Ginga Nagareboshi Natsuki
Author Notes:
YAY! Finally finished this chapter! Sorry it took so long. I was absorbed by the IB world! It's too much work to do. Well, I really like this chapter, hope you'll like it too.
Thanks a ton for all your comments, they keep me writing even though I'm at the bringe of fainting.
OH! One more thing, if you read this please answer:
Revalis, would you be my BETA?
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Chapter Three: Breathing Lightly
I have always wanted something like this.
Living in peace,
not wandering if I'll be killed by tomorrow morning.
I have always wanted something like this,
but I never imagined it would be this good.
You make my dreams worth becoming true.
Living among the Aswald the two fugitives somehow forgot about their respective missions. Natsuki's hunger for revenge was at ease and Shizuru somehow thought of Hiro only once. For twelve days they were just normal dogs in a merry pack. However, something would soon happen that would make them realize they both had destinies to follow, something to do. That day began like the other twelve, but ended up pretty messed up. Had they known the outcome of that apparently normal morning they would have most likely ran away days ago. Still, both the half wolf and the Setter were currently oblivious of the events that were about to unfold.
The brown one had just woken up and felt the abscence of the warmth next to her.
"Natsuki?" the red eyed called and received no answer. She stood up, her body was already fully healed. Only scars remained. But this were different from the other ones she had. No hair had grown close to them and Shizuru now had two bald spots, one on her back and one close to her shoulder. She licked the sensitive skin and walked out of the cave. The sunlight reflected over the thin layers of snow that covered the grass.
Winter was about to end. How dreadful. Summer was hell for a long haired dog.
"Natsu... Haruka!" she called and giggled. Even if she had been calling her that way for quite a long time, she sometimes messed up and forgot she was supposed to hide their identities. The Setter had grown tired of having to call her guardian that way. Her accent, she thought, gave the green eyed one's actual name a sweet tone, how the tongue strikes the top of the mouth to make the "t" sound and then gently let the air flow swiftly to make the "s". Saying Haruka wasn't as elegant.
No matter what name she gave her, the truth was she wasn't there so the brown one walked away from their cave. She kept walking for a while until she reached to what the Aswald referred to as the Flower Garden. Right now there were no flowers, due to the fact it was winter, but Mai had said it was really beautiful in Spring. Shizuru wanted to spend an afternoon there with her green eyed guardian when the flowers where in full bloom.
"Yukino!" she turned around to find the orange Akita and her little brother running towards her. Mai had dropped the "san" only after the Setter explicitly requested her to. Now that she thought of it, the only one that refered to her with only her name from the moment they met was Natsuki. She had to admit it. She had a "-san" face.
"What's the matter Mai?"
"Haruka-san defeated a bear!" Takumi sounded really excited and Shizuru felt like smiling. But she didn't. A... Bear? She thought, feeling worried and mad at the same time.
"Takumi and his friends were playing in the forest and a huge bear appeared, they asked for help and Haruka came and killed the beast in one bite!"
Natsuki, what did I tell you about over doing it? She shook her head. Both Akitas found the action weird but did not ask about it.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah perfectly fine. She said we should eat the bear but I have never eaten bear meat before. I guess its a wolf thing..."
Shizuru mentally sighed and began walking to where she knew her guardian was.
...........
"Yukino!" Natsuki quickly ran towards Shizuru happily but slowed down when she was anger on the Setter's eyes. They were alone, there was no reason to use their fake names now so she walked slowly next to her and looked timidly into her eyes. Only Shizuru could make her actually scared. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes" she talked coldly, trying to make it clear to Natuski she was really serious "I told you not to over do it, and then I'm told you killed a bear!
"It was threatening Takumi and he is a friend. I protect those close to me..."
Natsuki had really changed. She now cared a lot for those around her. Shizuru didn't know, but some time ago, she would have let the bear kill the kids and then kill the bear to eat them all. The red eyed couldn't help but to tease her, being angry with the half wolf was not something she enjoyed.
"Ara, I thought my Natsuki only protected me" the alluded one blushed lightly but quickly thought of something to say back at the Setter.
"I would only die for you, my Shizuru"
The rightful heir to the Fuka blushed ten shades of red. She charged at Natsuki, making her fall to the ground and licked her muzzle.
"Natsuki is too sweet!"
...........
No one but Natsuki ate bear meat that afternoon.
..........
They were walking next to each other without saying anything. Simply enjoying being together. There was peace, there were smiles. It seemed perfect. And then it happened.
"YUKINO! HARUKA!" it was Mai. For some reason every time something happened the Akita was the one who came running towards them.
"What is it?" asked Shizuru, trying to ease the orange one.
"Garderobe dogs! There is a complete unit close by! Their leaders have come to negotiate. All the warriors must be there. Let's go!"
Mai considered them as Aswald. Both the green and the red eyed found that touching. They followed her to the Flower Garden.
.............
"I would like to know if you are with Garderobe?" asked the albino Hound to the three newcomers.
"We are not with Garderobe and we are not here to negotiate. We want you to surrender now" said a tiger striped Boxer with a stern voice. Ichiko assumed a defensive stance and the other ten dogs behind him imitated him.
"We, the Aswald, have not attacked any other pack and we request to be left alone" Ichiko said.
"I'm afraid we received strict orders from our leader" the Boxer charged at the Aswald leader.
"You are outnumbered" said a certain green eyed Collie, stepping forward.
"But we are not in disadvantage" said the other dog. As he charged towards Midori.
The Collie was bitten in the neck but she used the Boxer's grasp to bring him to Ichiko. The leader bit the other dog's front leg making him let go of the green eyed. The other dog ran to help his comrade but he disappeared suddenly.
In a flash of black and white.
"Are you okay Midori?" asked Natsuki. The alluded one smiled and nodded. Mai and Shizuru appeared with her, standing next to the white leader.
The enemies ran away from the Aswald warrior quickly and a little bit afraif. They stopped and stood before them in an offensive position, their teeth exposed and their furs crisped.
So that was when paradise disappeared for the two fugitives.
Shizuru had just notices something.
"This are not Garderobe" she whispered.
The Boxer fixed his eyes upon the red eyed and a surprised look came to his face "SHIZURU-SAMA!" the alluded one cursed her luck a million times. Those were not Garderobe dogs. They were from Fuka. Kiori and Shinsen, both leaders of the Alpha unit. For a moment she thought about the possibilities. Maybe Hiro had told them she was dead and they would be glad to see her. However, something in the generals' eyes told another story. Kiori, an English Setter, growled loudly and then screamed "YOU TRAITOR!"
What? She stepped back What has that bastard told them?
"How dare you plot against your own father... AND WITH THAT WOLF!"
The Aswald dogs looked at the pair with questioning eyes, while both of the Fuka dogs prepared themselves to launch an attack. Kiori charged at Shizuru but was intercepted by Natsuki who caught his neck between her fangs. Now there was no reason to hold back. She pushed him to the ground and incremented the pressure of her grasp. The English Setter gasped for air and his limbs moved erratically trying to release himself from the wolf's jaw.
Seeing his comrade in danger, the Boxer ran towards the black and white one but was stopped by certain red eyed. Shizuru casted a headbutt upon his ribcage, leaving him leaning over the ground caughing. She turned around and saw Natsuki about to kill the other leader.
"Natsuki don't do it!" she order and immediately the alluded one let go. Kiori quickly stood up and went to the side of his fallen comrade and helped him regain composture.
The Aswald were still quiet.
"If we let them leave they'll tell that fucking bastard where we are! He must not know you are alive!"
"At least, let me talk to them..." said Shizuru, trying to ease a bit the temper of the green eyed.
"We have nothing to talk to you!" the Boxer replied, anger on his words and blood between his lips.
"I am not aware of what you and the rest have been told, but the one who plotted against my father was Hiro. He tried to kill me and he would have succeeded if it was not for Natsuki's intervention" she wanted them to believe her. If both of them sided with her she would have the complete Alpha unit to count on.
Both of the Fuka dogs growled "LIAR!"
Why do they trust that Belgian more than they trust me?! She was desperate. "That's the truth!" she raised her voice, something not usual in her.
And then she froze when the leaders vanished in the blink of an eye. There was only one thing to do next and she knew that, even though she would feel dirty for having decided that, it was the only way. "NATSUKI!"
...............................
There was no need to say more. As soon as she heard Shizuru called her name, she dashed in the direction the Boxer and the English Setter had followed. They were fast, but she was faster. Kiori was wounded and the smell of his blood guided her easily between the trees. She jumped to a branch and climbed up a tree. They were close by.
She looked into the distance and saw the two bodies moving. There they were, running away, completely unaware they were being followed. Not knowing they were about to die. Natsuki froze. Something in her awoke in that moment. The feeling of chasing and killing reminded her of her training, of the part of her that was a wolf. Her eyes dilated and a silly grin came to her face.
Natsuki rushed towards them jumping from tree to tree. She was able to catch up with them pretty easily, the Setter's injury had slowed their pace. Then, the green eyed fell on top of Kiori and bit his neck once again, perfectly fitting her fangs in the holes she had previously made. He let out a painful cry as he fell dead to the floor. He had been pretty weakened.
"YOU WOLF!" the Boxer charger at her with his mouth open, ready to bite her wherever he could. Natsuki thought quickly and cought a nearby rock in her snout. When Shinsen was close enough she stuck the rock in his mouth and then hit him with all her body, causing
him to fall and swallow the grey object.
"Y-YOU BI-BITCH!!" he gasped for air, caughed and moved frenetically, trying to get the rock out of his body. Natsuki walked towards him and placed her paw on the Boxer's neck. She could feel quiet a big lump.
And then he stopped moving.
She walked towards the bloody corpse of the English Setter. She bent down and licked the blood from his neck. It was sweet. That had been a good dog, one that had been tricked but was never really bad.
Her eyes came back to normal as she remembered the one she swore to protect had been left alone with the Aswald. They now knew they had been lying.
The half wolf jumped up a tree and moved as fast as she could back to the Flower Garden.
............
As soon as the half wolf left the scene Shizuru felt all the eyes were fixed on her. She should have thought this would happen and go with Natsuki. The red eyed turned around to face the dogs that had been her friends for the last days and now seemed about to assault her.
"Who are you?" asked Midori with a voice that was probably her real one.
"My name is Shizuru. I am the daughter of Gohei, leader of Fuka, and his legitimate successor" she answered, trying to sound calm.
"GOHEI?! Y-You are that girl the Garderobe always talk about! That perfect warrior..." Takumi couldn't help but let the surprise he felt show. The other's dogs eyes widened but they quickly became serious again.
"What was that all about?" this time it was Mai who spoke and her words hurt Shizuru even more than the Collie's. She had come to like her quiet a lot.
"About fifteen days ago Hiro, one of the Council, betrayed and killed my father. He tried to kill me too, but Natsuki protected me. We ran away from Fuka then"
"Why did you lie to us?" Midori regained control of the interrogatory.
"We thought you were from Garderobe and that you would recognize me"
There was silence for a couple of minutes. Tension grew between the one formerly know as Yukino and the Aswald dogs.
The Collie walked towards Shizuru, her intentions not very clear. The Setter, trying to appear harmles, made no movement to back off. Still Midori never got closer than a meter from her. She suddenly vanished from sight.
In a flash of black and white.
"Don't you dare hurt Shizuru" she used that tone that was stronger than any scream and those who heard her words couldn't help but to shiver.
"Natsuki, its ok" she said. The alluded one looked at her puzzled but did as indicated.
"You half wolf!" cried the Collie as she stood 't she been aware of the green eyed's power she would have attacked. But Midori was not suicidal.
"I'm sorry, really sorry about this. We allowed the peace and comfort of Aswald distract us from our mission, retrieving Fuka from that Hiro bastard. We'll be leaveing right now" She turned around and the two began to slowly walk away. The were intercepted by a white almost pink figure.
"Wait"
"Ichiko-san?" Natsuki was surprised. She expected them to just let them go. She stood in an offensive stance, ready to protect the Setter.
"Midori!" the leader called and the one that was called quickly came to his side. "This half wolf has saved your life twice. Now I order you to pay your debt to her. You and your unit shall accompany this two in their mission" his face was extremely serious, almost scary "You will NOT come back to Aswald until those red eyes are the ones who gaze at the lands of Fuka as the one and true leader"
"What? Why must I follow these two? They deceived us! They lied to us!" Midori seemed really upset.
"MIDORI!" cried the Aswald leader with a strong tone. The alluded one shivered and lowered her gaze "I trust their mission. Unless the Fuka are stopped we could also be harmed. You are fighting for your people"
"Yes, Ichiko-sama" for the first time since they had met the Collie they had been witnesses of her respectful self. "Unit Three, with me!" she called.
About thirty dogs appeared and joined her. Among them were Mai, Takumi and Youko. Midori got close to them and told them about Ichiko's orders. They all seemed a little uneasy, but soon accepted their leader'r commands. The forest eyed then walked towards the Setter.
"We will go with you" she declared. The red eyed nodded as she and her half wolf guardian walked towards the forest that led to Fuka. Shizuru didn't plan going there immediately, with less than 40 dogs in the back they were bounded to failure. No, the red eyed had a plan, a plan Natsuki would probably dislike.
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Author Notes:
Well, that was it. I hope this was a good chapter. I really liked the part when Natsuki goes all wolfy killing instincts. So, please review! I want to reach 50 reviews at least for this story its my goal!