Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm back! And i have some awesome news. I made all A's on my finals and i get to keep my scholarship! Not to mention i'm close to getting my apartment! Everything is going good so far and i've been writing alot. I'm halfway through my outline for this story and without further ado, i present to you Chapter 9! ENJOY!
Chapter 9
JIRO!
The cry resonated through his entire being, jolting him straight up. Jiro sucked in a breath and spun around looking towards the front door, his heart racing. "Mimiko?" he gasped.
"Mimiko's in trouble!" Kotaro cried coming to his side.
"Kotaro, you stay here. I'm going to help her." He yelled as he ran out the door. He ran through allies until finally the scent of her blood hit his nose. Growling with rage and panic he sped up and rounded a corner.
Surrounding a body on the ground were four vampires, tongues hanging out and drool falling from their lips. They turned as they heard his footsteps, hissing and sending spit splashing onto the ground. Jiro tensed, at the look on their faces and the color of their eyes. Kowloon's. Two of them lunged towards him and he quickly drew his sword, slicing through them with ease. He rushed the third quickly decapitating him before stabbing the fourth through the heart.
He quickly sheathed his sword and kneeled in front of Mimiko, turning her over and settling her in his arms. He lifted his hand to her neck, searching for bite marks, not finding any there or near her shoulders where the Kowloon's would most likely have bitten. He noticed the large stain of blood where her body had been and his heart sped up, quickly using his hands to caress her body searching for the wound. He found the stab wound at her back and felt her blood slip through his fingers. Her breath was getting shallow as she lay in his arms.
"Come on Mimiko, wake up!" he said, shaking her a bit, but she didn't respond.
"Wake up." He tried harder and stopped when her head lolled to the side.
Shifting her up he bit his lip and placed his mouth on hers, feeding her the life blood that flowed through his veins. She moved, pressing closer to him as his blood began healing her wounds and rousing her consciousness. Her hand lifted, tangling in his long hair and pressing him closer to her as her thoughts ran wild with sexual ideas. He felt himself harden instantly as her mind was put on display for him to see.
A large bed, tangled legs, sweaty skin shining in the moonlight, hair tussled, and him thrusting into her hard as her body shook and clamped around him, as she cried out her release.
Jiro attacked her.
His body covering hers as he pinned her to the ground, rubbing his hips against hers as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body. She moaned sucking on his lip and his fang accidentally nipped hers. He took in her blood and she was flooded with the images in his head.
A large bed, her straddling his hips as she bounced up and down, her breasts moving with each thrust of his hips against her. Moonlight shining upon her body as her neck and head arched back, beginning to squeeze him inside. Her body bouncing faster as he thrust harder into her. Her back arched and then she exploded, mouth opening in a cry as she clenched him like a fist, blonde hair streaming down her back to caress his thighs, and him soaring up to meet her calling out to her.
"ALICE!"
Mimiko jerked away and kicked him off. She quickly stood and put some distance between them. This was the second time he had been thinking about Alice while he was with her and she was through. She glared at him icily and began walking back towards the house.
"Mimiko, wait!" he cried reaching a hand out towards her.
"NO! Don't touch me Jiro, just," she looked at him hurt showing on every feature of her face as tears began streaming down her cheeks, "don't touch me right now." She turned and wrapped her arms around herself as she walked away.
He stood there and watched her, her clothes torn and bloody and dirtied from the ground. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He was a fucking idiot. He knew that, what he didn't understand was why he kept hurting her like this. He knew there was no way for them to be together, fuck there wasn't any way for either one of them to be with other vampires. They would have to give up their blood for the Lady Sage. He frowned, gritting his teeth as he leaned against one of the building walls around him. Why did the idea of Mimiko dying for Alice bother him so much? Why did hurting her hurt him too.
He thought back to the time when Alice was his lover before he was turned. He had loved her with his whole being but was secretively afraid of her at moments. After he had been turned, his love for her grew, but it wasn't the same as before. It was almost like he was forced to love her. But when he thought about Mimiko, he knew he had felt an instant attraction to her ever since she had ran up to his burning body and placed her arm around his waist. The feeling only intensified as she argued and bossed him around, and as he got to know her. She was like a feisty little mouse and he loved her courage and spunk. He had wished he was human for her, but knew nothing would have come of it because there was no way to go back. Then when she was turned it was like all barriers were down. He felt his soul connect to hers even though he was angry that she had been turned. She was his soul mate. He blinked. Soul mate?
"I love her..." he whispered into the open air, "I love Mimiko." And as soon as he said the words he felt as if dead weight was lifted off his shoulders and warmth spread throughout his entire body. He stood there shocked at his own admission before smiling a tender smile. Then he grimaced thinking back to her last words. He had really fucked this up, and to realize after that that he loved her. "WHY THE HELL AM I SO FUCKING STUPID!" He shouted and stalked towards the house. But with each step he took, his anger at himself slipped away and he was filled with an ache. A wanting ache that consumed him, wanting him to go in and hold Mimiko in his arms as he whispered the words of his love into her ear. He sighed.
"This is not going to be easy." He mumbled coming up to the house and rubbing his neck.
He walked through the door and all the lights were off, he walked upstairs after locking the door and turned towards their room. Suddenly he paused. The door across the room from theirs, the guest bedrooms', was closed. Usually it was kept open and Jiro felt his heart clench as he registered the muffled sobs and the smell of tears coming from the room. He laid his hand flat against the door and wished it wasn't locked to him. Sighing softly he turned and walked to his room, each step heavy as he reached the bed and flopped down, not even caring that he only had about three feet of space thanks to Kotaro's sprawling form.
The next morning Kotaro woke up to no sounds or smells of breakfast being made by Mimiko. Rubbing his sleep filled eyes he stood up and looked at the bed, expecting to find her wrapped in Jiro's arms like he did every morning before going back to sleep. But she wasn't there. Startled he looked around the room not seeing her anywhere. He quickly dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and made his way out the door. He looked up and down the hall pausing at the closed guest bedroom door across from theirs. Walking up to it he laid his ear against the wood and listened. He could faintly hear breathing. Stepping back he grasped the doorknob and twisted pushing the door open.
Kotaro sucked in a breath. Mimiko looked so pretty and peaceful with the sun shining in through the window upon her on her side, her long hair splayed out around her in a dark halo and her face softened in sleep. Stepping up next to the bed he pushed back some of her bangs and sighed. "Jiro really is an idiot to choose me over you." Kotaro said, his voice womanly and slightly high pitched, the voice of the Sage.
Mimiko turned over towards Kotaro in her sleep and snuggled closer to the hand brushing her hair back from her face. Kotaro knelt down, still pushing her hair back and stroking her face gently. "I hope he realizes his feelings for you Mimiko, because you're going to be facing hardships soon and it might be too late." Kotaro sighed, looking out the window deep in thought.
"Hmm? Kotaro?" Mimiko's voice mumbled and he felt her shift under his hand.
"Good morning Mimi!" Kotaro's voice returned to the child-like one he used on a regular bases as Mimiko became aware of her surroundings.
"Morning," she yawned, "what are you doing up so early?"
Kotaro crawled up on the bed and snuggled up to her side. Mimiko feeling an instinct to wrap her arm around him and cuddle him close, did just that as he looked up at her. "It's really pretty outside and I wanna go on a picnic with you and brother, can we? Please?" he begged.
Mimiko chuckled and stretched before returning her arm. "I guess. We'll have to see if Jiro-" She sucked in a breath, the events of last night flashing through her eyes. She felt her heart give a painful twist as she remembered him calling her Alice.
"Mimiko? Are you ok? Why do you look hurt?" Kotaro asked, sitting up on his knees.
"Huh? Oh its nothing." She replied and turned to stand her torn dress swirling around her. Kotaro gasped just now seeing her blood appearance and the poor condition of her clothing.
"Mimi! What happened?" he gasped.
"Hmm, oh this," she really didn't want to tell Kotaro about Cassa or what happened between her and Jiro so she said; "I got this during a practice match with Zelman."
"Practice match?"
"Oh, that's right, I haven't told you. Follow me!" Mimiko said as she started for the stairs. Kotaro jumped off the bed following her until she stopped at the threshold suddenly and he ran into her. Peering around her, Kotaro saw his brother exiting their room, his face masked from emotion. Glancing up he saw Mimiko was biting her lip and her hands clenched at her sides as if she wanted to strangle him.
Kotaro could feel the tension between them and he knew it did not bode well. Jiro's aura was full of sorrow, desperation, anger, and hopelessness while Mimiko was full of much of the same emotions except her sorrow and anger where heightened drastically. Kotaro was surprised she didn't explode. Just as he was about to say something Mimiko humphed and stomped downstairs, her long hair swinging out and then swishing as her hips moved. Jiro and Kotaro stared after her, Kotaro glancing at his brother every now and then to gauge a reaction. Jiro heaved a sigh of regret and placed his hand on his forehead brushing his hair back in aggravation before starting downstairs as well.
Kotaro followed and looked around the corner to the kitchen. Mimiko stood stiffly at the sink washing something and Jiro stood behind her, watching her as she did whatever she was doing. The air was so thick with tension you couldn't even cut it with a knife. The air practically crackled with anger.
"Mimiko I-" Jiro began.
"Don't talk to me!" Mimiko cried turning around and glaring fiercely at him. "You have not right to after last night."
"Will you just listen I'm trying to say-"
"What? That you're sorry? Well I'm not, Zelman was right about you!" she cried.
"Zelman? What's he got to do with this?" Jiro cried back his voice louder.
"Everything! He's someone who actually cares about me, who loves me and won't call me the wrong woman's name every time I turn around! He's someone I can turn to with my problems!"
"He's nothing but a womanizer! Don't get caught in his charm, Mimiko, it'll only get you hurt."
"OH, LIKE I AM NOW? JUST FACE IT JIRO, YOU'RE JEALOUS THAT HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS AND YOU DON'T!"
"I know what I want!" he growled out.
"Oh, I know perfectly well who you want, the thing is Jiro, she's dead! You're going to throw your life away to bring her back and for what? You won't live to see her, spend the rest of your days with her. I want someone that I can do those things with Jiro! I want someone who will love me unconditionally, someone to talk to about my worries and laugh with me every day of my life. I want someone who sees me and not someone else in my place! Zelman can do that, he is doing that!"
"BUT NOT FOR FOREVER!" Jiro yelled back. "I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE LOOSING A LIFE TO BRING BACK THE SAGE!"
Mimiko stood stunned, all tension drained from her as she processed what he just said. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"You heard me," he said quietly looking away, "both of us will have to give our lives to bring back the Lady Sage."
Kotaro gasped from where he was standing and both pairs of eyes shot towards him. One filled with pain at the knowledge she would die and the other with the pain of having both of them hear the truth. Mimiko put a hand to her lips holding back sobs as she shuddered and her eyes teared up. Using her other hand she began wiping them away as Kotaro stepped forward. "Mimi," Kotaro began.
"It's alright, I knew that." She said shakily turning to the fridge and opening it, she started pulling out lunch meats and other foods before grabbing the picnic basket on top of the fridge. "You said you wanted to go on a picnic, right Kotaro?"
"Yes Mimi but-"
"Good, you and Jiro can pack the food while I go change and grab a couple of blankets from upstairs." She said brushing past Jiro and Kotaro and running up the stairs, tripping on her shredded dress, and stumbling into the main bedroom.
"Brother, you shouldn't have said that to Mimi!" Kotaro scolded.
"There're a lot of things I shouldn't have said to her, Kotaro." He sighed rubbing his head again. "She just seems to bring out the worst in me."
"I don't think that, brother." Kotaro replied starting to pack various boxes of junk food into the basket.
"Hmm?"
"She doesn't bring out the worst in you, I thing she brings out the real you! You've always been so guarded with how you interact with people. I think you're a lot more open now. You've made tons of friends since we came to the special zone and I think that's because of Mimi." Kotaro said thoughtfully.
"I see." Jiro mumbled pulling out a few boxes of junk food from the basket and replacing it with fruit and sandwiches.
"Brother? Are you jealous of Mr. Zelman like Mimiko said?"
Jiro tensed and looked at Kotaro. Kotaro sat on the small island table staring at him with Sage eyes. Jiro sighed, knowing he couldn't lie to him. "Yes, I'm jealous, but it's because he can openly admit his feelings to Mimiko while I just hurt her even more."
"Maybe you should ask Zelman for advice!"
Jiro chuckled and shook his head. "What? He gives good advice brother!"
"Oh Kotaro, you never ask the enemy for advice."
Kotaro was silent after that as Jiro started repacking the basket after pulling out most of the junk food and replacing it with more healthy foods. Something was bothering Jiro as he was doing this. It had seemed like Kotaro was trying to tell Mimiko something important, "Kotaro? What were you going to ask Mimiko before she went upstairs?" he asked.
"Oh that-"
"Are you boys ready?" Mimiko called before walking into the kitchen. She was in black short shorts and a red tank top with black calf boots. Her hair was pulled back into a braid and she wore a long black coat with her sword strapped to her waist and a gun holster strapped next to it. On her head sat a hat similar to Jiro's with a pair of goggles around the hat itself. She set the blankets from upstairs on the counter and smiled at Kotaro.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Kotaro cried jumping down from his perch and racing towards the front door. Mimiko grabbed the basket and followed him, leaving Jiro to sigh and grab his umbrella and the blankets.