Natsuki awoke with a snarl, jerking up from her cocoon of wool and furs. Blinking into the still-dark skies, she laughed lightly at her reaction. The dream faded as soon as she opened her eyes, leaving a gaping chasm in her chest. The red lips faded quickly as the stars above flared to life.
She didn't consider herself a romantic by any means. She had never been attracted to anyone other than a simple appraisal of aesthetics. There had never been a searing in her loins or a rush of magma through her veins. She had never felt her heart catch in her throat or her lungs flutter with any expectation. But now, as she lay within the furs that consumed her, she felt a persistent warmth wrap itself inside of her, burrowing deep within the aches of her body. It was foreign and unwelcome, her muscles tensing when the feeling refused to subside. The dreams had gotten worse, more frequent, unyielding in their appearances. Even if she couldn't remember the vision, she felt eyes boring into her very soul.
Regret slammed into her as soon as she leapt out of the furs. The frigid air wove within every flaw in her sleeping skins, breeze tickling the hair against her skin. She slowly set up a small fire, warming a pot of water as she set about taking down her camp. She heard the water roaring as she finished strapping her sled together and made a move to place the boiling liquid into a french press. Coffee would make the days better, as it always had.
She tore into her military ration with shaking fingers, opening the thick packets and tins with trepidation. Rations weren't the most appetizing meals but they kept her full of protein and carbs, two things she found very necessary in the unyielding winter storm. Only, the skies were clear now. The snow whipping across her face was carried by the gales of wind, not by the force of gravity. Unfortunately, now that the snow had died down, the cold was working in full force, piercing through every barrier to kiss her skin.
Natsuki sighed into her mug of coffee, the stone cup warming her hands in a way the furs never would. She wished she could have taken her bike on this journey, but extreme temperatures were known to cause… problems… and she wasn't ready to burst into flames just yet.
Once her mediocre breakfast was over and she had poured the remainder of her brewed coffee into the insulated camelbak under her fur wrapping, Natsuki set off across the frozen tundra, heading Northwest. Beneath the goggles, her eyes skimmed the landscape for any sign of a tunnel as she trekked across the plains.
Moving through snow was very similar to the slowed movement in sand. It was the desert she had first passed through on her way to the mountain range, but there the sun scorched. The change in climate had been swift once she tumbled down the final sand dune and into the snow. As if the border between the lands was more than a line on a map, Fuuka lived by its own seasons.
She must have been walking for over an hour by the time she fell into what felt like a trap. The ice below her cracked and splintered before caving in entirely. She gasped as her body dropped, stomach leaping to her mouth. The icy cavern carried her down and forward, into a darkness she couldn't fathom. When she finally stopped sliding, her eyes were shut and her breathing ragged and labored.
She lay in silence for an unknown amount of time,simply enjoying the warm breeze that caressed her face. Green eyes snapped open. Warm breeze?
It was dark other than veins of blue ore that glowed unnaturally in the stone of the cavern. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. It was beautiful. A dangerous beauty that she couldn't comprehend. There was a tunnel ahead of her, and the faintest hint of light teased her from the distance. How far did she fall? Where did she fall? It wasn't hot, but it was a far cry from the frigid bitch that the mountains had been. The air was tepid, almost musty with the scent of small puddles that lingered beneath stalactites. Every few moments another drop of water fell, hitting the water with a musical grace.
Natsuki sat up, wincing at the pain in her back. This wasn't her idea of a good time… but… something about the cave was familiar as though she had been there before. She carefully snapped pictures of the cave's walls and roof for Midori's spank bank and transferred them to Garderobe's database. She didn't notice the symbol that flared to life on the ceiling above her.
The final photograph was taken in the middle of the room on a crystal that allowed the view to stretch into a real-time panoramic. She popped the crystal into the divot on her wrist, watching it begin to glow and dissipate into nothing. The ping of a message received signaled her to head towards the exit.
As she collected her things and guaranteed that nothing had broken during the tumble, Natsuki hoisted the reins of her sled over her shoulder and walked towards the mouth of the tunnel. It was harder than she expected to drag the damned thing over loose rocks and uneven ground, the friction grating on her last nerve. It must have been well passed midday and she didn't want to think about how far off track this detour took her.
It became apparent from the moment she passed the threshold of the cave that the light she had seen earlier was not daylight. Instead, Natsuki found herself trudging through a tunnel with pulsating veins of ore intricately woven through the stone. She wasn't sure how far she walked, but the labyrinth didn't seem to have an end in sight. It was as though she were descending into something deeper, a mythical underworld where she would meet her fate. She let out a snort. She could imagine Nao cackling at the revelation that Natsuki had fallen into a cave and perished. What an asshole, she huffed.
It must have been another hour before she reached the dead end. Frustration prickled the back of her neck and she could feel the heat rush to her face. The door was a heavy metal, and far larger than any she had seen before. With a raw yell, Natsuki dropped the leather straps of her sled and swung her fist at the door. Just as the two impacted, a dull clang rang out and the doors groaned, cracking open with a horribly high-pitched screech.
Natsuki stumbled back and fell onto her sled, crying out as her hands came up to protect her eyes from the blinding light.
A/N: Can't believe how many views I snagged in the first day of publishing. Sorry how slow I'm moving with this, I'm trying to stay invested and keeping my motivation up. Don't worry, things will start to pick up. I've got a lot of ideas with this story and it looks like it'll be something deep, maybe a look at how Mai-Otome became what it is today and where HiME plays into the whole universe. After all… how did the star turn blue?
Anyway, let me know what you think of it so far. Questions, comments, concerns, etc. I haven't proofread it so if there are any glaring errors that's my bad… sorry!
Tacos For Days