Disclaimer: I am own nothing!
Okay this had to be the hard chapter to write during this story but here it is at last! I am so sorry for being a month late! School has been horrible seeing that finals are just around the corner and to top it all off my muse went on vacation to the Bahamas to escape the cold weather.
Muse: -Sips on cocktail- I'll send you a postcard darlin'!
Me: I hate you…
Muse: I know ^^
Annnyway here is the chapter and since winter vacation is coming up I shouldn't be late anymore! Enjoy^^
Oh and I noticed on the last chapter that I was accidently calling Brother Peter, Brother Robert. Robert is my dad's name but I have no idea how it snuck its way in there lol.
Mizuki sat on the seat of the large window hidden in the back of the library watching the rain beat down heavily onto the cobblestone streets of Paris. Lighting stuck in the distance closely followed by thunder that rumbled overhead drowning out the sound of the evening bells singing. It was a dark cold September day that chased away all memories of summers warmth and in their absence brought to mind chilly tales of horror, ghosts and monsters hiding in the darken shadows of forgotten alleys. However despite the frightening atmosphere Mizuki marveled at the destructive nature outside. Watching in fascination as the lighting struck the earth, lighting up the sky while making the shadows dance in the city square. She loved the rain and all the beauty it brought with it. How it washed all the grime away leaving the earth glistening like a polished stone. And the smell. The fresh sent of the plants and damp soil. Whenever it would rain, no matter how cold it would be Mizuki would open the window in her bedroom before she would lay down for the night and let the sound of the rain sing her to sleep.
She leaned back into the smooth wall with a sigh feeling completely and totally relaxed. It's been nearly a month now since she first met Quasimodo. They saw each other every day after Frollo would leave. Mizuki would sneak up the stairs to the tower so that Quasimodo wouldn't have to wander the church looking for her while being in danger of discovery. Suddenly Mizuki felt as if something was missing. She looked down at her feet and noticed that Ayame was no longer there. Alarm began to ebb through her as her eyes snapped to the fireplace. Ayame was there basking in the warmth of the flames. Sighing with relief Mizuki relaxed again It would mean much trouble for both of them if Ayame was caught exploring the church unattended. The nuns where already tight-lipped about Ayame being allowed to live here to begin with, Mizuki did wish to test the limit of their patients. Feeling groggy she pressed her cheek against the cold glass hoping to clear her mind of the warm fuzzy mist that had taken over her thoughts but despite her better judgment she closed her eyes letting the warmth of the fire and the opposing cool window glass tease her into a blissful sleep. After all it's been such a long day.
Mizuki wondered down a hallway barefoot and in a cheerful orange and yellow Kimono. It was her favorite, mother made it for her on her last birthday. This was a strange place. The walls were made up of broken shattered mirrors reflecting back her distorted image. Mizuki paused at one mirror that was still mainly in one piece. Her young seven-year old reflection stared back at her with wide eyes. Blinking Mizuki reached out and touched the cracked surface. When her fingers met the cool glass the reflection vanished.
"How odd," Mizuki said aloud happily. Shrugging she continued on her way, the broken glass on the floor crunched beneath her feet, yet she felt no pain. Mizuki didn't know where she was going but some invisible force kept pulling her along. The walls looked distorted and fuzzy and a haze clouded her vision. Suddenly her eyesight cleared and looming out in front of her was a door. Mizuki's eyes widened and her heart began to pound. Fear snaked through her veins like a poison making her temporarily paralyzed. She didn't want to go any farther but she had no choice. With a shaking hand Mizuki slide open the wooden door. Beyond the door was an empty room with the light of the full moon shining through the window. A pretty silk cherry blossom screen sat in the corner of the room and bedding could be seen behind. There was a table that held a woman's beauty supplies on it and a soft sitting pillow in the middle of the room. It was a pretty peaceful sight but for some reason it frightened her. Every muscle in her body was strung as tight as a violin string. Her mind was screaming for her to run, to escape the terrifying presents that haunted this place. Mizuki tried to take a step back but someone from behind grabbed her shoulders in a bruising grip and throw her violently in the room snapping the door shut behind her. Mizuki scrambled off the wooden floor and ran to the door trying to open it. But her fingers couldn't grasp the wood properly. With tears streaming down her face, Mizuki sunk to her knees in despair her entire body now shaking.
Suddenly everything went cold, it was as if her blood had been replaced by ice water. There was a sound of wood creaking and slowly Mizuki looked over her shoulder. All of the room's furniture had vanished and in its place a body of a lady hung from the rafters in the middle of the room with a silk belt wrapped around her throat. Her long hair hanging in her face blocking her face from view. Her body was swaying in a nonexistent wind, the sound of the rafters creaking under its weight. Mizuki stared horrified at the corpse unable to move, she opened her mouth to scream but her voice had abandoned her and all she was able to mutter out was a quiet groan. Red lines sprouted on her wrists and blood poured out of the cuts and splashed onto the floor until the body was drained and the last drop dripped from her finger tips and splashed into the puddle below.
Mizuki sat huddled by the door hugging her knees rocking back and forth, back and forth, chanting to herself "I want to leave, I want to leave," over in her mind. There was a loud ripping sound that echoed throughout the room and the silk belt that held the body broke. The woman fell into the bloody puddle with a splash causing ruby droplets to fall onto Mizuki's toes staining them scarlet. Mizuki pressed her back as hard as she could against the wall as if hoping that somehow she would simply pass through it. The woman's black hair parted from her face reviling a pair of glassy misted over eyes staring straight at her. Mizuki started shaking and the pair of eyes blinked. Slowly the corpse pushed itself up onto its knees, while the head flopped limply as the broken neck snapped and crackled like someone popping their knuckles. Stiffly the body began to crawl closer and closer to Mizuki. It reached out with its bloody fingers and grabbed her ankle. A loud shrieking pierced the air making her ears ring. At first Mizuki couldn't understand where the noise was coming from but soon realized that it was her making that noise. She had found her voice and was screaming.
Mizuki awoke with a cry of fear and bolted upwards nearly cracking her head on the window. She sat there panting her vision clouded over by tears. A warm comforting weight rested on her shoulder drawing her back to reality. Her first thought was Brother Peter had come back to check on her but as the tears rolled down her cheeks and her vision cleared she looked into Quasimodo's soft green eyes rather then the monk's.
"What are you doing here?" She asked shakily as she whipped her face with her sleeve. Quasimodo looked rather abashed as he shuffled his feet.
"You didn't come to the bell tower and I got little worried so I thought I would look for you."
Mizuki looked away unable to meet his eyes. She was embarrassed that he saw that. She must have looked pathetic, screaming and thrashing in her sleep. "Thank you. For looking for me I mean. If you hadn't of come I would have spent the whole night here." Mizuki looked up at him and tried to smile. "My back would have been in a horrible pain by morning."
"You're welcome,"
She yawned and stretched out her stiff legs. "What time is it?"
"Nearly eleven,"
Mizuki blinked in surprise. "I've been asleep for four hours," she muttered rubbing her aching eyes with the palm of her hand. "Sorry for not coming to the tower, I must have been more tired than I thought,"
Quasimodo chuckled. "Well, between writing and pouring over that book I'm not surprised that you warn yourself out at last."
"I'm not obsessed," Protested Mizuki "Just greatly intrigued,"
Several weeks ago a new book came in from England called The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. It's such a wonderful story, and the illustrations are so beautifully done that she hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from its pages for very long. Mizuki moved her legs and gestured for Quasimodo to sit down beside her. He gratefully sunk down onto the seal making the wood creak from his weight.
"No, I believe that this fascination goes beyond intriguing,"
Mizuki rolled her eyes at his statement while fighting to temptation to yawn. Just then Thunder boomed out making the library tremble. Both Mizuki and Quasimodo jump in fear and then laughed at their surprise. "Goodness, that storm is still going strong?"
Quasimodo nodded and flashed her a grin in the dark. "I'm amazed you where able to sleep through that."
"I'm a very heavy sleeper. It takes a lot to startle me awake,"
"I believe it," Quasimodo paused studying her out of the corner of his eye "That must have been an awful dream you where having," He said uncertainly, as if afraid she would snap at him.
"It was," The memory of the broken glass and blood came back to her and she suppressed a shutter.
"Are you alright?" Quasimodo looked at her in concern.
"I'll be fine," Mizuki replied dragging her sleeve across her forehead ridding it of sweat.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No," she said quickly shaking her head. The Dream was much too personal to be shared with anyone.
"Alright,"
The rain could be heard still pouring outside beating against the glass in an uneven rhythm. The fire had long gone out and the room was slowly beginning to descend into a comfortably cool temperature. Mizuki's vision was beginning to blur as she fought her sleep deprived body. Blinking to clear her sight she tried to focus on an object in order to keep herself awake, but instead found herself studying the man beside her. Long had she stopped noticing his deformities and saw instead the kind person he really was. 'His hair is such a pretty color of red,' Mizuki thought sleepily as she closed her eyes to blink, only to not open them again.
Quasimodo looked at the sleeping girl whose head was currently resting on his shoulder in amusement.
"When did she fall asleep?" he mused to himself. The rain had stopped and the full moon peeked out from behind the clouds to inspect the earth below. Its silver light shown through the window and spread its ghostly fingers through her ember hair making it shine. Slowly it trailed down and kissed her pale cheeks making her form glow. Quasmodo's breath caught in his throat for in through his eyes she looked as if she was some beautiful mythical creature from an enchant fairy tale rather than the small, scrawny and rather plain woman-child she really was. Mizuki shivered against him drawing his thoughts back to reality. The room was now cold enough for ones breath be transform into mist before they're eyes. Knowing that Mizuki was in danger of becoming sick Quasimodo looked around for a blanket or a cloak. Something to wrap around she shoulders in order to ward away the chill. But unfortunately there was nothing of the sort in sight, and the last log lay in the fireplace, cold, black and twisted. There where blankets in the bell tower, however the thought of leaving her alone to spend the rest of the night huddled by the window of the library didn't sit well with him. Carrying her upstairs and placing her in his own bed was an option. It certainly wouldn't do him any harm to spend a night sleeping on the stones with his extra blankets. Unfortunately carrying her up those flights of stairs would be difficult. Not to mention the embarrassment it would no doubt cause her when she woke up to realize that she spent the night in a man's bed. Quasimodo would gladly take her to her room but he had no idea where it was. Having made up his mind Quasimodo gathered Mizuki in his arms. She made a small noise of protest in her sleep before nesting her head in the crook of his neck. Quasimodo could feel his face heating up and turning a very bright shade of scarlet as he adjusted his grip on her. Taking a deep breath he tried to prepare himself for the long journey up to the bell tower. A loud shuffling sound echoed throughout the painfully silent library making him jump nearly out of his skin. Ayame had awoken from her spot near the fireplace and looked at him with heavily lidded eyes. She gave her tail a weak wag and trotted out the door.
"Ayame get back here," Quasimodo whispered loudly knowing that it would mean trouble if the dog was found wondering around by herself. Seeing no other option he quickly begin to follow her. After losing sight of the dog down one of the many hallways he found Ayame scratching at a door near the back of the cathedral. Switching Mizuki's weight to the other arm he somehow managed to open the door without dropping her. Upon entering he soon realized that it was Mizuki's room, judging by the small pile of books on the nightstand and the way Ayame made herself quite comfortable on the bed. Quasimodo's arms where beginning to ache as he placed Mizuki on the bed beside the dog waking her in the process
"What's going on?" she muttered sleepily cracking open her eyes.
"You fell asleep in the library so I carried you to your room."
"Oh," she muttered groggily "You could have just woke me up so you didn't have to carry me."
Quasimodo felt his cheeks turn red again as he wondered why that thought never came to him. "It was no trouble," he said thankful that the dark room was hiding his blush. Seeing that the girl was quickly returning to the land of dreams Quasimodo decided it would be best to leave before he was caught downstairs in the middle of the night, in a girl's bedroom of all places. "Goodnight Mizuki," he whispered as he made his way to the door.
"Good night Quasimodo."
Well, there you go! What did ya think? I had a lot of fun writing the dream but that's just my sick mind at work. Please review! I give you cupcakes ^^