The Castle on the Horizon
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"What do you think's in that old place?"
Larva looked up as the question was posed to him. Across from him Lemures sat, again staring at the dark castle on the horizon. "I suppose the Princess is in there."
"I wonder though... No one has ever seen this 'princess' character. Perhaps there really isn't one. Perhaps the princess is nothing more than a fairy tale designed to keep us from trying to break through to the human world."
"Perhaps," Larva agreed. "But there is nothing for us in the human world - we have our own world here. Shinma should stay with shinma."
Lemures tossed him a look that was clearly in disagreement. "You don't really believe that dribble do you? There's so much to be taken in the human world."
Larva turned away, leaning back against his tree turning his eyes up to the great castle. It was a tall building. The windows opened up into what appeared to be vast cavernous spaces filled with nothing but darkness. No one could venture close enough to hear anything from within the cryptic walls as a shielded gate protected the entire compound.
It was rumored that within the castle walls lived the Princess, the shinma realm guardian whose name and face were not known. Inside the castle, the Princess was said to guard the only entrance to the human world.
No one knew seemed to know anything about the castle or the Princess that could be confirmed. As young western shinma, they'd heard their share of stories offered up by travelers, extravagant, action filled tales. Lemures was a heavy skeptic and Larva couldn't bring himself to rouse much interest in it.
The palace was a strange, mystical building that had no permanent resting place. It was simultaneously the border between the east and west shinma realms and supposedly the only entrance to the human world.
No matter where one traveled in the shinma realm the castle was always on the horizon. It was an omnipresent building that hung like a long shadow over the entire plane, impossible to approach.
"I say we break in."
Larva sat up, rudely awakened from his fuzzy little daydream. It was just like Lemures to suggest something so brash, but to go there? Of all places?
"What?" Larva cast bright red eyes toward his childhood friend.
"Break in," Lemures repeated. "Let's find out what's in that old place and dispel all those retarded rumors. I'm telling you the whole thing is a joke."
"It's dangerous. I advise against it."
"Good, then you'll come along."
Lemures rose to his feet and, despite his better judgment, Larva followed. He was never one to allow Lemures to get into trouble alone.
The walk was a long one. It was every bit what Larva expected, a trip to nowhere. They walked and walked, but could never get any closer to the elusive castle. It remained a shady vision ahead of them, never any closer.
"What the hell-" Lemures snapped. "I've been closer to the building than this before!"
"Perhaps it's an illusion," Larva suggested. "It would explain how it always appears within sight no matter where you go."
"We don't have the kind of power to dispel an illusion that strong. Theoretically," Lemures thought aloud. "Perhaps if we find out what direction the castle really sits in... the illusion won't-"
Larva disagreed immediately. "That won't work. The spell would protect the castle no matter if you were walking toward it or not. Since it is in every direction it must be in only one. Where is the castle?"
"I heard it was North, but I've also heard it was located in the other 3 directions also and any number of combinations thereof."
"Then let us walk north," Larva suggested, maybe it would dissuade Lemures from this crazy notion if they walked for hours and got no closer. They walked for more than an hour, getting no closer to the looming castle. Larva raised his hand, blood red nails sliding through the air as he swatted in front of him.
Mosquito's, they'd discovered, were heavy in this area, landing every so often on his face. The black of his cloak made it harder to see them, but he could still feel the prick of their bite.
Before him, he thought he saw the air ripple with the motion of his had and stopped. He slashed at the space in front of him once more, Lemures, several feet behind, just watched, eyes wide.
No mistake... The air had rippled. He scraped his nails across his opposing arm drawing blood and then again, slashed the rippling space of air before him. He'd heard once from his step-father that most barriers required a key, the strongest of which, he'd heard, were those that allowed entrance to those who sacrificed their blood. It was a long shot, but what were a few scratches?
They both blinked in startled, surprised shock as the castle on the edge of the horizon vanished...It didn't crack or crumble, it just faded away gently, replaced by a towering, gated fence, hard and cold and impersonal.
Real.
The castle was real.
Long, towering spikes soared up into the air barred them from entering. The tips were old and rusty colored, either from age or blood, it was hard to tell. Somehow the thought of bodies impaled on those old spikes didn't seem so difficult to imagine.
Larva raised his hand, touching the cold metal. He suddenly regretted his willingness to test the little blood theory. So much for getting Lemures distracted by something else..."Here is your castle, Lemures."
The other man grinned, coming to rest his hand on the fence too, pushing. It snapped open, unlocked.
"See, I'm telling you no one's in here. The gate wasn't even locked."
Larva followed along walking slowly along the broken cobblestone path. There was nothing ornate about the place in its design. The yard was unkempt and broken, but the building remained strong.
It was large and looming, perfectly suited to look old and haunted. It reminded him of what he'd thought a battle citadel would look like when he was younger, but he'd grown up seeing this mansion.
It had been his vision of every great building.
He stopped, turning abruptly when the silence was split by a beastly growl. Beyond a low-laying row of out of control shrubbery glowed red eyes. Slowly, a bulky, giant toothed beast emerged, hulking low to the ground looking ready to make someone his lunch. Larva took one glance at the menacing beast before leaping into the only huge tree in the courtyard. Lemures, however, near the door, hadn't noticed.
His friend approached the old wooden doors and laid his hand flat, pushing. The doors fell open abruptly and Lemures fell in. The door slammed shut behind him as though the place were haunted, sucking him in and closing everyone else out.
Larva cast wide, uneasy eyes at the building. With one last backward glance at the snarling beast in the courtyard, he climbed up the tree for the window.
Lemures was not wrong in this one aspect. Security here, despite the illusion, was exceptionally lax. Larva squeezed himself through an old wooden window frame. The paint was chipping and the glass was missing, but the wood felt solid beneath his feet. If nothing else, this would be a novel experience, something to retell to his silly younger cousins when they returned home.
Inside, the floor was bare and hardwood. Nothing but sparse traditional furniture decorated the dimly lit room. He could see an old candle, halfway melted from previous burnings on a low table in a brass candle-holder.
Unlit.
There was not a patch of dust to be found...
The air was clean, not the slightest hint of must in the room.
That meant...
Someone did live here.
He felt a faint tremble shake his shoulders as he moved for the door, sliding it open. Was he afraid of this place? So suddenly?
He could barely see anything other than it was a corridor.
Dark and long and... silent.
He walked, slowly, quietly, peering around. Where was Lemures? He stopped, suddenly. Had he heard something?
A scraping and then...
A heartbeat?
Was the Princess here?
Did she know intruders were in her midst? Did she not have guards to help protect her? Was he walking into a trap?
Was it all true? Was this really some elaborate farce to keep the shinma from the human realm? Was there, perhaps, really nothing here and his imagination was running overboard?
He continued walking hearing nothing further. At end of the narrow hall was another door. He had passed one or two along the way, but they were old doors and had looked damaged. He had passed them over.
One door, however, looked healthy and functioning. He felt compelled to slide it open. He reached for the indented handle and slid it open silently, listening to the quiet hiss of the wood in its track. What did he feel on the other side of this door? His skin felt like it was rippling gently, the way a cast stone disturbed water.
He cast his eyes into the room, darting around.
It was startling, brilliantly red.
He stepped inside, his feet touching red velvet. Yards and yards of it were everywhere. The entire room was covered in it. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, the window...
"Shinma..." a small voice called.
He turned, startled eyes toward the little voice. In one corner, there was an elevated square shaped platform. On it, a white clothed figure.
Small, slight... female, he immediately determined.
He could see nothing of a face, or even features. She wasn't that far, why was his vision distorted? From the weight and the surface tension, he guessed it must be some kind of cushioned surface. A bed, perhaps?
Short, cream colored legs touched down to the carpet as the figure rose, white cloth pooling around a narrow frame. His heart beat hard, fluttering madly in his chest. Tiny, pale feet, visible to him against the deep, blood colored room.
"Shinma..." the voice repeated softly.
One step, one pale foot, with a matching ribbon wound delicately around the thin ankle...
One footstep.
Then another.
His eyes darted toward the face, sweeping up a pure white, knee length kimono. At her waist there was pink and purple flowing lavender colored material behind her. He raised his eyes higher, sliding over the visible, delicate curves of her chest to a pale, thin neck.
Over one shoulder was a sweep of hair, wound in more red ribbon.
Red.
Red everywhere.
Small, pink lips held a small, expectant smirk. Then his eyes met pure, glowing gold.
"Shinma..." she spoke again, now before him. "You are intruding, Shinma. Tell me, what is your name?"
Larva paused, unsure, who was this?
Was this the Princess?
This...
This girl?
Impossible.
But... Why couldn't he move? His mouth opened to speak and his name fell forth.
"Larva..." she mused, repeating his name.
Lemures crept along the hall. What the hell was up with this place? It looked abandoned. The floor was cold; he could feel the icy air seeping through his shoes. Too much time and he'd be numb. There was a distinct flowery smell in the air. Not natural, but not artificial... something, otherworldly.
It was the scent of a female, he thought.
The farther he walked the more herbal the scent became. More medicinal. Something that smelled like it would taste bitter and sting the tongue.
He turned suddenly, his singular earring swinging from one ear, thinking he heard a sound, only to see nothing behind him. Nothing moving, nothing shifting, just nothing. It was beyond creepy, and where the hell was Larva? Had he chickened out on the porch? He had not known Larva to back out of anything unless he was exceedingly reluctant to go through with it from the beginning.
Several further feet ahead he heard another sound and turned once more. No, something was definitely off about this place.
"Who's there?" he called, waiting boldly.
Into his vision stepped a woman. A full length plain white kimono and brown colored eyes, mouth opened slightly.
"Sir?"
Her voice was soft, curious.
"Who are you?" he queried, suspicious of the stranger.
She raised her arm, extending a hand toward him. "I am Himiko, servant of the Princess Miyu, who resides here. May I have your name?"
He cast her a skeptical glance and refused to tell her anything. So the Princess story was true?
It was?
Surely not...
Her eyes narrowed and he felt his heart start to pound as her lips drew back into a smile.
"Very well... May I have your blood, instead?"
He backed up a step, but she pounced, leaping on him, catching him off guard. His back struck the floor as she landed on top of him, her nails digging into his cloak, her head against his.
He could feel her breath.
He reached to rip her away from him when he felt the sharp bite of teeth, wild, sinking deep in his flesh. His entire body froze.
What - was - this - place? he thought brokenly.
Larva's head snapped up and away from Miyu as a scream, male, echoed sharply through the house.
In front of him, the girl giggled. "Did you bring a friend with you, Larva?"
Her voice was so soft. So disarming... So... So unlike something that could be dangerous.
He turned back to her.
"Himiko likes to welcome guests; no one ever comes up to see me." It almost looked like she was pouting, but that couldn't be as her lips twisted into another, small, mischievous smile.
"Who are you?" he asked, finally finding strength in his voice.
"Miyu, Princess, Guardian of this World. Welcome, Larva, to my castle."
This was her? The guardian was not only real, it was this little girl?
"Miyu," he spoke softly, his eyes meeting hers again. She looked so vulnerable, so helpless. So young.
Her eyes glowed. They were bright, twinkling orbs that captured him. He watched, stunned as she lifted off the floor, her hands, soft fingertips brushing the skin beneath his jaw as she looped her arms around his neck. She leaned forward touching her nose to his. The mask he wore in battle tucked away into the folds of his garment.
"Do you want to fight me to leave the shinma realm, Larva?" There was no challenge in her voice, it was a wistful almost condescending tone. Battle, however, was the last thing on his mind as her hands slid up, fingers sliding through his hair. He felt like sinking to the ground and falling into her touch. Her fingertips were causing the strangest, but nicest, lassitude to fall over him gently. Like a veil being lowered slowly...
What was she doing to him?
He'd never encountered such a power before... So hypnotic, so easily spun around him... So... sensual. He'd never met an enemy with a power he liked.
"You're
trembling a bit, Larva. Are you afraid?"
"No."
Was he afraid? He wasn't sure. He couldn't tell.
"Why are you here? Most people can't get through the barrier. Did you sacrifice your blood to see me?"
She didn't draw away, although she put more space between their noses, no longer touching. Her hands continued to slide through his hair, one hand dropping to caress the fine hairs along the back of his neck. It was so relaxing… so good. His eyes felt heavy.
"Lemures... He thought there was no guardian."
"I see." She giggled. "Another one of those thrill hunters... How disappointing. I never get any of the beautiful shinma who want to fight; they only look for confirmation of a guardian. How boring."
She glanced back at him.
"But then, I got you to play with, didn't I?"
Her laughter was a light, tinkling sound that caused the thread of anxiety in him to shoot further toward the surface. Why did he feel like a little mouse in a big cage and a giant predator?
Her arms tightened around him as she pulled herself closer, her eyes trained on his. "Are you a happy person, Larva?"
"... I am not unhappy."
A small smile graced her lips. "Is there anything in this world you desire? I can give it to you... Eternal happiness..."
"No," he replied, not even liking the sound of that.
Like a spider trying to catch a fly with words, he thought.
"How disappointing..." she frowned, leaning closer, her cheek brushing his. She turned her lips toward his ear. "But you know... You're intruding... in my house..."
Her voice was a whisper, a caress against the shell of his ear. He felt his body tense and warm in response to her nearness.
How was this possible?
Surely, he was not attracted to this young girl?
The feeling of her lips caused him to tilt his head, just slightly, the opposite direction exposing more of his skin to her touch and he felt her lips continue the sweet torture.
What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he shoving her away? Was she going to eat him? Kill him, perhaps? Who knew what horrible powers this little girl could be concealing...
He groaned at the feel of her lips caressing his neck, her tongue stroking him softly. He felt a gentle nip of her teeth, only to be salved by her tongue a moment later.
He gasped, a harsh grating sound when those little teeth sink deep. Then her lips pressed down, sucking on him. His entire body pulled taught with a violent uproarious arousal, shuddering beneath her mouth as she laved her tongue against him, lapping up his blood.
The wound burned deep and stung and every lick of her tongue seemed to increase the heated friction against his skin. He took a deep, trembling breath as she started to pull away from him, startling the gentle, satisfied expression on her face as he, without warning, clamped his hands upon her tiny shoulders and dragged her back to him.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he rudely cut her off, silencing her with his mouth. He could taste the sickly, metallic flavor of his own blood against her lips. He reached down, finding her narrow waist, molding her tiny body against his own.
She was soft, sweet. She felt perfect against him. Perfect and feminine. Small, young... beautiful.
Her lips were feathery and delicious, but hesitant. Inexperienced, he realized, in his haze. She made no move to attempt shoving him away, instead leaving her arms curled around his neck loosely. He tilted, thrusting his tongue against her innocent lips and she obeyed, parting for him.
His tongue probed and tasted her, hands coiling in the pure white depths of her kimono. He could feel his nails rip through the cloth puncturing it.
Vaguely, he heard cackling and felt an external heat warming him and yanked back hastily from her realizing the source of his new alarm. They were surrounded by a circle of fire...
Bright, hot fire...
He turned his hazy eyes back to her. She looked flustered and out of breath, but not afraid. Somehow afraid seemed out of place with this girl...
"That's never happened before..." she mused softly.
She floated forward again slowly, sealing the space between them, the flames still burning bright and hot. She leaned up and he moved toward her, crushing her lips against his again, his hand curling around her jaw. He was drawn to her. Her mouth fell open at the bold pressure of his tongue and he felt her shudder against him and it made him shudder in response.
His body throbbed, aching for her. His fingers were itching to relieve her of the ornate sash tied at her back and plunge himself deep into her. So young she looked, but it didn't matter.
A fierce, startled shout from the vicinity of the first floor interrupted their passion and Miyu pulled back from him once more. "If you wish to have your friend alive, leave now. But, you... Larva... I invite you to visit here again."
Her eyes promised dangerous things. What the hell was he doing, he wondered. Her small hands pushed against his chest and felt himself falling backwards before darkness closed in on him.
He woke to the rushing sound of water. He lazily sat up, bringing his hands to his aching head. He blinked himself out of his stupor. What was he doing beside a river? The last thing he remembered was Lemures suggesting they go break into that castle on the horizon.
Where was Lemures?
He peered around and found his friend in a heap some feet away. Larva stood and walked, puzzled, toward his companion.
The man's clothes were rent and torn and several puncture wounds adorned his neck, and, he noticed, one especially ugly one his hand.
Turning, Larva hissed, as a burning pain shot up his neck. He raised a hand, finding small wounds there. Puncture wounds...
He turned startled eyes toward the castle. Had... They hadn't really gone in there, had they?
At his feet, Lemures stirred, but Larva could not look away from the castle in the distance. What was this feeling? This ... need... he had to go back there?
Larva was aware of Lemures as he lumbered to his feet.
"What the hell happened? I ache all over and my neck is killing me!"
Larva forced his gaze away. "Another of your ideas that should've been ignored," he mumbled, turning to walk away.
He could not escape the mansion on the horizon, no more than he could escape the powerful feelings that welled up when he thought of it.
What happened, he wondered.
Why did he want to go back?
Words he couldn't have imagined played again, powerfully, in his memory.
"... Larva... I invite you to visit here again."
Miyu crept down the hall, searching for her servant. Himiko was a special servant, not like Yui and the others. Himiko had once been a human, a spiritualist. Although the woman appeared older than her by many years, Miyu was her "mother" in a sense, she guarded the woman carefully.
She found Himiko curled over her desk, pouring over yet another book. There were two options when given the blood of a vampire - eternal life or insanity. Himiko had dealt fine for a while, but it had taken its toll on her. Each day she slipped a little more and it wouldn't be long until Miyu was forced to lock away the young woman's soul. She was reluctant to do so. Himiko was one of her children, after all... She turned away from the room; Himiko never looked up and Miyu headed back up to her sanctuary, the Red Room.
Her room... the room Shinma Larva had walked into... The room where he'd stoked desires she wanted to remain dead. She was not a recluse in this house for nothing, after all.
The barrier was designed to keep the shinma out. Elaborate spells had been cast tossing shadows of this building in all directions so it could be seen no matter where one traveled in this world. It was supposed to frighten, to intimidate.
Once beyond the illusion, the security was nil. If they got through, Miyu didn't want them to stay out. Those who would sacrifice their blood to the barrier to gain entrance would sacrifice their blood to her as well.
Either they wanted to see her or they wanted to leave the Realm. Those who wanted to leave were often the most interesting. Desperate, vile creatures...those shinma made her feel alive again.
They were all meals, really. She was a recluse, never leaving the mansion unless it was to travel beyond the gate to the human world. Her children couldn't be born from Shinma... Only humans.
She sighed, settling back down onto her bedding.
Larva... What had gotten into her today? One set of beautiful eyes and she forgets herself? So long she'd been locked up here, trapped in this young body, her mind growing, her desires forging...
Things she couldn't have. Things she'd resigned herself to. Resolves he had crushed with nothing more than the hard pressure of his lips. He'd wanted her and she'd never experienced that before.
She regretted letting him go. She should've bound him, kept him. Just the thought of him almost made her flush. No one had ever touched her like that before. Maybe no one would again.
She'd been kissed before, before she'd turned her aggressor into dust, but never had she let something like that happen. Never had it touched her that way. It was what she'd wanted to know. What she'd seen humans experience and desired to feel for herself and thought she'd never know it...
She'd been guarding this place so long...
So long...
So alone.
She walked to her window, yanking off the red velvet that covered it and peered out. She imagined she could see him on the horizon... Walking... Walking away from her.
On the wind her words echoed.
"... Larva... I invite you to visit here again."
She imagined him, that beautiful, tall, dark cloaked stranger stopping and peering back toward the castle. She giggled imaging his eyes meeting hers.
Maybe someday…
Minor revisions: 7/3/06