Chapter 20: The Blue Cave
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to KOEI TECMO, TECMO and Team NINJA. I am not Yosuke Hayashi.
A/N: So I was listening to Never Close Our Eyes by Adam Lambert and was wondering, why haven't I given you my ideas for the sequel of this story? Then I thought of all the curses I could think of. Sorry if you guys are still wondering. I'm still putting everything in a chart. Or whatever you call it in English. There is a AyanexEliot moment, no, don't believe it's M rated, because it isn't. I swear. Watch out for the language in this. I got a bit carried away. Yes, but it's not that bad. And I found a name for these series/trilogy, cause you know, this is a multiple book thing. Whatever you English people call it.
Don't forget to R&R!:)
Night was slowly making its way over the Aokigahara forest. Our heroes rested next to a pond, which where a clear meadow, illuminated by the moon, looked perfect for a rest. Kasumi collapsed on the soft grass, on her back, exhausted from their walk. Hitomi was unnaturally still awake and energised, while the others were extremely tired. Leifang collapsed next to Kasumi, breathing hard. Jann Lee laid next to a bush. Ayane sat on the grass, looking the most tired. Her wounds had not healed properly, and yet, she had fought. She stared at her side, and grimaced at the long and ugly scar. That alpha that had cut her was dead, but she hoped that it was also in hell. Rotting. Burning. Tortured...
"Ayane? All right?"
She stared at Eliot quizzically.
"What?" She asked, confused and slightly annoyed. He blinked at her.
"Are you alright? You've been frowning for a while now..." He said. She sighed.
"It's just because of that stupid alpha that stabbed me. I mean, I can't fight the same because of this damn scar! That thing can go to hell for all I care!" Ayane complained, groaning afterwards. Eliot chuckled, smiling slightly.
"I could fix it, you know..." He blushed, seemingly embarrassed, "if you'll let me." She was confused. Why was he embarrassed? Then she looked to where the scar was, and the realisation seemed to dawn in her. Her cheeks turned a furious red. Not only did she have to take off this top, but the scar was right under her breasts. That was why he was embarrassed, to see her half-naked.
Ayane gritted her teeth, half wondering if the decision that she had made was the right one.
"Come with me." She stood and grabbed his hands, ignoring his small protests and successfully avoiding any eyes. She ran through the forest with Eliot close behind her. She then smiled as she saw a pond with clear blue water, secured of any view by bushes.
"What are you doing- oh!" Eliot shrieked in horror and covered his blue eyes as Ayane started to remove the top of her ninja gear, exposing her chest. She scowled at him.
"What?" She asked.
"You're half-naked, Ayane! What did you expect me to do?" He still did not look at her and turned around. Smirking at his discomfort, she walked, fully aware of her half-nakedness, and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened as her chest pressed against his back.
"Just heal me, damn it! It's right there, you don't have to look up!" She hissed. He did not move.
"I swear if you don't move, I'll turn you around right now! Come on! It's just one touch!" She snapped. Sighing, Eliot slowly turned around, just as Ayane hid her breasts with her arms, and he saw her blush. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pressed his hand on her side, running his thumb on the large scar, leaving light covering it as Ayane inhaled sharply at the pain. After a few seconds, no remains of the scar stayed. Only the cream coloured skin of Ayane's. He let his hand linger at the soft skin, then pulled back, flushing madly. Ayane turned around and tried not to get his hand back again. She placed the top of her ninja gear on again and turned to look at him again.
"Was it that hard?" She expected it to come out cold and snappy, but it came out breathy. She guessed that she was still flustered.
"Yes." He whispered back. She sighed.
"Relax, it's not like I was going to jump you, you know." She rolled her eyes at the idea.
"Let's just get back..." He muttered and started to walk away, slowly, so Ayane would catch up. And she did, arms crossed and a scowl on her face.
Is it so wrong to touch me at all? She thought, then shook her head, never mind. That sounded terribly wrong.
Groaning at the silence, she placed a rough hand on Eliot's shoulder.
"You have to stop being embarrassed. It was just healing me, not taking advantage of me," she rolled her eyes, "and anyway, I would have killed you by the time you'd be even think about it." She chuckled, while Eliot remained silent.
"Hayate is going to kill me." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Ayane gasped.
"You're not telling anyone about this!" She growled, grabbing his wrist and glaring at him. Eliot said nothing and kept walking. They saw that everyone were already asleep so they found their own spots, falling asleep quickly.
-Dream-
Hitomi found herself on the roof of a hospital in Baden-Württemberg. She blinked, her blue eyes adjusting to the light. It was early morning, and she saw the streets were quiet. It meant that it was Saturday. A flying piece of paper flew into her face. She looked at it. It was a newspaper front page. And the date said,'25th May 1992'.
Her heart stopped momentarily. That was her birth date.
She then heard a high pitched scream coming from a window in the hospital, and she gasped, recognising her mother's voice. She then felt herself sinking in the building, squealing. Her eyes widened as she saw a younger version of her mother, without wrinkles and face red, sweaty forehead. Without them, though, you could see that she was a beautiful woman.
"Komm, Frau Buchfink! Schieben!" The nurse next to her cried. Hitomi's eyes grew wide as she realised that this was her birth. Her mother screamed again in agony as the doctor in front of her gasped.
"Ich sehe den Kopf! Ein wenig mehr, Frau Buchfink!" She yelled.
"Kami! Tasukete!" Kagome cried again. The cry of a little girl was the thing she had heard before everything started to fade.
-End of Dream-
Hitomi sat up, gasping for air. She paused to look around, looking at her surroundings. It seemed about four o'clock in the morning, and everyone was still asleep. She sighed, then tensed as she felt a body moving next to her.
"Hitomi? Are you alright?" The deep, husky voice of Hayate erased every trace of sleep in her eyes. She blinked, before her eyes could decipher the ninja's muscular body.
"I'm fine," she croaked, "I just had a weird dream." She brushed a strand of brown out of her face. Hayate sighed and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over the back of it. Hitomi could feel her eyes glow pink. She was grateful for the dark, as he would not see her beet red face.
"You know you could tell me, Hitomi. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere." He said firmly. The German beauty looked at him, her eyes wide in awe. Was this the right moment? The moment where she could tell him that she still loved him, that she still wanted to be with him? All she wanted was to kiss him, feel the warmth of his strong arms engulfing her, feel the softness of his lips against hers. That's all she wanted. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Suddenly, she could feel the tears that she held back all along this journey spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm scared, Hayate," she whispered in his chest, "I...one day I'm just spending time with my friends and the second...and the second...I just find myself m-murdering monsters," she paused, looking up at him with dark purple eyes, "do you think I-I-I'm a monster, Hayate?"
Hayate's jaw clenched in anger. How could she think of this as herself? He thought angrily, sweet, innocent Hitomi. His tightened hold on her made her look up, and she was shocked as Hayate grabbed her face, forcing her crystal tear-filled blue eyes to meet his light brown ones.
"What did I say about talking down to yourself? Hitomi, you're not like any of those demons or fiends. You are perfection," her eyes widened at his confession, but he did not stop, "you're the Innocence. From what I learned, "Anata wa junsuidearu subetedesu," you are everything that is pure. Suddenly, his lips were just mere inches from hers, and her heart beat uncontrollably, "I don't want you think badly of yourself ever again," his voice dropped lower to a whisper as he caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, "ever." He almost growled. Their lips just brushed against each other when they heard a loud drop. Hitomi jumped away from him, blushing madly, but her eyes focused on a blue glow. Kasumi, hearing her gasp, sat up immediately from Hayabusa's chest, waking up Hayabusa in the process.
"What is going on?" Leifang yawned. Ayane sat up from her slumber, relief filling her, as well as mortification as she realised that last night was not a dream. She looked next to her, and her eyes went round. There laid Eliot, looking as peaceful as ever, his blond hair almost forming a halo on his head. She flushed as she thought of how beautiful he looked. But her flush deepened even more when she realised that he was holding her hand. Gently, she shook him, then wondered why she was so gentle. His blue orbs mesmerised her instantly.
"Ayane? What...what's going..." He was cut off by Hitomi's voice.
"I think I've found the Blue Cave." She said, her eyes turning a bright white.
...
Our heroes made their ways through the forest of Aokigahara. Hitomi was up front, leading the way through the vines and branches. Kasumi anxiously looked around, frowning, her right hand on her wakizashi. She didn't trust this forest, and was alert at all times. Hayabusa was also frowning under his black mask, like something repulsed him. Leifang walked carefully, her boots crunching on the dead leaves.
Hitomi made a stop, Hayate bumping into her back.
"It's here."
Kasumi gasped in recognition.
"This is the cave Hayabusa and I hid in when a demon chased after us." She whispered. Hayabusa nodded in agreement. Hayate frowned.
"You were getting chased by demons?" He asked curiously.
"A demon," Kasumi corrected.
"Was it that scary?" Leifang asked in horror. Hayabusa nodded solemnly. Leifang shuddered. This adventure was starting to scare her to the death, and she was now questioning staying. As if reading her mind, Eliot placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sighed, smiling softly.
"Thanks, Eliot." She literally cooed, smiling sweetly his powers wearing on her, making the younger boy blush.
"So..." Andra interrupted, "do we go in there, or not?" She said, awkwardly putting her hands in her pocket. Hitomi let out a small chuckle, desperately trying to get her almost kiss with Hayate out of her head.
And...the blush comes back. She thought, smacking herself internally as her cheeks colour. She shouldn't be thinking about it now.
The four shadows watched the heroes with guarded eyes. They narrowed their eyes simultaneously at the young girl with the pink headband and green jacket.
"Is it her?" One asked quietly.
"Yes, I can sense the pure aura radiating from her. It is quite refreshing for us shadows, something that is rare around here." Another one answered. The three others nodded in agreement.
"Should we get ready to welcome them?" One asked.
"We have to. Although, we have to be careful. I do not trust the one with the black eyes. There is something terribly wrong about her." Another one said darkly, making the others frown.
"No matter," one interrupted, "we will have to welcome them to our cave." With an emotionless nod, they disappeared into blue dust.
Hitomi...
Hitomi's quick pace came to a stop as she heard her name being called. She turned around, expecting her friends to have said her name, but none seemed to have said anything. She frowned, then continued her quick pace.
Hitomi...
She stopped again, frowning. Her friends did not speak, and she saw no one else. Who was it that was speaking to her?
Hitomi, stop. Don't go there.
"Who are you?" She muttered to herself, unnoticed by others.
Don't go there. Please, Hitomi. Stop where you are.
"No!" She yelled, catching everyone else's attention. They stared at her in confusion, yet horror.
"Is there something wrong, Hitomi?" Ayane asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
You have to leave, Hitomi! You have to go home! Go home to your parents, go where you are mostly safe.
"Shut up..." She whispered.
They'll think you're crazy! If you go there, you'll lose your mind! You'll be like him! You'll be a-
"Shut up!" She cried, "please! It-" she crumbled to the floor, "it hurts when you speak to me..." Her eyes watered as she cradled her head in excruciating agony. Kasumi ran to her, only for the sharp pain to hit her head. A light pink jewel, similar to her brother's appeared in the blue ribbon on her head.
"Hitomi." Kasumi said, but in the older girl's head, "don't listen to that. Whoever is speaking to you is lying. You have to fight it, fight against it." Her soothing voice made Hitomi's breathing calm.
"But...it's too strong! I can't..." She whimpered in her head. Kasumi reached for her, placing her hands on her shoulders.
"You're stronger than it is, Hitomi. If you fight hard, you'll win." She said, but her lips did not move. Hitomi's body trembled, before she slowly placed her hands in her lap. Kasumi gave her a comforting hug.
"Thanks, Kasumi." Hitomi whispered, squeezing her middle. The eyes of their companions burned into their skulls, and they both turned their heads. Leifang was gaping at them.
"Did she just...?" She trailed off.
"I think she did." Eliot breathed.
"What is it? Why are you looking at us like that?" Kasumi asked, raising a copper-coloured eyebrow. Everyone remained silent momentarily, right before Hayabusa cleared his throat.
"Kasumi, did you just speak to Hitomi?" He asked quietly.
"Yes..?" Kasumi frowned.
"We didn't hear you speak. Kasumi, I think you just spoke to her with your mind." He stated, making the two girls' blood run cold.
Daemonum Terras
"Kokoro. Hey, devil cheeks, wake up." Shade restlessly tugged and poked to Kokoro's side. She groaned and smacked his hand away. He almost laughed, but scowled instead.
"Kokoro."
She did not reply.
"Devil cheeks."
She did not reply.
Shade huffed, clearly frustrated. Suddenly, his scowl turned into a devious grin as he slowly climbed in bed behind her, then squeezed her bottom. Kokoro moaned, opening her eyes.
"Nice to see your eyes, sweet Kokoro." Shade said, dramatically. Kokoro yelped, any trace of sleep she had gone as she jumped away from him.
"Why where you in my bed?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself. The demon cackled.
"I can't believe you don't remember! I mean, don't you remember our very heated mating sess-" Kokoro cut him off.
"What?! We did not! Please tell me we did not!" She begged, her eyes wide. Shade laughed again.
"We didn't. I was just messing with you, devil cheeks." He fell to the floor, laughing hard, gasping for breaths. Kokoro narrowed her gaze and huffed at him, "that wasn't nice." She muttered.
"Never said I was." He replied, smirking. Kokoro looked away, huffing like a little girl. Shade rolled his eyes and stuck his hand in his pocket, feeling the hard, cold metal on his fingers.
"Here." He said, pointing his hand up to her. Kokoro turned around, looking at the metal box in his creamy hand.
"What is that?" She asked suspiciously.
"Contacts," he rolled his eyes, "we're going to meet my friends today, at the club, and they only allow succubi and incubi. If they knew you were human, they'd have a gang thing going on, if you know what I mean." he raised his brows at her, hoping that she had gotten the message. It seemed that she did. Her face was as white as a ghost.
"Why are we going there?" She whispered, the colour seemed to still be draining out of her face.
"We're finding a way out of here for you..." He muttered. Kokoro's eyes widened and shined in hope, while Shade's eyes darkened in sadness. He did not want her to leave, but she looked so happy to leave...
"But wait, isn't it impossible? Wouldn't your...brother get angry?" She asked, trying to bite back a grin.
"I can take care of him." He said nonchalantly. That time, Kokoro could not contain herself and flung her arms around Shade, jumping up and down, tears pouring down her cheeks as she grinned.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She squealed. She did not feel the incubi's tense body under her. Shade was not used to affection since his adoptive mother's death, and Reika's death. The thought of Reika sent a wave of pain in his body, and he wrapped his arms around Kokoro, holding her tight. He would not shed a tear while around her. Never.
Kokoro could feel his pain. She could literally feel his pain; the heartbrokenness and bitterness of him. She could feel the sadness and anger, the anguish and soul torture. She gasped as she also felt the agony of losing someone special, and she tried not to cry. She also felt the love. The love he'd felt for her. She gasped again as she realised that she could feel others' emotions. But what she did not notice, was the small jewel that appeared just under her pulse; a bright orange jewel.
When they pulled away, Kokoro thought about his love confession. Her heart pounded, just to think about it. Did that mean that she also felt that for him? Did she love Shade? A voice said she could; that all the heartbrokenness would disappear and so would the sadness, leaving only happiness.
But another voice, the stern one would only leave negative thoughts;
He's a demon. He could rape you. He could hurt you. He could torture you. He could kill you.
And that would suffice to bring her back to the real world. That is, if this demon land wasn't a dream.
Or a nightmare.
Yokosuka, Japan
"This is beautiful." Leifang breathed, admiring the breathtaking crystal walls of the Blue Cave. The crystal reflected the blue water, to which Kasumi glared at. They looked around, smiling in awe, but some, like Andra, narrowing their eyes suspiciously at it.
"It is." Hitomi grinned at her. It was short lived as she saw the three statues, with her in the middle, in her Electus form, smiling. She stared at it, ignoring the others. She could read her name on it: ELECTUS.
Four black clad figures appeared in front of her.
"The Electus," one breathed. They nodded, still awed. Hitomi's eyes turned white. The rest of the group approached hesitantly. Kasumi glared at them.
"You again," she said coldly. The shadows appeared unfazed by her coldness. Ayane frowned at her half-sister.
"You've met those things?" Ayane pointed to them. Kasumi shot her a glance of assent before turning back to the shadows. Ayane was quite taken aback by this cold Kasumi. She'd never seen this side of her before.
"So, we are supposed to be here for...?" Eliot said, trailing off.
"The Scepter of the Blue Cave." They answered simultaneously.
"The Scepter of the Blue Cave? What is that?" Jann Lee frowned.
"I'm going to guess it's this." Hayate muttered, holding a beautifully crafted scepter in his tan hands. It had light blue Aquamarine on its top, circled by silver linings of dragons, their tails intertwined, till the bottom of the long item, a colourless diamond at its end.
"We did not hide it so well if a mere human can find it." The shadows murmured.
"It's absolutely breathtaking," Hitomi gushed, touching the seemingly sacred item. She gasped, then grasped it more firmly in her hand, feeling the fire burning her fingertips. Suddenly, she felt her jacket disappear, leaving the silk dress in her. Her hair softly touched her ankles as she smiled at the item.
"This is mine." She said, spreading her wings. The others were so awed by the sight of her, they did not hear the shadows clear their throats.
"You must leave, this place is only used to us. It will crumble," they looked at the still the dazed Hitomi, "she will not leave if you don't force her out. Please be careful. She will attack you if you try to force her out." With that they disappeared, just as a stalactite fell on the crystal floor.
"Shit!" Andra cried, running to Hitomi. Hitomi snarled at her to get away from her. Andra did not give up, just as more crystals fell. She cried out when the German used her scepter to send a ball of white energy to her. Hayate groaned, then as fast as the wind, he ran, grabbed Hitomi by the waist and started running to the exit. Hitomi clawed at his back, but was unable to use her powers. The cave quaked again and again, making some stumble their ways out.
They had just gotten out when the piece of the Map turned yellow, showing a green jungle. Leifang stared at it, just as she regained her breath.
"Our next destination is a jungle." She said, gaining everyone's attention.
"There's no jungle in Japan...as far as I know?" Kasumi said, holding her stomach for the umpteenth time. Hayabusa's eyes narrowed.
"No, but there's one in South America," Andra pointed out, "That's the Amazonia. And guess who we're meeting there?"
"The Amazons." Eliot whispered in mere awe.
A/N: quite suckish at the end.
Hope it wasn't TOO bad. Next stop is Amazonia, the Amazon rainforest!
I excuse myself for the HUGE delay. I feel horrible, because I had boy trouble. You don't have to know that.
Facts: Kasumi got telepathy! And Kokoro has the power to feel emotions! Wow, a little romance for ShadexKokoro... :3
WTSPH News! I will NOT do Kokoro's point of view, people. Sorry to disappoint, but she's an antagonist. No antagonist's points of view will be made at all. Protagonists only, and I know how much you love Kokoro but BREAKING NEWS: I don't like her so much.
Someone is making an appearance in the next chapter;) can you guess who it is? There will be a little jealousy and drama times
But again, this is just the calm before the storm. Prepare yourselves dear readers, this story is just REALLY beginning;)
Don't forget to R&R!:)