Visions of Wolves

Natsuki couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes the creaking of the old house kept waking her. She could swear she heard shouts and cries a few times but since she and Shizuru were the only ones in the house she wrote them off as her imagination. She tossed and turned, never finding a comfortable spot in the bed before finally tossing in the towel and sitting up. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling like silk thanks to Shizuru's thorough brushing, and looked around the room.

She sighed and pushed herself off the bed. Her intention was to grab a glass of water from the kitchen but when she stepped out into the hallway she spotted Shizuru's back walking away from her towards the foyer. She found it odd that Shizuru would be walking around at this time of night and, since Shizuru hadn't noticed her and she wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, she decided to follow her and see where she went. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the woman and this presented an opportunity to learn a little more about her.

Shizuru walked down the semi-circular stairs that led down to the first floor then turned left to head to the east wing and the worker's quarters. Natsuki walked slowly to quiet her naked footsteps and stayed close to the wall to lower her profile and shadow as she followed her down the hallway and towards one of the larger rooms in the wing. Natsuki watched as Shizuru opened the door, stepped inside then closed the door behind her.

Natsuki waited a full minute, just to be sure that Shizuru wasn't standing directly on the other side of the door, then crept over carefully. The door that she thought was closed was open by a hair and she silently pushed it open a little further, trying to see inside. She failed at this but she was able to hear voices inside, one was clearly Shizuru's but the other sounded distant, like from a well, and young.

"You didn't come to see me today." The younger voice asked in a tone that sounded like a child's.

"I know. I was showing Natsuki around the house." Shizuru responded in an easy tone that was soothing to hear in her accent.

"I was lonely, though." The voice changed it's tone. "Who is Natsuki?"

Shizuru stopped to think before her reply. "She showed up at the house recently. She's beautiful, I think you would love her."

Natsuki couldn't comprehend what was happening. It was supposed to be just the two of them in the house but it seemed Shizuru was hiding someone. Perhaps Shizuru had told this young girl the same story but the question remained. Why?

"Oh." The younger voice responded. "Will you let me go free, now?"

Shizuru's voice sounded truly sad when she responded. "I'm sorry." It made sense to Natsuki, she was a prisoner here as well and wasn't able to release herself much less another from this place. This other girl must be a prisoner here as well. "I'm so sorry..."

She could almost feel Shizuru's sadness through the door, she heard her quietly sobbing in the room on the other side and her heart melted to hear it. There was something about her that made Natsuki want to care for her, to protect her and heal her. Her hand rested on the doorknob and she intended to open it and meet this other prisoner but a physical force stopped her from doing so. Another voice, this one low and raspy when compared to either of the other two, spoke but it seemed like it spoke directly to her. "You shouldn't be here, girl. Go back to sleep."

The door abruptly slammed shut. Having been pressed against it the force of the slam nearly threw her against the far wall and left her sitting on the floor breathing heavily and wondering just what the hell was happening around her. Something is definitely not right here but what am I supposed to do?

Natsuki stood and brushed herself off, she could no longer hear the voices on the other side of the door, they were closed off to her. Worse, it seemed that a dark power now held the door shut, a similar power to one she encountered on the second floor. Something sinister was definitely happening around her but Natsuki felt powerless, like she was fumbling around in the dark. Either way, there was something in that room that she wasn't supposed to see. She resolved to find a way in and unravel a piece of the mystery.

She walked down the hallway and back to the foyer but as she walked she found that she was exhausted, something about that dark presence drained her energy. By the time she was up the steps she was yawning profusely and her eyelids were heavy. When she finally made it to her bed, though it wasn't her intention to sleep, her body was very weary and fell easily into it. She didn't dream that night.

-ROSE-

Natsuki's eyes fluttered open in, what she assumed was, the morning. The constant presence of the black fog made it difficult to distinguish times of day other than day and night. She looked around her and met a pair of burgundy eyes, Shizuru had been watching her sleep again. "Good morning, Natsuki."

Natsuki grunted and sat up, she yawned and stretched her long arms. "Good morning."

"I made you breakfast." Shizuru brought a silver tray over from a nearby dresser and handed it to her. "It's not much but I thought you'd like it."

Natsuki set the tray in her lap and looked over the array foods before her. Several slices of bacon and a few eggs, a half of a grapefruit, a glass of water and several pieces of toasted bread were spread out over the tray in an elegant fashion. Natsuki's stomach growled and she wasted no time in attacking the food before her. As she ate she found her strength returning. She remembered her encounter the previous night and, since it was her intention to free them, decided to directly ask her about it. "Who were you talking to last night?"

Shizuru didn't look away, her eyes met Natsuki's piercing gaze. "I was talking to someone? We're the only ones here."

Their eyes continued to play tug of war. As hard as she tried, Natsuki wasn't able to break Shizuru's calm reserve. Natsuki looked away and dropped it, she had intended to investigate that room anyway. "It must have been a bad dream, then."

"There are a lot of those here. Bad dreams." Shizuru's voice and face both dropped, her eyes sought out the floor. She shook her head to banish the sadness. "Enough of this talk. Why don't we go for a walk? The garden is lovely this time of day." Shizuru looked out the window to the ever present black mist. "At least, I think it is."

A smile cracked Natsuki's face followed by a chuckle. Before she could stop it she found herself laughing aloud, a tear formed in the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. Shizuru quickly followed suit and they found themselves laughing together in an intimate moment. Natsuki noticed a twinkle in Shizuru's eye as she laughed, a spark of hope that she had helped ignite. "I would love to."

Natsuki ushered Shizuru out into the hallway so that she could change and when she was done she followed Shizuru out into the garden. They followed the figure eight and every time they passed it her eyes would fall to the last rose, the single living thing that had managed to grow in this bleak atmosphere. "You look lovely today, Natsuki." Her angelic voice fell upon my ears and I couldn't stifle the smile that grew. "Your hair is lustrous in this light."

"Thanks to you." Natsuki looked Shizuru over, her own brown hair was long and wavy and flowed gently down her shoulders, her light skin shining in the sun and her burgundy eyes... She looked deeper into those eyes then back to the rose. "Hey, you have the same color eyes as that rose."

"Really?" Shizuru looked over to the flower. "I don't think so."

"Definitely." The resemblance was uncanny. Now she couldn't see Shizuru's eyes without seeing the rose in them or vice versa. The flower fascinated her, she wondered how it could grow in an environment where nothing else did. She wondered how something so beautiful could rise from that terrible soil. How is it possible?

They circled the garden once more before stopping in front of the house. Natsuki's mind was still on the flower as they walked back to the house. She mindlessly followed Shizuru through the back doors and into the dining room. Her mind returned to the present when she heard a familiar chuckle nearby. Shizuru was beaming at her from across the table. "What?"

"You just had the most adorable look on your face."

"Wah." A blush crept up her face and turned it red, which seemed to amuse Shizuru because she only smiled wider. "St-stop that."

"You seemed lost in thought. What were you thinking about, hm?"

"Just..." She suddenly felt guilty about what had gotten her so lost in thought. The last rose that looks like your eyes. "Just thinking of a way to get us out of here. That's all."

"So you were just thinking of a way to get us out of here."

"I..." It hadn't occurred to her that only recently had thoughts of freeing Shizuru from their shared bondage had surfaced. When before she had only been thinking about herself. "I can't imagine what it's been like for you in here. Yes, I want to free you too."

"It makes me happy that you think of me." Shizuru's eyes were bright and Natsuki was reminded of the rose growing on the other side of the garden, all alone. "I'm going to start lunch. It should be done in less than an hour."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Can you cook?"

Natsuki shrugged. "I can boil water."

Shizuru smirked. "Well if I ever need some water boiled I know who to ask." She chuckled. "No, I think I can manage."

Shizuru walked away towards the kitchen and left Natsuki alone in the large dining room. She spun around and walked out, heading towards the door in the west wing that she had heard the voices from the previous night. The door that she had stood in front of was sealed shut, just like the one on the second floor. She remembered the disembodied voice she had heard before and a shiver ran down her spine.

With that lead a dead end she decided to head out into the garden and found herself gravitating towards the last rose. She stood in front of it and looked down, it's beauty only amplified by the bleak surroundings. She knelt down and took it into her hand, felt the velvet petals against her skin, ran her hand down the stem and felt a sharp prick. She withdrew her hand, a drop of red blood hit the black sand and was absorbed instantly. She held her finger until it stopped bleeding, reminded that even the most beautiful flowers have thorns.

As she looked at the rose she noticed something at the base, a glint of brown. She analyzed the black sand with her hand, poking at the base of the rose and finding that it had some give. She dug her hand in and pulled a handful of it away then saw something that brought a smile to her face. Underneath the layer of sand was nothing but common soil.

She started to frantically dig at the sand, clearing out a foot square area around the rose. She looked down and surveyed her handiwork and for the first time she felt like she could make a difference, like she wasn't powerless. With a smile on her face she turned and the smile was wiped clean away. Before her, standing tall in the middle of the garden stood a large white wolf.

It was the largest wolf that Natsuki had ever seen, it stood nearly to her chest at the shoulders and had to weigh at least two hundred pounds. It's fur was the soft white of fresh snow and even from the distance between them she could tell that it was just as soft. It looked at her with eyes that shone a vibrant green, eyes that bored through her and looked into her very soul. A low growl emanated from it's mouth, not a threatening growl but definitely a warning.

Natsuki stood stock still, her eyes connected with the beast's, her heart rate increasing with her body's tension. She couldn't run, it would be on her in seconds, she couldn't fight, it would tear her up in seconds, all she could do was to return it's stare and hope that she didn't anger it. The beast licked it's lips, it's eyes never left Natsuki. If she focused hard enough she could swear she heard a whisper coming from it. "...e caref...danger...dem..."

A sound, something that Natsuki can't hear but the wolf can, causes it to turn around to face the manor. It howls, a long, high pitched sound that seems to fill the air between them then takes off around the building and out of sight. She releases the breath that she had been holding, gripping her chest to calm her raging heart. It was strange to her that she hadn't necessarily been frightened of the wolf, in fact the wolf had seemed oddly familiar.

She gathered her remaining strength and walked over to a nearby bench to sit down. Her heart rate started to normalize and she regained her composure. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths before she felt composed enough to stand. A memory came unbidden to her as she sat there.

I'm walking hand in hand with someone up a familiar hilly path through the trees. It's a pleasant day, the heat is tolerable and a cool breeze rustles through the trees on occassion. The path is one I've been on before many times, up ahead is a familiar outcropping that I like to sit on that gives a great view of the surrounding countryside.

"Natsuki." the voice of my companion is deep and I look up into the eyes of my father. Everyone says that I have his eyes, green unlike my mother's dark blue ones. "I'm going to be leaving for a while."

"Where are you going, daddy?"

"I found some work in the city but it's going to keep me away for a while." My father never talked about what kind of work he did, it was my mother who told me that he worked in construction. His jobs would often take him away for months on end. "You have to take care of your momma, okay? She needs you."

"I know, daddy."

"That means no wandering off now, understand? You need to stay close to home in case something happens."

"Okay." I had a penchant for wandering off into the woods and my father would often have to come out and drag me back but he would never scold me. In fact, he seemed oddly proud that his daughter had such an adventurous streak. Perhaps he saw himself in me. "I won't go into the woods."

We approach the rock and walk up to it. On our way up to it we stumble upon a young wolf cub, alone and hungry. It growls as we approach but my father keeps heading towards it. He kneels down and slowly approaches it, as he gets closer the cub backs away while still growling low at him. He stops and holds out his hand with a piece of jerky in it. Slowly the wolf approaches before taking a bite and allowing my father to pet it. He was smiling as he pet the cub and motioned for me to do the same. I approach cautiously. "There's nothing to be scared of. This little guy isn't dangerous, he was just scared and alone." I kneel down and slowly reach out my hand, afraid that the cub is going to snap at me. It doesn't and petting the cute animal brings a smile to my face. "Why don't we take him home? You can take care of him while I'm gone."

Just like that the memory is gone and Natsuki was back sitting on that bench in the garden. It was nearly a minute before she realized that she wasn't alone. "Are you okay? Shizuru's voice came from beside her on the bench, a comforting hand was on her shoulder and those burgundy eyes were filled with worry. "You don't look so good."

Natsuki shook it off and looked back into those eyes. "I'm fine."

"Why don't you come inside? Lunch is all ready."

She nodded and let Shizuru lead her into the dining room where lunch had already been set out on the table. She sat down and took a sandwich onto her plate, biting down and relishing the flavor of the various meats and vegetables. A question she had been pondering came up and left her mouth before she could stop it. "Where are you getting the food, Shizuru?"

"Hm?"

"This place is isolated and nothing grows so I'm just wondering where you're getting all the food from."

"I see." Shizuru bit her lip as if she were thinking about how to answer. "My father kept almost a year's worth of food in case something ever happened. As it turns out he didn't live long enough to use it."

"How has it stayed this fresh, though? Shouldn't it have rotted after all this time?"

Shizuru bit her lip, as if she was unsure how to proceed. After a minute of silence she came to a decision. "Why don't I just show you."

After finishing their lunch Shizuru led her through the kitchen and to a small door that led downstairs. She followed her down a set of stairs, the atmosphere getting colder as they descended. Finally they came to a heavy looking door and when Shizuru opened it the air that spilled out was nearly freezing. Natsuki hugged herself to keep warm. Inside was a storeroom with various meats, vegetables and cheeses and was kept cold by a series of massive ice blocks that lined the metal walls of the room. The blocks looked worn down but otherwise kept the produce cold and fresh inside. "This is impressive."

"My father had it built recently and started storing everything we had in it. He kept enough for everyone, us and the workers, but now it's only me left." Shizuru, who had been standing facing away from Natsuki, turned to face her. "Just me and you." A look crossed Shizuru's face for only an instant, Natsuki recognized it as affection, but as quickly as it was there it was gone and Shizuru returned to her normal stoic face. "While we're down here you should pick something for dinner."

Natsuki shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm sure that whatever you cook will be amazing."

"That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."

The smile on Shizuru's face was heartwarming and Natsuki had to look away, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Well, I mean it."

Using a speed she didn't know the woman possessed, Shizuru crossed the distance between them and threw her arms around Natsuki and pulled her into a warm embrace. Natsuki returned the embrace, surprised when Shizuru rested her head on her shoulder. "Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

She held her close and the air around them seemed somehow less cold. When Shizuru let go she shivered from the sudden lack of her warmth. "Let's go upstairs, it's too cold down here."

Shizuru followed her up the stairs and out in to the kitchen, she closed the door to the cooler behind her and headed for the sitting room. She sat down in her favorite chair in front of the fireplace and picked up a book laying nearby. Natsuki sat down across from her and laid her head back on the headrest. It was comfortable, one of the most comfortable chairs she had ever sat in in fact, and before long she found herself drifting off.

I'm older now and so is Duran, the wolf cub we found that day long ago. I'm coming home and he must have heard me because he comes bounding up to the door as I open it. He throws himself at me and I'm hard pressed to keep standing. "Hey, you."

"Natsuki?" I can hear my mother's voice coming from the living room. From the sounds of her voice I can tell that she has been crying. "Is that you? Come here, we need to talk."

I turn the corner and see her, her bloodshot eyes and tear streaked cheeks demonstrate that she has been crying. I sit beside her and puts an arm around me, pulling me closer to her. From this distance I can smell alcohol on her breath and hope that she can't smell it on mine. "Your father...he..." Her voice is choked up. "He isn't coming home. He's...dead..."

She falls into sobbing and tears start to form in my eyes. My father had left for the army nearly a month ago and we hadn't seen him since. On the table sat a letter which I open and read. It's a letter from the Confederacy notifying us of my father's death. Apparently he had been killed in action, fighting against Union forces in Kentucky.

Tears start to fall down my cheeks but I turn to see my mother on the couch crying her eyes out and something my father had said hits me. "You have to take care of your momma, okay? She needs you." He was right, she does need me. I sit down next to her and pull her close to me, holding her tightly as she cried. "It's going to be okay, mom. We're going to be fine."

After she's done crying she falls asleep on the couch and I leave her there. I head to my bed and fall down face first. Now that I'm done being strong for her it's time for my own tears to shed. I feel a warmth beside me and put my arms around Duran, holding him as I cried. Before long I've cried myself out and fall asleep much like my mother had.

Natsuki woke up sitting in the chair, Shizuru had gone and she was alone in the sitting room. She stood up and headed for the bedrooms, finding Shizuru sitting in front of her vanity combing out her long hair. She didn't look up as Natsuki entered, her eyes met hers through the vanity mirror. "You slept for a long time."

"I guess I was tired. I haven't been sleeping well lately." She sat down on the bed. "I don't know how you've done it, being in this house for all this time. I would have gone crazy. I think I'm going crazy and I haven't been here near as long as you have."

Shizuru didn't turn her head or respond, she merely continued to brush her hair in long strokes. They sat in silence together until she was finished, she set the brush down on the vanity with finality, stood and turned to face Natsuki. This was the first time that Natsuki had really studied her face, other than her eyes which she seemed to be drawn to, and she noticed some heavy bags under her eyes covered with makeup. "You don't sleep well either, do you?"

Shizuru merely shook her head as she lay down gracefully on her bed, her back turned to Natsuki. "Maybe an hour or so each night." Her voice was quiet and melancholy. Natsuki lay down beside Shizuru on the comfortable bed, lying on her back she looked up at the ceiling. "The rest of the time I just...wander. Like a ghost, like I'm already dead."

Natsuki rolled over and threw an arm around Shizuru. She whispered in her ear, "That's not true. If you're dead then what am I?"

Shizuru melted into her arms and her breathing evened out. She didn't respond to the question and after a few minutes Natsuki noticed that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep in her arms. Natsuki lay in that bed for nearly thirty minutes, afraid to move lest she wake the woman sleeping next to her. Shizuru would mutter and mumble in her sleep but in a voice that wasn't her own, a guttural voice that sounded like a poor imitation of the graceful woman she had come to know.

They lay together for some time before Natsuki herself started to feel drowsy and slowly, carefully pulled herself away from Shizuru to sleep in her own bed. As she did Shizuru's hand slowly reached out and took her by the wrist. Her voice was her own again. "Stay with me. Please."

Natsuki found herself unable to say no and found a comfortable spot laying next to Shizuru. She wound her arms back around the woman and was surprised when Shizuru shifted next to her, settling into a more comfortable position. She lay her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. From the other room she could hear the many sounds that crept through the old manor but in Shizuru's room she couldn't hear any of them. As sleep took hold of her she thought about that lonely rose, the last rose, and just how much it reminded her of the woman who now slept in her arms.

-Author's Note

Thank you all for being patient and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of The Last Rose. I've gotten the question of whether this story is horror and I can't rightly answer that. I'm going for more creepy than frightening but the question of whether it counts as horror is really up to you. Let me know what you think and constructive criticism is always accepted.