talkin' to my self . . . 

What do you do when you're stuck in a cemetery with nothing to do on all souls day? You start frying things over the candle flame!

Have you ever seen a caterpillar burning to death? His green blood tainting the melted candle wax and getting trapped inside it as it solidifies? (bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!) (guess I really am sick)

DEATH

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Tou-san's busy again. I wonder when he would teach me how to make light out of thin air. He promised me he would when I'm older. Oh well. I guess I could just ask him about it later. Right now, I want to go to my secret place to play. Tou-san told me not to let anyone see me. He said I shouldn't talk with other youki. That they would only hurt me and take me if they see the golden sign on my head. I wonder why.

Nobody comes here anyway. This is my secret place. No one knows it but me. Besides, I wear a piece of cloth over the sign on my forehead. No one would see it. Nobody knows this place but me.

But wait...

I sense youki coming. They are running after another youki. An s-class youki. They're coming this way. I hid behind a thick undergrowth and saw a tall youki dressed in funny clothes, like the old pictures in tou-san's books from the ningenkai. His white hair trailed behind him as he ran, slightly covering two pointed ears and tied with a green band on his forehead. He was chased by 12 youki who looked very angry. They held long spears and aimed them at the running youki. Well, as long as they leave me alone.

I went on my way as soon as they were gone. This part of the forest is thick with greenery. Sunlight could hardly pass through in these parts. I made my way through the fallen trees, the ancient oaks and into my secret clearing. The sun peeped through my special hiding place where a crystal lake is formed from a natural spring under the rocky lake. My friends are all waiting for me; the birds, a small fox and a white wolf cub. Tou-san gave them to me. He said that they are natives of the ningenkai and that he would take me there himself if I was good. I have always wondered what it looks like. If the ningen are as nice as tou-san.

My little fox suddenly jumped on my lap as I was lost in thought. He looked at me mischievously and tugged on the shawl I wore around my shoulder.

"Hey, stop that!" I said with a laugh as I tugged back.

My friend birds suddenly fell quiet and flew away as a movement came from the bushes behind me. I looked at its direction, waiting for something to come out when the tall youki with long white hair suddenly appeared.

"Hey there." He said. His brown eyes were fixed on mine as he looked at me with interest. "What are you doing here in the middle of the forest?" he asked with a friendly smile as he stepped closer towards my direction.

He continued coming closer, his eyes still fixed on me. I took a step back, ready to escape.

"No, don't be scared, I won't hurt you." he said, stopping in his tracks. "I just want to... know you better."

He didn't seem to be lying, but tou-san's words suddenly came back to me. I turned around and ran as fast as I could. I could hear him calling out to me, but I didn't look back. I kept running and running until I reached home and stopped by the door to catch my breath. Thinking back to the incident, I frowned, realizing that I wasn't able to sense his presence. He was an s-class demon, yet I couldn't tell he was there until he showed himself.

"Fera. Is there something wrong?" asked my father as he saw me gasping for breath.

"Daijoobu, tou-san," I said with a smile. "I was just playing with my friends." I lied. I knew he wouldn't let me go back to my secret place if I told him the truth.

"Okay, but don't tire yourself too much." he said as he turned away to leave, his long cloak trailing behind him.

The next day, I was extra cautious as I left for my lake. The forest was hot that day and I was glad when I finally reached my favorite spot. The lake was inviting and my friends were already in the cool clear water.

"Minna! Matte kudasai!" I called happily. "You shouldn't have started off without me!"

I took off my clothes and put them aside and removed the band around my head. I dipped my toe in the water to test it and jumped right in, the cold water refreshing every pore in my body. Kitsune swam towards me and licked me on the nose as I laughed full heartedly. Okami came closer too and started wrestling with him.

"Hey there, musume-chan!" called a voice from my right. I turned around and saw the youki from yesterday. "Remember me?" he asked smiling, pointing to himself. He had another youki with him. He was taller and had golden hair held back by a golden band. His eyes were the color of pine trees and looked at me amazed.

"Menear..." he said in a low whisper. "She's beautiful!"

"I told you so!" replied the one with white hair.

"Child, what is your name?" asked the taller youki. He looked much friendlier and his eyes soft and gentle. "Where do you live?"

I didn't reply. I was beginning to think that it was a bad idea to come back too soon. I rose from the water and was about to run when the taller youki called to me.

"No! Don't go! We won't hurt you, we just want to be your friends!"

"What the...?!" the other suddenly said. "She has no chest!"

"Baka!" replied the taller one. "She's Menear, she doesn't need a chest!" I pulled my clothes from the branch I hung it on and started to run.

"Wait! You haven't even told us your name yet!"

I ran faster and faster, ignoring their calls, when the clothes I was carrying suddenly got caught in a tree branch and sent me sprawling in the ground. I felt two hands catching me and breaking my fall. Instinctively, I clawed at my captor, digging my fingernails in his flesh. I heard him hiss in pain and lifted my arm to protect myself. I waited for him to hit me, but it never came. I opened my eyes slowly and saw him kneeling beside me, clutching his right arm that was covered with red fluid. I looked at the red fluid with interest. It flowed like water from the open wounds on his arm and dripped on the ground, leaving dark stains on the forest floor. I looked at my hands and realized that some of the red fluid was on it. I studied it closer, noticing the weird smell, and licked it.

It tasted nice. It was warm and tingly inside my mouth and made me crave for more. I licked the rest of the red fluid off my hand, ignoring the youki beside me. When I've finished it all, I looked at the youki and eyed the rest that dripped from his arm.

"You like blood?" he asked as he looked at me with amazement. "Here."

He reached out his arm at me, offering the red fluid he called blood. I touched it gingerly, keeping a cautious eye on him. Noting his every move.

"My name is Raizen, what's yours?" he asked as I studied him closer. The scar on his face was not a scar after all, but some kind of dark markings.

"Go ahead, you can drink my blood if you want." he said with a smile.

I lowered my head, my eyes still locked with his, and licked the blood which trickled down his arm. I followed its flow with my tongue and felt three long wounds near his wrist. He took a deep breath as I closed my mouth on the wounds and sucked. The warm blood entering my mouth, flowing with life. I felt it as it passed my throat and into my system. I took another sip and saw the youki close his eyes and take another deep breath. I continued sipping when he suddenly raised his hand towards my face. I pulled away from him and crawled away.

"No, don't go!" he said as he crawled after me. "I'm sorry if I startled you." I looked at him cautiously, getting ready to run. "You haven't told me your name yet. May I know your name?"

I looked back at him and decided he wasn't harmful. I put my guard down and stared at him, awaiting his next move. He noticed this and decided to come closer. Slowly he crawled to my side.

"Well? Can you tell me what your name is?" he asked again.

"Fera." I replied.

"Fera...what a beautiful name." he said with a smile. "Can I touch you, Fera?" he asked as he lifted his hand a second time.

I didn't move away this time. I watched him as he stared at my golden eyes, his hand trembling a little as it touched the golden sign upon my head. It trailed down my eyelids and caressed my cheek gently before it followed my jaw line and ended on my lips.

"You're so beautiful." he whispered, his lips suddenly by my ear. I could feel him breathing down on my neck. I looked at him suspiciously as he lifted my chin and locked his brown eyes with mine. Before I knew it, he leaned closer to me and covered his lips over mine. I felt his hand trail behind my neck and slipped around my waist and lowered my body on the hot forest floor. I began to panic as he pinned me down with the weight of his body. I pulled away from his lips and gasped for breath. He kissed the side of my mouth and trailed down my neck.

"YAMETE!!" I screamed as loud as I could, struggling to get free.

That seemed to work for Raizen stopped whatever it was he was doing and pulled away from me, setting me free. As soon as he did, I jumped to my feet and ran. I ran as fast as I could. Never looking back. Never stopping until I reached home and entered my room. Gasping for breath, I jumped on my bed and pulled the covers over my trembling body. I heard someone enter my room and saw my Father sit beside my bed.

"Fera, is there something wrong?" he asked with concern.

"Tou-san...!" I cried as I flung my arms around him. He suddenly pushed me back and looked at my face that was still stained with blood.

"What happened? Why are you bleeding?" he touched the blood trailing down my lips and wiped it away. "This isn't your blood..." he said, studying it. "Have you been drinking youki blood?"

Tou-san looked at me angrily. I looked back at him, tears streaming down my cheeks as I thought of what to say. Tou-san touched the blood once more and closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked sternly at me.

"This is Mozoku blood." said my father, "Since when did you meet a Mozoku?"

"Mozoku..?" I whispered back. I didn't know what a Mozoku is. "Did he give you his blood?" he asked. I nodded in return. " No wonder, you may be stronger, but you are in no condition to fight with a Mozoku. Especially if that Mozoku is who I think he is."

Tou-san stood up and took some clothes from my closet. He took it to my bed and started dressing me up. He suddenly stopped when he saw the red marks on my neck.

"Fera," he asked sternly. "Did that Mozoku touch you?"

"Hai, tou-san." I answered back.

"What else did he do to you?"

"He touched me here," I said, pointing to the golden sign on my head. "Then he said I was beautiful and touched me here with his lips." I pointed at my lips. A dark expression spread on my father's face.

"You mean he kissed you?" he asked. I nodded in return.

"He kissed me here too." I said, pointing to the red marks on my neck.

"What did you do when he kissed you?" asked tou-san patiently.

"I screamed and ran away!" I answered back proudly. I looked at my father, waiting for his reaction. He closed his eyes and pulled me closer in a tight hug.

"You did the right thing, Fera." he said, "That Mozoku Wished to harm you. You never should have let him touch you.

"But tou-san, his blood tasted so good..." I tried to reason out.

"You do not drink blood!" tou-san said sternly. "Only savages such as that Mozoku would drink the blood of their fellow youki. You are no savage."

Tou-san looked into my eyes and stroked my hair gently. "Promise me you will never drink blood again." said my father.

"I promise, tou-san."

Two months have passed since I've last been to my secret place. Ever since that incident with a Mozoku, tou-san had forbidden me to return. He said the Mozoku will hurt me if he sees me again, since he wasn't able to get what he wanted the first time. I wonder what he meant by that.

Tonight, I plan to go there. The moon is full in the cloudless sky. I'm going to sneak out while my father and everyone else in the household is asleep. I waited until I heard tou-san close the door to his room and jumped right out of my bed. I made my way silently out the front door and followed my secret path that led to my clearing in the forest.

I wouldn't stay long. I just wish to see my friends and take them back with me. They are my only friends. I couldn't just leave them in the Makai wilderness.

I jumped over a fallen log and was about to go on my way when something glittering suddenly caught my eye. I stopped for a while to investigate and saw a shiny pink pearl on the ground. I picked it up and held it against the pale moon light. It glittered brilliantly in the light and reflected in my golden eyes. I looked around and saw some more, scattered on the forest floor. One by one, I picked them up, placing them on my cloak. They led to the middle of the forest, as if left as a trail for me to follow. But I was too amazed by its brilliance to think otherwise. I was still collecting pearls when a familiar voice called out to me.

"Fera!" I looked up startled, letting go of the edges of my cloak. The pearls scattered all over the ground like sparks of pink fire bouncing all around me. "Fera, gods I've found you!"

It was Raizen. He stood right before me, his eyes lacking of sleep. He looked at me as if he was about to cry. I took a step back, ready to escape, when I suddenly slipped on a pearl. Frantically, I fought to regain my balance, grasping in the air for something to hold on. I felt myself falling.

Raizen suddenly appeared behind me, catching me as I fell. I was too startled to react as he held me tightly against his body. I landed with him beneath me, giving a soft gasp as we hit the ground. I turned around to look at him and met his deep brown eyes. He smiled at me warmly, not letting go. I finally found my voice and screamed, struggling wildly to free myself. Hoping it would work the way it did before. It didn't. He simply held me tighter.

"Ssh...Daijoobu, I'm not going to hurt you." he whispered soothingly into my ear. "I'm sorry about last time, I lost myself back then, I promise it won't happen again."

I didn't stop struggling while he kept trying to sooth me. Finally, I got tired of fighting back and sobered up. I tried to catch my breath and gave a final effort to free myself. When I realized that he wasn't going to let go, I relaxed and awaited what he planed to do with me.

"There, that's much better." he said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, you see, I didn't know any other way to make you stay with me." he loosened his grip a little but didn't let me go. He sat up in a sitting position and faced me.

"The pearls are Mayef's idea." he said. "He was the other youki I was with last time."

I looked sternly at him then at the pretty pearls that scattered all around us.

"He said that Menears such as you love pretty glittery things. I see he was right." he reached out to one of the pearls and handed it to me. I looked at it cautiously and snatched it from his hand. It was so pretty that I felt like I just had to have it.

"Ha-ha!" he laughed. "It's okay, I took them for you anyway. I had to raid a Koorime village just to look for the best pearls in all of Makai."

He smiled down at me. Another one of his big warm smiles. Soon I lost my nervousness and started picking up the shining pearls. He picked up the rest and handed them to me.

"You know, I have a whole room full of jewels back in my castle," he said, handing a hand full of pearls to me. "If you wish, I can take you with me and you can choose anything you want."

I looked at him suspiciously. He haven't let go of my arm, perhaps afraid I might run away. When I didn't answer back, he looked at me pleadingly and repeated his offer.

"Well? Would you like to come with me?"

"Ie, Tou-san will get worried." I answered back. "He doesn't know I'm here." Raizen looked at me disappointedly, then brightened up again.

"It's okay, maybe next time." he said with a smile. "I'm glad you're no longer angry with me. You have a beautiful voice, you know. You should speak more often."

I felt myself blush and looked at the pearls on my lap.

"Can you just tell me where you live then?" he asked.

"I live with my Tou-san," I replied. "not so far from here, on a castle by a cliff."

"The castle by the cliff?" he repeated. "Is your Father the mage named Broveta (can't think of a better name)?"

"You know my Tou-san?" I asked alarmed. He might tell my father about this.

"I've heard of him. Even asked him to make a spell or two for me, but I never knew he had a daughter."

"Tou-san never lets me out of my room when we have visitors." I simply replied, holding the edges of my cloak as I rose to my feet.

"Why not?" he asked, rising himself.

"He says that they will take me away if they see the sign on my forehead." I pointed to the band I placed around my head.

"Why would they take you?"

"I don't know. That's just what tou-san tells me."

"You know, Mayef told me all about you Menears." said Raizen, rubbimg his chin in thought. "He said you are the most powerful beings in all of Makai."

"I am?" I asked wide-eyed.

"Well, yeah..." he said uncertainly. "I used to think that I, as a Mozoku was the most powerfull, but he said that Menears are much, much more powerful than me."

"What else did he tell you?" I asked with interest as I sat on a fallen log to listen to him.

"Well, he also said that there are only four known Menears in existence in Makai today. They all live in the temple of the gods, that's why very few youki know about them."

"Temple of the gods?"

"Hai. It's in the very ends of Makai, high above the heavens. No youki could reach it alive." Raizen looked at me as I stared at him wide-eyed, eager to listen. "He also told me that you can take nothing in but youki blood and humans..."

"I eat lamb." I butted in.

"Eat what?"

"Lamb. It's an animal that is a native of the Ningenkai. It tastes very good, especially when you sauté it." I said smacking my lips.

Raizen looked at me and smiled. He came closer and sat beside me on the log. I looked up at him and smiled, cocking my head to one side.

"Tell me more about Menears, Raizen, onegai?"

"Well, they are the off-spring of two s-class youki, but the chance of having a Menear as a child is one in a million. They are very pale with golden eyes and pointed ears. Their hair the color of deepest night. On their forehead," Raizen removed the band around my head and touched the sign beneath it. "...Is a golden sign resembling the spread wings of a bird."

"You mean, okaa-san was s-class too?" I asked.

"Why, haven't you met your own mother?"

"Tou-san never tells me anything about kaa-san. He has never even told me her name."

"Why not?" asked Raizen, but I could tell that he was thinking of something else. He stared at me with a strange look in his eyes.

"I should be going now." I said rising to my feet.

"No! Wait! Can I take you home?" he said stumbling to his feet.

"No. Tou-san will get angry if he sees you."

"Well, when will I see you again?" he asked hurriedly.

"Tomorrow night. Same time, same place."

I began to run despite Raizen's calls. I held my cloak tightly in my arms so that my pearls wouldn't fall. Soon, I was back in my father's house and slipped easelessly back into my room. I carefully spilled the pearls on my bed and examined them closely as I smiled to myself, thinking about Raizen. I'm glad I met him. I'm glad I found a new friend.

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END OF CHAP VII

OKAYYY...

So, how do you like it? It's supposed to be much longer, but I'm running out of money to pay for the rented PC. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to send you the rest as soon as I can.