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"Did you hear? The princess' cousin is coming..." She sighed. "He's supposed to be really cute..." Lanthy giggled. "What do you think he's visiting for?"
"I heard he's a lecher... he's probably here to buy some new 'land'" she stuck her tongue out as she giggled as well.
Lanthy giggled loudly. "No way! I heard he is quite the gentleman..." She smiled as she saw Mi Shen walk by. "Now he's a cute one..."
"I heard you've already tried for that one..." the other maid smirked wickedly. "And I also heard you got BURNED royally by her highness herself."
"I did not! He's just shy! He just doesn't know how to prove his love to me" She said dramatically, placing her hands over her heart and sighed like a lovesick school girl. The other eyed Lanthy warily, sighing herself. "That's what you said about that last guy, who conveniently LEFT shortly after the whole affair.... besides... we were talking about Mattu, not Mi Shen... though, I guess they're both 'killers'" She smirked.
She giggled, “in more ways then one”
Mattu moaned quietly as they arrived at the manor. A guard looked at him as he smiled slightly. "I'm here to visit my uncle..." The guard nodded, telling them to open the doors. His head swam as they moved again.
She jumped up to the edge of the rod iron fence, peering over to watch the procession for herself. "Lan-lan! Come see! It's HIM! O--o! 'M-row'!"
"Ahh.... Mattu-sama..." Lanthy swooned as she looked over the railing. "I gotta tell Mi-hime, I'll be back!" She smiled and waved to the other maid as she ran down the hall to Mi's room.
"I thought you liked Mi Shen?" She grumbled to herself.
"Mi-hime! Mi-hime! Your cousin is here!" Lanthy said in a sing song voice.
Mi looked up from the floor, where a few rolls of parchment sat. "Huh..."
"YOU!" She thought bitterly.
"-My cousin?"
"Hai! Mattu-sama is here to visit!" She smiled. "I have to go now Mi-hime!" She waved and ran off down the hall.
Mi stared down the hallway in shock a moment before Lanthu's words finally sunk in. She stood up from where she was kneeling, feeling the blood rush back into her legs again after hours. She immediately fell on her face as her legs refused to reply.
"Onee-chan..." Corqren coughed as he appeared at the doorway being carried by a guard. "Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" The child looked at her as he asked to be put down, being refused by the guard.
"I'm fine. I've just been sitting too long, Corqren..."
"Ok..." He frowned slightly. "Are you coming? Father just sent for us, Cousin Mattu has arrived..." He coughed lightly. The guard shifted him in his arms. "Mi-hime, do you want to come with us?"
"Yes, I'm planning to..." She said as she pushed herself back up off the floor again, with a bit more success.
Corqren smiled. "I haven't seen him since last winter! He's so much fun, onee-chan, he played with me all day!"
Mi smiled, knowing that Corqren had been happy. "I'm not sure they'll let him this year, though."
"I know... I don't want Mattu-san to get sick... He's been worried about me ever since..." He frowned and leaned his face against the guard's shoulder as the walked down the hall. "He's been asking how I was doing and if I had been getting better..." He smiled. "Isn't he nice?"
"Isn't he suspicious..." mused Mi quietly. "The Matt I know isn't nearly so extrovert...."
They arrived at the hall and Corqren beamed as he saw Mattu. "Cousin Mattu!"
Matt turned his head as Corqren piped up. "Cousin Corqren.... Cousin Mi..." He smiled slightly, though slightly sickly. "How have you two been...?" He bow slightly. "Thank you for allowing me to visit Uncle..."
Mi bowed to Mattu, but only formally. She suddenly felt a slimy shiver crawl up her spine at the sight of him. "He doesn't even have a cow-lick!" She thought.
"Can you play with me, Mattu-san?" Corqren smiled as the guard set him on his feet wobbly.
"I'm afraid I too am sick Cousin, I thought it'd do good to see you." He chuckled. “I hate having to play nice with him... he's too.... cute...” He thought to himself moodily.
Mi raised an eyebrow at Matt, unable to smile like the rest of her "family".
Mattu smiled at Mi-san. "What is the matter, cousin? You seem uneasy..."
From across the room, Mi Shen glowered at Mattu's back. He could feel the “bad vibes” coming from him across the distance. He looked at Mi and shook his head slowly, carefully keeping his gaze at the ground.
Mi caught Mi Shen's shake from the corner of her eye, confirming her own bad feelings. "I'm sorry... I was sitting too long at my studies... the blood has yet to... return... heh." She smiled weakly.
He smiled at her and took her hand, "It is good to see you again, Cousin. I must go to my room though... my trip has been... very tiring..." His smile grew a little sinister as he smiled at Corqren who returned a big smile. He bowed to the lord and left, running his hand across Mi's arm as he went past.
Goosebumps ran up Mi's arm. Mi gritted her teeth behind her lips, feeling more uncomfortable than before. "Corqren... you should rest as well... you don't look good enough to be out and about on a cool day like today..." She said, lying a bit to try and get Corqren back to the safety of his room. At least there, she could hear if someone tried something.
"Alright, Onee-sama, goodbye father." He bowed and almost fell down, being caught by the guard before he hit the ground. "Bai-bai..." He was hefted into the guard's arms and was taken from the room.
"My lord..." Mi Shen spoke as he moved in front of the lord. "May I accompany the Prince to his room? I am worried..."
"Do as you wish... but you should not fear my nephew; he is a good man..." The lord said, waiving Mi Shen off casually.
"Yes, my Lord..." He bow and walked past Mi, giving her a gentle smile.
Mi smiled back, realizing that it was the first time he had smiled at her, instead of the other way around. She turned away to face her "Father". "F-father... may I return to my room? I haven't finished my parchment..."
"Certainly..." He said, surprised she would even ask.
She bowed, scurrying off again.
Mikara held her hair back tightly as she bound the bias strip around it, enjoying the little cosplay she found herself caught up in. The knot held as she released her hands to the dagger at her side, and looked up at the moon, hearing each of Ax's footsteps: like an elephant compared to a ninja such as herself.
Ax yawned as he grew bored of his little round. He stopped in mid-yawn and looked around. He started to sniff the air as he caught a strange but familiar smell. He walked on, letting his nose lead him as he approached Mikara's position.
Mikara chortled lightly, knowing he'd hear, "Look at the pathetic little miscreant. Can't even finish a simple task set down by the dog's master?"
Ax's sight flew up to meet Mikara's. "Watch your tongue, woman! I'm just biding my time..." He glowered up at her, his hands at his side and in his sleeves, gripping his blades underneath.
Mikara giggled at the sight, and her own personal knowledge of the situation. "Don't even TRY it, child. I already know about your 'Assassin' skills, as well as your weapons. Biding your time well, I might add, by the smiles you pass way of that girl..."
"At least I'm not master's personal slut..." He growled out at her. "I know of your skills too..." He continued to glower at her. "And I also know that master is here in the manor..."
"Well, you'd certainly be a bad SECOND-RATE bodyguard-even a counterfeit one, if you hadn't found THAT out. Even the servant girls have been chittering all day over such an event. But then again, I've met few boulders denser than you." She flipped a fan from some hidden pocket over her face, her eyes gazing down at him just over the rim.
"I grow tired of these games..." he scratched his head in frustration. "What do you want anyway, Mikara?!" he yelled at her as he slashed the bamboo pole out from under her. "I hate people who play games!"
She squeaked in surprise, pushing her jump against the fall of the pole, and lunging directly towards Ax, blades drawn out sometime during the jump. She feinted, and leap-frogged over Ax as he ducked into the "attack", landing in a rather sloppy way, picking herself up from the sprawled skid she had landed into.
He swung into a direct slash of his two short swords as he turned, trying to catch her as she recovered. She rolled, watching the tips of her hair fall lifelessly to the ground as she barely avoided losing a rather VITAL vein. "You won't win." She said simply as the roll brought her crouching on the balls of her feet once more, to the side of him.
"I might not... but I'll cause as much damage as I can before going out..." He stood in a half-couched defensive position.
She mimicked his position with her own smug, half-wary expression. "Afraid you can't beat a whore?" He lunged at her as he growled with fury.
Mikara swayed sideways, glancing his blades against her own as she tumbled back onto one knee, still smiling in just the same way. "And you thought yourself an assassin? You have some ego deep within that skull of yours, Naharax..." Her eyes squinted slightly as his full name rolled over her tongue. It felt odd to call him that.
Ax growled, not a human growl, but more like an animal that had been pushed too far. He saw a flash of red invade his vision and leapt at her with a roar of rage.
Mikara squeaked unexpectantly as she barely blocked his attack, her own dagger pushed up to her forehead from the force of his attack and from her own surprise. She brought out her second dagger, out of sheer necessity slicing up from underneath her first with the butt of the weapon. He yelped as he was knocked back, a small trickle of blood crawling down from his lip. He brought his hand away from his lip and licked his blood.
"I'm... not an.... assassin..." he started to laugh in a partially deranged way. "Not an assassin..." His sight drew back to Mikara as he grinned
"Certainly not any more... so?" She stood up, trying to regain the confident smile she had had before. "Have you chosen your sides? You cannot return tonight unless you either report me, or kill Yu. I've already heard the quick paces of the residents... they know of our battle this night..."
He turned his head to the side and took a deep breath. "I can smell them..." he turned back to her and stared at her for a moment. "Tell master..." He growled. "I'm against him... I can't kill the nurse... as much as I could kill you, Mikara..." He glowered as he regained some of his composer. "It would require guts that even I don't have...." He twitched as he heard the footsteps approaching.
Her eyebrows rose. "Then allow me to help your story..." She said, bringing the butt of both daggers down hard against his right temple, her eyes following his slump to the ground. "You're the same, Ax... even in a dream." Mikara smiled, and wiped it once more as the footsteps became audible even to a normal person. She took this as her curtain call.
Mi raised the cup to her lips slowly, just as they'd drilled into her head the short while she'd been here. She sighed, lowering the dainty piece of fragile workmanship to the tray with her pinky properly supporting the rim of the saucer. It jostled slightly as she let out a squeak of surprise at the unexpected visitor who suddenly emerged in her line of vision.
“Good afternoon, Cousin. May I join you?” Mattu stood just inside the doorway, with a serene smile gracing his face. “I hope I didn't scare you.”
Too late... and isn't there some sort of doctrine about entering a woman's room? “No... and you may...” She said through grated teeth and an urge to say the opposite.
Mattu sat down, immediately taking her free hand in his. “Is there something wrong this morning, cousin?” The hairs on her arm creeped up on end as he stroked her fingers in what appeared to be second nature.
“Nothing...” She tugged her hand free with a slight bit of effort. “Why are you suddenly so concerned?” She asked plainly, dropping any tact they had tried to teach her.
“I am just trying to look out for my... favorite cousin.” He leaned closer to her, bending over the tea set on the table without care as he spoke. She grimaced in response. He suddenly pulled her into an embrace, knocking over tea, cups, saucers and all with a loud crash as they struck the tiles. He held on to her with one hand as his other roamed over her kimono in sickened patterns.
“My god, you PERV!” She squealed, shoving him aside with arms, legs and whatever was handy. As he smiled and crawled towards her again, she quickly grabbed up the nearest object, it happened it was the teapot, and smashed it curtly across his temple. He fell to the ground just as Mi Shen skidded to a halt before her doorway, heaving from what was obvious a very FAST and sudden sprint.
“Mi-Hime!” Mi Shen called in response to the short-term chaos he'd heard. His eye twitched as he saw what lay before him. A crumpled Mattu and a general mess of dinnerware spread out before the feudal princess. Mi looked over to him with a grin of victory as she only began to notice how heavily she was breathing from the spurt of adrenaline.
Mi Shen looked across the room at Mattu with disdain. He walked quietly to where the lecherous royal lay, standing there silently. He growled at the unconscious man and sent him flying into the wall with one swift kick. Mi looked up in shock at his actions, which took only moments to explain themselves. Mattu curled into a ball on the impact, a slight mist seeming to seep from him.
Mi Shen snarled as the mist took shape. It finally formed into a young tiger youkai who, dressed in a typical, if loose, kimono, appeared to be lounging in the air directly above its apparent host.
“Hmmm?” It opened one eye and looked down at a fuming Mi Shen and a startled Mi. “Ah! Heh heh! Found me again, did you?” He switched position leisurely until he was lying on his stomach. “Damn... that's the second time in 25 years. Am I just making it too easy for you, Mishy, my old friend?” He made a sarcastically pouting face. “But, I don't feel like fighting right now... Come back again tomorrow.” He waved his clawed hand at Mi Shen as if to dismiss him.
“Teme*! I cannot believe you! You steal from me, run for well over a hundred years, possess Hime's cousin and you tell me to come back tomorrow?!” Mi Shen released his clenched fist, sporting long claws where his fingernails were before. “I should have killed you when I found you the first time!”
“Coulda-woulda-shoulda...” The youkai smiled. “What makes you think you had a choice in the past?” He smirked as his ears flicked idly.
Mi's mouth hung open slightly as the entire situation started to be pieced together. As if this dream wasn't melodramatic enough as it is...
He twirled again in mid air, resembling the Chesire Cat himself in more than looks as he moved to prop his head up with his arms like the air was actually holding him up. “So interesting what one will do just for a silly little thing like their humanity.”
“Humanity?” Mi asked in utter confusion.
Mi Shen growled as his newly shown fangs became VERY apparent. “Not now, Mi... the story's too long to tell.”
“I'm sure the villain will pause for the flashback...”
“WHAT?!”
“Nevermind...” She chuckled, nervously reminded that not everyone thought it was funny.
He suddenly feigned an appearance of deep thought as he floated towards the window. “You know... I think...” He slipped out the window and down the wall of the palace as he piped up with childish glee, “I'll level the playing field!”
Mi's eyes suddenly widened with recognition of experience in dirty-dealings. “You're brother-er-CORQREN, Mi Shen!”
“Cor-ouji-sama!”
Corqren grimaced in the heat of another feverish dream as Yu set the cloth over his forehead once more, placing the back of her hand to his cheek softly. "He just suddenly went unconscious again? How long ago?"
"About ten minute ago, Yu-chan." Lanthu replied. "He said something about youkai fighting, too." Lanthu sighed as she watched Corqren.
Yu made a face. "He's always talking about those silly 'youkai'- it's just a myth-" She was cut off as the wall splintered open in a great noise of broken wood and shredded paper. She looked up from where she was pinned over Corqren by a few of the beams from the wall to the smiling face of what she could only think to be one thing- a real live youkai.
"Hey there, cutes." Eddy grinned. "Mind getting off the kid? I need 'im." He made a exasperated face as he heard Mi Shen and Mi coming down the hallway.
"What could you possibly want with a sick child?" A sudden burst of insight showed on her face. "You're probably the one who he was talking about!" She groaned as she heaved one of the lighter beams off herself.
"Awww I wondered why I sneezed a little bit ago." He shrugged casually. "But he's probably right..." He dipped and pulled Corqren out from underneath the beams, holding him up by his kimono collar. "Aw... sleeping like a baby!" He grinned as Mi and Mi Shen entered the room.
"Lookie what I got, Mishy!" He chuckled as Mi Shen froze in place.
"Let him go, Eddy..." Mi Shen frowned.
"Hmmmmmmm..." He made a fake gesture of thinking. "Ok." He tossed Corqren to the side, the ground rising to make what could have looked like a dentist's chair. Mi Shen made a move to get Corqren and spikes emerged to point at the child. "Nah-uh. No touchies" He shook his finger at them.
Ax knew he heard quarrelling as he ran down the hall towards the royal suites. He dashed into the Hime's room and saw Mattu on the ground, unnaturally lain against the wall, looking rather uncomfortable to boot. He checked Mattu and found him still alive. "What happened when I was out?" He wondered out loud.
"Oh... nothing much." A new female voice chortled from somewhere in the room.
He brought his sword out quickly. "Youkai." He grimanced. "What are you doing here?"
The lone red fox which sat across from him on the balconey seemed to smile. "A fine way to greet your friends, Naharax. We have heard much of you. But I'm more interested in a FULL-blood today... " It swished it's tail with a rhythm which seemed to betray the calm it posed.
It chuckled, rather loudly for an ordinary animal. "You cannot see his path of destruction? Or by the very aura that hangs over this entire site? Perhaps I should make things clearer for you..." The fox sat up, its limbs stretching out until it was a half-fox that stood before him instead, feminine eyes piercing into his own.
"Where is the Youkai...?" Narharax blinked as she changed.
"He headed for the prince's room. But don't charge in there. You'll be killed the moment he feels threatened. Wait until I distract him, then grab the child. I'm sure that WE can handle the rest..."
"......" He looked to the side grumpily in thought. "Alright... I'll do it..." He walked to her. "I want to know the whole story when this is through, though..."
She shrugged one shoulder. "As you wish. I just hope your simple mind can handle that as well as the task I've set." She stuck her tongue out, hopping by him before he could return the "favor" with a strike of his own, swishing out of the room with a tail last leaving the doorway.
He growled and jumped outside, keeping hidden by the wall as he made his way to Corqren's room. He assessed the situation as it unfolded and stood by, waiting for the kitsune to act.
"What are you going to do to ouji-sama?" Mi Shen said calmly as he clenched and unclenched his hand, the bones popping as he did so. "Let the child go."
Eddy pouted. "Well, if I'm going down I'd prefer to take at least one other with me." He grinned. "You know what I mean. After all, you know what happened to all the others. Hmmm... now, will this kid's blood be on your hands too? The last one was." Eddy's grin changed more menacing as he spoke.
Mi squeezed her eyes together in helpless anger. "Damnit I hate dreams like this... maybe if I think hard enough, I can gain back even a tiny bit of my magic..."
Suddenly the world seemed to do just that, as Eddy's own earth spikes broke away from Corqren and seemed to liquefy again and spike up once more, this time towards Eddy himself.
Mi gulped at the view. "No way. That couldn'ta been me..."
One spike flew straight towards his face, but he stopped it a mere inch from himself as he grimaced. "Who the hell...?" He glowered down towards his adversaries, holding up a hand as he motioned to the spike with his other. "I know you and the Hime don't have those kind of powers." He yelped as a spike embedded itself into that same hand.
"KUSO! Who's doing this?!" Eddy yelled, infuriated.
"Tsk tsk... doesn't even recognize the aura of his own kind..." A mocking voice echoed through the room.
He scrunched up his nose in anger, a few fangs showing. "Pah, should have figured it was you... Mai..." He sighed as he pulled the spike out of his hand. "Trying to help out mishy-san?" He shrugged. "Why bother?"
"As you might say, DEAR cousin, 'because I can'. Besides, the high youkai is tired of you." Mai materialized as a rather large red-fox in the doorway of the room with a satisfied smile.
Mi grimaced in thought. "Mai? Gee... that means the whole gang's shown up..." She drew a hand down over her face.
"Ah, coz coz... I'm just having fun with one little mortal. What harm is it to the higher...?" Another spike flew past Eddy's head as he dodged it. "And leave my spikes alone will ya?"
She shifted one of the lesser over towards her, and spun it above her hand. "Why should I? I'm toying with you no harder than you've toyed with these humans. And you know that our clan is not supposed to be involved. I'm breaking code just to come retrieve YOU." The fox grinned from ear to ear as it tossed it past his ear.
"Hmmm... all too true... but still, it's the clan's fault for not letting me have fun there, you, dear coz, know how boring it could be."
Narharax was bored to death with the scene and snuck quietly around the wall, careful to stay out of the youkai's sight. He was almost to the unconscious prince when Eddy turned and made a motion towards Corqren. Both Eddy and Ax froze for a moment in deadly recognition.
"Cheaters!" Eddy yelled as he hurled every spike towards Corqren. "The kid'll DIE for this!"
"No!" Ax jumped and shoved Corqren out of the way just as 5 spikes punctured him in various areas of his chest. Corqren landed a few feet away, rolling to a stop next to Lanthu, who grabbed him up and began to pull Yu outside, who was nearly speechless with grief, if it weren't for the fact that she was already crying over Ax.
"Narharax! Teme!" Mi Shen leapt at him as he drew his sword. Eddy barely had enough chance to turn before being impaled thru his stomach by the katana.
Yu finally tugged herself away from Lanthu, who took Corqren outside as she knelt beside the barely breathing form of Ax.
Mi stared forward at the scene spread before her. "Ax... is dying? But... if you die in a dream..." Her eyes widened slightly. "And if I can't find out how to wake up soon..."
Mi doubled over onto the ground in shock with her fists pressing into her eyes in frustration. "I swear, Arch-Lanthum. If you harm any of them... I will tear you apart, page by PAGE!"
Lanthu felt her ears perk as she heard Mi. "hmm..." she sighed
Ax bolt upright in bed, sweating and feeling around his chest quickly. His breath slowed as he found nothing wrong and the grogginess crept back. "That was the weirdest dream ever.... scary as all hell... Hey, Yu..." He shook her gently but she didn't wake up. "Yu, I had a nightmare..." He felt childish now. "She sleeps heavier then me..." He checked on Phillis shortly, kissing her on the forehead before returning, and went back to sleep, cuddling Yu.
"Where is it?!" Mi Shen shoved his blade and twisted it in Eddy's gut. "Tell me!" He was enraged, having to watch the death of yet another person in his name.
"Heh..." A trickle of blood curled down from Eddy's mouth. "It's been within reach the entire time you were here..." He slowly pointed towards Mi with a smile before his hand went suddenly limp.
Mi looked up from the ground as she felt Mi Shen's shadow loom over her.
Eddy rolled out of bed and landed on his face. "Youch..." He sat up and rubbed his wounded nose. "What was that? ... I was an Uber-pimp! And Mi Shen killed me? Gah... was a waste of a good dream..." He got back into bed, but laid staring at the ceiling for a while.
"Where is it... Hime..." Mi Shen looked down at her with a look of disappointment. He held his sword still, the sword's blade now matching his hands in crimson. "Tell me..."
"I don't know..." She looked up at him for the only time in her life with fear. She stood up to face him, though it was hard just to look into his eyes. A blur of red came before Mi Shen's eyes as the fox-demon jumped in front of Mi. "Think before you act, boy... do you really want to kill her?"
It locked eyes with Mi Shen in as much compassion as a youkai might ever feign.
"..." He looked to the side. "No" He looked back to the youkai. "But is there another way, Youkai?"
It smiled before it quickly hopped over him with ease. "The answer is right in front of you, Samurai." Its chuckle echoed through the room even after it left.
".........." he looked at Mi with a slight sense of wonder at the youkai's words.
Yu looked up at them over her shoulder. "Have you ever heard of the western story, 'sleeping beauty'." she said softly.
Mi moved forward slowly, touching is hand with hers as she put her arms around him. He froze as she encircled her arms. She put her head against his shoulder, rubbing her nose against the rough cotton seams happily. "If you don't remember, it's okay. I'm sure we'll wake up eventually."
"Wake up...? Hime... what are you talking about?"
"Oh, will you just kiss her already? Your dreams are WAY to mushy, Mi..." Mikara said grumpily from the doorway, where she was supporting Matt with one arm and dragging Lanthu, collar and all, by the other.
Mi Shen looked at Mi.
"Stupid cowardly boy! Kiss master already!" Lanthu grumbled from where she was being dragged. "-embarrassed retard."
"Oh... embarrassed? This from a silly little book who was so jealous before? 'he doesn't know how to show his love to me'"! Mikara mocked Lanthu, down to even the tone of voice. "Speaking of which, who are you calling 'master', I MADE YOU!" Mikara bopped the girl on the head, who conveniently fell unconscious.
Yu stared up at the great scene with tears in her eyes. "How can you make such a scene with death in the room?"
Mattu raised his head. "I must help... my cousin..." He flinched and held his side as the pain from being thrown into a wall arose again. Kneeling next to Corqren, he placed a hand over the young boy's chest. He muttered softly as a light passed between them, soon dissipating. He sat back on his feet with a sigh. "It's gone..." He fell backwards from fatigue and pain.
Mikara looked over at matt skeptically. "This is what you get for cheating on me in a dream..." She thought. She knelt down beside Matt as Corqren began to awaken. "So all that's left is a kiss from the one who completes you, Mi Shen, and this dream will be over, and we can all find better things to dream about." Mikara smirked.
He looked down at Mi. "..." He took a breath before he bent down into a very sudden and forceful lip-lock, pushing Mi off her feet in a whirl of motion.
Mi woke up with a start, immediately feeling her cheeks flush and a dampness over her face. Unfortunately, she soon realized it wasn't because of a special something, but because she had been drooling in her sleep. She swiveled around in her chair in the first bits of morning light, and smiled as she saw Mi Shen turn over in his sleep, and barely avoid falling off his favorite beam-perch high above her. Perhaps for him, the dream was not yet over. She grinned sheepishly at the thought of it.
*Teme – Japanese for “bastard”
