Chapter Three
My house was a two story Victorian style house. All white but the black shutters and trim. I did my best keeping up with my gardens and my pond that laid in my front pond. I soon gave up and hired a gardener. It seems that gardening is not a strong point for me. The house was in my family for generations, passed down from my mothers side. I gained my foresight from her. My mother raised me all be herself. My father disappeared the night I was conceived. My mother told me what he looks like. I sometimes wish that she had a picture of him so I can actually picture him.
Syaoran sat in the corner of my basement, his coat settling around him as he settled in a comfortable position. I sat Indian style in the middle of my basement on the cold cobblestone on top of a tracking rune that I drew in white chalk in the middle of the room. I placed eight goat blood candles in eight different directions. Four for the Cardinal points and four for the Ordinal points. I placed my left hand, open palm on my left knee with a black opal jewel that had Hadraniel Jophiel's name rune carved into it.
I closed my eyes and let the magic take over, a chant left my lips. The magic takes its own form and never has the same form twice. I felt the static crawl over my skin and a wind twirl around me in a whirlwind. As soon as it starts it stopped and when I opened my eyes and looked at the candles that circled me. Syaoran's eyes stared at my back. The candle that signifies North was the only one lit in the basement. I looked over at Syaoran and I felt a grin snake on my face.
"Belrogg. We need to travel North to Belrogg."
We both held our eyes. A surging feeling started to circle in my chest every time I looked at the gold skinned demon I fluttered. I will admit. I am pretty confused about it.
"Then, my necromancer. We shall go to Belrogg."
Belrogg was a good forty-eight hour travel my hover boat from my house in the southern peninsula of Valuckke. Valuckke was a small city on the seashore. White beach and blue waters and no cold weather. Belrogg is a completely different entity in itself. Tall jagged mountains, canyons, glaciers, blizzards and anything else one of the twelve gods wanted to throw at you. Not my fucking cup of tea.
When Syaoran and I stepped off of the hover boat, his aura circled around me in a protective cocoon. The cold air snapped with static of power, a heaviness laid on my mind. I had trouble keeping my mind clear and my powers in check. I felt my aura fluctuate. Marco.
"Well, we need to find somewhere quite to stay for the time being as we continue to find Hadraniel Jophiel or the other demons he his working for. It may take a while so you may want to get in contact with the devil and let him know what we are planning."
"Prince, Sakura. I'd prefer you call him that. Devil is to...demeaning."
Syaoran started to walk toward the small town located at the bottom of mountains. Cold, crisp air bit at my body as we walked. Ill have to get gear situated for this type of weather.
When we got to the small, run down motel I gathered some new gear that could prove useful while out in the weather. I found a small clothing store nearby that had good gear. I grabbed leather two layer thermal leg tights with magi-warming capabilities and a black leather long sleeve top that resembled a corset with sleeves. At least I'll look bad ass kicking some demon tail. And last but not least black leather knee high fur lined Eskimo boots with a small heel and black fur lined vest with multiple pockets. Not my normal attire, but for this weather ill need all the help I can get, especially with magi-warded clothing. Could save my life.
To bad I didn't know how right I was...
I walked to the common room located in our rooms. I rented out the whole top floor that included five rooms, a common room, and a kitchen. For a run down hotel it was pretty nice. Syaoran stood at the window in the common room. A far away look on his face. I knew that face. He was listening to a sound I couldn't hear. When I closed the door behind me, his eye came to rest on my face.
"My, my, my. I like the new gear. It...looks very nice."
I curtsied. I dont know why. I just felt like acting like a idiot. I walked around and sat at the table located in the middle of the room.
"Syaoran, may I ask you a question?"
He turned is body towards me, eyes boring in to mine. He nodded to continue.
"Why are you the Dev...the Prince's eldest? What is it for you?"
He took a moment to answer my question. I almost figured he wasn't going to answer.
"My freedom. Once I capture the demon responsible. I am free to spend the rest of my life as I wish."
Thats reason enough I guess. What hand is he playing though ?
Syaoran tilted his head to the side and regarded me with curiosity. A question crossed his features. His intense amber eyes stared into mine.
"Syaoran, if you have a question. Ask."
"Do you hate demons Sakura?" I couldn't hide the surprise of the question off my face. What the hell is up with that question?
" I don't hate you if that's what you're asking. You are not a thing, but a being with feelings. You think for your self. You want your freedom. And I respect you for that."
I could have dropped a needle in the room and it would have sounded like a car crash on main street.
Syaoran slowly started to walk around and sat next to me at the table. He took my hands into my own. His radiating heat felt hot against my hand. He reached up and traced my left cheek.
"You know, you confuse me. I'm not even close to being human. Yet...you treat me like a equal. You are the first one to do so...It upsets and settles my heart at the same time."
I walked into a pub located on southside of Belrogg. I was meeting a fellow bounty hunter that was in the area on a job, hoping to get some type of information or word on the street about Hadraniel or his minons. Easy enough, the moment Syaoran entered, tailing me so close that I could feel his breath on my neck, the bar went dead still and parted for me to walk through. Handy. Ill have to keep him around.
"Vector, nice to bump into you at the Roof of the World. Tell me, have anything liable to tell me?"
Vector was a large man. Death himself spat him back out. No one knows why, but he sure as hell scares me sometimes. His face wrinkled and scarred from past fights and wounds, his left eye blind and a pale blue. You could tell this man had names under his belt.
"Sakura Kinomoto. I should have known you would have turned up sooner or later with that seven digit bounty on your head. "
A seven figure bounty on my head? Dam, someone wants me dead. And fast.
I sat down next to Vector. Taking a shot of Noy. I sat next to Vector for a second. Collecting my thoughts and determining a path to pick.
"Now, Vector. If you wanted me as a bounty I wouldn't be standing here. So tell me who put the price on my head? "
Vector laughed. A deep, throaty chuckle. He took a swig of his whiskey and looked at me.
"Some mob boss. By the name of Gresco. He wants you alive. And no harm to be brought on your pretty little head. Who did you piss off?"
I shrugged. I had no clue who Gresco is. Somehow he is probably tied to Hadraniel Jophiel. There are no such things as coincidences.
"No clue, but if any one asks tell them I'm here to fuck shit up. If they mess with me. Ill kill them."
I walked towards the door. Syaoran close on my heels. When we stepped outside of the bar a eerie silence and a nagging feeling of premonition tickled my mind. I couldn't figure out what though. The moment my feet touched the road, a loud roar of a hover craft deafened my ears. I looked up and saw the hover craft coming down on us with tremendous force. Don't think about the hover, get the fuck out of the way!
I shoved Syaoran out of the way of the harmful plasma shoots that enable the hover craft to...well...hover. Searing pain hit my body as the hover craft landed on me. In the deafening commotion and the black out that was sneaking up behind my eyelids, the last thing I heard was Syaoran roar.
Darkness. Darkness all around me. I should be dead. Am I? I don't know. The last thing I remember was being hit with a hover craft. I remember me pushing Syaoran out of the way. Why? Because I lo...NO. Don't say it. My body feels like its on fire. I'm being eaten alive by thousands of fire ants that used to inhabit the land back at home. Someone is calling me. Who? I wonder...who ...are you?
It took a lot of effort to open my eyes. Bright sunlight blinded me through the curtains. I arched my back and slowly sat up, leaning on my hands for support. Syaoran stood at the window looking out to the city.
"How long have I been out?"
Without turning to look at me Syaoran spoke with a icy tone that I haven't heard since the day he was standing on my front porch.
"Three days."
Yeah, I felt like I slept for three days. I took inventory my self. Hmmm...no broken bones. Open wounds, scars though. And my skin is a new fleshy pink. How could I heal from just three days?
Syaoran turned and briskly walked towards me. He fell to his knees and grabbed my hand and placing his hand on my face.
"Sakura, did you mean to protect me against the hover?"
I looked into his eyes. My god. I could stare into them forever. I nodded cupping his hand with mine as I leaned into his hand. Pressing my cheek harder against his warm, pulsating palm.
"I wasn't thinking. My instinct took over and the first thing I did was save you...I remembered a job I didn't about four years back and I saw a imp get boiled to death by Plasma shot...I...I couldn't bear to stand on the sidelines as you get hurt..."
Syaoran smiled, his eyes holding something I couldnt quite put my finger on. He pulled himself off his knees and sat onto the bed, pulling me into his arms. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"Please, A hover could kill a imp. To me, it would be a bite from a insect. Sakura, my sweets. Please, do not do that again. With me being your familiar...its unpleasant to have you hurt. Its..very uncomfortable to me. It is my duty and my will to protect you. Not the other way around. I live through you. You die...And I die...If I die...I live through you..."
I nodded against his chest. Feeling his warmth circling around me. A feeling of safety engulfed me as I closed me eyes and more darkness started to take me away...before I completely passes out, I swore I heard Syaoran whisper to me.
"I would not walk this world with you."
Syaoran shook me awake the next morning. My gear was laid out on the bed. It smelled oiled and new. I could have guessed since the hover craft most likely burned it all off. Great, everyone probably saw you naked in town. Least of my worries. Syaoran had good taste in weapons though. My bow and sword seemed to be completely intact. My guns, charred and scratched but still good. My body wasn't as sore as yesterday, but I could feel the after effects of a 5 ton hover craft landing on me. Not the most unpleasant thing I've done. Though, I could deal without.
"Come, while you were sleeping I hired us help to get information. Since you have a great bounty on your head they can walk the streets."
I followed Syaoran into the common room where four people stood around the table. Two males and three females. A magi, two were-animals,another necromancer, and a witch. Syaoran nodded to them and ushered me in further into the room. The room had a static pop of tension. I didnt like it. My hand itched to my sword hilt.
"Sakura, these are hells mortal agents. Please, meet Takashi, Rika, Naoko, and Raine. The will assist you in your hunt for the demon we seek. They are under your command. They will also make sure no harm comes to you...Orders from the Prince...and mine. "
Takashi and Rika seemed to be a couple. They complimented each other well. Like looking in a mirror. They sensed each others movement way before they actually moved. They moved in unison. Takashi was 5'9 and medium built. Short black hair and eyes that look like they are closed most of the time. Rika was 5'5 and small framed but don't let that confuse you. Muscle tone was very good. Her brown, shoulder length hair framed her face well. Giving her the illusion of a sweet girl. Takashi and Rika are the Were-animals. Naoko was the witch, short cropped hair, large glasses. Typicall. And Raine would be the other necromancer. He stood around 6'2 and very fragile built. Black hair braided that hung just passed his shoulders.
"Syaoran, I work alone. I do not want any help or more partners. Im already stuck with you and my devil eye."
Syaoran shook his head no, and walked closer to me.
"Sakura, there is no bartering. They can provide protection and also another trained eye that your eye misses. Plus, with that seven digit bounty on your head...we are going to need all the help we need..."
