"Ha…ha…ha…"

What is that?

"Ugh…!"

'What is that sound', I asked myself as I listened to the sound of heavy breaths within the endless abyss. "Wha–…!" I tried to speak, but only to realize that the panting sounds that were disturbing my sleep was actually mine.

I slowly opened my eyed to find the usual dark room slightly lit. My silvery eyes shifted and discover sunlight beaming through the tiny gaps in the stone wall. That light yellow and softness within the light…

It was dawn.

I sighed out tiredly.

I could feel my body reaching its limit, my muscles were crying out to me in agony. I relaxed my body, just a little, wanting to at least sleep in a better position than kneeling with my knees scrapping the cold stone floor. However, the moment I relaxed, my body tumbled forward. A sharp pain drilled into my wrists, forcing a soft cry out of my lips as I quickly rebalanced myself.

I quickly gazed up at my wrists that were bounded over my head by rose vines. I gritted my teeth as fresh crimson blood slid down my itching arms that were already coated by a thick layer of dried blood.

"Well, well, well, what a rare sight to see you awake. I thought for sure you'll sleep away today as well, Miu-sama." A high pitch voice suddenly spoke within the camber.

I winced for my poor eardrums that have to suffer listening to that hideous voice. I slowly looked up through the cage that confined me and saw Jorougumo standing by the doorway.

"I don't consider eating organ and sucking blood a diet so unlike you I'm not quite used to it." I mumbled, each of my breaths taking in the rotting stench of flesh mix with heavy scent of blood.

How long have I been here smelling this disgusting air?

Three–…no, four days?

"Heh, don't worry yourself too much, miu-sama. After long harsh years Mouyou-sama's dream finally..." Jorougumo began rambling on.

I didn't even pay much attention to her, only catching parts of her broken up sentences every now and then.

However…

" –that grandson of Nurarihyon is…"

My eyes nearly widened at the mention of those three key words.

"What…what did you say?" I gasped through pants, forcing my head up as Jorougumo smirked at my reaction. "I said, that grandson of that Nurarihyon is really stupid to come running all this way for a bird without feathers." Jorougumo repeated, emphasizing the very word that I would usually glare at.

But this time, I didn't.

My mind was suddenly filled with the thought of Rikuo. "He's…here?" My chest tightened at the thought.

"Why…"

My voice whispered within my mind as I remembered that day when I laid in Rikuo's arms…staring at that hideous hawk.

"Do you love him, the man who held you now?"

Why…are you here?"

"That man who held you…"

"What…are you…planning…?"

"What am I planning, shouldn't you know the best, my bride?"

"He…He doesn't have anything to–"

"As present for our long awaited wedding, shall I make him the sacrifice?"

I trembled lightly at the last word he spoke. I clenched my fist, completely forgetting the thorns that were pierced through my flesh.

"Moyou…" I whispered softly as Jorougumo shifted.

"Get Mouyou…" I didn't even know if I spoke those words. That unfamiliar voice almost as though begging…it couldn't be mine.

"What nonsense are you blabbering about, Miu-sama? Do you think you're in any position to command me?" Jorougumo laughed. "A wingless bird should know her place." She snapped as she stretched her long, slender hand through the bars of my cage. She grasped the rotting wing of mine that was lying upon the ground; the source of the stench that filled the air.

With a shrilling laugh, she threw my wing against me. I held my breath, not wanting to smell my own rotting flesh as I felt my own feather brushes across my cheek.

No longer able to fly.

"Well then, I'm going to go greet our guess. See you, Miu-sama." Jorougumo said with that taunting smirk before leaving this cylinder chamber. I listened as a heavy clicking sound came from the other side of the door.

"It's not like I can walk out even if you don't lock it." I murmured. I tried to move my legs, but as usual, they didn't respond.

No longer able to walk.

My eyebrow furrowed.

I made another attempt to free my wrists, but only achieved in making myself cry out in pain. My vision blurred from the blood lost. My head hung down; my neck too tired to keep it up.

I bended my fingers and clawed at the vines.

I bit down on my lower lips, ignoring the thorns that were scrapping against the bones within my wrists. I scratched at it until my nails broke with fresh warm liquid streaming down my fingertips. Without the need to look, I knew that I did little damage on the vine compared to the damage I inflicted upon myself.

I could just laugh.

Laugh at how pathetically weak I am.

Laugh at how stupid I was for trying to escape this reality.

Somehow, I suppressed my urge to laugh and only released a couple of chuckles.

I could bite my tongue.

All I needed to do was to sever my tongue and then it'll all be over.

This pain, this nightmare…everything.

Just like that…

It'll be just like waking from a dream.

I held out my tongue between my teeth. I nibbled it slightly, my fangs scraping over the soft, delicate flesh. Just when I was about to bite down, I stopped myself.

Cold tears began spilling from my eyes.

I wasn't afraid to die.

I was prepared for it the moment I left my homeland.

Then…why did I feel regret lingering within me?

What was this unspeakable longing compressed in my chest?

It was just like that time…only that back then, I wasn't afraid to leave this world. I had wanted to die but he had to suddenly appear out of nowhere and stopped me. And now I didn't want to die…I'm all alone.

"You're…unfair…" I mumbled, though I wasn't sure if those words I spoke were directed for Rikuo or myself.

I knew that I was the one who pushed him away.

I was the one who wouldn't let him come near me.

I don't have any rights to say such thing about him. I blew out softly as a gentle breeze of wind brushed by my torn clothes. The fabric of my dress swayed to the weak breeze.

"How low you've fell..." I lectured myself softly.

I lost my wings.

I can't fly.

I can't walk.

I'm a nothing now. With a situation like this, I guess I can't fall any lower.

"Mouyou…" I whispered that disgusting name as my gaze hardened.

"Get out…" I whispered again, louder. "You can hear me right? Get out! Mouyou! Get out!" I screamed as loud as my weakened lungs can project. I gave out a dry cough, my body quivering from the tears. I swallowed a soft hic as the air filled itself with silence. I waited for the last tear trail to dry from my face before shouting out to him again.

"Mouyou!" I screamed his name once more. My throat tightened, unable to speak anymore as I gasped for air.

After what felt like minutes, a heavy click came from the other side of the door. I heard a heavy footstep, too heavy to be Jorougumo's or any of the youkai around.

The footsteps grew louder and louder.

After another heavy step, the stone door slowly swayed open. I shifted back; my eyes upon the large, black hand – as though dipped in oil – grasping the edge of the door. Its grey claws easily dug into the stone door, scarring it as though it was made of wood.

I clenched onto the rose vine, forgetting its thorns as I bit down at my lower lip.

My body was quivering with new reasons now.

Immediately I regretted calling out that name. But at the remembrance of Rikuo, I managed to pull myself together.

I then heard a sound.

A sound of tearing flesh and broken bones.

Then something was thrown through the thin gap of the door, making a disgusting sound when it collided with the stone floor. I hesitated, but shifted my eyes to the object that flew into the chamber. When my eyes made out what it was, I quickly looked away in disgust.

What had flown in was a human arm. An arm with its skin peeled from the raw flesh and fingers chewed off its palm.

Hearing an unnatural crackling sound, I slowly turned back to the door. The large, decaying hand had begun to shrink. Its rotten colour began morphing into something healthier. Peachy white skin began surfacing, replacing the blackened ones. The dead veins that popped over that oily looking hand smoothed out beneath the healthy flesh.

As the hand shrunk, it gradually descended until it was at my bounded wrists' level. When another footstep came, it didn't sound as heavy as before. The weight of the footstep was on par or perhaps even lighter than Jorougumo's.

"You called, my bride?" A deep, unfamiliar of a male's called. The hinge of the door creek as it swung open. When the door was removed from my sightline, I found myself staring at the body of a human man around his mid 20's with dark raven hair.

I didn't need to think twice to recognize the face of the man whom I had never before seen in my life. I slowly gazed at the half eaten hand lying on the cold ground, then back to the man. The slimness of that arm and form was exactly the same as this man's.

This was an ability of his I knew too well of.

An ability to devour and morph into exactly what he had eaten. And the ones being devoured for the purpose of his new form are called the sacrifice.

I stared into the man's unfitting golden eyes, the only thing that remained original. I sighed out softly, half relieved that I didn't have to puke over talking to that oversized, disgusting face of his.

"It's not like I can go anywhere. Is it necessary like this?" I asked, masking my fear as I waved my hand, ignoring the stinging pain stabbing against my wrists.

I have to act natural.

"You called me for this, or for that Nurarihyon?" Mouyou mused loudly to himself.

He was clearly toying with me.

I looked away, ignoring his gaze that was licking against me. However, my face was yanked back by a hand that had slipped through the iron bars and snatched my chin. I tried to pull my face away, but the hand at my chin didn't budge an inch.

I lowered my eye, looking anywhere but that golden eyes of his.

"You don't need to worry. During the new moon at our wedding, your wish will be granted." Mouyou whispered beside my ear. My eyes widened at those hideous words. My mind was suddenly overwhelmed by my memories of Rikuo. I didn't dare to imagine it…his chocolate soft or those sharp crimson eyes replaced by this disgusting pile of rotting flesh's.

"You loved him don't you? That body of his…" His voice hissed beside my ear.

I didn't know what happened next. By the time I reacted, one of my wrists pulled itself free from the vine's grasp. My entire hand was coated in blood; the thin layer of flesh at my wrist tore and ragged.

I thrust my crimson hand through the gap between the bars and slapped him over the face. My ragged nails tore through his skin, leaving behind claw-like wounds similar to Tama's.

It was a stupid move.

A flicker of anger crossed Mouyou's golden eyes. He moved so fast that he was only a blur of colour. Before I had the time to realize what I had done, I felt a harsh blow against my right cheek.

Through the force, my other hand was tore free from the vine as I slammed head first into the iron bar of the bird cage I was trapped in. It happened so fast that I wasn't even given a chance to scream. My head slowly slid down the cold iron bar, leaving behind a trail of warmth as I fell limply onto the stone floor.

"Urgh...!" I lay on the freezing floor that reeked of my own blood, the left side of my head throbbing in pain. I could feel warm liquid sliding down my head, dying the roots of my hair crimson.

"Looks like you still don't understand your place as my bride." Mouyou's voice came, muffled in my ear. My head was spinning, though I didn't know if it was from the impact or the blood lost…or perhaps both.

I felt a hand roughly grabbed my hair and yanked me up. I didn't move. There was no strength left in my body to. My vision has become nothing but a swirl of colours.

"You love that quarter breed so much?" Mouyou growled as I smirked softly.

"He…seemed to love me." I murmured softly, trying hard to stay conscious.

"And you not?"

"Who–…Who knows…?" I forced out a chuckle as my vision began to darken.

"If you want to find out…" I gritted my teeth at the never ceasing pain at my skull. "Why don't we…play a game?" I whispered softly. During the split second my vision cleared, I saw a smile flashed over Mouyou's lips. I wasn't sure if I had seen right, for that the second after my vision cleared, everything turned dark.

It doesn't matter if I fall any lower as long as I can, just once more, see that face again.

Just…once more…

One last time.