Crescent Moon is not mine...although I wish it was...Read and review please!


CHAPTER EIGHT

The next several hours pass by Mahiru in a blur.

She remembers Misoka needing Nozomu's help to pry Akira's hands off of Himura so they can take her to the spare bedroom.

She remembers hearing the horrible popping noises as Misoka and Nozomu reset the bones that had been dislocated.

She remembers them trying to count how many broken bones she has, and then giving up when the number got too high to really matter, simply making sure all of the breaks line up correctly so they can properly heal.

She remembers watching them clean the dozens of slash marks that cover Himura's body, like she was whipped over and over again.

She especially remembers Mitsuru never letting go of her hand. All day, he rubs soothing circles into her skin that otherwise would have sent shivers crawling down her spine if she wasn't feeling so numb.

She remembers Misoka saying Himura will live, that they had gotten to her in time. Barely.

At this point, Mahiru wakes up from her stupor. She blinks and her eyes feel dry and irritated, like she's been staring at one spot on the wall for a long time. She was pretty sure she had.

Mitsuru is sitting on the couch with her, never once having left her side except when she had gone to the bathroom in a daze to wash off the blood. He watches her intently. He saw her blink again and squeezes her hand, hoping she is finally coming out of it. She has been silent, still, and expressionless for so long. The usual light that shines in her eyes is gone, replaced with only dullness.

Mahiru turns to look at him. At first, he's afraid she doesn't recognize him when she says her first word in hours, "Mitsuru?"

"Hey," he answers softly. "I thought we would have to check you in to a psych ward soon." He smirks at his attempt at a joke, hoping for a positive response.

Some of the light returns to her eyes and she gives him a small smile. "You guys haven't made me that crazy yet."

Nozomu and Misoka enter the room with a tray of warm tea. Misoka looks at their clasped hands with a questioning look as he sets the cups on the coffee table in front of them. Mitsuru blushes and tries to let go of her hand, but Mahiru won't let him. She asks him a silent question with her eyes. He scowls at her. Her eyes grow wider, begging. After a moment Mitsuru lets out a frustrated sigh and holds her hand firmly in his, giving up. He won't say no to her. Not today.

Mahiru smiles, takes a cup of tea, and asks, "Where's Akira?"

"He's still with Himura," Misoka replies. "He refuses to leave her side. He wants to be there when she wakes up, although that is unlikely to happen for several days. She needs a lot of rest and time for her body to heal." He takes a sip of tea before asking the question Mahiru has been dreading to answer. "Princess, I believe now would be a good time. Please, can you tell us what happened?"

Mahiru releases a shuddering breath. "It didn't take us long to find her once we set out. Almost immediately, Akira caught her sent because of all the…blood." She pauses, licking her dry lips. "She was…like that…when we found her, laid out on a park bench as if it was a sacrificial alter. Dawn's Venus was nowhere to be seen. She was left there for us to find with this note in her hand." Mahiru takes out a slip of paper and hands it to Misoka.

Misoka reads the words aloud, "'Surrender yourselves, or your beloved "princess" shall suffer a fate worse than this.'" Everyone glances at Mahiru. "They know you are the descendant of the princess?"

She nods. "I think so."

Nozomu sits down in one of the chairs next to the sofa. "Well, crap. Now what do we do?"

"I'll tell you what," Mitsuru says, his voice rising with every word. "We find Dawn's Venus and tell them to stick their threat up their-"

Misoka cuts him off with a steely glare before he can finish. "We do nothing."

"What?! We can't just run away like a bunch of cowards!"

"We are not running away. We have no idea what Dawn's Venus is planning. They speak as if they already have the princess, which worries me. It means they are planning something. Something big. Until we find out what that is, it is best to just sit tight. They do not know where we are. We keep the princess here and off the streets until we find out what is going on, or until they strike."