A/N: Hewo all! I'm getting the hang of this stuff, thanks to Ninochan ;. Well, this is the second chapter of meh story "Poisoned Kiss", which hasn't gotten many reviews.x.x So, PLEASE post some kind of review, so I can feel loved. In this chapter, a new character is introduced. He may be annoying at first, but he grows on you. I had the most difficulty with this chapter, so bear with me if it gets a little dull (I just wrote through my writer's block). I don't think it's as good as the first chapter, but now the story will flow better now that it's over. So, I hope you enjoy!
Kairii O.C.
P.S. I'm thinking about changing my penname. Seems lame. x.x So if you see a new name beside a new chapter, I changed it. Thankies:3
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Poisoned Kiss
Chapter Two
…Flashing lights… glimmering windows… A large chateau sat upon a grassy hill that rose above the cherry blossom wall that surrounded it. Large gardens surrounded the manor, full of color and life. A small boy scrambled to catch an escaping ball, which rolled down the hill without a care. Suddenly the boy's foot twisted, and the running figure toppled over, landing flat in the grass…
"Onee-chan!"
"Onee-chan…""Soledad! Wake up!" yelled a muffled figure. "Soledad, please wake up!" My eyes fluttered open, slow at first, but when I noticed a boy with flaming red hair staring me squarely in the face, I screamed, flailing my arms until the boy rolled onto the ground beside me. "Who the hell are you!" I yelled, reaching for anything I could use as a lethal weapon. The boy sat calmly on the floor, his legs crossed and his crystal green eyes staring up at me. "Who do you think I am?" he chuckled, grinning. "Luthiren didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" I spat, brushing off my jacket.
"Tell you that I'm your apprentice!"
"My who?"
As you can see, I'm not that fond of others.
"Your apprentice, silly! I'm Kumei Sohmya. I wanna be just like you!"
"Sorry kid, I don't give out autographs…"
I stood, leaning against the tree I was sleeping on. Taking a glance around at my surroundings, I ruffled my hair a bit. "I don't want an autograph from you, Soledad. I want to be your apprentice!" Kumei pouted, crossing his arms. "Luthiren said so!" I rolled my eyes, pulling out a cigarette. I set it limply on my lips and flicked it ablaze. I took a long drag on it before speaking. "Fine, kid," I mumbled with a wave of my hand. "You can stay, but only under one condition." Kumei's eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands together. "Really! What is it?"
"You stay behind me. At all costs. Or you're getting a one-way ticket to hell. Got it?"
I took another drag on my cigarette.
"Got it!"
At the time, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.
Luthiren informed me that there would be an easy soul for Kumei to capture in the Nasagki Region. It was really vague; all he said was that it was a natural death. I agreed to the mission--- the sooner Kumei mastered the art of necromancy, the sooner I could get rid of him. Sadly, Luthiren didn't supply me money for the train, and we had to walk all the way from Northside, to Nasagki, which was in the southern part of the city. With Kumei running his fat mouth, the trip seemed even longer.
"Soledad, where are you from?" He asked as we walked down a desolate side road. I sighed, trying to walk faster to keep a good distance between us. Every time I did so, he managed to keep up. "I don't know," I mumbled, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "Why do you---"
"I'm from this town. I died a year ago. Did you know that?"
I gave him no answer.
"Well, anyways, I drowned at a lake near my house. Me and my sister used to go there all the time when I was little, but… she died when I was eight."
Lucky her, I thought as I searched my pockets for a cigarette.
"She was my favorite sister. Wait... she was my only sister… Anyways, she was really nice and kind… She would always cook me soba when I was sick, and she would run with me in the yard when no one would play with me. She loved people--- and she loved animals. I loved her very much…"
Kumei bowed his head, slowly trailing behind me. I glanced at him over my shoulder.
"Kumei, how old are you?"
"I'm fourteen. Well, when I died I was thirteen. But really I was twelve because my birthday was going to be the next day…"
Kumei played with the goggles that were partially hidden by his spiky hair.
"You really liked this sister of yours, didn't you? What was her name?"
"I... can' remember…"
Kumei knitted his brows together as he thought deeply.
"You can't remember the name of a sister that you obviously have a psychotic sister complex over. How ironic…"
Kumei's crystal green eyesglared up at me, becoming defensive
"No! It's not that! It's just… It's been so long… I can barely remember her face…"
I let out a sigh as I finally discovered the long piece of escape and slipped a lighter from my glove. "Cheer up, kid," said as I lit my cig, "I'm trying to reconfigure my past, too."
"Really? Are you really, Soledad? That's sooo cool!"
Hmm… bad mistake.
"Yes. I have been dead for quite a while, and I am ready to figure out who I was, and how I died."
"How long have you been trying to figure it out?"
"You don't want to know, kid…"
I took a long drag from my cigarette. Kumei remained quite perplexed as he trailed behind me. As we crossed the street, his brightgreen eyes glowed with excitement. "What if… What if I help you find out about your past?" he stammered, barely able to get it out and control his urge to jump for joy. I glanced back over my shoulder to him, taking one last drag from the cigarette before I flicked it away and stomped the smoldering butt out. "What can a runt like you do to help me?" I scoffed, tucking my hands into my pockets. Kumei's brows knitted together as if he were both angry and confused. "Runt? Who're you callin' a runt! Who gave you the right to give someone a title without their consent? What is this world coming to? I mean seriously, if I could get a hold on the person—"
"Kid. Shut it. You can help."
As long as you never do that again… I thought.
"Really! That's great!" he squealed, returning to his happy skip.
About a mile down the road, the floodgates of heaven seemed to burst open. Large drops of rain pummeled down on our frantic figures as we vainly tried to find a place to sleep. After running a few miles further, we ended up near a rundown cabin near the side of the road. I kicked the rotting door down, entering the weed-ridden cabin. It was empty, for the most part, a large fireplace on the opposite wall. Kumei approached the brick structure, rubbing his gloved hands together quickly. Flecks of red ashes floated down to the coals upon its floor, and they immediately burst into flames. Surprised, I took a spot on the wall, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Guess we'll just stay here for the night," I murmured, messing up the snow white wisps that capped my hair. Kumei paid no heed to me, for he seemed to be entranced in his knapsack. I sat upon the floor with curiosity, sliding over to where the annoying brat sat.
Kumei pulled out a long silver flute, the keys and lacquer gleaming in the faint firelight. Its beauty made the very breath escape from my lungs, my eyes never leaving its presence. Kumei set the mouthpiece to his lips, closing his eyes slowly as he began his ballad. Long, slow notes emitted from the flute, sounding as if it were coming from those cute little music boxes little girls have on their dressers when they're young. The song entranced me, yet gave me a weird sense of comfort and safety. Suddenly, my eyes began to close. My surroundings faded around me, and I could see no longer the rutty old cabin. In its place was a large field, traced with every color imaginable. Large fruit bearing trees dotted the field, its succulent prizes swaying in the breeze. "C'mon, brother!" yelled a soft voice. "You have to catch me!"
"Onee, wait! Wait for me, Onee!" yelled a familiar voice from not far away.
It was the voice from my last dream.
"I told you, Brother, you gotta catch me before you get the cookies! No exceptions!"
A flash of yellow and white flew past me, and I strained my eyes to see the figure. All I could decipher was blurs of color. "Onee, you always beat me!" huffed the child, lagging behind. "I'll never win!"
"If you cheat, you may win," chanted the figure, "but something bad may happen. Really bad." The child gasped. "Onee, I'll never cheat. I'll beat you fair and square!"
"It's a deal then!"
The blur headed back towards the child, picking him up and placing him on her shoulders. "Let's go, Onee!" the child ordered, pointing ahead. "To the Secret Base!"
"To the Secret Base!"
Soledad… Soledad…"Soledad!"
I jumped, rolling over and snatching my dagger from my coat. Kumei sat back on his ankles, his green eyes staring at me with concern. "Soledad… Did my playing put you to sleep?" I blinked a few times, wiping the drool from the corners of my mouth. I shook my head, glancing out of the dust choked window. The rain seemed to have stopped. Feeling a cold breeze, I reached to tighten my coat, but all I felt was clammy skin. Glancing down, all I saw were sun deprived thighs, a tank top, and some plain underwear. "What the--- you perv!" I screamed, jumping to my feet. "You weren't trying to see if I was ok, you were trying to get a cheap shot!" Kumei quickly covered his eyes. "Nuh-uh! I had to take off your clothes! They were soaking wet! They should be dry…" Kumei slowly glance over to the fireplace, a look of horror upon his face. Though they were laid upon the hearth, my coat and catsuit were still dripping wet. My eye twitched as I tried to keep my cool, staring Kumei up and down. "If I… don't have clothes… by noon today… you are a dead… little… carrot top…" With a quick nod, Kumei zoomed off out of the cabin.
Kumei was one step closer to being tomorrow's dinner.