Some time ago I had promised you guys a quick update, well guess that's just another promise down the drain huh xD
Anyway for those who have been dying, or secretely hating me for being such a lazy bum and update on the story I will try to bless you all with an extra long chapter. I still hope, as always, that you will enjoy what I have brought you today and will be sweet enough to leave me another review with your thoughts, complaints and maybe even a little compliment or two.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone or Galaxy or any of the official Characters from the anime and / or manga. They belong respectively to Level-5. I only own my OC.
All in all, the situation had escalated from bad, to downright hellish. After a nearby guard had heard the screaming and the pounding of the girl's fists on the door of the guestroom the alarm had awakened the entire castle and caused chaos to descend amongst the people. People had been feverishly searching the Royal grounds in groups of five or more for a hint of the Last Human's whereabouts, and after a little while they had been relieved of that duty when word got out that none other then the Vampire Prince had found her.
Most of the Royal household and staff had gone back to their prospective activities, Each one of them minding their own business.
The only ones who were not so lucky to retreat to the safety of their rooms or chores were the King of the Vampires, Tsurugi Ryuusei, and the one who had beent he cause of the havoc. The little girl stood there, in the empty and dark throneroom, trembling in place. The King had chosen this place on purpose, the Royal Throneroom was spacious, with wide halls and high ceilings and little to no rugs or other sound-proof materials to lessen the booming of his voice as he spoke with an almost chilly royal tone.
The King sat on his throne, which was positioned at the far end of the room on a plateau, no matter how you looked at it, he was litterally looking down on her. He tapped his fingers impatiently, clearly ticked off by her behavior, as he rested his head against the palm of his hand. His entire posture screamed annoyance and above all, impatience, one little word could bring the king into a very dangerous mood, and there was nothing more dreadable than that.
"You understand the reasons of your summoning don't you," He said, his voice only slightly echoing through the quiet halls. "Yamana Akane."
The small figurine nodded, her chestnut braids moving along with her head-movement. Her lavender eyes were closed shut, too afraid too look the king straight in the eye as she remained in her humble bowing position, the very least thing she could do after disappointing and displeasing her King to this extent.
"Then, surely, you are also aware of the severe consequences that await you." He didn't even have to ask her, because she knew, the question of her punishment was a 'when' not an 'if'. Either way it was only a matter of time before it would be executed. And there was no doubt that it would be gruesome. And only the thought of what he could have in store for her made her tremble even harder and diamond-like tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrolably.
But before the King had another chance of speaking the door to the Throneroom was thrown almost of it's hinges as the Prince strode in, a scowl sternly placed on his face as he inched closer and closer towards his father. He wasn't alone either, the Prince had his own entourage consisting of two people, a male and female vampire followed after the prince, their strides contained no more and no less determination then Tsurugi's had. One of them was Shindou Takuto, the nephew of the Master Tactician Kidou Yuuto, and the Prince's best friend and advisor. The other was Yazawa Riony, the Leader of the Royal Elites of the Vampires, her reason of being here was to defend her fellow Vampire Elite and comfort her afterwards.
"Father!" Tsurugi opened the debate with the King by using the fatherly term so casually, clearly reminding the King that he had the right to stop whatever nonesense was going on at the moment.
"My Son," The King replied with a monotonous voice, if he was at all angered by his son's disruption then he did well not to show, the last thing he needed was his own son turning against him. "What brings you here."
"Let's leave the unnecessary question for what they are, shall we? You know exactly why I am here." The Prince replied, his golden-orange eyes shimmering with determination and a hint of... Defiance?
"So I do," the King replied, his voice dropping as he sighed and stood to his full length, his own eyes were of a paler yellow collor and seemed to pierce straight through the Prince's soul. He did not flinch however and his eyes did not weaver or blink, he would not give in. "In that case," the King continued. "Try to finish what I started and cast judgement onto this." He said and pointed to Akane who flinched in place.
Riony tensed up, her eyebrows furrowing and her face reforming into a angry glare. She could not stand it when the king treated his people like trash, especially to those who would do everything to defend him. Shindou, who noticed the change of air around her laid his hand on her shoulder, a simple gesture to calm her down, she turned to look at him, her dismay clearly written on her face. But it took only an almost invisible shake of his head to bring her back to reason, and so she stood by and let the Prince handle this, trusting him to do the right thing, instead of what his father wanted him to do. Which was quite a big thing to ask from Tsurugi, defying his father by fullfilling his own wishes and following his own instincts was like telling the King himself to buzz off with his crappy judgementality and then slap him across the face. Had he not been the Prince then the king would have decapitated him before the rise of dawn or sentenced him to death in some other horrifying way.
No, the King was definetely not one to be messed with.
Tsurugi took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts as he made up his mind before opening his mouth. A wise Prince he was, always thinking things through before he spoke.
"Yamana Akane," He started, the girl in question turned around swiftly to face him, her posture still showed signs of discomfort but her face was already hopefull. "According to the recent happenings of the last 24 hours we have hereby come to the conclusion that you are to be expelled from your current position in the Elite Vampire Council, you will be forbidden to leave the castle and are to take the Elite Exams again to regain our trust and faith in you. Untill further notice, you are hereby dismissed."
Akane nodded firmly, the thought of redoing the Elite Exam was discouraging but a powerful wave of relieve washed over her like a hot shower after cold rain when she heard the King mutter an approval of his son's judgement. But only just. If it were for the King she would have been put in temporary exile in the wastelands untill she would crawl back on her bloodied knees, begging for pardon. Tsurugi's punishment was just severe enough to get his father's approval, something he had learned after a couple of decades of closely following his every doing. Tsurugi knew exactly how far and how close he could get before he would cross the line and disrupt into a nerve-wrecking fight with the King.
Speaking of the King, with his presence no longer needed he made his way out of the room, probably retreating to his private chambers though no one present in the throneroom cared enough as they quickly hurried to Akane's side. The Vampire in question had collapsed and sat on her knees openly sobbing in both sadness and relieve. The sobbing subsided as she was pulled into a gentle hug and several hands squeezed her shoulders encouragingly, rubbed her back gently and calmed her with soothing words being whispered. When Riony released her from her embrace Akane fell into the next pair of open arms, which were Shindou's, her mate.
Things calmed down rather quickly after that. The peace returned and everybody was almost vastly asleep again. Everyone... But one.
And she was very much awake, captured in a room that was not her own. Aoi felt paranoia closing in on her as the time ticked by heavily, her figers went to her neck again, checking for the umpteenth time if she could feel any fang marks. And once again she did not, and once again it drew a sigh from her lips and her hands dropped to her sides.
"At least I haven't been bitten..." She thought and a feeling of gratitude settled within her. It didn't last long and a terrible fear started to eat away at her thoughts once her mind had become too quiet again. Almost on auto-pilot the most horrifying images of what the Vampire Prince could have done to her played through her mind like demons, pestering her and taunting her and making her stand on edge. She could not ler her guard down around him, he was too dangerous for that. She started ro fidget with the hem of her blue shirt that had once been her favorite. The smooth and warm fabric of the figure hugging shirt had once enhanced her stunning blue eyes and even drawn a few flirtatious comments and whistles from the guys at school due to the deep V-cut. Right now it was a filthy and torn piece of cloth that reminded her of the damage done to the human race, which was too far away beyond repair. She knew that if they, or actually when they would force her to get rid of it she would have no belongings left from her previous life, and she was not sure wether she was ready to give that up quite yet.
A pair of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway beyond the closed massive double doors, they were getting closer and with every step taken the heavy thumping of her heart increased in sound untill every beat was like a Chinese Gong that turned her anxious. She flinched as the person came to a halt in front of the dark double doors, her breath hitched, her heart paused and a scream was starting to build itself in the back of her throat.
The doors flung open. And the one she dreaded most to meet was looming over her like a predator and it's prey, his piercing eyes took all of her breath away and her scream died halfway out and only a pathetic squeeking came past her lips. An involuntarily tremlbing racked through her body and joints and she cowered in front of him slowly taking a step back. The Prince however continued his strode towards her, a menacing look setled in his golden-orange orbs that never wavered from h't r frame.
Aoi's back hit the end of the road as it was pressed firmly against the wall. Terror caught hold of her as she noticed now that she had no way out, her head and eyes scanned the room feverishly untill finally they locked with his and she let out a high yelp as his firm hands slammed against the wall on both sides of her head. She was utterly and inescapably trapped by his Highness the Prince, his face so close to hers that she could feel his cold breathing on her own face and she stood frozen in place, their eyes locked together. Gold clashed with sky-blue at that very moment and Aoi felt her heart clench in fear when Tsurugi closed in on her.
"Don't come closer!" She shrieked and pressed the palms of her hands against his chest to keep him at bay. Even through the fabric of his shirt she could feel strong muscles react against her touch, they flinched at first the cold reacting against her body heat before they tensed and reacted. His hand reached to one of hers, her left hand was engulfed by his, the cold gave her goosebumps and she swore that she could feel a faintest of heartbeats underneath her left palm. Her eyes were locked on their hands joined together and the gentleness of his touch surprised her. Once again he inched closer and this time she did not refuse, her heart stilled at their closeness and his breath tickled the shell of her ear, for a handfull of beautiful moments they stood there in utter silence, simply getting accustomed to being so close to one another. And for once Aoi forgot that he was a Prince, a Vampire nonetheless, and that being in his company could very well mean the end of her.
But it didn't last long, his hold on her tightened to a very painfull extend and she gasped and the last remainder of her breath got out in ragged breaths. He forced her on her knees and knelt down in front of her, his lips dangerously close to her ear as he whispered in a dangerously low tone.
"Listen very well to me you little pest," He hissed angrily. He regretted calling her names but it was too late to take it back now. "Your little stunt has cost my friend a grave price and almost her life. So I suggest that if you want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible, then think twice before doing something rash." He tightened his grib and soft exclamations of pain filled the air around them. "Did I make myself clear?" He asked and she nodded in reply. "Good girl."
He released her and got up from his position to head to the exit, he paused and looked at her over his shoulder.
"Riony!" He called, startling Aoi even further. But now her attention was foccused on Tsurugi again as she held her hand safely to her chest. A female figurine appeared almost immediately in the doorpost and Aoi was mezmerised, the young woman named Riony was a perfect example of the etherious beauty that Vampires could possess. Her skin was a gentle pale complection without a flaw in it's faireness, her soft lilac treshes flowed down her back in soft waves and her deep brown eyes were locked on the Prince as they exchanged small talk. It was clear to her that their conversation was about her as the both of them fixated their gazes towards her.
She cringed and felt uncomfortable again and even shame took hold over her, she knew she looked like a total mess covered with a thick coat of dirt.
"I am not a babysitter," Riony threw defiantly at Tsurugi. "Your Highness."
"I'm not asking you to babysit her." Tsurugi replied calmly and not at all offended. "I am merely asking you to take care of her, please."
Riony sighed. "Sounds like babysitting to me," She shot back but eventually a little smile graced her features. "Alright then,"
And then Aoi was honored to witness a very rare thing, the smalles of smiles, almost invisible appeared on the Prince's featured and seemed to light up his face. She was almost jealous that it wasn't directed at her but soon cursed herself for sounding so foolish. This went unnoticed by the two Vampires, Tsurugi laid his hand on Riony's shoulder as a token of his appreciation and left the two of them alone in the room.
Aoi tensed up when Riony laid eyes on her, somehow she felt like the female Vampire was annoyed with her and Aoi felt like a nuissance in her pressence. All feelings of hostility though, melted like snow before the sun when Riony addopted a pitying smile and slowly came to approach her.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you." She said and raised her hands, hoping it would have a calming effect on Aoi who had been inching backwards. It had the wished effect as Aoi came to a halt when she saw the female Vampire had no harm in the meaning. "I just want to help you." She said and kneeled down besides Aoi, who's eyes had been filled to the brim with tears, the intensity and scariness of the previous happenings only sinking in now. "Come on," She continued, gently helping Aoi up and guided her to the nearby bathing room. "Everything will be alright."
Aoi managed to keep the tears in and allowed Riony to help her getting undressed as the marble tub was slowly filled with invitingly warm water and a hint of deliciously scented soap. In only three trembling steps Aoi sank into the warmth of the water and a gasp escaped from her lips, only noticing just now how painfully stiff her limbs were and how badly her muscles ached as she slowly relaxed.
"Well, you won't get clean if you just sit in there," Riony said softly and moved a little stool so she could sit next to her. A porcelain jug was filled with water and Riony beckoned her to raise her head, lean back and relax so she could rinse her hair. And so she did, she allowed the Vampire to wash and brush her tangled threshes and with a soft hand she cleansed her back. It wasn't long before Aoi burst out into tears at the gentleness of her touch she had had to miss for years, and in that moment it was like she had her sister back and that very thought made her cry even harder.
Riony said nothing, figuring that this was just what she needed right now. And she was gratefull for it.
After Kirino had finally been excused from Midori's interrogation, he had first of all felt the exhaustion take a hold of him. His body had been strained to the max and now that the remaining adrenaline finally made it's way out of his system he started to feel it. He ached all over, he was stiff and tense and tired, what he wouldn't give for a warm bed that night. He had hoped that he could crash on the floor next to Kariya who was still inside the Healer's cabin, but Midori had said that no boys were allowed to stay the night. Kariya, however a boy, was an exception because he was a patient and in no state to try and make dirty moves on innocent young ladies such as her self.
It only took two minutes, a bit of discussion, persuasion and even a bit of force before Kirino gratefully accepted Endou's offer to share his room at the local inn. They had to ask for an extra bed to be made but it was not much of a hassle and soon enough Kirino found himself fast asleep in a warm, comfortable bed. Endou had chuckled at how far gone the young Werewolf was in such short time, someone could have dropped a bomb on the town and he would without a doubt have slept straight through it. It also made Endou feel a bit sad, as he worried about the hardships Kirino must have went through in the past couple of days. Probably alot, he thought.
And it was true, from the very moment Kirino and Kariya were assigned this mission by the Werewolf Prince Saryuu Evans-sama he had been on the hunt for Aoi, which meant days and nights without sleep, a scarce amount of food and no single break whatsoever. The smallest falter or halt and they could loose the little track of the Human girl and god knows how long it would've taken them to re-locate her track. Kirino had taken this hunt very seriously, and had strained his body occasionally in order to catch her. If he was awake now, he would ponder and blame himself for failing, he would be up all night with guilt and dread being his only companions and slowly gone mad. No, he was lucky enough to have fallen into a dreamless and coma-like slumber before all of that had caught up with him.
Little did he know that alot worse was catching up with him at that very moment.
Far away from where he was now, in the Capitol of the Werewolf Empire the gates of Arcadia opened. Ten knights dressed in silver white armor left Arcadia on the back of military trained horses, faster then the wind they made for the small town at the edge of the Border.
So, what do you guys think? Did I live up to your expectations?
Haha the first bit of Romance finally happened, Some KyouAoi for you lovelies.
Reviews are very much appreciated, I'd really like to hear your opinions about this chapter.
Untill next time people!~