomu asked as they walked out the front door.

"Nozomu send a bat with each of us and we'll split up," Misoka replied.

Nozomu spaced off for a second and then four bats dropped out of the sky each one perching on one of the boys.

"Okay let's go," Nozomu said.

They all ran off in different directions, in desperate search of the missing girl.

: : End Chapter : :

: : Author's Note : :

Another cliffy, don't you love them?

Anyway this chapter is longer than the norm so I hope you're all happy out there.

On another note it was rain during school today. I have to run between buildings and I got soaked. I had to change as soon as I got home. At least I wasn't lock out of the house like I was yesterday. I was so very, extremely, thankful.

But rainy days are nice, a good change of weather for us people down near Phoenix. Of course it was hilarious that some kids in school were caught out in the rain wearing short shorts and bare midriffs.

Bye!

: : A Note From Kejie : :

It's raining, it's pouring.

Akikazu is snoring.

She went to bed

I shot her in the head.

And bled to death before morning.

...

Singing is so much fun on rainy days.

Sayonara!

: : Next Time : :

Where's Mahiru?

Who's this little, lost, cutie?

Mama?!?