"How much longer will we have to walk?" Mokona purred on top of Kurogane.
"What do you mean walk, you white manju? We are the ones doing the walking!" He snapped right back at it with anger.
"Fuuuii" The blonde mage paused for a short second before continuing his march
"I never felt this much heat before!" He added waving his own hand like a fan. His two big furry jackets had been stripped and hanged onto his shoulder.
"Why the hell did you had to spit us out into the middle of a big freaking desert?!" Mirihanna let out an sight.
"Leave it be. There's no way out of this now." She finally spoke in annoyance. Those two were always snickering back at each other.
"Heh, and what's up with you? Walking ahead of us like this is a walk in the park?! Not even in my japan we have this kind of freaking weather!"
"I admit that even I'm having trouble…" Said the poor young boy helping the young princess walking in the heavy sand. Mirihanna glanced back, her white hair shining like a mirror with the bright sun. Humans complain to much…
"This is a cold summer to me."
"More like Hell to me…" The ninja complained once more. She raised an eyebrow and swirled to them.
"You should see how it felt in the underground city. Some summer nights I would go without sleep." She slowed her pace, marching at the same rhythm as the tired men.
"Underground city? You lived in an underground city?" Syaoran asked with anxiety, his archeology curiosity rising rapidly. She tilted her head a little surprised but then remembered that her team mates still knew little about her.
"Why yes. Most of us did." She stated in a matter of fact.
"To avoid the humans in your world, right?" The mage asked ever so sharply, though his usually pale and charming face was as red as blood. She smiled at his tormented figure.
"Quite right…" She nodded and decided to give them a small history lesson.
"… through the centuries, our race built an underground city so vast that would connect half the continent. And we made our life there…those who didn't would be mostly wanderers, adventurers or even criminals." She looked back for a second to them.
"Not every race is perfect." She finished shrugging her small shoulders.
"So no one would dare to step foot on the upper world?" Kurogane insisted, trying to forget the heat with this conversation.
"Well, of course not…we have to go to the upper world once in a while. Hunters, herbalists and even the military would eventually go for training. But my kind mostly avoids it." She kept her steady pace next to the ninja.
"Many families prefer cultivating everything beneath the earth… Before the war between Draklins and mortals, I was quite…shall I say… rebel about it." Kurogane raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled in amusement at his sudden interest. The ninja kept a gaze on her, mentally insisting her to continuing. And she gladly replied to his request.
"…I would usually sneak out our city for walks…but only because I knew it was safe!" She said with her hand up in defense and Kurogane tear dropped at the realization of the definition of rebel to the girl.
"Kyaaaa! Mia-Chan is being funny!" Jumped Mokona on top of Kurogane. Fay released a small and suffocated giggle, amused at the refreshing change of attitude towards the girl.
"Heh must have been hard sneaking around and being royalty!" He teased her. She smiled kindly.
"Well, I did had a acomplice… my body guard." She smiled.
"What kind of body guard lets a princess wander around freely in those circumstances?" Asked the ninja upset. He would never let Tomoyo Hime do such a thing.
"Ah…" She started, keeping her steady pace ahead in the burning sands of the desert that they were crossing.
"We grew up together… we were like old friends…" She tenderly said, hoping they wouldn't press the matter further.
They kept walking restless in the desert, hoping to find someone of even something in that hell but with no success. The burning waves of heat were soon starting to cool down as the big red sun started diving in the horizon, calling the end of the day.
"What are we going to do?" Started the small princess, worried about their circumstances.
"We haven't found any village to rest…" Fay opened their canteen to discover a nearly empty one.
"The water's almost out..."
"And no sight of food." Kurogane added felling his stomach rumble. Mirihanna looked around the desert that they were in and sat her gaze upon some small flora around 100 meters from them.
"Let us rest over there, shall we?" She told them, pointing at its direction.
"I'm sure it will make a suitable shelter." Mirihanna started walking at its direction.
Upon reaching what seemed to be like a dry oasis, Syaoran dropped the exhausted princess on a small tree while the rest of the man took this chance to lay down on the cooling sand. Mirihanna kept her stance and examined her surroundings. On the corner of her eye she saw something familiar.
"Syaoran….Mokona's thirsty!"
"Oy. You can't drink all of our water! There are others how are thirsty as well!"
"Are we going to be okay?..." The fragile princess spoke.
"Don't worry, Sakura-Chan…I'm sure someone will show up…some merchant perhaps…" Fay said between his breaths.
"Heeeeh? But when? How much longer is Mokona going to last without food?"
"Could you pass me a bowl, please?" Mirihanna asked politely to Kurogane, the one with the travelling bag. Everyone looked at her in curiosity and to her hands, which were holding some kind of green plant. Syaoran looked closely and gasped.
"Mirihanna-San, is that…a cactus?" She tilted her head sideways and gave a pleasant smile.
"It is." She answered with confidence, removing the harmful spikes carefully and delicately.
"What the hell are you going to do with it?" The ninja asked while fetching a bowl in the big bag, secretly hoping it was food or water.
"I'm going to extract the water in it."
"Heh, isn't that risky? Cactus's water is toxic!" Alerted Syaoran. Suddenly Mirihanna remembered that the young boy used to live in a Desert. He must have great knowledge of its fauna and flora. Still, she gave a reassuring glance and started peeling carefully the spiky plant.
"That is true…but only in large quantities. Luckily for us, this world seems to have a non poisonous one." She picked the peels up and showed to him. Syaoran gazed and the small red fruits on top of the plant.
"It looks like… a prickly pear cactus…" He observed, amased at the resemblance of the plant in his own world. Fay, Sakura and Kurogane just glanced at each other, trying to understand what the other two were talking.
"Impressive." She praised him, snatching the wooden bowl from the ninja.
"Hey!" He barked at her but she ignored, squeezing the pulp of the cactus into the bowl, draining a dirty liquid. Sakura twitched her nose in discuss and Fay did the same.
"No milky water..." She smiled at the sight.
"What does that mean?" Asked the small princess.
"It means that it's not poisonous, Sakura-Hime. It's safe for us to drink." Reasured the boy.
"And to feast as well." She added throwing a cactus fruit at each member of the group.
The night was setting in and the group was gathered around the small fire, pleased at the comfortable feeling on their bellies. It wasn't much. That they knew. But still, it was at that moment, a luxury.
"It's impressive how you know such survival skills, Mia-San."
They boy said, wrapping one of Fay's coats on the sleepy princess. Kurogane was also wrapped in his own dark cape, Fay already dressed his fluffy white coat and the girl covered her whole tiny body in her precious white cape. The boy sat down, holding thigh on to his dirty brow cape and rubbing his hands into the fire. The desert was always harsh at night.
She smiled at the kind boy but remained silent. She wasn't always this skillful. She had to learn all by herself on the road. In those years, she thanked the Maker for her Dragon like genetics. She could spend days without water or food and sickness was something rare…
"Ah…nothing like a warm fire and a full stomach to relax after a tiring day." Contented Fay with his legs stretched. Syaoran looked at their small fury friend and made "The Question".
"Mokona, can you fell Sakura's feather nearby?" It purred softly, trying to concentrate on the magical waves in that world.
"Mokona definitely feels something…something strong! But Mokona's not sure if it's a feather…" Syaoran released a small sigh, but thanked the creature for its efforts.
Mirihanna kept looking the flames dancing and swirling as the men discussed their next strategy plan. It was always a pleasant sight to the girl and she kept a small tranquil smile at it.
"… control it?" She snapped from her trance and looked at them muttering a small "hum" as if asking a question.
"Can Mia-Chan control it? Mia-Chan is a Dragon so…" The creature repeated trailing of in thought. At first, she looked confused at him, and then understood his actual question.
"Dear Maker, no." She quickly spat, looking at the flames.
"Heh why not? Don't Dragons breath fire?" It said mimicking a Dragon with his mouth open and little teeth revealed.
"Not all Dragon are Fire." She told them. Syaoran looked at her again with interest. It seemed now more than ever that the boy had great interest in her people's history and culture.
"Can you tell us about it?" He politely asked.
"It would be nice…" Started Fay lazily hugging his knees and glancing at her.
"… to talk about other things beside our current quests."
Kurogane did not speak but inside the strong ninja held a great desire to know more about Dragons. They were a big part of Japan's Culture, and especially in his own family.
The girl sat straight, nodded with a smile in agreement and cleared her through, preparing herself for another small history class, something she was always good at. But as soon as she was going to start her lecture, to much information came at once in her mind and she suddenly realized that it would take at least a night or two to explain everything. She let out a sigh in annoyance and looked at them.
"…What would you like to hear?"
"Are there many different Dragons?" Syaoran asked immediately. She nodded firmly.
"Of course."
"What kind?" It was the mage's turn.
"Oh dear…" She said looking at the clear dark sky filled with shiny stars "There are so many…" She added touching her cheek in torment, trying to find a clear line of though to explain to the group.
"If Mia-Chan says there are fire Dragons, does that mean that there are water ones as well?" She opened her mouth calmly to answer but was cut off…
"Ahh, good question Mokona! What about Wind? I had the wind element back in Raishin Republic…" Fay trailed off in his own thoughts. She pointed a finger in the air but…
"I had a Dragon Kudan…" The Ninja spoke, entering the circle of conversation.
"Ah, you're right Kuro-Kuro…I wonder if I could be a wind Dragon…"
"Stop calling me names! And how the hell could you be a Dragon!?"
"Heh imagine, it could be fun being a flying dragon, always free to wander around!" Mirihanna's gaze was bouncing back and forward towards the men, her small hand slowly falling into her lap, giving up on her approach.
"Heh? Fly? Can Mia-Chan Fly?" Mokona jumped up and down in excitement.
"Now that you ask that, it has crossed my mind…can you transform into a Dragon, Mia-San?" She tilted her head, ready to give a reply but still with no success.
"Heeeeh? Will you turn big and scary?" She frowned her eyebrows in surprise.
"I can't imagine Mia-chan being scary at all…"
"Oy! Dragons are strong majestic and powerful creatures! You should respect her more, you stupid Mage!"
"Gentlement…"
"That doesn't mean that they can't be scary!"
"Maybe there are good dragons…"
"Oy! Stop assuming that dragons are evil!"
"Gentlement!" She raised her voice, gaining their attention. A little ashamed at their actions, their voices silenced and their gaze rested upon her figure.
"Thank you…" She said with a small sigh.
"Draklings come in many forms…just like the human race, we too have different ethnicity. Generally, those who came from warmer countries possess the Fire element. Those how were from the sea, Water. Mountain dwellers usually are Wind or Earth… and so on and so forth. Some of my people have wings…some not. As the centuries passed, our different races met in the city and involved with
each others, mixing our genes and elements and creating even new races. We call that the new generation…" She said softly. She looked at each one of them and analyzed their expression with amusement.
"I do not possess Fire." She clarified, gesturing her hands on herself.
"My mother's ancestors came from a very honorable family of Healer Masters… They were part of the new generation. Heirs of Earth and Water elements."
"Both elements connected to life…" Syaoran muttered out loud.
"I see you grasped the concept." She smiled.
"Tsk…so this means that if someone with Fire and Earth mix up together…"
"That would make the offsprings Lava Masters…or simply Fire or Earth."
"I see…and what about you father?" Fay asked and her face saddened for a short second.
"My father is pure blood. A pure Daichiko. He fell in love with my mother who was noble but not a royal. His element is Light."
"Light?" Kurogane asked intrigued.
"Correct." She carefully said. "There is a saying in my land that tells that the first Drakling siblings were fully identical in form but opposite in their elements. One was Light, the other Shadow."
"Good and Evil, perhaps?"
"It is only an old legend…" The girl said. "The truth is, along the royal family line, what was left was Light. The ability to clarify both physically and spiritually and to manipulate light."
"Oh I see…just like we saw you back in Spirit…" Syaoran pointed, finally understand were she was heading.
"So…the weapons and the barrier that you created back then. They were you element."
She nodded. She looked at Fay and noticed his suspicious yet concerned stare.
"Speak your mind…" She softly asked the mage as if on cue. Fay recomposed his usual lean back personality.
"I was just wondering…the element that you have is a very positive and a good one… Why haven't you use it earlier in the beginning? Is it because of what Kyle said?" Mirihanna lowered her face in shame.
"It is true, I still haven't perfected my element… I did not have the necessary time to train with my father. And my healing capabilities, from my mother side, are minor compared to my fathers. Kiishimu-Sama was my tutor…" They all stayed silent, wondering the true length of her powers.
"I avoid using it because I have failed to protect many of my people with it… I just hope I can find another way to help…how knows if I will ever be capable of mastering it…"
Silence took over again in the group. Only the crackling sound of the burning wood was audible. The girl took this precious moment to collect her memories and actions through her life in a reflecting manner and the others respected it. Fay in particularly, locked his eyes on her bright green ones, felling that familiar anxiety deep onto his chest once more.
"But enough about me…this cactus refreshment made me ever so talkative. We should regain our energy with some sleep." She smiled gracefully.
"Aaw but it's to early!" Mokona complained but the girl simply giggled and carefully laid her body on the cold sand, muttering a small "goodnight". She closed her eyes while her ears maintained alert at the group small talk until they all drifted to sleep.
The sun stood tall and proud in the sky. The five companions rested their eyes on what seemed to be a small temple in the middle of the desert filled with animals drinking from a small fountain. All remained silent and looked at the small white creature. Mokona chirped cutely and slightly hid behind Sakura.
"…was this the magical aura you sensed yesterday?..." Mokona nodded shyly.
You…USELESS WHITE MANJU!"
Hello my beautiful readers! Happy new year! Sorry for the long wait. It as been some busy weeks.
This is a chapter a little big different. I wanted to do a soft chapter to break all the Ice from all the Drama and Serious chapters that I have been posting. Also, I thought that showing a little bit more of Mirihanna's story could be a refreshing sight for all of you.
I would like to thank everyone that have been supporting me and encouraging me to update :) Please, tell me if this chapter was a good change of sigh or a "no-no". heheh
Next chapters will reaaaally start with the romance...so keep in touch! :)
Have a wonderful life!