Yay, I and for along time, updated soon! Shocker, isn't it? I want to thank everyone who had reviewed my last chapter. Also huge thanks to all who added the story to their favorite and alert lists.
Review replies:
AliceXShunNotFabia: thx a lot for reviewing and for what you said. I updated soon actually, hope it was soon enough for you. Hope you like this chapter.
Who cares: thx a lot for reviewing, glad you liked it. Hope this was soon enough to you, thx for what you said. Hope you enjoy this one.
Alicefrombakugan: actually, yes I wrote it, when I was a little girl. I'm glad you liked my silly lullaby, I write songs all the time, it's a way to express my feelings and I have been doing this for a long time, I put two of them in my two stories. I sing all the time at home, sometimes my family gets annoyed from me, lol. I saw it too, like the first thing I think about when I see the moon is Shun, they seem one you know. Yes, the five of them spent their childhood together, I'll talk bout that later in the story. I'm glad you liked Kia, she will play a big role in here, she'll *puts hand on mouth* spoiler much, sorry. I have no idea how did that come to me, I was planning the story out and found out it'll be something funny and sweet to add, to keep some humor in the story, it came out good. How Alicia 'died' will be revealed later on, don't think about how she came alive because she wasn't revived. That will get explained as well. Thx a lot for reviewing, hope you like this one.
AliceXShunMEGAFan17: sorry about that, I become a slow updater at times XP it's obvious to you, not to Shun, you guys know because you are the readers, it was mentioned in the story actually. It is time for Shun to know as well. O.O you liked the cliff hanger? Sorry about that, but I rarely hear it. Anyways, thx for reviewing, hope you enjoy this one.
xXPhantomGirlXx93: thx a lot for reviewing and I updated soon.
Lol: glad you liked it, thx for reviewing and hope you enjoy this one.
Dan and Runo 4 eva: yes, he does. Thx for reviewing, hope you like this one.
Flippy17: sorry about the late updates, really. I was too busy with Nanny for seven, now that it's near the end, that I forgot about charmed. Hope it was sooner this time. Ya, adventure and romance, my favorite mixture. I'm glad you liked it, thx for reviewing, hope you like this one.
Katzike123: thx a lot for reviewing. We will see about that in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Colorfullife1993: thank you so much! Glad you liked it, hope you enjoy this one and BTW what happened to your bro?
Fluffy cloud: glad you do, lol. Hope you enjoy this one and thx for reviewing.
Helios: ya, it was long. Glad you found it nice, my chaps are always full with emotions. Hope you enjoy this one.
MarshmellowsSleeping: well, me too, lol. You only got to read to find out. Thx for reviewing and hope you enjoy this one.
Drake0: thx a lot for reviewing, glad you liked it. Hope this is soon enough for you. Please enjoy reading.
Akiko Suzuki: glad you liked my lullaby, I wrote it when I was a little girl, I was scared ppl won't like it. Thx for reviewing and hope you like this one.
Ok, it took me about 45 minutes to write the review replies. Wow. Now on with the story.
Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing.
Charmed
Chapter 8: Hidden Secrets.
The 'open' sign was hung up on the café's door and another day started. Runo, Julie, Miono and Alice woke-up on the sound of the alarm clock. Miono, quickly, lifted the spell she put on the house the day before to allow the people to come in without getting fried.
Runo and Miono put on their clothes and went down stairs to work in the café. However, Julie and Alice stayed back for Julie wanted to solve Alice's 'fashion issues'. The orange-haired girl looked at the young lady before her, not knowing exactly what to expect. Her outfit was good for her, but she knew she had to fit in for those few days, so she sighed and waited for Julie to pick something for her.
Runo looked at her watch, annoyingly. Julie sure took a lot of time. When she was about to go upstairs to check on them; when the two girls descended down the stairs. Runo looked at Alice and so did the rest of the café. Alice was wearing a short, light blue shorts and a green top, her hair was flowing freely down her back, as a few bangs hit the sides of her face.
Runo looked at Alice. The clothes were tight, showing every little curve she had and Alice, apparently, wasn't comfortable wearing it. Runo smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"Julie, did you have to make her wear this?" Runo asked. The said girl, eyed Runo, confused.
"Yes, are you positive I should wear this?" Alice agreed. Julie looked at her, hurt in her eyes.
"Not that I didn't like it, it's just…from where I come from, even showing your ankle is a big thing," Alice added quickly, but then she got puzzled looks from all three girls.
"Where did you come from? The sixtieth century?" Miono asked. Alice gave it a thought then nodded.
"Well, based on Earth developments, yes," she said. They looked at her, as if she had grown two more heads, it took them some time to recover.
"Just, try it on. You are beautiful, why hide it then?" Julie urged and gave Alice a puppy dog face. She looked quite persuasive, so Alice sighed and gave in.
A white cat came behind the counter; she mewed to let the group notice her existence. Alice eyed the little strange creature. It was one she never saw before, even in her visits to Earth. When she tried to touch the cat's fur; the white cat backed away. She had a look of fear in her yellow eyes. Alice withdrew her hand. She wasn't surprised because of what happened, she knew her energy could disturb animals and creatures of every kind.
"It's okay, she won't hurt you. She wants to play with you, she's safe," Runo said to the little cat. Once the cat heard this, she came closer to Alice's hand and sat there. Alice started playing with her fur and held the kitten in her hands.
"You…you can talk to her?" Alice asked. Runo smiled a bit; she forgot it was strange. She nodded.
"That's amazing," Alice said, patting the cat on the back, lightly.
"No, it's weird," Miono stated. "Like this time when we were at the zoo and all the lions and tigers started talking to her, it was so strange," she added. Runo pouted a bit, but she knew Miono was right. Runo stood next to Alice and played with her kitty's fur as well.
Alice noticed a band around the cat's neck. It was silver in colour and had a yellow pearl on it, she eyed it closely.
"Tety," she muttered, running her fingers on the silver band.
"That's the cat's name. How did you know?" Runo asked her, amazed.
"Lucky guess," she said and let go of the cat. The white pet sat down on the floor and started cleaning her fur with her tongue.
"I hate to interrupt you, but you have to start working guys," Mrs. Misaki said. The girls nodded.
Alice put on some roller skates and started moving from table to table, taking people's orders. It was hard to balance herself at first, but then it got a lot easier when she got used to it. She was talking to the people with a smile on her face and nearly every guy in the diner admired her. Runo looked at her and how she was really happy socializing with people once again.
"Do you think it's safe to keep her apparent to public?" Miono asked, worriedly. Runo nodded.
"We are keeping an eye on her. It's the best way to protect her and allow her to talk to people. Don't worry, everything would be okay," Runo assured.
After a while of working; Alice got tiered, so she let Julie cover for her, while she rested behind the counter. She grabbed a chair and sat on it, panting. Suddenly, she started hearing hissing sounds in her ears; she seemed to be the only one hearing. She, slowly, turned her head and her eyes turned a slight colour of red.
She looked at the new customers who had just walked in the diner. They were a young man with brown hair and another young man with navy black hair. Alice's heart started beating faster as she recognized them. The guy with the black hair looked in her direction and their eyes met. His topaz eyes caught hers, she quickly broke eye contact and put her face down.
…
Shun and Dan sat down in one of the booths. Opposite from each other. Shun started looking at Alice and Dan couldn't take his eyes off of Runo.
"Who are they? Runo, why didn't you tell us you have such cute neighbors?" asked Miono as she and Julie gazed at the two young men. Runo sighed.
"Because I don't. I've never seen them before," Runo said, boringly. It wasn't something she cared about.
"I will go and get their order," Miono announced and put a couple of strands behind her ear. Julie frowned.
"No, I will go get their order!" she said in a hushed angry voice. And a cat fight started.
"You already have a boyfriend, Julie!" Miono said while pulling Julie's hair.
"So?" Julie said and pulled Miono's hair.
"That's enough! I will go and get it. What's with you guys?" Runo asked, parting the two girls away from each other.
Julie and Miono did nothing but folding their arms and giving their backs to one another. Runo sighed, she couldn't believe her best friends were fighting over a guy. Well, two guys. She left them there and grabbed two menus and handed them to the young men.
Dan started looking at the menu, but Shun just through it on the table and asked for a hot drink. Runo stood for awhile; waiting for Dan to order. She looked at Shun, something about him bothered her. His sharp look was so familiar. She remembered the two Voldons she fought the other day. All she could see was one of them's eyes and they were green. She looked at the duo and none of them had green eyes, but she still seemed suspicious.
"So, you are out of town?" she asked. Dan looked at her.
"Ya, just arrived yesterday," he answered, happy Runo opened a conversation.
"Why did you come in here?" she asked again. Shun looked at her, slightly annoyed.
"Is this an interrogation?" he asked looking at her. She shook her head. Dan shot Shun a glare.
"Sorry kid, he gets annoyed fast," Dan said. Runo stared at him for some time.
"What did you call me?" she asked, eyeing him closely.
"Kid…" he said slowly. She considered the nick name for awhile.
"What? Does it remind you with anything?" He asked, hopefully. It was the nickname he used to call her with when they were younger.
"No, it's just odd," she said. Dan sweat dropped, she really did have the worst memory ever.
"Are you going to order today?" she asked. Dan took another look on his menu, he really could not decide what to choose.
"How about I bring you a meal, on the house?" Runo offered. Dan nodded. When she was about to leave, something caught her eyes, it was Shun's necklace. Her first thought was about how weird is it for a guy to wear a necklace, then she remembered something. She remembered she had seen a necklace dangling from the neck of one of the Voldons before she passed out. She got suspicious.
She entered the kitchen and started preparing the order. The door to the kitchen was opened swiftly, startling her a bit. She looked at the door to find it was one of the guys, the one with brown hair.
"You are not allowed to be here," she yelled, but he made no move to leave.
"My name is Dan and my friend's Shun. I was wondering, since we are new here, if you would show us around," Dan said. Before Runo could even respond, Miono and Julie were in the kitchen standing in front of him.
"Yes, we will LOVE to," Miono and Julie said in union. Dan looked at them and took a step back. He felt they could attack him any second.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Runo said to the girls and dragged them deeper into the kitchen.
"Don't you find it weird that we finished battling with two Voldons and suddenly those two came out of nowhere and, now, they are asking us out?" Runo asked. The two girls looked at each other.
"No," the stated simply. Runo sighed, their minds are completely damaged! The two girls then left Runo and went back to talk with Dan. Runo followed.
"Jerks," she muttered as she reached the group of three. Dan paid attention to the word.
"Excuse me, but…what does jerk means?" Dan asked. Runo looked at him weirdly, but answered the question.
"Stupid, idiot, unbearable," she said calmly.
Dan put a hand where his heart was. Ouch!
"So, how about the date?" Dan asked, hope in his eyes.
"Sure, we'll go. But not today, we have so many things to do. We'll go tomorrow," Runo asked. Dan nodded and left the kitchen, happy he got what he wanted. Julie and Miono squealed.
"I'll only go to confirm what I think. We will take Alice with us, I can't risk leaving her alone," Runo said and the three of them returned to their jobs.
…
Dan sat on his chair with a thud. He was grinning from ear to ear. Nigity, though, was not that happy about it. She, afar from the other fairies, hated witches. Dan didn't care and just got her back to her pearl before anyone could spot her.
Shun sat in his chair and kept staring at Alice, who was avoiding any eye contact with him. He only had two nights left, so he better talk to her soon and he just knew when and where.
It was a cold night, gray clouds filled the sky, hiding the bright moon and the shining stars behind them. Alice once again made her way to the roof, for she couldn't sleep again.
She sat down on the cold floor, she hugged herself, but made no move to go back inside. A whit flake fell from the sky and landed on her nose, she looked at the sky and smiled. Soon, snow started falling heavily on the ground.
After so many years of living inside a volcano; Alice was sure happy to feel the coldness of the snow.
"You don't have to stay behind that chimney, you can come out," she said in a matter of fact tone. Shun's figure appeared from behind the chimney and stood in front of her. She looked at him with her red eyes, but soon the red glow disappeared.
"I'm impressed, how did you know?" Shun asked. She looked down at the floor, at his black shadow. His shadow was formed because of the presence of a lamppost near the roof.
"I can talk and control shadows," she explained after noticing the puzzled looks she was getting. He seemed convinced and sat down next to here.
"I'm not here to kill you," he stated. She looked at him. Her heart started beating fast, but she composed herself. Now that he's already here, she must be careful.
"I know," she said. And looked back at the falling snow.
"Why do you like sitting here?" he asked.
"Because, here, I feel closer to the sky. Sadly there aren't any stars tonight," she answered without thinking, she soon regretted it, but said nothing.
Shun's heart lit up a bit; it was something Alicia usually said.
"Why does Verona want you?" he asked, wanting to know the answer to his question. She looked him in the eye.
"She wants to discuss a plan to attack Valdolit, I am well known for my strategies in battles," she answered and looked away almost instantly.
Shun glanced at her, he wanted to believe she was lying, but nothing was saying so. He sighed and shifted his sitting position. His face showed discomfort.
"You don't seem comfortable," Alice stated, trying to hide the worry in her sound.
"It's nothing. It had been a while since I last sat here. I stopped sitting on the roof for it's not the same when your love isn't there," he explained.
"You have a beloved? That sounds strange. I thought that as an assassin, you don't have the ability to love," she said. Shun let a chuckle escape his mouth. "Or laugh," Alice added. Smiling.
"Actually, I had a fiancée, the princess. She's the reason why I didn't kill you," he said, his look turning into one of hurt and seriousness.
"I see. Is she back at the castle then?" Alice asked.
"No, she…she died, years ago," Shun said looking at the necklace.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to open old wounds," she said, looking down.
"This was the last reminder of her," he added and took it off to show it to Alice. Alice looked at the heart shaped necklace with sparkles in her eyes. She gently clicked it open and read what was written inside, aloud.
"Take this as a symbol of my love, my angel from above. We will stay with one another, now and forever," she said and closed the necklace and gave it back to Shun. He took it from her and gazed at it.
"It's lovely. Is it your family heir?" she asked. He nodded. "One gives his family heir to the girl he wishes to stay with for good, you really loved her then," she stated. He nodded once again.
"How did you read what was written in there? It is a foreign language from Valdolit," he asked. She looked uneasy after he asked the question.
"Well, I…umm…my parents insisted that I learn every language possible," she said, stuttering all the way. Shun didn't look convinced, but he continued asking his questions.
"Speaking of your parents, are they alive?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. Shun was slightly disappointed; if she were Alicia then her parents must be dead.
"Why are you asking all those questions?" Alice asked.
"It's going to sound weird, but my fiancée and you, you two look the same," Shun answered.
"And you somehow think I am her, am I correct?" Alice pointed out.
"Are you?" Shun asked, seriousness in his voice. Alice stood up, balancing herself with her arms.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm no princess," she answered and started twirling around herself in circles. Enjoying the coldness she didn't feel in a while. Shun looked at her and tried to believe, but he still felt the connection between Alice and him.
"Stop moving like that, you might fall," Shun said. Alice giggled, but didn't stop.
"Are you concerned about my safety? I'll be just fi-" she wasn't able to continue her sentence for her leg slipped and she fell off the roof, screaming.
"NO!" Shun shouted and looked to the ground trying to find her, with worry in his heart. She wasn't there.
Suddenly, laughing sounds were heard before him. He looked up to find Alice sitting on a tree branch, giggling. The tree was bending by it self, so he guessed she had controlled the tree's shadow to help herself.
"That wasn't funny," he stated, harshly.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to," she said.
"Just…can you please get back here?" he asked. His heart was still beating wildly. She nodded and the tree lowered its branch till it was near the edge of the roof.
Alice jumped and Shun caught her in his arms. They were in a position were Alice had her arms on both of Shun's shoulders and he was placing his arms around her waist. At that moment, their eyes were locked with one another. Both lost in the depths of the other's eyes. Alice tried to tear her eyes away from his, but she wasn't able to. His eyes had this hypnotizing affect and she was to stare at him for as long as he wished.
They stayed like that for an amount of time that wasn't known to either of them. Shun gazed at her chocolate eyes, his emotions were mixed at the time. He found himself leaning in, until he closed the space between their lips. His feeling, it was one he didn't feel in awhile. What surprised him much is that Alice responded during the kiss.
Alice felt lost during the kiss they shared; she missed the feeling of his lips over hers. She was enjoying every moment of it. Sadly, the moment lived short. As the realization of what she was doing, she parted quickly and turned her back to Shun, touching her lips with the tips of her fingers while gasping for air.
Shun was taken aback by that, he didn't know why she pulled away all of a sudden. But, then, he remembered it was wrong for him to kiss her in the first place. He wasn't even sure it was her; moreover, he was her so called assassin now. He hit his forehead mentally and then muttered his apologies to Alice. The girl didn't respond. He took it as a sign for him to leave, so he did leave her roof.
What they both didn't know, were the two pair of eyes watching the two. One belonged to a small fairy and the other belonged to a black-haired witch.
…
Shun went back to the house he and Dan stayed in. When he entered the living room, the light was turned on, revealing a very angry Dan. Shun tried to ignore him and go to his room, but the brown-haired boy stood in his way.
"Where have you been?" Dan asked angrily. "Do you know how it's like to wake up in the middle of the night and not find you in your room?" he added.
"Hello, mother," Shun said, sarcastically.
"He was with that stupid red-headed girl," Nigity said as she flew close to Dan's face. Shun turned the other way. He should have known Dan was going to send his fairy after him.
"Shun, I need to know what's so strange about the girl. I am your partner! I need some explanations, now," He said and folded his arms in front of his chest.
"It's her Dan, she's Alicia," Shun said. Dan had shocked look in his eyes.
"I noticed the similarities, but it's impossible. She died, Shun," Dan said in disbelieve.
"I don't know. What if she escaped?" Shun said, mostly to himself.
"What does your feeling tell you?" Dan asked.
"That it's one hundred percent her," Shun answered truthfully.
"Does she remember you? Anything?" Dan asked. Shun shook his head. "Then, your feeling might be wrong," Dan stated. Shun looked at him, then at the floor.
He and Alicia shared a bond; they can sense each other deeply. Even after her death he still felt she was there, but everyone said it was because he wanted to feel so, to let this mere hope enter his heart. Could it be happening again? No, I am not mistaken.
"You have only one night left to prove it. If you didn't by tomorrow then, we have to complete the mission and return to Valdolit," Dan said. He started walking towards his room, when Shun stopped him.
"If she was Alicia, what will you do?" Shun asked. He was afraid Dan was going to carry on anyway.
"Nothing. She was my friend too, Shun," he answered and entered his room.
Shun sat down on a chair and glanced at the necklace. I know it's you, I just know it. But, why would my father ask me to take your life? So many things are kept away from me, things I need to know. I wish for all this to end and for you to be by my side again. With every drop of my blood, I'll make sure that'll happen.
…
Alice stood inside the hallway, leaning on its wall. Tears were running down her cheek, tears of sorrow and despair.
It felt so right, she was complete, but at the same time it was wrong. Confusing at is may seem, but, sadly, the truth. She stood there alone, sobbing. The crack in her heart was growing bigger by every passing second.
What were you doing, Alice? You are supposed to draw him away from you, not closer to you. You have made a terrible mistake. She told herself.
Her small little purple fairy came out from the pearl. Her expressions showed sadness.
"Why? Why didn't you tell him everything? He would have helped you and then everything was going to be fine," she asked her mistress. Alice wiped her tears and looked at her companion.
"Oh, Dimity. I wish it was that easy. But, he is too strong for Shun. Shun can never defeat him. Not when I am on his side. When time comes, I don't want Shun to hesitate. So, he must never know who I truly am," she said.
"He will know, sooner or later," Dimity said.
"Then, for the world's sake. Wish it'd be later," Alice said.
I wish for us to be with one another too, but no matter what you do, that will never happen. She thought, sensing what Shun had in mind.
That shall explain lots of things. I know all of you would like to know how Alice 'died'; you have to wait a little bit longer. Hope you liked this chap.
Tell me how it was and remember to R&R please =]