ATTENTION READERS: This is the Beta version of LH5W, if you want to read the official, updated version of the story, you'll have to go over to DeviantArt. com and head on over to my page. My username is Aloubell. You can also get there by going to my fanfiction. net profile which provides a link over there.
In any case, this Beta version is basically the rough draft of LH5W, my first attempt at it. Much of the plot points from this version will be the same in the official version, but there are significant and consistent characterization changes, a few (but very important) plot differences, expansion of past ideas, and overall better quality in storytelling.
All of this will be done over on DeviantArt. I no longer will write the story in traditional prose nor submit/update it here to fanfiction. net. The Beta version will remain here, just know that it isn't the 100% official story.
The official version will be written in a lazy prose mixed with play-writing elements (you'll get what I mean when you see it).
This is the new format for the story from now on.
So please head on over there if you're interested in updates to the story! Thank you for stopping by =D
-Aloe
PLEASE NOTE: The official version is being written somewhat out of order. The official version will start on chapter 46, the place where the Beta version left off. The official version will go on to complete the last chapters of Season 2. Once those are done, I will redo the story over again from Chapter 1 which will be the official version.
Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!
Tamahome continued to sit there in complete confusion even after the woman broke apart from their kiss. Fully content, she turned to face Miaka—who was in total shock and frozen as a statue—and I with a mocking smile on her face.
With shaky hands, I pointed at her. "Wha-what the hell was that?" Seeing Tamahome shift, my eyes shot daggers at him.
Snapping out of the trance, he answered, "I don't even know! I've never met this woman before!" Sweat dripping, stiffness—it seemed like he was telling the truth considering how freaked out he seemed. Looking back up at the woman, I noticed how smug she seemed. Avoiding my hateful gaze, she looked back at Tamahome and winked.
"Now, now, Tama-kins, you know you liked it. Ready for round two?" She outstretched her arms and puckered her lips. Tamahome shivered in an unpleasant fashion and quickly dashed to hide in back of me.
"That woman is crazy!" He accused as he held onto my shoulders as if I were a shield.
"Tama-kins…Don't be so mean! Come back out here—I won't bite." She stepped closer. "Unless you like that sort of thing—"
"Can't you see that he's not interested?" I blurted out. What is with this woman? A few days ago she said that she was in love with Hotohori. Was that whole performance a lie? "Back off!"
Seeing how I blocked her way from Tamahome, she scowled just before returning back to that smug attitude. "Not interested? Impossible. Besides, you two girls are just jealous that you didn't make a move on him first."
I looked back Tamahome—who wouldn't let go of my shoulders—and he looked at me with baffled faces. "What do you mean?"
"Well, aren't you two in love with him?"
My face instantly reddened at the very idea of me having those kinds of feelings for him. I mean, I just met the guy! Not only that, I had the strong intuition that Miaka had a crush on him—which would definitely explain why she was still inaudible and as stiff as a board. Yeah, the guy was pretty good looking, but he was definitely not on my "candidates for true love" list.
"That's ridiculous!" I yelled causing her to chuckle at my reaction. "Anyway, don't turn this around on us. Who gave you the right to stick your nasty little tongue down Tamahome's throat? That was completely uncalled for." She walked over to me causing Tamahome to duck behind my back. Without any warning, she flicked me on the forehead, obviously holding back on her monstrous strength. Bringing my hand to my head, I winced from the stinging pain. "What was that for?"
"You, little girl, shouldn't stick your nose into grown-ups business."
Little…girl? "Who do you think you're calling a 'little girl' you slut? I'm probably the same age as you!"
"Maturity is in the mind, my dear, and you still act like a child. You are making such a big deal out of nothing. At least I'm not calling others a 'slut'. Honestly, how rude can you be?" Feeling my rage act up, a faint wind started to blow. It took a whole bunch of self-control to not go on a spell-frenzy and toast this chick. Because what it's worth, she deserved whatever I could do to her. Looking into her blazing pink eyes, I could tell that I was getting to her as well—she was just a bit better at concealing her emotions than I was. Unfortunately, like myself, her outlet for those emotions was probably just as destructive as mine were. With the combination of her strength and my magic, this palace could end up in ashes within a matter of hours. Even though I hadn't known her for too long, I could tell that she was a snobby little bitch and needed to be put in her place before she completely believed that she could get away with whatever she wanted.
Sensing the tension between us, Hotohori came between us. "Now, now ladies—you shouldn't be fighting like this. We should be looking at the big picture." Which is what? Deciding whether I should torch her or drown her? Or perhaps both… He faced the woman with a calm demeanor. "Miss, since you are here, I must ask, are you one of the royal consorts?"
Switching from ticked off and homicidal to calm and pleasant, she spoke with respect to the emperor. "Yes, Your Highness, I am. My name is Korin, but you all can call me," Lifting her hand, she moved part of her fancy robes to reveal a small part of her upper right (her left) chest—that happened to have a glowing Kanji character. Oh God, please don't tell me… "Nuriko." Crap! That's one of the names of the constellations!
Upon discovering that the woman—Nuriko—was the third warrior that we were looking for, Miaka finally unfroze.
"Nuriko? So the third warrior is a woman?" She asked. Now that she was finally speaking and moving around, I was a bit surprised that she wasn't grilling Nuriko for kissing Tamahome. Either didn't care anymore, or she was distracted by the fact that we were one warrior closer to obtaining the powers of Suzaku as well as her ticket home. Attempting to stand up, she instantly fell back down due to the injury on her leg.
Hotohori and Tamahome—who came out from hiding behind me—rushed to her side. "Are you okay, Miaka?"
"I will get you the best medical attention possible—"
"Guys! I already told you that I'm fine." Looking up at Nuriko, she smiled. "I'm glad to finally meet you." Supporting herself on Tamahome's shoulders, she stood up and offered her hand. "I'm Miaka and this is my big sister, Aki. I hope that you and I can be really great friends!" I scoffed. Not likely.
For a few seconds, Nuriko just stood there staring at Miaka's hand. Her expression was unreadable, as if she were contemplating what to do. When she had finally decided, she unexpectedly slapped away her hand—creating shocked expressions on the four of us.
I stepped in front of her. "Okay, you may have an issue with me, but you have absolutely no right to do that to Miaka. She's just trying to be nice."
"I have no interest in her kindness. I may acknowledge the fact that she's the Priestess of Suzaku, but that doesn't mean that I want to—nor have to—be her friend—not yours either," she hissed.
"Nuriko," Hotohori stood up to face her, "it is your honored duty as a Celestial Warrior to aid your priestess."
"With all due respect, Your Highness, I cannot befriend the girl for I do not like her. However," She dashed towards Tamahome and hugged his arm, "I will happily be a part of your group as long as my Tama-kins is around!" Miaka was instantly taken aback at the notion.
"Nur-i-ko!" Tamahome struggled to get away, but the woman's incredible strength made it prove difficult to even cause her to flinch. "Let go of me!
Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fist in her face. This caused her to taunt me by wagging her finger in my face. "Ah, ah, ah! Behave yourself little Aki. You wouldn't want to be mean to an actual member of the Suzaku Seven, now would you?" What is she implying by that?
"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" I growled. After all of the pleasant introductions in the courtyard, I attempted to get my mind off of wanting to strangle Nuriko by going away to tend to Miaka's leg. Nuriko obliged my leaving by giving chase to Tamahome immediately after our talk. I honestly felt sorry for the guy, but at that point, I was willing to let anything happen to widen the distance between her and I. I admire your sacrifice, valiant Tamahome.
Miaka and I were in one of the rooms in the palace as she stripped down to her underwear to clean her uniform—wanting to get the blood out.
As she scrubbed, she spoke. "My gosh, blood is difficult to get out…" She then stopped to face the pissed of me who was sitting next to her. "Aki-nee-chan, you shouldn't be mad at Nuriko. I mean, maybe she's just a bit rough on the outside. Who knows, for all we know, she could be one of the sweetest people you ever come to know."
My eyebrow rose. "Yeah…I doubt that. First impressions say a lot Miaka. And hers made me want to impale her face with my fist."
"Sure, she's a bit…aggressive, but she is one of the Suzaku Seven. So, it would probably be best if you two put your egos aside so that we could all be friends." Our…egos? "After all, wouldn't it be great to have another girl as a friend around here? Especially during those situations where you need a girls' advice and a girl to talk to."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Girl? No. I think the proper term for Nuriko is She-Devil. Besides, we don't need her to do those things. If you need advice and need someone to talk to about girl stuff, you have me." Okay, maybe I'm not the best one to talk to, but I'm a hell of a lot better than that She-Devil Nuriko. Hearing what I had said made Miaka smile causing me to blush a little and look away. "She's not worth the trouble Miaka."
Continuing to smile, Miaka got up and walked towards me. Leaning down, she embraced me in a soft hug. "Thanks for looking out for me Onee-chan. But I really disagree with you. I think that Nuriko can be our good friend if we just try and put out the effort. Some things are worth fighting for, right?" Continuing to blush and feel quite awkward, I sighed. Ain't that the truth…
"If it will really make you happy, then go ahead and try to be friends with her." Her smile widened as I added more to my statement. "Just don't try too hard. Like I said, some people just aren't worth it."
She hugged tighter. "Okay…but I really want to make this work." Miaka had always been like that—always wanting to see the best in people. Out of all the people I ever knew, she was probably the most likeable and the friendliest. She didn't have any bitterness in her heart and her world consisted of mostly happiness. Of course there were those few bullying incidents when we were younger, but those quickly died down once Yui and I came along. Other than those tiny things, she was a cheerful kid who wanted nothing more than to make everything okay—no matter what the dilemma was.
Suddenly, the door opened to a frantic Tamahome who immediately closed it behind him. Panting vigorously, he tried to calm down his breathing. On the outside of the room, you could hear a familiar voice.
"Tama-kins? Where did you go?" It was Nuriko—apparently Tamahome was hiding from her. Smart man. "You know, I will find you no matter where you are hiding!" She sang.
Hearing her footsteps decrescendo, she let out a deep sigh. "Thank Suzaku. I finally got away from her." That was when he opened his eyes to discover his clever hiding spot. There Miaka and I were, hugging with Miaka almost completely naked—only wearing her bra and underwear.
That wasn't so smart.
His face instantly reddened at the sight. He tried to speak, but all that came out was, "I—I—uh—sorry—" But before he even had the chance to get out a proper sentence, Miaka screamed and ran to punch him in the face.
"Get out!" She shouted.
"Miaka, I didn't mean to—" She punched him again as he attempted to look at her.
"I'm barely wearing anything, you pervert! Get out!"
He looked up to me with a desperate face. Containing my laughter, I comically looked away. Sorry dude, but I'm stayin' outta this one.
Yeah, Miaka was a sweet girl. But she also knew when her innocence—or anything else—was on the verge of being violated, so she would react using unexpected violence that most people wouldn't expect her to have. It didn't happen all the time, but when it did…I was quite surprised and entertained.
Miaka had decided to find Nuriko and do all she could to become friends with her. Of course, I told her that I didn't feel like provoking another world war—or in the case of being in this different dimension, start a first world war—by crossing paths with that woman. So, as she went to go do her thing, I decided to do a bit of exploring.
The last time I actually went around this gigantic place was when Miaka, Tamahome, and I were on the run from the guards. Now that I had time to stop and smell the flowers, I truly realized how magnificent this palace was—it was really a work of art, with its complex Chinese structure and fine detail of even the smaller things. There was also very impressive and beautiful landscapes such as ponds and extensive and diverse gardens which added extra color to the place.
But what was really evident was the dedication they put in to having the palace symbolize Suzaku—with the gold and crimson colors, statues, and banners, you could tell that Suzaku was a real big deal here. Speaking of Suzaku, I couldn't help but be a bit curious about the god. Were his powers really all that? If he was the one that had brought Miaka here, then why did he choose her? Had this been her destiny all along? And why would Yui be involved in this at all? There was always the chance that she was just an innocent bystander who happened to be around when Miaka was being summoned to this world. That scenario would definitely make sense considering that she was almost immediately sent back to our world. Then if that were true, then why did I continue to have a bit of an unsettling feeling deep inside of me?
I also began to ask myself how dangerous this journey would be to find the other four Warriors of Suzaku. Already, Miaka had managed to almost get her and Tamahome killed—it kind of scared me wondering worse things that could happen. Sure, it made me feel better that we were technically looking for extra protection for her, but getting the protection required protection—which was a pain the ass, but since I resolved to using my powers again, things shouldn't be too bad. In fact, I was pretty confident that I could handle almost anything that could and would attack us. Yeah, it wasn't the best idea to be in the mindset of us being in an eventual fight—you know, with messages being sent out to the universe and all—but it was best to be more realistic than delusional.
As my various thoughts circled around me, I eventually came across the open double-doors to a very large, well-furnished room. In the middle sat Nuriko, lying on a couch, looking as content as can be. What I didn't expect to see was Miaka scrambling around tidying up the space. What the hell?
"Miaka, when you're done, make sure to fluff my pillow—it's getting a bit flat."
"Yes Nuriko." Without further question, Miaka came up to Nuriko and fluffed her pillow for her.
Without even a thank you, which continued to tick me off, the non-thankful, purple haired She-Devil commanded, "Now, go back to cleaning up this room. It is still an absolute mess. You don't wish for me to be surrounded by such disorganization, do you?"
"No, of course not!" With a smile on her face, Miaka went back to her previous chore.
Noticing me staring scornfully inside, Nuriko gave me an inciting look. "Ah, Aki! Do you wish to become my servant in high hopes of becoming my friend as well? You know what they say: You can never have too much help."
"Not even if Hell freezes over," I told her with a glare.
"Pity," She closed her eyes and sank further into her cushion, "and I was so much looking forward to more friends."
As I sat there contemplating how to bring her pain, Tamahome came walking down the hallway, completely unaware of who I was staring at in the room.
He waved over, "Hey Aki! What're you—" He automatically cut himself off when I gave him a look to shut up. But it was too late.
"Is that my Tama I hear?" Nuriko shot herself up from the couch and ran towards the door and Tamahome who was already making his way out of there. Pushing me out of the way, she took out a long robe that she had been hiding somewhere on her body and used it as a lasso. Apparently, he determination gave her excellent accuracy because she was able to catch Tamahome without any problems. Pulling him towards her, he grumbled quietly to himself. When the two were finally together, she used the rest of the rope to tie the rest of his body up to make sure that he wouldn't get away. "See Tama-kins, I knew I'd find you."
"Nuriko, the rope wasn't necessary. Let me go!" He demanded.
"Now if I did that, you'd just run away like last time." She brought her face close to his making him avoid her advances as much as he could. "We wouldn't want that now would we?"
"Yes, we would."
"C'mon Tama-kins, you and I don't spend enough time together. We really should spend more time getting to know one another. What do ya say?" She asked with a seductive smile playing on her ruby-red lips. Looking inside, I noticed how Miaka had been listening to everything that had been happening between Tamahome and Nuriko. The peppy energy she seemed to have before, somehow dimmed considerably. She tried to continue cleaning, but her face failed to hide its sadness. Miaka shouldn't be putting herself through all of this just to be Nuriko's friend.
Tamahome voice started to turn panicky. "Now, Nuriko, I don't think that—"
"Tamahome, you don't have to explain yourself to this piece of trash," I blurted out. Nuriko immediately loosened her grip on Tamahome's rope and narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't you think it's a little pathetic that you have to tie your men up in order to get them, Nuriko? You'd think that a woman of your merit would be above subjecting herself to such things."
Nuriko growled. "Why you little…"
"Umm…" Miaka came up to us. "Onee-chan? Nuriko?"
"Miaka! I am thirsty. Fetch me a drink!" She demanded. Miaka hesitated as she looked from me to Nuriko. "Now Miaka. I only grow thirstier the longer you wait."
She reluctantly agreed. "Yes Nuriko." Walking off, she turned back for only a second. "I'll be back Onee-chan." Miaka knew that Nuriko and I didn't like each other and was probably aware that something bad was about to go down between the two of us.
When Miaka was out of sight, I turned back my head to face Nuriko. "Who the hell do you think you are? You're supposed to be an honorable Celestial Warrior who protects her priestess—not some bitch who goes around shamelessly flirting with one of her fellow warriors and playing with her priestesses feelings by making her your maid!"
"What gives you the right to speak to me like that?" Nuriko dropped the rope completely allowing Tamahome's freedom. But instead of running away, he just stood there listening in to the conversation. "Don't you know what I am capable of?"
"Yeah, I know what you're capable of, and I don't give a damn." Catching Tamahome's concerned eyes, I continued. "And another thing: Why the hell are you after Tamahome? I thought you were in love with Hotohori."
Tamahome looked both shocked and confused. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"Just as I said. She's in love with the emperor." Her lack of denial proved everything that I was saying.
He started to get angry himself. "Why put me through all of that then? Nuriko! I'm speaking to you!" Putting his hands on her shoulders, she immediately threw his hand off. Grabbing the top of my tube top, she brought me closer to her taller height—right in her face.
"You know what? You should just mind your own business," She spat.
"But I am—"
"No, you're not! You think that you're involved in all of this, but you're not! And you know what? I am sick and tired of you butting into everything. Let me give you a small bit of information that you seemed to have missed along the way." By this time, she was completely lifting me off of the ground. I hadn't realized until that moment how much taller than Miaka and I that Nuriko really was. There was absolutely no sign of joking in her eyes—she was dead serious about everything she was saying. "I belong here. Miaka belongs here. Tamahome belongs here. His Highness belongs here. And there are four others who belong here. But you? You don't even matter. What are you? Older sibling of the Priestess of Suzaku? Please. You aren't even related. Even if you were, you still wouldn't be all that important. You're just a powerless, useless, pointless, and selfish little pest who is only taking advantage of the emperor's kindness and thinks you're all that just because you're from a different world."
"Nuriko! You're going too far!" Tamahome yelled out at her. She didn't seem to care.
"You have no special abilities and would only end up getting in the way with whatever you do. So why don't you do us all a favor and beat it!" Throwing me back onto the ground, I just sat there, boiling in my own fury. My face was completely flushed as my body shook in anger.
All of a sudden, a mysterious female voice entered into my head.
She doesn't know all the things that you have been through. She doesn't know the hurt you have endured. Who is she to tell you what you are worth?
I blinked. Huh?
The voice spoke again. She tells you that you're useless when you've done so much. She says that you're pointless when you are an obvious favorite of the universe. She says that you're powerless when you've gone through emotional and physical Hell to become a Master Sorceress. She says that you're selfish when you're just trying to do the right thing.
Processing her words, everything she was saying had made a bunch of sense.
You don't have a choice in which world you are sent to, yet you are willing to go through so much just to find your place. Who is she to tell you that you don't matter?
My mind came to the realization that she was absolutely right.
This woman just met you and is already making false assumptions—just like those awful kids from back in your world. What will you do if her way of thinking affects the others? Then you will be all alone in this world—in a dangerous, foreign world full of mystery. They will all shun you and think that you do not matter. Will you allow her to speak to you like this? Will you allow her to influence the people around you? Or will you give into your guiltless desires and make her suffer?
I was convinced. "You're right…"
Nuriko cocked an eyebrow as Tamahome looked at me in confusion. "What did you say?"
Feeling a sudden wave of despair and rage, an odd sensation consumed my body—it was both chilling and frightening, but it felt so right. Standing up slowly, the ring of darkness around me came into view, and I was the only one who could see it. Its power had been enhanced—as opposed to how it had been for a while: dim and barely noticeable. But now, after what had just happened, the ring's power multiplied, bringing it back to its negative influence it had when I was younger.
Tamahome and Nuriko seemed to have noticed a sudden change in atmosphere as their bodies shivered unpleasantly. "What's happening?"
"What's this horrible feeling that I'm getting?" Nuriko wrapped her arms around her body.
As my anger persisted, the dark ring pulsated, shooting an invisible wave of negative energy out throughout the area. Both of the people standing in front of me fell to the ground, shaking vigorously now.
Nuriko seemed to be the most affected—she was completely on the ground with tears in her eyes mumbling things like "Please don't leave me" and "I didn't do anything wrong." Insisting that she suffered more, I walked up to her, feeling some invisible hand grab my hand and reach out for her.
She needs to suffer.
Suddenly, the familiar, unfamiliar male voice rang out in opposition to the female's .
Akimoto!
My body stopped its advances on Nuriko.
You must stop this. Do not let the darkness cloud your sense of judgment—don't let it take over your mind.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed and allowed my head clear itself.
You're better than this Akimoto. Don't go back to your past. Allow your heart to heal and have your future be filled with light.
Inhaling deeply, I released all of the tension once it was let out in a huge exhale. Bringing my hand back, the invisible hand seemed to have eventually backed off allowing me full complete control over myself again.
Looking down at the two, I suddenly became swept in guilt. I…can't believe that I did this to them. I'm so sorry! After their moments of extreme grief, both Nuriko and Tamahome seemed to have passed out. I took the opportunity to gather my energy and levitate out of there.
Sitting on the roof of one of the buildings of the palace, I had a chance to think some things over.
I can't believe that I did that. Nuriko is mean in all, but she didn't deserve that. No one does. What's worse, I got Tamahome caught in it as well. Gazing up towards the sky, I marveled at the many sparkling stars that lit up the night. It had been a few hours since I decided to isolate myself from everyone else. If I knew anything about that mysterious ring of energy around me, it was that its effects on others weren't pleasant. Back there, it had been my own intention to hurt Nuriko, but even if I weren't trying, she, as well as others, would have been affected quite easily. That's what had happened when I was younger—back when I had absolutely no control over it. People where automatically repelled so that they could avoid the awful feelings that were brought upon being around me. Sure, I had accepted my lonely fate, but that didn't make living through it any easier. There were those very few people who I didn't seem to affect as much as they others, but regardless, I still felt lonely.
Things had changed, though. Ever since starting this journey, the ring seemed to have…dimmed in intensity—and I could never figure out why. But I didn't complain. Due to the weakening of the ring, I finally managed to have the life that I always wished for, full of friends and happiness. Even after I was forced to leave worlds, the negative energy would only flare up every now and then—not enough times to affect the people around me. Was this whole thing psychological? Getting mad at Nuriko was definitely a catalyst for the dark energy welling up again, but that couldn't have been the reason as to why its power came back. This wasn't the first time that someone had really pissed me off, yet it caused this unfortunate thing to happen once again.
Maybe it was that voice—that woman's voice that spoke to me. Like the male voice, I didn't know who or what it was, but it sort of sounded familiar—only I couldn't pinpoint the face. What I wanted to know was why I was hearing voices in my head. One of them encouraged more positive things out of me while the other pretty much encouraged negative things—which apparently led me to go back into such a bad emotional state that the ring would regain its strength. Was it possible that I was schizophrenic? Hearing two separate voices wasn't normal and I was almost certain that no one else could hear them. Being psychologically impaired was the very last thing that I needed. I mean, I knew that it was always possible that I would either go insane from all of the world switching (and the insanities that went with it) or from being lonely. Never did I think that voices would do it.
Should I talk to someone about this? I shook my head. Nah, they'll just think that I'm crazy. But…I sighed. I can't deny it any more. I need help. I can't do this alone. But I really don't want to put people in danger just because I can't figure out my problems. Even if I did say something, they wouldn't be able to relate or understand. Sure, I'd probably get their sympathy, but that won't help me at all.
You're better than this Akimoto. Don't go back to your past. Allow your heart to heal and have your future be filled with light.
"Have your future be filled with light". What does that mean? How do I find this light? Whacking my brain some more helped me recall something. Light…Is it the same light that I was able to produce a few times? I only experienced that power for a few seconds—but when I did it felt so warm and comforting. How do I access that power more voluntarily? What will it take? If I accept this certain light into my heart, will all of the darkness go away? It was then that I realized a new objective to my quest: finding the light. Deep down, I knew that this light was connected to my wish in some way. All I needed to do was find it.
Concentrating on more present issues, I had to deal with this whole "potentially almost killing Nuriko" thing. I really didn't mean to do it—she just made me so angry. Even so, perhaps I should take Miaka's advice and look for the good in Nuriko. It would definitely do me and her some good. Frankly…it gets a bit tiring fighting like that…
The topic of Nuriko also brought to my attention about the topic of Miaka and Tamahome. I wasn't quite sure how obvious it was to others, but those two liked each other. Yeah, they hadn't known each other long, but I read in fairytales that these things do happen. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have believed the whole idea—mostly because it seemed unfair that the universe would tease people who actually had to work at love before obtaining it. But considering we were technically in a book (which I wasn't totally convinced that we were in a book, more like the book was a portal into this dimension), I supposed that anything was possible. Plus, I'm sure there are times where you just know when a person is "The One". I wasn't sure how far their feelings have gone for each other, but I knew that something was definitely there, even if they didn't. It was all a part of that intuition thing I mentioned before about being able to tell people's feelings about one another by using body language and such. Regardless of their feelings, Nuriko's little jealous act wasn't helping at all. If she wasn't going to tell Hotohori her feelings, then I would before this whole "wannabe relationship" thing spirals out of control.
As my thoughts continued to circle on, a voice called out to me. "Akimoto!" I blinked. "Akimoto? Is that you?" It was Hotohori. He was on the ground below, looking up towards me in front of one of his many large, decorated ponds with a puzzled face.
"Uhh…yeah, it's me."
"How ever did you get yourself up there?"
I thought about an answer. "I used my…special abilities," Which wasn't a lie. "What are you doing out here?" How'd you know to look up to see me here?
"I'm just out here taking a breather from my advisers. They've been insisting that I find my empress soon and the pressure is unbearable." He sighed then smiled at me. "Oh, I apologize for talking about my troubles with you, my dear, honored guest. After all, I did come out here with the intuition that someone was feeling troubled. I assume that that person would be you?"
Shrugging, I said, "You could say that."
"Well is it something I could help with? Do you wish to talk?" When he waited for an answer and realized that he wouldn't easily get one, he spoke up again. "You know you can trust me, Akimoto."
While I'm not saying that I doubt that, I am saying that I have way too many troubles to bother you with. "Thanks Hotohori. But I'm just thinking about some stuff right now…"
"Oh…" He seemed a bit disappointed which didn't do anything good for my guilt at all. I had to tell him and the others something. Turning back inside, I had to think fast. "Well, if you ever want to talk—"
"Wait!" I shouted out. Stopping, he looked at me. "Would it be okay…if the five of us could just…talk about something?"
With hope in his eyes, he gave a dazzling smile—realizing that I finally wanted to open up. "As you wish—I think that would be an excellent idea. When?"
"Soon…preferably sometime tonight." I have to explain myself to Nuriko and Tamahome. They probably think that I'm some sort of freak or something.
He nodded. "Very well. I shall gather them all—"
"Oh! Hotohori!" Miaka's voice came from the building under me before she came into view. I was pretty sure that she had no idea that I was even there. "I didn't expect to see you out here."
"Hello Miaka." He showed her a charming smile as well. "Did you need something?"
Shaking her head, she gave one of the brightest smiles I had seen on her all day. "No. I just came out here to do something for Nuriko." I groaned. Of course she is.
"Nuriko? Like what?"
"Well, I'm really trying hard to become her friend. She's been having me do things for her all day—and I've barely had any time to rest," she giggled nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck.
Hotohori seemed to take offense to this. "She's been what? I'll go have a talk with her—"
"No!" Miaka exclaimed. "It's okay, really! I'm happy to be doing these things for her. It just means that I'm closer to becoming friends with her. I can tell that she's slowly beginning to trust me and if that means doing little chores for her, then I don't mind at all." She calmed down a bit. "Nuriko said that she lost her favorite earring in that pond, and I intend on finding it for her."
"But Miaka…" Hotohori looked like he really wanted to help her out—the expression on his face said it all.
"I will become friends with Nuriko, and after that happens, I'll do all I can to get Aki-nee-chan and her to become the best friends ever. I mean, if we're all going to be together, then we shouldn't fight, right?" She was right—this team would never survive if Nuriko and I kept going at each other's throats. If something bad ever did happen in the future, we'd have to have enough trust in each other—and have each other's backs—if we were going to survive.
Thinking about her meaningful words, Hotohori gave a small grin. "Do you need any help?"
She waved her hands in front of her. "Oh, no! That isn't necessary. I'll handle everything."
Making sure that Miaka didn't notice, he looked up at me but spoke to her. "Very well—I have something that I must take care of at the moment. Come and see me later, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay!" Passing her, he proceeded into the building after giving me a wink, acknowledging that I didn't wish to be discovered at that moment. Seeing that he was gone, Miaka faced the dark pond. By this time, the sun had already been set for a while. Going swimming for any reason in the dark was dangerous—especially when your name was Miaka Yuki. It may have been true that I came out here to do some thinking, but perhaps the universe led me to this certain spot specifically for the reason of looking after Miaka. I certainly didn't doubt it. With determination in her eyes, she stepped even closer to the small lake. Walking a few strides in, the water was already at her knees. But once she put another step forward, she managed to trip on something, sending her whole body plummeting face-first into the dark, liquid abyss.
Alarmed, I calmed myself down by remembering how she was actually a good swimmer. But when she didn't come up, I noticed the water rippling violently as a multitude to bubbles floated up. Knowing that that was my cue, I jumped off the roof and levitated over the water. Ordinarily, I'd say that it was a bad thing to panic—and it was especially when you're in danger of drowning—but it made it extremely obvious as to her location. Reaching down, I took hold of her arm and attempted to bring her up. The thing was…she was stuck somehow, perhaps on some weeds or something—that was why she couldn't escape. Inhaling deeply, I submerged my upper body underwater. It was hard to see anything under the dark water, so I had to use a lighting spell.
Light of life, brighter than flame, let thy power gather in my hand. A sphere of bright white energy began to form in my palm. Lighting! Bigger than the size of a softball, the light floated—allowing me to see underwater clearly. Miaka was indeed being held down by some weeds that she had caught her leg on—she was struggling so much that she didn't even seem to notice that I was there with a bright ball of energy. With one spell activated in one hand, I used the other to do another one. Saisu! Holding back my energy a tremendous amount, a small, crescent-shaped blast of wind shot through the water from my hand which cut the plants on impact, allowing her to go free. She floated to the top, as I brought my upper body up and out of the water. Taking hold of her arm again, I brought her to the edge of the pond.
Landing back on the ground, I crouched to get a better look at her as she coughed vigorously. "Are you crazy Miaka? Why the hell would go into a large pond, at night, looking for some stupid earring?"
In between coughs, she said, "I had to. Nuriko…her earring…really important to her…" It doesn't seem like she noticed my powers at all.
"Miaka!" Seeing her look at me with an apologetic face, I softened up. "Look, I know that becoming friends with Nuriko is important to you...but…There is such a thing as too nice. You know that, right?"
She giggled. "Well then, it's a good thing that I have you there to look out for me, right?" Relaxing, I gave a small smile back. "And don't you think that if you have the opportunity to make a good friend, wouldn't you take it?" I don't know…I've been so resilient and passed up so many opportunities. "C'mon Onee-chan. Let me do this, please?"
I sighed.
"Well, it's about time you—" Nuriko stood in that cushiony room from earlier awaiting Miaka's return. When she finally made her way back, Nuriko didn't expect to see me trailing in after her. Taking her attention off of me, she continued speaking to Miaka who, like me, was completely soaked. "Took you long enough—did you find my earring?"
While shivering, Miaka shook her head. "N-no. B-but I did f-find this for you." Extending her arm, she revealed a small, pretty colorful rock that seemed to shimmer whenever light hit it. Nuriko's eyes widened. "I'm really sorry. I looked all around that pond for your earring, but I just couldn't find it. But when Aki-nee-chan found this pretty rock, it reminded me of you: a bit tough, but also beautiful—inside and out—so I wanted to give it to you instead."
That was when something happened that I never would have expected: Nuriko blushed! She must have realized how hard Miaka had worked in trying to find that earring of hers, and that she didn't want to give up.
Reaching out slowly and taking the rock, Nuriko stood there staring at the little treasure in her hand. Realizing that we were staring at her, she coughed, failing to hide her flushed face. "W-well, I suppose this will do. I'll have the servants search for my earring in the morning."
"I think that a 'Thank You' would be a more appropriate response," I told her.
She gave me a sharp look. "I did say that I would accept it."
"That's not the point. We went out into that cold, dark pond looking for your stupid earring for almost an hour. Now, I don't need nor do I want a 'Thank You' from you—but the least you could do is be appreciative to that fact that Miaka wanted to do this for you. She actually wanted to keep on looking for it all night. She wouldn't 've even left if I didn't pull her out. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Or are you really that cold?" Seeing how she wouldn't respond, I realized that this was the first time that I had ever left Nuriko speechless.
Miaka spoke up for her. "Onee-chan, it's okay."
"No, it's not." I faced Nuriko once again. "You've been taking advantage of Miaka and I won't allow your selfishness bring any kind of harm to her."
"Will you just shut up!" Nuriko exploded. "You think you know everything don't you? You're not even a legitimate part of this world, yet you act like you're so much better than the rest of us with your all-powerful knowledge. Stay out of people's lives and when I ask for your opinion, that will be the only time that I actually want to hear you talk. But you know what? Dying would be a step better." Hearing her words, I automatically growled. But…I couldn't be mad at her. At this point, I knew for a fact that she was being influenced by the negative ring. That's what happens when people are exposed, their more dark feelings get brought out whether they're aware of it or not. Earlier, she was just annoyed with me, but now, it seemed almost like hatred. Miaka, like Kajou, Saru, and Kyoko, had never really been affected—for reasons that I was yet to understand. Nonetheless, I had to endure Nuriko's harsh words since I knew that I was the one causing them.
The last thing I expected was Miaka stepping between us, slapping Nuriko right across her cheek. While Nuriko stood there, shocked, holding her hand to her cheek, Miaka's eyes blazed with anger.
"Don't speak to Aki-nee-chan like that. She doesn't deserve it!"
Nuriko regained her composure. "How dare you slap me—"
"At least Onee-chan was trying harder than you were to make friends. She didn't have to help me look for your earring—she didn't even have to come back here with me to give you the rock. But she did, you know why? Because she wanted to put in the effort of making peace with you." She started to cry. "I don't know why you two don't like each other so much…I don't know why you hate the both of us. But please…give us a chance…"
Taken aback, Nuriko looked for the right words to say. "Why…why do you care so much about becoming my friend? Is it just to summon Suzaku?"
Miaka shook her head. "At first it was. But then I remembered how everyone needs a friend somewhere along the way, and I think that you especially need one. I don't mean for that to sound bad in any way…it's just that you seem a bit…socially…impaired."
Nuriko scoffed. "Me? Socially impaired? I have all the people in the world to talk to. I don't go a day without consulting with people."
"It's not the same." She faced me as I finally decided to talk. "Miaka's right you know. I'm still getting used to the idea, but everyone can always use some more friends. It's sort of something that you can never get enough of."
She sighed. "Seriously, I don't have a problem with other people." I gave her a skeptical look and she took it offensively. "What? Don't believe me? Go ask anyone in the palace. I actually have quite a few friends."
Showing a puzzled face, I asked, "Well if that's true, then what's the problem?" She gave Miaka and me peculiar looks. Then something hit me. "Wait…are Miaka and I really your only problems? Why is it that you dislike us so much anyway?"
Crossing her arms, he face slowly started to turn red. "Well…it's not just you two…It's really anyone who gets close to the…emperor…"
"Are you freakin' serious?" I exploded. "You made us go through all of that just because of some f-ing jealousy? I can't believe you!" This whole time…I knew that she had a thing for Hotohori, but I honestly couldn't believe that she made Miaka her servant, made her almost drown in a cold, dark lake, chase down the terrified Tamahome, kiss him, and make me angry enough to regain my dark ring's powers just so that she could get with Hotohori. The whole idea was completely ridiculous, but apparently, that had been what was going on the whole entire time.
She turned around with her usual smug face, arms still crossed. "Well…people usually do crazy things for the sake of love."
Miaka wiped her tears. "Wait…so you're not in love with Tamahome?" I half expected her to get mad, but she beamed and regained her perkiness. "Nuriko! If you were in love with Hotohori this whole time, then why didn't you just say something? I'm sure that he would be very flattered—he may even return your feelings!"
She turned back around, comically puffing up her cheeks. "How the hell would I even get the opportunity when you two come flying out of the sky and into our lives? The moment you two arrive, you're all that His Highness talks about. I don't even stand a chance with that kind of competition!"
This was when I felt the obligation to chop her hard on the top of her head. As she fell to the ground on her knees while holding her head, she looked up at me with eyes that could kill. Holding in my laughter to the scene, I asked, "Where is that confident woman I meant that one day—the one who said that her and the emperor's wedding would be a magnificent one? You seem so much better than someone who would resort to bulling just to get your way. If you really want Hotohori, go for it. None of us are stopping you and none of us are interested in him like that. I know that they say 'all's fair in love and war', but this has just been so freakin' ridiculous!" I had actually wanted to completely curse her out, but my better judgment turned me against the notion.
"I can't believe that you stroke me like that!" She proclaimed while continuing to rub her head.
I pulled up my jacket sleeve and stepped toward her. "Oh, that chop is about to be the least of your worries—"
Miaka pushed me out of the way to avoid a potential battle. She smiled down at the infatuated, purple-haired woman and extended her hand. "Nuriko, thank you for telling us how you really feel. I'm happy to know that you felt comfortable enough to do that." Nuriko looked up at her. "If you want, I can talk to Hotohori for you—I'd be happy to help out a friend!"
"Friend?"
Miaka blinked. "Umm…we are friends now, right?"
Thinking it over, Nuriko's face flushed slightly as she put her hand in Miaka's. "Yeah, I guess." As she stood up, she started to get excited. "Are you really gonna talk to His Highness for me? I'd love you for that! And at our wedding, you could be my Maid of Honor!"
Miaka chuckled nervously. "Yes, that sounds wonderful, but…" She looked over at me. "I'll only help you out if you and Aki-nee-chan can put your differences aside and be friends."
After some hesitation, Nuriko smiled at me. "I'm all for it if you are!" She held out her hand for me to shake.
"After all that drama, you expect me to be friends with you?"
Nodding, she said, "Yup!"
I sighed and reluctantly shook her hand. "As long as absolutely no form of this day ever repeats itself ever again, then I guess we could—" Pulling my hand, Nuriko brought me into a tight, unbearable hug.
"Oh, we are gonna be the best of friends Aki!" She squealed. In the back of her, I could see Miaka smiling triumphantly.
What did I just get myself into?
"Okay everyone, Akimoto wanted to have a meeting between the five of us." Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Miaka, and I had met up about half an hour after our friendship with Nuriko had been established. Of course, Miaka—whose hair was taking a break from the buns and flowed down her back—and I had to get out of our wet clothes and into smooth, white silk robes until they were dry. Luckily for me, Hotohori had kept his promise for all of us to come together—in a large dining hall with a long table no less. I really needed to talk to these guys about me before anything else could happen.
They all looked at me, wondering what I was going to say. "Yeah, I have something that I need to tell you guys. But before that, there something else that I have to tell you."
"Well, what is it?" Tamahome asked.
"Let's see…well the first thing that I'd like to get out in the open is that I'm not as powerless as I may or may not have seemed. I actually have powers—I'm a sorceress." Their eyes went wide from my confession.
Hotohori pondered what I had just said. "Powers? You mean this whole time—"
"Yes, yes, I know, I could have prevented a lot of bad things from happening, but I had to make sure that I could really trust you guys." I looked down in guilt. "Technically, I had used a fraction of my magic when I was in hand-to-hand combat, but that was nothing. The one time I actually intended to use my full powers, I had exhausted my energy and couldn't do it—thus putting Miaka and Tamahome in further danger. And for that, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you guys enough." There was no way in hell I would reveal that I was hiding my powers for sport the majority of the time. The whole "trust" thing wasn't exactly a lie—I mean it could have been a reason for my hiding my abilities. On a separate note, I didn't think that I was ready to tell them that this wasn't the first foreign world that I had been in. That could wait.
"Oh…so that's the reason why Onee-chan could do all of those things. That is so cool!" Miaka praised. You'd think that she would ask where I got my powers in the first place. I wasn't complaining, though, the fewer questions they ask, the less I will be forced to reveal.
Tamahome gave me a skeptical look. "So, the wall that appeared out of nowhere the day we met?"
"Magic."
"You getting the keys from the guard in the cell?"
"Magic."
"You being able to send people flying when you clearly weren't making effective contact with them?"
Feeling insulted, I answered bitterly. "Magic." Excuse me for not being a physical fighter.
Nuriko added on. "You being able to escape from me out of sight on the day we met?"
"I levitated onto the nearby roof. So, yeah, magic."
Miaka felt that she needed to say something too. "So, out there at the lake—"
"Yes, yes, it was all magic, okay?" I smiled deviously. "And that stuff wasn't even a fraction of what I can really do."
Nuriko crossed her arms. "I don't believe it." Feeling that I should prove myself, I used my energy to call forth Wind into the large room. They looked around for some sort of logical origin for the wind, but to no avail. Blowing their hair all around, as well as the clothes on their bodies, they began to see that I was the one causing it. Knowing that I got my point across, I ceased the wind and sat there feeling quite content with myself.
"Amazing," Hotohori said in awe. "You keep on surprising us, don't you Akimoto?"
"Oh just wait. The surprises keep coming." They all looked at me in confusion once more. "Okay, here comes the weird part. Let me think…" How am I going to explain this? "There is a mysterious ring of dark energy around me."
With blank faces, Tamahome spoke up. "A…what?"
"It's literally a ring of dark energy that is constantly surrounding me. You guys can't see it, but it's there—it's always been there…as long as I can remember anyway." I faced the two people that it happened to affect. "Both Nuriko and Tamahome have suffered from the power of the ring. Remember earlier when you guys suddenly felt cold and miserable? Well, that's what it does to people—it brings out the dark, horrible emotions that everyone has buried deep inside of them…and amplifies them." As they recalled the feeling, I noticed how Nuriko and Tamahome both had pained expressions on their faces, making me feel absolutely horrible that I had ever done that to them. What they didn't need to know was what would have happened if I had allowed it to go further than it had. "I am really sorry that I did that to you guys. I never intended for that to happen."
Putting a hand on my shoulder, Miaka looked at me sympathetically. "Onee-chan, how come I've never noticed it before?"
"For some reason, you, Saru, Kyoko, and Kajou aren't easily affected—well, Kajou wasn't affected. But I did use it on those bullies that were bothering you nine years ago. That was how I got them to leave you alone."
"Well, if you had it under control, then why would it flare up again?" Nuriko asked.
"I don't even know. I usually have that thing under control. I mean, the negative energy had diminished in strength for the longest time now. It wasn't until today when—" Then I something came up in my mind as I faced Nuriko. I can't tell her that she technically caused it happen. Resolving to not saying anything, I looked down.
"When what, Akimoto?" Hotohori gave a look of concern.
I shook my head. "It doesn't matter how it happened. The point is that right now, being around me may be a bit unbearable—you may have random bits of rage or depression and I won't be able to control it. So…if you don't want me to be around for a while, I completely understand. The last thing you guys need is someone who has the ability to really mess your emotions up."
Without even a second of thinking, Tamahome spoke first. "I'm pretty sure we could take whatever you have. Okay, yeah, that whole thing from earlier was bad, but it's not enough to make me want to distance myself from you."
Nuriko agreed. "You may be a bit impulsive, but you're not getting rid of us that easily." Wait…she's calling me impulsive? At least I don't go around using my strength whenever it's convenient.
Miaka hugged my arm. "You already know how I feel Onee-chan."
"Are you guys sure? I mean, I—"
Hotohori held up a hand to silence me. "I will not hear another word about this. You are staying here with us. If we must endure this dark energy, then we will fight through it along with you." Hearing them all say that they would stay with me truly made me feel warm and pleasant on the inside. I knew that I had only known three of these guys for a short time, but a part of me knew that I could really trust them—these people didn't seem bad (okay, I was still a bit iffy about Nuriko, but other than her seemingly drastic moods, she didn't completely strike me as someone who was untrustworthy).
My face flushed a little as I looked down to avoid their gazes. Hiding my smile, I quietly told them, "Thank you."
Standing up from the table, Hotohori walked over to Miaka. "Now that that is all cleared up, Miaka, may I please have a word with you in my room?"
Confused at first, she nodded. "Sure!" Getting up as well, Miaka winked at Nuriko, reminding her that she would talk to the emperor about her infatuation—she was probably thinking that this would be the best opportunity to do so.
Walking around the palace, I felt pretty good about myself—sure, I still had dark energy surrounding me, but I was able to reveal my powers—which were never a secret in the first place—and they found out about my unwanted and unfortunate ability. And they accepted me as well as everything I said. Things may have started out a bit bumpy for me, but they were definitely getting better.
Soon, I came across Tamahome and Nuriko putting up their ears to well decorated double doors. I sighed. Well this has trouble written all over it. And I was finally starting to get a moment of peace.
"What are you guys doin—" Almost immediately Nuriko ran up and covered my mouth with her hand.
"Keep it quiet," she whispered, "you don't want us to be found out do you?"
I grabbed her hand away from my face. "Found out? Found out by whom?" Realizing what they were doing, I asked quietly, "Okay, who are you eavesdropping on?"
She shamelessly looked away. "Miaka and His Highness."
"Are you serio—"
"SHHH!"
Quieting down, I asked again, "Are you serious? How long have you two been here?"
"Several minutes."
Part of me was screaming how I should get out now before something bad happened…but I was curious. "So…what's been happening?"
"Well, we came slightly late, but we could sort of tell that Miaka had already told His Majesty about Nuriko's fixation on him," This caused Nuriko to glare at Tamahome for his adjective usage. "But then…" His face fell. "Other things were said as well…"
"Other things? Like what?"
Tamahome didn't seem like he wanted to answer, so he resumed with listening inside. Nuriko spoke up through gritted teeth as she herself went back to her place near the door. "His Highness was telling her how he had been lonely since he was a kid, and ever since he had heard the story about the Priestess of Suzaku he—he," She took out a random handkerchief and bit on it in anger. "He said that he had been in love with the idea of her for years! Which means that he's…he's…"
I gasped. "In love with Miaka?"
"SHHH!"
Knowing how wrong it was to join in on their sneaky deed, I couldn't help but be a bit compelled by it. Have to go but…temptation…burning! Without another thought, I glued my ear to the door to listen in as well. After all, I had to hear for myself if what they had told me was true.
The voices were faint, but audible and identifiable.
"Miaka, for years I have waited for the woman to come from another world and bless me with her presence. I knew that this woman would treat me more like a friend, a man, rather than just an emperor."
"Hotohori, I—"
"Please hear me out. You, my Priestess of Suzaku, have been the one I have been longing for. I wish for you to be my empress." What?
"You—your empress? I..I don't know…"
"Miaka…I want to know everything about you—your family, where you come from, your hopes, your desires…" His voice trailed off. My gosh…I wonder what Miaka's thinking. I can only imagine what the rest of this conversation was like. My eyes widened as I took a peek at Tamahome and Nuriko. How are they feeling? Nuriko must be either really sad or mad as hell. And Tamahome…if my intuitions about his blossoming feelings for Miaka were true, then this can't be any easier on him. The big question is…how does Miaka feel about all this?
Wait a second…it suddenly went quiet. Stepping away from the door, I let my intuitions take over and got the hell away from there and around a nearby corner—I figured that watching at a distance would have been safer. Tamahome and Nuriko didn't seem to budge. Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal a somewhat annoyed Hotohori.
Realizing that they were discovered, they started dancing around like idiots.
"We didn't hear anything! Oh my, when did that door get there?"
"I had absolutely no clue that it was you two in there."
Hotohori sighed and apparently refused to acknowledge those two. He turned to face the room with Miaka inside. "You shall have my room for the night. I'll sleep somewhere else. I hope that your slumber will bring you to an answer to my proposal. Good night, my priestess. Pleasant dreams." As he walked away, Nuriko and Tamahome calmed down causing the atmosphere to become uneasy. Deciding that hiding was no longer necessary, I went to where they were—wondering why no one was saying anything. Looking inside the room, I saw the huge, Chinese decorated, hotel-like room containing the big canopy bed that Miaka was sitting on her knees, in shock, in. Her and Tamahome seemed to be staring at one another.
Her voice shook. "Tamahome…I—nothing happened…"
Turning to walk away, he spoke in a cold voice, "Why should I care if anything happened? You and His Highness can live happily ever after for all I care."
"Tamahome…" Before she even completed saying his name, he was already on his way away. Soon, with a scowl, Nuriko stomped off as well. "Nuriko…"
Seeing how I was left, I didn't waste any time in going inside to see how she was doing. Even as I went in, Miaka continued staring outside the door.
I sat on the bed beside her. "Miaka…you umm…wanna talk about it?"
"He…Hotohori…he proposed to me…"
"Yeah…I kind of caught that part…" This whole thing was completely awkward for me to talk about. Not only that, I though that Hotohori was hitting on me. It wasn't that I liked him that way, it was just that...well...a part of my ego sort of...died. It just comes to show that I shouldn't assume things like that, or think that highly of myself. I should have known better.
"Onee-chan?" Her voice was quiet.
"Yeah?"
"Tamahome and Nuriko…do they hate me?" Tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Please tell me that they don't hate me!"
I put my arm around her shoulder and brought her close. "No, they don't hate you. They just caught the misleading part of the whole situation. I'm sure everything will be fine…Just…try and get some sleep…"
She started to panic and flail around. "How am I going to sleep? So much has just happened!"
Seeing how she was losing it, I had to keep my cool. "You'll have to try. You won't be able to fix all of this if you're exhausted, right?" Grabbing her robe, I made her sit back down. "You want me to sleep in here with you? Will that make you feel better?" She nodded, causing me to sigh again. Tomorrow ought to be a…fun day. Groaning, I fell back onto the bed hoping that I'd dream of a time when issues like this were just a figment of my imagination.
If only I had that luxury.
ATTENTION READERS: This is the Beta version of LH5W, if you want to read the official, updated version of the story, you'll have to go over to DeviantArt. com and head on over to my page. My username is Aloubell. You can also get there by going to my fanfiction. net profile which provides a link over there.
In any case, this Beta version is basically the rough draft of LH5W, my first attempt at it. Much of the plot points from this version will be the same in the official version, but there are significant and consistent characterization changes, a few (but very important) plot differences, expansion of past ideas, and overall better quality in storytelling.
All of this will be done over on DeviantArt. I no longer will write the story in traditional prose nor submit/update it here to fanfiction. net. The Beta version will remain here, just know that it isn't the 100% official story.
The official version will be written in a lazy prose mixed with play-writing elements (you'll get what I mean when you see it).
This is the new format for the story from now on.
So please head on over there if you're interested in updates to the story! Thank you for stopping by =D
-Aloe
PLEASE NOTE: The official version is being written somewhat out of order. The official version will start on chapter 46, the place where the Beta version left off. The official version will go on to complete the last chapters of Season 2. Once those are done, I will redo the story over again from Chapter 1 which will be the official version.
Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!