Chapter 16

My eyes slid open to the continuous chirping of my cell phone. I sighed attempting to reach behind myself to shut off the dreaded sound, believing that it was my alarm clock, finding myself unable to move my own arm. Panic accelerated through my being. Why couldn't I move my arm? Weight made it hard to move I panicked my eyes darting around to find Youko. My mind buzzed trying to make sense of the image in front of my own eyes, unsure how he got there. I drew a breath out of shock preparing to scream as suddenly Youko's eyes slid open staring at me.

Youko's eyes widened scrutinizing my face drawing backwards, a flash of embarrassment barely visible on his face, "You're not her." He wasn't angry, more embarrassed but shock won out. His sentences apologetic, then he was gone.

I slid off the bed brushing my school uniform. I moved towards the restroom. I ran the water through my hair keeping my head close to the sink as I shook it off, it wasn't working, I would just have to take a shower.

Everything was so messed up right now. Youko had ran away from his embarrassment a lack of control he never displayed and Shuichi's personality contradicting itself. I didn't know how to feel. I felt betrayed. I felt worried and confused. I buried my face in the water that was filling up the sink with enough water to drown a person.

If I wasn't already drowning in my own situations. I brought my head up to see the mirror, it had faded from the smoke rising from the heat of the water. I reached to wipe the mirror off. There was something strange behind the fog.

I ran my hand over the glass surface of the mirror flinching away from it afraid of falling in of what sprawled out before me was a dark cold looking battle field. I gulped taking the chance to look closer as I stood on top of the closed toilet lid and placed myself upon the porcelain sink my feet hanging off of the sink once I was up.

Inside the mirror there was a face similar to my own. Her face was decorated for a play in the middle ages. I let my eyes slide over towards the hairstick in her hair.

I reached towards the mirror attempting to figure out if that was really my reflection as she turned away. I studied the look upon her face my entire being screaming at me that something bad was about to happen without the ability to move away.

The woman unhooked her hair and rearranged it into the shape of a ponytail similar to the warriors spread throughout the field grabbing a sword off the wall as she marched towards the center of the field where the most intense of the fighting was still taking place. "Stop! I command it of you!" The voice bellowed out as if it were one of a well trained warrior that had led many battles.

"This is unnecessary bloodshed that has not even been over a necessary point! The reason behind this battle is to fight against someone else's wants!" The woman bellowed as the scene within the mirror paused only slightly to spare her a look before all chaos broke out. Within seconds warriors had laid about the field with only one or two people standing in the field. "If anyone wishes to rebel stand now! I will make sure the medics do not treat you!" the woman cried as the medics approached the field the woman was met with only groans of discontentment. "Medics, please treat everyone. Send the enemy soldiers home." The woman sighed as they approached her.

"But what about you? They are within your garden! And they will tell the emperor of-"

"They do not need to know of that detail." surely it had to be the detail of a woman fighting illegally and in this strange war. "Treat everyone first, tell everyone if they say anything of this battle I will have the most elite guard of this castle hunt them down and execute them so I may bring them with me. My downfall will be their own." The woman explained as I attempted not to lean closer towards the mirror the rest of the night fading of what had happened as the memory of the mirror slowly took over as if it were my own memory.

"My lady! If you're not treated immediately though! You will surely die!" The medics shouted towards her as she shook her head.

"I can wait." She gave a brief frail broken smile as she stumbled away, medics busying themselves to appease their princess and get to her quicker.

A flash of silver drew her off of her original path, "Get yourself treated, Bellais." He whispered within her ear.

"My men come first. They just lost my father, they need someone to look towards if they feel lost. I must prove that I can handle myself as their leader. Even if I'm a woman I will be their leader." The woman, Bellais, explained as Youko looked down at her sighing.

"But they must still respect you like a woman. You can't be what you are not Bellais." Youko sighed towards her glancing down at her right shoulder that was darkening by the moment pulling her into his lap as they leaned against a tree that overlooked the entire battlefield.

"But as time moves on there will be less bloodshed. And they will appreciate having their lives we have much more time than it is said that we do in this era. There will be no point if I send children into slaughter each other." Bellais explained as a little laugh came from Youko.

"Some of those children you refer to are much older than yourself little Bellais." He teased as she puffed her cheeks looking up at him flinching from the pain in the slice wound that slid up her arm.

"Who did that?" Youko continued reaching towards her arm as she pulled away.

"It doesn't matter, I'll get many more wounds trying to save my country. As long as my people are alive. They have much more time." Bellais sighed looking out towards them as Youko pulled her into his embrace, burying his head into her shoulder. Queasy feelings swelled within my chest from the unnatural sight, Youko was crying. I bit my lip a voice echoing in my head with the information that I did not know. As I watched the images change in front of me.

I took a deep breath stepping into the tub leaving a heap of clothing in the middle of the bathroom floor attempting to make the water soak through my skin soaking away the confusion and let the answers on everything boil towards the surface. Instead my mind swirled with ideas upon who Bellais was.