A/N: I do want to greatly apologize for my not updating. I have had the world's worst writer's block and I still do. I tried my hardest to work on piece after piece. I'm currently in school again and I'm having the "best" semester yet. Anyhow, I am certain this is not what you wanted to see on your update list, but I managed just to break through some of my block thanks to my sickness and get some writign done.
The story is progressing about as well as I had wanted it to. It's becoming more of a "real" story than I had intended it to be however. Anyhow, that will not stop me from writing it. Please enjoy
Disclaimer: I don't own Utena or Mai Hime.
Deadly Lovers: The Azure Monarchy
Chapter 8: Ghosts and Souls
If the room could have been drained of light to reflect the conflict inside of Natsuki the world would have been darken completely. The air had almost a chilled staleness to it as Saeko Kruger remained planted in the throne she once supposedly sat upon over 500 years ago. Natsuki had been witness to many oddities in the last few months and was akin to avoiding death herself. However the death that she avoided she did not escape its touch. The iciness of forever or as Shizuru once referred to as the place she could not follow. How did this woman avoid death for 500 years? Natsuki still remained on a mental high alert not wanting to press any further with this look-a-like for fear she might end up dead.
Somewhere along the lines she was right. The stability of this long lived mortal was starting to tilt. The never ending time was achingly going too fast and this one moment in history slowed the pace to a speed that confined the new immortal who did not know what to do in there dwindling sanity. The azure haired woman stood from the obsidian throne and clasped her fists open and close many times. The method to her personal redemption lay in the death of her one true heir. Saeko Kruger had lost all moral values in split seconds at a time, never once doubting that what she was doing was wrong. Always the gray character in it all, but Saeko would have no more grayness from that which she honestly believed was her solemn right to command.
At the same time a strong heart beat with vicious clarity as it pumped blood racing from each vein to the other. The clear heart belonged to only one person whose tawny hair flew behind them as the person was in full run. The run was a run that had a life or death fleeting aura making people clear the way long before the person came through. The red eyes of the person, the woman, were fixed as if they were following the path of someone else. The palace was an enormous maze with twists and turns but nicely networked through awesome hallways which served as Shizuru Fujino race way to her life or death situation. It really was that though. Shizuru felt that she needed to reach her goal, that place, before it was too late. Something in her screamed as if many of her in different lives had suffered something horrid and were guiding her there. SAVE HER! She rounded the last hallway and before her was the grand hallway, the entrance to the court, the throne room. The room to be guarded by massive doors that would strike awe into any soul, but for Shizuru it struck only fear; a fear that she could not foresee the coming danger to her lover. So she charged towards the doors thrusting her arms outward as she pushed the doors open.
"NATSUKI!" The name ranged into the large open room causing the two present to freeze. A freeze that seemed like time itself had halted under the power of the love Shizuru had for Natsuki; none could ever understand or match. In fact, the force of the yell momentarily jarred the fractured Saeko into a strong sanity with the realization of everything that had come to pass and what she was planning to do. Saeko Kruger looked across the room and made eye contact with the red eyed woman for a moment and looked to her left seeing her only child slowly looking to the woman screaming her name.
"What have I done? What have I become? I can't protect you from me…" Saeko said as she inched away to the darkness behind the throne passed the curtained area. "I cannot protect you from me, my daughter…I love you." The words were said aloud but in whisper that could only reach the heart. Natsuki quickly averted her eyes from Shizuru and turned around to see no one. She was gone the immortal, the Queen of the Lost Monarchy, Queen Saeko Kruger, and the only one who would be her mother, gone.
The running sounds of feet could be heard as the distance from the grand doors was cleared to where Natsuki stood. Shizuru could sense the distress building in Natsuki. The azure haired woman inhaled deeply and let out short exhales as she slowly shook her head from side to side not wanting to understand what had happened. Shizuru slowly ascended the stairs behind Natsuki hearing the labored breathes from her Queen.
"Natsuki…what did she do to you? Natsuki please talk to me. Natsuki…" Shizuru said in a hush as she hesitated to pull Natsuki to her from behind when Natsuki turned to her. The lovers embraced quickly and Natsuki slowly melted from her warrior resolve to the woman she locked away.
"Shizuru…it's not true. I don't want it to be true, but it is. Why now?" Natsuki said before she rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder.
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Not much later Natsuki and Shizuru found themselves' in the presence of the ever present General Arisugawa. Until recently Juri had been oblivious to the signs of any other immortals because there were so many around her that were her people she never thought that out of all the malicious energy patterns from the immortals one of them was screaming mad. Shizuru knew that only Juri Arisugawa would be able to add in the incident that had so jarred Natsuki. A powerful headstrong warrior such as Natsuki could never be broken or so they thought. In the study of the house Juri was staying at the three women sat in a awkward silence with only Juri staring at Natsuki, Natsuki staring off at her feet or some sudden movement, and Shizuru watching either two.
Juri's hair was pulled back and the woman's green eyes had a tired and massively drained look within. She sat a desk with her elbows resting upon it her hand clasped in another. Juri looked to Shizuru and back to Natsuki and quickly removed something from the desk draw and placed on the desk before her. The item se placed before her was a small velvet back which she gently tipped over letting the contents spill out. A broken locket of gold lay before the Warlord of Rose and she dare not look at it directly as a heavy breath escaped her mouth.
"There is something I had wanted to tell you about your lineage once, Natsuki." Juri said keeping her eyes shut.
"I'm listening." Natsuki said in a coarse voice. "Obviously there is something you know more than anyone else in the world outside of that woman."
Juri's eyes opened and she glanced and the young Natsuki and Shizuru. The glance turned into a spiteful glare as she took another deep breath. Juri shifted her position in her chair and squarely focused her eyes on Natsuki.
"You are not possible according to the laws of the immortal or the mortals. Natsuki Kruger; you are not suppose to exist. And yet you do. I had been wondering since that day so many centuries ago if what happened was destined." Juri said and voice shot through her head, believe in miracles. "Yes, you are a miracles. Such a laughable thing that I'd finally admit now from this life and not the one I came of."
Shizuru and Natsuki sat there silently not questioning the words of this long lived immortal as it was obviously diving into her own thought meant the surfacing of other memories that were very possibly not welcomed ones.
"I am indirectly responsible…no I am responsible for the end of the monarchy system of Webstein and Karis. If had known how to control my lusty ways I would have not been so easily controlled, but seeing you two I know it is not possible. Love and lust make you do strange things. It even makes you let evils happen when you have the greater power to stop them."
-fade into memory-
Juri stood in orchard part of the maze behind the summer palace of the Webstein Monarchy. She was dressed in her battle uniform which was partially soaked in the blood of the guards that defended the maze-like garden. The rustling sounds of a tree were made not too far from Juri, but the Warlord did not act adversely and only turned to watch. Before the orange haired woman stood a raspberry haired woman holding a red apple in her hands. The raspberry haired woman's mouth curled into a sensual grin and brought the apple to her mouth and slowly bit into it. Juri's face flushed red and she walked over holding her sword at her side.
"Is it good?" Juri asked in a husky voice brushed some hair behind the ear of her companion. The woman smiled and nodded. "So easy to please. What else do you want today, my beautiful Mistress?"
The raspberry haired woman sighed upon hearing mistress and tossed the apple to ground and grabbed Juri's hands. "First thing is…my most precious Juri, please call me Shiori." Shiori said in a slight whisper before she leaned forward to kiss Juri; always a kiss to control Juri. The kiss broke and Juri's eyes opened to see a mischievous smile on Shiori's face.
"Tell me what you want, and I will give it to you." Juri said almost pleadingly and Shiori back away into the maze motioning with one finger for Juri to follow. As Shiori disappeared into the maze Juri shook her head and smiled as she followed to the opening into the maze only to be witness to murder of king. The king stood with blood pouring from an open wound on his fighting arm.
"I want to become ruler of this country my darling and I will take it for myself!" Shiori shouted as she lunged forward stabbing the king countless time in the chest making the monarch scream out in pain causing another to surface. Juri's attentions turned to the rustling sounds of the maze as the queen of Webstein appeared. Juri's eyes locked onto the woman's beautiful harlequin colored eyes and almost black-blue hair. Whispered words escaped her mouth and captured Juri's heart forever; my king. Juri looked back only to see Shiori sword coming down and blood spurted from the decapitated body and a wild laughter could be heard from Shiori as Juri words went unheard.
"VILLIAN!!!" was the first word Juri before feeling a blade pierce threw her back. The Warlord fell down against the maze the wall bleeding from a mortal wound. Shiori looked in shock at her fallen lover and charged forward at Saeko Kruger. Saeko lashed her blade out to her left side at the charging murderer and slice Shiori's belly open. Shiori fell to her knees from the pain and Saeko slowly turned to Shiori only to be halted by a bloody hand of a fully recovered Juri.
"Stop! She is a foolish young immortal girl." Juri said and Saeko eyes looked back to reveal a soulless being. Saeko's face remained blank as she drove the blade into Juri's body five more times and leaned down beside her.
"Then, you shall watch me kill your precious love. And I shall extinguish her immortality forever." Saeko said before standing to see Shiori standing on shaky legs.
"How dare you attack my lord and lover." Shiori hissed as her wound slowly healed before Saeko who could only smirk looking at the girl's weak stance. The queen quickly stabbed out at Shiori's knees making the foolish immortal fall. As Shiori fell to her knees Saeko grabbed the raspberry hair in her hand and lifted the immortals head. She slowly dug her sword into Shiori's neck and pulled the blade threw the spin severing the life force of the immortal forever.
-fade back-
Natsuki stood at the doorway listening to last parts of the tale from Juri's accounts.
"I ran from that point on, Natsuki. Shiori hands had motioned me to do so. It was her dying wish that I live and for her I would have gladly killed Saeko Kruger, but I'm not so certain I could have upon seeing the viciousness of immortality against mortality. I was disgusted and I had only noticed in the last moments that the queen was showing signs of being with child." Juri said as she placed the bits of the destroyed locket into the velvet bag from which it came.
"But general, are you saying Natsuki is a product of a mortal union or that of immortals?" Shizuru asked from her seat.
"Natsuki is the product of a mortal union. She is the child of the unknown king of Webstein and the missing queen of Webstein; the lost monarchy's so called heir. I cannot explain how Natsuki came into being though. Your conception occurred long before your mother became immortal and how your stayed unborn for such a long time makes me wonder. I know for a fact that immortals cannot conceive children." Juri said with a heavy sigh.
"Okay, I just want to know if Saeko Kruger is a threat to me. This is all I want to know at the moment General. Because I can tell you this, I did not feel as if she was happy to see me alive." Natsuki said turning around placing her hands on Shizuru's shoulders.
"She's crazy." Juri said looking at them. "The only way to be rid of her is to kill her."
"But she must know this city better than anyone else. She has lived here for centuries now." Shizuru said. "Besides, I don't think she is completely insane. She can be trusted. I hope she can. I think her judgment only lapsed when she entered the palace. She was forced to deal with the passage of time. She is still a normal individual mentally."
"Which means she'll crack at any moment. Immortals don't view memories the way mortals do. If we did we'd be insane." Juri said. "She will try and kill you, be certain of that."
TBC
Mini Feed
Kara: -asleep and running a fever-
Natsuki: -typing the stories-
Shizuru: -out getting medicine-
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