Chapter TWO: Sorcerers and Sorceresses
The sun's rays pierced through the thick canopy over head to gleam on the shimmering pool of crystal-clear water in the center of the woods. Older leaves of silver-blue and green floated on the surface of the pure liquid like the blades of spears.
The glorious light reflected from the pool mirrored on the young sorceress's eyelids.
Flinching from the bright light, the young maiden cracked open an eye. She quickly closed it and covered her face with her left hand when the beams hit her unprotected eyes.
Slowly getting on her elbows, she helped herself up.
Her azure eyes stared at the scenery around her when only the noise of the wind greeted her, a smiling gracing her lips as the cool breeze enveloped her face and cooled her body down.
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, last night's events came back to her in a whirlwind of color. Her left hand immediately went to her right shoulder's wound. She cocked an eyebrow of confusion when she noticed that her arm was completely healed.
'What happened?' Questioned the teenager.
A snort came from the shadows at her thought. Immediately, her head snapped up to look around for the source of the noise.
"Who are you? Reveal yourself," demanded the young sorceress as her blue orbs searched the trees and shadows.
A menacing laugh was heard, echoing through the clear area that she laid in.
Getting to her feet, she looked around for someone, anyone, but found that there was no one else in sight.
"Why are you so afraid, sorceress? Can't you find me? You seemed so confident last night when you wanted to kill me," said a mocking voice that sent shivers down her spine.
Realization hit her like cold water as she remembered her little meeting with a vampire of great ki. She had used one of the hunter's abandoned swords as a threat to get the vampire to leave her alone.
"Tell me why you were injured, sorceress. Why you didn't heal yourself with your magic?" asked the dark voice.
The maiden took a step back as she moved a hand to her chest area, her eyes frantically looking around again.
"Answer me when I ask you a question," ordered Battousai as he suddenly appeared before her and held her chin to his face, his amber ones boring into her sapphire ones.
Instinctively, the girl tried to take a step back, but Battousai firm hold didn't allow her to, instead he wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her to him.
"Answer me," demanded Battousai, his voice dark and dangerous.
"I-I..." stuttered the sorceress.
"Tell me your name," commanded the Dark Lord.
"K-Kaoru Kamiya," answered the maiden in a whisper filled with fear.
Battousai grinned as he felt her innocent, fearful ki.
"Why so afraid now, when you were so bold last night?"
"I wasn't going to k-kill you. My family is against it, or was," said Kaoru as she looked away from him, her hands moving toward his chest so that they wouldn't be as close together body wise.
Battousai raised a perfect brow at the strange maiden.
"They were killed last night, by a diamond reverse-blade sword," whispered the sorceress.
The vampire nodded in understanding before letting her go and turning his back to her.
Kaoru looked at the ground as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She fell to her knees and moved her hands to her face as the salt spheres fell to the lush grass on the ground.
"So, you're the last of your kind, am I right? Yet here you are crying. You shame your kindred," said Battousai in disgust.
Kaoru snapped her tear stained face up at him confused.
"I know of your kind," stated Battousai. He kept her in the corner of his eyes so he could capture her reaction. "The Kamiyas were the last sorcerers and sorceresses standing on this planet. It's a pity that all that is left of the once powerful Kamiyas is a weak girl that is not even two decades old yet."
"H-How do you know that I'm the last one?" demanded Kaoru, trying her best to sound commanding, but her voice cracked as her memories of last night plagued her.
"The blood of your parents is on you. I can still smell it freshly in the air where they were killed," said Battousai, not a hint of emotion or sympathy laid in his masculine voice.
Kaoru bit her lower lip as she wiped her tears away. She knew then that she couldn't cry in front of this being.
"Why didn't you kill me?" asked Kaoru, her voice just as icy as his own.
Gathering the last of her courage, she stared into the vampire's eyes for an answer.
Battousai faced her and kneeled down on one knee, moving her chin so that they were eye level.
"Why didn't I?" asked Battousai instead with a grin.
He expected her to cower in fear, but when she stared back into his gaze with anger and defiance, he narrowed his eyes into slits.
The Prince of the Night stood up and turned away from her, allowing his cape to move and reveal his two weapons.
"There are seven weapons total that are made of dark diamonds," said Battousai suddenly.
Kaoru looked at him quizzically before slowly standing as well.
"A kunai, a katana, a wakizashi, twin kodachi, a dagger, and a reverse-blade, all of which were created by the great vampire Akuma. These seven items are the only weapons that can kill a sorcerer or sorceress and injure them so that they can't use their magic to heal themselves. I possess two of them, and you at one point had possessed two as well," said Battousai as he faced her.
Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. He knew exactly what he was talking about.
"If you knew that, then why did you ask me those questions?" asked Kaoru bitterly.
Battousai only chuckled.
"You see, little one, I collect those weapons. They are strong enough to win any battle with and I want them," proclaimed Battousai. He took a step toward her and demanded, "You had carried the dagger with you when you came to me, so where is the reverse-blade that your family was killed with?"
Kaoru took a step back before asking him, "How do you know that the bounty hunters didn't take the reverse-blade with them?"
"You hid it. The smell of dark diamond is still fresh on you and the dagger wasn't unsheathed last night. Your kind can't hold anything that is made of Dark Diamond, as in the Seven Dark Diamond Weapons of Hell, but you can hold the sheath of the weapons, so where did you hide the reverse-blade sword?" repeated Battousai.
The sorceress shook her head and took another step back.
Suddenly a gleaming blade came to her neck, stopping merely a hair's breath away from being able to draw blood.
"My wakizashi is one of the Seven Dark Diamond Weapons," stated Battousai with a grin as he brought the weapon closer to her neck. "I can kill you right now if I wished to."
Kaoru forced herself to look into his eyes.
With his left hand, Battousai showed her the dagger.
The sorceress gasped as she looked down at his waist and saw that his katana also had a star on its hilt, signifying that it was one of the seven weapons from Hell.
"Tell me where," commanded Battousai's deep, dark, rich voice, which rang loudly in her ears.
"In an old Sakura tree down by the Silver River," replied Kaoru in a whisper.
"You will show me where," ordered Battousai as he sheathed his sword.
"I won't allow you to have it. I refuse," said Kaoru defiantly as she moved her head up high, ignoring the blood that slid down her throat from her actions. He had unsheathed his sword and had it near her neck before she could even blink.
Battousai slowly pulled back his wakizashi, replacing it with a clawed hand instead. He moved his head forward to her neck flicked out his tongue and licked the blood away, causing the wound to vanish from his ministrations.
Kaoru gasped as she felt his tongue leave a hot trail in its wake, her eyes widening as he whispered in her ear hotly, "You will do as I say sorceress, for you now belong to me, Battousai."
Grinning at her reaction, Battousai turned and walked toward the Silver River, leaving the shocked maiden to drop to her knees in disbelief.
Kaoru knew that she couldn't get away from him now, he would simply track her down. He was going to use her to find the Seven Dark Diamond Weapons of Hell, she knew it. She also knew that there was nothing she could do about it either.
She pulled her knees to her chest as she wrapped her arms around herself in comfort.
Rocking herself back and forth, she allowed the sun to warm her body as she tried to think of happier thoughts.
Suddenly her left arm was roughly pulled upright. The force caused her arm to numb in pain as she looked at the hand that pulled her up.
She looked up and finally noticed that her captor had deep crimson locks and cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. His eyes had already been inscribed in her mind; they were eyes that one could never forget. Looking into his eyes as the same as looking straight into the eyes of Death itself. The thought sent another unwelcome shiver down her spine.
"You're coming whether you like it or not," hissed Battousai as he shoved her before him.
Nearly falling straight onto her face, she quickly controlled her balance before she could humiliate herself. She turned around and glared at him as she suppressed the urge to last out at him, deciding instead to walk on instead.
"Change your robes," said Battousai suddenly from behind her after they had taken a few steps.
Kaoru turned around cocked an elegant eyebrow at him.
"Do as I say. You reek with the scent of blood. Unless you want me to suck all the blood out of you from temptation, then I advise you do so," snapped Battousai darkly.
Kaoru glared at him before stopping in her tracks to do as she was instructed. She did feel awfully dirty in the bloodied robes.
She closed her eyes and moved her hands together as if in prayer. The sun flamed overhead as it covered her lithe form.
Rolling his eyes, Battousai walked ahead as a violet gleam enveloped the sorceress. Just as quickly as the light had come, it had vanished and replaced her old robes with a new one.
By the time Kaoru finished, she realized that the vampire was at least 50 meters ahead.
'Now's my chance to run for it.' Thought Kaoru as she looked for a route that would lead her out of the woods.
"If you run, I will catch you, if you hide, I will find you, my sorceress," said Battousai calmly as he heard her thoughts of escape.
Muttering curses under her breath, the teenager raced hurriedly to the front to catch up with her captor.
xXoXx
Kaoru fiddled with her hands as they walked on the dirt road. She looked around and felt odd that there hadn't been a single sound today. Usually the woods were filled with life and animals laughing and chatting, but today it seemed like the woods had been completely abandoned for quite some time.
She sighed as she looked ahead, hoping to see the Silver River and get this whole thing over with.
"Will you let me go once you have the reverse-blade sword?" asked Kaoru as they walked on for another hour.
Battousai only chuckled.
"What's so funny?" demanded Kaoru. What was so funny about her freedom?
"If I were to let you go, where would you go?" asked Battousai as he watched her blink a few times in realization from the corner of his eye.
Kaoru was about to answer, but kept quiet. There really was no place to go. Her home was burnt down by the bounty hunters, her family was gone, and she didn't know anyone else.
She looked up at him with the deepest loathing, for him capturing her, for him saving her, and for him being right. She hated it.
'I will get my freedom, this I vow to you, Amaterasu.' Said Kaoru in her heart as she looked up at the sky and towards the burning sun that seemed to twinkle even brighter.
xXoXx
Names:
Akuma- Japanese name for devil.
Amaterasu- Goddess of the Sun